Battles of Destiny (Battles of Destiny Collection, Band 2) - Hardcover

Lacy, Al

 
9781590529461: Battles of Destiny (Battles of Destiny Collection, Band 2)
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1590529464 ISBN 13: 9781590529461
Verlag: Multnomah Press, 2007

Inhaltsangabe

Dramatic Tales of Love and Civil War The Battles of Destiny series is now available in four attractive two-in-one volumes! Bestselling author Al Lacy packs each dramatic novel in the popular historical fiction series with heartwarming romance and solid moral values. Set during the Civil War, these are the tales of families, soldiers, nurses, and spies as they contend with the deadly threats posed by war and the eternal hope that springs from love. Fast-moving and historically accurate, these stories appeal to men and women who enjoy a trip back in time. Now longtime and new Lacy fans can purchase the entire Battles of Destiny classics and enjoy hours of endless reading pleasure.

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Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Al Lacy is a bestselling author and Western Writers of America member with more than 2.5 million copies of historical and Western novels in print. He and his wife,JoAnna, are co-authors of several series, including A Place to Call Home and the upcoming Kane Legacy. The Lacys make their home in the Colorado Rockies.

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A cool and quiet resolve filled him as he descended the stairs of Springfield’s Illinois Hotel, shouldering into his overcoat. Feeling the weight of the two revolvers in his shoulder holsters, he approached the desk, hat-in-hand.

The slender, middle-aged clerk looked down at the small uniformed man, smiled and said, “Good morning, Colonel.”

Laying his hat on the counter and pulling his wallet from his hip pocket, Colonel Elmer Ellsworth smiled in return. “Good morning.”

“So this is the day, eh?” remarked the clerk.

Ellsworth’s dark eyes ran to the calendar that hung on the wall behind the desk. Bold letters displayed the date: February 11, 1861.

Nodding, he said, “This is the day. If you’ll tally up my bill, I’ll be on my way.”

“There’s nothing to tally, Colonel.”

“Pardon me?”

His smile broadening, the clerk replied, “You met our manager, Mr. Spalding, last week, I believe.”

“Yes. Very cordial man, I might say.”

“Well, Mr. Spalding left Springfield for Chicago on business yesterday, but before he left, he told me that your bill was on the house. There’ll be no charge.”

“But I’ve been here for nearly two weeks. It really isn’t right that I should–”

“Mr. Spalding said to tell you that what you’re doing to protect Mr. Lincoln is pay enough to more than cover your bill, Colonel. We love Congressman Lincoln–or I should say President-elect Lincoln. With all the threats that have been voiced against him, we are most grateful that he has someone like you looking out for him.”

“I appreciate that, sir,” smiled Ellsworth. “I assure you, and you can assure Mr. Spalding, that I am determined to get Mr. Lincoln to Washington safely. I’ve hired Allan Pinkerton and a host of his detectives to provide additional protection along the way, and I’ve laid out a plan in coalition with General Winfield Scott for military protection in addition to the Pinkerton men on Inauguration Day. We are not taking the Secessionists’ threats of assassination lightly.”

“I’m glad,” nodded the clerk. “I understand, though, from what I’ve read in the newspapers, that Mr. Lincoln has not taken the threats seriously. Is this true?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Has he approved of all this protection you are providing?”

“He balked when I first told him what I had in mind, but Mrs. Lincoln put the pressure on him. That’s all it took. When he saw the tears in her eyes, he gave in.”

“God bless Mrs. Lincoln,” said the clerk.

Ellsworth returned his wallet to its place and picked up his hat. “You be sure to thank Mr. Spalding for me.”

“I will do that, Colonel. God speed. We need Mr. Lincoln in the White House to pull this nation together.”

“Yes, we do,” agreed Ellsworth. “I believe when the Secessionists hear his Inauguration Address and understand his intentions for this country’s future, they just might take another look at the situation.”

“I certainly hope so,” said the clerk.

“And even if they don’t, Mr. Lincoln is the man to lead us if civil war comes.”

