The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War - xaviantvision

"Then they will have something to fear," McLean said. He smiled. "But this is a large part of an officer's responsibility, Lieutenant.""To die very visibly, sir?""To set an example," McLean said. "I want our men to see that you and I don't fear the cannonade." He turned and looked towards the distant trees."Why in God's name don't they attack us?""Maybe we should attack them, sir?" Moore suggested.McLean smiled. "I'm thinking we could do that," he said slowly, "but to what end?""To defeat them, sir?""They're doing that to themselves, Lieutenant.""They'll wake up to that knowledge, sir, won't they?""Aye, they will. And when they realize by how many they outnumber us then they'll come swarming across that land," he waved the stick at the ridge, "butwe've a good few guns emplaced now, and the wall's higher, and they'll find us a more difficult nut to crack." The brigadier was still convinced the rebelsnumbered at least three thousand men. Why else would they have needed so many transport ships? "But they needs do it quickly, Lieutenant, because Idare hope there are reinforcements on their way to us." He handed Moore the blackthorn stick. "Hold that for me, will you?" he asked, then took atinderbox and a tobacco-filled clay pipe from his pocket. Moore, knowing the general's wounded right arm made McLean clumsy, took the tinderbox andstruck a flame from the charred linen. McLean bent forward to light the pipe, then took back his tinderbox and stick. "Thank you, John," he said, puffingcontentedly as a cannon-ball churned up soil fifteen paces away and bounced to fly above the fort. "And I dare say we could attack them," McLeancontinued his earlier train of thought, "but I've no mind to do that. Fighting gets very confused among trees, and once they see how few we are, they'relikely to rally and countercharge. It could all get lamentably messy. No, for now it's better to make them die on Captain Fielding's guns, eh? And every daythat passes, Lieutenant, is worth a thousand men to us. The ditch gets deeper and the wall gets higher. See?" He had turned to watch an ox dragginganother oak trunk up the slope from the village. The big trunk would be used to heighten the western rampart.McLean turned back as a renewed crescendo of musketry sounded from where Captain Caffrae was evidently poking the wasp's nest. "Please let meaccompany Caffrae, sir," Moore pleaded again."He knows when to retreat, Lieutenant," McLean said sternly.Moore smarted from that gentle reprimand. "I'm sorry, sir.""No, no, you learned your lesson. And you showed the right instinct, I grant you that. A soldier's job is to fight, God help him, and you fought well. So aye,I'll let you go, but you take your orders from Caffrae!""Of course I will, sir. And, sir'" Whatever Moore had been about to say went unexpressed, because a sudden blow threw him backwards. It felt as thoughhe had been punched in the belly. He staggered a half-pace and instinctively clutched a hand to where the blow had landed, but discovered he wasunwounded and his uniform undamaged. McLean had also been thrown backwards, held upright only by his blackthorn stick, but the brigadier was alsountouched. "What'" Moore began. He was aware that his ears rang from a gigantic noise, but what had caused it he did not know."Don't move," McLean said, "and look cheerful."Moore forced a smile. "That was a cannon-ball?""It was indeed," McLean said, "and it went between us." He looked towards the fort where the ox was bellowing. The round shot, that had flown cleanbetween the two redcoats, had struck the ox's haunches. The fallen animal was bleeding and bellowing on the track just a few paces from Fort George'sentrance. A sentry ran from the gate, cocked his musket and shot the animal just above the eyes. It twitched and was still. "Fresh beef!" McLean said."Dear God," Moore said."You brushed with death, Mister Moore," McLean said, "but I do believe you were born under a lucky star.""You too, sir.""Now we wait for four more shots," McLean said."Four, sir?""They play four cannon on us," McLean said, "two eighteen-pounders, a twelve-pounder," he paused while a rebel gun fired, "and a howitzer." The shotrumbled high overhead to fall somewhere far to the east. "So the fourth shot, John, will almost certainly be from the same gentlemen who so narrowlymissed killing us, and I wish to see if they shoot at us again.""A quite natural