"Dear Billy" [G] - 1/1

"DEAR BILLY"

RATING: [G]
SUMMARY: A view of Charles Main's first eight months as an Army officer on the Texas frontier, via a letter written to his best friend and fellow officer, Billy Hazard.
FEEDBACK: rosiepowell2000@yahoo.com - Be my guest. But please, be kind.
DISCLAIMER: Charles Main, Billy Hazard, Elkhannah Bent and all other characters related to the North and South trilogy belong to Wolper Productions, Warner Brothers Television and John Jakes.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story is a continuation of Charles Main’s experiences in Texas, first started in the story, ”Dear Orry”. The story is a combination of canon from the trilogies of both John Jakes’ novels and the miniseries they were based upon.

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"DEAR BILLY"

June 28, 1857
Camp Cooper, TX

Dear Billy,

It was grand to receive your recent letter. I noticed that it had been written last February. The fact that I managed to receive it after four months seems like a miracle. It usually takes longer for anyone here out West to receive mail from the East.

How is Fort Hamilton treating you? I would say that I envy you, but I must admit that I am relieved to be far away from the East. Texas has grown on me these last eight months. I feel somewhat at home amidst the wild terrain, clear air and very little rules. But do not worry. My heart still remains with my family back in South Carolina. And you.

Speaking of the Mains, have you written to Cousin Brett since graduation? I have recently received a letter from her, in which she described Cousin Ashton’s wedding to James Huntoon, last winter. Frankly, I am relieved that Army duty prevented me from attending the wedding. I doubt that I could have mustered the effort to wish the “happy” couple well, considering how I feel about them both. And you should consider yourself one lucky man for escaping any possible matrimony with my stormy Cousin Ashton. Fortunately, that buffoon James will have to deal with her. My gut instinct tells me that poor James will barely be able to succeed.

Texas has proven to be very agreeable for me . . . from a certain point of view. Although a Texas winter can be a frozen hell, both the autumn and the spring out here can be quite beautiful. The skies seem more clear than anything I have ever experienced in South Carolina or West Point. As you can imagine, I have adjusted easily to living on an Army post on the frontier. Our company usually spent time with mounted drills and the practice of using a saber and a carbine rifle. Although the carbine can be useful to a cavalry trooper, I fail to see the usefulness of a saber. My company’s first officer, an Ohioan named Lafayette O’Dell, consider the saber useless. He likes to call them pigstickers. There have been occasional alarms about Indian attacks from nearby settlers. The alarm usually has something to do with the theft of a horse or stock. Our Delaware trackers have found signs of Northern Comanche in the area, but we have yet to encounter even one of them.

If I must be honest, our main problem here at Camp Cooper seemed to be boredom. The nearest white women live on the farms and ranches miles from the post, which leaves us with very little opportunities for socializing. I believe that an officer from one of the infantry companies is married and his wife lives with him. But one cannot organize a cotillion around one woman. And I suspect that Mrs. Thorpe will not remain very long. All is not lost. The men – including myself – have encountered some lively Indian squaws. But a dance social is the last thing on our minds when we meet them.

Last fall, I had dug a garden to keep me occupied. I just recently began planting seeds for a vegetable garden. Before you fall out of your chair laughing, tending a garden is a lot preferable to being driven out of my mind by sheer boredom. The chief sport among the officers here at Camp Cooper seemed to be arguments. They quarrel and debate over just about every subject in existence. The officers argue about weapons, food, women, drink, the Indians and the character of the Second Cavalry’s commander, Robert Lee. Another favorite topic seemed to the First Cavalry’s Colonel Albert Sidney Johnston’s recent campaign against the Mormons.

Adjusting to Texas has been easy for me. Adjusting to the men I serve with is another matter. Most of the enlisted men in Company ”K” hail from Ohio. And the rest are immigrants from Europe. When I had first arrived, I found it difficult to earn their respect. Being the only Southerner in Company ”K” did not help my cause. Due to an unpleasant experience with a trooper named Halloran, I managed to earn the animosity of most of the other men. About a month after my arrival last fall, Halloran had failed to report for morning formation. I found him in the stables, drunk. After ordering Halloran to return to his bunk and sleep off the liquor, the fellow attacked me with a knife. I managed to disarm him, but unfortunately it took several punches to stop him from attacking me. Halloran ended up with a broken rib. Now, most of the men consider me nothing more than another Justin La Motte – a brutal slaveowner with a penchant for beating slaves.

