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Lone Star Special: Off to War
Off to War
July 20th, 1846. 4:00 P.M. Washington D.C
'Damn the British! Damn them to a thousand hells for putting us in this situation.' These were the thoughts of young congressmen Abraham Lincoln as he made his way out of the Congressional Chamber where they had just held a joint session between the House of Representatives and the Senate. The topic was of course the issue of Oregon as the recent actions of the British which included the massacre of a US cavalry force on their soil had been the source of cries from the war hawks to launch an invasion of Canada and receive what was "rightfully" America's. Lincoln the entire time had been hoping that maybe the issue could be resolved peacefully in negotiations as the man while not a soldier, knew that any war going up against the might of the British Empire was pure suicide in and of itself. Unfortunately this turned out to be a pipe dream when President Harrison himself, the head of Lincoln's party the Whigs, appeared before the session and demanded that a deceleration of War be made upon the United Kingdom. The man had droned on for an entire hour about various things such as the injustices of the British crown, their exploitation of the colonies, the need to liberate Quebec, our right to expand to the Pacific, etc. etc. To an outsider it would seem that William Harrison had prepared a long speech for the sake of publicity but Lincoln knew better. He knew that the purpose of making his war speech an hour was to settle in the congressman's minds that the United States would be going to war, subconsciously encouraging them to vote for the war. Unfortunately, it worked as it forced Lincoln who was a pacifist before to vote for the war. It was not as if Lincoln changed his entire political viewpoint then and there but rather the fact that as Harrison was making his speech Lincoln looked around the room and saw that many of the representatives were slowly being turned to the Pro-War faction as their eyes were filled with bloodlust and a desire to beat Britain once more. Why Lincoln voted for the war was mainly to keep his congressional seat more than anything else as him voting against it would ruin his entire political career. His home state of Illinois was long opposed to the Canadian threat and with the undeniability of the massacre taking place they would surely vote Lincoln out of office if he refused. While that in and of itself may look selfish to many, Lincoln did it so that his presence in congress could help the Whig Party in future struggles after the war, such as the inevitable slavery debate that would come after a hypothetical annexation of Oregon. 'If only I could act as bravely as those who chose to stand by their beliefs and voted in opposition. But I'm just a lowly congressman from Illinois, it's not like I will ever have the power to change America for the better.'
Afterwords Lincoln made his way over to the congressional bar that was found within the left side of the building where he saw fellow Illinois representative Stephen Douglas. In many ways the two men were complete polar opposites of each other. Lincoln was a loyal Whig while Douglas was a diehard Democrat. Lincoln was a rather tall man at 6 ft. 4 and spoke softly in a clam rational manner, Douglas had a height of a foot less and spoke with a greater passion and fire than Lincoln could ever hope to inspire. Walking over to the bar Lincoln was noticed by Douglas who waved him over to come and join him, Douglas was currently drinking a glass of whiskey. "Abe! Come over here why such a long face we should celebrate. We're finally going to show the British what for and win our birthright of Oregon." "You seem to be in awfully high spirits considering we're in a state of war." "Well why not? We defeated the British twice before we can do it again."
'Fool. It's that exact same mentality that is going to take our country on a path to ruin someday.' Lincoln then sat down and ordered a glass of Ale. "You do seem to forgot Stephen that the last two wars weren't won by our martial prowess alone. The Revolution was only won thanks to the intervention of France and Spain, without them we'd all be British right now. And I don't really think that the War of 1812 can be considered a victory. It was at best a draw and to the British only a sideshow with Napoleon rampaging all over Europe. Now we have no allies and Britain has its sole attention on us this time around, it's going to be anything but easy." "Oh come on I wouldn't be so sure about that. We've changed much since the last war, our army is larger and the North more industrialized, if we strike hard and quick enough than we can do it. Besides you yourself voted for the war if I remember" 'Yes but it's not like my veto would even matter in the grand scheme of things.' When the bartender returned with the ale Lincoln took a large shot for himself. Mary never really approved of men who consumed too much alcohol but Lincoln figured that if the country was going to go to shit than you might as well have one last drink before everything hits the fan. Douglas then chose to change the subject.
