The Trial and Execution of the Traitor George Washington

by Charles Rosenberg

  When they reached the Great Cabin, Ingram pulled his sea trunk out from under his bunk, opened it and extracted two envelopes—one fat and one thin—each sealed with red wax. He handed both to Black. “These are the documents you left with me for safekeeping, Colonel.”

  Black broke the seal on the fat one, extracted a sheaf of papers, some of them folded up, and handed the top sheet back to Ingram.

  Ingram read it and said, without looking up, “All right, these order you to arrest Washington and bring him back to London for trial, and to use ‘all lawful means.’”

  “Do you see who has signed it?”

  “Yes. The Prime Minister and the First Lord of the Admiralty, with their seals.” He looked up. “Wouldn’t it have made sense to let me in on the secret? I came close to leaving you on the beach. I would not even have thought of it had I known what you were doing here.”

  “I wished to tell you, Captain, but was ordered not to. I don’t know the reasons.”

  “Perhaps it’s because I have never been a favourite of the Admiralty.”

  “Be that as it may, do you still have any doubts the man in sickbay is General Washington? Or do you think I would dare to bring an impostor back to London?”

  “I believe you,” Ingram said.

  “Good,” Black said. “And speaking of London, when we finally get there, we will have to send a messenger to Lord North for instructions.”

  “All right. And the other envelope, what’s in there, Colonel?” Ingram frowned. “Only if you’re permitted to tell me, of course.”

  “It’s an arrest warrant for the General.”

  “Won’t do you much good now.”

  “When he wakes up, I will serve it on him.”

  “If he wakes up,” Ingram said.

  18

  To Ingram’s surprise, Washington did wake up. On their third day at sea—after the storm had finally abated—Arbuthnot appeared in the Great Cabin and said, “The General—if that’s who he really is—began to stir and moan yesterday, then sat up this morning and asked where he was.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  “The truth. He seemed not to comprehend it, and immediately fell back on the bunk and seemed again unconscious, or at least in a deep sleep.”

  “How did you cure him?”

  “I did nothing other than put warm bricks around him, day and night, but did nothing for the head wound except bandage it. His own body did the rest. He is apparently of a very strong constitution.”

  “If he recovers fully, will he be of sound mind?”

  Arbuthnot shrugged. “Most people who come as near to freezing to death as he did do not recover at all. I have seen only two other cases in my career where they awoke.”

  “And?”

  “One, after a few weeks, seemed good as new. The other...was no better than stupid. Good only for eating and babbling. He didn’t last long. In this case, there is nothing to do but wait.”

  “When you think he can walk, let me know, and I will double the marine guard.”

  “Very good, Captain.”

  After he left, Ingram went in search of Black and found him sitting on the fantail, watching some dolphins who were playing in the ship’s wake. He looked up as Ingram arrived and stood. “Captain, I have not seen you in several days.”

  “You have not been eating in the wardroom with the rest of the officers.”

  “I have been eating—when I can—with a bucket. I thought to spare you all.”

  “That is kind of you, Colonel. But I have sought you out because I have news.”

  “Is the General dead?”

  “No, to the contrary. Your prisoner is awake, although not yet able to walk.”

  “When will he be able to walk and talk?”

  “Mr. Arbuthnot didn’t say exactly. But the question is not so much that as what condition his mind will be in when he can walk again.”

  “Oh?”

  “Our surgeon says there is a chance he may be as a person without much of a mind.”

  Black walked to the railing and gazed out to sea. Then he said, without turning around, “If that happens, Captain, I don’t want to take him back to London as the walking dead.”

  “Colonel, if I understand your thought, you should know that no living man will ever be thrown overboard from my ship, mind or no mind.”

  “Understood.”

  “Good. I will keep you posted on his condition. I bid you good day.” He turned and walked away. Black would have to be watched if the General didn’t recover all of his faculties.

  * * *

  Two days later, Arbuthnot again appeared in the Great Cabin. “The General is not only awake, but eating well.”

  “And his mind?”

  “It seems intact. Although he claims no memory of how he got on this ship. I have talked to two members of the longboat crew, and they tell me he tried to swim back to shore, despite the sea.”

  “Has he tried to leave the sickbay?”

  “No. And there are two marines outside to prevent that, as you ordered.”

  “Has the man said who he is?”

  “Yes. General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Army of the Continental States of America.”

  “Do you believe him?”

  “Yes.”

  “Very good. I will visit the General soon.”

  “I suggest you wait a day or two. He is still weak.”

  “Will you let me know when you think he’s ready to be seen?”

  “Of course, Captain.”

  “Sooner will be better than later, Mr. Arbuthnot.”

  “Understood, Captain.”

  “Very good.”

  Ingram started to leave the room, then turned and said, “Have you told Colonel Black yet that the General is awake?”

