The Last Confederate

by Gilbert, Morris

  “Well, certainly!” Andrews responded at once. “Soldier, bring Miss Winslow into the courtroom.”

  Every eye was on the door, and when Patience stepped inside, a murmur of admiration went up from at least some of the officers at the table. She was still dressed in her riding clothes, and her face was a little wan; but when she saw Thad, her eyes sparkled like diamonds, and her lips framed his name—Thad!

  “Miss Winslow, we are about to give our decision on this man—and since you have played a major part in it, we think it well that you should hear it.” There was just a trace of dramatics in Andrews, and he drew the moment out. Finally he said, “We are in total harmony in our decision—we find the defendant, Thaddeus Novak—not guilty!”

  No military strictness of the court-martial could keep Patience Winslow from dashing across the room and throwing her arms around Thad’s neck. The court smiled and the avowed agnostic lawyer, Harrison Duke, tossed his papers into the air and hollered “Glory to God” with all the fervor of a Methodist evangelist. The Jewish lawyer, Aaron Abraham, joined Duke with equal enthusiasm, crying loudly, “Amen!” One by one the members of the court came down and shook hands with Private Thad Novak—at least two of them giving Patience a tender kiss on the cheek!

  Later as the two lawyers celebrated the decision, Abraham said, “You are not a bad lawyer—for a goyim. But I feel sorry for you, so I will offer you a job in my law firm after the war!”

  Duke stared at the fat man and retorted, “I wouldn’t be a member of any law firm that would have me on its staff! However,” he conceded, “I will permit you to join my firm. You can handle the unimportant cases while I do the big stuff.”

  Their sentiments became maudlin after a time, and both wept openly for the young couple.

  Thad and Pet had left the building as soon as Thad was released. A covered buggy had been brought to the back door, and the two jumped in and drove rapidly down the side street, coming soon to the outskirts of Richmond, and then to the open country.

  Dark clouds were rolling up from the north, and a brisk wind began tossing them around. Thad stared at the sky. “Looks like a bad storm coming.”

  “Yes.”

  Both were stunned by the recent events and found it difficult to talk. The silence grew heavy as they sped down the road. Soon they came to Cedar Creek, where Thad stopped the horses under the overhanging branches near the small bridge.

  He sat quietly for a moment, then turned and murmured, “There’s nobody like you, Pet.” He took her hand and studied it. Holding it tightly in his hand, he looked up and smiled. “I heard once about a country where if you saved somebody’s life, that person belonged to you forever. So I guess you own at least one lowly private.”

  “Oh . . . I don’t want to . . . own you,” she whispered. She lifted her eyes to his, her lips trembling and tears welling up again. She brushed them away, saying, “I can’t seem to stop crying, Thad!”

  He looked down at her—so close, so sweet; then he bent his head and kissed her. It was a man’s kiss, not a boy’s, and all the tension and weight that he had labored under suddenly found expression as he pulled her to his chest roughly. She was shocked at the intensity of her own response, for her arms were around his neck, pulling him closer—and when he finally released her, she was throbbing from head to foot.

  Her eyes sparkled and a smile curved her full lips. “I saw Mama this morning. She told me what you said to tell me—last night when she talked to you.”

  Thad’s face flushed. “I was sure I wasn’t going to make it when I said all that.”

  “I want to hear you say it again—to me, not to Mama and Papa.”

  Thad swallowed hard—wanting her, yet not daring. “Pet—I’m nobody. You come from a good family and—”

  “We’re talking about what you said about me last night,” Pet reminded him. She lifted her hand and grabbed his thick black hair, forcing his head around. Her gray eyes were soft, but there was a determined set to her mouth. “We’re going to sit here until you tell me, Thad Novak!”

  A smile crept over his face and he reached up and stroked her cheek tenderly, his eyes caressing her. “I told your folks—that I love you—and now I tell it to you, Pet. I’ve always loved you—and I guess I always will!”

  Nodding slowly, she took a deep breath, and then pulled his head down for another kiss. When she drew back, her dimples appeared as she grinned playfully, “If you hadn’t said that, Thad Novak—I’d have gone back to the court and told them to shoot you, after all!”

