Tobias dropped his chin to stare at him over the top of his glasses.
“Sorry, sorry, I could not resist. You have encouraged me enough that I can actually start to feel again. Unfortunately for you, I happen to feel rather juvenile.”
Tobias laughed and took another sip of water.
“I’ll come back and visit you after the trial. Cassius has left the naval service with a medical discharge. The doctor’s noted that it would be a long time before he could return to active duty. Your shoulder sprain was not as severe as it initially looked. The doctors say it is healing nicely. The rest of our merry band is already prepared to return to duty pending the outcome of the trial.”
He pushed his chair back and stood.
“Thank you for the water. Just a suggestion, I would stick with water as your main liquid refreshment for the time being. The trial board likes sober headed young men. I was able to get your previous incident suppressed from being used as evidence, even though Moncreif was adamant that it was pertinent. So much so that the other members of the board wondered what you had done to anger the man. You did not sleep with his daughter, did you.”
Now it was Devareaux’s turn to blush.
“Um, no. He is Ann’s uncle. Her father wrote and warned me that if I pursued Ann any more, he would destroy my career. He may be pulling some strings here.”
That caused Tobias to frown and think for a moment.
“I will talk to you later Devareaux. I am going to talk to a few people. This is curious.”
He left before Devareaux could react any further. Devareaux leaned the chair back on two feet. Now that was something. The Signals Bureau was backing him. They had plans for him and his men. That was either a really good thing. Or it was something that should be scaring him.
He stood and went to his trunk. He opened the two clasps and swung the lid open. There in the netting at the top was every letter he had ever received from Ann. He shook his head and dug down through his uniforms. He pulled out a small rectangular box. Opening the lid he withdrew one of the four cigars left inside of it. Also in the box were a cigar cutter and a small box of matches.
Returning to the table, he carefully groomed the cigar and cut the end. He did it just as his father had shown him, not too much and not too little. He struck the match and began to puff on the smooth Virginia tobacco. He leaned back in the chair again. Yes, he had quite a bit to think about.
Chapter 20: Resolutions
He was back in the room. Alongside of him were Sergeant Benjamin, Master Almond, Engineer Hinkey and Bosun Hargrave. All of the ship’s officers were there except Midshipman Powell, who was not even considered in the court martial.
The oldest man in the room sat in a rather comfortable looking tall backed chair as did the other members of the court. The man shuffled the papers in front of him for a moment, then drew one seemingly at random and began to read.
“Lieutenant Thomas Sumter Devareaux, you have been found not guilty of recklessly endangering your vessel, damaging your vessel and suffering a complete loss to said ship, the CSS Appomattox. Furthermore, you are to be congratulated on your success in saving as many of your crew as you were able when your airship…”
The word stuck in his throat as if it were a preacher being forced to say a profanity. He continued after a beat.
“Was grievously damaged. You and your crew behaved in an exemplary manner and are to be commended for their efforts. In addition a commendation is noted in your record for your exemplary performance against the enemy fleet prior to and after your airship was damaged.”
He pulled another sheet of paper.
“Sergeant Benjamin, you are hereby promoted to Second Lieutenant in the Confederate Marine Corps for your actions in the recent combat on the high seas.
“In addition, the entire crew of the late CSS Appomattox has been issued a distinguished unit citation to their records for their conduct in operations against the Empire of Germany in defense of our ally the Empire of Spain.”
The man still looked as if he had eaten an extremely sour lemon.
“Thank you for your service gentlemen and good day.”
With that he raised and lowered his gavel and brought the court to a close.
The senior officers immediately came to their feet and began to shuffle out of the room. Devareaux could distinctly hear mutterings about lunch from the older members of the board as they left the room.
From a dark corner in the back of the room, an officer stepped forward. He bore the rank insignia of an army Colonel and the branch badge of the crossed flags of the Signals Bureau.
“Well done, gentlemen. You have survived.”
With such an auspicious opening line, he promptly sat down in the chair recently vacated by the elderly captain of the court.
“I would like to ask Bosun Hargrave and Engineer Hinkey to leave the room please. But do not wander too far.”
While it was phrased as a question, everyone in the room knew it was an order. Both men fled without a word.
Relaxed in the chair, the man held even a greater quiet authority than the elderly captain of the court held in his stiff dignity. He waved a hand and had them sit at the table. Devareaux and Almond took chairs from the opposite side of the table and brought them around to face the unnamed man and had a seat. Both sat rather stiffly as they had no idea what to expect.
The man reached into a pocket and withdrew an envelope.
“How familiar are you with Jameson and Higgins?”
The two officers looked at each other with quizzical expressions before turning back to the Signals Branch man.
Devareaux hesitantly answered the question with one of his own.
“The catalog sales guys? The ones who are selling stuff from up north?”
The man turned a Cheshire cat grin to them.
“Yes, the very ones.”
