by Unknown
As I rode Copper along the road to town I wondered how I would achieve that. I had some money with me but I would need that for my own plantation. I dreaded to think what had become of my investments. In a way I was dreading this meeting with Mr Abercrombie.
Charleston shocked me as I rode along its once graceful avenues. The random shelling by Union warships had destroyed many fine buildings, including churches and torn up beautiful trees and gardens. It was like riding through a war. We had never thought that Charleston would suffer so. Although when Colonel Boswell had returned, following his wound, he had been somewhat depressed. I could now see why.
Mr Abercrombie’s offices were in the commercial district. This part of town looked to have escaped much of the damage. I hitched Copper to the rail and walked into the quiet white washed building. A diminutive figure was seated at the desk in the entrance. He looked up at me and scratched his nose with inky fingers.
“Yes sir, how may I help you?”
“I am Captain Jack Hogan formerly of the 1st Virginia Scouts and I would like to see Mr Abercrombie please.”
“I will see if he is free.”
I smiled as the tiny man scurried away. He was the clerk version of Sergeant Major Mulrooney. He served Mr Abercrombie well. He was only away a few moments and seemed disappointed as he said, “You may go in. Can I offer you a drink? Mint tea perhaps?”
“That would be kind.”
I entered the office. I had never been in here before for Mr Abercrombie had come out to the plantation to deal with my paperwork. I had only visited the office when I had been guarding the colonel. We had always waited outside with the horses. It was an opulently furnished office with fine leather chairs and a magnificent mahogany desk. The shelves were lined with neatly arranged books. My spirits rose as I hoped that Mr Abercrombie might have good news for me.
He held out his hand. “Good to see you er...” he peered at my collar, “Captain Hogan. Please sit.”
He waited until his clerk had brought in my tea and then asked, “Is this visit to Charleston a brief one?”
He came straight to the point and I liked that. “No sir, I have been discharged from the army.” I took a sip of my tea. There was no easy way to say this. “I am here with bad news sir. Colonel Boswell died at Gettysburg.”
The old man took off his glasses and pinched his nose. He was silent for a few moments and I sipped my tea. He coughed and replaced his glasses. “Did he suffer?”
“No more than the many other men who fell on that day.”
“I am sorry captain that was crass of me. You and the other fine young men… were many killed?”
“Almost all of them.”
He shook his head. “There will be a time for grieving but I can see that you are a practical man.” He suddenly looked at me. “Quite remarkable. You have business of your own to conduct with me and yet you wish to deal with the estate of a dead man first. You are indeed a loyal friend.” There was little I could say to that. “Hargreaves, bring me in the Boswell file.”
Outside I heard the crash of the guns as they began their daily bombardment. “Is that hard to bear Mr Abercrombie?”
“Compared with what you boys have to put up with in battle no but it is petty. It serves no purpose and does nothing to destroy the Confederacy, if that is their aim. It is like a small vindictive child breaking a toy for no reason at all.” The file was brought in. “Thank you Hargreaves. No visitors, until Captain Hogan has left us.”
He untied the string which bound it together and laid some documents in a line before him. He scanned them until he seemed satisfied. Colonel Boswell came to see me on his last leave whilst he was convalescing. He wrote a new will out.” He peered at me like an owl. “The wound disturbed him somewhat?”
I smiled grimly, “He nearly died at the battle of Kelly’s Ford. He was lucky to be saved.”
“Quite. Well he rewrote the will. I should read this in the presence of all the interested parties but, as you will hear when I read it to you that might prove difficult.”
He then read the will out to me. It was written in plain English so that there would be no ambiguity. Jarvis and the other slaves were given their freedom. As far as I knew that would only apply to Jarvis and his wife now as the other slaves had run off. They were allowed to live their lives out at the plantation. The plantation was left to those members of the Wildcats who survived the war. The colonel’s investments were placed in trust to pay for the upkeep of the estate.