Fortunately, I cannot say the same about my relationship with the two officers in Company ”K”. When I first arrived in Texas, both the company’s commander, Captain Baldwin Wayne and the first officer, Lieutenant O’Dell, went out of their way to help me adjust to the Texas frontier. Captain Wayne turned out to be a jovial Ohioan who had graduated from West Point in ’44. As you know, Lieutenant O’Dell – or Lafe – not only taught me about the uselessness of sabers, but just about everything about Army life here at Camp Cooper. He had advised me to wear more casual , instead of a formal uniform; to start my vegetable garden and he always complimented me in front of the men. Although I am afraid his efforts on that part have proven to be futile. Unfortunately, this situation with my two senior officers did not last. About two months ago, Captain Wayne was transferred to the War Department in Washington City. And Company ”K” acquired a new commander.

His name is Elkhannah Bent. Like me, he hails from the South. From Georgia, as a matter-of-fact. One would pity poor Lafe for becoming the only Yankee officer in our company and for feeling left out. Instead, Captain Bent ended up becoming the odd man out. Aside from two years in Mexico, he has never served on the frontier. And quite frankly, no one likes him. Including yours truly. I don’t know, Billy. There is something about Captain Bent that leaves me feeling uneasy. Since his arrival at Camp Cooper, many of us have noticed that he presumes to be the foremost authority on military matters. Some of his views on war and the possibility of a new kind of warfare has frightened a good number of officers on this post. He certainly harbors a low opinion of Colonel Lee and the Army muckety-muck back in Washington City. The man refuses to adjust to more casual dress prevalent here on the frontier, despite Lafe’s advice.

More importantly, I have caught Captain Bent staring at me in a strange manner on several occasions. When I had first introduced myself, there had been a flicker of . . . almost hatred in his eyes. I can only assume that my family’s name is familiar to him. He seemed to be the same age as Cousin Orry and your brother George. I wonder if he had attended West Point with them. Like them, he had served in the war against Mexico, ten years ago. Like Cousin Orry and your brother. I plan to write to Orry about the captain. Could you ask your brother if he ever knew an Elkhannah Bent at West Point. I would be more than obliged.

Take care, Billy. I hope you will write back upon receiving this letter. And do not forget to write to Cousin Brett. I believe she would be more than thrilled to hear from you.

Your friend always,

Charles Main

"Dear Orry" [G] - 1/1

"DEAR ORRY"

Here is a small fanfic from the "NORTH AND SOUTH" miniseries that aired in 1985. This story is about the westward journey of newly commissioned Army officer, Charles Main and his westward journey to his new post in Texas, revealed in a letter to his cousin in South Carolina:


"DEAR ORRY"

RATING: [G]
SUMMARY: A view of Charles Main's journey to Texas, via a series of
letters written to his Cousin Orry.
FEEDBACK: rosiepowell2000@yahoo.com - Be my guest. But please, be
kind.
DISCLAIMER: Charles Main, Orry Main and all other characters
related to the North and South trilogy belong to Wolper Productions,
Warner Brothers Television and John Jakes.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Here's a little story I wrote in letter form. Newly
commissioned Army officer, Charles Main, writes a letter to his
cousin, Orry Main. The story is a combination of canon from both the
miniseries and John Jakes' novel.

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October 10, 1856
Camp Cooper, Texas


Dear Cousin Orry,

After a month long journey that started in Charleston, I have finally, I have arrived at my new Army assignment. Camp Cooper. It is located in South Texas, on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River. Texas turned out to be more than a pleasant surprise. But I will talk about it, later.

My journey went off smoothly, despite the long distance. The steamer that conveyed me from Charleston, had arrived in New Orleans, six days later. I believe that Madeline LaMotte is from New Orleans. Right? I must say that it was a fine-looking city. Very exotic. I have not encountered so many different types of people since my four years at West Point.

Upon my arrival, I checked into the Saint Charles Hotel, which is popular with many American guests. You will be pleased to know that I did not waste my two days in New Orleans, visiting saloons and sporting houses. Instead, I explored the Old French Quarter, took a ride on the trolley that led from the Quarter to the Garden District - a residential area for many of the city's well-to-do Americans, and took a brief train ride to Lake Ponchatrain. I also paid a visit to a local fencing hall on my second day, where many of the city's gentlemen practice the sport. I managed to get into a match with Creole peacock named Emile Lacroix. Needless to say that my fencing had not improved since leaving the Academy. Mister Lacroix later invited me to join his family for supper at a restaurant called Antoine's, where we ate a delicious meal. By the way, would you please ask Mrs. LaMotte if she has ever heard of the Lacroix family? My two days in New Orleans ended on a pleasant note. The visit was so splendid that I hated to leave. But, Texas awaited me.

