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The house was a small, neat dwelling with a nice front porch- I imagined it was a beautiful place to sit when the weather was fine, and the rocking chair next to the railing seemed to bear this out. The house sat low on its foundations, with only a small step between the ground and the porch, with the front door level to that structure. Carved wooden supports held up the roof, and the whole residence was painted a bright white which gleamed in the noonday sun. Lace curtains at the windows in the front of the house gave it a nice touch of home. As we approached the house, I noticed movement at one of the windows; as we dismounted, the front door opened and a young woman in a simple dress walked out onto the porch. “Good afternoon gentlemen, how may I be of service to you today?” The greeting was friendly, the tone was not. In fact, there was a slight edge to her voice, as though we were an unwelcome intrusion.
Casey, having climbed down from his carriage with all the grace of a falling sack of potatoes, turned to face the young woman. “Good afternoon, Sarah, I’ll vouch for these gentlemen. We have an appointment with your father, please tell him we’ve arrived, will you?”
“Very well, Mr. Casey. Wait here and I’ll fetch him for you.” She turned on her heel and marched back into the house, shutting the door behind her as she went. She seemed to resent our being here, which I found odd. Her father was a justice of the peace, she should be used to people arriving at the house for confidential business. Granted, many- if not most- justices conducted their business at the location their services were needed- the county clerk’s office for example- but it was not uncommon to go to the justice’s residence if a suitable venue couldn’t be obtained. As the justice represented official authority in the county, his residence would have the same formality as any other county office.
Casey turned to us. “I must warn you gentlemen, Sarah’s a bit of a handful. Always has been. I’ve known her since she was a little girl, and even then she was full of fire.”
“So what’s her issue with us then?” I inquired.
Casey thrust his thumbs through his suspenders and rocked back and forth on his heels. “Well, it’s a difficult situation, her and her brother. You see, they’ve been living here in the mountains for, oh, since old Davis first came here, back about 1830 that was.”
I nodded in understanding. “That explains it.”
Gordon looked confused. “Explains what? What does being born here have to do with anything?”
Casey answered before I had the chance. “Folks up here in the mountains, they’re different from the folks in the lowlands. There’s some resentment toward Richmond, they complain about being abandoned- that all the money flows to Richmond and never up here. Harpers Ferry, it’s a bit better off because of the railroad. But the whole region is still a hotbed of Unionism and anti-planter fervor. Took awhile to get the northwestern counties to go along with secession, and some of them never took to it- there’s talk of them secedin’ from Virginia, if you can believe that!” I could. It was a fairly common sentiment in the mountains, even in the Shenandoah. The hill folk were admittedly cool in their support for the Confederate cause, even when it was pointed out that they stood to lose as much as we did if war came. This could be a tricky situation.
“Does she know why we’re here?” Surprisingly, Gordon asked the question I had been formulating.
“She might have some idea,” Casey admitted. “I had to explain to the old man that we needed his support on a matter of some urgency, in service to the Confederacy. She was in the kitchen and probably overheard at least some of that. But she’s loyal to her father and won’t do anything which would hurt him. She-”
I cut him off. “Where’s her brother?”
Casey looked defeated. “Gone North,” he whispered.
“Good God above!” Gordon said. “You mean he’s joined the Federals? And his sister’s still here? Why, he could be right across that river, right now! And we’re supposed to walk right into this trap?” His anger was palpable, and I wondered for a moment what he would do. He struggled visibly to contain himself, then turned to me. “So what do we do now?”
I had to admit, I was a bit at a loss. I doubted we had time to turn back and find someone new. But this represented a risk, to be sure. Still, we had a plan to get out of Harpers Ferry and I think we could still make it work. “We go on. Casey, we need you to call out the militia tonight. Tell them you have orders from Richmond to look for two saboteurs who were last seen in this area. Get them to look for two men who aren’t from the area. We’ll be with you when you do so, so make sure we’re identified as on your side. This will force our friends into hiding, or force them to assist you in searching- you’ll focus the search on the edge of town, away from the railroad. Understand?”
