Her Majesty's Gold

by Gregory Kopp

  “Get up slowly!” said a gruff voice behind him. Ethan straightened up and turned around. A man in a torn and dirty Confederate Army uniform was holding a pistol and pointing it at him.

  “By order of the Confederate Government. You must come with me.” He growled as he leveled the pistol at Ethan’s head.

  Ethan dropped his hand shovel and wiped his hands on his trousers. “Where are we going?” He asked.

  “Silence, I will tell you in good time. But where is your brother Daniel?” He said as he held up a yellowed 1860 Alabama Census form and waved it at Ethan.

  “He is in the barn. I suspect.” Said Ethan surprised the soldier knew his name.

  “Good, then let’s go.” The Confederate soldier pointed the pistol in the direction of the small wooden farmhouse with a barn attached on the side.

  Both men walked up to the house, scaring the chickens clustered around their feet. Ethan stood outside the barn. “Danny, come outside,” he yelled into the barn.

  Their mother heard his shouting and ran outside the house wearing an old farm dress with the apron. She shook the flour from her hands. A baby could be heard crying inside.

  “Stop, Ma!” cried Ethan as his mother ran down the steps of the front porch towards him. She saw the soldier with the pistol and stopped.

  Daniel walked outside the barn. “What are you bellowing about?” he said to his older brother and stopped suddenly when he saw the man with the pistol.

  The soldier peered down at the census form and said: “Are you, Daniel?” He said. “You are over eighteen?”

  Daniel nodded his head “Yes” looking at the pistol pointed at his brother’s head.

  The soldier turned to look at their mother and said: “Where is your husband Ma’am?”

  “He died of the fever last winter.” She said mournfully. A Scarlet fever epidemic had raged in the county, and her husband grew ill and died.

  The soldier grunted and said, “I’ll have to settle for you two good-ole boys then.”

  The boy’s mother spoke up and said: “Where are you taking them?”

  “To Decatur, to join the Confederate Army!” The soldier muttered. “By orders of Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Congress. If you stop me, I am authorized to shoot you.”

  “Now get some clothes and food for your sons Ma’am. I am in a hurry to get back to camp.”

  The boy's mother ran inside the ramshackle house and stuffed a few items of clothing in a duffel bag. She grabbed some food from their larder and gave it to Ethan to carry.

  “All right, let’s move before it gets dark.” He pointed the pistol towards the road. Daniel and Ethan with their hands tied behind their backs began walking down the dusty road. Their mother held her crying baby in her arms and watched with tears streaming down her cheeks as they were marched away.

  Chapter Eleven

  Early evening, May 1, 1862, New Orleans

  Louisa had put her daughter to sleep and was coming down the steps of the grand staircase in the main foyer of their mansion. Georg, her husband was alone in his study. Louisa and Georg owned one of the largest sugar plantations on the west bank of the Mississippi River. But the Civil War and the resultant Union blockade of New Orleans had depressed sugar prices. Georg wondered how he was going to pay for all the sugar plantation expenses this year. Suddenly, he heard a sharp knock on the door.

  “I will answer it, Master,” said Henry the house slave. Georg had purchased Henry in the slave market in the New Orleans town square before the war started. The door burst open and several Union soldiers stomped in with their rifles raised high as they pushed Henry aside.

  “What is the meaning of this?” Georg shouted at the soldiers who came pouring in through his front door.

  “We are confiscating this house on orders of General Butler!” A young Union officer produced a small parchment from his pocket and waved it at Georg. More soldiers rushed into the house and knocked Henry to the floor.

  A soldier began running up the stairs of the circular staircase and pointed his rifle at Louisa’s head. He brusquely pushed her aside. Louisa screamed as she lost her footing and then in a momentary flash she broke through the railing on the second-floor landing. Georg heard the banister break with a loud crack and then saw his wife Louisa falling through the air and hit the ground floor with a sickening thud.

