Nathan had convalesced in California and then been offered the opportunity to resign his commission. He had accepted. The army no longer held anything for him beyond painful memories. “Would you like a drink?” Scott asked. “I have some excellent scotch whiskeys.”
“Not right now, thank you.”
Scott appeared disappointed. He had written frequently of the evils of drinking among the enlisted soldiers, but did not feel that any prohibition extended to senior officers or men of good taste. “As you wish. Now, my young friend, how are you doing? You look fit and trim and, except for the touch of gray hair about your ears, you look young. More important, though, how are you handling your memories?”
Nathan took a deep breath. “My wife is dead and has been for more than five years. I have to live with that fact and deal with it. I have mourned and grieved and that part of my life is over. As they say, I have begun to get on with the rest of the time I have left on this earth.”
“Which will doubtless be of greater duration than mine,” Scott said drily. “After all, you are about forty years my junior.” Nathan managed a small smile. “Indeed. However. I will never forget Amy no matter how long I live.”
“Nor should you, my friend, but I am glad that you are indeed moving on.”
An interesting and very personal comment, Nathan thought. He had begun seeing women again, but had formed no serious attachments. There had been a couple of pleasant romps, but there was the nagging feeling that some women were after his money. Or, more precisely, the wealth that he had inherited as a result of Amy's death. Her family had left their investments and holdings to her and she had bequeathed them to him. He was rich, but he'd rather have Amy beside him at night. “Time changes people,” Nathan said.
“And sometimes for the better,” Scott replied. “I have been married to my dear Maria for more than forty years and she has borne me so many children I often forget their names. God knows I can never keep the grandchildren and great-grandchildren straight. Perhaps Iam senile.”
“And where is your wife, sir?”
Scott's face clouded. “She's still in Europe seeking a cure for her ailments. She will not find them there. I only hope she realizes that and returns to me so we can spend our last months together.”
Nathan turned away. There was a hint of a tear in the old general's eye and Nathan's eyes began to mist as well. Dear Mrs. Scott, he thought. What a loss it would be if she were to pass away. If? No. more like “when.”
“General, I was in New York when your summons came. I took the train to Baltimore and rode here directly. I suspect you had an important reason for contacting me?”
“Of course. But you rode from Baltimore? Why not continue by train? It would have been both safer and quicker. Or was it a train you didn't own?”
Nathan laughed. Some of his investments were in railroads. “No, but I did reserve a car and had my horse shipped with me. I chose to get off in Baltimore because it is a mess getting into Washington by train as a result of all the war traffic. Also, I wanted to see the defenses of the city, and I did.”
Nathan did not add that he'd been riding a strong fast horse, had carried a bowie knife in his boot, a short sword in his cane, and a Colt revolver in a holster strapped to his chest. He was an expert with all and had considered himself quite safe.
Nathan recounted his meeting with the sodden sentry. “The poor lad had no reason being there. He was virtually beneath the guns of Fort Slocum, which were far more intimidating than he was. At least the poor boy was well uniformed and well armed. Indeed, just about all the soldiers I saw today looked like they actually belong in an army.”
“For that we must thank McClellan,” Scott said. “My successor has done an outstanding job in organizing, arming, and training an army. He has turned the mob that failed at Bull Run into a massive and fearsome-looking war machine. My only concern is that he will never use it.”
Prior to the war, Nathan had met George Brinton McClellan on several occasions. The two men were the same age, although the precocious McClellan had been two years ahead of Nathan at the Academy. Over the years, their paths had crossed several times. McClellan had even resigned his commission the same year Nathan had. After that, McClellan had gone into the railroad business as vice president of the Illinois Central Railroad and, later, president of the Ohio amp; Mississippi.
“I am confident he will smite the enemy hip and thigh,” Nathan said.
Scott sighed. “Sad to say, I am not as confident as you are. Now, let's get to the reason I asked you to come. Tell me, have you considered getting your commission back? With your background, you could easily be a colonel tomorrow, perhaps even a general by next week. There is a dire shortage of people with military experience.”
Nathan shook his head. “I'm not ready for that. I've had good men die needlessly under my command and it nearly destroyed me. I know some officers are able to handle that, but the way those men died was just too much.”
“But might you be, someday?”
“It's possible,” Nathan admitted. It was no longer quite so easy to say never when his conscience asked him if he was going back to the military to serve his country. He knew he was many times better than some of the men who were now called colonel, or even general. “Time will tell.”
“And what about Mr. Lincoln and his war?”
“I consider his election a tragic mistake. I voted against him and I think he is the reason the South seceded. I doubt that he is competent to run this nation, and his election was to the South like waving a red flag in front of a bull. Had someone else become president, then perhaps the problems of slavery and states' rights could have been deferred long enough for everyone to grow tired of them and cause them to go away. However, I grant that it would have been unlikely, given the tenor of the times.
“Having said that, General Scott, Mr. Lincoln is our president, and what the South did is illegal and will destroy our nation unless stopped. Thus, like it or not, I support the war. The South must be brought back to the fold.”
“Very good. You are aware of the disaster involving theTrent are you not?” Scott asked. “Certainly.”
The taking of the unarmed British ship was in everyone's thoughts and was discussed wherever men gathered, Every newspaper carried articles questioning whether it would bring war, An astonishing number of them seemed to welcome it,
“I was in France when the news of it reached the continent” Scott said with a deep sigh. “France fairly exploded in anger against the United States, and I can only imagine what it was like in England. After making a few inquiries about France's position on the matter, I took the fastest ship possible back to the States, as I feel I can be of use here. In my opinion,” Scott continued, “the affair with theTrent will result in war with Great Britain.”
“I find that hard to believe, sir. Even an incompetent like Lincoln understands the need to mollify the British, We cannot fight both the South and Great Britain at the same time. Lincoln will not give in to the small minds who have proclaimed the irrational and irresponsible Captain Wilkes an American hero, I am confident Lincoln has apologized to Great Britain and that the issue will go away.”
“Nathan, I am not as confident as you are. Don't forget that I've dealt with England on a diplomatic basis. I assure you that there are forces in Great Britain that wish a war with us, and now that fool Captain Wilkes has given them a reason, Right now. Wilkes is likely speaking before some anti-British group or other and proclaiming the justice of what he did, When he is done, he will be cheered to the rafters, In the meantime, England feels humiliated and demands revenge,”
Scott slapped the arm of his chair in frustration, “But what if the British do not accept our apology, as I fear they will not? It has been almost a month since the SanJacinio made port with her prisoners, and ships with the news saiied to Britain almost immediately. Less than a week after that a ship with the formal American response set sail.