Casey nodded vigorously. “Of course! Absolutely! A good plan gentlemen, I’ll see to it, don’t worry.”
At that moment, Sarah opened the door. “My father will see you now,” she said icily. Her eyes blazed with anger as we approached the porch, but she said nothing further. She glared at me openly as I walked past her into the parlor. Once inside, I turned to look at Casey.
“I’ll continue to worry, if you please. It helps me stay alive.” I glanced past him to Sarah as I spoke, and she stared right back at me. Not if I have any say in it, you won’t, her eyes said to me. I fervently hoped she was wrong.
We were ushered into the parlor, a handsome room with a small table and two carved-back chairs, a small sofa, and a rocking chair with a blanket folded on the seat. An oil lamp stood on another table in front of one of the two lace-trimmed windows we had seen from outside. The windows had extended sills, and Gordon I each seated ourselves upon one, while Casey took one of the chairs. Sarah flounced across the room and dropped onto the sofa, crossing her arms across her chest and glaring at us. Clearly, she intended to attend our meeting.
I caught Casey’s eye and inclined my head in Sarah’s direction, the message direct: get rid of her. To my surprise, Casey dropped his eyes from mine and imperceptibly shook his head. His message was equally clear: I can’t. All right then, up to me I suppose. “If you would be so kind, Miss, this is private business we’re here to discuss with your father. Would you please give us the courtesy of leaving us to it?”
Her reaction- her fury- was immediate and intense. “I’ll not leave my father alone with you ‘gentlemen’.” The sarcasm dripped from her words. “The last time men came for my father it was to order him to tell where my brother had gone to.” This was said with a glare at Casey, who squirmed in his chair uncomfortably. “My father took to his bed for a week after their visit and hasn’t been well since, and now here you come again with a request for your war. One which will tear apart our homes and our families and leave us with nothing. And you expect me to remove myself to my knitting, as a proper lady should in the presence of men- well I am pleased to disappoint you, Sir! I will not be brushed aside while my father is assaulted once again, while my family is destroyed, so you can play at being big men. When the war you are pushing for comes, where will you be? Will you protect me? My home? My father? Because you’ve taken away anyone who would keep me safe!”
She finished her tirade- or at least paused for breath- and an awkward silence settled about the room. Obviously, she had some personal grievance against Casey- I wished fervently he had disclosed his dealings with this family in full, so we would’ve been prepared for this. Now, our entire mission would be known to a woman with openly hostile opinions. I tried, vainly, to determine our next course of action.
Gordon settled the question for me. Rising to his feet, he bowed toward Sarah. “Miss, I assure you upon my honor as a gentleman that we mean no disrespect to you, your father, or your family. You must be aware that such a pledge is not offered lightly or with no regard, and that it is the solemn truth of the matter. I do not know what hurt has been done to you previously, but believe me when I say nothing of what we do here today will harm your family one bit. If we have offended you in some manner I cannot conceive of, I offer my apologies to you without reserve.” As he said this, he offered a slight bow towards her, fixing his eyes upon her face as he did so. At the same time, I noticed a slight flush creep into her cheeks and her lips parted ever so slightly, as though she drew in a sudden breath. The effect was not lost on Gordon, who gave a small smile as he stood up and crossed the room to stand before her. “Forgive my manners, we haven’t even introduced ourselves. That gentleman is Major Matthew Glenn,” indicating me, “and I am Colonel Joshua Gordon. Our purpose here is simple- we require some documents drafted, nothing more. Your father was chosen because he is familiar with the crafting of official documents and can provide us with what we need. Following that, we will be on our way. If I may address your other concerns, about your safety, I once again offer you my word of honor that I will do whatever I can to keep you safe. You, personally. I will do what I can do to protect you, if you will allow it.”