He leaned back in his chair and removed his glasses. “So you can see my dilemma. Apart from yourself how many Wildcats remain?”
“Dago Spinelli, Cecil Mulrooney, Carver Ritchie; they are all here with me now. Carlton James and David Dinsdale, they are in the Shenandoah Valley. They are the only ones who remain alive.”
Mr Abercrombie looked genuinely upset. “How immeasurably sad, that virtually a whole generation has been wiped out.” He shook himself. “This maudlin attitude will get us nowhere. I will write to Mr James and Mr Dinsdale and tell them of their good fortune. You say the others are here with you?”
“Yes sir. They are staying with me until they can find their feet.”
“You learned much from James Boswell. I shall miss him. He was like the son I never had. He was a fine young man, who was badly treated by an uncaring family. I will come with you and we can give both them and Jarvis the news.”
“Might I ask about the investments, sir?“ I waved an airy hand. “Charleston does not seem prosperous and the plantation looks to be run down.”
“Charleston is no longer prosperous and as for the plantation; I apologise. That was remiss of me. I should have made funds available to Jarvis to continue its upkeep. No, Captain Hogan the investments of James Boswell and yourself are doing well for they are not based here in the Confederate States of America but in Liverpool.”
“Liverpool? In Britain?”
“Yes. I believe your home was close to there.”
“Just across the water.”
“And that in itself is appropriate.” He took off his glasses and sipped his own mint tea, “When the war began there were a few of us, here in Charleston, who realised that trade would dry up. We gathered investors such as yourself and James and we set up a company in Liverpool called the Dixie Line.” He smiled. “It seemed an apt name for such a venture. We had ships built in Liverpool; the ‘Richmond’ and ‘Jefferson Davis’ were the first two. They began to trade with Spain as well as running the blockade. With the trade embargo they found many ports with which to trade. You are a rich man and James Boswell’s heirs are also rich. The company is a British company although the major shareholders, apart from you and James’ heirs are myself and two other lawyers here in Charleston. The only difficulty we have, at the moment, is cash flow but we have a few thousand dollars held in reserve here in Charleston. We shall call at the bank and draw some out for yourself and the others.”
I was flabbergasted. I had expected to be impoverished by the war and, ironically, the war had made me rich. I wondered what Danny and Harry would have made of it all. Had they survived then they too would share in the good fortune. If only the colonel had held his nerve that day at Gettysburg then they might have lived.
It was early afternoon when we reached my home. I realised, as we rode up the drive, that I needed a name for it now that I lived here. I would leave that for Mary. I saw the horses tied up outside and knew that my men had returned. Aaron was still with his father and so Cassie took us in.
I smiled when Mary flashed me an irritated look. “You should have warned me that you were bringing visitors back Jack. The house is a mess.”
Mr Abercrombie gave me a questioning look. “Mr Abercrombie this is the lady I am to marry, Mistress Mary Malone. Mary this is my lawyer Mr John Abercrombie.”
He took her hand and kissed it, “Congratulations my dear.” He nodded to me. “James always said you were lucky. He was right.”
“Cassie can you ask
the other gentlemen to join us. Mr Abercrombie is here to speak with them also.”
Mary scurried from the room. She returned with a decanter and some glasses. “I could make tea if you prefer Mr Abercrombie.”
“No, my dear. This is a celebration anyway. It is a celebration of the vision and thought of a man now departed.”
My three comrades looked confused as they came into the sitting room. I reflected that I would need to spend some of my money on better furnishings now that I could afford it. I sat back with a smug smile on my face as the four of them heard the news. I knew what was coming and they did not.
Mary looked at me and was the first to speak. “So you share in the estate too?”
“No, I have given my share to the others.” I had made this quite clear to the lawyer once I had discovered my own good fortune. Mary squeezed my hand and smiled at the gesture.“So boys, that means that the three of you, Sergeant James and Lieutenant Dinsdale now have a home and an income.”
“So we don’t need to find our own home?”
“No.”
