by Drew McGunn
Williams paused as he looked quizzically at Will. “I have heard, General, you have particularly strong views on slavery. It has been twenty-five years since I left Rhode Island. I’ve been in Texas now for nearly twenty of them. My view on that particular institution has evolved, living as I have, among my Southern born wife and neighbors. There is something you should consider, General. I may not be a savior for Chastity or Billy. No matter how bad you may consider their plight as slaves under my roof, consider how much worse their lot would be if they had to toil away in the cotton fields all day.”
Will tried to reconcile the image of the loving husband and father, against the image of a slave owner. “Be that as it may, Sam, I imagine their lot would be considerably better if they were free.”
Will was surprised by Williams’ response. “Would it, General? I wonder. If Chastity had her freedom, who would protect her? She is unable to have children. I’d like to think she’d find a husband to care for her and provide for her, like I do my Sarah. But do you really think it likely? You saw Billy. He’s an old man now. Hell, General, he was born during the American Revolution. I think the reason he was injured was that he was getting past his prime to work in the fields. Rather than admit to his own mistake, his former owner cut his losses and sold him. I really do understand your position, but if I manumitted him, where would he go, what would he do?”
Will was bewildered by William’s logic. “If they were free, they could freely remain and work for you for a wage.”
Williams nodded, “Perhaps. But two things to consider, General. First, is that if they were free they wouldn’t have to. The second is that if they are free, my obligation to care for them also is over. As ugly as it may seem to you, General, to me, cutting them loose runs the risk of being just as bad.”
Will shook his head. “I respectfully disagree, Sam. I believe the black race has the capacity to be just as capable as we are, if they are given the same opportunities as we have. Ultimately we owe it to them to not hold them back in chains.”
Williams considered Will’s words before thoughtfully responding, “May your vision of the world come true before the lion and the lamb lie down next to each other, General. It would be a better world than the one in which we live. I admit, Texas would be a better place if every child born here were born free and we were to let slavery die of old age.
Will found what he had been hoping for, in Williams. To Will there were a mess of contradictions in his newfound business partner. He was a New England born man who made peace with slavery, yet saw his role as much protector as master. He was a man who was demonstrative in his love to his wife and children and was a hardnosed man of commerce. And as Will was discovering, he seemed a man who saw a better future would come by changing the present.
Will said, “Sam, I know we see the world through different eyes, but, by God, man, I do believe I can work with you.”
Williams smiled sheepishly. “I have to admit, I thought you’d storm off when you asked about slaves.”
“If I limit my dealings with men who see the world exactly as I do, it would be a very lonely place,” Will replied.
Williams drew up the agreement which would govern their arrangement for managing the bank’s operation. Will had him include a provision in which both men could add capital to the bank, in exchange for new shares.
As he read the details of the agreement, Will said, “As we breathe new life into this bank, it’s important to me that we not extend loans to plantations or to accept slaves as collateral.”
Williams conceded the point and noted it in the contract.
As the afternoon grew late, Will said, “There are a couple of more points, partner. First, I want you to run the day to day operations of the bank. It serves my interests to be a silent partner.”
Williams said, “That suits my interests just fine, General. What’s the other point?”
“If you’re in agreement, I would like for our first act to be the issuance of bank stock to me for the value of the loan, which would provide the bank’s seed capital?”
“You’ve played your cards close to the vest, General, up until now,” Williams said, “that was something I had meant to ask, just how much capital do you bring to the table?”
Will’s face lit up as he took out the letter of credit from the Lloyds Bank and set it before Williams, “At current exchange rate, around one million dollars in US specie.”
Williams’ jaw dropped, and a smile slowly spread across his face. “I do believe that this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”
Chapter 23
As he stepped down from the stagecoach, Will brushed off some of the dust from his uniform. The trip from San Antonio to Austin still took the better part of two days, but the grade of the road was noticeably smoother, and the coach found fewer chuckholes than before. That wasn’t the only surprise he’d noticed as the stagecoach rolled along the prairie between the two towns. As the coach had forded the Guadeloupe River, he had looked out the window and saw a surveying team. It appeared to Will, they were surveying the right-of-way for railroad tracks.
Will recalled an article from the Telegraph and Texas Register a few years earlier in which the writer had written about a railroad company, chartered by Congress in 1836, but it had never taken off, squandering its investors’ money before closing its doors a few months later. A second one had received a charter in 1838. Will was passingly familiar with it, as Don Garza, the president of Gulf Farms Corporation, had heavily invested the company’s money into the railroad. By the beginning of 1841, a few months earlier, it opened a short, thirty-mile line between Anahuac and West Liberty. Garza had confided the project nearly floundered when they began construction of the bridge over the Trinity River. Their first design had to be scrapped, and they were forced to bring in engineers from New York to design and lead the construction of the bridge. The project finished six months behind schedule and several thousands of dollars over budget. But it allowed the corporation to transport their cotton by rail to the port at Anahuac.