I was stunned! Even Casey looked up from the floor with his mouth hanging open. In one move, Gordon had revealed our names, our ranks- everything we had worked to conceal- to a potential enemy. What the hell was he thinking? I looked back at Sarah to see her response. To my complete surprise, she covered her face with her hands and started to cry. I felt ashamed to see this proud woman reduced to tears in front of us, as I knew she must’ve hated herself for appearing to be ‘weak’; truth be told, she was one of the strongest characters I’d met, male or female, but she would undoubtedly view her response as a display of ‘feminine frailty.’ I think I was beginning to understand her better- she was the rock of the family and all the strain and stress of caring for her father, protecting her brother, and living in fear of what may happen to her home- from us or the Federals- was a crushing burden. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to be gone, to no longer be a source of trouble for her- but there was a mission at hand and I had no other ideas.
Gordon, however, did- and once again, he surprised all of us. This time, he crossed the room and knelt by her side, removing his handkerchief in one swift movement. Concern played across his features, as he gently took her hand from her face and pressed his handkerchief into it. He held onto her other hand as he did so. To my astonishment, she not only allowed this assumption of liberties, but she even smiled at him as she dabbed at her tear-streaked cheeks. “Thank you, Colonel. You are a true gentleman.” The effect was transformative, changing her to a beautiful young woman charming a suitor. It quickly faded, however, as the frosty side reasserted itself. “But I have heard such pleasantries from other gentlemen, who pledged to protect me until they decided I was their enemy and threatened to burn down my home.” She started to pull her hand back, but Gordon held on to it gently, but firmly.
“Lady, I have pledged my honor to your defense. Tell me the names of these men, and I will deal with them. Tell me you wish to leave for safer lands, and I will take you there myself. You are not a weak and helpless woman, as some no doubt see you- but you have need now of a protector against those who would seek to harm you. I offer myself to your service, having been swayed by the justice of your cause.” Here was a new side of Gordon, and one which I wasn’t certain I liked. We didn’t actually need to win her over- if necessary, we would remove her from the room or escort her father elsewhere. We certainly didn’t need to waste time in platitudes- if that’s what they were; I was becoming concerned that Gordon actually meant what he was saying to her, and wondering how that would play out.
Sarah dropped the handkerchief in her lap and covered Gordon’s hand with hers. “I do believe you Colonel, but I am confused how you say such things when you consort with one of the men who swore to burn me out of home.” There was genuine hurt in her voice, not the spitefulness I expected. Things were getting out of control and I hadn’t the faintest idea how to set about regaining it. “That man, at the table there- he came with a group of men to recruit my brother. When my brother refused to join them, they discharged him from his job at the railroad and he couldn’t provide for us. He took on odd jobs about town, helping farmers, and so forth- menial work for a skilled artificer. But even in this he was thwarted. The men came again, and said if he didn’t join them, he would be viewed as an enemy and dealt with accordingly. After that, he took to hiding in the woods. But still they kept coming for him, riding by the house every day. My brother finally left, went north, to keep us from harm- and they came again. They pounded on the door and demanded to be let in. My father spoke to them in this room- that man-” pointing at Casey- “he told my father if he didn’t tell them where my brother was, they’d burn the house down. Even when we pleaded with them, told them my brother had gone north, they refused to listen. My father collapsed on the floor and was insensible for a week- he’s just now gone back to his health and it’s been a month since that night. And now you bring that man into my home, and ask my father to help the Confederacy which would hurt my brother and burn my home, and speak to me of defending me?”
Gordon leapt to his feet and whirled about to face Casey. I, too, moved quickly from the windowsill, just in case. Grabbing Casey by the lapel, Gordon roughly yanked him to his feet. “Is what she says true?!” he demanded. Frankly, I didn’t for a moment doubt her story- I thought back to the scene in the hotel and the staff’s reticence regarding Casey. He had undoubtedly been throwing his weight around there, too. “Quick now, answer me!”
Casey had gone white with fear in the face of Gordon’s rage. “It’s not like that,” he wheezed. “We were only tryin’ to get the lad to join up and do his patriotic duty, but he said his duty was here with his father and sister.”
