by Ginny Dye
Moses gazed at him with appreciation. “Thank you, sir,” he managed, knowing that it wasn’t enough.
Captain Jones smiled. “I might just join the unit myself. Perhaps I’ll discover how Mrs. Borden managed to escape with that giant, gray Thoroughbred of hers.”
Moses laughed. “I wouldn’t count on it, sir.”
Captain Jones eyed him more closely. “You know the answer, don’t you?”
Moses said nothing but laughter danced in his eyes.
“I could order you to tell me.”
“But you won’t,” Moses replied, his voice confident.
Captain Jones scowled but his eyes brightened. “You’re right. I won’t.” He waved his hand. “Go on and find your mama.”
Moses nodded and turned away. He had already told Simon goodbye. He knew his friend would keep an eye on everyone on the hill. Suddenly his gaze sharpened. “Jeremy!” he called as he hurried over to where he sat on a wagon seat. “What are you doing here?” His heart quickened. “What’s wrong?” he asked sharply.
Jeremy smiled and shook his head. “Not a thing.”
Moses was confused. “Then what are you doing here?”
Jeremy answered with a question of his own. “How are you planning on bringing your mama and Sadie home?”
Moses shook his head. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “I haven’t thought that far.” He was embarrassed to acknowledge that was true. Did he really think his mama and Sadie were going to walk back to Richmond with him? Carrie had offered him Granite, but he had refused, not willing to separate them again.
“That’s what Thomas figured,” Jeremy replied.
“Thomas?”
“Yes. We were talking about it this morning.” Jeremy’s expression grew more serious. “He feels responsible for separating your family.”
Moses said nothing. It was true.
“He also told me it was dangerous for you to be out on the roads by yourself right now.”
Moses frowned and began to protest.
Jeremy held up his hand. “There is nothing but chaos in the South right now. No one has figured out what to do with all the freed slaves traveling on the road.”
Moses shook his head. “That’s not going to stop me from going,” he said quietly.
“Of course it’s not!” Jeremy exclaimed. “That’s why I’m going with you. In this wagon,” he added.
Moses stared at him. “What?” A smile spread across his face. “Thomas sent this wagon for us to use? And you’re going with me?”
“That’s right.” Jeremy leaned forward. “Accept the gift, Moses. Thomas feels terrible and needs a way to help make it right. This will never make up for separating your family, but he can at least make it easier for you. And for your mama and Sadie,” he added. “Besides, I’m unemployed at the moment and would love to get out of the city.”
“Not to mention that having a white man with me will make things easier,” Moses said wryly, though he was wise enough to appreciate the logic of Thomas’s solution.
“We don’t have to tell anyone I’m really your black wife’s twin,” Jeremy replied ruefully. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
Moses laughed. “I’m all for keeping people in the dark,” he said, climbing into the wagon seat. “Let’s roll,” he said, his heart beating faster as he realized he truly was on his way to find his mama and Sadie. The added benefit of a wagon, and Jeremy for company, only made it better.
******
Moses took deep breaths of the fresh spring air as they began to roll out of the city. The horse pulling the wagon, a solid-looking bay, held his head proudly and moved at a good pace. Once they left the charred remains of the business district behind, the beleaguered city still showed some of its old grandeur. The houses were faded, fences were broken, and shutters hung from their hinges, but children were once more playing in the streets under the shade of brilliant dogwoods, their creamy white blooms standing in stark contrast. Colorful azaleas lined the foundations of homes that just seemed to be waiting for a new beginning.
Moses smiled at Jeremy. “This trip is going to be a lot different than I envisioned.”
Jeremy smiled back at him. “It will also happen a lot faster than you thought.”
Moses nodded, looked at him more closely, and then started laughing. “Which is part of the reason Thomas sent you and the wagon. He wants me back out on Cromwell to start putting in crops as soon as possible.”
Jeremy just smiled again. “He is a businessman who is trying to do the right thing. But, yes, he is eager to get things moving again.”
Moses nodded. “I am too,” he said simply. “I want to start building the life I dreamed about during all the years of slavery, and during the years I’ve been fighting. It’s time.” He thought back to his daddy, and the price he paid when he tried to escape to build the life he dreamed of. His dream ended with him dangling from a rope. He was determined to create the life for his mama and sister that his daddy had envisioned for them.
******
What started with the feeling of a grand adventure faded into a constant panorama of the stark reality of war as they headed west from Richmond. Everywhere they looked they saw destruction. Houses and barns were burned. Fields were scorched and fences torn away, their ties littering the ground. Railroad tracks were torn up in twisted masses. Fields that should have sported the fresh green of new crops lay brown and barren. Bridges were torn away. Only Jeremy’s knowledge of the roads enabled them to find alternate routes that kept them moving forward.
“My God,” Moses said, gazing around. “How do you come back from something like this?”
“It’s worse further up in the Shenandoah,” Jeremy responded. “Most of this is General Sheridan’s work. My understanding is that he had orders to destroy the Virginia Central Railroad and the James River Canal while Lee was bombarding Petersburg.”
