A Matter of Honor (Dusty Fog Civil War Book 6)

by J. T. Edson

  The Home of Great Western Fiction!

  Hearing that a young Yankee officer was being court-martialled for cowardice, Captain Dusty Fog felt that it was a matter of honor that he should challenge the charges. And, with their Southern sense of chivalry, the rest of the Texas Light Cavalry agreed.

  So Ole Devil Hardin arranged for Dusty to go behind enemy lines under a flag of truce to present his evidence at the trial.

  But Dusty soon made a shocking discovery—Union fanatics were experimenting with barbaric forms of warfare ...

  Should Dusty break the truce and expose the horrific plans? It was a matter of honor ... and time was short!

  DUSTY FOG’S CIVIL WAR 6: A MATTER OF HONOR

  By J. T. Edson

  First published by Transworld Publishers in 1982

  Copyright © 1982, 2017 by J. T. Edson

  First Smashwords Edition: January 2017

  Names, characters and incidents in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information or storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the author, except where permitted by law.

  Our cover features Pioneer Brigade Holds Fast, painted by Andy Thomas, and used by permission.

  Andy Thomas Artist, Carthage Missouri

  Andy is known for his action westerns and storytelling paintings and documenting historical events through history.

  This is a Piccadilly Publishing Book

  Series Editor: Ben Bridges

  Text © Piccadilly Publishing

  Published by Arrangement with the Author’s Agent.

  Author’s Note

  Although one version of the events recorded herein appeared as, Part One, ‘The Futility of War’, The Fastest Gun in Texas (please do not blame us for the title; it was arbitrarily selected without reference to us by the editor of Wagon Wheel Westerns when first published in 1963), we did not at that time have access to the full details. These have now been made available to us by Alvin Dustine ‘Cap’ Fog, along with permission to reproduce them.

  We realize that, in our present ‘permissive’ society, we could include the actual profanities used by various people who appear in this volume. However, we do not concede a spurious desire to produce ‘realism’ is a valid reason for doing so.

  As we do not pander to the current ‘trendy’ employment of the metric system, unless we are referring to calibers appropriate to various weapons—e.g., Luger 9mm—we will continue to write in miles, yards, feet, inches, pounds and ounces when referring to measurements and weights.

  Lastly, to save our ‘old hands’ from repetition and for the benefit of new readers, we are giving details of the family backgrounds and careers of Belle ‘the Rebel Spy’ Boyd and Captain Dustine Edward Marsden ‘Dusty’ Fog, C.S.A., also such special terms of references to specific events about which we are frequently questioned in the form of Appendices.

  J. T. Edson

  Prologue

  Lightning was flashing intermittently and, deeply menacing, thunder was rumbling somewhere far to the southwest!

  However, while clouds were scudding across the sky over Washington, District of Columbia, and were occasionally obscuring the full moon, as yet the inclement weather was having no other effect. There were, in fact, moments of brilliant illumination when the room reappeared from behind its temporary concealment. In spite of this (possibly because of the suggestion that the distant heavy storm might be approaching) there seemed to be an atmosphere of brooding over the capital city of a United States of America which was now divided against itself.

  It was, all in all, the kind of night which conveyed an impression of exuding a distinct aura of impending evil!

  Although gutted by fire after the city had fallen into the hands of the British Army in 1814, to such an extent that only the walls were left standing, the Executive Mansion— to give the correct name to the official residence of the president—had been rebuilt, refurnished and had had its exterior painted in the fashion which produced the more generally employed name, ‘the White House’. Built between 1791-99 from designs by James Hoban, who had followed closely the plans of the ‘seats’ of the Dukes of Leinster, near Dublin, Eire, the two story building of Virginia free-stone was a simple structure with its principal exterior ornaments being an Ionic portico and balustrade.

  Restlessly pacing the floor of his private study, the present incumbent of the White House thought the distant threat of the storm was in keeping with his mood!

  Tall, gaunt, bearded and somberly clad, Abraham Lincoln, sixteenth President of the United States, has become so familiar via numerous sketches and caricatures in the newspapers of the day as to require no further description. There was, nevertheless, something of the essence of his greatness in his appearance which required no fine raiment to enhance it. It was in evidence even though, being in the seclusion and privacy he desired that night, he was wearing only a collarless white shirt, black trousers and, drawing solace from walking barefoot—as he had, of necessity so often done during his far from affluent early life—he had also discarded his boots and socks.

