An Uncertain Peace (The Making of a Man Series, Book 3)

by Andrew Wareham

  Neither knew whether Marlborough had been a tall man; they dropped the topic.

  “What of the Copperheads, Colonel Goring?”

  “Gone, quite exploded, may be ignored, Sir Richard! Many of their leaders have disappeared, the treasure chests of their little organisations with them, as was only to be expected. Others have been shown to be blowhards, talking much but able to do very little. Only a few isolated individuals remain, and they are powerless. There have been a few acts of sabotage in the North – minor arsons typically – but they have no power to change the course of events.”

  “In Canada?”

  “Still a few, but under warning that they will not be permitted to misbehave on British soil. They have been threatened with deportation, with the assurance that they will be taken to the border in handcuffs if that should occur and handed across to Federal officers, who may or may not be given the keys as well!”

  “Very good. I rather doubt I shall remain many months in the States, Colonel Goring. My interests are to a significant extent in the Old North West, and I am informed that is to become a Prussian sphere of influence, the British to buy into the cattle areas of the West rather than the grain lands.”

  “I had not heard that, Sir Richard, but it is not impossible. I know that English money is to be found in Texas already. I am informed that there is to be a Canadian railroad across the Prairies to Vancouver as well, and that will take English settlers into the wheatfields of the Canadian Prairies, so it is logical to have an interest in beef to the south. It no doubt looks very tidy on the maps in Whitehall and Berlin, even if less so on the ground in the West.”

  They laughed and made their farewells.

  “General Grant is in Washington at the moment, Sir Richard. You could make contact with him quite easily, I do not doubt, if I was to send a note from the Embassy.”

  “Please do, Colonel. I shall see if your little man at the front desk will allow me to leave without protest, or apology.”

  “Apology? You are ambitious indeed to expect that of the little object, Sir Richard. He is good for empty-headed arrogance and very little else, I fear.”

  Dick walked quietly into the lobby and bade Fanshawe a polite farewell, receiving a grunt in reply. Perhaps, he thought, he had not lost as much as he had feared in being unable to read at Oxford.

  General Grant was located in offices of the War Department and was very willing to give Dick a few minutes of his time. His worn, lined face managed a smile of welcome, the expression of despair lightening for a few moments.

  “Major Burke, do take a seat, sir. I had wondered whether it was truly you when the message begged me to find a few minutes for ‘Sir Richard’.”

  “My father died recently, General, and I inherited the title in the normal way of things. It reflects on his merits rather than mine, of course.”

  “It is a strange way of doing things, when one considers it, Major. There was a hint that you had been in contact with your government, sir?”

  “There have been rumours in Whitehall that the Union had encouraged recruitment among the Irish community by promising to set the regiments loose on Canada once your war was over. I am to pass, very obliquely, the message that Her Majesty’s Government would be most upset was this to be the case. It has been suggested that the obvious solution would be to bring a fleet across the Pacific, carrying an army of sepoys from India. It is believed that the West Coast might be easily added to British domains, sir, and the goldfields are very tempting.”

  “That sounds very much like a threat, Sir Richard!”

  “It does, General. I can assure you though that Britain will never make a first assault upon America. Had Britain been an enemy of the Union then it would have taken the several opportunities that have arisen in the past few years, sir. Her Majesty’s Government has nothing other than goodwill for President Lincoln’s Washington, sir – which is why I have been tasked to speak to you, unofficially and without the presence of others. Invasion of Canada cannot be tolerated, General, but it is better by far to avoid the possibility rather than permit yet another war to break out in North America.”

  Grant sat back behind his desk, shaking his head.

  “I cannot promise that there will be no attacks across the border, Major Burke. It would need a garrison of one hundred thousand men to police every border crossing and we cannot do it. When the war ends then thousands of men will be discharged from the Army, and some of them may well band together under the auspices of the Fenians. They may well, almost certainly will, attack Canada. The Army will be ready on the American side of the border to arrest and disarm them when they are forced back again, but the British Army must be prepared to defeat them first. The distances are so great that we simply cannot stop them.”

  “I will carry that message back to London, sir. I believe that I will be able to explain its fundamental honesty to the government. While both countries wish for peace then it should be possible to contain the harm done by a few fools. I have sympathy for Ireland, but often feel the country would do far better without the Irish in it!”

  “I had not realised any remained, Major Burke. I thought they had all come to America!”

  Dick laughed, turned the conversation to the actual progress of the war.

  “It should have ended, Major Burke. Only a few diehards in political office in the South force it to continue. It has always been a ‘Rich Man’s War and a Poor Man’s Fight’ in the Confederacy, you know. The plantation owners have sent the poor dirt farmers out to battle while they have stayed at home or in Richmond living off the fat of the Earth. That is coming to an end, sir. General Sherman is cutting a swathe through the South, burning and destroying every rich man’s house and property and bringing the war home to the ruling despots of Richmond. They will soon change their tune when they discover that they must feel the pain of war!”

