by Phil Walker
Breakfast was eggs, cooked to order, bacon, sausage patties, pancakes, toast, and the best coffee any of the men had ever tasted.
Other soldiers, dressed in the green fatigues, came in and ate. All of them said a respectful good morning to the Colonials and “Good Morning, General” to Washington. Washington looked around and did not see Arcadia. He asked one of the men at another table where she was.
“Arcadia went out with the recon chopper at dawn. She was hoping to contact some members of the Indian tribes who live nearby. She’ll be back in time for your review.”
“She’s very active here, isn’t she,” said Madison.
“Our Arcadia is the heart and soul of our entire mission. Much of the planning you will hear today was written and designed by her. She’s the smartest of us all, and there is not one person in this entire installation that would not give his life for her.”
“You are not bothered by the fact she is a woman,” asked Franklin?
“In our society, Mr. Franklin, women are completely equal with men. Many of our senior leaders are women.”
Just before 8 o’clock, Arcadia came bounding into the dining room. Gone was the white dress. Now she was dressed in green fatigues like most of the others. She wore a beret with a feather sticking out the side.
“Good Morning!” she said brightly, “ready to have a look at the hardware we’ve brought along to help you kick the British Butt’s?”
“We await your pleasure, Arcadia,” said Washington with deep respect. The others nodded.
“Then let’s go.” Arcadia headed for the door and the rest of the Colonials followed her. They walked past the big buildings in the center of the installation with the barracks that surrounded them. Eventually they came to a wide-open parade ground with a reviewing stand built right in the center of one side. Arcadia led the Colonials up the stairs and Washington got a look at the formation below.
There were about 300 men and women, dressed in fatigues and drawn up in companies. Arcadia went to the microphone set in the center of the reviewing stand and barked the order, “Brigade! Attention!”
Instantly, the formation came into sharp focus and you could hear 300 sets of boots clicking together in unison. “Pass in Review!” ordered Arcadia.
Washington could hear supplemental orders being given within the ranks and each separate company began a complicated set of movements that ended with a long line of companies in ranks that marched across the parade ground and lined up across the back edge.
From the left side Washington saw a group of large green rolling machines driving in perfect unison. Twenty of these vehicles, the Humvees, drove in rows of two across the parade ground, turned at the corner, and came to a stop in a precise formation in front of the men. Next, 10 Bradley light tanks rolled across the parade ground in columns of two. They also made the turn at the end of the parade ground and ended up in a formation just in front of the Humvees. Then the artillery crossed in front of the reviewing stand. Six gleaming 105 mm Howitzers pulled by their own heavy trucks. They took their place in front of the Bradleys.
Now a whistle blew and the soldiers at the back of the formation marched to the corner of the parade ground, up its side, and marched perfectly in front of all the other equipment to make 10 precise formations in a row facing the reviewing stand.
Washington turned to Arcadia, “That was quite a show.”
“Does the parade ground still seem a little empty to you,” asked Arcadia?
“There’s still plenty of room, if that’s what you mean.”
“These are just the officers and trainers for our Colonial Army. When we next have a review, you will have an additional 3,000 soldiers of your own countrymen. The Colonial Army, one reinforced Brigade.”
“One Brigade?” said Washington. “The British will have 30,000 troops in their army.”
“They are badly outnumbered,” said Arcadia, “Not the Colonial Army, but the British. When we’re finished training you troops, one man will have the firepower of a whole regiment of Red Coats.”
Arcadia went back to the microphone, “Well done! You are dismissed to continue your duties.” The Brigade marched and drove off the parade ground in good order.
“OK, General, and the rest of you,” said Arcadia, “let’s go plan ourselves a future, starting with a war.”
The conference room in the Admin Center was full. Not only were the Colonials present, but also the senior commanders of all the components of the Brigade.
A professorial man, balding, with a round face and a smart goatee, stepped to the podium at the end of the conference table and in front of several big plasma screens. His bright eyes twinkled with intelligence. “Gentlemen, let me introduce myself, I am Dr. Owen Wilkins, and I’m the Chairman of the Sociology Department at Harvard University. We didn’t just cook up this plan overnight. Following Arcadia’s vision, she came out with a very long list of things that would have to be done to wipe out the carnage in America today. Our biggest cities and half our population, about 150 million people are dead. Up until this time, the United States was the greatest power on the planet for almost a hundred years. Arcadia was told the only way to avoid this from happening is to alter the past and we would have to come to this time, 1770, in order to effect enough change to save our country and our people.”
Wilkins pushed a button on a pad, and one of the screens came to life. “This is the current arrangements of countries in the world. The nuclear weapons that were detonated in the United States were almost certainly provided by this country.” A red light highlighted Iran. “This country is Muslim. The other countries who are also Muslim and who contain the likely leaders in the attack are these.” Pakistan, Iraq, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, and Indonesia all went red. “The non-Muslim countries which would benefit the most from the destruction of the United States are China, and Russia.” Orange lights highlighted these countries.
