Home of the Brave (36 page)

Whipple nodded. “I know.
That’s how-come I asked you if you wanted a
replacement.”

Charlie waited as Anna came
down the stairs. “What do you think, Anna? Should Josiah have them
send a replacement captain up here or should I stay on until he
gets back?”

“You have to decide,” she
replied.

Charlie examined his hat
again before looking at Whipple. “Have them send somebody. I’ll
stay on until he gets here and knows the ropes but then I’m
retired.”

Whipple nodded. “Okay,
Charlie. I’ll do ‘er.”

“Be careful, Josiah.” Anna
kissed him on the cheek then took Charlie’s hand. “Are you ready to
go?”

“Yeah.” Charlie nodded at
Thomas and Jane then shook Whipple’s hand before leading Anna out
and helping her into the buckboard. “I didn’t know what else to
do,” he said, as he climbed up beside her.

“There wasn’t anything else
you could have done.”

“Damn Josiah. He knew I
intended to retire this spring.” He kicked the brake.

“As much as I’d like to
blame him, I don’t think he’s doing this to keep you in the
Rangers, Charlie. He’s just responding to
circumstances.”

“Come on, horses.” He
whipped the reins. “Let’s go home.”

Anna scooted closer to him
and put her head on his shoulder. “How long will it take for your
replacement to get here?”

“God knows,” he grumbled.
“The army’s taking so many Rangers that we’re short
handed.”

“The army? What does the
army have to do with it?”

“There’s a Texas Ranger’s
Division and several scattered companies among the
volunteers.”

“Why didn’t I know
that?”

He shrugged.

She sat up. “Well. If I had
known I might not have been so quick to agree to this.”

“What choice do I
have?”

She shrugged. “Anybody other
than you could just quit. But you seem to think that you owe your
life and soul to Texas.”

April 25, 1846

Rio Grande, Republic of
Texas (Disputed)

A company of seventy U.S.
cavalry halted and a captain rode forward to speak to a dusty man
who sitting on a weary horse.

“Good day, sir. I’m Captain
Seth Thornton, United States army.”

“How do? I’m Captain Josiah
Whipple, Texas Rangers. Are y’all comin’ from Fort
Texas?”

“That would be
classified.”

“Classified?’ Whipple
shifted the rifle he was holding across his saddle. “What’s that
mean?”

“It means that I can’t tell
you where we’re coming from.”

“Well then can you tell me
how far it is to Fort Texas? This horse is about wore out and if
it’s too far, I better rest.”

“I’m not here to dispense
information, sir; I’m here to gather it.”

“Now that’s good to know.”
Whipple spit a stream of tobacco juice. “I’ll be sure not to ask
y’all nothin’ else in that case. Good day.”

“Hold on a minute,” the
captain reached for Whipple’s reins but got slapped with a quirt.
“Damn you, sir,” he snarled, withdrawing his hand quickly and
reaching toward his pistol.

“Yer about a second from
bein’ a dead man, sonny,” Whipple replied, cocking the rifle and
adjusting the muzzle slightly so that it was pointed at the
captain’s chest.

“I could arrest you for
that.”

“Never seen no dead man
arrest nobody before. ‘Should be right interesting.”

The captain continued to
glare but moved his hand away from his holster.

“If you got something to
ask, go ahead on,” Whipple said after several seconds. “But be
polite and try to remember that I’m the law in Texas and y’all are
trespassin’ here.”

The young captain swallowed
then took a breath to try again. “We heard that units of the
Mexican army had crossed the river near here,” the captain said,
trying to keep his voice calm. “Have you seen any Mexican forces
around here? Sir.”

“No, I was working too hard
at being sure that they didn’t see me.”

“Are you saying that there
are Mexican troops on this side of the river?”

“I seen me some tracks in
the mud at the ford about a half mile back that-a-way.” Whipple
pointed over his shoulder. “Shod horses; prob’bly Mess-kin. Looked
to me like a whole army crossed, so I come up the long way, around
this resaca to stay clear of ‘em.”