Ritchie smiled, “Which is a good thing as we found nothing this morning.”
Cecil laughed, “I wouldn’t say that. We found a nice bar where they had a pretty young girl singing Irish ballads.”
“Well there you go Irish. You can visit there as often as you like.”
Mr Abercrombie stood. “And now my dear you must excuse us. We have to visit Jarvis and give him the news of his freedom too.”
Dago said, “Do you mind if I come too? The boys here…” He nodded his head at Mary.
“Of course.”
Mary grabbed me as I turned to leave. Dago and Mr Abercrombie left along with Ritchie and Cecil. “I knew when I agreed to marry you that you were a good man. I just didn’t know how good. You have given a fortune to your friends.” She kissed me.
“Before you have me canonised you should know that we are as rich as the estate of the colonel. You are marrying a successful businessman.” I swept my hand around the room. “Begin to think now how you will spend it and what we shall call this house.”
Jarvis burst into tears when we told him of his manumission and Aaron joined him. The lawyer handed over five hundred dollars to Jarvis. “This will enable you to make the house and grounds look as they used to. This is Mr Spinelli who will be one of the new owners. I think the other two will be over shortly.”
Jarvis smiled and nodded. “I know the gentleman well.” He looked up at the ceiling. “And thank you Colonel Boswell you were always a fine man and a kind master. Now I see just how kind.”
That evening the dinner was a joyous affair. Cecil had acquired some good food and we all celebrated our success. As we sipped our brandy and smoked our cigars Dago said, “So when are you getting married Jack?”
I looked at Mary who smiled and touched my fingers with hers. “First he wants to find his sister. She was supposed to have come to Charleston.”
Ritchie shook his head, “That will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“And I will start tomorrow. But Mary, we can marry whenever you wish. I may not find Caitlin.”
“You will and I will wait. Besides I have some money to spend.”
I laughed. “We all do. I shall buy some civilian clothes tomorrow.”
We left Aaron and Cassie at the house while the six of us headed into Charleston. Mary was appalled at the wanton destruction. “Those damned Yankees. This must have been a beautiful city.”
“And it will be again. The war cannot last forever.”
After we had bought clothes I left Mary ordering furniture, dishes and the many other items I had not even dreamt that we needed. I went to the newspaper office where I put an advertisement in asking for news of Caitlin. I was not sure that, even if she was here in Charleston that she would read a newspaper but someone who knew her might.
Mary had still not finished her shopping. We left Ritchie as her escort while Cecil took us to the bar he had found. It was in the quarter of the town closest to the harbour. In the past it would have been bustling but the lack of trade meant that it had fallen on even harder times. The whores looked shabby and tired and the bar itself had fading, peeling paint. It was quiet.
“I thought you said they had music.”
“They did. Perhaps we are early. They have good beer here but it is a bit rough.”
Once inside I saw what he meant. It had low ceilings and was filled with rough men whose smoke filled the room. We squeezed through to the bar and Cecil ordered us four beers. The owner took in our uniforms as he served us. He had the leery look of someone who operated on the wrong side of the law and I disliked him the moment I laid my eyes on him.
“You boys wouldn’t be deserters would you?” He nodded to Cecil. “I saw him yesterday and had him marked as a deserter but you are an officer.”
I put my arm out to restrain Cecil. “No, we are discharged soldiers. We are not deserters.”
“Oh don’t get me wrong we don’t mind deserters here.” He winked at me. “I find them very useful if you catch my drift.”
I did and his words confirmed my dislike of him. I threw a handful of coins on to the bar and then found a table.
Cecil was apologetic, “Sorry about this sir. I thought it was nicer yesterday. It must have been the Irish songs the girl was singing but this is not good. We’ll just have the one and leave.”
I swallowed a mouthful of the beer. “No you were right, it is good beer and we don’t have to talk to the landlord do we? But we will just have the one and then get back to Mary.”