  Pausing by a window, its drapes left open regardless of numerous warnings from various people responsible for his safety that to do so offered opportunities for intended assassins, the President looked out to see whether the storm was in fact coming closer. Coinciding with a clear period of the full moon, he had a good view of his immediate surroundings. Not for the first time, he wished Major Pierre Charles L’Enfant and Andrew Ellicott had placed the White House and Capitol Building nearer together when laying out the plans for the city in the late 1780s. No work on the construction of the latter would be taking place, the time being seven-thirty on a Saturday evening, but he always enjoyed looking at it and envisaging how it was to be upon completion. Despite voluble complaints about the cost from some quarters, he considered he was stating unequivocally his unshaken faith in the Union and the capital city by insisting that the erection of the dome should be continued. Yet the pleasure with which he regarded the sight of the work being carried out was lessened by the thought of why the suggestions for economies had been made. He hated to be reminded, even indirectly, of the measures currently being found necessary to preserve the Union for which the Capital Building was to be the symbol.

  Although Abraham Lincoln had no doubt history would give him credit—or the blame, dependent upon the point of view of the writer—for the decision to fight against those states wishing to secede from the Union, such had never been his wish. If he could have maintained the union by declaring opposition to the very vocal Anti-Slavery lobby, he would have done so and sought to bring about emancipation by verbal persuasion. However, he had known that to do so would merely delay the almost inevitable clash between the chiefly industrialized Northern ‘Free’ and mainly agricultural Southern ‘Slave’ States. There were powerful factions on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line committed to open conflict. He was all too aware that, despite offering a more readily understood reason to the poorer sections of the white community in the North—who would be required to bear the brunt of the fighting should war come—slavery was neither the only nor the most important issue causing the dissension. Therefore, even if the attack by Confederate forces upon Fort Sumter had not supplied the metaphorical match to touch off the explosion, i some other incident would have served to supply the excuse for a declaration of war. Nor could the moderate groups on either
side have averted the unavoidable result.

  Now, throughout much of the vast land, opposing armies and smaller forces were locked in mortal combat. Warships flying the ‘Stars and Stripes’ or ‘Stars and Bars’ flags of the United and Confederate States sought for and destroyed the merchant vessels of the other side upon the high seas. Already the latter was wreaking such havoc upon the whaling fleet of the former that it would take many years to put to rights when peace finally came.

  In many ways, happening in an era and a country devoted to the search for technological progress, the conflict had developed into the first of the modem ‘total’ wars. For all that, at least where members of the regular Army and Navy were concerned, the age-old conventions governing the behavior of fighting men were upheld. If a truce was granted, or parole given and accepted, in general the terms were adhered to. ii However, as was always the case—human nature being what it is—much of the technological development was devoted to improving methods of killing.

  Self contained metallic cartridges were already paving the way for repeating rifles to become practical and allowed simple forms of machine guns to make their appearance. iii Warfare had taken to the air, if not yet in actual combat, with the use of observation balloons. iv Albeit by ‘submersibles’ rather than true ‘submarines’, with one notable exception, fighting was going on beneath the surface of the sea. v Refinement in high explosive shells, sometimes filled with incendiary compounds to increase their effect, and employed in sieges, spelled the first stages of the end for massive manmade fortresses. Throwing corpses down wells which would be used by the enemy explored, without any full understanding of its ramifications, the horrors of bacteriological warfare. Needing to counter the overwhelming might of the United States’ Navy, particularly where the blockading of its ports was concerned, the South devoted much ingenuity to devising what at the time were referred to as ‘torpedoes’ but which would be called ‘mines’ by later generations. vi

  There were, nevertheless, some developments which would prove beneficial when peace finally came. Improvements in telegraph services speeded overland communications. Medical skills and techniques grew better, aided by a growing number of patients suffering from wounds or illnesses acquired in the field. Methods of building railroads, although primarily intended to facilitate the speedy movement of large bodies of men, animals and supplies from place to place, were brought to a peak of efficiency which would eventually be put to more pacific use and lead to the opening of the subcontinent’s interior for settlement.

  Contemplating the horrors which had been released upon the land he loved with a fiery and patriotic devotion, the President wished he was still an unknown lawyer travelling the roads of Illinois in search of clients. To find oneself head of a divided nation, with brother likely to find himself fighting brother or other kin and families suffering losses on the field of battle in a cause that all too many of them only partly understood, was a far from pleasurable or satisfying occupation for a humane and kindly man. No matter what decisions were made by the one holding such a position, they could never meet with unanimous approval.

  There were, the present incumbent of the White House realized, some men who claimed allegiance to the Union and who hated him and his policies as bitterly as did the most dyed-in-the-wool slavery-advocating Southron holding him alone responsible for the War Between the States.

  One – Too Rich For Your Blood

  Unbeknown to President Abraham Lincoln, or those officials responsible for his continued safety and well-being, a group of his worst enemies amongst those who supported the cause of the Union were gathered at that moment not too far from where he stood brooding over the terrible state of affairs brought about by the civil conflict.

  An uneasy mixture of a dozen wealthy political opportunists and ‘liberals’ of the most viciously radical variety were assembled in the dining room of the mansion owned by George Wigg, which was situated on the opposite side of the Potomac River some distance downstream from the White House. Ostensibly, they had come together for a dinner party honoring a brigadier general visiting Washington, District of Columbia, to discuss with his superiors in the War Department the conducting of the less than successful campaign over which he had command. However, to anybody who knew Wigg—whose ‘liberal’ tendencies did not include generosity where his personal worldly goods were concerned—it would have been patently obvious he was not going to such an expense for just that reason.

