The Rangers Are Coming

by Phil Walker

  Sims was so surprised he could hardly speak. Finally, he said, “I don’t know what to say. You have slaughtered nearly 25,000 British soldiers and yet you offer your apologies?”

  “Most humbly and sincerely, sir,” said Compton. “The fact is you’ve been deceived by your governments, who told you the United States could not withstand the combined might of all the great European powers. As you can see, we can defend ourselves and we did.

  “However,” continued Compton, “we bear you no ill-will. Your surviving soldiers, along with you and your staff, will be treated with dignity and compassion and returned to your ships in New York to go home. We will offer aid to your wounded and attempt to save as many lives as we can. Already our medics are moving through your camp treating your injured.”

  “I thank you for your gallantry, sir,” said Sims.

  “You should have listened to our little messenger yesterday. She told you to go home because the Rangers were coming. We left a similar message this morning, thinking that invading your camp, eliminating your sentries, and leaving another message we were coming, would cause you to withdraw. Unfortunately, you did not believe us, so we had to attack. We would not have invaded your country; the United States is strictly neutral.”

  “When you get home, please tell the story of what happened here to anyone who will listen. Then give them this message, the United States is open for business. We will freely trade with any country who wants trade. We will also accept immigrants from any country in any numbers who wish to come. We are a Christian nation and we do not discriminate against anyone by sex, race, or national origins.”

  “You knew we were coming? You knew everything about our campaign?” said Sims. “How could you know this?”

  “You will find when you begin trading, that we possess many advanced products. Some of that technology was used in our defense.”

  “You must have a huge army.”

  “Not as big as you might imagine, but my brigade of 3,000 Rangers, was enough to do the job today,” smiled Compton.

  The end of the northern battle resulted in 21,500 British dead. There were 1,500 casualties, of which only 500 elected to return to Britain when given the choice to stay and become citizens of the United States. General Sims and his staff along with the 2000 soldiers who had surrendered, where taken by wagons back to New York and delivered to their ships with full stomachs, and real respect for their host Rangers. The British had to abandon most of their troop ships, taking only what they needed to transport the survivors. The United States had suddenly acquired nearly 300 brand new ships that were sold very cheaply to merchants, who made traders out of them.

  31

  Charleston, South Carolina

  General Compton radioed the President, Arcadia and the senior government officials about the destruction of the northern army. He gave the grim figures with no sense of victory. In fact, the entire campaign had sickened him.

  “Mr. President, what is the current location of the southern army,” asked Compton.

  “They are still about a day away from Charleston,” said Washington, “they had farther to sail.”

  “I’m wondering, Sir, if we can find a way to avoid the bloodbath we have just gone through?”

  “If you have a better idea, now’s the time,” said Washington.

  “The British commander, General Sims, was caught completely unaware of the trap into which he was marching. He was led to believe that his offensive would be an easy one. The commander in the south, no doubt, believes the same. I wonder if we might be able to head off this sure slaughter, by negotiating with the commander of the southern army.”

  “How would you do that,” asked Arcadia?

  “I spent some time with General Sims and found him to be a smart and reasonable man,” said Compton. “What if we were to transport him and some of his senior staff to Charleston and let him warn his counterpart what’s waiting for him?”

  “That might work,” said Arcadia, “particularly if we could catch them before they were able to off load any soldiers and draw them into a parley. If it’s safe, you could go yourself, Mr. President, and lay the foundation for the next part of our plan of being a big, friendly, neutral trading partner.”

  “I think we should at least try that approach,” said Washington. “If it fails, we do have the alternative. Why don’t you contact General Sims and see if he would be willing?”

  “I’ll do that, and call you back.”

  Compton immediately called his Chief of Staff, “Cal, where are you in getting the British back on their ships?”

  “We just got to New York yesterday. We only have a few ships loaded with troops.”

  “Is General Sims aboard his flagship?”

  “Yeah, he went aboard this morning. You never saw such as unhappy man.”

  “Can you go aboard that ship and have a private talk with Sims?

  “Probably.”

  “Then do it and here’s what I want you to say.” Compton laid out the plan for saving the lives of all the soldiers in the southern army, and the part that Sims could play in it

  “Sounds like a good plan to me,” said the Chief, “I’ll go ask him if he would be willing. I think he might be. He is truly grieving over all those dead men.”

  Compton hung around the radio for an hour before his Chief of Staff called him back. “General Sims is very eager to keep the southern army from being wiped out. He’s quite angry with the bugle oil his superiors told him about the big, bad United States. What do we do now?”

  “Have him and his senior staff get off the ship and take them out to where we can land a Chinook. We’ll fly them to Charleston.”

  General Sims informed his staff of the intervention that was planned and asked if any one of them had any objections. None did. “If that is the case, gentlemen, let us see if we can’t save a lot of men. Remember we have a whole regiment of our countrymen in the force in the south.”

  The Chief of Staff got hold of three big carriages and loaded the British. They drove out of town just a couple of miles and turned into a field where a big Chinook was waiting for them. General Compton stepped out of the ship and went to greet Sims. “Good morning, General Sims,” said Compton shaking hands with Sims. This time there was a smile on Sims’ face and his handshake was warm and firm.