Will wondered who was behind the enterprise between San Antonio and Austin. Between his own personal financial dealings and the heavy demands on his time as military commander, Will was only able to follow a fraction of the financial schemes working their way through the economy of the Republic.
As he left the stagecoach office, he ran into Ben McCulloch. “General Travis, just the man I had hoped to find.”
Will shook hands with his counterpart, who commanded the militia’s reserve, as neither of them were in uniform. “When did you get into town, Ben?”
“Yesterday. Took the coach from Houston. I had been visiting the Trinity Gun Works. Damnation, Buck, but they have one hell of an operation, you know.”
Will nodded perceptively. “They should. We’ve thrown enough money their way, as of late. What do you think of their new model rifle?
“I ain’t never seen it’s like. That rifle beats all. Why, a good marksman could knock the chip off old Santa Anna’s shoulder at five hundred yards with it. Mr. Berry told me they have completed a few hundred rifles, but less than a hundred are ready for delivery. There’s a bit of a challenge to getting enough of the platinum for the sealing rings. Those that are ready will ship to the Alamo within the week. They’re also running behind on the Trinity pistol design and expect to ship around fifty at the same time,” McCulloch said.
Will awoke the next morning, the lumpy mattress hadn’t made for the best rest, but it was better than the cold, hard ground. He looked over to his side, where normally he would find Becky still sleeping.
“As much time as I spend traveling, you’d think I’d get used to her absence,” he thought.
But she was well along in her pregnancy, and he loathed being away from her as frequently as circumstances required. This time was different, in one respect. With less than eighteen months until the next election cycle, Crockett was determined to secure the boundary between Texas and Mexico as ag
reed upon in the Treaty of Bexar, before his term of office ended.
Will rolled out of bed, and began getting dressed. This morning’s meeting would set the military’s agenda for the next couple of years. Even so, it was hard to set thoughts of his wife aside as he crossed the road to the Capitol building, arriving just in time for the meeting. As he entered the Capitol, the scaffolding which had surrounded it over the last couple of years was gone. The chambers for both houses of Congress had been finished and all of the executive and legislative offices were also completed.
Crockett’s office was finished, the white plastered walls would have looked drab and uninteresting except for the various mementos which hid much of the plastering. His own desk was shoved to the side, and a trundle table took up most of one side of the office, where a large map of Texas was spread out. Within a few minutes of Will’s arrival, he and the president were joined by Vice President Zavala and Secretary of War, Bernard Bee and lastly, a tardy Ben McCulloch.
As McCulloch took up station at one end of the table, Crockett growled, “Now that we’re all here, let’s stop wasting daylight, gentlemen. As all of you are aware, all of my efforts to get Mexico to recognize Texas’ independence and ratify the Treaty of Bexar have come to naught. They simply do not see what is plainly staring them in the face.”
Bee added, “Having been to Mexico twice in the last few years at the president’s request, it’s worse than that, in my opinion. The lack of stability in their government has made them overly sensitive in their international relations. In my opinion, the only reason they haven’t tried to invade us again is that they are bogged down trying to wrestle the Republic of the Yucatan back into their fold.”
Zavala said, “Let’s not forget, gentlemen, the Mexican government, whether it is being led by Santa Anna, or Bustamante, is proud. The French humiliated them a few years ago at Vera Cruz and because the Mexican government perceives it is much stronger than either us or the Yucatan, they have the power to simply refuse to treat with us. I think, they believe once their internal fortunes change and the central government has fewer domestic challenges they intend to completely repudiate the treaty and invade again, as Bernard has stated.”
Crockett leaned against the table and shook his head. “Were they asleep when we defeated the Comanche, Lorenzo?”
With a shrug, Zavala said, “What happens a thousand miles from their capital is unfortunately of little concern to the Centralists controlling the Mexican government today, David. It’s unlikely they made the connection.”
With an air of resignation, Crockett said, “That leads us up to the present. I have received reports from an agent in El Paso that folks thereabouts are scared of the Apache and apparently are asking Texas to provide protection against the Mescalero Apache. It appears that the Comanches’ retreat north of the Red River may have emboldened the Indians in Nuevo Mexico to increase their raids against their traditional enemies. The Mexican central government either can’t or won’t make any effort to keep the people of El Paso safe from the Indians.”
Will was perplexed. This didn’t match his own source of information from the region in question. McCulloch beat him to the question when he asked, “Mr. President, I was under the impression the Apaches are further west than El Paso del Norte. How reliable are these sources?”
Crockett smiled sardonically. “This is to remain betwixt the five of us, gentlemen, but the accuracy of these reports would make me as nervous as a cat in a roomful of rocking chairs, if it were not for one tiny detail.”
The three politicians in the room traded knowing glances. Will knew a false flag when he saw it. He cocked an upraised eyebrow at Crockett, waiting for him to continue. “This communication serves us chiefly by conveying to other countries who would care to see, we are acting in the interests of those Mexican settlers who live in the land ceded to us by the treaty of Bexar, to protect them. The fact that we’re also enforcing the treaty’s border is just a happy coincidence.”
