The Legend of Indian Stream

by Steven Landry

  Thinking of the Union cavalry troop prompted Jake to look at the small knot of Union liaison officers standing at the rear of the tent. The young cavalry officer stood out from the more senior officers due to his youth, his light blue breeches, his sabre, and the black Stetson he carried under his arm. As Jake watched, the young lieutenant detached himself from the group and made his way to the empty seat next to Peta. Peta took a break from her wistful disemboweling of the S2 and introduced Jake to the officer, Luke Barns. The name sounded familiar. Based on the way Barns was looking at Peta, Jake decided that the jokes he had heard at breakfast about Peta having a new puppy were pretty accurate. Poor bastard.

  Like Peta, Barns had a can of Coke in his hand, taken from the cooler near the tent’s entrance. Jake watched as the young officer popped the top in imitation of Peta. He hadn’t shook it, at least. Peta took a long swig of hers and Barns followed suit. Jake ducked just in time as the dark liquid exploded back out of the lieutenant’s mouth.

  “My God, how do you drink this stuff?” Barns sputtered.

  Peta laughed. “It’s an acquired taste.”

  “Here, I’ll swap you.” Jake handed Luke an unopened Mountain Dew. “It’s a bit milder.”

  “Thanks,” the lieutenant replied, eyeing the can warily.

  Jennifer arrived and slipped into her seat next to Jake just as Kane called the briefing to order. He asked Brigadier Coyle if he had any opening comments, then introduced the S2 when the commander shook his head no.

  “The Army of Northern Virginia, with 92,000 men under the command of Robert E. Lee, remains positioned along the Rappahannock River, for the most part. J.E.B. Stuart’s cavalry division has been split into five parts, with one brigade each headed for the five major passes through the Blue Ridge Mountains.” The S2 indicated the passes on the map showing on the monitor. “The two brigades heading in the direction of the James River Gap and Humphreys Gap are now about ten kilometers northeast of Charlottesville. Each brigade consists of three cavalry regiments of about twelve hundred men each.”

  “How much artillery, or are you going to claim they don’t have any?” Peta’s voice dripped with venom.

  “We don’t believe they have any artillery pieces with them,” the S2 replied.

  “Bullshit!” Peta mumbled loud enough for those seated near her to hear.

  “That’s enough of that,” Brigadier Coyle said, without looking at Peta. “Two, you do your best to find every artillery piece you can. Those are the only weapons that can really hurt us.”

  “Yes, sir,” the S2 replied, only slightly chastened. “Continuing on, there are about twenty thousand rebel troops in the Richmond – Petersburg area under the command of Major General Gustavus Smith. They have three hundred and six artillery pieces dug in along the defensive lines around the two cities. We haven’t seen any movement at all from those units, however. That’s confirmed through both aerial imagery and our spies in Richmond.”

  Jake was among the few that knew the last reference included his mother, Anna. She was now living in a Richmond boarding house a few short blocks from the Confederate Army’s General Headquarters building.

  The S2 concluded his briefing with an updated weather forecast, noting that the earlier winds and persistent heavy rain were due to a system that had suddenly shifted westward. The storm was expected to continue for the next few hours, then it would remain overcast throughout the next day. When there were no questions, he took his seat.

  The Chief of Staff introduced the Adjutant, also known as the S1.

  “Gunny Smith and Corporal Cody were the only KIAs in the first day’s fighting,” the S1 reported. “Nine soldiers have been seriously wounded and evacuated to the Republic, along with two Union soldiers and a young boy injured during the Battle of Glasgow. They’re also seventeen less seriously wounded men, including three Pathfinders and nine of Lieutenant Barns’ cavalry troopers, who are recovering at the MASH unit.”

  As unfortunate as the loss of the two Pathfinders was, it was a small price to pay for the wholesale destruction of four rebel infantry regiments and one cavalry regiment. Jake doubted Zahra, Gunny Smith’s widow and his mother’s friend, would feel the same, however.

