The Last, Long Night (#5 in the Bregdan Chronicles Historical Fiction Romance Series) (19 page)

“Yes, sir!” Alex responded crisply, his eyes alight with excitement as he walked away quickly. 

Robert knew he would spread the word.

Robert was on his way to the command tent when drunken laughter and loud talking split the early evening heat.   “What in the…?”

“You’re looking at some of the soldiers that raided Montgomery Blair’s house today,” another officer explained, casting a sardonic look at the inebriated cluster.

Robert stared at the besotted men.  “There are hundreds of them!”

“The cellar was rather full of whiskey barrels,” he said wryly.

Robert kept watching them, but a detail grabbed his attention.  “Montgomery Blair?  Isn’t he a member of Lincoln’s cabinet?”

“Yep.  And his father was real big in politics till he retired and founded Silver Springs, Maryland.”

“Were they captured?”

“No,” came the disgusted answer.  “Seems the entire clan left a few days ago for their annual summer retreat in Pennsylvania.”  Then he chuckled.  “Let’s just say their estates won’t look quite the same when they get back!”

Robert smiled and then ducked his head to enter the tent. 

Early was waiting for them, his face flushed with frustration.  “I had planned on launching an attack this afternoon, but our troops are too exhausted from the heat and the long march.”

“Not to mention drunk as skunks,” another officer muttered.

Early sighed.  “That, too,”  he admitted.

“Are we attacking in the morning?”  Robert asked.

Early hesitated and then shook his head.  “It’s too risky.  We don’t know how many soldiers are in that fort.  I’ve decided to take another day for reconnaissance before we go after them.”

Robert frowned but didn’t voice his concern.  The troops had already been delayed on their march.  Waiting one more day might not matter at all… or it might mean the difference between defeat and victory.

Abby was deep in a meeting regarding her business when bells began to clang all over Washington.  She sprang up and ran toward an open window.  “What in the world?  I thought the bells were supposed to ring only when the capital was under attack.” She whirled around to stare at her business associate, Mr. Patrick Hill.

“That’s true, Mrs. Livingston,” Patrick snapped, stuffing papers into his briefcase.  “I believe it would be prudent to find out what is happening.”

Minutes later Abby was out on the porch staring around at the wild chaos surrounding her.

“The Rebels are about to attack!” she heard several women scream.

Men dashed around with white, set faces. 

“Grant was so certain the South would never dare come north to attack our capital,” Patrick said angrily.  “Now they seem to be here, and to the best of my knowledge, we have hardly any troops to stop them.” 

“But what about all the fortifications?” Abby protested.

“They are no good without men in them to fight,” Patrick said heavily.  “It takes forty-five thousand men to fill all those forts and rifle pits.  I am quite sure we have only a few hundred.”

“Hundred?” Abby gasped, suddenly very frightened.

Patrick nodded grimly.  “I must go see where I can be of use.”  He started to walk away, but then spun around.  “Do you have a way to get back home?  When is your driver scheduled to arrive?”

“I’ll take her home.”

Abby gasped and turned around at the sound of the familiar voice.  “Matthew!”  She nodded to Patrick.  “I’ll be fine.  You go ahead.  My prayers are with you.”  Then she turned into the hug Matthew had waiting for her.  “What are you doing here?  How do you always manage to save me?”  She laughed as tears of relief filled her eyes.

“I was hoping to find you before you grabbed a gun and went off to fight.”  Matthew said teasingly.

“Hardly!”  Abby retorted.  “But, Matthew, is it really as bad as Patrick made it sound?”

“It’s not good,” Matthew admitted, his bright blue eyes shadowed with concern.

“How did Rebel troops get so close to Washington?  I thought I was in one of the safest cities in the world.”

“Well, you would be except that it never crossed Grant’s mind that Lee would be bold enough to send twenty thousand men into the North.”

“Twenty thousand?” Abby gasped.  She looked around, trying to make herself stay calm.  “What will happen if they take the city?”

“Our soldiers are on the way now,” Matthew assured her.  “I came in on the boats with thousands of men.  More are on the way.” 

“But why has Grant waited so long?  Surely someone knew twenty thousand Confederate soldiers were crossing Maryland.”

Matthew nodded.  “Grant received word from many people that General Early was invading the North.  But with each message, he blindly wired back that General Early was still with Lee in Richmond.  Grant refused to take it seriously.”

Abby was flabbergasted.  “But….”

Matthew held his finger to his lips.  “It’s best not to try to understand it.  I’ve been trying for the last two months to make sense out of this war, and I still can’t.  I report the facts, but I can’t pull anything out of them that creates a picture I can understand.”