As the president had been speaking, Will was studying the large map spread out before them. “You’re unusually quiet, Buck. What are your thoughts?”
Still looking at the map, Will gestured toward it. “It’s a long way from here to El Paso, David. Near enough six hundred miles from the Alamo, if I recall correctly. If we decide to send a force of cavalry out there, we’re going to need at least thirty days to travel the distance. If we add infantry into the mix, then add another fifteen days to that.” Crockett’s proposal was one Will had been thinking about quite a bit lately and he hated to burst the president’s enthusiasm, but he had no choice. “At this time, we lack the ability to support a force necessary to hold the town north of the Rio Grande at El Paso del Norte if the Mexican government decides to contest our claim.”
Deflated, Crockett said, “Sometimes Buck, I wish you’d do what a lot of these fine politicians in Austin do, and tell me what I want to hear, instead of the truth. If we can’t do it today, then what’s it going to take to hold El Paso for Texas?”
“It depends on a lot of different variables, David,” Will said as he was trying to think through the president’s long-term goals, “What’s the purpose of holding El Paso? Is it a jumping off point for a future campaign to take control of Santa Fe and Albuquerque?”
It was an open secret among the political and military leaders of Texas Crockett was determined to secure the borders guaranteed by Treaty of Bexar before the end of his six-year term the following year. “Yes. I know it don’t exactly count to my credit, Buck, but I will do everything within my power to give the next president the gift of a republic, secure within her own borders.”
The president’s words validated a scenario Will had been discussing with Sid Johnston for the past few months. When Will spoke, he relied heavily on the earlier conversation. “We were blessed with good luck and rapidly evolving tactics to win our earlier fights with Mexico and the Comanche. The problem is that amateurs spend their time talking about tactics. Professionals study logistics. In order to bring El Paso under our flag, we’re going to need to turn our focus to supporting an army, six hundred miles from our nearest town. To do that, we’re going to need to set up a line of supply depots between San Antonio and El Paso.”
He leaned over the map and with a pencil, marked a spot on the map about seventy-five miles northwest of the Alamo, “We can set the first supply depot and fort here along the Guadeloupe River.”
As he moved the pencil over the map, and traced westward he stopped and marked the map a second time. “About a hundred miles west of the first fort, we’ll set up a second supply depot here.” The spot on the map was devoid of rivers or other notable markers. “We’ll want to verify a decent water source, but assuming reliable, year-round water, we’ll put the second stop there.”
Will tossed the pencil on the map and waved his hand over the empty space on the map, “As you can see, we don’t know enough about the lay of the land that far to the west. We’ll need at least two more supply depots to the west, but we need to send out a scouting company to reconnoiter the area and find a route by which we can send our force. That’s going to require more time.” He pointed to the last few hundred miles east of El Paso. “You’re looking at some of the most desolate land in Texas. If we choose a northerly route, the places we can establish depots are going to be few and far between. And if we choose a route near the Rio Grande, then it puts our supply line too close to Mexico. If they find and cut it, our army is cut off.”
Crockett grimaced as he looked at the two penciled in depots on the map. The line stretched less than two hundred of the six hundred miles. “That’s a passel of assumptions between here and yonder, Buck. I need to know two things. What’s it going to take to get to El Paso and can you get there this year?”
All the men in the room stared at Will as he studied the map. After longer than he would have liked, Will said, “To pull this off, we’re going to need to expand our quartermaster’s department, a lot. Presently, Maj
or Wyatt, our infantry battalion’s executive officer, plays the role of quartermaster, with a dozen or so men acting as his quartermaster’s corps. We’re going to need to split it off and establish a new unit whose sole purpose is to supply an army in the field. Additionally, we’re going to need to hire quite a few contractors to haul supplies between the Alamo and these depots. I’d suggest a company-sized unit, maybe sixty men, to staff the quartermaster’s corps and a big enough budget to hire as many waggoneers as needed to do the job. We should plan on four depot forts between here and El Paso. At a minimum, we’re going to need to station a platoon at each fort, so that’s two more infantry companies.”
Crockett was mentally tallying the cost and as Will spoke, his face grew long. “That’s a lot of money, Buck.”
Will conceded the point. “True, but I’m not finished. Before we send a force to secure El Paso, we’re going to need to add another company of cavalry, at a minimum. Additionally, we’re going to need to rearrange our Ranger companies on the Red River frontier, so we can shift three Ranger companies to be part of that force. But fortunately, that should not impact our budget, David.”
The president grumbled, “Is there anything else?”
Will chuckled mirthlessly. “I want to include another company. As we’re all aware, I have had Captain Hays working with his special Rangers. They’re going to be the vanguard of this operation, when they’re finished with their training.”
Will paused to catch his breath before continuing, “To summarize, if we’re going to do this, let’s do it right. We’ll have eight companies of mounted troops. Four regular cavalry, and four Ranger companies. That’ll total three hundred and forty men. Add to it, two hundred men to protect the supply depots and another hundred contractors to haul supplies.”