  They burst out laughing for pure joy, and all the way to Belle Maison they talked and giggled—exactly like a couple in love!

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  BELLE OF THE BALL

  Belle Winslow’s answer to most problems was very simple—have a dress ball. Therefore, after Thad’s miraculous escape, everyone expected that Belle would arrange for a celebration. She did so by simply putting her arms around her father’s neck, looking up with pleading eyes, and whispering, “Please, Papa! Shelby will be taking the Richmond Blades to whip the Yankees any day—and Vance and I haven’t had much time together. Please!”

  Sky had caved in, lamenting to Rebekah, “I wish I could handle politicians as well as that girl handles me!” Then he grinned and added, “But she’s right about it. Lee is rushing every man he can get to meet Pope. Nothing left in Richmond but a skeleton crew. Anyway, it will be a nice celebration for Thad.”

  Sky’s motive was good, but at the ball, which took place at Belle Maison on the evening of August 22, Thad had never felt more uncomfortable in his whole life. The ball was in full swing when he arrived, and after greeting Rebekah and Sky, he sought out the most obscure place he could find—an offset space created by the massive fireplace and a large china cabinet. Thad picked up a cup of punch and squeezed himself back against the wall, but he did not remain hidden for long. Pet spotted the recluse and came to stand before him.

  “Oh, Thad, you look wonderful in your uniform!” she exclaimed. She was wearing a new dress, but not a ball gown. It was a simple light blue frock with a high neck and a skirt that fell to the floor. Her only jewelry was a single sparkling diamond on a gold chain around her neck, which highlighted the simplicity of her attire. Her hair was not braided as she usually wore it, but fell like a shining waterfall down her back. Her wide gray eyes and curved lips were the frosting on the cake

  “You look great, Pet,” Thad murmured, admiration shading his face. Then he frowned. “But I feel like Dooley said he felt once—like a bullfrog on a busy street with his hopper busted!”

  Pet laughed. “Oh, don’t be silly. You’re the hero of the hour. Everybody in Richmond’s talking about you.”

  “Nope, they’re talking about you and that Yankee captain,” Thad retorted. “See that crowd around him?”

  Pet looked across the room to where Captain Lowell Winslow was surrounded by an admiring group. “Every girl here wants to grab him,” Pet smiled. “I don’t know what they’d do with him if they caught him. Keep him in a glass cage? Become a Yankee bride?” Then she exclaimed, “Well, of all the nerve!”

  “What is it, Pet?”

  “Why, that sister of mine!” Pet’s eyes flashed with anger, and she said impatiently, “She’s stealing him away—and with her own fianc;aaee standing there! I declare, I’m going to have Papa whip that girl!”

  “It’s too late for that, I reckon,” Thad grinned. “Have to catch a child young to do any good. Now, if your father would just take a stick to you—!” He caught her hand as she raised it to strike him playfully. “But I think you’re right,” he said soberly as he glanced to where Belle was smiling enticingly up at the young Yankee. “Miss Belle shouldn’t treat Captain Wickham that way. She’ll be sorry for it.”

  “Belle’s a flirt—always has been,” Pet said, irritation lacing her voice. “But it’s time to stop.”

  She would have been even more concerned had she been able to read Lowell Winslow’s thoughts.
As he led Belle to the dance floor, he was struck momentarily silent by the perfection of her face and figure. Many women look fine at twenty feet—but as he looked at her flawless creamy skin, he could see no fault. Her complexion was not quite olive, but there was just a faint trace of her Indian heritage to give her face a translucent glow that brought out the flush to her cheeks. Her eyes, he saw, were her best feature—large, almond shaped, with dark pupils, almost purple, surrounded by clear, bright white. This night she was wearing a daring low-cut silver gown that accentuated her exotic coloring—her figure was exciting, to say the least! She had a tiny waist, nipped in as far as possible, and her full bodice and curving body dazzled Lowell.

  As they moved across the floor, he said, “I expect that your fianc;aaee will challenge me to a duel as soon as this dance is over. Isn’t that how you do it in the South?”

  “Why, Captain Winslow, why would he do a thing like that?” Belle laughed up at him, adding, “You’re a perfect gentleman, sir—which I thought no Yankee could ever be! You haven’t done a thing to be challenged to a duel.”

