Chapter 2

The Eternal Flame appeared above the Glen just as Mother Shannon finished, and all of us immediately switched our attentions to It. It didn't seem surprised to see our Parents here, nor that there were three more people here apparently wanting to go with us.

"I see that everyone has arrived, so I'll proceed with the briefing on the problem that I would like your help with. I'll begin by outlining the recent history of the Third Reality. To begin with there is even less Magic use in the Third Reality than in your Reality. There is just as much Magic available, so you will have a distinct advantage over those who you must deal with.

"This assignment will involve dealing with problems created when the British won the American War of Independence. The year that you will be going to is the year 1800, some nineteen years after the war concluded.

"I won't go over the entire war, as the war in both Realities started in the same way, and the same errors and mistakes were made in both Realities up to a certain point. It was at this point that the two Realities diverge significantly. That point involves decisions made by King Louis XVI of France, and several different, but better decisions made by the British Army Commanders in the Third Reality.

"While Louie and his advisers had been persuaded by Franklin and Lafayette to support the American cause, it was mostly about gaining revenge on the British for the losses the French had suffered during the Seven Years War, that caused them to help the Americans. To this end, they initially offered material aid and some Military advisers. Finally, they did send some troops and provide some naval support to bolster the American cause.

"The King Louis in the Third Reality, however, was a more cautious and frugal individual than the one in your Reality, and he paid closer attention to just what was being spent in aid to the Americans. By 1780, he quietly decided that France had contributed more than enough aid, and should cut back on spending there. When Count de Rochambeau arrived in Newport, Rhode Island in 1781, he had only two thousand troops with him instead of the eleven thousand that he had in your Reality. Word had also gone out to Admiral de Grasse in the West Indies to hold the majority of his fleet there, and to only provide token support to the Americans from then on.

"As in your Reality, the British severely over estimated the loyalist support that they would have in the Southern Colonies, and lost what little support they had when British troops raided farms and plantations in search of food, plus Tarleton's 'Dragoons' had massacred men who were actually supporters of the British position, causing more people in the South to desert the British cause.

"General Cornwallis was in a somewhat better position when he reached Yorktown, Virginia in the Third Reality having lost fewer troops then he did in your Reality. He waited there to be resupplied and reinforced by General Clinton in New York.

"French General Rochambeau convinced Washington to attack Cornwallis at Yorktown to end the war rather than to attack General Clinton in New York, who it was believed was better prepared to face him than Cornwallis was. Washington reluctantly agreed to the plan providing Admiral de Grasse would bring his fleet of twenty-nine warships from the West Indies to cut off Cornwallis' avenue of resupply by the Royal Navy. The American and French troops left White Plains, New York in the summer of 1781, but never reached Yorktown in Virginia.

"Admiral de Grasse, taking the King's message seriously, only sent a token force to the Chesapeake Bay in early August to blockade Cornwallis in Yorktown. They were soon challenged by a much stronger British Navy fleet. After several engagements, the entire French force in the Chesapeake was sunk, and word of their defeat never reached de Grasse, or Washington. Meanwhile Cornwallis was reinforced and re-supplied.

"Clinton in New York had taken notice of Washington's departure, or at least his people had, and sent word to Cornwallis. He also made plans to follow Washington and trap him between his forces and Cornwallis's. Cornwallis broke out of Yorktown on the 1st of September 1781. At the time, he was only opposed by General Lafayette with some three thousand ill-equipped American Continentals along with a few local militia units. He left behind a blocking force of some one thousand men to keep them from following him, or warning Washington.

"Cornwallis met and blocked Washington's advance in Northern Virginia in the vicinity of the town of Fredricksburg. The British Navy had ships in the Potomac River to support him. As Washington prepared to battle Cornwallis to his front, word arrived of Clinton's forces closing in on his rear elements. The hastily planned battle did not go well for the Americans, and Clinton's advance forces hit them from the rear during the battle.