“Tracks going in what
direction?”

“Well, north, o’ course. If
they was goin’ south they’d of been goin’ to Matamoros.”

“Is there some kind of
identifiable terrain feature?” the captain asked, obviously
exasperated.

“A terrain
feature?”

“A landmark. Something we
can see without having to expose ourselves on the
riverbank?”

“Well, they crossed the Rio
Grande at Rodriguez Ford and was headed toward the abandoned
Rodriguez Hacienda. If y’all got a halfway decent Texas map y’all
should be able t’ find the Rio Grande and Rodriguez Ford on it easy
enough.”

“Would it be too much to ask
for a simple, straight-forward answer?”

“Try askin’ a simple,
straight-forward question and we’ll see.”

“How many troops would you
estimate crossed there?”

“Two thousand,
thereabouts.”

The captain looked amused.
“I seriously doubt that, sir.”

“No skin off my backside if
you seriously doubt it, but I’m through dispensin’ information.”
Whipple touched his hat in an informal salute and urged his horse
to a walk. Ten minutes later, he heard the sound of a fierce gun
battle erupt, but he continued riding. “Stupid bastard,” he
muttered. “Guess that’ll learn y’ to seriously doubt a Texas
Ranger.”

April 25, 1846

Fort Texas, Republic of
Texas (Disputed)

In early March, troops in
the command of General Zachary Taylor had constructed an earthen
star-fortress on the north bank of the Rio Grande and nicknamed
it
Fort Texas
.
Inside the fort, U.S. Army Major Jacob Brown strode into the
stables. “Where’s that Texas Ranger that came in yesterday,
Corporal?”

“He’s a-sleepin’ in that
stall with his horse, sir.” The corporal pointed. “You might wanna
be careful. That danged horse o’ his bites like a
sum-bitch.”

Brown walked to the stall
door, and keeping out of the horse’s reach, kicked the bedroll that
was in the straw.

Josiah Whipple opened one
eye. “You kick me again and I’ll blow yer balls off.” He showed his
big Walker-Colt pistol to the major.

“One of Captain Thornton’s
men just came in,” the major replied calmly. “He says that Thornton
and his entire company were wiped out by a large force of the
Mexican army yesterday afternoon. He estimated their number at over
two thousand.”

“Y’all must of had shit in
yer ears yesterday evenin’ when I was tellin’ y’all that yer
cavalry was under attack.” Whipple put his hat on and began pulling
on the boots that Jane had bought him in New Orleans.

“We thought your estimate of
two thousand men was a bit fanciful at the time and we discounted
your report. I apologize for that, and I promise that in the future
you’ll be treated with the respect that you’re due.”

“Well I gotta give you
credit fer that fine speech. It must have been right hard fer y’ to
say.”

“The apology was easy. I’m
going to have to live with the guilt of not heeding your warning
for the rest of my life.”

“I doubt you could o’ made
any difference,” Whipple said. “You in command here?”

“Temporarily, while General
Taylor is away. Can you tell me anything else about the
force?”

“I never did see ‘em but I’d
bet big money that they’re part of a brigade of General Mariano
Arista’s Northern Army.”

“What makes you think it’s
Arista and not the garrison from the fort at Matamoros?”

“Too many men and horses
crossed the river. They wouldn’t leave them cannons at the fort
unprotected.” Whipple stood up and stamped his feet then he opened
the stall door and walked out. “Didn’t we just have that
discussion?”

“Yes, but I was prepared to
defend this fort against the Matamoros garrison, not against the
entire Mexican Army of the North, so I keep hoping that you were
wrong, Captain. That doesn’t mean that I doubt your word or
judgment, only that I wish you were wrong.”

“Well I ain’t wrong and I
backtracked Thornton’s cavalry from Rodriguez Ford to here real
easy. If I can do it, so can Arista. You’re gonna be facin’ him in
a few days - soon as he gets some more troops and maybe a cannon or
two from Matamoros.”