I moved over, interposing myself between him and Gordon. With a sigh of relief, he sagged into the seat. “Not our fight,” I murmured to Gordon. He glared at me, but relented. Turning to Casey, I looked down at him as he struggled to regain his composure. “You might have mentioned this when we first discussed our need. I have reservations now about involving this gentleman and his family in our business. I think we should find another alternative.”
I motioned to Gordon and started toward the door. “Miss Sarah, our apologies for intruding upon your hospitality. Please convey our respects to your father. As for Mr. Casey’s transgressions, I will be reporting them to the military authorities in Richmond with my recommendation that they merit a close inspection; my recommendations are normally afforded considerable weight by my commanding officer.” With that, and a glance at Casey- who paled again- I turned on my heel and started toward the door.
“Please wait.” A woman’s voice, but soft and melodious, not the harsh tones I had become accustomed to. Puzzled, I turned toward Sarah. Although the words were directed at me, she had moved closer to Gordon and now had her hands around his forearm, holding him from leaving. She was looking at him imploringly, eyes silently pleading for him not to go. What is going on here? I thought.
Addressing Gordon, her voice trembling ever so slightly, she said, “You promised you would protect me, that you would keep me safe. If you leave me now, they’ll come back for me and my father. Even if you contact Richmond with a full report, they’ll do what damage they can before your help can arrive. You can’t leave me here.” Her eyes were bright with unshed tears, and she was struggling to keep herself composed. I got a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach as I realized where this was headed. “You said you would take me anywhere I wanted to be safe, that was your promise. If you meant that, and I believe you did, then take me to my brother.”
Before I could even comprehend what she was asking, Gordon had answered. Taking one of her hands in his, he gently bowed over it. “If that is your wish, I will fulfill it for you. Upon my honor.”
Damn.
I stood in the parlor, watching my world come crashing down around me. The railroad man, Casey, sat at the table with his head in his hands. Gordon and Sarah were now holding hands, gazing into each other’s eyes with solemn expressions. And a grizzled old man was standing in the doorway at the back of the parlor, taking in the scene. As I scrutinized him, he gave me a wry grin, as if to question the folly unfolding in front of us. He slowly made his way into the room, walking stiffly with arthritic joints. Sarah led Gordon by the hand toward the old man and made introductions. “Daddy, this is Colonel Gordon, come from Richmond. Colonel Gordon, my father, Phillip Davis.”
The old man slowly extended his hand, and Gordon met it with his own. At the same time, he deftly placed his other hand on Davis’ shoulder in a sign of friendship; the effect, however, was to help steady the man, which was appreciated by Davis and his daughter. Gordon maintained his support as he steered his charge toward the empty chair at the table, then helped the man ease into it- at this point, all pretense was absent. Davis closed his eyes in relief as he sat, then opened them and smiled with gratitude at Gordon. “Thank you, young man,” were the first words he spoke. Sarah was dabbing at her eyes with Gordon’s handkerchief, then she too was thanking Gordon. I revised my earlier opinion somewhat- Gordon’s gentlemanly instincts had seemingly won over the daughter, and maybe the father as well.
The old man caught my eye, so I moved forward and made my own introduction. “Major Matthew Glenn, at your service, Sir. I was just explaining to your daughter that we regret intruding upon your home, and will be on our way.” At this point, I hoped to be able to extricate ourselves with their pledge of silence about our identities and movements.
“Not at all, not at all. I heard enough of your conversation to have some idea of what you want. Documents, eh? And you’re mixed up with this scoundrel here-” pointing to Casey- “but you have the decency to be outraged by his treatment. Tell me, son, does your Confederacy make a point of treating civilians like enemies?” His tone was polite, but his words contained a challenge.
“Sir,” I began, choosing my words carefully. “I began my service in the United States Army. I resigned and joined the army protecting Virginia against invasion- my home, Sir, is in these mountains, just like yours. My neighbors have the same concerns and the same interests as yours. We have a shared heritage, you and I, and I would no more support a government which abused our citizens than would you. I regret very much what Mr. Casey and his men have done to your family, and I promise you it will be looked into; beyond that, there is not much more I can do. I have urgent business elsewhere which I must be about. But know this before I leave- Mr. Casey’s actions and those of his associates are their own. They do not represent the official policy of the Army of the Confederacy or the forces of Virginia.”