"The French under Rochambeau surrendered and were eventually repatriated to France. Those American units that could, fled toward the mountains in western part of Virginia, leaving a trail of dead and wounded behind them. The remainder of the American units were decimated, but a few prisoners were taken to be hung later after being court-martialed. Washington was later found by the British seriously wounded and ill at his home at Mount Vernon near Alexandria. He died of his wounds before they could hang him." The Eternal Flame paused there before continuing. We had all been paying very close attention to what he was telling us.

"The French came out of the war in relatively good shape, due to King Louis's cost-cutting measures. There was no Financial Crisis in 1786, and the French Revolution hasn't happened yet, as it did in your Reality. Things didn't work out all that well for King Louis however. For abandoning the Americans, he was poisoned by his relative, the Marquis de Lafayette, a few years after the war ended.

"Winning the war and retaining the colonies had cost the British dearly. They estimate that it cost them twelve million Pounds a year, and they ended the war some two hundred fifty million Pounds in debt. There was now also the additional cost of maintaining a large military force in the colonies for the foreseeable future to control them. Trade with the colonies had also fallen apart during the war, causing British merchants, especially the tobacco industry, to suffer. The export market had dried up also. Neither the Government, Parliament, nor Business were inclined to allow this to pass.

"New, even more burdensome taxes, were imposed on the colonies, and the price of all goods exported to them rose also. Of course, a total ban on the importation of goods from other countries had been implemented. Exports from the colonies were paid for at lower prices and were only allowed to go to British merchants.

"The British Army and some loyalists had done their best to round up all of the major figures in the American Government, and those that supported the Revolution in addition to a number of minor figures. Most had been hanged, or sent to slave camps in the British West Indies. Later, curfews were implemented in all of the major cities and towns to keep people from meeting at night, and to keep them from slipping away to the frontier.

"All of that is just background though. There were two unexpected outcomes from the war that had not been foreseen by either side. The first was the response of the 'overmountain men', as those from the mountains and the frontier were called, at the Battle of King's Mountain where Major Ferguson's forces were defeated, and he lost his life. The British had not considered them a threat, nor had any idea of their numbers.

"The second was the effectiveness of Colonel Tarleton's Light Infantry, variously called his Legion, or his Dragoons. In the rugged mountains country of North Carolina and all along the Appalachians in addition to other mountain and forested areas, they were well suited to continue the war against those who were west of the mountains. The traditional European approach to land warfare was not appropriate to these areas.

"It is now 1800 and close to twenty years after the war in the Third Reality, and the fighting still continues. The British continue to send expeditions, and raiding forces into the mountains, and to the west of them to try to secure the land there. Their officers have been promised large estates on the other side of the mountains when they take control of the area. The Ohio River is a particularly favored route as are several other easy passages like the Cumberland Gap. All of their expeditions have met fierce resistance from those living in the mountains and west of them. The areas directly on either side of the mountains have become a no-man's-land because of this.

"The British have also tried sending expeditions along the Gulf Coast. They have had their own version of 'the Creek Wars' as the Indians there have fiercely resisted them. This is because the French in New Orleans have brought the Indians to their side by claiming that the British want their lands. Which of course they do also, but not immediately. The French in New Orleans have a very lucrative trade going with the Americans upriver from them. The new French King is making much money from the Americans west of the mountains, and the fur trade even further west to the Rocky Mountains. He keeps a strong Army presence there, in addition to a large Naval presence in the Gulf.

"During the eighteenth century, some 600,000 Irish and Scots immigrated to the colonies. That is a substantially larger number than in your Reality. This was in addition to the many Englishmen and others seeking religious freedom. Additionally, there were many Germans and Dutch who also immigrated there.

"Even before the war, a substantial number of the Irish and Scots immigrants had moved into, and then west of, the Appalachians seeking more freedom and free land. Following the war, this movement has continued as now many, not just the Irish and the Scots, flee British control with their high prices, new laws, and the other restrictions that they have imposed. The British, of course, invoked even tougher restrictions to try to stem the flow of colonists to the west, and many have died in their attempts to escape.