curiosity, sir," Moore said, making the brigadier laugh.The howitzer fired next, and its shell landed short of the fort, where it lay trickling smoke from its fuse until it exploded harmlessly. The twelve-pounderslammed a ball into the southwestern bastion, and then the eighteen-pounder that had come so close to killing McLean and Moore fired again. The ballskimmed the abatis well to the general's north, bounced short of the ditch and flew over the ramparts to crash into a spruce on Doctor Calef's property."You see," McLean said, "they're not aiming true. There's no consistency in their aim. Captain Fielding!""Sir?""You may engage the enemy again!" McLean called as he led Moore back to the fort.The British guns opened fire. All day long the opposing artillery dueled, Captain Caffrae taunted the enemy, Fort George's ramparts grew higher, andGeneral Lovell waited for Commodore Saltonstall.Peleg Wadsworth wanted a force of marines, sailors, and militia for his attack on the Half Moon Battery. He had decided to attack under cover ofdarkness, and to do it that very night. The rebels had already captured the British batteries on Cross Island and on Dyce's Head, now they would take thelast of the British outworks and once that was taken there would only be the fort left to conquer."What you don't understand," Commodore Saltonstall had told Wadsworth, "is that the fort is formidable."Wadsworth, seeking the help of the marines, had gone that afternoon to the Warren where he discovered Saltonstall examining four iron hoops that hadbeen strapped about the frigate's damaged mainmast. The commodore had greeted Wadsworth with a grunt, then invited him to the quarter-deck. "Ipresume you want my marines again?" the commodore asked."I do, sir. The army's Council voted to make an attack tonight, sir, and to request the assistance of your marines.""You can have Carnes, Dennis, and fifty men," Saltonstall said briskly, as if by agreeing quickly he could rid himself of Wadsworth's company."And I'd also be grateful for your advice, Commodore," Wadsworth said."My advice, eh?" Saltonstall sounded suspicious, but his tone had softened. He looked cautiously at Wadsworth, but the younger man's face was soopen and honest that the commodore decided there was nothing underhand in the request. "Well, advice is free," he said with heavy humor."General Lovell is convinced the fort will not fall while the enemy ships remain," Wadsworth said."Which is not your opinion?" Saltonstall guessed shrewdly."I am General Lovell's deputy, sir," Wadsworth said tactfully."Ha.""Can the enemy ships be taken, sir?" Wadsworth asked, broaching the subject directly."Oh, they can be taken!" Saltonstall said dismissively. He disconcerted Wadsworth by looking just past the brigadier's left ear rather than into his eyes."Of course they can be taken.""Then'""But at what price, Wadsworth? Tell me that! At what price?""You must tell me, sir."Saltonstall deigned to look directly at Wadsworth for a moment as if deciding whether his answer would be wasted on such a man. He evidentlydecided it would not be, because he sighed heavily as though he was weary of explaining the obvious. "The wind sets from the southwest," he said,looking past Wadsworth again, "which means we can sail into the harbor, but we cannot sail out. Once inside the harbor we lay under the enemy's guns.Those guns, Wadsworth, as you may have observed, are efficiently manned." He paused, plainly tempted to make a comparison with the militia's artillery,but he managed to suppress the comment. "The harbor is constricted," he went on, "which dictates that we must enter in file, which in turn means the leadship must inevitably sustain heavy damage from the enemy's fire." He waved briskly towards the Warren's bows, which still showed evidence of hastyrepairs to her bowsprit and forecastle. "Once inside we have no room to maneuver so we must anchor to preserve our position opposite the enemy ships.Either that or sail directly at them and board them. And all that while, Wadsworth, we are under the cannon of the fort, and what you don't understand is thatthe fort is formidable."Wadsworth wondered whether to argue, but decided argument would merely goad Saltonstall into stubbornness. "It seems that what you're saying, sir,"he said, "is that the ships will not fall till the fort is taken?""Precisely!" Saltonstall sounded relieved, as if Wadsworth was a dim pupil who had at last grasped the simplest of propositions.