1882: Custer in Chains - eARC

by Robert Conroy

  All of this was why Great Britain was interested in either selling her or leasing her to the United States Navy. As bad as the Shannon was, she was better than anything in the United States Navy. Nor was the Shannon the only warship the British were willing to unload. Several other of her obsolete sister ships were on the market to the highest bidder. James Kendrick was hopeful that the high bidder would be the United States Navy.

  Kendrick had come aboard in Baltimore only a couple of days after his White House visit with Libbie Custer. Somehow, the Custers had convinced the Royal Navy to ferry him to Havana. Nor was he the only American on board. Navy Commander George Dewey was also on board along with a young ensign named Paul Prentice who served as his aide.

  Relations between the Americans and the British skipper were frosty. The captain didn’t like the idea of turning over his command to a bunch of damned Yankees and made no bones about it. Even though the decision hadn’t been made official or announced, it was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Kendrick and Dewey and the young Prentice stayed out of his way. Kendrick watched as Dewey quietly learned everything he could about the ship that might just be his to command.

  “Amazing,” said Dewey. “This ship is only seven or so years old and she’s already obsolete. Naval technology is changing at breakneck speed. Even so, we will still buy her. She’s far, far better than any of the ships we have.”

  “How long before we can use her against the Spanish?” Kendrick asked.

  “If we bought her yesterday, it would still take several months before she was ready. Logistics is the curse of war. We would have to find and train officers and men to form a crew and then steam about in order to find and resolve all her idiosyncrasies, and I understand she has many. That and gunnery training will all take time. Additional time will be required if we are to sail with other American warships and not get disastrously in each other’s way.”

  “Why can’t we rent the crew as well as the ship?”

  Dewey laughed hugely. “Believe me, it was considered. Then cooler heads realized that there would be hell to pay in England if any of her sailors got killed fighting under an American flag.”

  “I can’t believe she still has a supply of sails.”

  “Even in modern ships, sails are needed for two reasons. First, a ship like the Shannon can carry only so much coal and supplies of coal are often not readily available. Therefore, she will use her sails and conserve fuel every chance she gets. Second, the engines of a modern ship are picky things. Sometimes they simply break down and, since there are no telegraph lines from ships to other ships or the shore, there must be a means of moving a crippled ship. If not, a ship could become a hulk filled with starving men.”

  “Makes sense,” Kendrick conceded.

  “There is a third reason I neglected to mention and that is tradition. Far too many senior officers think that a ship without sails is repugnant and they absolutely hate to see the clean lines of a sailing ship spoiled by black coal smoke spewing from a stack. Some days I agree with them.”

  There were still clipper ships sailing and Kendrick fondly recalled how graceful and lovely they looked. “Sadly, sailing ships will be either for pleasure or be relegated to a museum.”

  “And the world will be less for that,” said Dewey, “but no sailing ship should ever be in a modern naval battle. But tell me, what will you do when we arrive in Havana? After all, you are an American.”

  Dewey laughed. “We will be in Havana for only a day. It will be a brief courtesy call and the ship’s crew won’t even get liberty. As for me, I will be trying hard to stay out of sight. While they may suspect my presence, I am confident the Spaniards will turn a blind eye to my being here.”

  And so it happened. The Shannon steamed slowly through the narrow entrance to Havana Harbor and under the guns of the fortresses of Morro Castle and La Cabana.

  “What are you thinking, Commander?” Kendrick asked as they looked at the Spanish fortifications.

  “That the forts are centuries old and in disrepair and that the guns are largely rusted relics. Still, they could cause a great deal of damage to any ships trying to navigate the narrow harbor opening before being blown to pieces by modern naval guns.”

  The forts were symbols of a bygone age and an empire that had decayed and almost disappeared. But Dewey was correct—even ancient cannon could kill.

  They anchored in the harbor only a couple of hundred yards off the city’s waterfront. The buildings were mainly stone and were painted many colors. Havana was a bright and lively city, Kendrick concluded. He said goodbye to Dewey and, along with the Shannon’s captain, was rowed in the captain’s boat to the dock. Several political types and one man in what Kendrick presumed was a naval uniform waited for them. Kendrick was nudged away from the short receiving line. Officially, he wasn’t there.

  He picked up his one suitcase and looked around. Finally, he saw Salazar standing beside a man in the uniform of a Spanish general. Christ, he thought, who is that?

  He approached the two men. Salazar greeted him formally. He seemed slightly uncomfortable with the other man beside him. “Welcome to Cuba, Mr. Kendrick,” Salazar said, “and may I introduce you to Major General Valeriano Weyler, the recently arrived commander of all the Spanish army forces in Cuba.

  * * *

  Sarah was a superb rider. She took the uneven ground with ease and directed her horse to confidently jump small obstacles. She and the mare she’d chosen seemed to flow across the ground as one. Better, she looked delightful in the specially made denim jeans she wore. They were designed for her by the Levi Strauss and Company and fit her well. Ryder happily concluded that no one would mistake her for a boy.

  It occurred to him that she was likely a better rider than he and she commented on it when they paused to give their horses a rest.