…
Jameson and Higgins Catalog Sales was founded by a British ex-pat (Jameson) and a Confederate banker (Higgins) in 1874. Jameson began traveling the United States following the end of the late war. While visiting Chicago in 1873, he encountered the Aaron Ward Catalog. He immediately was interested in the possibilities that such a catalog would present. He embraced the vision that Aaron Montgomery Ward had and thought about additional applications. Later that year, he met with Samuel Arthur Higgins in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He had a copy of the Montgomery Ward Catalog with him.
Over the course of the meeting, Higgins explained the difficulty in obtaining the cheaper northern manufactured goods in the South. Since the end of the War, an informal embargo has existed preventing the sale of Northern Goods to the Agricultural South. What this meant was that the South was slowly developing greater industrial capacity for itself. But Northern goods were still far cheaper than what the South could now import from Britain or France. It was also cheaper than what they could manufacture themselves.
In addition, the businessmen of the South were carefully watching labor developments in the North. They were determined to avoid the hazards of unions and the like that were the constant complaint of the movers and shakers of Manhattan, Chicago and Philadelphia.
What Jameson and Higgins determined was that Jameson could open a warehouse in St Louis. The warehouse would be a clearing house for Southern orders placed from the Montgomery Ward’s catalog. The orders would be collated through Higgins' office in Memphis. Orders would be shipped via barge down the Mississippi. Goods were divided by Higgins into three separate catalogs: White, Gray and Black. Each had a different handling fee that was attached to the list. White list items were carried across the border openly. Gray list items possibly could be carried across the border, but had the risk of being seized. Black list items were those that the United States actively banned from trade with the Confederacy. It was odd what items appeared on the banned items list. Some were obvious like modern repeating rifles. The stranger items included gas stoves, some hand tools including shovels and bolts of cloth.
The bolts of cloth were rather strange as that was one of the first industries to take hold in the south. With the ready availability of cheap cotton, Southern cloth was finer and cheaper than Northern materials. The United States had to import cotton from Egypt since the Confederacy barred cotton sales to the North in retaliation for their blacklisted items.
Even with the additional overhead placed on each list, the goods were for the most part cheaper and available quicker to Southern consumers than imports or even locally manufactured goods. The business was booming from the start. It was mutually beneficial for all involved. Montgomery Ward’s grew by leaps and bounds. Their first catalog in 1872 was a single typewritten page. By 1878, it had grown to a full 50 page catalog with some manufacturers paying for advertising space within it. By 1880, it had leapt to over 150 pages and Montgomery Wards was hugely profitable as was Jameson and Higgins.
The processes ceased to be one directional by 1877. Jameson met repeatedly with Aaron Ward. They began to sell Southern goods under the label of Jameson Manufacturing. This mainly included cheap bolt cloth from southern mills. They were sold at an outrageous markup from a Southern point of view, but to Northern consumers it was exceedingly cheap.
For the most part, Union and Confederate customs officials largely looked the other way. Most were customers themselves. J & H black catalog items were shipped through independent contractors. Many of them were youths with small barges. Very illegal items were strapped to the underside of the barges. The top of the barge was packed with innocuous goods that would not be very profitable on their own but provided supplemental income to the bargees.
On closer inspection, it was an idea that was bound to happen. What was not very obvious was how such a venture such as J & H could happen. Higgins' bank in Chattanooga was not strong enough to make the initial investment to launch the venture. Neither Jameson nor Higgins had the personal wealth to accomplish such a venture as well. What no one knew was that the primary and silent investor in J & H was none other than the Confederate Signals Bureau. The independent bargees were vetted by the Signals Bureau prior to their employment by J & H. Over a third of all J & H employees were Signals Bureau personnel. It was the perfect cover organization for their operations. They gained access to many Northern financiers and industrialists through their contacts in Montgomery Ward and beyond. It was the most profitable spy ring ever conceived in History.
Not to be complacent with their efforts, J & H expanded their operations into Mexico and the Spanish holdings in the Caribbean. Plans were on the drawing board for branch offices in Spain, Chile and Argentina. Through War department contacts in Chile and former Confederate Naval officers who had served as mercenary captains in the Chilean Navy, the first J & H office was to be opened next year in Santiago.
Being sure to not too greatly annoy their Spanish allies, a Barcelona branch office of J & H was to be opened the month before the Santiago office. J & H now owned a fleet of six ships. All of these ships are chartered in the nation in which they were doing business rather than with the Confederacy. Stockpiles of anticipated goods were being assembled for shipment to the Barcelona and Santiago warehouses.
Through this company, the Confederacy had access across the world to intelligence and a funding source that was completely off the books. To keep things hidden, the shadow company that was the ruse by which the investment was made even paid taxes on the dividends from the profits of J & H. In other words, it was nearly a perfect cover for covert operations.
…
The man kept grinning.
“Your airship was to be the first of three in its class. The Appomattox was the first that was completed. The second and third have now been canceled due to inherent flaws in the design. The weapons systems were successful, but it was noted that larger and longer range guns were needed. So, the class has been scrapped and a newer design is in the works.”
Devareaux’s brows knit in thought. He turned to Almond, who had a near identical expression on his face. Devareaux raised his hands and opened his mouth and closed it several times.