“He did his job well,” Moses said. Now that the war was over, it was impossible not to look at everything with an eye to rebuilding. He thought of Cromwell Plantation as he stared over the barren fields. “It’s going to take a long time for things to return to normal,” he finally said.
Jeremy nodded. “Yes, it will, but the people of Virginia are resilient.”
“They will have to be.”
“Just as the people of Georgia will have to be to rebuild after Sherman wreaked his destruction down there.” Jeremy sighed. “It’s the cost of war.” He scowled. “The war should never have been fought, but it was. Now the South has no choice but to rebuild. It will take a long time, but it can be done. It must be done,” he added fiercely.
Moses thought about Jeremy’s lost position with the government. “You feel helpless to be a part of it,” he observed thoughtfully.
Jeremy sat quietly for a long moment and then shrugged his shoulders. “Not helpless exactly. I know I could have made a difference as a financial analyst, but only if they would have listened,” he admitted. “I tried to warn Virginia not to follow in the footsteps of the Confederacy in regard to how they handled their currency, but…”
“They wouldn’t listen,” Moses finished.
“No one wanted to acknowledge we were fighting a losing battle from the very beginning,” Jeremy said heavily. He frowned as the remnants of another scorched barn appeared as they rounded a curve. “The rebuilding is going to be as painful as the war,” he predicted. “Maybe more so. It’s certainly going to last longer,” he said flatly.
“Do you have confidence it can happen?” Moses asked quietly.
Jeremy was quiet again for a long while.
Moses waited, knowing he was pulling together his thoughts. Though he’d certainly had many opportunities to talk with Jeremy in the last several weeks, he was glad they were taking this trip together so he could get to know him better. He smiled knowing Rose was probably very jealous right now, though he also knew she was glad he wasn’t alone.
Finally Jeremy spoke. “The South will reb
uild, but not without a lot of bitterness and anger. The men who started this war still believe their cause was just and right. They have been beaten in battle, but that hasn’t changed the feelings that started the war in the first place.”
“Will it ever end?” Moses asked. “Or will they just continue to fight the war in a different way?”
Jeremy gazed at him. “That’s the question to be answered.” He paused. “It’s common for Southerners to romanticize tragedy. They started a war they had no chance to win, but if they can convince themselves and the rest of the world that they were the victims in unjust aggression, they may feel they can salvage their pride.”
“That didn’t work so well before,” Moses observed.
“They were asking for money and support then,” Jeremy reminded him. “Now they are looking for sympathy.”
“To what end?” Moses was puzzled.
Jeremy shrugged. “They’ve lost everything. If they can somehow salvage their pride, they can continue to protest the war was wrong in the first place.”
“So it never ends,” Moses said heavily.
“It depends on how the next few years go,” Jeremy answered. “If Lincoln were still alive, I would feel much more optimistic. I know he would have made sure that blacks’ rights were enforced and that the freed slaves had a fair opportunity to build new lives.”
“And you don’t believe President Johnson will do that?”
“I’ve been studying everything I could get my hands on,” Jeremy began.
Moses interrupted. “I thought you were a financial analyst.”
Jeremy smiled. “I am, but that means understanding the forces that control the finances. So far, President Johnson is looking like he’s going to be tough on the South and make sure they adhere to the terms of surrender.”
“You sound like you doubt that will continue.”
“Let’s just say it would be out of character based on what I’ve learned so far,” Jeremy responded. “President Johnson is a Southerner who was a slave owner. That can never be forgotten. He fought to maintain the Union, but he fought equally hard to maintain slavery. Only time will tell what he does now.”
Moses leaned forward and stared into the distance. “What is that?” he asked tensely. He saw clouds of dust and heard frantic yells, but he couldn’t tell what was going on.
Jeremy tightened his lips and continued to drive forward.
Moses’s lips tightened in fury when they got close enough to see. A group of what looked to be former slaves had been surrounded by a group of white men on horseback. Their tattered uniforms identified them as former Confederate soldiers.
“Where you niggers think you’re going?” one yelled.
Moses groaned as he saw the stark terror on the faces staring up at the horsemen. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jeremy put a hand on his arm.
“Don’t.”
“We can’t just do nothing!” Moses protested.
Jeremy kept his hand on his arm. “They’re not doing anything but scaring them right now,” he said. “Just the two of us won’t be able to stop them. If we challenge them, they may hurt them just to prove they can.”
“And what if they decide to hurt them anyway?” Moses asked angrily.
“You headed into the big city?” another one of the men yelled. “You think you’re going to find your big opportunity?” he sneered.
The group continued to stare at the horsemen silently.
“Just wait,” Jeremy urged. “If they try to hurt them, of course we’ll step in to try to stop it.”
Moses clenched his fists and teeth as he stared at the scene playing out before him.
The veterans continued to taunt the band of freed slaves, spinning their horses around them in circles until the dust caked their faces and covered their clothes. They finally seemed to tire of their fun.
