The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War - xaviantvision

"Who needed pressing?" Wadsworth inquired drily."Only a few," Murray answered. "They worry about their families, their crops. Get them to Majabigwaduce and they'll serve willingly enough.""The blind, the halt, and the lame?""Such men were good enough for our Lord," Murray said, evidently seriously. "And what if a few are half-blind? A man needs only one eye to aim amusket."General Lovell had quartered himself in the parson's ample house and, that evening, he convened all the senior officers of the expedition. Murraypossessed a fine round table, made of maple wood, about which he normally led studies of the scripture, but which that night served to accommodate thenaval and land commanders. Those who could not find a chair stood at the edges of the room, which was lit by eight candles in pewter sticks, grouped inthe table's center. Moths beat about the flames. General Lovell had taken the parson's high-backed chair and he gently rapped the table for silence. "Thisis the first time," Lovell said, "that we've all gathered together. You probably all know each other, but permit me to make introductions." He went around thetable, naming Wadsworth first, then Commodore Saltonstall and the three colonels of the militia regiments. Major Jeremiah Hill, the expedition's adjutantgeneral,nodded solemnly as his name was pronounced, as did the two brigade majors, William Todd and Gawen Brown. The quartermaster, ColonelTyler, sat next to Doctor Eliphalet Downer, the Surgeon General. "I trust we won't require Doctor Downer's services," Lovell said with a smile, thenindicated the men who stood at the room's edges. Captain John Welch of the Continental Marines glowered next to Captain Hoysteed Hacker of theContinental Navy who commanded the Providence while Captain Philip Brown commanded the brig Diligent. Six privateer captains had come to thehouse and Lovell named them all, then smiled at Lieutenant-Colonel Revere who stood beside the door. "And last, but by no means least, our commanderof the artillery train, Colonel Revere.""Whose services," Revere said, "I trust you will require!"A murmur of laughter sounded in the room, though Wadsworth noticed the look of grim distaste on Todd's bespectacled face. The major glanced onceat Revere, then studiously avoided looking at his enemy."I also requested the Reverend Murray to attend this council," Lovell went on when the small laughter had subsided, "and I now ask him to open ourproceedings with a word of prayer."Men clasped their hands and bowed their heads as Murray entreated Almighty God to pour His blessings on the men and ships now assembled inTownsend. Wadsworth had his head bowed, but sneaked a sidelong look at Revere who, he noticed, had not lowered his head, but was staring balefullytowards Todd. Wadsworth closed his eyes again. "Give these men of Thy strength, Lord," the Reverend Murray prayed, "and bring these warriors safehome, victorious, to their wives, and to their children and to their families. We ask all this in Thy holy name, O Lord. Amen.""Amen," the assembled officers echoed."Thank you, Reverend," Lovell said, smiling happily. He took a breath and looked about the room, then stated the reason they were gathered together."The British have landed at Majabigwaduce, as you know, and our orders are to captivate, kill, or destroy them. Major Todd, perhaps you will be goodenough to tell us what we know of the enemy's dispositions?"William Todd, his spectacles reflecting the candlelight, shuffled papers. "We have received intelligence," he said in his dry voice, "from patriots in thePenobscot region. Notably from Colonel Buck, but from others too. We know for certain that a considerable force of the enemy has landed, that they areguarded by three sloops-of-war, and that they are commanded by Brigadier-General Francis McLean." Todd studied the earnest faces around the table."McLean," he went on, "is an experienced soldier. Most of his service was in the Portuguese employment.""A mercenary?" Commodore Saltonstall asked in a voice that reeked of scorn."I understand he was seconded to Portuguese service by the King of England," Todd said, "so no, not a mercenary. Of late he has been Governor ofHalifax and is now entrusted with the forces at Majabigwaduce. My apprehension of him," Todd leaned back as if to suggest that he was speculating now,"is that he is an old man who was put out to pasture at Halifax and whose best days are, perhaps, behind him." He shrugged as if to express uncertainty."He leads two regiments, neither of which has seen recent service. Indeed, his own regiment is newly raised and is therefore entirely inexperienced. Thenotional complement of a British regiment is one thousand men, but rarely do the real numbers exceed