The other man reached into his still unpacked bags and withdrew a portfolio closed with red ribbon. He found what he sought and laid several sheets of paper on the table.
Isaac Smoot challenged Claude to a duel in mid-afternoon. He entered the house in a rage and asked Devereux to speak to him in the back garden.
“Let me see if I understand this,” Claude said calmly when Smoot finished screaming at him. “Let me see, you seduced my wife after I gave you shelter here and now you object to my attempt to leave with her for France before it is too late, too late for me and too late for her. It is you who involved her in plotting against…”
Isaac Smoot stepped forward and slapped him hard across the face. The blow stung.
Clotilde and Hope had briefly appeared at an upstairs window drawn by the noise from the business of packing for Hope’s departure. Then his mother drew her “daughter” away from the window and public view.
People came to windows across the street and stood expectantly. Hope’s affair had not been a great secret. Indeed, many “old Alexandrians” thought her long suffering and surreptitiously sympathized with her.
“Very well Major Smoot,” Claude whispered, “for such you are now. I accept your demand for satisfaction in the matter of your dalliance with my wife. How that makes you the aggrieved party in unclear to me, but, no matter. I accept. I choose pistols. The master of our ship has sent word that the tide will be wrong until early morning and the steam tug not available until the same hour. I will meet you at first light at that open piece of ground by the coal mooring north of town. Bring your ‘friends’. I will arrange all else. Do not be late.”
Having heard this from the kitchen, Lily, Bill White’s wife gathered up the napkins on which she had been embroidering the Devereux monogram. She left the house and walked to an address she had been given by Topham. There she told them of the duel that would precede departure. Her husband loved his Devereux kin but she did not in spite of Claude’s help in arranging her manumission the year before. She had told her husband and previous owner that this was the least the Claude could do, the very least.
At six o’clock that evening Lafayette Baker, in the presence of Secretary Stanton, informed the president of the treachery of one of his closest friends. Wilson Ford, Topham and Marco Farinelli waited for the president’s permission to act.
Lincoln sat with his head in his hands.
Stanton mentioned that Sheridan had sent Farinelli to tell what he knew of Claude Devereux, and that by chance the cavalry colonel was sitting in his offices when a telegram from Richmond arrived with “absolute proof.”
“Let him go,” Lincoln said finally. “Let him go. It will serve no purpose to have a public scandal when we are trying to bring an end between his people and ours. He is of no further harm to us. Let him go. Goodnight.”
— 6 April —
Balthazar waited in the darkness for Claude to emerge from the house. He said that all was in readiness for their departure when this “business” was done.
Claude saw Hope away in a carriage before he left for the “field of honor”. She begged that he not hurt Smoot seriously. He kissed her and swore that he would not.
His mother found it in her heart to embrace her oldest son. Bonne chance, she whispered.
They walked in silence across the beloved city, the scene of so many of Devereux’s most treasured memories. Their boot heels rang on the cobbles.
Claude found it odd that he would fight another duel on the same riverside after so many years. He remembered George Dangerfield and the silliness for which he had died. His father and grandfather had come yet again during the night. They had said something interesting to him, but the words could not quite be recalled when he woke. It was an old story.
As in that almost inconceivably distant morning in 1853, the birds sang in the trees as light appeared and horses looked at the strange men who passed.
He chose to wear his Yankee uniform on this day of days. He was, after all, a major general of volunteers and still serving. There was a pending commission in the Regular Army. That might yet be. Who could tell? His skill at defeating his various enemies might yet carry the day against any arguments. The red, white and blue ribbon of the Medal of Honor glowed on his chest. The stupid bronze star that hung from it could not detract from its glory. Let them come, he thought. I can beat them all. Smoot is a fool. I am a better shot. I will teach him a lesson here today. I will take Hope to Europe for a few years and come back to resume my place. They will forget. We will see if they can take my country…
He believed that Smoot had made a great mistake in challenging him. He would punish the man for the effrontery of “soiling” his beloved.
When they reached the yard of the “coal mooring,” he saw that Smoot sat in a carriage at the other end of the open ground.