“Our premise to prevent the attack is really quite simple. We must make the United States so big, so powerful the rest of the world will not dare challenge us. I will also add that the new United States will be a strictly neutral nation with no interest in anything but trade from the rest of the world. In fact, we’ll lead the way in providing aid and assistance to countries that are struggling. However, our aid will never be in weapons. As an additional component of our supremacy, we intend to lead the world by decades in technology. We’ll do this by having the greatest educational system on earth. With just a little help along the way, the scientists, engineers, ordinary students of the country will be able to develop the kind of technology you are experiencing here. Trust me you are only seeing a minute fraction of our capabilities.”
Wilkins paused for effect, “While other countries are using letters to communicate with each other, we will have phone systems such as you used this morning. While others are studying better ways to build roads and bridges, we’ll have a country that is crisscrossed with both. While other countries are working on ways to make better bombs with gunpowder, we’ll be sending men to the moon. We’ll be so far ahead of everyone else, countries will pay anything, do anything to stay friends with us to receive even the smallest pieces of our technology.”
Wilkins stepped aside. A man who was obviously, a clergyman came to the podium. “It’s vital that our country continue to worship God in a manner in which He will continue to honor and bless us. We couldn’t care less about the doxology of the various churches as long as they all have the core belief that Jesus is the son of God and sacrificed himself, to atone for our sins, and by his resurrection made it possible for us to experience the love of God, follow His will in all ways, and experience entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven when our lives on earth have run its course. The key to this is in the manner in which we educate our children. We must have the finest schools from grade school to university, and all of them must teach its students to experience God in a very personal way.”
“In about a hundred years, s
cientists are going to discover the Earth is about 4 billion years old. An immediate schism will develop between the scientists and theologians who question the first words of Genesis that says God created the Universe and Earth in six days. We would like for you to know that science will not kill God it will confirm him. I’m sure that all of you have heard the scripture that our ways are not God’s ways, and our thoughts are not His thoughts. We now know part of what that means. Moses wrote the book of Genesis and quoted God directly. However, God was speaking of time as He measures it, and a day for God is billions of years long. Moses had no way of understanding that. He just wrote down what he heard. When we get to that crisis in America, we’ll be ready to counter it, and God will continue, as he always has, the Master of the Universe.”
Now it was Arcadia’s turn at the podium. “All that you have heard this far is really only for effect. It’s to let you know that we have a really big plan that spans 275 years, and that at every crisis point, we believe we have an answer for it. However, that doesn’t solve the problem we have here and now. The British have to be defeated and it has to be done in short order.” She pushed another button on her pad and a map of North America came up. “This is the United States as it exists today, with Canada to the north and Mexico and Central America to the south. This is the new United States that all that firepower you saw out there on the parade ground, plus some other things we’re going to give you.” The map changed and it showed a United States that now included Canada, Alaska, Mexico, Central America, and all the islands in the Caribbean from the Bahamas to Aruba and from Cuba to the Cayman Islands.
“We will be the biggest country in world, all Christian, neutral, avoiding foreign entanglements, and virtually impregnable in 2025. At that point, the Lord promises to release the gates blocking the river of time and what we’ve created will be real and everything else will simply cease to exist. Our country is not attacked and 150 million people will not die.”
Franklin was the first to respond, “How do you intend to turn a largely agrarian society into a massively industrialized nation that this plan would certainly require.”
“Two words, Ben,” said Arcadia, “Steel and steam and you’re going to do it. Beginning today, we’re going to show you a new way of producing high quality steel. From that, you will be able to build huge plants that produce all the steel you’ll need to build tracks on which to run steam driven locomotives. We are going to show you how to build them too. In your lifetime there will be a transcontinental railroad and a lot more besides.”
“What are you going to use for a power source,” asked Jefferson?
“Our man Franklin here has already figured it out…electricity. This entire camp is run by electricity from a modestly sized installation at a single source, the waterfall outside the Fort. If you’ll think a little bigger and build larger generators, you can power the entire country.”
“Where are we going to get the money to do all this,” asked Hamilton?
“An excellent question and the reason you are part of this group. You are the financial genius. Your ideas of a central bank of the United States are correct.”
Arcadia, motioned for the men waiting in the back of the room to come forward. They were carrying two big boxes and it took four men to do it. They set them down on the conference table in front of the Colonial leaders. Arcadia opened one box and took out a handful of coins. “We’re going to pay your soldiers, one of these every day.” She passed them out and the men could see they were silver coins marked with the word “Liberty” and “In God We Trust” on one side, and on the other side, a stamp of a flag that was the Betsy Ross design, and the words, United States of America across the top.
“This silver coin is called a quarter, because it is a quarter of a dollar, your principal unit of currency. The coin is worth about two British Shillings. Our soldiers will earn about 8 dollars a month, a very good wage for this age.”