  “He’d shoot me if he could read what I’m thinking,” Winslow grinned. He was tall with slim flanks and trim shoulders, and a smile that revealed milky white teeth as he peered down at her.

  “And what is that, sir?” she demanded.

  “Why, that you are the loveliest woman I’ve ever seen—and I’d like to get you away from here and give you a mad, passionate kiss.” He laughed at her startled expression. “See, I’m just an uncouth Yankee, after all.”

  Belle allowed herself to be pulled closer, saying, “If you hold me any closer, Vance may call you out, Captain Winslow!” She tilted her head back and pursed her lips, well aware that doing so made them into a tempting morsel. “I spent a great deal of time with your brother Davis when he came to Richmond. You aren’t at all like him, are you?”

  “No. He has all the brains. I expect he’ll be a rich, famous writer one day, while I will be a humble soldier—if you rebels don’t put me down.”

  “Don’t say that!” A shiver ran over Belle, and she frowned. “I can’t bear to think of such things!”

  “Even for us Yankees?”

  “Oh, why did you people ever start this horrible war?” Belle shook her head, and as was customary, put the grim realities of the war out of her mind. “Your brother—I can’t understand how he can stand by and just watch! I didn’t like him—but I adored your grandfather!”

  “So do I. He’s been my idol since I was a boy. I almost joined the navy to be like him, but I get seasick.” He grinned and commented, “He liked you, too. I got a letter from him telling me all about his visit. He called you—let’s see, how did he put it? Oh, yes—’the most toothsome wench I ever set eyes on.’.”

  “He didn’t say that!”

  “Oh, he did!—but he also said, ‘Beneath all that raw beauty there is a woman who would satisfy any man.’” Lowell swung her around and leaned so close that his lips brushed her cheek. “My grandfather and I agree on that!” he whispered, and saw the delicate flush that rose to her cheeks at his compliment. Vain as a peacock, he thought as they moved gracefully around the floor. But Grandfather is pretty sharp. Guess he sees something real in her.

  Sky was standing beside Vance Wickham, and he noted that his future son-in-law was watching the visitor dancing with Belle. He grinned. “You want your ring back, Vance?”

  Wickham turned to smile at him. “No, sir. Let her torment the poor fellow. She’s done it to all of us poor rebels; now let her wipe up on the Yankees.”

  Shelby Lee was standing to Sky’s left and he added a comment lightly, “You’ll have to be tougher on the men than you are with your fianc;aaee, Captain Wickham, or they’ll take advantage of your easy temper.”

  “They aren’t as pretty as Belle, Major,” Wickham grinned. “It’s not hard to be tough on a bunch of hard-nosed soldiers.” Then he changed the subject, asking, “You think we’ll be pulling out in a day or two for Manassas?”

  “I was talking to General Lee this morning, and from what I gather the Third Virginia will be left here to protect the Capitol. Plans haven’t been finalized yet, so don’t say anything to the men.”

  “We’ll miss it then,” Mark said, disappointment showing in his face.

  “You bloody fire-eater!” Vance laughed. “Don’t be so anxious to get us all killed. There’ll be plenty of action for us here. Why don’t you get yourself engaged to Rowena? Think how quickly you could rise in the army, being the colonel’s son-in-law!”

  Mark flushed, and then laughed at himself. “I guess I’ll wait to see how you and Belle make it, Vance. If you can tame my sister, I may be willing to take on a high-flying southern girl myself.” Then he asked Major Lee, “What does the general think of Pope?”

  “Not much,” Lee replied. “The man is a talker, and my uncle doesn’t like that. Did you hear what he said when he took command from McClellan? ‘I have come to you from the west where we have always seen the backs of our enemies. Let us study the probable line of retreat of our opponents, and leave our own to take care of itself.’.”

  “Sounds like a pompous fool,” Sky nodded, then added, “I heard he said that his headquarters would be in the saddle.”

  “Yes, and do you know what Stonewall Jackson replied to that?” Lee smiled. “ ‘I don’t expect to have much trouble from someone who doesn’t know his headquarters from his hindquarters.’.”