  “I am told that cotton is starting to flow across the Atlantic again, General. That will be very popular in England.”

  “I presume that there will be Confederate commerce raiders sailing out of Liverpool to destroy the American ships carrying that trade.”

  “Probably, sir. There will be no ironclad ships of war to break your blockade; that I can personally attest to. There is at least one ship under construction in Liverpool that may be designed as a privateer, but the courts of law demand proof that is impossible to attain and we cannot confiscate her. She will not sail from British waters under arms, but may well pick up guns elsewhere. Her Majesty’s Government is inclined to wash its hands of the whole business on the understanding that all can be tidied up after the war. If the matter once gets into the courts then there will be no decisions handed down for a decade in any case!”

  “And Britannia will rule the waves unchallenged by an American merchant marine!”

  “Unavoidable now, General.”

  “But not pleasing!”

  “What of Mexico, General?”

  “The French and Austrians must get out, sir.”

  “I agree. So does Whitehall. There will be no aid to either party from London; the opposite, if anything.”

  “The word I have, Major Burke, is that the Mexicans are much inclined to execute this Emperor if once they lay their hands on him.”

  Grant seemed unconcerned at the possibility.

  “One more petty princeling – the Austrians breed ‘em by the score, General!”

  “There will be no outburst of indignation at his death?”

  “The newspapers will make something of it – but to hell with them!”

  “I wish I could say the same, Major Burke. They are powerful in America.”

  “You must pay for your democracy, sir. We do not have such a thing, of course.”

  “What do you do next, Major Burke?”

  “I am newly married, General. I am to take my lady wife to Niagara, to see the Falls; then we shall make our way to Kansas City so that she may see a little of the West. I shall seek to tidy up my bus
iness interests then and return to England. I am much inclined to remain an Englishman, sir, though I shall always have an affection for your great country.”

  Grant shook his head gravely as he rose from his chair.

  “I could wish to change your mind, Major Burke – there would be a place in Washington for a man of your ability, that I could promise. With a record in battle in addition to intellectual powers, there is little limit to the position you could reach, and the service you could offer. I believe that you will not find it easy to enter a political career in London?”

  “Not a chance, General! Neither Whig – Liberals, we must now start to call them – nor Tory would have a place for me on their front benches. I could be well-regarded as an advisor, as a policy-maker, as second in a major ministry, but I could never be more, for I am an outsider, sir. But, there is nothing to prevent me becoming rich and then for my children to reach the highest office. I have less love for Washington than for the West, as well, and the English are to be found in the cattle lands, the ranching areas, in future. I do not wish to bring up a family in Texas, sir, as much as anything for the difficulty in laying one’s hands upon books there. On balance, I am more of an Englishman than an American; I do not doubt that I shall visit frequently, but I am not to live here.”

  “The choice must be yours, Sir Richard. We shall know, of course, where to find a friend in England.”

  The implications of that statement were interesting. Possibly eventually they could become profitable.

  Dick left the General’s presence, realising as he did so that he was doing just that – he had been given an audience by one of the world’s great men.

  He made his way thoughtfully to the offices of Parsons and Burke, bringing himself to the attention of a wholly unknown young man in the lobby. The offices had expanded, the building itself at least doubled in size; the firm was very obviously prosperous. He braced himself to face the keeper of the portals, expecting the gentleman to be as obtuse as his counterpart at the Embassy.

  “I am Major Sir Richard Burke, sir. Is Miss Parsons present?”

  “She is, Sir Richard, though I must inform you that her name is now Mrs Welland, wife to Colonel Welland since last month. The Colonel was severely wounded last year and is as yet unfit to take a part in the business, Sir Richard. May I take you through, sir?”

  He was expected, it would seem; probably the managers of the few large hotels had been paid to send the word if he made an appearance in town. It made life easier for both.

  “Sir Richard!”

  “Mrs Welland!”

  They shook hands gravely and seated themselves.

  “I understand that you are married as well, Sir Richard. I must make the acquaintance of the fortunate young lady.”

  “I hope you may, ma’am. I understand the colonel to be a wounded veteran?”

  “An artillerist, Sir Richard, and wounded by the explosion of a shell – ‘counter-battery fire’ was the term used. The poor man is nearly crippled and making the slowest of recoveries, but he is a very fine gentleman.”

  A very convenient one as well, it seemed.

  “I intend to concentrate my activities in England for the future, ma’am. A small estate in Dorset and large businesses in Lancashire will be my compass for the next few years, except that I may travel a little for Her Majesty’s Government. Such being the case I would wish to bring our association to its logical end. Can you buy me out, ma’am?”

  “Not in a lump sum, Sir Richard, here and now. That would demand more cash than the firm has to hand, by a large degree. I could pay you off at say ten per cent of your holding per annum, if that was convenient.”

  Dick suggested that it was not at all what he wanted; perhaps they should simply liquidate the partnership, sell off everything and split the takings down the middle.

  That, as he well knew, was a most unsatisfactory solution to her.

