Confederate Gold and Silver (8 page)

“General Lee, I am honored you remembered my name.” The fact that Lee had spoken to him by using his name, and not his rank, made McAulay feel important.

Then Lee looked at Captain White. “Forgive me, captain. While I am quite certain we have met, I cannot remember your first name or where it was we first met, but I know we have. Perhaps it is because of my fatigue, but I am having trouble recalling where we have met. Please forgive me.”

“General Lee, I also am honored you remember me. We met briefly on two occasions in Washington prior to the present conflict we are currently engaged in. I am humbled to be in your company again.”

As Major Taylor and other staff members set up a small folding table next to the table Lee had been eating at, one of Lee’s aides brought over a pitcher of cold water. Now playing the role of host, Lee poured cups of water for his guests and for himself. “Major Taylor, please see to it that our guests have some food ready for them after we are done here. They will also need a tent so they can rest. I am sure they are quite tired from their journey from Richmond.” Taylor, who had already detailed the staff to take care of these needs, briefly left to make sure the tasks had been completed.

Captain McAulay was the first to speak. As he did, he extracted an envelope from within his uniform blouse and then handed it to Lee to open. Examining the envelope, Lee could see it had been addressed to him and had been done so in the same unique style President Davis had addressed previous letters to him in. He also observed the envelope bore the wax seal of the Confederate President’s office. The presence of the two captains seated before him, having been sent personally by Davis to meet with him, as well as the sealed letter, indicated to Lee whatever was contained in the letter was of grave importance.

Breaking open the wax seal, Lee took out the letter and quietly read it.

General
Lee,

The
news
of
Gettysburg
has
reached
me.
While
I
am
saddened
by
the
loss
of
so
many
of
our
fine
young
men,
I
do
not
view
the
losses
at
Gettysburg
to
be
fatal
ones
for
the
cause
that
we
are
fighting
for.

However,
as
news
of
our
defeat
at
Vicksburg
has
also
reached
me,
I
must
take
the
necessary
precautions
to
protect
our
assets
here
in
Richmond
as
I
fear
the
Union
army
will
soon
attempt
to
advance
upon
us.
Out
of
my
concern
that
this
letter
might
be
intercepted
by
the
enemy,
I
have
given
my
instructions
for
you
to
Captains
McAulay
and
White
to
personally
deliver
to
you.
Please
know
they
speak
for
me
when
they
meet
with
you.
I
am
confident
that
you
will
understand
my
reasons
for
doing
so.
Take
the
steps
necessary
to
immediately
complete
the
orders
I
have
relayed
to
you
through
them.

Despite
the
results
at
Gettysburg,
I
still
have
the
greatest
confidence
in
you,
and
in
our
army.
I
trust
this
letter
finds
you
well
and
in
good
health.
I
look
forward
to
seeing
you
soon.

Affectionately
yours,

President
Jefferson
Davis

After reading the letter from Davis, Lee reached for his glass of water. He sat quietly for several moments before speaking. Looking at the two nervous captains seated near him, he finally spoke. “While I believe I understand what President Davis is saying in his letter, perhaps you should tell me exactly what he wants accomplished regarding our assets.”

“Sir, President Davis was concerned, as his letter states, that if his letter fell into the hands of the Union army they would know where our assets are and they would learn what steps he is directing you to take to protect these assets. That is why he personally gave us his order to give to you. His concern regarding the safety of our assets is why he sent us to personally deliver his orders to you. He did not want the Union army intercepting such a sensitive message being sent to you.”

Lee sat quietly, his legs crossed, while a nervous Captain White had summarized what he already knew from reading the letter. He patiently waited for more information to be presented to him. As White began to speak again, Major Taylor, attending the meeting as Lee’s witness for the discussion which was taking place, interrupted him. Taylor ordered a nearby sergeant, who was performing sentry duty by Lee’s tent, to move further away from where they sat.

“General Lee, as Major Taylor has just done so correctly, President Davis has directed us to tell you this mission is not to be discussed with others except for who you choose to lead it. The other members selected for this mission are not to be told the full details until they reach Richmond. Sir, President Davis is directing you to select someone you hold in the highest regard, someone you can personally vouch for, to lead this mission. While President Davis insists this officer be of the rank of major or captain, he is not mandating who that officer is; he is leaving the choice of that officer up to you. He does insist this person be in Richmond within seven days to personally meet with he and with Secretary Memminger. Secretary Memminger will then provide the specifics, such as the mission’s details and its final destination, to whomever you choose. General Lee, the purpose of this mission is to move the majority of our treasury to a location south of Richmond. We must keep it out of the hands of the Union army. President Davis does not want to wait until the Union army is advancing upon Richmond to move the money. Sir, the President is obviously very concerned about this situation.”

