Never Call Retreat - Civil War 03 (38 page)

"We tore Ord apart," Beauregard interjected. "That's two of his four corps wrecked so far. Grant has most likely lost upward of eighteen, perhaps twenty thousand men since this started."

'Twelve thousand, though, of ours across three days," Longstreet said. "We can't afford that rate of exchange much longer."

"I concur," Lee announced. 'The question before us now is our response."

He nodded toward Judah.

"You gentlemen all know we lost Baltimore this afternoon."

"Damn Pickett," Hood snapped. "If I was there, I'd have fought them street by street."

Lee looked over sharply at Hood and his breach of the rule against profanity at headquarters but said nothing.

Hood was right. Even though Pickett had only the equivalent of two brigades with him, surely he could have put up some kind of a fight, slowed them down for a day or two. His command, at last report, was at Relay Station, where George now claimed he'd put up a fight.

That was too little far too late. The precious reserve supplies, enough to have sustained him in a slugging match with

Grant for weeks if need be, were now gone, sitting in Baltimore warehouses.

"Fire him," Longstreet said sadly, for he was speaking of an old friend.

"I already have," Lee replied. "I sent a telegram back informing General Pickett to report to me here, and for Lo Armistead to take command of the division."

He looked around at the gathering.

"And nothing more is to be said about him," he announced. "If Armistead can at least delay their advance, that should give us three days, perhaps as many as five before we face any real threat to our immediate rear."

He looked around at the gathering of commanders, who nodded in agreement.

"Then that means if Grant will not come to us, we must go to him," Lee replied.

No one spoke.

"Gentlemen, our situation is by no means lost. Do not give way to pessimism, for I most certainly have not. General Beauregard is right. We have bloodied him. Two of his four corps are fought out. Granted, though Early's Division is out, Scales's, though heavily fought, is still relatively intact, as are Robertson's men, who sat out the day's fight in reserve, as did two of Beauregard's divisions and McLaw's."

No one replied, waiting for what he would say next.

That gave Lee a reserve of four divisions, calculating in their losses across the last two weeks, about twenty-five thousand men, just about the same number Jackson had used at Chancellorsville.

"If we wait again tomorrow, gentlemen," Lee said, "I assume we shall see a repeat of today. A massive fusillade along the entire front, but one that will not decide anything. - Perhaps he will send Banks on his north wing to try our right flank, but I doubt that. I think he proposes to wait, to hold us in position until this secondary force comes up from the rear to reinforce him."

There was no disagreement to what he had just said.

"Then we must attack before Grant can be reinforced."

"Where, sir?" Longstreet asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"General Stuart, I asked you to do some scouting. What can you report?"

Stuart stood up and leaned over Hotchkiss's maps spread out on the table.

"I still have Chambliss's Brigade to our north and west," Jeb said. The mere mention of that troubled Lee. It was the old brigade of his son, Rooney.

"They are reporting increasing pressure from Grierson. His men have pushed down across a line from the Catoctins eastward to fifteen miles below Westminster. Nothing very aggressive, other than George Custer's dash. A few raiding forces did reach the railroad tracks but quickly fell back. But by tomorrow they might be astride the Baltimore and Ohio line."

"That is no longer a concern," Lee said sharply.

"Yes, sir, but I thought you should know."

"I have Jenkins moving down now to develop out the situation at the fords on the Potomac," Stuart continued.

"Sir; that does trouble me," Pete said. "The report that came back this afternoon, about their digging in at four points along the river. If, and I must emphasize if, we need one of those crossings, it will be a tough fight now."

"We will not need them," Lee said sharply. "If anything, that move might be to our advantage. As I said last night, we defeat Grant here, then have Mosby cut several of the locks on the canal. That will strand the bulk of their Washington garrison far outside the city. I was thinking at first of turning on them and defeating each in detail, but that is senseless and an additional waste of our few remaining men."

"What then, sir?"

"We defeat Grant, then march straight at Washington."

No one spoke, though Hood and Stuart did nod and smile.

"If Lincoln has emptied out the garrison of Washington, that is the first time he has done so since this war started. He has gambled, but we shall pick up the cards. We take Washington, and regardless of the price here in destroying Grant, we will truly win this war, once and for all."

He looked over at Judah.

"Would you not agree, Mr. Secretary?"

Judah stirred from his exhaustion and looked at Lee.

"Yes, sir," he replied softly. "It would end the war."

Lee nodded his thanks. He realized that now, at this moment, he had to imbue his men with renewed hope. They were all exhausted; so was he. They had fought a pitched battle just a week and a half ago and were now in another, this one against what was proving to be a far more wily foe. Defeat Grant, though, and then within days deliver the double blow of taking
W
ashington, even if he had but twenty thousand men left, the war would be finished, once and for all. It would be a blow Lincoln could never recover from.

"The lower ford I was asking about on the Monocacy," Lee said, looking back at Stuart.

Stuart leaned over the map and looked to where Lee was pointing.

"Yes, sir, Buckeystown. Yes, sir, we scouted it out, have pickets now on the other side." "What's holding it?"

"Not much, sir. A light outpost, a company or two of infantry. Did not see any cavalry." "And the road down to it?"

"Starts back behind our headquarters, sir. One road does skirt fairly close to where Ord pushed in today, but a second road farther back is far enough behind the lines. The hills to the south of here, sir, are a good shield. High. We have pickets all along the crest. The only problem, though, is that at several points the road rises up high enough that it can be seen from the Catoctin ridge."

Lee nodded, studying the map intently, Hotchkiss up by his side.

