Editing Still Valley (section)

==Plot==
During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], two [[Confederate States Army|Confederate Army]] soldiers have been assigned to scout on the [[Union Army]] troops that are advancing into the valley below. Sergeant Joseph Paradine hears the troops approaching, but suddenly the sound stops. He decides to descend into the valley to see the cause for himself. His companion refuses to accompany him.

When Paradine gets into town, he finds the troops there, but all of them are motionless, frozen in time. He tries unsuccessfully to wake them. Finally he comes across an old man named Teague, the sole remaining inhabitant of the town, who is unaffected by the strange phenomenon. Teague claims to be a [[warlock|"witch-man"]] and says he used a [[magic spell]] to freeze the soldiers. Paradine does not believe him, so Teague casts the spell on Paradine, freezing him.

When Teague lifts the spell on Paradine, he claims that he could stop the entire Union Army in this manner, ensuring the success of the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]]. Paradine asks why he has not done so, and Teague replies that he is dying and will be dead by the day's end. He gives his [[grimoire|book of spells]] to Paradine, encouraging him to use it, but when Paradine looks in it, he realizes that using this magic would require him to [[deal with the devil|align himself with Satan]], which Teague acknowledges.

Teague dies, and Paradine returns to camp to tell his superior about what happened. The superior does not believe him and orders him to get some rest. When another scout returns to report that an entire company of Union troops is standing frozen near the camp, Paradine reveals that he cast a spell on them from the book. Once he describes his encounter with the old man, his superior urges him to continue reading from the book since Satan may be the only ally who can help the Confederacy win the war.

Paradine discovers that using the book's magic requires that not only must he praise the name of the Devil, but he must renounce the name of [[God]]. Rather than do either, Paradine throws the book into a campfire, saying that if the Confederacy is to die, it should be buried in [[sacredness|hallowed ground]]. The next day, Paradine receives orders that his unit is going to march to [[Battle of Gettysburg|Gettysburg]].