  The Adjutant also noted that the task force had taken three hundred and forty prisoners, although two hundred and thirty of them had either been paroled or too badly wounded to travel. The latter had been left in a makeshift hospital in Romney, under the guard of the 116th Ohio. Ninety-eight enlisted men and twelve officers remained in custody, guarded by Barns’ Union cavalry troopers.

  The Chief introduced Mack, the task force Operations Officer. The oldest man in the task force, Mack had been in the ISRM since its reorganization in 1833. He had commanded the ISRM into the early 1850’s, but had stepped down in favor of the younger Brigadier Coyle when he turned sixty-five. He was also very good friends with Jake’s mentor and father-in-law, Dwight Carver. Mack knew his job very, very well.

  He began his portion of the briefing by calling up the Commander’s Vision statement on the large monitor: Task Force Javelin will enable the destruction of the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia by the conduct of operations in the enemy’s rear area to destroy the Confederate Army’s command, control and logistical support systems, thereby prompting the withdrawal of the Army away from the Rappahannock River, exposing it to attack by the combined forces of the Union Army of the Potomac and Task Force Javelin.

  Once everyone had had time to review the Vision statement, Mack replaced it with a battle map of north and central Virginia. Enemy units were shown in red, Union forces in blue, and Task Force Javelin units in green.

  “As the S2 noted, the only enemy units on the move are the five brigades of Stuart’s cavalry division. If the two brigades headed in our direction keep moving, they’ll run into the Grenadier company’s advance positions sometime before dawn.” Jake nodded at that. It would still be dark, giving the M2 Bradley’s in his forward outposts an immense advantage over the approaching rebel troopers. Between the thermal sights on the Bradley’s, the infrared sensors on the UAVs they would be flying, and the night vision goggles his men would be wearing, the rebels stood no more chance than a blind man in a gunfight. That didn’t even consider the difference in armor protection and firepower, nor the fact that he could call in as much mortar fire as he needed.

  “On the other hand, if they bivouac in the open for the night, we can eliminate the threat with a joint air-artillery attack.” Jake liked that idea even better. “But my bet is they’ll hole up in Charlottesville,” Mack continued. “If that’s the case, we can deal with them sometime tomorrow.

  “This evening, Operation Grim Reaper will focus on the elimination of command and control facilities in Richmond, and logistical facilities in Petersburg. The ISRM Reaper squadron will conduct aerial attacks on twenty-four identified targets in the two cities.” Mack indicated the targets on the map.

  Jake glanced at the target list. Most of the targets were warehouses near the rail yards in Petersburg. The remaining targets were heavy artillery positions along the defensive works surrounding both Petersburg and Richmond.

  The Reapers would be attacking the targets with their Hellfire missiles and laser-guided bombs. However six of the Paveway II bombs would be targeted at three very specific targets: the Confederate White House, the Confederate Capitol Building, and the Confederate War and Navy Department headquarters, all in Richmond. Those attacks were designed to decapitate the Confederacy.

  “Additionally, the two hunter-killer teams from the Combat Aviation platoon will destroy up to thirty-two railroad bridges between Fredericksburg and Petersburg,” Mack continued. “The exact number will depend on whether we need to divert the teams to engage the rebel cavalry units.

  “Tonight’s other main objective is to retrieve one of our assets from Richmond, which will be handled by Spec Ops platoon. The fewer people that know the details of that operation the better, so I won’t discuss it further.”
Mack’s referral to his mother as an “asset” irked Jake, but he was glad that Peta would be pulling Anna out of Richmond later that night.

  “Assuming that tonight’s activities will crack loose at least a portion of General Lee’s command, we will commence a Movement to Contact north through the Piedmont towards Charlottesville at 0600 hours Romeo. You’ve all been provided with electronic map overlays for your routes, and movement tables with start points and times. Expect a fragmentary operations order modifying routes and times as we learn more about the enemy’s movements.”

  Brigadier Coyle rose and faced the assembled orders group.