Lee sat back in his chair as White finished speaking; pondering the additional responsibility Davis had just thrust upon him. The responsibilities he shouldered already were enormous. While he knew President Davis only wanted him to select the proper personnel for the mission, he also knew Davis, and likely others, would hold him accountable if the mission failed. Quietly sitting in his chair, he wished he knew the exact locations of all of the Union outfits that might threaten those men who would soon be moving the Confederate treasury further south.

Captain McAulay then brought Lee back from his thoughts of what the ramifications would be for the South if the Union army seized their treasury. “Sir, we have more for you to consider as well. Because our treasury includes funds which have been raised from all of the states of the Confederacy, as well as the money we have seized from the Union, President Davis wants each of the states to have a representative present when the money is moved south, preferably a soldier at the rank of sergeant. He believes the entire Confederacy should be represented to keep an eye on the money and to have a role in protecting it. Therefore, he is directing you to have a detail put together which is comprised of four sergeants from the Army of Northern Virginia and one sergeant from each of the armies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee. Sir, because no Texas units are currently fighting in the region, he is not making it a requirement Texas be represented in this mission. President Davis wants you to have the final say in who those fourteen soldiers are, but he begs you, and these are his words, ‘Sir, please pick the fourteen bravest and honest men who are at your disposal’.”

Lee sat silent for a couple of minutes, digesting what they had told him. Then he simply asked, “Is that all?” Nervously, McAulay and White answered in the affirmative. As he slowly rose from his chair, so did both captains. “Captains, it was good to see you both again. You have completed your assignment very well. As you can see, I am very tired from our forced march from Gettysburg. I will sleep on what you have told me and we will meet again in the morning after breakfast. I hope you will find our meager accommodations to your liking and I hope you both get some rest. That will be all for now.”

That said, Lee turned and walked slowly to his nearby tent. The fatigue he had felt earlier was now even more pronounced due to the additional responsibility which had been placed upon his shoulders. He could sense he was being pushed to his limits and he knew only sleep would make things look better. As he turned to walk back towards his tent the two captains gave an awkward salute to their general, but a tired Lee never saw it. He was already focused on another responsibility given to him. Walking to his tent, Lee yelled for his aide without looking over to where Taylor now stood with McAulay and White. “Major Taylor, quickly see to the needs of our guests and then join me in my tent.”

As quickly as he could arrange for another staff member to see to the needs of McAulay and White, Taylor walked to Lee’s tent. By now Lee had removed his uniform jacket and had started to remove his boots. “Major Taylor, where is Captain Francis? You know who I mean, Captain Judiah Francis, from the Virginia Fourth Cavalry Regiment. Is he still in the hospital or has he recovered from his wounds? Do you know?”

“Sir, I saw him just this morning. He has been released from the hospital. He is still recovering somewhat from his injuries, but he seems to be doing well for having lost two fingers on his left hand. His days of being a cavalry officer may be in jeopardy though, but that is yet to be decided.”

Sitting in a small wooden rocking chair, Lee looked up at Taylor. “Major, knowing Captain Francis as I do, I doubt the loss of two fingers will stop him from serving as a cavalry officer. He is, as you likely know, an excellent soldier. How do you regard Captain Francis, Major Taylor?”

“Sir, I believe Captain Francis is indeed one of our finest officers. He is a unique combination of a Southern gentlemen and an excellent cavalry officer. I also believe him to be above reproach. He is, at least I hear he is, a fierce fighter who will not back down from a fight, no matter what the odds are. I know his men seem to have a great deal of respect for him. Sir, if you are thinking of him to lead this assignment, I would, respectfully of course, concur with your decision. Missing two fingers or not, with his experience and proven leadership skills, I believe he would be a sound choice.”

Lee sat quiet for a moment, reflecting on the comments his trusted aide had just offered. “Major Taylor, I hate to have you do this for me, seeing it is both hot and late in the day, and I know you are as tired as I am, but I need you to find Captain Francis immediately. And Major, as you know, this has to be kept quiet. I apologize for having to tell you this, but I need to know you understand the importance of this assignment and the importance of it being kept quiet. Now go find Francis and tell him he is to meet with me for breakfast tomorrow morning at seven. He does not need to know why, nor does he need to know any of the other details at this time. After you speak with him, please make sure you personally speak with General Stuart and advise him Captain Francis has been assigned to my staff until further notice. General Stuart simply needs to know that and nothing else for now.”

Major Taylor acknowledged the orders given to him by Lee. He then left to go find Francis.

******

The following morning was like a rebirth to Lee as he sensed he had gotten his first good nights sleep in well over a month. While he was not totally refreshed, he felt significantly stronger than he had when he went to bed. As he washed his face with water from a small bowl within his tent, he sensed the high humidity his army had endured on their march south through Virginia had finally broken. As he finished dressing, he could smell fresh coffee brewing nearby outside of his tent.