New Yesterdays by Jim L Wright - HTML preview

Chapter 20

An eerie quiet fell over Charleston as the sound of gunfire ceased. The muted crackle and hiss of several burning houses could be heard here and there. An occasional shot rang out telling that the scouting parties had found a survivor and helped him on his way to the Promised Land. Other groups of Indians gathered the bodies of their dead and brought them to the center of town. All told, more than 250 Cherokee and Seminole warriors had perished in the battle.

Adahy and Abiaka, the Seminole Medicine Man worked feverishly to ease Tooantuh's pain. The bullet that pierced his belly had gone completely through his body and left a gaping hole in his lower back. It was impossible to stop the bleeding. As the Chief fought for breath, he said to Adahy. “Put me in the swamp outside the town so my spirit can find its way back to our village and rest in peace.” Adahy tried to protest that he would be fine, but Tooantuh waved his hand weakly.

"I will be with the ancestors very soon. Make sure that our lands are safe from the white man, once and for all. Never give up the fight!"

The strength it took to utter these few words was all Tooantuh had left. His eyes went dark and his hand fell back to his side. Adahy looked at Abiaka with great sadness in his face.

“He was my brother and part of me just died with him.”

***

By the time Major Dickinson was able to get out of Raleigh, the battle for Charleston was well underway. He arrived in Fayetteville just as the sun was setting. The ride had been fast and hard and his horses were exhausted and lathered in sweat. A large, round-faced woman of indeterminate age gave him a big smile as she placed his steak and beans on the table before him. Just at that moment a soldier burst through the door.

"Major, Major!"

Dickinson gave him one of his trademark steely glances and said,

"Calm yourself soldier! What's on your mind?" He began to saw off a chunk of juicy red meat.

"Charleston has fallen to the Indians, Sir!"

Dickinson froze in mid-cut. For a moment he couldn't process the news he had just been given. The idea was inconceivable!

In a rage, he left his forgotten meal on the table and strode through the door barking orders at the soldiers to muster the men for immediate departure to Charleston. The men scurried off to gather the men and their horses.

"We're all tired and hungry" said the Major as the assembled troops groused about having their rest period interrupted.

"Unfortunately, I've just received news that Charleston has fallen to the Indians. Fort Moultrie is completely unmanned and the citizens of the city have been slaughtered! Our job now is to ride hard and fast to try to meet these savages before they can attack another town and kill more white people!

We'll stop for fresh horses in Lumberton, Springville, Marion and Conwayboro. By that time, we'll be more worn out than the horses, so we'll stop for four hours to rest and eat. After we've rested a bit, we'll hightail it for Georgetown and then down into Charleston.

We've got to meet these murderin' Indians and try to get these attacks stopped. I hope we will meet them before we get to Charleston; I'm sure they will rest from the battle before they start moving north again."

The Major didn't relish the idea of riding 160 miles to meet a band of wild Indians, but there was no alternative. These attacks had to be stopped in any way possible. Asking them for a peace conference went against everything he stood for. He would much prefer to be riding at the head of a regiment to stop the fighting by force. Unfortunately, the early battles had decimated the army's numbers and it would take weeks to bring in the few available reinforcements from the west. Hell, they'd be camped in Washington, DC before the soldiers arrived. Peace talks were the only answer.

Before leaving Fayetteville, Dickinson looked his men over. A young private, surely too young to be in the army, caught his eye. This was just the boy he was hoping for. Private James Hyde was his name. He was no more than 5 feet 2 and couldn't have weighed any more than 90 pounds with his pockets full of rocks. His ruddy features spoke of much time spent in the out of doors.

"Private! Yes, you there; come forward!"

The boy nervously moved his horse to the front of the line to face his commanding officer. His mind raced, searching his memory for any infraction he might have committed and coming up empty.

"Y-yessir!" he managed to stammer.

His cheeks reddened violently when he heard the quiet snickers of the older, more seasoned soldiers behind him.

"Private, I have a special mission for you, and you'd better not fail! The future of this nation depends on how you carry out your orders. Do I make myself clear?"

Dickinson briefly wondered if he was perhaps being too harsh, but dammit he was desperate to accomplish his mission.

"Yessir! Understood, Sir!"

"Very well. I want you to take your horse and ride as fast as he will take you down toward Charleston. Change out your horses as often as possible, so you can keep up your speed. I will give you a letter to show any man you meet that orders him to provide you with a fresh, fast horse. I'm also giving you a letter that you are to read when you meet the Cherokees, asking them to a peace conference. You got all that?"

"Yessir! I will do my very best, Sir!"

The Major's demeanor softened a bit.

"I know you will son. I'm depending on you and President Adams is depending on you. Now, get down off your horse and come inside with me while I prepare the letters."

Hyde had never been so excited or nervous. Imagine me, on a mission for the President of the United States! he thought to himself. He couldn't wait to get back to Raleigh so he could tell his father what had happened. He was still a bit in the dark about why the Indians were suddenly rising up, but he could tell by the way the Major had been acting the past couple of days that things weren't going well for the settlers. And, he had overheard the Major just this morning saying that Charleston had fallen. He'd heard stories of Charleston. It was a big city and he couldn't grasp the idea that the Indians had just waltzed in and taken it down. Wasn't there a fort there? Fort Moultrie, he thought it was. How many fighters must the Indians have to be able to immobilize an army fort and destroy a city? Just thinking of it made it difficult to get his breath.

Man and horse became as one. The boy laid his lean body against the horse's neck. With his voice and his spurs, he urged the animal to move ever faster. Each hoof beat on the road made his destination just a bit closer.