  “No. You’re the captain, and I owe the information to you first. Do you want me to tell him?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Upon leaving Arbuthnot, he went to look for Black and once again found him sitting on the fantail, watching the dolphins.

  “They’re fascinating to watch, aren’t they, Colonel?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re lucky to see them. They are almost never this far north in the winter. Perhaps it means we will have currents favourable for a quick trip.”

  “I hope so.”

  “I watch the dolphins myself at times. I sometimes wonder if they enjoy life more than we do.”

  Black laughed. “Yes. They probably don’t have military missions they have to worry about.”

  “Are you worried about your mission?”

  “Of course. I fear having to take a man without a mind back to my king. I will have failed in my mission if Washington has no mind. Although I suppose they might hang him anyway.”

  “I have good news for you, then. Arbuthnot reports that the General is awake, eating, and seems of sound mind. Except he doesn’t remember how he got here.”

  “Just as well perhaps,” Black said. “If he is awake and in his right mind, I would like to see him now.”

  “Mr. Arbuthnot says we need to wait a few days,” Ingram said. “And I will see him first, then you.”

  “He is my prisoner.”

  “Yes, and this is still my ship, even if you outrank me.”

  “This is a delicate matter, Captain. I do outrank you, and it matters here because this is not a matter of shipboard safety. It is a matter of my mission.”

  Ingram just stared at him.

  “Why don’t we see him together?” Black said.

  “Fine. We will do that.”

  “Good.”

  “Now I have something to discuss with you, Colonel. What are your plans for Washington’s time on this ship? I
f the weather stays with us, we will be at least four more weeks before we reach Portsmouth.”

  “He should be confined to quarters, and well guarded.”

  “I have been thinking about that, and I don’t fully agree. He is the commanding general of an army and as such, under the rules of war, is a prisoner of war and entitled to the courtesies due his rank.”

  Black stood up. “It is a rebel army. Not recognized by our king.”

  “I can’t fully agree with you, Colonel. From what I read, it’s an army made up of thousands of men. One that has actually won battles against our vaunted military. And one to which our government has sent plenipotentiaries to try to open negotiations.”

  “This is your ship, Captain, so there’s not much I can do to change your attitude. But what does this mean as a practical matter?”

  “I will cause the marines to guard him at all times, as you wish, but he will eat in the wardroom with the officers and be accorded privileges of rank.”

  Black just looked at him. “You’re going to salute him?”

  “Most likely, yes.”

  “That is your choice, sir. I will not.”

  19

  The next day, Ingram looked up from his table in the Great Room, where he’d been working on updating his ship’s log, and saw Arbuthnot come in.

  “The General is much better today,” the surgeon said. “He has asked to speak to the captain of the ship.” He smiled. “That would be you, I believe.”

  “Good. I will go immediately to see him. He’s still in sickbay?”

  “Yes. Shall I ask Colonel Black to join us?”

  “Yes. I will send someone to fetch him. But in the meantime, let us go see him and Colonel Black will catch up.” Ingram gave an order to find Black to a seaman, and they headed down to sickbay.

  On the way, Arbuthnot briefed him on Washington’s condition: finally awake most of the day, no longer shivering, pulse rate steady, skin not clammy anymore and back to a normal colour. Eating voraciously.

  At the door to sickbay, they encountered the two marines who were guarding the entrance. They saluted Ingram, and he saluted back. Then he stopped in his tracks, turned, faced them directly and said, “Starting now, no one besides Mr. Arbuthnot and his mate is to enter the room without my permission. Colonel Black may come in if someone else is here.”

  “Aye, aye, sir!” they said in unison and saluted again.

  When they walked in, Washington was sitting in a chair at a small table, eating. He was wearing his uniform, which had been restored to a semblance of clean. He looked directly at Ingram’s shoulder boards, where his commander’s rank was displayed, and wobbled to his feet.

  “Good morning, Captain,” he said and said nothing more, clearly waiting, Ingram thought, for him to initiate a salute to acknowledge Washington’s superior rank.

  “Before I salute you, sir, please tell me who you are.”

  “General George Washington, Commander-in-Chief of the Continental Army of the United States.”

  “How do I know this to be true?”

  “I suggest you enquire of Colonel Black, who I now seem to recall captured me, and I am told is on this ship.”

  A voice from the doorway said, “I captured him at his headquarters. Unless they were using a double, he speaks the truth as to who he is. But I see no reason to salute him, Captain. His army is not the army of a country recognized by anyone.”

  A wry smile swept across Washington’s face. “Unless, Colonel Black, you don’t consider France to be a country. They recognized my country three years ago.”

  Ingram glanced briefly at Black, looked back to Washington, raised his hand to his forehead and saluted. “Welcome aboard, General. Unfortunately, you are a prisoner, so we will need to establish some rules of conduct while you are aboard my ship.”

  “What type of prisoner am I?”

  “A prisoner of war, as far as I am concerned. But Colonel Black—” he gestured at him “—believes you are simply a captured rebel.”