"After the coastal colonies were secured again, the King and Parliament demanded that the Army take action to defeat this 'rabble', as they termed those west of the mountains, and to bring the land and those on it under British control. To accomplish this, the Army began sending the most belligerent, bloodthirsty, cruel, and sadistic of its officers, the ones who usually caused them the most trouble and embarrassment, to the colonies where they are posted to the farthermost western posts where they can practice their various traits against those west of the mountains.

"This, of course, has been answered in kind by those west of the mountains, who have adopted the tactics of the Indians as far as reprisals and torture are concerned. These tactics, while not condoned by their leaders, are a fact of life there, and while usually only used against the British Army, and not civilians, are still brutal in the extreme.

"Those west of the mountains, who call themselves Americans, have set up a government of their own. They were guided in this by Jefferson's Declaration of Independence. Jefferson was one of the leaders who managed to escape the British net following the war, and he and others have guided the westerner's efforts to create a country of free and independent people.

"They cannot continue to suffer these constant British attacks and still develop as a nation. It requires entirely too much of their limited energy and resources for them to continue in this mode, and that doesn't even consider the constant danger that many of them are in. Also, the people in the coastal colonies cannot suffer under the stringent British rule for much longer without there being another uprising that will kill many. The British must be removed from North America, and you will be going there to assist in that task," the Eternal Flame finished.

We had all been listening intently, and had been shocked by the content of the briefing that the Eternal Flame had given. The extent of the problem left us slack jawed. Many of us looked around to see how the others had taken this news.

"That sounds like a huge assignment, even for all of these young people," my Dad remarked to the Eternal Flame when He had finished.

"And it could take a rather long time to accomplish," Uncle Pat added. Our other relatives hadn't said anything yet and didn't appear to have recovered from what they had heard either.

"They will only need to remain until the British are removed and are no longer a threat. I will have all of them back here in time for the start of school this fall," the Eternal Flame assured all of us.

"You males will need strong outdoor clothing and boots fit for long walks and horseback riding for this assignment. The females will need similar clothing, but no pants. They weren't worn by females in that time period. Ask your Grandmothers Margie and Katie what kinds of clothes women wore when they were growing up, to get an idea of what to wear. Eventually, all of you will need to change to locally produced clothing, but for the initial contact period and until you are established, the different clothing you are wearing will set you apart from the inhabitants and give you an advantage," It told us.

"You will need to take some large knives, pocket knives, axes, or tomahawks with you also. These are not for fighting, but for performing everyday chores. You will also require large backpacks, sleeping bags, blankets, other camping gear, and extra clothing on this assignment. I will return for you on the afternoon of Friday the 20th of June. You should be prepared to leave by then," It told us before it vanished. We were all just standing there in shock, and staring at where It had been for a few seconds after that.

"Friday!!" D & D said together in shock. "How can we be ready by then?" the pair squealed.

"We need to talk to our Grandmothers -- like now!" C & C told the other women before all of them disappeared.

"We'll get a bus to take all of you into town in an hour, or so, to see what you can obtain at the sporting goods store," my Dad told those of us remaining in the Glen. We returned to our houses then. Wolf and I went to our closets to see what we presently had that would fulfill the requirements that the Eternal Flame had set. Wolf soon came into my room with a huge smile on his face.

"I just knew that this would come in handy someday!" he delightedly told me. He was brandishing a single-edged knife with a fifteen inch long blade in one hand and a leather scabbard in the other.

"What the heck is that?" I asked in surprise.

"It's a real Scottish Dirk," he told me, as he returned the knife to its scabbard.

"Where did you get that?" I asked him.

"I got it on one of our trips to visit my Mother's clan. She was really upset that I had it at first, but Grandfather Wolfgang told her that a man needed a good weapon in case of danger. Mother Gretchen pointed out to him that I was already a Master Wizard, and could more than take care of myself, but she let me keep it anyway. It came with extras," he told me and pulled a small knife and fork set from the brass bands around the scabbard. "It even has eating utensils," he said me with a smile.

Chapter 3 »