"The future of this nation depends on how you carry out your orders."

He heard the Majors words ringing in his ears again and again. He had never imagined such responsibility. He prayed he would be able to get through in time to save his country and make his commander and his President proud of him.

In each settlement he rode through, he hastily found his way to the livery stable or a likely looking farmhouse and presented his letter requesting a fast horse to get him further. He was getting more and more tired with each stop. He wondered if he would be able to keep himself aboard the horse long enough to get to where he was going. All through the day and night he rode at breakneck speed, stopping only long enough to change horses. At some stops a kindly woman would bring him something he could eat quickly as the good man of the house unsaddled his horse and saddled a new one. He was grateful for every bite and thanked them profusely.

Judging from the position of the sun, Hyde thought it must be getting on to midday when he saw a small group of Indians riding toward him. They weren't more than 500 yards away and it was evident by their posture as they sat their horses that they had noticed his arrival. He began to rein in his pony, coming to a slow trot as he approached the advance party. Quickly, he reached into his breast pocket and drew out his white handkerchief and raised it in the air with his left hand as he continued toward the group.

"You are a brave soldier to ride into our camp, even with a white flag, boy" said a fierce looking warrior who was obviously the leader.

Hyde mentally willed himself not to stammer or show his nervousness.

"I've come with a message from President Adams and Secretary Barbour for your Chief!"

"Hmph. Come with us. Chief Onakona is in the town, not far from here.”

The young soldier fell in with the advance party and began a more leisurely ride into Charleston. He was grateful for the slower pace as it gave both him and his horse a chance to catch their breath. He prayed like he had never prayed before for the strength to speak to the Chief of these bloody savages without showing any fear.

Having taken Charleston with relative ease, the Red Chiefs had decided to give the warriors some much needed rest. They knew that far more difficult battles lay ahead and having some rest and good food would go a long way toward ensuring continued victories. Houses, hotels and restaurants were raided for food. As the sun crept toward the western mountains, sentries were posted at all entrances to the city as well as rooftops and strategic intersections. They weren’t about to allow themselves to be surprised by the enemy.

A quiet, uneventful night allowed the Indians to recuperate and nourish themselves. Now, they were anxious to continue their mission. The relative ease of the clashes so far had encouraged them to believe that they might actually succeed. As they prepared to gather and move from the city, a young warrior rode into the main street accompanied by a white soldier carrying a flag of truce. Glances were exchanged, but in the main every eye was on the soldier. They drew their horses to a halt in front of the hotel where the Red Chiefs had spent the night and were now sitting on the porch.

None of the chiefs spoke or made any movement as they watched the soldier dismount and walk proudly toward them. He was carrying a flag of submission, but yet could not disguise the contempt he felt for the men to whom he must make a petition for peace. Standing at attention, the soldier barked his message.

"Sir, greetings from President Adams and Secretary Barbour! Your presence is requested at the village of Monk's Corner to discuss conditions of peace, Sir!"

Chief Onakona stood and gazed at the soldier for what seemed an eternity. The boy was surely no more than 16 years old. After a few seconds looking directly in the face of his enemy, the soldier's contempt began to melt away. This was a man who appeared to be no different than his own father or grandfather. Onakona continued to stare. The boy felt a flush of anger at himself as he realized he had begun to tremble, ever so slightly. He continued studying the older man's face and realized he wasn't looking into the face of evil as he had been taught by his elders. He was looking at a man who has been repeatedly forced from his home to make way for other men to take what had been his for generations. A man who was desperate to protect what was his from a hostile and cruel enemy. The boy's conflicting emotions had him completely undone.

Onakona looked for some time at the boy, considering how different he appeared compared to the Cherokee boys his age. He was surprised to see the arrogance he was accustomed to seeing in white men melting away. The few white men he had encountered, other than Seamus back in his own village, seemed to look through him rather than at him. They possessed a contemptuousness born of their attitude of superiority. It had always been a mystery to him how a man could consider it a right given him by his Creator to take what belonged to another man. It wasn't enough to merely take their lands and homes from them; they wanted to move them as far away as possible to avoid possible contamination by the Principal People. Contamination! That was the word Georgia's Governor Troup had used to describe them!

At last, he spoke.

"Say to your Barbour that we will meet with him in two days’ time."

The boy seemed both relieved and anxious to get back out of Charleston as fast as possible.

"You have ridden hard and long. You must have some food and rest, and a fresh horse before beginning the journey back to your Barbour."

It didn't seem right to allow the boy to leave so abruptly without some nourishment. His return trip would take him the better part of a day and a half. Onakona felt this small gesture of friendship and hospitality would be reported by the young private and would go a long way when they met with the settlers to discuss peace. He wanted the settlers to see that the native people shared the same sensibilities as they themselves professed to have.

Hyde had to admit he was ravenous, having eaten only a morsel or two between changes of horses. He was tired, too, but he could rest once he was back with the Major and the rest of his outfit. Sitting at the table, eating with the Indians, his thoughts returned to the kind of people he was dealing with. His father and his father before him had taught him that the Indian was a savage and by his nature inferior to the white man. Yet, here he was, seeing with his own eyes that these people were no different than the people he saw on a day-to-day basis. They laughed and joked easily amongst themselves. Their Chief seemed more concerned that the boy be rested and fed than in getting him out of the town quickly. For the first time in his young life, he began to question some of the most basic tenets he had been raised with since the cradle.

This brief meeting with Chief Onakona would make a profound change in his life and he knew, without a doubt, that he would never be able to serve again in the army to fight these people.

***