"So Abe since we're going to be going off to war anyways what exactly are you going to do in the conflict? Thinking about taking one of those offers of command?" To be honest Lincoln had been thinking of that himself since news of the Battle of Vancouver had reached Washington. He knew that he was no military genius to simply take a politician's path to officership, yet Lincoln had served in the Illinois militia in the past and had gained some valuable experience from his days taking part in the Black Hawk War. Mary herself was very against the idea as she had pleaded that he should stay in Washington so that their sons young Robert and the small infant Edward would not lose their father. Yet Lincoln had pointed out to her that there was a strong chance that Illinois would be invaded anyways and he did not want to lose their homes to the British. "Actually I have been thinking quite a bit on the offer. Recently I was approached by President Harrison himself who offered me the position of Lieutenant Colonel and a post within the new Army Group Central. Got any offers yourself?"
"Me? Oh heavens no. I'm too damn short for the army to want as a soldier or leader of men, I'm not Napoleon after all. No, what I'm thinking of is staying within Washington during the fight, you know helping to keep congress running in war time. If all goes well I'll probably continue my run for the senate this time of year. James Semple isn't going to run for reelection and the other highly popular candidates will be off in the fight. If I'm chosen as Senator then I'll even have a part to play in the future peace treaty, not that I want the war to last that long that is." 'Of course you would stay behind in Congress while everyone else is fighting and dying.' It wasn't that Douglas was a corrupt or vile man, rather that his ambition was as large and egocentric as a Roman. He always sought to make himself the center of attention during the congressional debates and hadn't made it a secret that he desired the White House after Harrison left office. 'If we lose then he may even get his chance.'
"Well best of luck to your current adventures Abe. May you bring our nation much glory and honor in the fight against the English scum." Douglas said raising his glass in a mock toast. "And to you as well Stephen, may our oh so glorious future leader keep the dogs of Washington in line." Lincoln returned to which Douglas laughed at. "Cheers! To the conquest of Canada and the strength of the Union Forever!" "Union Forever."
July 24th, 1846. 7:30 P.M. Army Group New York, 40 miles Northwest of Albany, New York.
Captain Robert Edward Lee was currently sitting in front of a campfire trying to write a letter to his wife Mary who he had sent back home to Virginia earlier along with the kids when he had gotten a wind of the upcoming war. As of right now Lee was a member of General Scott's staff and had been involved in the past few days of planning for their future invasion of Canada. Currently the British hadn't made a move into New York yet but Lee knew that the current peace was only temporary and that the limey's were soon to strike any day now. As head officer of the artillery and engineering department Lee was in charge of setting up defenses for the New York forces while simultaneously training the artillery officers for the upcoming battle with the British. Lee had been doing a good job so far and had drilled his men into an efficient fighting force. This was helpful in that it took Lee's mind away from thoughts of the upcoming battlefield that he would soon take part in any week or so from now. When Lee had graduated West Point he was no fool to the dangers of war. Anyone could die at any time whether they be the highest general or the lowliest private. However when Lee joined that was long before he had met Mary and started a family with her. Now as he was about to do his duty their was no guarantee that he would ever make it back, thus causing his current situation right now. 'Dear my beloved Mary, if you are reading this then by now we will have gone into battle and the fighting will begin, if I should fall then I ask of you to take care of the children and...' 'Dammit this is something that needs to be done, why the hell can't I come up with the proper words.' It was probably because Lee himself did not want to accept the possibility of death, he would fight on for sure but he would be damned if some backwards Canadian would manage to launch a stray shot and take his life. As Lee was contemplating this a slightly tipsy Second Lieutenant was making his way towards him, the man was somewhat of a slacker in Lee's mind, never wanting to take his job too seriously and looking forward to the end of his four year term. 'Honestly a disgrace as a fellow West Point graduate, what was his name again, ah yes Grant.'