  “You ride for pleasure,” he said, “while we in the cavalry ride for work. We use horses to get to our destination and generally dismount to accomplish our goals.”

  “Such as when fighting Indians?”

  “Precisely. Fighting on horseback largely went out when someone invented the rifle, and certainly diminished further when Mr. Gatling invented the machine gun. Most of the men in the Seventh Cavalry at the Little Big Horn hadn’t known which end of a horse was the front when they enlisted and that had been only a few months earlier. Even though they were listed as cavalrymen, they were not expert riders. Few soldiers are. As for me, even though West Point taught me to ride without hurting myself, my specialty was artillery and now I’m an infantry officer. I defer to your skills as a rider as well as your charm.”

  She laughed and decided it was time to eat. They had brought sandwiches in their saddlebags and were pleased that neither the meat nor the cheese tasted too much like horse after their ride. A bottle of a local and mediocre white wine had been packed in ice and hadn’t gotten too warm, and they drank from small pewter glasses that had also been carefully packed.

  “I’m enjoying myself,” she said and Ryder beamed. They were sitting in the shade of a large oak tree while their horses grazed and rested. “I just wonder how much longer it will be before you and my brother and all those other young men go off to war.”

  “I hope it’s not too soon,” he answered solemnly. “First, we’re simply not ready although we’re one of the better trained regiments and, second, I rather like getting to know you.”

  “Some women might think your comments very bold, Martin.”

  “Do you?”

  “No. Like you, I’m enjoying all this. But you didn’t answer my question—when do you think you’ll be leaving?”

  “At first we were told a month at the most, although the dates keep changing as reality sets in. The truth is, nobody really knows when we’ll depart. Someday the army will tell us that we should have been there yesterday. The navy is gathering ships and some units have begun moving towards Florida. Since rail connection to most parts of Florida is miserable at best, those already head
ing to Florida are southern units. My regiment will depart by ship from Baltimore.”

  “And where will you land and please don’t think I’m a spy. I’m no Rose Greenhow.”

  Martin laughed at the idea of her comparing herself to the notorious Confederate spy. “I didn’t think you were and it doesn’t matter. I can’t tell you because I don’t know. I don’t even know who is going to command this army, much less where we’ll land. I sometimes wonder if anybody has a clue.”

  * * *

  President Custer slammed his fist down on the desk in his office. “There is no way in hell that that goddamned son of a bitch Winfield Scott Hancock is going to command my army.”

  Army Secretary Robert Lincoln shook his head. “Even though he is not now in the army, Hancock is head and shoulders above anyone who currently is in the army. He’s commanded large forces and many people feel he was the man responsible for our victory at Gettysburg and not Meade.”

  “I don’t give a rat’s fart what people think. Hancock ran against me in the last election and damn near won. I am not going to give him a chance to do it again and next time win just because he’s the country’s latest war hero. No, the army will be led by Nelson Miles.”

  “Miles is a good Indian fighter, but that’s about it,” Lincoln said. “He’s never led a large force he doesn’t seem to inspire confidence in those he commands. Admittedly he’s brave, but he’s vain and stubborn, while Hancock is a proven fighter.”

  “I don’t care what he inspires. Look, if I can’t have Miles, then I will command in person.”

  With that, the others in the room looked aghast. Navy Secretary Hunt was the first to protest. “Sir, you know it is against tradition, perhaps even law, for a sitting president to leave the United States.”

  “Maybe it’s time for the tradition to change.”

  Secretary of State James Blaine decided it was time to intercede. “Mr. President, if you leave the country, who will be in charge, Vice President Arthur? You cannot be two places at once and even with the telegraph, you cannot deal with the problems of congress and the nation.”

  “Shit,” muttered Custer, accepting defeat. “But I want Miles and that’s that.”

  Reluctantly, they agreed that Nelson Miles would command the invasion force and the discussion moved to the subject of the navy. Secretary Hunt was more than a little pleased at the progress he’d made.

  “Gentlemen, the three warships we bought from Great Britain are currently being re-fitted at Baltimore. They have been re-named the Atlanta, Boston, and Chicago. The Atlanta is ready to sail and will escort a number of troopships that are gathering there. We will utilize several of the smaller steam sloops to also protect the convoy. We are also arming and commissioning a number of civilian ships and have chartered several hundred other civilian ships as transports. I am confident that we can land upwards of fifteen thousand men in a first wave against the Spanish in Cuba. The only question I have is precisely where shall they land?”

  “Well, it can’t be right at Havana,” said Lincoln. “That place is too heavily fortified. Our men would be slaughtered. Nor can it be Santiago. It’s too far away, several hundred miles in fact. We would have to fight our way across the length of Cuba and that’s a very long ways. If we want to get the campaign over before either the hurricane or fever seasons strike, we have to get closer.”

  “Matanzas,” said Hunt. “It’s a small city about fifty crow-fly miles east of Havana and it has a decent harbor. Not a big harbor, but one that can handle a number of ships at a time. The troops can land outside the harbor while the ships carrying supplies can use the docks in the harbor.”

  Custer nodded. “I like it, but is it well defended?”

