by Ginny Dye
Thomas raised his eyebrows. “You must be rather important around there.”
Robert shrugged. “I welcomed the opportunity to do something different. The Battle of Bull Run was six weeks ago. Yet still we sit there, an army doing nothing. The most stimulating thing I’ve done in the last month was take part in a scouting party that went to check things out on the Potomac. The most exciting thing I saw was the unfinished dome of the Washington Capitol.”
“I understand the generals are becoming quite impatient.”
Robert nodded. “You understand right. That’s why I’m here. General Johnston and General Beauregard plan on meeting with President Davis in a couple of weeks. I’m here to gather information and lay groundwork.”
“It sounds as if this meeting will be rather crucial,” Thomas observed.
“It will.” Then Robert paused. “Am I free to talk frankly?”
Thomas eyed him for a moment and then walked over to close the heavy doors to the parlor. “Not a word you say will leave this room.”
“Thank you. I always find talking to you helpful.” Robert settled back in his chair and began. “Everyone is getting impatient. General Beauregard proposed back in early August to move forward and press an attack, in hopes we could force the Yankees into fighting a battle out in the open, outside the Washington lines. General Johnston decided we weren’t strong enough to force such a confrontation and turned down the idea.”
Thomas nodded. “I think that was wise.”
“Maybe,” Robert said. “We might have had the advantage then with their army so demoralized by their recent defeat.” Then he shrugged. “It’s too late to do it over. But now both men are eager to do something. They agree it is time to strike a blow rather than to simply sit passively, waiting to see what the Yankees might do.”
“What do you think?” Thomas asked, leaning forward to gaze at Robert. The young man didn’t have much military experience, but he was obviously thought well of if he had been granted this much information.
“I agree with the generals,” Robert said promptly. “Our intelligence tells us the Federal army in front of Washington is growing much faster than our own. If there is going to be a Confederate offensive, I believe it must happen quickly. Decisive action before the winter is important to us.”
Thomas listened thoughtfully. There had been much talk around the Capitol about making another move. “What will it take for it to be successful?”
Robert was ready with an answer. “The army must be strongly reinforced. They want Davis to double its size to 60,000 men.”
“And where do you propose they come from?”
“It can be done if we arm all our new recruits as well as pull in troops from every point in the South that is not actually under attack.” Robert’s voice grew excited. “With an army like that, we could cross the Potomac, bring on a battle northwest of Washington, and win a victory that would establish our independence!”
Thomas looked at him quietly, mulling over Robert’s words.
Robert spoke again. “It is my opinion, Thomas, that success here at this time saves everything. But I am afraid there will be disastrous results if we remain inactive throughout the winter.”
Thomas shook his head slowly. “I think I agree with you in principle. I’m not sure it’s possible in practicality.”
“Why not?” Robert asked sharply.
Thomas thought long before he answered, all the while knowing he would have no final say in the decision. President Davis and his cabinet would make the final decision. “It’s just my opinion, of course, but I see several problems with your plan. I agree with you there are plenty of recruits to be found. More men are signing up every day.” He paused. “Our problem is weapons. There simply aren’t enough to meet the need. They might come up with 30,000 more men, but they won’t find rifles to put in their hands.”
“We need to speed things up!” Robert said impatiently.
Thomas laughed. “Spoken like a true military man. But surely you haven’t been away from politics so long to have forgotten the roadblocks they are facing. Everything is new. The President is still trying to produce order out of chaos. Oh, the orders have been placed for the weapons but Southern manufacturing facilities are just too inadequate to meet the need. They’re trying, but it’s just too slow.”
“What about overseas?”
Thomas shrugged. “The contracts have been placed, but the results have been negligible so far. I think Europe is still trying to figure out where they stand on all this even though we have hopes they will recognize us as a nation soon. In the meantime, the blockade along the coast is starting to cause us some problems.”
Robert shook his head in frustration.
Thomas picked up the paper he had been reading earlier. “You’re not alone in your frustration. Let me read you something from the Richmond Examiner.”
“…the idea of waiting for blows instead of inflicting them is altogether unsuited to the genius of our people...”
Robert nodded. “They’re right.”
“It’s also impossible to inflict those blows without weapons,” Thomas observed dryly. “There is another problem,” he added grimly. He didn’t wait for Robert to ask what. “Your generals feel justified in demanding we concentrate our military strength at the point of greatest danger.”
“Surely you agree with that, Thomas,” Robert protested.
“Yes, I do,” Thomas agreed readily. “It’s not me you need to worry about. And it’s not really the government. I think they agree with your generals. In many ways their hands are tied, however.”
“Why?”
Thomas smiled at his belligerent tone. “Our Confederacy is still as much an association of independent and equal states as it is a nation. We have governors who insist proper garrisons be maintained in places not under attack because the situation could change at any time. They are quite simply not willing to send their men. As frustrating as it is, their wishes must be heeded.”
Robert nodded slowly. “I suppose President Davis has to exercise his authority within the limits of the system.”