  He raced to her side, but she was barely conscious and bleeding profusely from a wound in the side of her head.

  He grabbed her and shouted “Louisa, Louisa. You must not leave me!”

  But Louisa opened her eyes for only a second, smiled at him and then fell unconscious. Georg held her close to his chest and began rocking her. Her breathing became shallow until it finally stopped.

  The Union officer turned and saw the dying woman bleeding on the floor. The officer shouted for one of the soldiers to help her, but it was too late. Georg cradled her lifeless body in his arms and continued rocking her. The blood from her head wound stained his shirt with a deep dark red color.

  The young Union officer came up to him and said “I’m sorry, sir for what happened. But there is a war on and we need your house for General Butler and his staff!” He said firmly.

  Georg became livid and sprung to his feet and seized the Union officer’s sword from his scabbard. He pointed the sword at the young Union officer. The officer froze when he realized the danger he was facing.

  Georg shouted at him “Your soldiers killed my wife. Now I’m going to kill you!”

  And he raised the sword to strike him when Georg was hit from behind by the butt of a rifle. It was a Union Army sergeant who realized what was happening. Georg sprawled to the floor and the officer’s sword was flung from his hand. The Union officer recovered his sword and placed it back into his scabbard.

  “Thank you, Sergeant.” Said the officer and he ordered him to arrest Georg and place him into custody.

  Georg shook his head to clear it after the blow he received from the soldier. A Union private carried his wife’s body into the adjoining parlor room and carefully placed her on a settee. He wiped her blood off his hands and picked up his rifle to continue in the search for valuables.

  Several more Union soldiers rushed in and began ransacking the house and stealing anything of value. Henry was overheard arguing with a brawny soldier. “Put that back! It belongs to my master.” The Union soldier hit Henry hard in the head with a large silver candlestick he had stolen from the dining room. Henry fell unconscious to the ground and did not move. The soldier grabbed a few more silver serving dishes from the dining room and then ran away to rejoin his company.

  Other Union soldiers were ransacking the upstairs bedrooms. They were turning over furniture bureaus and ripping open the mattresses in a desperate search for hidden money. One of the soldiers entered the master bedroom and snatched several pieces of Louisa’s jewelry from her bureau. This included a rare silver pendant she received from French Emperor Napoleon III.

  The Union soldiers threw Louisa’s gowns and other clothing out of the window to a waiting crowd below. Black slave women snatched up the gowns and then began fighting over them, tearing them in the process. A Union soldier discharged a pistol in the air to quell their fighting. They scattered, carrying large pieces of luggage with them.

  Georg realized his daughter was upstairs, so he rose from the floor and began to climb up the stairs. The Union sergeant stopped him, pointed his rifle at him and said, “Where do you think you are going?”

  Georg explained his daughter was sleeping upstairs. The sergeant said to a private:

  “Go upstairs and get the little girl, while I watch this one.” He said.

  The private ran up the stairs and discovered Georg’s daughter hiding in her bedroom closet. When the soldier picked her up, she began crying and kicking him while he carried her down the stairs.

  “Here is the little Rebel!” The private said with a toothy grin as he tried to put her down on the floor.

  Georg grab
bed his daughter from the soldier's arms and carried her into the next room. He placed her next to her deceased mother. The little girl shrieked when she saw her mother’s lifeless body on the settee. She buried her face into her father’s arms and began to sob uncontrollably.

  Chapter Twelve

  At that moment, a man dressed as a captain in the Union Army strode into the room. He was wearing a new uniform with a sword at his side and a hat festooned with a feather. His name was Johannes and he knew this plantation. He had accompanied Georg and his new wife Louisa from Paris to their New Orleans sugar plantation long ago. But he left the plantation several years before the war began after their first harvest of sugar cane.

  He walked into the room and was shocked to see Louisa lying dead on the settee. Georg and his daughter were lying prostrate over her body sobbing heavily. Georg looked up and instantly recognized him.