Another steamer took me through the Gulf of Mexico, where I finally arrived in Indianola, Texas, a few days later. No one felt more happier to leave that steamer than me. All I had to do was mention I was from South Carolina and the conversation on board turned to Preston Brooks. You know, one of our congressmen who thrashed that Yankee senator in the Senate, last spring. In fact, he offered the others in the saloon a free drink. I realize that as a Southerner, I should be more sympathetic toward Congressman Brooks, but the idea of drinking to celebrate a man’s beating seemed distasteful to me. My reluctance to drink made me a little less popular.

As I had stated at the beginning of this letter, Texas appealed to me the moment I first arrived. The land looked nothing like I had ever seen before. Instead of our dank low country or the Hudson Highlands near West Point, Texas has low rolling hills that make me feel open and free. Not long after my arrival in Indianola, I boarded a stagecoach for San Antonio. Now that was an interesting little city. In a way, it reminded me of New Orleans, but not as grand. The homes seemed to be a mixture of American brick houses, German one-story buildings made of limestone and Spanish-style adobes. I also saw the Alamo, where Congressman Crockett, Jim Bowie and the other Texas freedom fighters took their stand against General Santa Ana. It is hard to believe you ended up fighting against the same man, eleven years later. The people here in San Antonio seemed very friendly. Especially the lovely senoritas. Do not worry, Cousin. You will be relieved to know that I had behaved like a Carolina gentleman.


Not long after my arrival, I reported to Regimental Headquarters, where I met Colonel Robert Lee. He was the Academy's superintendent during my first two years there. It seems strange that an Army engineer would end up as a calvary regimental commander. I am happy to report that he still remembered me from the Academy. Or at least my riding prowess. Did you or George Hazard ever met him when you were fighting in Mexico? Colonel Lee's nephew, Fitz Lee, happens to be an old Academy friend of mine and Billy's. I understand that he is now serving at Fort Mason.

Both Colonel Lee and Major George Thomas had invited me to supper at the Plaza Hotel in San Antonio. Major Thomas also happens to be a Virginian and Academy graduate - class of 1840. Both seemed to hold Academy graduates in high regard, in compare to the army officers that rose through the ranks. From them I learned that I had been assigned as Company "K"'s second officer. The following morning, I accompanied the Department of Texas' paymaster, as he left San Antonio to deliver the pay for various Army forts and camps throughout the region. I had a brief reunion with Fitz Lee at Fort Mason. From him, I learned that many of the Army officers assigned to the Second Calvary are Southern-born. No wonder so many Yankees are complaining.

The final leg of my journey took me from Fort Mason to Camp Cooper, where Company "K" was stationed. Along the way, our party encountered a brief rainstorm. Strange weather in this state. One minute it is hot and the next, it is pouring down buckets. The weather only endured me more to Texas. The only Indians I have encountered so far were a poor bunch who had formed several villages not far from Camp Cooper. I find it hard to believe that these people may be related to the Commanches and other tribes who are causing mayhem along the frontier.

My company commander seemed like a pleasant fellow. His name is Baldwin Wayne and he is an Ohioan who had graduated from the Academy two years before you did - in 1844. Do you remember him? What was he like back then? Captain Wayne informed me that he will not be "K" Company's commander very long. He will be reassigned next spring. I can only hope that his replacement will prove to be just as easy to serve under. The company's first officer is another Yankee from Ohio and his name is Lieutenant Lafayette O'Dell. Unlike Captain Wayne and myself, Lieutenant O'Dell started out as an enlisted man, some twenty-five years ago. He was fourteen at the time. Captain Wayne seemed to hold the lieutenant in high regard, despite the latter's lack of Academy training. In fact, the entire company seems to like O'Dell. I guess I will have to work hard to earn the same kind of respect from the men. It looks I will have my work cut out for me, considering that I seemed to be the only Southerner in the company. Everyone else is either from Ohio, or had emigrated from Europe.

Please give my love to Aunt Clarissa and Cousin Brett. You can even say hello to Ashton for me. Speaking of my 'dear' cousin, has she married James Huntoon yet? Was their wedding supposed to be held this fall or next spring? I have forgotten. It is a shame that I will miss it. Honestly. One last thing I want to say, Orry. Thinking of my new situation has reminded me of how much I owe you. You gave a young and resentful boy a second chance to make something of his life. Namely me. Instead of ending up dead in a ditch with a broken neck, or killed in a tavern brawl, I am a West Point graduate and Army officer, serving my country on the Texas frontier. All of this happened to me, because of you. I will never forget your kindness and love and will forever be grateful.

Sincerely your beloved cousin,


2nd Lieutenant Charles Main, U.S.A


THE END