eight hundred, so a reasonable calculationsuggests that our enemy comprises fifteen or sixteen hundred infantry with artillery support and, of course, the Royal Marines and the crews of the threeships." Todd unrolled a large sheet of paper on which was drawn a crude map of Majabigwaduce and, as the men craned forward to see the plan, heshowed where the defenses were situated. He began with the fort, marked as a square. "As of Wednesday," he said, "the walls were still low enough for aman to jump. The work goes slowly, we hear." He tapped the three sloops that formed a barrier just inside the harbor entrance. "Their broadsides facePenobscot Bay," he said, "and are supported by land batteries. There is one such battery here," he pointed to Cross Island, "and another on the peninsulahere. Those two batteries will enfilade the harbor entrance.""None on Dyce's Head?" Hoysteed Hacker asked."Dyce's Head?" Lovell asked, and Hacker, who knew the coast well, pointed to the harbor's southern side and explained that the entrance wasdominated by a high bluff that bore the name Dyce's Head. "If I recall rightly," Hacker went on, "that ground is the highest on the whole peninsula.""We have not been informed of any batteries on Dyce's Head," Todd said carefully."So they've surrendered the high ground?" Wadsworth asked in disbelief."Our information is some days old," Todd warned."High ground," Lovell said uncertainly, "will be a splendid place for our guns.""Oh indeed," Wadsworth said, and Lovell looked relieved."My guns will be ready," Revere said belligerently.Lovell smiled at Revere. "Perhaps you will be good enough to tell our militia colonels what artillery support you will offer them?"Revere straightened and William Todd stared fixedly at the tabletop. "I have six eighteen-pounder cannon," Revere said robustly, "with four hundredrounds apiece. They're killers, gentlemen, and heavier than any guns I dare say the British have waiting for us. I have two nine-pounders with threehundred rounds apiece, and a pair of five-and-half-inch howitzers with one hundred rounds each." John Welch looked startled at that, then frowned. Hebegan to say something, but checked his words before they became intelligible."You had something to say, Captain?" Wadsworth interrupted Revere.The tall marine in his dark green uniform was still frowning. "If I were bombarding a fort, General," he said, "I'd want more howitzers. Lob bombs overthe wall and kill the bastards from the inside. Howitzers and mortars. Do we have mortars?""Do we have mortars?" Wadsworth put the question to Revere.Revere looked offended. "The eighteen-pounders will topple their walls like the trumpets of Jericho," he said, "and to finish," he looked at Lovell withsome indignation, as if offended that the general had permitted the interruption, "we have four four-pounders, two of which are French metal and the equalof any six-pounder."Colonel Samuel McCobb, who led the Lincoln County militia, raised a hand. "We can offer a field-mounted twelve-pounder," he said."Most generous," Lovell said, and then threw the discussion open, though in truth nothing was decided that evening. For over two hours men madesuggestions and Lovell received each one with gratitude, but gave no opinion on any. Commodore Saltonstall agreed that the three British sloops mustbe destroyed so that his squadron could sail into the harbor and use their broadsides to bombard the fort, but he declined to suggest how soon that couldbe done. "We must appraise their defenses," the commodore insisted grandly. "I'm sure you all appreciate the good sense in a thoroughreconnaissance." He spoke condescendingly as if it offended his dignity as a Continental officer to be dealing with mere militia."We all appreciate the value of thorough reconnaissance," Lovell agreed. He smiled benignly about the room. "I shall inspect the militia in the morning,"he said, "and then we shall embark. When we reach the Penobscot River we shall discover what obstacles we face, but I am confident that we shallovercome them. I thank you all, gentlemen, I thank you all." And with that the council of war was over.Some men gathered in the darkness outside the parson's house. "They have fifteen or sixteen hundred men?" a militia officer grumbled, "and we onlyhave nine hundred?""You've also got the marines," Captain Welch snarled from the shadows, but then, before anyone could respond, a shot sounded. Dogs began barking.Officers clutched their scabbards as they ran towards the lantern lights of Main Street where men were shouting, but no more musket shots sounded."What was it?" Lovell asked when the commotion had died down."A man from Lincoln County," Wadsworth said."Fired his musket by mistake?""Shot off the toes of his left foot.""Oh dear, poor man.""Deliberately, sir. To avoid service."