Words Heard in Silence (95 page)

As Richard started back, Charlie could see a cloud of dust in the distance and hints of movement. Lee’s army was on its way. Lee had split his forces into three columns. They were about to face the southern column, which was comprised of one quarter of all of the remaining Southern forces in Virginia.

Gordon’s cavalry came on, desperate. They were hungry; they were clothed in rags. They were short of ammunition. The wagons bogged down in the marshy terrain. Gordon’s troops fought like devils. It was exactly what Charlie had expected –– and feared.

Dewees was a fool. He let his men go too soon and they took at least two rounds from Union artillery until he realized what both Charlie and Richard had told him. Follow the plan. That was the rule. Follow the plan.

Elizabeth, who normally was reasonably calm in battle, started cursing like a sailor when she realized she was treating wounds inflicted by their own forces.

Charlie pulled Swallow’s A Company and Braddock’s H Company from the reserve lines and sent them down to relieve Dewees. Andrews and M’Cabe, Companies C and E, were assigned to Merritt’s right flank. With controlled artillery support, and a sound infantry brigade at their core, the Union Army moved slowly in on the smaller Confederate force. It was a rout. Sheridan’s forces, a total of approximately eighteen thousand mixed infantry, cavalry, and heavy artillery, had faced some thirteen thousand five hundred of Lee’s remaining troops.

By the end of the day, Sheridan’s forces had captured seven thousand seven hundred men, most of whom had sustained some sort of injury. Eight confederate generals, including Robert E. Lee’s oldest son, George Washington Custis Lee, were captured. There were a total of about two thousand injuries in the Union forces and less than two hundred deaths. The Southern force had been devastated. Later, Richard was told that Lee, seeing men fleeing along the roads, asked, "My God, has the army dissolved?"

Charlie considered himself fortunate. He had only three letters to write home to parents, wives and families announcing the death of a loved one.

Charlie walked through the field hospital that Elizabeth and Samuelson had set up on the heights above Sailor’s Creek. He stopped and talked to a number of men, encouraging them, congratulating them on their accomplishments. Finally, he just stood and waited as Elizabeth finished treating the last –– and least seriously hurt –– of the wounded.

She stood there in the makeshift surgery tent, bloodied to the elbows, her dress covered with a piece of bloodstained canvas pinned on as an apron. For a few moments, the only people in the tent were Elizabeth and Charlie. Silently, he went to her, put his arms around her and let her lean on his shoulder.

Finally, she gathered herself, only to let go with a tirade of magnificent proportions. "God damn it, Charlie! What the bloody hell happened? I had to dig our own canister shot out of those boys."

"I am so sorry, Elizabeth. Dewees broke formation early; it put the men in the path of the first rounds while artillery was getting their range."

"So what about you, Charlie? You put a green commander in the vanguard. How stupid was that?"

"I put Company D in the vanguard because they won the right at the gymkhana and I could not go back on my word to them. Dewees has been in service since the beginning; I thought he would have better sense."

"Well, see to it that he somehow manages to follow orders in the future or he is going to get more men killed. We were damned lucky as it was. I have a couple of critical cases but only three deaths so far is not bad. You tell that little idiot from me that he is responsible for the loss of a total of seventeen arms, nine legs and God know how many horses."

"I will. I will also see to it that he personally manages the disposal of the limbs." Charlie took a deep breath. He had more bad news to deliver. "You realize that we are now in the midst of a running battle?"

"Yes, I assume we are going to chase them down. Samuelson and I are as ready as we can be."

"Thank you, Elizabeth. I will send Dewees to you shortly. You have my permission to flay him as much as you like."

Charlie turned to leave. As he reached the tent flap, Elizabeth called out. "Charlie? Take care of yourself. You have four people who really need you to go home when this is over."

He nodded and walked out.

C
harlie sent Duncan to fetch Dewees. As he waited in his tent, he started a letter home. Before he had gotten past the first couple of lines, the Captain knocked.