He gave me a thin smile. “So you say, so you say. Well, I wouldn’t be the one to call you a liar, maybe you even believe all that. But you are naïve if you think his actions aren’t official policy. It may not be written down in an order, but it’s what the people making decisions want, and they’re the ones running this Confederacy of yours. They ignored the people of the mountains when they seceded and they’re ignoring us now. Richmond is in danger, yes, but now they’ve placed us in danger as well- and yet they tell us we are all in this together.”
He paused to gauge my reaction, and when I offered none he went on. “You need my help, and I need yours. My daughter is right- whatever you say will happen matters not; once you leave here, our lives are worthless. So, I’ll make you this deal- you help us get across the border, and I’ll draft whatever documents you need.”
This was next to worthless assistance- yes, we’d have our documents, but he’d know the contents and would be ideally placed to tip off the Federal authorities. Even if he left the names blank for us to fill in later, he could tell them to watch out for two officers purporting to be from Washington Territory. Our identities would be useless; at the very least, we’d be in danger whenever we had to show our papers. One telegram and the whole city would be alerted to us. There had to be a better way. “I’m sorry Mr. Davis, but I regret that will be impossible. That would involve a great deal of risk for my partner and I, risk I see no reason to incur. We will have to come up with an alternative.”
Sarah flung herself onto Gordon’s chest, sobbing as she clutched at him. “Please, please, don’t leave us here. They’ll kill us, they’ll burn down our house- we can’t stay, we can’t! You promised to keep me safe!”
Gordon looked at me with conflict written all over his face. “I did, I promised you and I will honor that promise.”
I sighed. This was getting us nowhere, fast. “Sir, if you and your daughter will excuse us for a minute, I’d like to talk to my companions on the porch to see if we can arrive at a mutually beneficial arrangement.” Without waiting for an answer, I motioned Casey and Gordon to the door, following them outside and closing it behind me.
Once outside, I let them have it. “What in God’s name were you thinking?” I roared at Gordon. He recoiled, stunned at my outburst. “Do you have any idea how badly you’ve compromised our mission?”
His face darkened with anger. “You forget yourself, Glenn. An officer and a gentleman is expected to care for those he encounters who are in need. The lady requires our help, it would be churlish to refuse it. Mission or not, we do not forget who we are.”
“No, we don’t forget who we are- officers on assignment from General Lee, tasked with a mission of vital importance to the Confederacy. Your insistence on playing the role of cavalier in there may have compromised our plans to make our escape. You do realize that they have our names along with our descriptions- and wouldn’t our friendly shadows just love that information! Not to mention the impossibility of having him draft a set of orders and commissions for us now that he knows their contents and would promptly deliver those to the first Federals he encounters!” I was yelling now, which showed just how much Gordon had rattled me. Turning to Casey, I pointed my index finger right at his nose; his eyes crossed as he tried to focus on it. “And as for you! You knew going into this that our mission was sensitive, you knew we were being followed, and that we needed to make a clean getaway, and yet you brought us to the home of a family openly hostile to our cause- a family which you have been harassing and threatening, contrary to all standards of decent behavior and quite possibly in contravention of the law!” My rage spent itself, and I stood with my hands on my hips, glaring at the pair of them. Gordon’s jaw was clenched and his face was flushed with suppressed rage, while Casey, predictably, was ashen. I was rapidly coming to the conclusion that he was entirely ill-suited to our needs, and quite possibly a liability.