Thomas nodded. “A system where the wishes of the separate states are all but sacrosanct.” He continued in a somber voice. “I don’t see that Virginia could have made any decision other than the one she did, but I’m afraid the new Confederate government opted to wage war before they had counted the cost.”
Silence fell on the two men as they contemplated the future. Thomas was deeply troubled. His conversation with Robert had only intensified his concern. This could not just be a war to put down rebellion. Its elements were too violent. Men who had never learned to endure wrongs with patience had become convinced wrongs were being done to them. People eternally eager to dedicate themselves had grown to feel there were noble causes to be served. And there were enemies to be hurt in a land where the only rule about a blow struck in anger was that it must be struck with all the strength one had. This was a war in which anything could happen.
In spite of the glorious victories that had marked the first summer of the war, there was a dawning realization that all was not going well. The blockade was beginning to hurt. Impatient recruits were impotent without weapons. The Southern coast lay alarmingly exposed to the gathering Federal fleets. Thomas knew the North was settling down for a long pull. The offensives that lay just ahead would mostly likely be conducted by the Union. The more he learned, the less confident he was the North could be beaten back. To the average Southerner, the war had hardly begun, but he could see ominous signs in the still darkening sky. Time was passing. He sensed it was working for the wrong side.
Robert was the first to rouse himself from the contemplative silence that had cloaked the room. “How is Carrie?” he asked quietly. He had told himself on the way to Thomas’ house that he wasn’t going to ask. Carrie had made her decision. He had to learn how to let her go. But once in the presence of her father, he could no more keep from asking than he could keep from breathi
ng.
Thomas smiled. “I got a letter from her last week. She is doing fine.” He shook his head and laughed. “I don’t think she’ll ever cease to astound me. Fifty acres of my tobacco have been plowed under and will soon be producing food for the city. She would have done more if there had been more time.”
Robert listened in amazement as Thomas told him of Carrie’s campaign to bring fresh food to the city - especially to the soldiers who were still convalescing and needed the nutrients.
“She cares very much about the wounded soldiers,” Thomas said. “I think she got to see almost all of them when she was searching the city for you.”
“When she did what?” Robert exclaimed.
Thomas nodded. “I wrote her and requested she come to Richmond during the battle. She humored her father. She refused to leave until she had satisfied herself you were not lying wounded in the city somewhere.”
“My name wasn’t on the wounded list,” Robert said, thoroughly amazed at Carrie’s concern – until he remembered her running forward to press a lock of her hair in his hand before he pulled out for the front.
Thomas nodded. “I know. That wasn’t good enough for her. She insisted some of the soldiers could have fallen through the cracks. It wasn’t until she found Hobbs that she was satisfied you were all right.”
Robert shook his head again in amazement. “Carrie found Hobbs?”
“He was being nursed by a lady who had taken in two other soldiers. He left for the front again last week. He told her about how you saved his life. It was a brave thing to do,” Thomas said warmly.
Robert shrugged his shoulders, embarrassed. “Anyone would have done it.”
“I don’t think so,” Thomas observed.
Robert was glad to hear Hobbs was all right, but his thoughts were focused on the reality that Carrie cared so much. He could envision her going door-to-door, determined in her quest. Suddenly his frustration swept over him, and he almost groaned out loud. He wished this war would end. Maybe then he and Carrie could spend enough time together to work out their differences. Then he remembered the finality with which she had turned down his proposal. They were worlds apart on an issue he couldn’t imagine changing his mind about.
“There’s something else you need to know, Robert,” Thomas said, breaking into his thoughts.
Robert looked up, trying to control the frustration on his face. “About Carrie?”
“No. About Matthew.”
“Matthew?” Robert asked, confused. “Matthew Justin?”
Thomas nodded. “He is here in the prison.”
Robert took a deep breath and settled back against his chair. Was there to be no end to the surprises of this visit? “Matthew was captured at Bull Run?”
“Yes,” Thomas said. “But not as a soldier. He was there as a correspondent for his paper.” Briefly, he told him all he knew.
“Can you get me in to see him, Thomas?”
“I thought you had to leave early tomorrow morning?”
“I do. But I will just have to take the next train. I want to see him.” Pain shot through him at the idea of his friend in prison. The faces of the Union men during the battle had all blurred into nothing but blue uniforms. It had not even seemed like he was firing at real men. They had simply become the enemy. Now one of the enemy had taken on an identity - the identity of one of his closest friends.
Thomas nodded. “I’ll see what I can do. Meet me tomorrow morning at my office. There may not be time to get a letter, but I’ll try.”
Bright and early the next morning, before most of the city was even stirring, Robert stood outside the gates to the prison and stared up at its imposing walls. In his hand was the letter Thomas had managed to procure for him. He knew Thomas had gone way beyond the call of duty to get it. He would find a way to pay him back.
The guard who opened the door snapped to attention and was immediately courteous when he saw his uniform. “What can I do for you, Lieutenant?”
“I’m here to see one of the prisoners.”
“I’m sorry, sir, the prisoners are not allowed to have visitors.”
Silently, Robert handed him the letter. The guard looked at him more closely. “Come in, sir. I will get Lieutenant Todd for you.”