Ulysses S. Grant then made his way over too Lee in a unbalanced and lopsided manner, "Mind if I have a sit here sir? I would go back to my own tent but as you see I'm currently in a bit of a condition and I wouldn't want to walk in any of my subordinate's quarters." "Go ahead the campfire is open to everyone." "Much obliged, Captain." With that Grant collapse and sat next to Lee on a log. "You know you should really refrain from drinking. We could be given the order to march tomorrow and I don't want any of the officers to act like a fool in front of the enlisted men. I mean you graduated from West Point just like me for Christ's sake, where's you dignity?"
"I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of holding down my liquor. And it's because these are our final days here at camp that I intend to enjoy myself. If I'm going to go off and die in a foreign land for the sake of trees and beavers then I might as well make some happy memories before I leave this Earth. Isn't that why your writing to the misses after all?" Grant said pointing to the letter in Lee's hand. Lee could not exactly argue with him after that. When he looked at the faces of those under his command he knew the odds were that he would see many of them dug in a grave in the future, it wouldn't exactly hurt for someone to have some moments of peace before the battlefield. "Besides while I may not have wanted to attend West Point in the first place it's because of my time at the school that I fully intend to win this war so that after I can go home and become a successful businessman. Hell I've got a wining strategy all planned out in the back of my mind."
Lee perked up his attention at this. While he didn't really think that Grant would come up with a sound strategy, as a member of the Staff Lee always tried to get his superiors to understand his input and even took the opinions of his own men into consideration when he came up with plans. So while he thought the mans claim was outlandish he as a fellow officer had to at least give him a chance. "Well then Lieutenant, please enlighten us exactly of how you plan to beat the largest empire on the face of the Earth." "Alright then, just give me a pencil and some papers and I'll show you just how I can win the war." With that Grant then spent the next thirty minutes detailing his plan which was a surprisingly detailed and well thought out strategy. Unlike the Carolus plan that the army was using what Grant called was for a single large offensive against Quebec with around 2/3rds of the might of the current forces stationed in the North. The rest of the army meanwhile would be stationed at Michigan and Maine in order to protect the border. The army would then commence warfare in a quick strike taking out the cities of Montreal and Quebec before the Canadian forces could be raised in retaliation. After that the army would be split off in half to deal with both the invasion of both Southern Ontario and the Maritime Provinces. Once all of Canada was conquered then the entire United States military would be divided into three with one force overrunning the west, the other occupying Canada, and the last dedicated to protecting the Eastern seaboard from British invasion. Lee noted that in Grant's plan he had relied largely on the railroads for transportation and supplies while combating the enemy with large waves of assaults to be supported by constant artillery barrages while the cavalry encircled the enemy in a pincer movement to cut off escape.
"By God man this plan is actually brilliant! How the hell can you claim to be wanting to leave the army when you have such a talent for warfare? I think even General Scott would want you on his staff." "Don't flatter me too much Captain. Whenever I am given a task I put my mind to it and see that it is a complete success. Even if I never wanted to join the army originally I do plan to at least go out in style and triumph. The only problem is those idiots in high command put me in an infantry regiment as a quartermaster when I'm a cavalrymen for crying out loud. I should be leading the charge against the enemy not peeling potatoes and counting loafs of bread." "Well if you want I can put in a good word for you with the general and asked that you be placed in the staff as an adjutant to the Quartermaster General." "Really? You'd do that for a man like me?" "You may be a drunkard Grant but your mind is sound and it would be a waste not to have you take part in the planning. The only problem is that your strategy has a few key flaws that need to be corrected." "Bullshit, my plan is perfect! I'd like to see you do better Richmond.""Gladly." With that the two men spent the next two hours talking about various parts of warfare such as tactics, strategy, weaponry, and even naval plans. They continued their conversation until the senior officers ordered for the men to get rest and then they both went their separate ways, promising to continue their discussions another day while Lee would keep his promise to speak to the General. What both men didn't know at the time was that this would be the start of a lifelong friendship that would forever change the United States Army.