Gordon spoke first, in measured tones. “All right Glenn. You have a point- we must be mindful of our mission, and I will endeavor to bear that foremost in mind.” His formality conveyed his anger, and I wondered if anyone had ever spoken to him in that way before. Perhaps I had been a bit intemperate in my remarks, but he needed to understand that we couldn’t allow distractions to interfere with our mission. “But do me the courtesy of understanding that I am not accustomed to turning my back on a lady in need for any reason, that even in the heat of battle I should attempt to render such aid as I could without endangering the lives of my men- even at risk of my own life, if need be. That is my character and it is important for you to understand this. Even if it means you no longer wish to continue our partnership, you must at least understand that.”
I turned up my palms in supplication. “Josh, I do understand. And I apologize for coming off so- heartless, I suppose. I tend to fixate on the needs of the mission at the exclusion of any other distractions, and I admit to being a bit off-balance on this assignment. Events have proven to be much more difficult than I had expected them to be, no-one is as they seem”- this was accompanied by a glance at Casey- “and everywhere I look, new problems arise. I’ll almost be happier in Maryland, because at least there I can assume everyone is an enemy.” I exhaled forcefully, blowing the air out in an audible stream. “All right, let’s sort out our priorities. We need to get into Maryland, if possible with our documents, and we need to relocate the girl and her father.” Gordon and Casey both looked up in astonishment. “Yes, you heard me. They need to be moved. She’s right- if they stay here, they’ll be in danger. I’m sorry Casey, but your conduct has been inexcusable, regardless of your motives or community sentiment. Your position is a military one, charged with carrying out duties for the army, not the civilian population. We do not make war on civilians, even those we disagree with. We do not force people to fight for us- if you’ll recall, that’s why Virginia seceded, because Lincoln ordered us to provide troops to attack our countrymen. If we thought that was sufficient grounds to rebel, why do we persecute others who feel the same way? We do not need to create a hotbed of Federal support here on our border through a heavy-handed administration of vigilantism.”
Casey colored up, but said nothing. Gordon nodded in support. As I stood there, the faintest inkling of an idea, as dim as the appearance of the first star after sunset, began to form. Gradually, it coalesced into the outlines of a plan. “Now then. First order of business is to get all of us over to Maryland without arousing suspicion. What is the status of the crossings- are they guarded, patrolled, what?”
Casey swallowed hard before answering. “Roads have guards posted, and there are patrols at night. No one takes it too seriously, there’s folks livin’ on one side and workin’ on another, but with the secession and rumors of war and all, there’s a military presence keepin’ an eye out. Trains get inspected runnin’ both ways.”
I nodded. This was to be expected, a reasonable precaution under the circumstances. The patrols and inspections weren’t looking for anything or anyone in particular, but were good practice for such time as orders were given to detain certain persons or cargo. Plus, it taught the troops the skills necessary to guard picket lines and outposts in the event war did come. “What about you, are you able to cross back and forth without concern?”
“Yes, he said, bobbing his head vigorously in agreement. “I usually visit our terminal in Frederick once a week or thereabouts. It’s understood I’m engaged on railroad business and I’m left alone. We could board the train for Baltimore easily enough.”
“Very well,” I replied. “Here’s how we’ll do it. You and I will ride together, I’ll pose as someone from your office. We’ll ride as far as Frederick. Gordon, you and Sarah and the old man will follow at a distance in the carriage with as many of their belongings as they can fit. If you’re questioned, you’ll tell them you’re her husband and you’re moving the old man north to stay with his son in Maryland. We’ll meet up in Frederick, draft the documents, and then go our separate ways- Casey will make arrangements to get us on the train to Baltimore from there.”
Casey piped up. “Beggin’ your pardon, but what’s to stop the girl and her father from reportin’ you once you’re there?”
“Simple,” I answered. “They’d be implicating themselves in your kidnapping. Any story they told would be suspect at that point.”
Gordon smiled and shook his head. “As I’ve said before, it’s a devious world inside your mind.”
I smiled back. “Don’t let your wife hear you say that, she won’t let us associate.”
He grimaced. “Good Lord! My wife! It has a rather ominous ring to it.”
“Speaking of which, you’d best see about getting her one, it must look convincing.” I added, unhelpfully. “It’s your duty as a gentleman, remember?”
“I may end up regretting that statement,” he laughed.