  “You, you,” Georg stammered.

  Johannes took off his hat at the sight of the dead woman and the crying child. His face looked ashen when he turned back to look at Georg.

  “What happened?” He demanded of the sergeant guarding Georg and his daughter.

  “She fell, Captain Sir!” He said as he saluted Johannes. “Nothing we could do.” The sergeant said curtly.

  Johannes swore at the soldier and dismissed him. Georg stood up to face his old friend now dressed in a Yankee uniform.

  “I thought I would never see you again.” He said angrily.

  Georg turned away to look down at his daughter still lying prostrate over her dead mother. Johannes placed his hat back on his head and stood erect.

  “I came back to help you. But I see I am too late.” He said.

  “Too late?” Georg cried incredulously. “Your soldiers killed my wife,” and he pointed at his dead wife.

  Johannes winced and said nothing. “Well, maybe I can still save you and your daughter.” He said in a low voice.

  “Save me, how can you save me. She was my whole life!” Georg fell to his knees and took his head in his hands.

  Johannes helped him back up.

  “We have to leave now,” Johannes said. “I can escort you to the New Orleans wharf where you and your daughter can take a ship that will take you wherever you want to go. It’s the least I can do.” His eyes fell back down on the dead woman lying on the settee.

  “I need to take a few things,” Georg said.

  “Hurry, we don’t have much time. General Butler’s aides will be here soon, and they have confiscated this house. And if you stay, they will arrest you!” Johannes said matter of factly.

  Georg went into his study and grabbed his ledgers, bank records and several gold coins he had hidden in the fake bottom drawer of his desk. Luckily, the soldiers had not discovered the coins in their hurry to steal all the plantation’s valuables.

  Georg asked if he could gather more of his daughter’s things. Johannes ordered a black Union private soldier who accompanied him to go to his daughter’s room and fetch a few dresses and other clothing. The soldier returned with a small bag and gave it to Georg.

  “Now we must go!” Johannes said.

  Georg gathered up his sobbing daughter and carried her into a small carriage waiting for them outside. Johannes and the black private climbed into the carriage and they traveled to the wharves in New Orleans. One of the last of the Confederate smuggler’s ships was waiting for the rising tide to leave before the Union occupation of the city.

  Georg and his daughter climbed onto the ship. He ignored Johannes’s outstretched hand and his words of goodbyes and gathered up his bags, refusing any help from the black private soldier either.

  After the ship had sailed, Johannes and the black private returned to their carriage. “Did you find your family Joseph?” Johannes inquired.

  “No, sir,” Joseph replied. “I had escaped before he and his wife took over the plantation. Several of the older plantation folks told me my family ran away. They heard rumors my wife and two children ended up in New York City. When will we be able to return to New York City so I can find my family?” Joseph asked.

  Johannes slapped the reins and the carriage horses began to trot back into the city. “Soon, Joseph, soon.” He said.

  Johannes and Joseph began peeling off their Union Army uniforms and putting their own clothes back on as they rode. They needed to return the borrowed uniforms to the Union Army encampment outside of the city before they were missed.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Georg and his daughter sailed on the Confederate smuggler’s ship from New Orleans to France. After they had arrived, he placed his young daughter in the care of one of Louisa’s family members in Paris.

  While he was in Paris, Georg requested an audience with Emperor Napoleon III. He secured the appointment after he had informed the Emperor’s secretary, he was an intimate friend of the late Stéphanie de Beauharnais. She was godmother to his deceased wife.

  Georg was ushered into the Emperor’s private salon in the Tuileries Palace. Georg stood at attention when he saw the Emperor sitting at his desk writing a letter. He waited patiently for the Emperor to finish. When the Emperor set his pen down, Georg said in a low voice:

  “Your Imperial Majesty, I wish a few moments of your time.”

