The Fort: A Novel of the Revolutionary War - xaviantvision

on their flank?" Easily, Wadsworth thought, but knew he would get nowhere by saying so. "And if the commodore won't rid me of the ships," Lovell went on,"then we shall have to do the business ourselves. More batteries, Wadsworth, more batteries." He pushed a finger at his deputy. "That's your task today,General, to make me cannon emplacements."It was clear to Wadsworth that Lovell would do anything rather than assault the fort. He would nibble about the edges, but never bite the center. The olderman feared failure in the great endeavor and so sought for smaller successes, and in doing so he risked defeat if British reinforcements arrived beforeany American troops came. Yet Lovell would not be persuaded to boldness and so Wadsworth waited for the fog to clear, then went down to the beachwhere he discovered Marine Captain Carnes standing beside two large crates. The guns on the heights had started firing and Wadsworth could hear themore distant sound of the British guns returning the fire. "Twelve-pounder ammunition," Carnes greeted Wadsworth cheerfully, pointing at the two crates,"courtesy of the Warren.""We need it," Wadsworth said, "and thank you."Carnes nodded towards his beached longboat. "My fellows are carrying the first boxes up to the batteries, and I'm guarding the rest to make sure norascally privateer steals them." He kicked at the shingle. "I hear your militiamen are planning to surprise the enemy?""I hope the enemy haven't heard that," Wadsworth said."The enemy's probably content to do nothing," Carnes said, "while we twiddle our fingers.""We do more than that," Wadsworth said, bridling at the implied criticism which, if he were honest, he would agree with."We should be attacking the fort," Carnes said."We should indeed."Carnes gave the taller man a shrewd glance. "You reckon the militia can do it, sir?""If they're told the quickest way home is through the fort, yes. But I'd like some marines to lead the way."Carnes smiled at that. "And I'd like your artillery to concentrate their fire."Wadsworth remembered his close-up look at Fort George's western wall and knew the marine was right. Worse, Carnes had been a Continental Armyartillery officer, so knew what he was talking about. "Have you talked to Colonel Revere about that?" he asked."You can't talk to Colonel Revere, sir," Carnes said bitterly."Maybe we should both talk to him," Wadsworth said, much as he dreaded such a conversation. Lieutenant-Colonel Revere reacted to criticism withbelligerence, yet if the remaining ammunition was to be used wisely then the guns had to be laid skillfully. Wadsworth felt a pang of guilt at his part inappointing Revere to the expedition, then suppressed the rueful thoughts. There was already far too much blame being spread through the expedition.The army was blaming the navy, the navy was scornful of the army, and almost everyone was complaining about the artillery."We can talk to him," Carnes said, "but with respect, sir, you'd be better off just replacing him.""Oh, surely not," Wadsworth said, trying to head off the disparagement he knew was coming."He watches the fire a hundred paces away from his guns," Carnes said, "and he reckons a shot is good if it merely hits the fort. I haven't seen himcorrect the aim once! I told him he should be hammering the same length of wall with every damn gun he's got, but he just told me to stop myimpertinence.""He can be prickly," Wadsworth said sympathetically."He's given up hope," Carnes said bleakly."I doubt that," Wadsworth said loyally. "He detests the British.""Then he should damn well kill them," Carnes said vengefully, "but I hear he votes to abandon the siege in your councils of war?""So does your brother," Wadsworth said with a smile.Carnes grinned. "John stands to lose his ship, General! He's not making money at anchor in this river. He wants the Hector out at sea, snapping upBritish cargoes. What does Colonel Revere have to lose by staying?" He did not wait for an answer, but nodded out to the anchorage where the whitepaintedCastle Island barge had just left the Samuel. "And talk of the devil," he said grimly. Lieutenant-Colonel Revere might have obeyed the order tosleep ashore, but he was still visiting the Samuel two or three times a day and now he was evidently being rowed ashore after one such visit. "He goes tothe