Glimmers of Change by Ginny Dye

Author:Ginny Dye [Dye, Ginny]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: A Voice In The World Publishing
Published: 2015-08-21T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Moses leaned against a parapet on the walls of Fort Pickering. He gazed out over the city he had already developed an intense dislike for in the past three days. He had seen very little of Robert and Matthew since their lunch, but he had spoken with them long enough to explain why he felt the need to stay in the fort. At least what little of it he understood himself. He was still trying to figure out the compulsion that had prompted him to make the decision. He liked the men he had met, but he still wasn’t clear what he was doing in the fort.

He forced himself to relax as he stared down at the muddy waters of the Mississippi River. Fort Pickering had been built as a strategic command post for the Union Army during the war. It stretched nearly two miles along the South Memphis bluffs, commanding an amazing view of both the river and the city it protected. The fort included a hospital, a rail depot, water works, and a saw mill. Right now the only troops occupying the fort were a detachment of the Sixteenth US Infantry Regiment, a few quartermaster troops, support personnel, and remnants of the Third Colored Heavy Artillery Unit that had remained behind to enforce the Union presence after the end of the war. Just like in Richmond, the presence of the black troops fueled intense resentment among the white population.

Every man in the unit had been mustered out the day before. The city hoped the cessation of black troops would relieve the tensions. Unfortunately, the men had still not been paid. Moses, after a few days at the fort, realized the truth of the situation. The men had not received six months of pay. Most of them were destitute and unable to support their families that were housed nearby. They had also received very poor food supplies. Anger boiled in Moses as he understood the reality that the United States Army was treating the men as if they were indeed inferior. They had officially been mustered out on April thirtieth, but most remained in uniform because they had no other clothes and they were choosing to remain in the fort while they waited for their pay.

Moses knew the Third had its share of rowdies and criminals. Most of the soldiers were good men looking forward to a new life as free men, but discipline was much more lax than it should be. He had seen fights break out among the men and heard the rumors of petty theft. They were forbidden to drink, but many of them readily found alcohol. They hung out on the streets drinking, getting louder and more boisterous as time passed. More serious were the soldiers who committed burglary and theft in homes and shops. He knew most of them were propelled by desperation to provide for their families since they were not being paid, but their actions had fueled the anger of white Memphis against everyone in army clothing.

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