Lunch was a subdued affair, with Em dominating the conversation. Somehow even she managed to understand it was a serious day and kept her lunch mostly on her and her bib, rather than on Charlie’s coat.
After surrendering Em to Lizbet for her nap, the four of them returned to the ballroom to wait for the panel’s decision. Most of the officers managed to file in, and the troopers from Montgomery’s company stood around the windows listening as well.
Sheridan, Merritt and James filed into the room, settled themselves, and then waited for the room to settle down.
Sheridan, as president of the panel, spoke. "It is the finding of the court that Major Harrison Montgomery is guilty as charged of the capital crime of rape, by his own admission, as verified by an officer and an enlisted man in good standing in the U.S. Army, as well as by civilian witnesses. Before we pass sentence on you, Major Montgomery, do you have anything to say in your own defense?"
Montgomery looked up from the table. His eyes were filled with rage, hate, and anger. "In my defense? No. You would not listen to me. You have taken the word of the Southern sympathizer and his lackeys. You have heard the spewing of a whore who has lured him to her bed. Before you slip the noose around my neck, I will give you the names of the men who committed the crimes and I expect you to hang them for failure to follow the orders of a senior officer." He paused and looked directly at Rebecca. "I told them to kill her. I told them to make sure it would never come back to haunt them. I suggested they cut her throat and the throat of the squalling, snot nosed brat across the room, crying for her 'mama ‘." His gaze shifted to Charlie. "So if you are going to hang one true Union soldier, make sure you get us all."
Phil Sheridan’s face looked as though it was chiseled from stone. "Harrison Montgomery, for the crime of capital rape, it is the judgment of this court that you be hanged by the neck until dead. May God have mercy on your soul."
He stood and walked toward the back of the room, then turned to Samuelson. "Get that vermin out of Mrs. Gaines’ house. Schedule the hanging for tomorrow morning and see to it that if he wants a minister, he gets one." Without saying another word, Sheridan walked out of the house, and down to the pond, where he could be seen pacing and smoking cigar after cigar until the light of day faded away.
--*--
Tuesday, December 27, 1864
In the early morning the cold was biting, even though the air was still. After listening to their former commander’s diatribe, the men of Company D had volunteered to build the gallows upon which Montgomery’s life would end. By tacit agreement, they had elected to build it as far from the farm as possible, choosing a remote corner of the rail yard as their site. As the morning grew brighter, a small group of officers and troopers carried Montgomery to the scaffold. He had refused the ministrations of Reverend Williams, cursing that kind man as a "damned rebel" and daring the devil to do his worst.
Charlie and Richard joined Sheridan and his entourage to serve as formal witnesses to the hanging. Sheridan personally stripped Montgomery of his insignia of office before the man mounted the steps to the platform. With a little assistance, Montgomery found a final reserve of strength and defiance, and walked on his own to his end. He turned to the hangman and said, "I should forgive you, but somehow I just cannot. You are no better than any of the rest of them, seduced by that damn Southern sympathizer to be soft on these vermin. So do your worst, and I will see you all in hell."
The hangman placed the hood over Montgomery’s head, settled the rope around his neck, made sure to bind his legs tight, and on Sheridan’s signal, released the trap that dropped the man to his death. It was a clean death; his neck broke with the drop, his body twitched once and hung still. As the troopers of his own company cut him down, Sheridan and his escort turned and rode away.
Charlie turned to Richard as they watched the men settle the body into the waiting pine box. "God, what more will we have to pay before this war is over, my friend?"
"Charlie, it will end. And if we are lucky, we will find some kind of a life afterwards that will help erase this from our souls."
"Nothing will erase this from my soul, my friend. I just hope Rebecca and I can bring enough love into the world to balance it in the long run."
--*--
Charlie had spent the rest of the day processing all of the paperwork that resulted from General Sheridan's visit and thinking about the implications of that visit. It was time for him to start putting his life in order. Soon, he would no longer be sheltered in the Army.
Even sooner, he would face battle again and these inevitably final battles of the war would be bloody. The enemy was desperate and desperate men were dangerous men. He knew he would have to do something to protect Rebecca in the event the fates played the ultimate joke on him.
In other words, Charlie spent the afternoon brooding.
Rebecca watched him play with his dinner; he remained monosyllabic throughout the evening. Finally, she could not stand it any more.
"And what is bothering you that you sit like a statue and barely touch your supper? "
"Why do you say anything is bothering me, dear?"
"Because, you have not said more than two words in a row. You are keeping your eyes locked on your plate, and you are trying to hide your vegetables under your potatoes like young Jeremiah. "
"I am sorry, love. I just have a number of things on my mind this evening. Let us adjourn to the back parlor and talk a little, dear."
She smiled, as she sipped her coffee. "After you finish your dinner. "
"I swear, Rebecca, you are beginning to sound like my old Mammy." Charlie softened the statement with a teasing grin.
"It is just the mother in me coming out. With all these children under foot it was bound to happen. Now eat." She grinned and gave him a wink.
Charlie dutifully finished his meal in record time then rose from the table. "Mrs. Gaines, will you join me in the parlor?"
"Of course, General Redmond." She stood, taking his hand and allowing him to escort her from the table.
As they left the room, Charlie turned to Sarah, who had come to clear the table. "Could you bring some tea into the back parlor for us, Sarah?"
"Why, yes, General Charlie. Right away."
Charlie escorted Rebecca in and settled her in her favorite chair. He then knelt in front of the fireplace, tending the fire and adding more wood.
Rebecca watched him. She sighed, knowing she was going to have to give him a gentle nudge, and if that failed a swift kick. "Charlie?"
"Oh, yes, sorry, dear. I was just thinking." He fidgeted some more with the fire. "I need to go to Washington." The announcement was rather abrupt.
"Yes, I know. Why does this have you so concerned? It will only be a few days, correct?"
"Yes, I will hurry, but I need to go and see General Meigs and deliver General Sheridan’s message. I also need to see my attorney and my banker, and have you named my beneficiary for my pension."
Rebecca smiled and looked at her hands. "I wish...well...I understand why you are doing it Charlie. I just wish we did not have to think of these things."
Charlie came to Rebecca’s side and knelt down. He bowed his head and laid it in her lap. "I am afraid, dear. I am afraid the universe will play a huge, vicious joke on the two of us. I think, for the first time, I am afraid to die. And all of my errands in Washington are about taking care of you in case I do. Somehow, part of me thinks if I do everything I can to make sure you are taken care of if I do die, I can avert it somehow. And part of me is terrified because I need to do this to protect you."