  There was, in fact, a much more serious—some might even say treasonable—motive for the gathering!

  Using the presence of Brigadier General Moses J. Buller as an excuse, Wigg had called together the group to discuss a matter which he knew they all had in mind. Like himself, every one present had no love for the present incumbent of the White House. However, such was the current popularity of the President with the masses, it would be practically impossible to have him removed from office by any constitutional or other legal means. Therefore, their host wished to sound out their thoughts about arranging an assassination which would pave the way for the election of somebody who was closer to their own political ideals. Although he was too shrewd to make known his personal ambitions in that direction until he was better aware of their sentiments, Wigg considered himself to be the ideal candidate for the high office. With that in mind, he had grudgingly expended a considerable amount of his own money upon wining, dining and arranging entertainment for his guests after the serious business of the evening was concluded.

  However, now the meal was over, the guests, with one exception, were showing a marked reluctance to openly admit the true purpose of their visit. Possessing the mean spirited and untrusting mentalities which characterized their kind, the ‘liberals’ in particular were disinclined to do anything as definite as discuss in the presence of so many witnesses the ways and means to bring about that which they desired. Nor were the blatant opportunists, including the nominal guest of honor, any more willing to make declarations of intent in the company of those who at other times they would have regarded as mortal enemies and who, furthermore, still would not hesitate to use any ill-considered or incriminating admissions against them.

  ‘Oh ass-hole to all this “mother-something” pussy-footing around it!’ vii the exception ejaculated, in the accent of a well educated New Englander, rising with such vehemence she sent her chair flying. ‘We all know what we’re here for and the sooner we get to it the better, I say. That skinny-gutted, mealy-mouthed Sucker State jury-fixer viii is too god-damned soft-hearted and soft-headed to be left in office. If he has his way, he’ll make peace with those peckerwood sons-of-bitches we’re fighting at the first opportunity instead of wiping out every last mother’s son of the bastards. He’s got to be put away and there’s an end to it!’

  As usual, considering her words demonstrated—despite having come from a privileged background and receiving an education at a recently opened and exclusive college for women on the outskirts of New York City—her willingness to descend to the level of the ‘little people’, Mary Wilkinson had continued to intersperse her tirade with frequent profanities more suitable to a stable yard in moments of stress than a formal dinner in a mansion. An aspiring, albeit untalented actress—this being in an age before the profession of ‘liberal’ ideals was a guarantee of employment, critical acclaim and even ‘stardom’—she was embittered by her repeated failures on the stage and sought to relieve her disappointment by adopting the kind of unconventional behavior she considered to be the norm among thespians in Europe.

  The frustrated actress did not confine her defiance of convention to lacing her speech, regardless of whose company she might be in, with foul language. Nor was it restricted to smoking cigars in public and having her yellowish brunette hair cut in a short, masculine fashion which did nothing to relieve the harsh lines of her otherwise beautiful features. Particularly when attending formal functions where it would be considered more of an offense to the other guests than an amiably harmless ecce
ntricity, she invariably garbed herself in male attire. However, this was not done with the intention of concealing her gender. A feminist of the most volubly overbearing and overreacting kind, she nevertheless selected garments which left no doubts regarding her sex.

  That night, as was generally the case, the thin blue shirt Mary was wearing beneath an open black cutaway jacket and white riding breeches, ending in brown boots with Hessian pattern legs, was snugly fitting. Clinging to and emphasizing her full bosom, its contours further defined by a scarlet silk cravat, the nipples stood out in a way which indicated that only one layer of material covered them. Almost tight enough to be a second skin, the nether garments were just as successful in displaying her slender waist, curvaceous hips and shapely thighs. Moreover, constant practice had taught her how to exhibit the lines of her richly feminine body, whether standing or sitting, so that they distracted attention from the lines of arrogant superiority mingled with disdain her face invariably bore.

  ‘He must,’ agreed the tall, slim, sullenly handsome, black haired man whose Union blue full dress uniform bore the “chicken” spread eagle insignia of a Colonel and had the letters, “P.D.”, inscribed within the embroidered gold laurel wreath on his epaulettes. ‘By constitutional means, of course!’

  ‘By any god-damned means that are needed!’ the yellowish brunette insisted, just as loudly as she had made her previous declaration. Watching Colonel Horace Trumpeter of the Pay Department throwing a nervous glance at the closed main doors of the dining room, she still made no attempt to hold her voice down to the level he had employed as she continued, ‘None of us here—and we all know there are plenty more like us who feel the same way—want that miserable-looking, rebel-loving old son-of-a-bitch even alive, much less still in office, when the war ends. Well, I have two men who can see he isn’t for us and in a way which—!’