Honor & Glory by Kim Murphy

Author:Kim Murphy [Murphy, Kim]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kim Murphy
Published: 2015-07-24T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Chapter Fourteen

Cold—so cold. Sam paced the floor of the old warehouse in a useless effort to remain warm. There was no glass in the windows, and the bitter winds swept straight off the canal from the James River. During warmer days, he had whittled to keep monotony at bay, then he turned to visiting with other prisoners. After days turned into weeks of repeating the same stories, they simply ran out of things to talk about.

He heard excited muttering near the door and Major Bowen thumped him on the arm. Several Confederate officers touring the prison had caused the commotion. At least two of the officers were generals. Just what the prisoners needed—more dignitaries promising they would personally see to the improvement of conditions.

Sam resumed pacing. As the generals made the rounds, he watched them.

While conversing with the prisoners, they seemed polite enough. Finally they reached his sector. The one on the left was General Morgan. The other bearded general reached out a gloved hand. “General Hill,” he said, introducing himself.

Though his fingers were numb, Sam shook his hand. “As in General A. P. Hill, sir?”

“I am.”

“I’ve met your boys a number of times. Brave soldiers, sir.”

“Much obliged that you would admit as much.”

“As a matter of fact, I believe my former commander serves under you.”

Intrigued, the general raised an eyebrow.

“Brigadier William Jackson,” Sam said.

General Hill laughed, and as they talked, Sam discovered he’d been a friend of Jackson’s at West Point. They had several escapades of sneaking off to Benny Havens for a drink during midwinter.

Sam finally understood what Jackson had meant by being more alike than he thought. Small world—and when General Hill left, he made no empty promises. Definitely a man he could respect, and a few minutes had passed without boredom.

* * *

Life in Richmond was near idyllic. While Wil worked at the War Department during the day, Alice spent time calling on neighbors and newly made friends. With the blockade having little effect on parties of the elite, evenings treated her to numerous social gatherings. On one occasion she met President Davis and his charming wife, Varina. At another reception, General J.E.B. Stuart and Wil’s West Point friend General Powell Hill attended. She overheard them conversing about the upcoming spring campaign.

Being far from the guns, she had blocked the war from her mind. With snow and ice on the ground, spring was a long way off, but she had secretly hoped Wil would retain his position in Richmond. As a Confederate field officer, he was honor bound to return to the front. As his wife, she must dutifully keep any concern to herself. But if it was truly a lost cause as Wil believed, then what glory was there in fighting for it?

How quickly she had turned a blind eye to Fredericksburg’s devastation—the loss of her home and all of those bodies on the heights. Dancing and parties shrouded the truth. While Richmond streets swelled with refugees, Chimborazo housed Confederate wounded, and Libby imprisoned Yankee officers.

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