  “I imagine this is going to be quite an experience for you,” said Compton. “We don’t have the time to drive to Charleston, so we are going to fly in this.”

  “I have stopped trying to understand the wonders of your military,” said Sims.

  “If you’ll just get aboard, we will get underway.”

  Sims and his staff walked up the rear ramp of the Chinook, looking all around as they went aboard. Ranger crewmen sat the men down in seats and showed the British how to fasten their seat belts. They explained some people got airsick and handed them all plastic bags for an emergency.

  The engines of the helicopter roared to life and the whirl of the rotors grew louder and louder. Suddenly, the ship lifted off and every one of the British officers turned to look out the windows in wonder as the helicopter gained altitude.

  The Rangers were smiling and polite. They were still wearing their outlandish uniforms of green, but they didn’t have on body armor and had substituted their helmets for berets. They passed out big bars of chocolate and bottles of water to all the British. Sims sat next to Compton and found they could carry on a conversation as the Chinook slipped into a steady course.

  “Have you started writing your report,” asked Compton?

  “I’ve started several drafts and tore them up because I found myself getting so angry,” grumbled Sims.

  “Can’t say as I blame you,” said Compton, “if I’d been hoodwinked like you were. You had no idea what kind of a trap you were walking into.”

  “Is it really true you did all the damage you did with a single brigade?”

  “Yep, 3,256 men and women to be exact.”

  “You
have women in your army?”

  “Sure do, we also have blacks, Native Americans, and some Mayans from Mexico.”

  “How do you keep order with such a collection of people.”

  “It’s easy,” said Compton, “we all surrender our wills to the love of Jesus Christ, who’s Holy Spirit lives in each of us and guides our lives. For us, God comes first. We seek to do His will to the best of our ability and know that our sins have been washed clean by the sacrifice of Jesus in our place.”

  “Astonishing,” said Sims, “yet you fight as none I’ve ever seen.”

  “Did not King Solomon, subdue and conquer all his enemies during his reign? But when his land was secure, he made peace with those nations around him and grew rich with prosperous trade and commerce. Remember, we did not bring this war to you, you brought it to us.”

  Changing the subject, Sims asked, “When we get to Charleston, what is your plan?”

  “First we’re going to try and keep Charleston from being reduced to rubble by cannon fire from the big warship that will lead the way into the harbor. We intend to fly white flags of surrender from every building. Then, when the ships dock at the harbor, we intend to walk out on the wharf, under a flag of truce and speak to their commanding General.”

  “What makes you think he will talk with you,” asked Sims?

  “Because you and your staff plus me and my staff will be standing there to welcome him. Don’t worry. We’ll have snipers all over the place. If anyone wants to cause trouble, they won’t get a shot off.”

  “Then what?”

  “Why, then we go to a big hall and sit down to talk. You explain the reason why you’re there, tell the exact story of your experience with your army, and say the reason you are there is to prevent the same tragedy from happening to the army waiting on the ships in Charleston harbor. The fact your entire staff confirms all you say, will give their General pause for thought. He may not believe you, but he will hesitate to go further until he has more proof and information.”

  “And you have some kind of a demonstration planned, I suppose?”

  “Think of it as a replica of your battle without the bloodshed.”

  The big Spanish warship came into view the following morning. It maneuvered toward the harbor of Charleston, with the hundreds of troop ships spread out across the horizon. The Spanish General, Don Diego Estefan Ramirez, looked through his long telescope, and spotted the many white flags flying over the city.

  “It appears that the people of Charleston have no stomach for a siege. That will make it easier to carry off their wealth,” said Ramirez with a snarling grin. “Proceed into the harbor and we shall tie up at the wharf.”

  As the ship maneuvered to a mooring berth, Ramirez was startled to see a group of men standing on the wharf. There was the unmistakable sight of British uniforms, with another group of men in very strange uniforms of mottled green and heavy helmets standing next to them.

  Ramirez was confused by the contingent, seemingly waiting for him. He called his own senior staff together, and they stepped off the ship, led by armed guards. General Sims came forward and doffed his hat in respect. “Good morning, General Ramirez,” said Sims, “I’m sure you are surprised to see me here to greet you.”

  “Has your army robbed my soldiers of their victory,” said Ramirez with some tone of annoyance.

  “My army has met the Americans in battle,” said Sims, “It is my duty to inform you that my entire force was all but wiped out. We put our losses at nearly 22,000 men. I have come here today to save your army from the same fate.”

  “What madness is this,” said Ramirez. His officers spoke out to each other and some of them laughed. But a British Colonel came forward and said, “General Sims, I am Colonel Howerton commander of the regiment of the Royal Black Guard. Surely, sir, you can’t be serious. Your force cannot have been ashore in New York for more than a few days. How is it possible to suffer such a defeat?”

  “I will tell you the truth, Colonel,” said Sims seriously, “my entire army was demolished in a single engagement lasting less than two hours. It was beaten by single brigade of 3,000 soldiers, called Rangers.”

