Robert released the colonel’s arm and took two paces forward. This was a man bred on battlefields, his eyes hard and stare missing nothing, his beard bristling and a voice that reached easily to every corner of the parade field.
“Troops,” he paused and took a breath. “Our journey is done. This is not our home, but our war is over,” Robert’s voice caught, but he forged on, “and this is where we will stay. Our survival on Coal Island hinges on cooperation between us prisoners and the union guards. I expect nothing less from every one of us.”
“Behind me stand our commanding officer and the island commandant. Many of you should recognize General Cornell from our march through the Shenandoah Valley to Harpers Ferry. He is a man who has shown his courage and wisdom. You will respect his orders or you will answer to me.”
With a wave of his arm and a slight bow, Robert waved his hand at the colonel. “This is Colonel Beltran of the Irish Brigade. He is our commandant. You will address him as sir or colonel, salute him, listen to what he says and obey his orders.”
Robert nodded to the colonel then stepped aside, allowing the troops full view of the man.
“Gentlemen,” The old man’s voice was surprisingly loud considering his condition; the colonel’s voice was every bit as loud as Robert’s. “Welcome to Coal Island. There are no walls. There are no guard towers. You will not see union guards shoot prisoners but have no false illusions. You are in a prison.”
“It is impossible to escape by swimming or by boat. Nature traps you and I. We must now see to our mutual survival.”
“There are but three rules on coal island; no theft, no escape attempts, and no killing. Theft will earn time on a cross.” All the men in the armies on both sides of the war were familiar with the sight of men tied to primitive crosses and whipped for lesser infringements against military rule.
“Murderers will receive the firing squad.”
Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.
The colonel’s tone turned friendly; his concerns were sincere. “We sit on an island near the southern end of the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior. The closest land is five miles that way,” Beltran pointed south. “This is a glacial lake. It never warms, and it is deep. Storms brew fast here with waves more dangerous than any in the Atlantic. We cannot stop escape attempts, but know this; should you land to the south, the civilians will hang you. The Canadians will sell you back to us. Captain Marsh of the Tulip has fished more than a dozen prisoners from the Lake. Why risk your lives? Your families will need you when this war is done. Stay here with me; I will bring us all to that day when we can truly live in peace.”
“For the moment, the latest news of war is not good for either side. General Sherman, under orders from the new commander of the Army of the Potomac, Ulysses Grant, has charged deep into the state of Georgia. Sherman’s troops threaten Atlanta. General Lee and the Army of Virginia are trapped in the Shenandoah Valley.”
“We must place our faith in God’s blessing and protection. This war will end and certainly the killing will stop. Until that day when the rest of the country joins us in peace, we await the end of the war and act accordingly.”
“On Coal Island, we will look to the future and preserve the peace. Let this place prove that despite our political differences, we are still brothers and that we can survive.”
There was silence after the speech and men came to terms with the same concepts that had troubled Robert on the deck of the Tulip, ideas spoken eloquently by the colonel.
There were no catcalls, there was no cheering. Men not taking part in the parade had gathered around the edges of grounds to listen, the colonel’s words sinking home to men who had seen enough of war and destruction, each knowing the colonel’s words to be true.
With hope showing on faces staring at the colonel, the men now held desperately to the old man’s words. They wanted to believe.
“Today, you will rest and settle in the barracks. Eat a hot meal. You will receive a month’s rations including coffee and tobacco. Rest gentlemen, tomorrow you will join our work to survive the winter.”
Without help, the colonel hobbled close to Confederate troops, searching the ranks, seeming to welcome to each man and accepting the battle-scarred men as his own charges. Robert’s men accepted the blue uniform without question, many of them smiling at Robert and the colonel.
Robert remembered his men smiling in the same manner for General Lee, then realized he too was smiling.
Slowly the colonel returned to Robert’s side then faced the troops, “Dismissed.”