“You don’t think Grant is a good general?”

Matthew shrugged.  “I’m not sure what to think.  I know he promised President Lincoln he would not repeat other generals’ mistakes - that he would not leave Richmond until the job is done.  He’s still there.  He’s a fighter; I’ll give him that.”

“But….”

“But he seems to treat our troops as if they are simply expendable numbers on a chart,” he said hotly.  “The Rebels mow them down when he sends them into impossible situations.  Then he just sends in more soldiers.”

Abby looked deeply into Matthew’s eyes and saw only sorrow and pain.  “I’m sorry.”  She grasped both his hands.  “This will all end, Matthew,” she said tenderly.   “Nothing lasts forever.  No matter how horrible the war is, it will end.  And then all of us can go about the job of healing – our hearts and our country.” 

“I know,” Matthew murmured and then shook his head, his weary eyes saying he didn’t really know anything anymore.  “It’s not over yet, and I have a job to do.  But not until I get you home safely.”

“We’ll walk,” Abby said.  “Trying to get a carriage through all this mess will take more time than walking.”

“It’s so hot,” Matthew protested.

“I’ll hardly melt,” Abby laughed, not at all certain that was true.  Hot humidity had settled on the city, along with an oppressive air of fear threatening to smother everything. 

She forgot her discomfort as they walked through the streets.  Knots of people clogged the streets and sidewalk, their excited talk intensifying the chaos.  Wagon after wagon full of families rolled by; belongings bulged from every possible nook and cranny.

“Refugees from the surrounding areas,” Matthew explained.  “They’re bringing in reports of what is going on out there.  Every family who saw the Rebels advancing have escaped here for safety,” he said sarcastically.

“But you need to talk to them,” Abby cried.  “I’m keeping you from doing your job.”

“My most important job right now is to get one of my favorite people in the world into a place of safety.”

“Will there
be
a safe place if the Rebels take the city?” Abby asked and then paused in thought.  “Richmond is like this all the time, isn’t it?  Carrie has to live with this fear every day,” she murmured, her eyes wide with compassion and sudden understanding.

“I wouldn’t say she’s living in fear,” Matthew replied thoughtfully.  “She’s simply ceased to let it bother her.  She puts all her focus on the patients in the hospital.  She told me that if the Union takes the city, she would still have patients to care for.  She would continue to do her job.  She’s scared for Robert, but she’s not scared for herself.”

Abby turned and gazed south.  “How I would love to see her….”  The longing was so strong it was an ache that swept through her.

“Moses sends his love,” Matthew said.

Abby gave a cry of delight.  “Moses!  He is still alive then.  I’ve been so afraid for him.  How in the world did you find each other?”

Matthew told her the story as they walked the rest of the way to the boarding house she was staying in.  “I don’t like how close this is to Fort Stevens,” Matthew said, a deep frown bunching his eyebrows.  “That’s probably where they will attack.”

Abby shrugged.  Her fear had disappeared with his words about Carrie.  “If the Rebels take the city, they take it.  I will deal with whatever comes.  In the meantime, I’m going in and join some of the other women making more bandages.  I’m sure we will need them.  It’s not much, but it’s all I can do right now.”

She lifted her chin bravely and smiled warmly at Matthew.  “Go do your job, Matthew.  If you find you can see me again while you are here, I would love that.  If it’s not possible, know that my thoughts and love are always with you.”

Matthew hugged her again, stared into her eyes, and then turned and strode rapidly away.

Abby watched him until he was out of sight and then went into the house to await further developments.

“Why are we all just sitting here, Captain?” Alex asked, coming over to sit down beside Robert.

Robert had just returned from a briefing.  “General Early is still trying to determine how strong the Union force is.”  He decided not to include the detail that every moment they delayed gave the Union more time to reinforce their troops.  Robert knew he had no way of knowing what was really going on behind the walls of the fort, but he just couldn’t see that waiting would do them any good. 

All of Washington was on alert with bells clanging wildly all through the day and night.  He knew what would have happened in Richmond if bells rang continuously that way.  And he couldn’t imagine the citizens of the Union capital would simply wait and let the Rebel forces waltz in when they were ready.

“Why aren’t they attacking?” Peter asked.  “For that matter, what made them sit there all day yesterday?  We wouldn’t have been able to stop them if they had attacked.”

Matthew shook his head.  “That seems to be the question through this entire war.  I believe Richmond could have been taken many times in the beginning of the war if the generals leading the troops had pushed their advantage and taken action.”