  “So you are here as a prisoner of war?” said Howerton.

  “Not at all,” said Sims, “I am here on my own accord. I came voluntarily with my staff to bring you this news.”

  Sims own chief of staff spoke up, “Believe it, Colonel, we were all there and swear every word General Sims says is true.”

  General Compton stepped forward, “Welcome to the United States, General. I realize all of this comes as quite a shock, but we have arranged a demonstration for you I think you will find very enlightening. Under a flag of truce, I guarantee your safety and the safety of your entire staff. If you will just accompany us to a place not far from the city, I will be happy to show you how the British army was defeated.”

  Ramirez teetered in indecision. General Sims walked up to him and said, “I also pledge our sincerity and will accompany you.”

  “Very well,” said Ramirez, “I agree to see your works of magic.”

  “Not magic, General,” said Compton, “pure technology.” He spoke into a short rod near his mouth, and around the corner came a string of carriages. The entire party of 30 people loaded up in the carriages and trotted off toward the edge of town.

  They travelled along the road for half an hour and then pulled into a field, where a grandstand was set up on the top of a hill. The Spanish and the British Colonel sat at the top of the grandstand with the others in rows below. General Compton stood in front of the grandstand.

  “First, I will show you a standard Ranger, A soldier walked up and stood next to the general. He is dressed in our basic fatigue uniform. It is in irregular green patterns, top, and bottom. This makes him very difficult to see in a green background, like a forest. His brown boots are made of a woven material that form fits to his feet. He can easily cover 30 miles in a single day.

  “He’s wearing our basic battle armor, which repels most fired missiles. For example, this flintlock pistol which is issued to your men. Sergeant, if you please. The Ranger backed off a few paces, and the general shot him in the chest. The Ranger barely moved. Now we have his helmet.” The Ranger took off his helmet and passed it through the audience. “You will notice how light it is. It will also stop a musket shot, just as the body armor.”

  “Now we have the Rangers’ basic weapon.” The Ranger went over and picked up his M-14 assault rifle with grenade launcher. He turned to a dummy placed against a couple bales of hay about 50 yards away. This rifle is capable of shooting a single round at a time…” the Ranger fired a few rounds that hit the dummy and caused pieces to fly from it, “or it can be fired automatically.” The Ranger turned on the dummy and 30 rounds came out faster than the first casing could hit the ground. The dummy was shot to pieces. “For targets that are in groups but still relatively close we have our grenade launcher.” The sergeant raised his weapon and a thump kicked the rifle back a little. 100 yards away, another group of dummies were set up. They exploded in a huge blast, all in pieces.

  “In the event our Rangers have no weapons, they become weapons of their own.” Two Rangers came forward and put on a dazzling display of martial arts for several minutes. When it was over, the men were not even breathing heavily.

  “This is the basic soldier your soldiers will face,” said Compton. “That is, of course, if they get close enough to engage them. I direct your attention, gentlemen to the valley below. There is an abandoned farmhouse, barn and several other buildings there.”

  From out of the trees came a Bradley Fighting Vehicle. At a half mile away its main gun fired and the entire farmhouse blew up in flash of fire and wood chips flying through the air. Next, a couple of Humvees came from the forest, roaring across the field at high speed. From the top, the 50 calibers opened up and the assorted buildings near the barn were shot to little pieces in less than 30 seconds.

  Notice the wagon sitting o
ut in the field. We will now show you a demonstration of our artillery. You may have noticed it on the way out of town. It is 7 miles from that wagon.” Compton spoke into his mike, and mumbled, “Don’t miss fellows.”

  They didn’t miss. A whoosh went over the grandstand and the wagon was completely obliterated in an enormous explosion.

  “Finally, we still have a barn standing, but not for long.” He spoke into his mike again, “Scratch the barn.” From over the hill came a Blackhawk gunship. It opened up on the barn from half a mile away. Its mini-gun giving out a steady stream of noise with tracers mixed in. As the chopper passed by the barn, the entire structure was filled with thousands of holes, and as the Blackhawk zoomed over the grandstand, the barn collapsed in a heap of shattered lumber.

  “That, gentlemen, is what happened to General Sims’ army a few days ago. And the same thing will happen to your army if you bring them ashore.”

  General Ramirez was speechless. He was a veteran soldier with many battles to his record, but this…!

  “We have another brigade that is just itching to do battle with you, but under the circumstances,” said Compton, “we were wondering if you might be willing to discuss an alternate course of action?”

  “What alternative did you have in mind,” asked Ramirez?”

  “First, let’s get out of this heat and go back to Charleston and have lunch,” smiled Compton broadly.

  The group of Spanish and British were more than ready to leave. General Sims whispered to Compton on the way back to the carriages, “It was much better to see it, than live through it.”

  32

  Charleston, South Carolina

  The Spanish and British were taken to a large banquet hall. Compton had the presence of mind to have several portable air conditioners installed in the windows, so the room was refreshingly cool after the heat and humidity of outside.