July 20th, 1846. 4:00 P.M. Washington D.C
'Damn the British! Damn them to a thousand hells for putting us in this situation.' These were the thoughts of young congressmen Abraham Lincoln as he made his way out of the Congressional Chamber where they had just held a joint session between the House of Representatives and the Senate. The topic was of course the issue of Oregon as the recent actions of the British which included the massacre of a US cavalry force on their soil had been the source of cries from the war hawks to launch an invasion of Canada and receive what was "rightfully" America's. Lincoln the entire time had been hoping that maybe the issue could be resolved peacefully in negotiations as the man while not a soldier, knew that any war going up against the might of the British Empire was pure suicide in and of itself. Unfortunately this turned out to be a pipe dream when President Harrison himself, the head of Lincoln's party the Whigs, appeared before the session and demanded that a deceleration of War be made upon the United Kingdom. The man had droned on for an entire hour about various things such as the injustices of the British crown, their exploitation of the colonies, the need to liberate Quebec, our right to expand to the Pacific, etc. etc. To an outsider it would seem that William Harrison had prepared a long speech for the sake of publicity but Lincoln knew better. He knew that the purpose of making his war speech an hour was to settle in the congressman's minds that the United States would be going to war, subconsciously encouraging them to vote for the war. Unfortunately, it worked as it forced Lincoln who was a pacifist before to vote for the war. It was not as if Lincoln changed his entire political viewpoint then and there but rather the fact that as Harrison was making his speech Lincoln looked around the room and saw that many of the representatives were slowly being turned to the Pro-War faction as their eyes were filled with bloodlust and a desire to beat Britain once more. Why Lincoln voted for the war was mainly to keep his congressional seat more than anything else as him voting against it would ruin his entire political career. His home state of Illinois was long opposed to the Canadian threat and with the undeniability of the massacre taking place they would surely vote Lincoln out of office if he refused. While that in and of itself may look selfish to many, Lincoln did it so that his presence in congress could help the Whig Party in future struggles after the war, such as the inevitable slavery debate that would come after a hypothetical annexation of Oregon. 'If only I could act as bravely as those who chose to stand by their beliefs and voted in opposition. But I'm just a lowly congressman from Illinois, it's not like I will ever have the power to change America for the better.'
Afterwords Lincoln made his way over to the congressional bar that was found within the left side of the building where he saw fellow Illinois representative Stephen Douglas. In many ways the two men were complete polar opposites of each other. Lincoln was a loyal Whig while Douglas was a diehard Democrat. Lincoln was a rather tall man at 6 ft. 4 and spoke softly in a clam rational manner, Douglas had a height of a foot less and spoke with a greater passion and fire than Lincoln could ever hope to inspire. Walking over to the bar Lincoln was noticed by Douglas who waved him over to come and join him, Douglas was currently drinking a glass of whiskey. "Abe! Come over here why such a long face we should celebrate. We're finally going to show the British what for and win our birthright of Oregon." "You seem to be in awfully high spirits considering we're in a state of war." "Well why not? We defeated the British twice before we can do it again."
'Fool. It's that exact same mentality that is going to take our country on a path to ruin someday.' Lincoln then sat down and ordered a glass of Ale. "You do seem to forgot Stephen that the last two wars weren't won by our martial prowess alone. The Revolution was only won thanks to the intervention of France and Spain, without them we'd all be British right now. And I don't really think that the War of 1812 can be considered a victory. It was at best a draw and to the British only a sideshow with Napoleon rampaging all over Europe. Now we have no allies and Britain has its sole attention on us this time around, it's going to be anything but easy." "Oh come on I wouldn't be so sure about that. We've changed much since the last war, our army is larger and the North more industrialized, if we strike hard and quick enough than we can do it. Besides you yourself voted for the war if I remember" 'Yes but it's not like my veto would even matter in the grand scheme of things.' When the bartender returned with the ale Lincoln took a large shot for himself. Mary never really approved of men who consumed too much alcohol but Lincoln figured that if the country was going to go to shit than you might as well have one last drink before everything hits the fan. Douglas then chose to change the subject.