The clerk shook his head sadly. “Oh, I hope that doesn’t happen, Colonel. I hope that doesn’t happen.”

“So do I. But if it does, I’m glad Mr. Lincoln will be at the helm.”

Donning his hat, Ellsworth nodded toward the clerk and headed for the door. When he stepped outside, the cold wind knifed through his coat all the way to his bones. He pulled up his collar and walked toward the carriage that awaited him.

It was dawn, but the heavy gray clouds that covered the sky allowed little light. Snow was falling and the driving wind gusted it along the street. Bending his head against the wind, Ellsworth looked up at the driver, wrapped in a blanket, and asked, “You haven’t been waiting long, have you, Charles?”

“No, sir. Just a few minutes.”

“I assume the bell boy brought my luggage to you.”

“Yes, sir. You’ll find it inside.”

Climbing in behind the driver’s seat, Ellsworth said, “Let’s go. I have to have the Lincolns at the depot by seven thirty.”

As the carriage pulled away from the hotel and headed down the snow-covered street, Ellsworth brushed snow from his hat and coat and settled back for the ride across the city to the Lincoln home.

Colonel Elmer Ellsworth, who stood barely over five-feet-five and weighed 135 pounds, had earned his rank two years previously at the unheard-of age of twenty-two. His name was a synonym for patriotism to millions of Northerners. In a time when virtually every town in the northeast sponsored its own volunteer militia, the diminutive colonel was America’s foremost parade-ground soldier and, in the popular imagination, the army’s most promising military talent.

Stationed in Utica, New York, Ellsworth gained popularity as commander of the U.S. Zouave Cadets, whom he had transformed from a lackadaisical group of Northern soldiers into the national-champion drill team. He modeled his unit after the French Zouaves of Crimean War fame, dressing his men in bright-colored baggy-trousered uniforms. He developed his own variations of the Zouave drill, featuring hundreds of maneuvers with musket and bayonet.

In the summer of 1860–with the threat of civil war in the air–Ellsworth toured twenty cities in the northeast, challenging men to sign up in the U.S. army. He became a celebrity overnight. Newspaper and magazine writers lionized him, women idolized him, and politicians sought his friendship.

Ellsworth had followed Abe Lincoln’s political career from a distance and became a great admirer. It was while demonstrating his drill team at Springfield in June of 1860 that they met. Lincoln took an instant liking to the brilliant young colonel and invited him to his home. Mrs. Lincoln and their two sons, Willie and Tad–ten and eight at that time–also were drawn to Ellsworth’s warm and bright personality. When summer was over and the drilling demonstrations ceased, the youthful Zouave leader was invited back to the Lincoln home.

He returned on several occasions and was always welcomed, especially by the Lincoln boys because he would never fail to play “war” with them. Ellsworth was so close to Willie and Tad that he caught the measles from them. He was especially drawn to bright-eyed Tad, whom he called, “Mr. Personality.”

Because of his love for Abraham Lincoln, Ellsworth campaigned for him in the 1860 election. Lincoln acknowledged that the “little colonel” had a great deal to do with his winning the election.

When the president-elect gave in to Ellsworth’s protection plan, the young colonel also announced that he would be Lincoln’s personal bodyguard on the trip from Springfield to Washington. Knowing that argument would be useless, Lincoln had quietly accepted.

The icy wind had eased some as the carriage pulled up in front of the huge two-story house, but snow was still falling. Two larger carriages were there, which would carry the six Pinkerton men and the Lincoln family’s luggage to the depot.

It was a comfort to Ellsworth to see the grim-faced detectives huddled on the front porch. Heads turtled into their coat collars, they nodded at the young colonel as he mounted the snow-crusted steps. Even as Ellsworth,...

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Verlag
Multnomah Press
Erscheinungsdatum
2007
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
1590529464
ISBN 13 
9781590529461
Einband
Gebundene Ausgabe
Anzahl der Seiten
590
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Verantwortliche Person
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