Smoot seemed more interested in the river and passing vessels than the present scene.
Devereux’s friends, family and enemies stood about the clearing in discreet groups.
Colonel Wilson Ford, Assistant Secretary William Davenport and Topham were all present from the War Department.
Lincoln might have come if this had not been a crime. What a foolish idea, an affair of honor among gentlemen. How can the law enter into it? Stanton might have come, but we have never been friends.
Devereux assumed that his prominence and his very public confrontation with Smoot had lured so many to the duel. If he had been thinking clearly he would have reflected on the risk that these men were taking in witnessing such an event, but he was no longer thinking clearly. The defeat of his cause and the crushing weight of his struggle had clouded his mind.
Suddenly, he remembered that in the dream his father, Charles, rebuked him for the blue uniform. His attempts to explain failed and the old man walked away shaking his head.
John Balthazar took his place next to Jake, his brother. They were acting as his seconds. He thought for a moment that he saw that funny Irish fellow, Adam Gallagher from Lexington who commanded a company of Balthazar’s battalion in the last months of its life, but that could not be. Gallagher had died in the Duke Street house after Cedar Creek.
Balthazar’s battalion… If only I had been allowed such a command… Even now jealousy gripped him. There should be an end…
Several Union officers stood to one side. Among them was Braithwaite the railway man, and his brother, the navy fool, who made such a problem with Lafayette Baker when Claude came to Washington as Judah Benjamin’s agent.
He is still a Commander. Good!
Wilson Ford, the man who loved one of his women, stood apart from the rest of the War Department people.
Claude bowed slightly to him. “Colonel, good morning. Miss Biddle said you had left for Europe, something about a diplomatic mission…”
Ford stared at him.
Smoot left the carriage and walked onto the field of honor.
Devereux went to meet him. Balthazar and Jake followed. They had no choice but to act for him. One of the Confederate prisoners whom he had rescued carried the carved ebony box with the smoothbore flintlock pistols. These were the pistols he had been given by the Daingerfield family after he killed George Daingerfield. They had wanted to make a gesture of reconciliation.
Bill White stood by the coal dock. He had said that he had no heart for this wicked foolishness but he could not stay away.
Another of the Confederate prisoners acted for Smoot as did Captain Smith, Balthazar’s surgeon.
An unknown Union colonel stood next to Balthazar. He held the open case with the pistols. Devereux had not noticed him in the crowd.
“Who are you?” he asked.
The man bowed slightly from the waist. “Marco Farinelli, Colonel, Cavalry Bureau. I am here to make the rules enforced. I have some experience of such matters.”
“Italian?”
“No longer. I am American now. Your cousin, George, asked me to do this service… He serves with me…”
Farinelli bowed.
Devereux focused on Smoot. “Want to apologize?”
“No.”
“Very well, let us get on with it.” Devereux looked at Farinelli. “A wound will suffice?”
The cavalryman nodded. “Certainly.”
Devereux shot Smoot carefully through the shoulder connected to the hand that held the flintlock.
Smoot never fired at all. At the end he could not bring himself to act.
Doctor Smith looked up from Smoot’s side. “You missed everything important, good shot, good shot.”
Devereux thought of going to Smoot’s side but decided against the gesture.
He turned away, meaning to walk straight to the ship. The sky was quite bright and the tug must have arrived. He found Ford, Topham and Davenport blocking his path. “What do you want?” he said. “Get out of my way. I am going to Europe. I have the president’s permission.” He produced the letter.
“Nicely done, Claude,” Davenport said in a low voice. “Or should I say, ‘Hannibal.’ Nicely done, but I am afraid that we are here to arrest you for espionage, treason and a multitude of other charges yet to be formalized.”
Devereux stood silent for a moment. “Richmond…”
“Yes,” Topham replied. “We found someone who could describe the plot. Very clever, General, or whatever you are. You will come quietly?”
“Does the president know of this?” From their expressions he guessed the truth. “I choose to ignore you. Get out of my way!”