“We’re expecting the return
of General Taylor soon. Perhaps he’ll arrive before
Arista.”

“Where’s he at?”

“On the coast. Port
Isabel.”

“Just seein’ the sights, is
he?”

“We’re short of supplies.
Port Isabel has them. The guns have stopped which probably means
that he’s taken the city. I’m hoping that he’s on his way back by
now.”

“Arista only had part of a
brigade with him on this side of the Rio Grande yesterday. That
means he’s still got another three or four thousand men in
Matamoros or somewhere else over here on this side o’ the river.
Zach Taylor might be facin’ the whole army, which’ll leave you
suckin’ hind tit and still facin’ Arista.”

“This fort is stronger than
it looks.”

“I’m right familiar with
star forts, Captain. Even built and spent some time in one with
Zach Taylor down in Florida a few years back. I was a full colonel
in the regular army back then and a brevet brigadier general.” He
cut a sliver of tobacco from his plug and popped it into his
mouth.

Brown raised his hands. “No
offense, Captain. I didn’t know that. Can you offer me any
advice?”

“Y’all might wanna look to
improvin’ yer earthworks that face the guns at Matamoros. And you
sure as hell should be quick about getting’ in water, food and
fodder and plannin’ for a long siege.”

Brown nodded. “Speaking of
food, did we feed you last night?”

“We wasn’t exactly on the
best o’ terms last night, so I dined alone on hardtack, jerky and
cold coffee out here in the barn.”

“Once again I apologize for
our rudeness. I’ve told Sarah Knight, the woman that runs the
officer’s mess, that you are to be served as an
officer.”

“Thank ye kindly. I could
use a good, hot, woman-cooked meal almost as much as I could use a
bad, hot woman.”

“Then you’ll be happy to
meet Sarah Knight,” Brown chuckled. “Please come and talk to me
more after you’ve had breakfast.”

Whipple watched the major
leave then flipped a coin to the corporal. “Steal some them
officer’s oats fer my horse, will y’ young feller?”

“How do I keep him from
bitin’ me?”

“Well if you got a feedbag
full o’ oats in yer hand I don’t reckon he’ll be suspicious of y’
much. Where do I find the officer’s mess?”

He pointed. “The big covered
wagon in the center. You can’t miss it.”

“Obliged.” Whipple walked
out into the sun.

Fort Texas was a
five-bastion star-fortress built of earth and corduroyed with palm
tree trunks. The center of the star was a pentagon with gun
positions on each of the flat sides, behind each of the bastions.
Although hastily constructed of temporary material, the design was
far superior to any of the rectangular or round forts in the region
constructed by the Mexicans, or by the Spanish before
them.

Whipple found the Conestoga
wagon by the cook fires but there was no one in sight. “Hello in
the wagon,” he called.

A woman’s face appeared in
the back. “Hello yer own-self.”

“I’m Captain Josiah Whipple.
Major Brown said I might get some chuck if I was to come a-callin’.
But if I’m troublin’ y’ Ma’am, I still got me some hardtack and
jerky in m’ saddlebags.”

“No trouble.” She climbed
down from the wagon and walked toward him, holding out her hand.
“I’m Sarah Knight. The cook, nurse and laundress of this here
detachment.”

“Well now,” Whipple said in
admiration, as he shook her hand. “Yer a big un and that’s a fact.
Right handsome too, if you don’t mind me observin’.”

“I never have minded
getting’ a compliment.” The woman was indeed looking Whipple, who
was six feet two inches tall, right in the eye. “They call me the
Great Western.”

Whipple gave her a puzzled
look.

“The
SS Great Western
. Biggest steamship
ever to float.”

Whipple got a good laugh
from that.

“I remember you,” she said.
“Guess you don’t remember me.”

He looked at her closer,
pushed his hat back and scratched his head. “I think you must be
wrong about knowin’ me, Ma’am, ‘cause I sure couldn’t never forget
you if I’d seen you before.”