"Enter."

Dewees came in and stood at ramrod attention. Charlie said nothing to relieve his tension.

"So. What the hell do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sir, I allowed my eagerness to get the better of me, Sir."

Charlie stood up and moved to stand directly in front of the man. Less than two inches separated their noses. In an icy tone, Charlie began. "You let your stupidity get the better of you. You disobeyed a direct order –– issued three times, no less. I could have your ass before a firing squad this evening for that alone. But no, that was not enough. You knew we had artillery that needed to get a range on their shot. But you let our men ride into their field of fire." By now, Charlie was spraying spit with each word. "You have one third of your company down with injuries on the first day of what we know will be a hard running battle. There are twenty-six limbs and nine horses that need to be disposed of properly." Charlie’s voice had been rising with each word. He was now yelling outright, something he almost never did. "You will personally see to it. And tomorrow morning, you will report to me in person before a single man of your company moves a foot. Dismissed!"

Dewees scurried from the tent on his way to do the onerous duty Charlie had assigned him, and then to talk to his men about being too eager.

Jocko and Richard entered together. Charlie sighed and put aside his barely begun letter home.

"Yes, gentlemen?"

Richard spoke first. "How shall I order the men, Charlie? Do we march tomorrow?"

"I do not have Sheridan’s orders yet, but I suspect we do. This has all the earmarks of a running battle."

"All right. I will order fast rations, have them get what sleep they can and be ready to move at dawn."

Charlie nodded, tired and distracted with thoughts of what the next few days might bring. It was only going to get worse. Richard hurried out to see to the men.

Jocko spoke up. "A courier just arrived from Sheridan’s command. He requests your presence in a half hour. I grabbed some bread and ham for you, and have a fresh horse ready."

Charlie sighed, slumped in his chair and closed his eyes. He had gotten less than two hours of sleep the night before; it looked as though tonight would be no better. "If you have a fresh horse, I assume that Jack is still lame."

"Yes, I am afraid so. He is doing better, but I would not ask him to carry you yet."

"Well, give him a carrot and a pet for me. I will be back whenever I can get back. Is Duncan ready to ride with me?"

"Waiting outside the tent. Charlie, do you need……"

"I need this war to be over. I need to be home. I need some sleep. But you cannot give me any of those things, old friend. Keep the lamp burning; I am going to need some rest before we march tomorrow."

Charlie rose before dawn, having gotten to bed sometime around midnight. He knew that the day would be hard. Sheridan had ordered the two cavalry forces –– his and Custer’s –– to ride south and west, circumventing the main body of Lee’s forces, to take and hold the rail line from Roanoke to Appomattox. There was one objective –– to prevent Lee from receiving his supplies and thereby stop him from getting to North Carolina.

Richard and Charlie met over the early morning coffee pot. It was so early that the only light was from the low burning fires and a few torches. False dawn had yet to light the sky.

"So, Charlie, where do we go today?"

"We ride at dawn for the western part of Appomattox County –– some place called Appomattox Station. We are back on railroad detail –– and damn it, this time that glory hound Custer is in command."

"Custer? My God, Charlie –– that man is plain dangerous."

"I know. I spent a good bit of last night listening to him complain about how his boys missed out on the action since he simply flanked Ewell’s forces and we had to face Gordon head on."

Richard thought for a moment. "You know, Charlie, I have always wondered about something."

"Yes?"

"You have more experience than he does and to be honest, more success in the field. Yet he has climbed the ladder more quickly than you. Why did you avoid the politics?"

Charlie took a long drink from his coffee mug, regarding his old friend and wondering if Richard had started to become suspicious about Charlie’s secret. "I am just a soldier, up from the ranks. You know as well as I do just how nasty the politics are, Richard, so I just did my job, kept my head down and stayed out of the games that McClellan and Custer and those fellows play. Taking care of my men is enough for me."