"I surveyed some of this last year," Hotchkiss said, "when we passed through here before Sharpsburg. I rode it again today with General Stuart. He's right. It might be a potential flanking route, but at several points the road crosses up over hills, the tops of which are not concealed by the ridge running along the river."

"Distance."

"Just under
three miles, sir, from the rail
tracks down to the Buckeystown ford. A tough climb then of about two miles, I'd estimate, up to the plateau on the other side. From there I'd calculate six miles into Frederick. We've all seen the ground on the other side. It's a flat, wide-open plain, no real defensive positions on it. Fight on that, and it will be who is quicker and has more courage that will decide it."

Lee took in what Hotchkiss was saying. And again that magical moment began to form, of lines of march, distances to be covered, who would move when, how they would deploy out, the same as he had felt after the first night at Gettysburg and again in laying the trap at Gunpowder River.

"That will be it, gentlemen," Lee announced quietly, standing back from the table.

He looked over at Beauregard.

"Do you wish the honor of leading this, General?"

Beauregard smiled and nodded his head.

"Two of your divisions, along with Robertson and McLaw. Generals Longstreet and Hood, I hope you have no objections to these detachments of your divisions."

"It means no reserves," Longstreet said quietly.

"We had none at Chancellorsville and, gentlemen, this is beginning to feel a bit like Chancellorsville, though, in fact, our odds are better. Their secondary force is not literally at our back as it was at Chancellorsville; it is over forty miles away in Baltimore."

"It's not Hooker this time," Longstreet said. "Remember this is Grant."

Lee looked over at Beauregard.

"He does have tenacity," Beauregard said. "Any other general would have caved in after what we did the first day at Shiloh."

'Then let him stand, and thus, unlike Shiloh, we will indeed finish him."

Beauregard's features shifted ever so subtly.

"I meant no disrespect, General," Lee said, bowing slightly to Beauregard.

"None taken, sir," he replied softly.

"What about their observing it from the Catoctin Heights?" Stuart asked.

"We do it now, tonight," Lee said.

"Sir, that's a ta
ll order," Hood said. "My old division, though not in the fight, stood to arms all day. They fought a pitched battle the day before."

"It has to be tonight," Lee said. "I want the attack to start just before dawn. Jeb, you will lead with a brigade of cavalry and post guides at regular intervals along the road. Take the ford a few hours before dawn. General Beauregard, your two divisions to follow, and you must gain the plateau by first light, followed by McLaw, then Robertson.

"Artillery?" Beauregard asked.

"Whatever is left of our old experienced crews will be in this as well. I'll have Alexander detail off a battalion to each of your two divisions, General, two batteries to each of the other divisions."

He pointed at the crossing point and then up to the plateau on which Buckeystown sat.

"Deploy out, then start sweeping north. Nothing piecemeal. I want a solid two-division front, with McLaw and Robertson behind you in support. Do not stop until you have rolled up his line. As you advance across our front, Scales, Johnson, the brigades of Rhodes and Anderson's old commands will come in on your right. A grand assault across the river at a right angle to your attack. Your primary goal then will be for your left flank to capture the National Road, but not too quickly."

"Sir?"

"I want panic to set in. If we bolt the escape hole shut, Grant just might be able to rally in his desperation and turn on us. I want them in a panic, running for that road. The ones first on it will, as always, be the ones we don't care about, the teamsters, the staffers, supply wagons, those who have already run. Finally, bolt it shut when their main forces are on the road and partway up it."

Beauregard took the orders in, taking a sheet of paper from Walter and jotting down notes, sketching a copy of the map as well.

"General, you have a lot to do," Lee said. "I will come down to see you off. Can you be ready to move by midnight?"

"Sir?" he hesitated. "Yes, sir, I can."

"Fine then," Lee said with a smile.

"Jeb, get your lead brigade ready to move as well. Go with him on this and once across, provide cover to his left flank."

Jeb grinned, saluted, and left, Beauregard by his side.

"I better go see to my old command," Hood said. "Sir, if any boys will take down Grant, it will be my old Texans."

Walter left, calling for Jed Hotchkiss to follow and start working on additional maps for the various commands.

Longstreet, however, remained, Judah sitting by his side.

"Anything else, General?" Lee asked.

"No, sir, not really, but one suggestion."

"And that is?"

"Start moving the pontoon train south by road. You have a good screen with Jenkins. Moving those pontoons is a nightmare once off a main pike."

"Why the caution?" Lee asked.

"Why not, sir?"

Lee nodded and Longstreet stood up and left. Lee finally sat back down and looked over at Judah, who was gazing down into his glass of wine. "Hard day for you, sir?" Lee asked. "Not as hard as yours," Judah said quietly. "You look exhausted." Judah smiled. "Just sad, that's all." "Why so?"

"Three days ago I was sitting in Baltimore, just waiting for that dispatch ship flying a French flag to come in with word that the emperor, that mad emperor, had thrown in with us. Baltimore would have, after the war, quickly rivaled New York as a place of industry and commerce, which we desperately need. Chances are Washington would have wound up as our new capital."

"It will still happen," Lee said with a smile. "As my boys say, 'We ain't licked yet, not by a long shot.'"

"I wish I carried your confidence," Judah replied.

"You have to think back on our history, sir. Perhaps because you were not born here, and no offense intended, you don't fully sense that."

"How so?"

"My father fought with Washington. Many in our ranks had sat at the knee of a grandfather and heard tales of Valley Forge, that terrible retreat across New Jersey the year before, the bitter fighting in the Carolinas. Half a dozen times our cause seemed all but lost, and yet each time a kindly Providence saw fit to save us. Our situation at this moment is no different. We endured then, we shall endure now. Of that I am still confident."