  “What do you propose with regard to rules of conduct, Captain?” Washington said.

  “First, when you are feeling well again, you are most welcome to dine with me and my officers in the wardroom.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Second, you will be given a berth commensurate with your rank, but you will be guarded at all times by at least two marines, sometimes four.”

  “I give you my word, if you will parole me to go when and where I wish unguarded, that I will not try to escape, damage your ship or crew or otherwise harm your mission.”

  “Perhaps in time,” Ingram said. “But for now the marines must go with you. We have at least four weeks to work out a different arrangement.”

  “I understand, Captain. But I will nevertheless pledge, on my honour, not to try to escape the ship, in the hope that you will soon parole me to go where I wish.”

  “Thank you, General. I will count on your pledge. Now I must take my leave. I trust that Mr. Arbuthnot has been taking good care of you?”

  “Indeed he has.”

  He saluted Washington. “Good day, General.”

  As they left sickbay, Black said, “Captain, there’s something I want to say to you, and it is with all due respect.”

  “What?”

  “Washington tried to escape when we were bringing him to the beach. And when he supposedly fell out of the boat in rough sea, I think he actually jumped out and was trying to swim back to shore.”

  “I have heard that. And so?”

  “I have a sense that he is up to something.”

  “Like what?”

  “I wish I knew.”

  “Well, one thing I know for sure. There is absolutely no way for him to escape from here.” He gestured at the ship’s hull. “Yonder lies only the sea.”

  * * *

  Each day since his visit to sickbay, Ingram had seen Arbuthnot in the wardroom at least once a day when the officers sat down to their evening meal. And each day, he had asked the surgeon the same question: “How goes General Washington?” Each day he had received the same response: “Ever stronger, eating well, gaining weight.”

  On their eighth day at sea, Ingram was standing on the bridge, looking out to sea and wondering how long their good weather and good winds would last. Suddenly, Arbuthnot appeared beside him. He saluted and said, “Captain, General Washington has asked me to convey a message to you.”

  “What is it?”

  “He says that if your invitation to dine with the officers in the wardroom is still open, he would like to accept for this evening.”

  “Please tell him he is most welcome. We will expect him for the evening meal.”

  “He asks, also, if his marine guards must accompany him everywhere.”

  “Inhospitable as it is, the answer is yes.”

  “Will you notify Colonel Black?”

  “I suppose it’s only proper.” He grinned. “After all, he does outrank me.”

  “I’ve noticed that he’s not been joining us for meals.”

  “I know. I think on the days when he’s sick, the sight of food makes him ill at times. Have you been able to do anything for his condition?”

  “I told him to spend as much time as possible on deck, in the breeze and looking out to sea. I also offered him a syrup made from five roots that has helped some people in the past, but he has declined to take it.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “Something about being poisoned at one point when he was seeking out Washington.”

  Ingram raised his eyebrows. “Did he say by whom?”

  “He declined to say.”

  “I will have to discuss this with him. But come to think of it, why don’t you let him know about tonight’s dinner with General Washington. It would save me the duty and would be much
appreciated.”

  “I’d prefer you do it, Captain.”

  “All right, I will.”

  Ingram went to look for Black and found him again on the fantail. “Colonel Black,” Ingram said, “I want you to know that General Washington will be joining us in the wardroom for dinner this evening. I hope you will join, although if your seasickness prevents that, I would understand.”

  “I’m at least somewhat better now that the sea is calmer, thank you,” Black said. “I will attend.”

  “Good. I will meet you there, Colonel.”

  Ingram walked away and went to look for his steward. He found him in the Great Room. “Please set the table tonight with the china mess plates.”

  “They’re packed away in straw, Captain. We usually use the china only in port. Otherwise, as you know, we use the wooden plates, even for the officers.”

  “I think the sea is calm enough to risk it.”

  “Aye, aye, sir. I will get it done.”

  20

  Ingram thought the setting on the long oak table in the Great Cabin looked splendid. The stewards had set out white china plates, a crown in blue at the center with twisted vines on the rim. To the side of each lay gold cutlery with the fouled-anchor navy seal engraved on each handle. All were laid out on a white tablecloth, or at least as white as it could be kept while at sea.

  The cutlery was his personal set. He had, on a lark, bought it from a high-born friend who had made it to admiral and retired to the countryside, saying that he no longer felt the need for such frivolous things. Ingram had been carting it from command to command ever since, hoping against hope to someday make it to admiral himself, with his own flagship. But he now understood better than ever that his origins in the merchant class—his father had been a prosperous wool merchant—would likely preclude him from ever wearing the shoulder boards of an admiral.

  His musings were interrupted by the arrival of his officers—Lansford, the three lieutenants not on watch, four midshipmen and Arbuthnot. Colonel Black had indeed come, looking less green than usual. Washington, however, had not yet arrived. All of them, he noticed, kept glancing at the door.