Cradle Of Solitude. Alex Archer

sat astride his horse near the end of the platform and stared worriedly down the tracks into the darkness. He could hear the Union guns in the distance, shelling Lee’s lines, and he knew it wouldn’t be long before the order was given for the retreat. The general could only hold out so long and he was already well beyond the time frame he’d given the president. Soon the front would fall, the Confederate troops would retreat through the city streets, and Richmond would fall into Union hands. When that happened, the chances of getting out of the city at all, never mind getting out with their cargo intact, would shrink considerably.

      Where the hell is that train?

      He turned and looked back at the squad of men he’d commandeered to help him carry out his mission, shaking his head at the sight. With every able-bodied soldier doing their damnedest to keep the Yanks from entering the city limits, he’d been forced to make do with a group of midshipmen off the Patrick Henry, the thirteen-hundred-ton side-wheel gunboat he’d converted into a floating school for the Navy. Some of the “men” in his command weren’t more than twelve years old!

      God help me. How am I supposed to guard the treasury with schoolboys?

      Thankfully, the plan was simple enough. A single rail line still stood open between Richmond and Danville. With two trains at their disposal, President Davis and his staff would be on the first one out, with Parker and his special cargo following in the other. Once in Danville, they’d go their separate ways.

      Parker had no illusions as to why he and his cargo—about seven hundred thousand dollars worth of gold ingots, gold coins, silver bricks and Mexican silver dollars—were on the second train. If things became difficult farther down the tracks, the unspoken hope was that the Union soldiers would be more interested in the treasure than in securing the president, thereby allowing Davis to evade capture and escape.

      It was a good backup plan, made better by the fact that it actually had some hope of success, and Parker approved of it despite the risk to himself and those under his command. The Confederacy might be able to replace the treasury, but it wouldn’t recover from the capture of its beloved president.

      A glance at his pocket watch told him that it was past eleven. The fact that they’d made it this late in the night without being overrun by the enemy was another of General Lee’s miracles. He’d dug in just outside the city and withstood charge after charge, buying them the time they needed, doggedly determined to keep the Yanks off the streets of the capital as long as possible. Lee’s predicated deadline of nightfall had come and gone and still the Army of Northern Virginia held out. Parker didn’t know how he did it; he was just thankful they had a man like Lee on their side.

      But even Lee could not keep it up much longer.

      A rumbling sound broke his reverie and he looked up to see the locomotive coming down the tracks toward them, smoke pouring from its stack. His feelings of relief quickly turned to concern, however, when the engine drew closer and he saw the condition of the train.

      Getting here hadn’t been easy, it seemed. Great dents marred the smooth curve of the boiler and the sides of the cab had been shot full of holes. The roof of the tender had been torn away entirely, most likely the result of a well-placed cannon shot, and the engineer manning the coal shovel had a bloody bandage wrapped around his head and covering one side of his face. The cars beyond hadn’t fared much better.

      The train had already slowed considerably by the time it reached Parker and he watched it roll on and continue for a few more yards before coming to a stop with the hiss of brakes and a cloud of steam. No sooner had it done so than Army officers swarmed inside, checking it over. When the okay signal was given the boarding began, starting first with the president and his cabinet, followed by what was left of their staff.

      Parker didn’t have time to watch the parade, however, for the second train arrived on the heels of the first and he had work to do.

      “Quickly now!” he shouted to the boys in his command and they snapped to, unloading the heavy chests from the wagons and carrying them aboard the train, stacking them against the rear wall of the car to which they’d been assigned.

      Halfway through the job one of the midshipmen stumbled, dropping the sack he carried and spilling silver coins over the edge of the platform onto the tracks below.

      Parker grabbed the boy as he readied himself to climb down and retrieve them.

      “No time, son,” Parker said. “Some lucky fool will no doubt pick them up, but it’s not going to be you or me. Back to work now.”

      It took them just shy of an hour, but at last all of the cargo was loaded and the rest of the cars were filled with as many of the people fleeing the city as they could possibly pack into them. Parker gave up his seat to another passenger, finding a place on the roof of the car alongside his second in command, Lieutenant Jonathan Sykes, and two midshipmen whose names he couldn’t dredge up from memory in his exhausted state.

      No sooner had he settled himself onto the roof of the car than the train lurched into motion without warning, the usual whistle being dispensed with so as not to alert the enemy to their escape. The train moved slowly at first, sluggishly pulling away from the platform, and Parker found himself silently urging it on, as if his thoughts could somehow propel the train faster down the tracks.

      Refugees lined either side of the tracks, moving forward through the darkness like the wandering tribes of Israel headed for the promised land. Parker was thankful it was too dark to see their faces, for his own despair and dismay were enough for him; he didn’t need to witness anyone else’s.

      As they rolled across the bridge at the city limits, Sykes suddenly shouted, “Look!”

      Parker followed his pointing finger back toward Richmond and saw an angry red glow lighting the sky. The thunder of distant explosions reached his ears as the glow grew brighter, spreading across the horizon.

      Richmond was aflame.

      “Damn Yanks have fired the city!” One of the midshipmen cursed.

      Parker knew better, but he didn’t bother correcting the young man. Morale was bad enough; the men in his command didn’t need to know that the fire was the result of a direct order from the president, designed to ensure that nothing of value would be left for the Union troops to use against them. The warehouses along the waterfront had been full of powder and shot, too much to be moved swiftly, and rather than allowing it to fall into the hands of the enemy, Davis had ordered the entire lot to be set alight.

      With the skyline glowing brightly behind him and the enemy’s guns echoing in the distance, Parker set his gaze forward and settled in for the ride.

      2

      It was only one hundred and forty miles from Richmond to Danville but the slow-moving train, overburdened as it was with excess cargo and the need to constantly stop and repair the track in front of it, required the night and most of the day to get there. A light rain was falling as they pulled into the station, but Parker was so tired that he barely even noticed.

      The president’s party had come and gone by that time, but orders had been given and four wagons were waiting alongside the platform, guarded by a pair of infantrymen. They approached as Parker disembarked and one of the men handed him a folded piece of paper.

      The note was from George Trenholm, secretary of the Treasury, ordering Parker to use any and all means necessary to evade the Union troops in the area and see his cargo safely to the old U.S. Mint in Charlotte, North Carolina. It also let Parker know that the Union cavalry had been spotted in the area and that he was to avoid contact wherever and whenever possible.

      Parker laughed aloud upon seeing the final order.

      What does he think I’m going to do? Stage an attack on General Sheridan’s cavalry column with a handful of midshipmen and half a dozen muskets?

      The very notion was absurd. Still, these were desperate times and Parker had little doubt there would be some in his position who might just be daring enough to do something like that. Sometimes a bold move at just the right moment…