“But your dollars are worthless unless they are backed with something else of value. Therefore, we will use this.” She opened the second box and lifted out a large gold bar. “This box has six gold bars in it. There are 1000 ounces in each bar. The British value gold at 19 dollars an ounce in the present day of 1770. Therefore, this bar is worth $19,000. Currently we are holding gold in a steel vault at Fort Independence with a value of 500 million dollars.”
“Obviously money is not going to be a problem in financing the country,” said Hamilton.
“But how do you expect to defeat the British Army with a single brigade of 3,000 men,” asked Washington, “Let alone the idea of occupying the entire continent.”
“Well, General, you’re going to have to learn some new battle tactics, but once you have, you’ll be able to defeat the entire British force in no more than three engagements”
“What do we do when the British send their entire fleet and thousands of reinforcements?”
“They will never make it to an American Port,” said Arcadia, “We’re going to sink their ships.”
“Amazing,” said Washington.
“As a matter of fact, it’s not the war with the British we are worried about, or the war with the French or the Spanish. The problem is the American people themselves. Events must unfold as history records it for the next six years. In that time, the people of this new country will have mostly developed an identity of their own and will support a break with England to establish an American nation. You don’t have a majority who thinks that right now. Moreover, when the war with England is won, we need to have the real Constitution ready to go and approved by all states, and not waste ten years with the unworkable Articles of Confederation. This is going to be a tall order. The biggest obstacle will be convincing the southern states to give up slavery.”
“How do you propose to do that,” said John Adams speaking up for the first time, “Washington and Jefferson are from Virginia, and both of them hold slaves.”
“All right,” said Arcadia, “Let’s deal with that right now. “Why do you men hold slaves?”
“Cheap labor,” said Jefferson, “I’m personally appalled by the idea of one man owning another, but it’s simply a matter of economics. If we didn’t have the manpower to work the fields we wouldn’t show a profit on our crops.”
“Do you provide housing, and food for your slaves?”
“Of course.”
“How much money would you save if you didn’t have that expense, or the expense of buying more slaves?”
“I would have to do the numbers, but I doubt that the difference would mean a profit.”
“Well, we have done the numbers,” said Arcadia. “If we were to found a company, purchase all your slaves, emancipate them, and then offer them a paid job to work right in the same place they are currently living, don’t you suppose that most of them would take the offer of freedom AND a job for which they received money.”
“Possibly,” said Jefferson, “maybe even probably, but you still haven’t solved the problem of room and board.”
“Sell them their homes, set the price, and then let them make monthly payments against their wages. Our new company will open a grocery store and sell them whatever they need from their wages. The people will not have a lot of money left over at the end of the month, but they don’t need much. However, the smart ones will save their money for things they want in the future. You should also open a school and teach them to write and read and do arithmetic. If you don’t have to pay for the school because the state is supporting education with property taxes our company is giving to the state, you’re still the hero. I’ll tell you what. I’ll purchase all your slaves with gold right now. You keep the considerable amount of money from that, and we’ll come in and set up the exact system I’ve just described. At the end of five years, we will run the books and see if our little company is making any money. I’m betting it will. You can use the example to convince all your other southern colleagues that they can do the right thing, clear their consciences, an
d still make a profit.”
“I will accept your offer,” said Washington.
“I will too,” said Jefferson.
John Adams jumped up enthusiastically, “That is the most innovative idea for eliminating slavery I’ve ever heard. My congratulations to both you gentlemen for your noble gestures, and to you, Arcadia, I wish you the best of fortune with your new enterprise.
10
Fort Independence, Virginia
For George Washington it was a busy ten days. He was working at least 10 hours a day, but he’d never felt better. His new teeth took so much discomfort from his life, but he was finding he had more endurance, his thinking was sharper, and his overall health was the best it had been in years. He was checked by the doctors twice more, but these were simple blood tests to insure, according to them, that no reactions to his full range of vaccinations were occurring.
The day after the major briefing, he was picked up by another General, who introduced himself as Manny Compton. Compton was a very pleasant, but professional officer. At their first meeting, Compton told Washington, “General, in our army when we get promoted to General we normally speak to each other in private by our Christian names, mine’s Manny. Would you object to me calling you George?”
“Not at all, Manny,” said Washington, “we have much the same custom in our ranks.”
“Great,” said Manny, “Let me give you a little background of me. I am a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, that’s the Army College established on the Hudson River at West Point in 1789. I’ve been a professional soldier for 35 years. I’m a veteran of several American combat operations, and commanded a brigade for most of them. I’m also a graduate of the Army War College, where the latest tactics are studied in comparison with the long history of successful combat tactics since before the Roman times. My job is to acquaint you with the capabilities of the equipment you will command. I’ve arranged an inspection for you, if that is convenient.”