Finally Devareaux was able to speak.
“OK, so we won’t see another ship like her. What does that mean for us and why are we here?”
The man smiled and explained.
“The second airship in the class was 90% complete. The gondola was completed with all weapons systems, transmission and receivers for wireless telegraph and new weapons mounts. Hinkey’s recommendation of the mechanism to balance the boilers has also been incorporated. The airframe is complete as well as the internal airbags. The outer skin was the only part incomplete. We changed it to black. We think that would be more effective for night time operations.”
He glanced from man to man to make sure he had their undivided attention. Devareaux and Almond’s eyes bored right into his. They were hanging on his every word.
“We were unable to salvage the Appomattox and since it was a publicized crash, we burned the wreckage on the beach before it could be examined too much. The new airship is completely unmarked.”
Devareaux leaned forward.
“So what you are saying is that there is a new airship that is identical to the Appomattox that officially does not exist. And this airship is for what exactly?”
“It’s yours if you want it. You are already subject to the Confederate State Secrets Act of 1864. If you do not accept, there will be no harm to your career, but you may be reassigned to some place unpleasant for a short time before returning to a more normal career path. If you accept this, your career as it is right now, is effectively over. You will be doing things that are dangerous, interesting and will receive no credit for it what so ever. You will make a bigger difference than you ever will in the Navy. You will get expensive and experimental equipment to play with. You will get to go to exciting and new places. What do you think?”
“Who would we report to?”
His smile showed he had Devareaux at least. His head turned to Almond.
“And you, sir?”
Almond was nervous. He was not sure. His career to this point had been perfect. He had done nothing particularly heroic. His only black mark was surviving the wreck of the Appomattox. His career was set for a track to move eventually towards becoming an Admiral. If he would take the offer, his career ambitions would be dashed. But he loved his brief service aboard the Appomattox. It was almost intoxicating. Flight was amazing. Combat was terrifying yet thrilling. A thrill that drew him almost like the pull of opium for an addict forced to go without for a week.
Eventually, the scales balanced and he solemnly nodded his ascent.
The man turned serious. He pulled an envelope from a pocket. He slowly opened the envelope and withdrew a single sheet of paper.
“I will need you to sign this piece of paper. It is a contract where you are transferring to the Signals Bureau. Your records will be permanently sealed. You will report to your handling officer, me.”
With his other hand he produced a pen from another pocket. He laid the pen near the letter. Devareaux looked the man in the eye while he picked up the pen. He removed the cap and signed his name to the letter. He handed the pen to Almond.
He looked at the pen for a moment. Almond closed his eyes and breathed slowly for a minute, then scrawled his name hastily on the page.
Taking the paper back, he continued.
“My name is Colonel Joshua Roe. I am the deputy chief of operations for the Signals Bureau. Tobias will be assigned to your crew on a permanent basis. He is not in your direct chain of command, but he does outrank. You will have one week to get your affairs in order. Then you will report to the Egg Island Reservation, Georgia.”
Both officers blinked at Colonel Roe. Devareaux finally asked.
“Where is that?”
“Ah, sorry. It is a small Island at the mouth of the Altahama River. It is just off of Saint Simonds Island. A boat will take you from here to the Reservation. It is a long ride, but not too difficult
. We own the island. It is a useful place. We have a dock, an airfield and a training facility. You will learn of your next assignment once you are on the island.”
He took the signed paper and stood. He looked at the two.
“Devareaux, you have no family left do you?”
Devareaux confirmed this with a small nod of his head.
“Good! It will be much easier for you. You will be arrested in two days. The papers will inform everyone that there was new information found on the accident. It will be published that you were found guilty. You will be shot attempting to escape. Your career will end in ignominy.”
“What! Wait, I did not sign on for that?”
Devareaux’s eyes were wide and his face flickered between horror and anger.
Roe rolled his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He waited a minute and then raised both hands.
“Look, this would be the easiest. No one could disprove it. You would be on the base before anyone was wiser. What is your idea?”
Devareaux did not know what to expect, but this was not it.
“Uh, well, I’m… not… Damn it, I do not want to be remembered as a criminal. I have served honorably and I demand that it stays that way.”
His face was getting red as his anger was flaring. Then a glazed look came into his eyes and Devareaux stared beyond Colonel Roe into the distance. He suddenly started to get on the same page as Colonel Roe. He quickly began to improvise.
“Hey! I know. What about a house fire? Look, we could get a body from the city morgue that has not been claimed. Put it in a house where I would be staying. I could spill a lamp and leave quietly. The house could burn before anyone was the wiser.”
Roe frowned at Devareaux. He finally sighed and nodded.
“OK, we can work with that.”
He looked at Almond.
“Your father and mother are alive as well as a sister. You cannot disappear as easily as Lieutenant Devareaux can. How often do you see them?”
CSS Appomattox: A Thomas Devareaux Alternative History Military Adventure (The Thomas Sumter Devareaux Series Book 1) Page 14