  “I expect your scouts to find the enemy, your maneuver forces to fix the enemy, and our combined fire support systems to destroy the enemy. If we do this right we can end this war, at least in the eastern theater, in a few days. Let’s make every round count. Any questions?” Hearing none, the commander took his seat, and the briefing resumed.

  The Chief introduced the task force logistician, known as the S4, who gave a detailed rundown of the task force’s supply situation, which was excellent, and his plans to keep the units supplied on the move.

  Once the briefing concluded, Jake escorted his wife to her LTV, kissed her, and watched her drive away towards the southern end of town, where the MASH unit was setup.

  “Captain Carlton, hold on a minute?” Jake turned to see Mack walking his way.

  “Of course, sir,” he replied. “What can I do for you?”

  “Up for a terrain walk? I’d like to take a closer look at where the Pedlar River joins the James. The S2 says the Pedlar is fordable just north of the junction, but with so much riding on it, I’d like to see it for myself.”

  “I was planning to do the same thing myself,” Jake replied. “It’s about four klicks downriver from my lines. We can pick up a couple Bradley’s from first platoon to keep us company.” Jake’s Grenadiers were the easternmost unit in the task force. First and second platoons were deployed at the northern end of the Coleman Falls Dam. Third platoon, headquarters platoon, and the breeching team from the Regiment’s engineer platoon were deployed at the southern end. Two Wolverine heavy assault bridges had been laid across the top of the locks at the southern end of the earthen dam to allow the unit’s heavy vehicles to cross.

  “Great minds think alike,” Mack said. “If you don’t mind I’ll ride with you. My driver will follow in my LTV so I’ll have a ride back.”

  “Certainly, sir. Let’s see if we can find my M4 in this downpour.” Jake silently cursed the driving rain, which had begun before sunrise and hadn’t let up.

  Perhaps in response to his curse, he heard a series of sharp cracks, followed by a rumbling sound that grew into a roar.

  “What the hell was that?” he asked. Mack had no answer.

  * * *

  After the command briefing concluded, Luke spent a few minutes talking to Peta as they walked to her Gecko. She had spent the afternoon revising an operations order she hadn’t been able to talk about, then reviewing it with her entire platoon.

  He bid Peta goodbye and watched her drive off to the south where her boat team was moored at the town dock. He had just mounted his horse when he heard a series of sharp cracks, followed by a rumbling sound that grew into a roar. It was coming from the northeast, somewhere across the river.

  Luke’s men were guarding rebel prisoners at a makeshift camp located on Big Island, upriver from the town named for it. The first thing he saw as he galloped in their direction was a river of mud cascading into the river from the mountains on the east side of the water. It looked like the entire hillside had liquefied.

  The mudflow hit the water with a gigantic splash. A wall of water and mud washed over the tiny island, sweeping everything away. The amphibious bridge connecting the island to the west bank of the river also disappeared in the maelstrom. Then the river itself seemed to rise up. A wall of water ten feet high swept southwestward toward the north end of the town.

  Luke turned his horse and headed south in a desperate effort to escape the on-rushing waves of water and mud.

  45 - ANNA

  Richmond, Virginia, CSA, 1930 hours, Friday, April 17, 1863

  At fifty-five years of age, Anna was still a beautiful woman, at least when she wanted to be. Today she had intentionally made herself look as plain as possible. She had dyed her blonde hair a graying brown, put brown contact lenses in her blue eyes, mottled her complexion with makeup, blackened some of her teeth, and donned a black “widow’s reeds” dress designed to add several inches to her waistline and make her shoulders look hunched. Few people on Richmond’s streets gave her a second look, which was exactly what she wanted.

  Three days earlier, she had left the elegant Winslow House she’d called home for the last two years and moved into a seedier boarding house near the Capitol building. She was now using an assumed name, posing as the widow of a Confederate artillery officer killed at Fredericksburg the previous winter. Before leaving her room she had dumped everything she wouldn’t be carrying with her through a portal, leaving no evidence behind.