  Emperor Napoleon III stared at the former soldier standing in front of him. At that point, he picked up another piece of paper and skimmed it quickly. His gaze returned to the soldier standing in front of him.

  “So, you were friends with my cousin, Stéphanie de Beauharnais? God rest her soul.” He said.

  Georg cleared his throat. “Yes, my wife was her goddaughter, your Imperial Majesty!” He said firmly.

  The French Emperor looked back down at his paper. He had received information about Georg from French Military Intelligence in Paris. He checked it again to see if it confirmed the soldier’s story.

  “I understand you would like to rejoin the army, is that right?” The Emperor said.

  “Yes, your Imperial Majesty. My wife is now dead, and my child is with my wife’s family. But only if your Imperial Majesty would allow it.” Georg stammered.

  “No, I do not allow it.” Emperor Napoleon III said while writing a new dispatch for his military.

  Georg was startled, his mind whirled. “What would he do now?” He thought to himself. Being a soldier was all he knew.

  “I have a better job for you.“ The French Emperor said.

  Emperor Napoleon III stood up from his desk and walked over to a large-scale map of North America hanging in the salon. It contained tiny pins in Mexico, which identified the location of French troops. Emperor Napoleon III stared at the map and turned back to Georg still standing at attention.

  “I would like you to act as a liaison between my troops in Mexico.” He pointed at the map. “And the Confederate Government in Richmond.”

  “We have an opportunity to exploit the riches of gold and silver in Mexico during their so-called War between the States.” He continued. “My advisers have told me there is an immense amount of gold and silver here!“ and he pointed at northwest Mexico near the California border.

  “I want you to meet with my generals to arrange for you to command a scouting expedition to find this gold and silver. And then meet with Jefferson Davis to determine if the Confederate Army can win. ” The Emperor put down his pointer and walked back to his desk to write out orders for Georg.

  He turned back to Georg and handed him his orders and said: “I would like you to leave right away. I will have my assistant arrange for your passage to Mexico disguised as a Paris businessman. This mission will be top-secret, do you understand?”

  Emperor Napoleon III stared at Georg. “Yes, your Imperial Majesty, I understand!” Georg responded and saluted the Emperor. “Thank you, your Imperial Majesty. I can leave right away!” He said with even more emphasis as he placed the Imperial orders in his coat pocket.

  The Emperor dismissed him and returned to his desk to continue writing a dispat
ch to his generals.

  Georg immediately secured passage on the next ship from France, leaving for Veracruz, Mexico. He would be sailing as a businessman under the protection of the French flag. But he was really a spy for French Military Intelligence.

  Chapter Fourteen

  February 16, 1863, Washington City

  Senator Henry Wilson of Massachusetts rose from his chair in the Senate Chamber in the Capitol building. He began speaking:

  “The needs of the nation demand that we should fill the regiments now in the field, won and wasted by disease and death, by enrolling and drafting the population of the country under the constitutional authority “to raise and support armies”. *

  *Source : https://books.google.com/books/about/Great_Debates_in_American_History

  Previously, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation took effect in January 1863. The Civil War now became a revolutionary struggle for the abolition of slavery. But enlistments in the Union Army continued to slow after a series of Union Army battlefield defeats.

  Senator Wilson was chairman of the Committee on Military Affairs. He sponsored the Conscription Act of 1863. It passed unanimously in the Republican-held Senate, but ran into roadblocks in the House of Representatives. Peace Democrats, led by Representative Charles Biddle from Pennsylvania argued against the legislation concerned the president would become “conqueror over all of the people of the North.”

  But the Republicans prevailed. On March 3, 1863, the United States Congress passed the Civil War Military Draft Act. It was the first Union draft of all males aged twenty to forty-five. Exemptions were allowed for those willing to pay a $300 bounty or provide a substitute. Ordinary working-class Americans could not afford such a large bounty. Its passage would result in the bloodiest riots in New York City history!

  Chapter Fifteen

  Richmond, Virginia