  A burst of laughter went up from the small group. Major Lee continued. “Pope has ordered his soldiers to live off the Virginia countryside, which gives a license to every man who wants to steal. He also told his men that anyone who communicates with the ‘rebels’ in any way—including any mother or wife writing to a soldier—would be treated as a spy: shot by a firing squad.” He stared at the angry faces and added, “I heard General Lee say, ‘That miscreant Pope must be suppressed.’ Strong words for him.”

  “Better not discuss any more strategy,” Mark suggested. “Here comes our Yankee.”

  “I’ve pumped this Yankee dry of all his secrets!” Belle exclaimed as she pulled Lowell to where they stood. “If you’ll get me an interview with your uncle, Major Lee, I will give him General Pope’s plan and Robert E. Lee can run the Army of the Potomac back to Washington again!”

  Belle’s comment drew laughter, but the Yankee held up his hand, saying solemnly, “No need to do that. I am so captivated by this rebel spy that I am ready to divulge General Pope’s battle plan to all of you.”

  “I’d be glad to hear it, Captain,” Wickham remarked.

  “Very simple. We intend to move all our troops from Washington by ship to Manassas.” He spoke with a straight face, but the humor shone out of his blue eyes.

  “Ah, yes, but there are no bodies of water in that area that would permit those tactics,” Major Lee smiled.

  “We Yankees are not bothered by such minor obstacles. General McClellan is an engineer, as you know. Well, sir, his plan is to dig huge canals, reaching all the way from Washington to the battlefield. It will take a long time, but General McClellan is a patient man.”

  “That is well known, Captain,” Wickham agreed with a smile. “He moved at the terrific pace of two miles a day during the Peninsula campaign.”

  “Of course! But you have not grasped the heart of our strategy, Captain Wickham! It will take between fifteen to twenty years to complete the canals, and by that time you rebels will have become enlightened to the evils of slavery and will have freed them all!”

  They were all amused by the Yankee’s willingness to poke fun at himself, but Sky, who had been listening to the amiable conversation, now said solemnly, “I wish such a plan would work, Captain. It would save thousands of lives—rebel and Yankee alike.”

  Lowell stared at his relative with interest. Like Davis, he knew the history of Sky Winslow well, and admired him. He commented quietly, “It’s sad, Mr. Winslow, that we are separated by this war. I doubt if Gilbert Winslow ev
er thought of such a thing when he came over on the Mayflower to find a place of freedom.”

  Sky shook his head slowly. “Every generation of Americans, it seems, has had to buy freedom with its own blood. But always before it’s been a struggle with the British or the French—another nation. Now—it’s brother against brother.”

  Belle frowned and interrupted the solemn exchange. “Come, Vance, you’ve ignored me.” She pulled him away, and soon he was smiling at her as usual. “Were you jealous of Captain Winslow?” she asked, arching her eyebrows.

  “Didn’t notice he was paying any attention to you, Belle.”

  “Oh, you are a liar! I saw you watching us. I told him you’d probably send him a challenge if he didn’t stop!”

  “Well, then, I was. But if I’m going to fight a duel with every man who flirts with you, I’d better stock up on ammunition.” He held her close and said, “You are lovely! I’ve never seen you look so beautiful!”

  “Don’t try to make up to me, you old stick!” She pouted and tried to draw back. “I declare I’m going to make you jealous, Vance Wickham, if I have to elope with that handsome Yankee!”

  Later, when they went back to find Lowell still surrounded by the officers, she claimed him audaciously, saying, “Captain Winslow, come dance with me. This fianc;aaee of mine is too self-assured. I propose that we make him turn green with jealousy.”

  “No need of that,” Wickham protested and smiled at Winslow. “I hereby challenge you, sir, and demand satisfaction. You may choose the weapons.”

  Lowell Winslow instantly countered, “I choose cornstalks, Captain!” and led Belle away amid the laughter.

  “The fellow has great wit,” Sky said. “And even if he is my kin, I’d make a calculated guess he’s a pretty good soldier.”

  A mutter of confirmation went up, and Mark remarked, “It’s hard to think that in a few days we may be killing each other. He’s a fine fellow. Don’t see why he can’t be on our side.”