Robert followed him into the building and looked around as they walked. He could hear the sounds of men moving around on the floor above him. Occasionally he would hear a yell or a bark of laughter.
“Wait here, sir.”
Within moments the guard was back with Lieutenant Todd. Robert had met him during the training days out at the old fairgrounds. “Lieutenant,” he said with a smile. “It’s good to see you again.”
Todd nodded but didn’t smile. “You are here to see Matthew Justin?”
“That’s correct.” Instantly Robert was on his guard. “He is still here, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
Robert held his gaze, waiting for him to continue.
“Who is this man? Why is he so important?”
“What do you mean?”
None of the officers here have had visitors. This man, this journalist, has had three.”
“Three?”
Todd nodded. “First there was that Carrie Cromwell. Then a black girl named Opal came with the same letter from General Winder. Now you. What’s up?” he asked suspiciously.
Robert shook his head. “I don’t know. Matthew is a friend of mine.”
Todd sneered. “I don’t know if I would go around telling people you are friends with one of the enemy. It could be taken in the wrong way. People might wonder where your loyalties lie.”
Robert flushed with anger. “No one who knows me will wonder where my loyalties lie. Those who don’t aren’t important enough for me to worry about.”
Lieutenant Todd’s lips tightened in fury, but he didn’t say anything else. “Call Justin,” he snapped to the guard and strode from the hallway. Seconds later, a door slammed in the distance.
“Is he always so pleasant?” Robert asked with a grin.
The guard shrugged but there was an apologetic look on his smooth face. “I guess the lieutenant don’t want nobody questioning his loyalty.”
“Why would anyone…?” Robert stopped, remembering what someone had told him. “He’s the president’s brother-in-law.”
“Yeah. He may always feel like he’s got something to prove. I can tell you, though, he’s Southern through and through.”
“I’m sure he is,” Robert murmured. He was also quite sure Todd made an intimidating prison official.
The guard escorted him to a room and told him to wait. Twenty minutes passed before he heard approaching footsteps. He looked up as the door swung open. Matthew was leaner than when he had last seen him, but he looked in good health. And his blue eyes held the same sparkle.
“Robert Borden!” Matthew exclaimed with a smile.
“Hello, my friend. Not much of a hotel you picked for your visit here.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I got me a place on the floor and three meals a day. That’s probably more than a lot of people are getting around here.”
Robert laughed and then slapped his friend on the back. He hadn’t lost his sense of humor. “It’s good to see you, Matthew. Even though these aren’t the circumstances I would have picked.”
“Me either,” Matthew remarked wryly. “I’ve learned we don’t always get to pick our circumstances. We just get to deal with them.”
Robert nodded, eyeing him closely. “So how are you dealing with this one? Thomas said he has done all he can to try to obtain your freedom, but no prisoners are being released or exchanged yet.”
Matthew shrugged. “Like I said, it’s not that bad. I have become close to some of the officers. We find things to talk about. I’m even learning how to cook,” he said with a grin. “Even if it is limited to bacon and biscuits. My mother would fall over in shock.” Then he looked thoughtful. “I’m luckier than most, I guess. Carrie has one of her slaves who is now
working in Richmond bring me fresh vegetables every few days. I stretch them with the rest of the prisoners as far as I can.”
“That sounds like Carrie,” Robert murmured.
Matthew nodded. “And I’ve got lots of time to write. Carrie made sure that Opal brought me plenty of paper.”
Matthew stopped talking, and the silence stretched between them. Robert cast in his mind for something to say to break the awkwardness. Finally, he reached out his hand and laid it on top of his friend’s. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry you’re here. I wish I could do something.”
“Thank you,” Matthew said gruffly, blinking back suspicious moisture.
Suddenly the air between them was clear. As they looked at each other, the prison walls and the locked room faded away. Once more they were college boys’ going on exploits together. They were young men who confided dreams and hopes to each other.
“This war is ripping friendships and families apart,” Matthew said. “I had no idea you would come to see me.”
“I would have found a way to get here sooner if I’d known. I just found out last night.” Briefly Robert told Matthew of his visit to Thomas Cromwell.
Matthew listened and then looked at him closely. “So you are now a lieutenant in the Confederate Army. How goes it?”
Robert shrugged, suddenly unsure of what he could say, even to his friend. How much would loyalty demand Matthew reveal? What if he had a way of imparting information? He hated thinking such thoughts, but he couldn’t help it. There was too much at stake. He decided to change the subject. “I think I’d rather be at home on my plantation. I think of Oak Meadows daily. I got a letter from my mother a few weeks ago. She is doing the best she can, but things are hard.”
The expression on Matthew’s face told him his friend knew what he was doing. It also told him he understood. He seemed to search for a safe topic. “I think this war is going to take on a face no one anticipated. Not even the men who authored it.”
Robert sighed to himself with relief. The overall picture he was willing to talk about. It was the specifics he felt compelled to remain silent on. He nodded. “There were too many people, I think, on both sides, who thought this war would never happen. Everyone waited for everyone else to back down.”