As I looked around the room I saw that the men all had the same furtive look. These were the men who did not fight for the Confederacy but fought, instead for themselves. I was sure that I recognised some of those who had been around my home the previous night. Certainly some of them looked away as I scanned the room. These would be the ones who preyed on the elderly and the weak. My war might be over but that didn’t mean I would not fight to protect what was mine.
We were about to leave when there was a little cheer and a number of men stood. “This is it Jack. This is the singer. Sit down and listen. Her voice will take you back to Ireland.”
I sat down. Her back was to me as she was helped to the bar. I took my eyes from her as I finished my drink but when she began to sing I knew that Cecil was right. She did take me back to Ireland for it was Caitlin, my sister.
I stood, as she sang and made my way towards the bar. I was oblivious to the men who stood before me. Fate had directed me to this bar and nothing would stop me. I pushed past them. Caitlin was singing with her eyes closed. As she finished I stood beneath her. She opened her eyes and I held out my hand, “I have come to take you home Caitlin.”
She burst into tears and threw herself into my arms. I held her as tightly as I could. I dare not speak any more for I was filled with emotion. I was suddenly aware of a hostile wave of noise and I saw the landlord, with a wooden stave in his hand. “Get your feckin hands off my singer!”
“This is my sister and we are leaving now!” I gripped Caitlin’s waist with my left hand and slipped my right down to my Colt. The landlord took one step towards me and my gun was in my hand and pressed against his forehead in a blur of movement. “Now much as I do not want my sister to witness violence you either put that stave down or I will blow your head clean off.”
“No Jack, it’s alright.”
Without taking my eyes from the thug I said, “No, it is not alright. I didn’t fight for this land to be told what to do by a piece of filth like this. Dago! Cecil!”
The two of them appeared at my side with guns drawn in an instant. The landlord’s look changed to one of terror. I let go of Caitlin and grabbed the stave. I hurled it at the bar where it smashed into glasses and bottles. I took a handful of the landlord’s jacket in my left hand and began to lift him from the ground. I put my face close to his and said, quietly, “Now we are going upstairs so that my sister can get her thi
ngs and then we are leaving. Then I would suggest that you get out of Charleston for the next thing I will do, will be to find the Provost Marshal and tell him of your deserters.”
His face went white. “You wouldn’t”
I cocked the Colt and the sound seemed to echo around the room. “Now move!”
The crowd parted as he walked before me. “Caitlin, stay close behind me.”
We had just reached the bottom of the stairs when a man appeared from behind the bar with a wicked looking knife. As he slid it towards me I pulled my hips back so that the blade slid harmlessly by and then smashed the Colt onto his wrist. I heard it break and he dropped the knife. I swung the Colt to crush his face. He fell to the floor in a heap.
“The next man who tries anything will get you a bullet in the back!”
“Leave him be. For the love of God, leave him be. He’s mad!”
Caitlin had a pitiful few belongings in the room. It was obvious to me that she had shared the room with this animal. She hesitated as she picked up her bag.
“What is it?”
“I had some money when I came here. Billy said he would look after it for me.”
I almost rammed the barrel of the Colt up his nose. “Get it!”
“I have rights!”
“No, you don’t. You don’t even have the right to life. I will decide if you live or die. I hate men who prey on women. They are the lowest of the low. Now get it!”
He went to the bed and reached under. He brought out a box in his left hand. I caught the exultant look on his face and was ready as he pulled the hidden pistol out. I was less than three yards from him and I didn’t miss. The bullet caught him in the wrist. The gun fell from his now useless, shattered hand.
I strode over and grabbed the box. “I would tie a tourniquet on that or you will bleed to death.”I holstered my pistol and took Caitlin by the hand. “Come with me Caitlin. I will take you to a better life than this.”
There was stunned silence as we descended the stairs. My two friends had them all covered with their Colts. I gestured upstairs. “Your friend tried to shoot me. I could have killed him but I didn’t.” My eyes searched every face. “If I ever see any of you again then you will regret it.”