  The changes in name and address were precautionary measures, taken in the event the Confederates learned of the role the Roberts family played in bringing the ISRM forces to Virginia. Her children and grandchildren had already been evacuated to the Republic. Her current appearance made it unlikely that any of her Richmond acquaintances would recognize her and allowed her to move about the city unobtrusively. If all went according to plan, she would be reunited with Paul and his family tonight and spend what remained of the war in the Republic. The war wouldn’t last much longer, at least in Virginia, which was good for Jake’s sake, since he was now on the front lines.

  Anna walked towards Capitol Square in the pouring rain and entered the square at its most northern point. Her three targets were all located within an easy fifteen minute walk of her boarding house on East Broad Street. In the growing darkness, she slipped into a thicket of dense shrubbery and huddled under her umbrella to await confirmation, via the small radio hidden in the false belly of her costume, that the three Reapers were in position overhead. Her dense brown hair covered a flesh-colored earpiece and voice pickup. A fur muffler hid the silenced 9mm pistol in her right hand and the laser designator in her left.

  Anna waited about thirty minutes in her chilly hiding place. Confederate sentries moved along the perimeter of the square, but none approached her hideout. There was a series of large explosions off to the west. Within minutes, a steady flow of rebel officers started to stream into the Mechanics Institute Building, which was located across the street from the western corner of the square. The building served as headquarters for the Confederate War and Naval departments.

  Civilians began to stream into the Capitol building as well. Anna assumed these were civil servants and politicians, reacting to what they believed was an impending attack on Richmond’s defensive perimeter. She waited another hour as more and more lights came on in the two buildings. Finally, she heard a chirp in her earpiece.

  “Gretel, this is Raven’s Roost, over.”

  “Ravens’ Roost this is Gretel, over,” she replied.

  “Gretel, illuminate target Romeo Three, over.”

  “Wilco, out,” Anna answered. She removed the pistol-shaped laser designator from the muffler. She pointed it at the Mechanics Institute Building, then pulled and held the trigger. Nothing happened for about thirty seconds, then the building exploded in a blinding flash of light as two 500-pound bombs detonated precisely on target.

  “Gretel, this is Raven’s Roost, illuminate target Romeo One, over.”

  “Wilco, out,” Anna answered again. She shifted her aim to the Capitol building, then pulled and held the trigger. Two more bombs tore the Capitol building apart. She was much closer to these explosions, so Anna was slightly stunned by the light and concussive blast wave.

  “Gretel, this is Raven’s Roost, are you able to relocate to secondary position, over?”

  �
��Roger, Raven’s Roost, will advise when in position, out,” she replied.

  Anna rose from her hiding position and stepped out of the bushes. A rifle butt hit her in the face. She lost consciousness before she hit the ground.

  46 - PETA

  James River, Virginia, CSA, 0300 hours, Saturday, April 18, 1863

  The Spec Ops boat team cruised the dark waters of the James River in their SOC-R RHIBs, looking for survivors. Peta rode in CWO Roger Volant’s vessel in the middle of the river. Her other two boats travelled along the riverbank on either side, all searching for any sign of the soldiers, prisoners, and townsfolk that had been swept into the river. They had been at it for hours and had only found seven survivors. The rest of Spec Ops was busy trying to dig the three Little Bird helicopters out of the mud that had buried them up to the doors. CWO Harlan Wasser believed the aircraft were otherwise undamaged, which was more than could be said for most of the task force’s other aircraft. Thirteen helicopters had been crushed by the wall of water and debris that swept over the northern end of the Objective Hilo. Aside from Harlan’s Little Birds, only Jennifer’s three medical choppers remained.

  “There,” Roger said, pointing down the bright beam of the boat’s port searchlight.

  “I see him,” she said. The light showed a soldier clinging to a tree floating down the river with the current. Roger maneuvered the craft within shouting distance, but when Peta called to the man there was no response. Two members of Roger’s crew, both women, jumped in the water and swam through the mass of tree limbs to retrieve the man.