Liberty: 1784 (2014) by Robert Conroy

Author:Robert Conroy [Conroy, Robert]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: sf_history
Published: 2014-02-03T15:11:37.411968+00:00

Chapter 12

Benjamin Franklin took his seat at the head of the long table. He adjusted his glasses and peered at the men gathered in the small room. They were the cream of the crop of the small army’s leaders. God help us, he thought, as he gazed at Schuyler, Wayne, Morgan, Glover, and Tallmadge. Only von Steuben wasn’t present. He was away with his Hessians and had said that he would support any decision that was made, just as long as he wasn’t given the command.

“The time for dreaming and hoping is over, gentlemen,” Franklin began. “Nathanael Greene is well and truly dead. And now the army needs a leader, a man who can inspire confidence in our soldiers and a sense of dread in the enemy. All of you are candidates for the position, yet all of you have serious flaws. Like it or not, I shall enumerate them.”

There was a small amount of shuffling that Franklin ignored. “You, General Schuyler, are a major general and, thus, the highest ranking officer at Fort Washington. By rights, you should have the command. Yet, the rank and file and many of the officers have no confidence in you because of what happened in the past.”

“Unfair,” said Schuyler, shaking his head sadly.

“Life is not fair,” Franklin retorted. “I too believe you were shabbily treated when you were removed from command by Congress, but it was done and cannot be undone any more than Ticonderoga can be returned to you. I believe that, if you were named to command now, many of our soldiers would simply melt away into the wilderness. Still, your obvious skills at organizing this settlement and creating the army we have cannot be denied. Indeed, they must be continued, which is a good reason for keeping you where you are. Without you, I am afraid that we would have starved to death a long time ago.”

Schuyler accepted the compliment with a small smile. “My work has been made easier these past few weeks thanks to the Jew, Goldman, and the Dutch woman, Van Doorn.”

Franklin understood the implication. Thanks to Goldman and Van Doorn, Schuyler would be free to lead the army in battle if named to command. He wanted it. He wanted to be vindicated. It wouldn’t happen.

“Tallmadge,” Franklin continued. “You have never led an army. Do you wish to start now?”

“Good God, no,” Tallmadge said with enough emphasis to make the others laugh.

“Nor do I,” said Brigadier General John Glover.

Franklin smiled. He appreciated their candor. “I didn’t think so. So that leaves General Wayne and General Morgan, unless you wish me to promote von Steuben.”

“That would be a disaster,” said Schuyler. “He is a fraud, has no command experience, and barely speaks English.”

“But he is such a genial fraud,” Franklin said. Franklin had given the rank of general to that genial fraud because he’d been convinced that Steuben could be of great use to the army, and that confidence had been proven correct many times over.

Franklin turned to Anthony Wayne.

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