“Let’s get out of here!” one of them, a thin man with straggly black hair and sallow skin, finally yelled. “These people are so stupid they can’t even talk. They’ll get to Richmond and find out soon enough that no one wants them there either.”
Whooping and hollering, the men on horseback finally wheeled and galloped off.
Moses watched them with disgust. He was also aware of a feeling of gratitude that Thomas had insisted on Jeremy and the wagon.
Jeremy drew the wagon up next to the group. “You people okay?”
They simply stared at him, fright still shining from their eyes.
Moses stepped off of the wagon. “It’s alright,” he said. “You’re safe now.”
“Until the next group comes along,” one of the men finally ventured. “Dey ain’t the first that come after us.”
Moses scowled. “If you keep moving you can be in the city before dark.”
“Where should we go?” the spokesman asked. “You know anythin’ about Richmond?”
“Enough,” Moses responded. “Listen carefully, because you don’t want to go in the wrong area.” He told them the route to take to get to the black quarter. “If you don’t get there before dark,” he cautioned, “stay in the woods until tomorrow morning.”
“So Richmond ain’t no better?” one tired looking woman asked as she held tightly to the hand of her little girl.
“It’s better,” Moses assured her, “but it’s not safe in certain areas at night.”
“I thought the army be there to take care of things.”
“They are, but they can’t be everywhere at one time. Once you get to the black quarter, you need to find one of the churches. Tell them Moses Samuel sent you.”
The man opened his eyes wide. “You be someone important?”
Moses shrugged. “Not really, but I’ve made it a point to know everyone down there. Until recently I was a Union soldier.”
The frightened looks turned to excited smiles.
“So we gonna find us some good jobs?” the woman asked. “Does the army got food for us?” She stared down at her little girl. “We ain’t had much to eat since we done set off from the plantation.”
Moses sighed. He’d heard this story hundreds of times in the last weeks. “They’ll help you,” he assured them, “but you’ll have to find work. It won’t be easy because the city is filling up, but you’ll have to keep looking. The government won’t always be there. It’s up to all of us to make the most of the freedom we’ve been given.”
The man who had spoken first scowled. “What you know about being a slave?” he sneered. “You and your fancy talkin’.”
Moses eyed him. “I was a slave for the first nineteen years of my life. I have the lashes to prove it. When I got a chance to escape, I took it. When I got the chance to learn to read, I took it. When I got the chance to learn how to speak correctly, I took it because I want to take advantage of my freedom and I want things to be different for my family.”
His gaze swept the group that had lost their suspicious looks. “Nobody can change the fact that you were slaves and had years stolen from you. But only you can change what comes next. If you sit around waiting for things to be handed to you, your life won’t be much different. When you get to Richmond, go to school. Learn how to read and write. Learn how to talk. It will make the rest of your life a lot easier.”
Moses looked at the sun sinking toward the horizon and knew they needed to keep moving. They would also need to find a safe place before it got dark. “I wish you the best,” he said, and turned to climb back into the wagon.
“Thank you, Mr. Moses Samuels!” one of the women called out.
Moses waved his hand as Jeremy moved the horse forward.
“That was something,” Jeremy finally said. “Rose told me you’re a natural leader, but I haven’t had a chance to see you in action before now.”
Moses shrugged, thinking about what Captain Jones had said. “I just want to be a farmer.”
Jeremy laughed. “I reckon you learned a long time ago that what we want and what we actually get aren’t usually the same thing.”
Moses stared at him, not wanting to think about it, but also not able to deny the glow of satisfaction he felt when he had been able to help that group. “I did the leadership thing in the army,” he finally said. “I’m done.”
Jeremy just smiled and moved the horse into a brisk trot. “We can sleep in the wagon tonight. May threw in some blankets and a huge basket of food.”
Moses smiled, looking at the back of the wagon for the first time. “Bless May’s heart,” he said gladly. “I’m starving.”
Chapter Fifteen
Carrie was standing on the porch when her father walked out with two mugs of steaming coffee in his hands.
“Want some?” Thomas offered.
Carrie smiled and reached for a mug gratefully. “After three years of drinking cups of liquid that didn’t remotely resemble coffee, it is still such a joy to drink the real thing.”
Thomas nodded. “I’m grateful our stores are filling up with product again, even if they are ridiculously expensive.” He took a big sip and stared out over the city. “You’re sure this is what you want to do?”
Carrie nodded. “I’ve thought it through a hundred times. Robert is not getting any stronger here. He’s already lost all interest in living, and every day seems to take him a little further from me. The only time he speaks is during the hideous nightmares he has every night. He’s closing down,” she said desperately.
“Are you sure he can manage the trip out to the plantation?”
Carrie shook her head. “No, I’m not,” she admitted, “but I am quite sure he will die here if I don’t get him out of the city. I have to take the chance.” She turned to her father. “Do you think I’m wrong?”
“No,” Thomas said firmly. “Hope is so often the only thing that keeps us alive. I fear this house has become nothing but a symbol of despair for Robert because of the memories it holds from the war. He can’t get away from them. I believe you’re doing the right thing.”