Topham grasped his sleeve and Devereux struck him in the face with his fist, knocking him to the ground. “How dare you…”
“You haughty bastard,” Topham said from the dirty coal soiled ground. “We will go to the Congress, to Thaddeus Stevens and Ben Wade. We will go to the newspapers… We will jail your family and all your friends. They are all traitors. These damned rebels here today will all go to prison. Your family will be ruined. We have won!”
“You have a choice, Claude.” Davenport said, ignoring the detective. “You are a brave man. I do not want to see you in prison. The disgrace to your family is unnecessary. If you wish, you can fight Colonel Farinelli. He is one of the most experienced duelists in Italy. Nothing more will be said, a shooting accident, either way… We do not want this scandal in the moment of victory, and, you are a national hero…”
Farinelli stood a few feet away. He bowed.
Devereux nodded.
Farinelli stepped forward and slapped him.
At twenty paces Devereux made an easy target.
In the last seconds, he saw a cardinal flash by in its scarlet splendor. It was followed closely by its devoted mate.
The bullet hit him squarely in the chest, tearing a hole in his heart.
He lay on the ground looking at the sky.
Doctor Smith knelt by him.
The sky grew darker and sunset came at last.
The End
EPILOGUE
Balthazar began to walk away, seeking to leave this terrible place. He could see the ship’s masts. All that he wanted waited there.
Doctor Smith rose from Devereux’s body.
“You were listening to him… What did he say?”
“I am not sure… I thought I heard the word, father.”
“Now the rebels are our countrymen again.”
US Grant at Appomattox
— Some of the People of the Book in Alphabetical Order —
Baker, Colonel Lafayette, USV. Chief of the National Detective Bureau and colonel of the 1st D.C. Cavalry Regiment.
Balthazar, John, also known as Jean-Marie Balthazar D’Orgueil, Major, Army of the French, Lieutenant Colonel, Confederate States Army.
Benjamin, Judah Philip. Secretary of State of the Confederate States of America and effectively the head of the Confederate Secret Service
Biddle, Captain Warren Knowlton, USV. Amy Biddle’s nephew.
Biddle, Amy. An official of the U.S. Sanitary Commission Lodge at Alexandria, Virginia. A native of New Hampshire.
Booth, John Wilkes. Actor.
Braithwaite, Commander Richard, US Navy. Brother of Frederick.
Braithwaite, Elizabeth. Wife of Lieutenant Colonel Frederick Braithwaite, United States Volunteers (USV).
Browning, Major Charles, USV. The Provost Marshal of Alexandria, Virginia.
Butler, Major General Benjamin, USV. The federal commander at Fortress Monroe on the Virginia coast, and the Army of the James.
Cooper, General Samuel, CSA. The Adjutant and Inspector General of the Confederate States Army. The most senior officer by rank of that army.
Custer, George A. Major General of US Volunteers.
Davenport, William. An assistant secretary of war.
Davis, Jefferson. President of the Confederate States of America.
Davis, Varina Howell. Wife of Jefferson Davis.
Devereux, Charles Francis. Banker and father of Claude, Patrick and Jake.
Devereux, Major Claude Crozet, Confederate States Army (CSA). In civilian life a banker at Alexandria, Virginia. (Hannibal). Also Major General, US Volunteers.
Devereux, Hope Prescott. Wife of Claude. A native of Boston, Massachusetts.
Devereux, Captain Joachim Murat (Jake), CSA. Brother to Claude and Patrick. In civil life a classics scholar at the University of Virginia, served with the 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment and 2nd Confederate Infantry Battalion.
Devereux, Patrick Henry. Claude’s brother, also a banker of Alexandria, Virginia, killed at Gettysburg.
Devereux, Marie Clotilde. Wife of Charles and mother of his sons.
Devereux, Victoria. Patrick’s widow and wife to John Balthazar.
Early, Lieutenant General Jubal Anderson, CSA. Commanding General of an infantry division in Longstreet’s Corps and later of the Army of the Valley. Lee’s “Bad Old Man,” and one of the most underrated men in either army.