"So Abe since we're going to be going off to war anyways what exactly are you going to do in the conflict? Thinking about taking one of those offers of command?" To be honest Lincoln had been thinking of that himself since news of the Battle of Vancouver had reached Washington. He knew that he was no military genius to simply take a politician's path to officership, yet Lincoln had served in the Illinois militia in the past and had gained some valuable experience from his days taking part in the Black Hawk War. Mary herself was very against the idea as she had pleaded that he should stay in Washington so that their sons young Robert and the small infant Edward would not lose their father. Yet Lincoln had pointed out to her that there was a strong chance that Illinois would be invaded anyways and he did not want to lose their homes to the British. "Actually I have been thinking quite a bit on the offer. Recently I was approached by President Harrison himself who offered me the position of Lieutenant Colonel and a post within the new Army Group Central. Got any offers yourself?"
"Me? Oh heavens no. I'm too damn short for the army to want as a soldier or leader of men, I'm not Napoleon after all. No, what I'm thinking of is staying within Washington during the fight, you know helping to keep congress running in war time. If all goes well I'll probably continue my run for the senate this time of year. James Semple isn't going to run for reelection and the other highly popular candidates will be off in the fight. If I'm chosen as Senator then I'll even have a part to play in the future peace treaty, not that I want the war to last that long that is." 'Of course you would stay behind in Congress while everyone else is fighting and dying.' It wasn't that Douglas was a corrupt or vile man, rather that his ambition was as large and egocentric as a Roman. He always sought to make himself the center of attention during the congressional debates and hadn't made it a secret that he desired the White House after Harrison left office. 'If we lose then he may even get his chance.'
"Well best of luck to your current adventures Abe. May you bring our nation much glory and honor in the fight against the English scum." Douglas said raising his glass in a mock toast. "And to you as well Stephen, may our oh so glorious future leader keep the dogs of Washington in line." Lincoln returned to which Douglas laughed at. "Cheers! To the conquest of Canada and the strength of the Union Forever!" "Union Forever."
July 24th, 1846. 7:30 P.M. Army Group New York, 40 miles Northwest of Albany, New York.
Captain Robert Edward Lee was currently sitting in front of a campfire trying to write a letter to his wife Mary who he had sent back home to Virginia earlier along with the kids when he had gotten a wind of the upcoming war. As of right now Lee was a member of General Scott's staff and had been involved in the past few days of planning for their future invasion of Canada. Currently the British hadn't made a move into New York yet but Lee knew that the current peace was only temporary and that the limey's were soon to strike any day now. As head officer of the artillery and engineering department Lee was in charge of setting up defenses for the New York forces while simultaneously training the artillery officers for the upcoming battle with the British. Lee had been doing a good job so far and had drilled his men into an efficient fighting force. This was helpful in that it took Lee's mind away from thoughts of the upcoming battlefield that he would soon take part in any week or so from now. When Lee had graduated West Point he was no fool to the dangers of war. Anyone could die at any time whether they be the highest general or the lowliest private. However when Lee joined that was long before he had met Mary and started a family with her. Now as he was about to do his duty their was no guarantee that he would ever make it back, thus causing his current situation right now. 'Dear my beloved Mary, if you are reading this then by now we will have gone into battle and the fighting will begin, if I should fall then I ask of you to take care of the children and...' 'Dammit this is something that needs to be done, why the hell can't I come up with the proper words.' It was probably because Lee himself did not want to accept the possibility of death, he would fight on for sure but he would be damned if some backwards Canadian would manage to launch a stray shot and take his life. As Lee was contemplating this a slightly tipsy Second Lieutenant was making his way towards him, the man was somewhat of a slacker in Lee's mind, never wanting to take his job too seriously and looking forward to the end of his four year term. 'Honestly a disgrace as a fellow West Point graduate, what was his name again, ah yes Grant.'