Samuel for his breakfast," Carnes said.Wadsworth stayed quiet."Then again for his dinner," Carnes continued relentlessly.Wadsworth still said nothing."And usually for his supper too," Carnes said."I need a boat," Wadsworth said abruptly, trying to avert yet more carping, "and I'm sure the colonel will oblige me." There were usually a half dozenlongboats on the shingle, their crews dozing above the high-tide line, but the only boat now on the beach was the one that had brought Carnes and theammunition, and its oarsmen were carrying that ammunition up the bluff and so Wadsworth walked to where Revere's barge would come ashore. "Goodmorning, Colonel!" he called as Revere approached. "You have fresh twelve-pounder ammunition!""Has McCobb gone?" was Revere's response."He has indeed, an hour and a half since.""We should have sent a four-pounder with him," Revere said. His barge grounded on the shingle and he stepped forward over the rowers' benches."Too late now, I'm afraid," Wadsworth said and extended a hand to steady Revere as he climbed over the barge's bows. Revere ignored the gesture."Are you ashore for a while now?" Wadsworth asked."Of course," Revere said, "I have work here.""Then would you be good enough to allow me the use of your boat? I need to visit Cross Island."Revere bridled at the request. "This barge is for the artillery!" he said indignantly, "it can't be spared for other people."Wadsworth could scarce believe what he heard. "You won't lend its use for an hour or so?""Not for one minute," Revere said curtly. "Good day to you."Wadsworth watched the colonel walk away. "If this war goes on another twenty years," he said, his bitterness at last expressing itself, "I will not serveanother day with that man!""My crew will be back soon," Captain Carnes said. He was smiling, having overheard Wadsworth's remark. "You can use my boat. Where are wegoing?""The channel south of Cross Island."Carnes's marines rowed Wadsworth and the captain south into the channel behind Cross Island. That island was one of a necklace of rocks and isletswhich bounded a cove to the south of Majabigwaduce Harbor. A narrow isthmus separated the cove from the harbor itself and Wadsworth went ashore onits strip of stony beach where he unfolded the crude map James Fletcher had drawn for him. He pointed across the placid waters of Majabigwaduce'sinner harbor towards the thickly wooded eastern shore. "A man called Haney farms land over there," he told Carnes, "and General Lovell wants a batterythere."A battery on Haney's land would hammer the British ships from the east. Wadsworth climbed one of the steep, overgrown hillocks that studded theisthmus and, once at the summit, used Captain Carnes's powerful telescope to gaze at the enemy. At first he examined the four British ships. The closestvessel was the transport Saint Helena, which dwarfed the smaller sloops, yet those three smaller ships were far more heavily armed. Their east-facinggunports were closed, but Wadsworth reckoned there were no guns hidden behind those blank wooden squares. The rebels had seen British sailorstaking cannon ashore, and the verdict had been that Captain Mowat had offered his ships' portside broadsides to the fort's defense. If Wadsworth neededany confirmation of that suspicion he gained it from seeing that the sloops were very slightly keeled over to starboard. He gave the telescope to Carnesand asked him to examine the ships. "You're right, sir," the marine said, "they are listing.""Guns on one side only?""That would explain the list."So any guns on Haney's land would have no opposition, at least until Mowat managed to shift some cannon from his west-facing broadsides. Placeguns on Haney's land and the rebels would be just a thousand yards from the sloops, a range at which the eighteen-pounders would be lethal. "But how dowe get men and guns there?" Wadsworth wondered aloud."Same way we came, sir," Carnes said. "We carry the boats across this strip of land and relaunch them."Wadsworth felt a dull anger at the sheer waste of effort. It would take a hundred men two days to make a battery on Haney's land, and what then? Evenif the British ships were sunk or taken, would it make it any easier to capture the fort? True, the American ships could sail safe into the harbor and theirguns could fire up at the fort, but what damage could their broadsides do to a wall so high above them?