  “Possibly we could instead float the firm as a public company on the New York Stock Exchange. Fifty-one per cent of the shares to remain in your fair hands; the remainder to be sold to the public and the resulting cash to be placed to my account. There is of course the matter of the accrued profits to be paid to me as well.”

  They discussed the matter for an hour and then decided that the flotation made most sense; the matter should go immediately to their lawyers and Dick’s share of the profits should be transmitted to Liverpool as a first priority. The whole business was kept on a courteous level and Dick left with an invitation to dinner on the following evening.

  He returned to the hotel in a happy frame of mind, acquainting Louise with the treat in store for her.

  “I will be very happy to meet more of your friends, Sir Richard. There was a Colonel Shafer called this morning and will be back to dine here, he tells me, and would much wish to meet you again.”

  “A comrade-in-arms, my dear. A Western man, but a very fine gentleman.”

  “Ah! I believe we might call him a ‘rough diamond’!”

  “You might, but I beg you will not. He is a man for whom I have a great value, and he is very typical of the Westerner.”

  Book Three: The Making

  of a Man Series

  Chapter Four

  “Do remember, Louise, that Major Shafer is a Western man by upbringing and habit. I do not know his parentage or place of origin – I have never enquired, because one does not. If he survives this war, which is still not certain because the fighting is hard and will continue to be until the very end, he will seek to set up a ranch on the prairies. Cattle herding on a large acreage, far distant from civilisation. He will wish to find a wife – and, God knows, there is a sufficiency of widows and young ladies who have lost their intended husbands for that to be no great difficulty – and will build a house for her, miles from town or neighbour. It is a very different existence to ours, but he may well become rich and the holder of what in England would be a lord’s estate. He is to be seen as different, but not of an inferior place in society.”

  She promised to be good and was very thankful that the dinner was to take place in a hotel in which she could not be seen as the hostess. Her responsibility was far less as a result.

  Shafer arrived and was brought to them in the lounge before accompanying them to a table. He was arrayed in what was presumably his best uniform, but it was not what Louise expected of the Mess of the Dorsets, her only other knowledge of the military. She shook his hand and was pleased to see him, made conversation about the streets of Washington – an easy topic because it was safe to assume they would be deplored.

  “It is the capital of a great country, ma’am, or so we Yankees insist to ourselves, and worse in every aspect than the majority of our back-country towns. They say that Sacramento in California was much the same in the days of the Gold Rush. I was never there and do not know for sure, of course - the journey around the Horn took too many months. When the new railroad is finished it will be only a few days distant now – which is something that takes some getting used to.”

  She could detect a faint trace of a German accent on his tongue, but knew she must not ask; a man’s background was his own affair in this country.

  “Are you in garrison in Washington, Major Shafer, or passing through as it were?”

  “Picking up more men, ma’am, to make good our recent losses. Manning is our great difficulty now – there are too few volunteers coming forward for our needs. Not surprising, of course, as the bulk of those who wished to fight joined up at the very beginning of this conflict. The Southrons are facing the same problem, that I know. In the last battles we have captured old men and boys too young to leave their mothers; and buried them, too. The country is close to exhaustion, ma’am, and I fear for the future!”

  She was unsure why.

  “The best of the men have come forward, ma’am, not merely those strong in their bodies, but the men of honesty and belief – and they are the very ones to have died! The skulkers and rogues have stayed at
home, or hidden out away from sight – and they are the ones who have survived, for taking precious care of their skins! When the war ends the villains will come rushing forward to take the profits, and the honest men who have not died will be too tired to join in political life. The soldiers will go home, if they have homes left to go to, and try to remake their lives, ma’am, while the rapscallions will take the lead, or so I fear.”

  It seemed very likely now that it was explained to her.

  She turned the conversation to the men’s shared past, was quite pleased with herself that they were persuaded to talk, to reminisce with some enjoyment. She did not understand the bulk of the references but was happy to see them both so lively, so rapt in their memories.

  “You did well to miss the campaigning last year, Dick. Any number of bad fights – almost at hand-to-hand and the men simply slugging it out. I had little to do as an officer – no orders to give, no initiatives to make – just watch and use my own weapons as the two sides butted heads with each other. Like stags in the season, and with as little thought. Too many generals who have no idea of planning a battle, I fear me.”

  Dick noticed Shafer’s careful diction, his refined speech and show of education, none of which had been apparent in the West where men were judged by other virtues.

  “Have you been back to Kansas City in the last year, sir?”

  Shafer shook his head; he had had no opportunity for furlough before the election though many of the regiments had been pulled out of the line in recent weeks, their boys sent home to have the chance to vote for President.

  “Will they not vote for Little Mac, Major?”

  “Very few will do so. In the end he made too many excuses and failed too often. There were just too many chances to beat the Rebels, and he refused to take them. All that talk of being outnumbered – we could not see the hundreds of thousands he claimed were in the field against him. Very few are left who believe in the Young Napoleon, though he still seems to, in despite of his record of unbroken failure. What do they say in England, Dick?”