Richard slapped Charlie on the shoulder. "And you do a damned fine job. I have learned more from you than from any other officer in the Army, I believe. Now, what is on for today?"

"We need to move quickly. Assign one of the companies to stay behind to escort the supplies and wounded; they must follow us as quickly as they can. Oh, hell. Since most of the wounded are Dewees’, assign him. Have Raiford be temporarily assigned to Company A. He does not deserve to lose his position as color bearer just because Dewees was an ass."

"Good idea. And Swallow at least knows what he is doing."

"We move at dawn. Let us get to it."

--*--

They rode hard for most of the day. It would not have taken so long, but for two distinct challenges. The first was the need to move around the main body of Lee’s forces and get ahead of them. Lee’s infantry and artillery slowed the progress of his forces of around thirty thousand men, but they still covered a good bit of territory. The second was a more difficult problem. Men were deserting from the Confederate forces by the score –– they simply left their companies and started walking home. Charlie and his men kept running into bunches of these dispirited souls on the back roads they were traveling. The first few times, things were tense. But Charlie and his men quickly realized the deserters presented no real threat.

The third bunch of ragged men they came across was trying to roast a couple of skinny rabbits they had caught. Charlie looked at these half starved, exhausted souls and immediately ordered Duncan to find them a ham and some bread.

They rode on, and by around three o’clock, reached a little train station in the middle of nowhere.

Charlie met with Custer while the men set up a makeshift overnight camp.

"Well, Redmond. If we are fortunate, we will see some action tomorrow."

"General, if we are fortunate, we will manage a surrender tomorrow. The less bloodshed, the better."

"Oh, Redmond, where is your sporting sense? Oh, yes, some men might get hurt, but that is part of the risk of war. You might say, the price of glory."

"General Custer, you and I have a different perception of the glory, as you call it, of battle. Particularly battle against men I have known for twenty years, whom I fought beside in Mexico, and who I now see as tired, dispirited, and hungry. General, they are already defeated. We now have only to complete the inevitable with as much dignity and honor as possible."

"Well, sir, I can see your point of view. I still want to write my name on at least one more battle in this conflict. Therefore, tomorrow, my brigade will take the lead. We will set the forward scouts, with the objective of taking, and if necessary destroying, any supply trains intended to relieve the rebels. You will serve as our reserves, and as defense against any effort by Lee’s vanguard from the east."

"Yes, Sir. My men will provide as much support as you require. Sergeant Nailer, who you have already met, will serve as my personal courier."

The two men examined the maps and scouting reports and determined details of deployment for the following day. Charlie then returned to camp, decidedly disturbed at Custer’s attitude, but grateful that he might actually be able to get some sleep that night.

Charlie established camp in a protected site halfway between the isolated train station and the nearby town of Appomattox Courthouse. It had an area, sheltered from northern winds by a low rise of hills, which was ideal for Elizabeth’s medical staff, and was on high ground that could be easily defended from raiders. Around sundown, Elizabeth, escorted by Company D, arrived at the camp. The more severely wounded had been transferred to the main hospital facilities within Grant’s army; only the walking wounded traveled with the contingent. Charlie rode to meet them.

"Well, Dewees, how was the trip here?"

"Uneventful, sir. We received orders from General Merritt to let the rebel deserters go their way, though we passed several groups of them."

"And the injured? Did they make the trip well?"

"You will have to ask Dr. Walker, Sir. I have not checked on them recently."

"Then you shall come with me and do so now, sir. Your first duty as an officer is to tend to the care of your men."

"Yes, sir." Dewees hung his head. Clearly, the qualities of leadership he had learned from Montgomery were not up to the standards of this career officer. He wondered what else he had done wrong.

That evening, Charlie and Richard met to go over the plans for the next day. They split the force, putting Richard and half the men facing back to the east to guard against any surprise by Lee’s vanguard. The other half were ranged to the west, to support Custer in the event he had problems with the escorts for the expected supply trains.