Ellis, Jefferson. A clerk in Major Browning’s office.
Farinelli, Colonel Marco Aurelio, USV. A foreign volunteer officer. A professional soldier.
Ford, Colonel Wilson, Artillery, USA. A Regular Army officer assigned because of a disabling wound to the National Detective Bureau.
Gallagher, Adam. Captain, Balthazar’s Battalion and professor at the Virginia Military Institute.
Fowle, James. Agent of the Confederate Secret Service.
Fowle, Captain William H., Jr. CSA. Yet another banker from Alexandria, commanding Company “H” (the Gypsies) in the 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment, later an officer of the Confederate Secret Service.
Galbraith, Lewis. Mayor of Alexandria under Union Army occupation.
Gordon, John. Lieutenant General, Confederate States Army.
Grant, US. Lieutenant General, US Army. Commander of all United States ground forces.
Harrison, Lieutenant James, Signal Corps, CSA. An actor and also a scout.
Herbert, Colonel Arthur, CSA. Commanding the 17th Virginia Infantry Regiment. A banker in Alexandria, Virginia.
Jackson, Lieutenant General Thomas Jonathan, CSA. (Stonewall) Commander of the Second Army Corps of Lee’s army.
Jenkins, Lieutenant Colonel Harry, CSA. A staff officer of the Confederate War Department Secret Service Bureau in Richmond, Virginia.
Jourdain, Colonel Edouard, French Army. The French military attaché at Washington, D.C.
Kautz, Brigadier General August, US Army, Commander of a cavalry division in the Union “Army of the James.”
Kennedy, Lieutenant Frederick, CSA. Signal Corps
Kruger, Father Willem, S.J. The pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria and Claude Devereux’s confessor. A native of the Netherlands.
Lee, General Robert E., CSA. Commander of the Confederate Army’s District of Northern Virginia and the army of the same name.
Lewis, Jim, CSA. A free man of color of Lexington, Virginia. Stonewall Jackso
n’s camp cook.
Lincoln, Abraham. Sixteenth President of the United States.
Longstreet, Lieutenant General James, CSA. Commanding General of the First Army Corps of the Army of Northern Virginia. (Lee’s army). An Army Corps was made up of three or more infantry divisions.
Marshall, Major Charles, CSA. An officer of Lee’s staff
Mayo, Joseph. Mayor of Richmond, Virginia.
McCausland, John. Brigadier General, Confederate States Army. He burned Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. He died in 1925.
Meade, Major General George Gordon, USA. Commander of the Army of the Potomac at Gettysburg.
Mitchell, Major Johnston, USV. A volunteer officer assigned to Baker’s National Detective Bureau in New York City. A newspaper man in civilian life.
Mosby, Major John Singleton, CSA. Partisan Commander of the 43rd Virginia Cavalry Battalion.
Neville, Major Robert, 60th Rifles. Assistant Military Attache in the British Legation at Washington and an officer of British Intelligence.
Pickett, Major General George E., CSA. Commanding general of an infantry division (about 5,000 men) in Longstreet’s First Corps.
Quick, Master Sergeant John. (Johnny), US Army. Claude Devereux’s enlisted aide.
Renfroe, Judge Caleb. An assistant secretary of war in Washington.
Rodes, Major General Robert E., Confederate States Army.
Ruth, Samuel. Superintendent of the Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.
Seventeenth Virginia Infantry Regiment, CSA. This is the “Alexandria Regiment”, an unusual Confederate army unit in that most of its members were urban people from the City of Alexandria, the District of Columbia or nearby Maryland. At full strength it would have had more than nine hundred riflemen formed into nine companies. The companies came from the pre-war Virginia militia or were created for the war. They included two companies raised from among the Irish immigrant parishioners of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Alexandria. Their priest blessed their flags at the altar there.
Sharpe, Brigadier General George, USV. Chief intelligence officer of the Army of the Potomac and later of all US Army forces.
Down the Sky: Volume Three of the “Strike The Tent” Trilogy Page 22