  Hunt winced. “We’ve just established a naval intelligence unit headed by one Lieutenant Theodorus Mason, but I’m afraid we know very little about the defenses at Matanzas.”

  “Who would?” asked Custer.

  Secretary of State Blaine smiled. “Why is suppose the Cubans would.”

  * * *

  James Kendrick rapidly came to the conclusion that Salazar was serious about having Spain’s side of the story told. He was put up in a small suite of rooms at one of Salazar’s mansions on the outskirts of Havana. He was only a few minutes ride from the harbor and wasn’t particularly surprised when, the day after his arrival, his host practically ordered him to ride with him to the harbor. The Spanish fleet was arriving.

  They left their horses a few blocks from the waterfront and walked the rest of the way along with just about everyone in the city. What they saw truly was impressive. Both of Spain’s battleships had made port and they were accompanied by a number of steam sloops and smaller gunboats. The battleships were the Vitoria and the Numancia. Salazar proudly informed him that they displaced more than seven thousand tons and had a number of cannon that fired shells of more than six inches. He added that four cruisers were also en route to reinforce the Spanish fleet.

  Kendrick had to admit that the grey bulk of the warships was menacing. The ships were functional and, in his opinion, ugly. They had none of the graceful lines of the sailing ships that had become obsolete. A pity, he thought, but why should the instruments of war and killing be graceful and lovely?

  More important, the Spanish warships had escorted a number of transports that were disgorging a large number of soldiers. A second convoy, this one escorted by the cruisers would dock tomorrow or the next day.

  Salazar was practically giddy with happiness and pride. “I hope you do not take offense, Kendrick, but you will see how the pride of Spain will crush the United States.”

  “It is very impressive indeed. I wonder how long it will take for President Custer to find out about this.”

  Salazar laughed. “I would say about ten minutes. The telegraph lines between here and Florida must be burning up. if you’d like, you can write a story about your impressions and I’ll see to it that it is given priority.”

  “Would you want to clear it first?”

  “Of course not. There’s not much to hide, is there?”

  Kendrick agreed. He didn’t add that the two Spanish battleships were on the small side in comparison with most of the battleships of the Royal Navy. Nor did he add that the U.S. was attempting to buy some British ships of roughly similar size. He was fairly certain that the Spanish knew all about it. He now believed the rumors that Spain was attempting to buy warships from France were true.

  Salazar took his arm. “Come, we shall go back to my home and have a good meal along with some excellent wine, perhaps a lot of excellent wine. I will introduce you to my family and you will see that I am not a total barbarian, merely a devoted Spanish patriot.”

  Yes, Kendrick thought, and a Spanish patriot who murders prisoners and slaughters innocent Cubans. In preparing for the trip, he’d done some more homework on Salazar and found a number of stories in which his personal army had killed numbers of Cubans that he’d arbitrarily named as insurgents.

  It occurred to him that Salazar might just become an embarrassment to the Spanish government. But not just yet, he thought.

  * * *

  Ryder laughed at the surprise on Sarah’s face. “It’s true. Since we’re at war, President Custer no longer wishes to be called president. He’d directed everyone to call him general.”

  “That is incredibly pretentious.”

  “Agreed, but I’m not going to be the one to tell him. I like being a full colonel. Perhaps I’ll even become a general before this is over.”

  “How many would have to die for that to happen.”

  He winced at the thought. These men were either his friends or those he respected. “Only a couple.”

  They were seated on a couch in the living room of her country house. It had belonged to her late husband and, she’d informed him, it had six bedrooms on two levels. Even more important, her husband had installed indoor plumbing and a means for having hot flowing water. It occurred to Ryder that her husband must have
truly loved her.

  On her own, she had installed a sanitation device called a septic tank that had recently been invented in France.

  Sarah had a staff that consisted of a cook, a woman who kept the house clean and did the laundry, along with a gardener, and a man who looked after the animals, including the horses and a handful of cows.

  “They are all very loyal to me,” she said, then grinned. “Of course they are also very concerned that I’ll remarry and they’ll be out of a job. This is at least partly why they are protective of me and very concerned about any man I see.”

  “And how many men do you see?” he teased.

  “Not as many as you might think. I’m afraid I’ve discouraged most of them. They all seem to think that I would be happier and much better off if only I would let them handle my wealth, and that is simply not going to happen. I know that some men in business are shocked to find that they are dealing with a woman and others simply refuse to, but enough are concerned only with making a profit that I’m able to function. When things get difficult, I generally use my father or my brother as a go-between. They are both listed as vice presidents in my company.”

  “Are you implying that you don’t think I’m after your money?”

  She reached over and tapped him on the arm. “I’m usually a good judge of character and, no, I don’t think you’d try to seduce me for my wealth.”

  She stood and walked to the window. “So now can you tell me when you’re leaving for Cuba?”

  “It’s still vague and subject to change, but a couple of weeks at the most,” he said softly and he saw sadness in her face.

  He stood by her at the window and she put her head on his shoulder. He would not tell her that his regiment was going to be the spearhead of the invasion. She didn’t need that worry. Then it dawned on him that she actually would be worried.