Ulysses S. Grant then made his way over too Lee in a unbalanced and lopsided manner, "Mind if I have a sit here sir? I would go back to my own tent but as you see I'm currently in a bit of a condition and I wouldn't want to walk in any of my subordinate's quarters." "Go ahead the campfire is open to everyone." "Much obliged, Captain." With that Grant collapse and sat next to Lee on a log. "You know you should really refrain from drinking. We could be given the order to march tomorrow and I don't want any of the officers to act like a fool in front of the enlisted men. I mean you graduated from West Point just like me for Christ's sake, where's you dignity?"
"I'll have you know that I am perfectly capable of holding down my liquor. And it's because these are our final days here at camp that I intend to enjoy myself. If I'm going to go off and die in a foreign land for the sake of trees and beavers then I might as well make some happy memories before I leave this Earth. Isn't that why your writing to the misses after all?" Grant said pointing to the letter in Lee's hand. Lee could not exactly argue with him after that. When he looked at the faces of those under his command he knew the odds were that he would see many of them dug in a grave in the future, it wouldn't exactly hurt for someone to have some moments of peace before the battlefield. "Besides while I may not have wanted to attend West Point in the first place it's because of my time at the school that I fully intend to win this war so that after I can go home and become a successful businessman. Hell I've got a wining strategy all planned out in the back of my mind."
Lee perked up his attention at this. While he didn't really think that Grant would come up with a sound strategy, as a member of the Staff Lee always tried to get his superiors to understand his input and even took the opinions of his own men into consideration when he came up with plans. So while he thought the mans claim was outlandish he as a fellow officer had to at least give him a chance. "Well then Lieutenant, please enlighten us exactly of how you plan to beat the largest empire on the face of the Earth." "Alright then, just give me a pencil and some papers and I'll show you just how I can win the war." With that Grant then spent the next thirty minutes detailing his plan which was a surprisingly detailed and well thought out strategy. Unlike the Carolus plan that the army was using what Grant called was for a single large offensive against Quebec with around 2/3rds of the might of the current forces stationed in the North. The rest of the army meanwhile would be stationed at Michigan and Maine in order to protect the border. The army would then commence warfare in a quick strike taking out the cities of Montreal and Quebec before the Canadian forces could be raised in retaliation. After that the army would be split off in half to deal with both the invasion of both Southern Ontario and the Maritime Provinces. Once all of Canada was conquered then the entire United States military would be divided into three with one force overrunning the west, the other occupying Canada, and the last dedicated to protecting the Eastern seaboard from British invasion. Lee noted that in Grant's plan he had relied largely on the railroads for transportation and supplies while combating the enemy with large waves of assaults to be supported by constant artillery barrages while the cavalry encircled the enemy in a pincer movement to cut off escape.
"By God man this plan is actually brilliant! How the hell can you claim to be wanting to leave the army when you have such a talent for warfare? I think even General Scott would want you on his staff." "Don't flatter me too much Captain. Whenever I am given a task I put my mind to it and see that it is a complete success. Even if I never wanted to join the army originally I do plan to at least go out in style and triumph. The only problem is those idiots in high command put me in an infantry regiment as a quartermaster when I'm a cavalrymen for crying out loud. I should be leading the charge against the enemy not peeling potatoes and counting loafs of bread." "Well if you want I can put in a good word for you with the general and asked that you be placed in the staff as an adjutant to the Quartermaster General." "Really? You'd do that for a man like me?" "You may be a drunkard Grant but your mind is sound and it would be a waste not to have you take part in the planning. The only problem is that your strategy has a few key flaws that need to be corrected." "Bullshit, my plan is perfect! I'd like to see you do better Richmond.""Gladly." With that the two men spent the next two hours talking about various parts of warfare such as tactics, strategy, weaponry, and even naval plans. They continued their conversation until the senior officers ordered for the men to get rest and then they both went their separate ways, promising to continue their discussions another day while Lee would keep his promise to speak to the General. What both men didn't know at the time was that this would be the start of a lifelong friendship that would forever change the United States Army.
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 2.8k