When Cotton Was King: A Novel About Slavery and Civil War
()
About this ebook
Determined to achieve economic and social dominance, Andrew eventually marries into the Wellworth family, rich in ancestry but poor in purse. His wife, Rebecca, who was raised by a slave until her father sold her, wants to buy back Momma Jo. When she learns she has died leaving two sons, Michael and Gabriel, Rebecca buys and then frees the boys, prompting Michael to meet John Brown and participate in the Pottawatomie massacre. As the Blackstone family is impacted by other antebellum events that include the Fugitive Slave Act, Underground Railroad, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, Rebecca gives birth to twins, Jackson and Arabella. But as tensions increase between the north and south and a civil war looms on the horizon, the Blackstones are all about to learn the power of battle and its ability to not just transform the country, but also their lives and the lives of their descendants.
Related to When Cotton Was King
Related ebooks
When Cotton Was King: A Novel About Slavery and Civil War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhere Eagles Go to Die: A Ninety-Year Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bible Clicks, A Creative Through-the-Bible Series, Book Two: Stories of Faith, Hope, and Love from the New Testament Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMy First Ninety Years Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAngels Dance on the Head of a Pin Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMysterious Ways: True Stories of the Miraculous Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bible Clicks, A Creative Through-the-Bible Series, Book One: Stories of Faith, Vision, and Courage from the Old Testament Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Valley of Lost Souls Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Book of Amazing Stories: 90 Devotions on Seeing God’s Hand in Unlikely Places Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLove - the Giver: The Dilemma of Givers and Takers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Spirit Well, The Shadow Lamp, and The Fatal Tree: A Bright Empires Collection Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Artist Wife: A Suspense Story of Love, Intrigue, and Triumph Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAt Peace: No Longer a Slave to Fear Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSparrow Redeemed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEasier Said Than Done Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSurprised by Peace Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChicken Soup for the Soul: Country Music: The Inspirational Stories behind 101 of Your Favorite Country Songs Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI Have Always Loved Older Women…: Stories for a Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSex! Success! Screwed! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEye to the Sky: Storytelling on the Edge of Magic Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsI'm No Angel: From Victoria's Secret Model to Role Model Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5William Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOh-My-God-Part-1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10 Classics Western Stories Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last Reunion: Book No. 10 of the Wolde Family Saga Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings10 Classic Western Stories (Best Navigation, Active TOC) (A to Z Classics) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Debt of War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Home of the Famous Dead: Collected Poems Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Historical Fiction For You
Sold on a Monday: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Count of Monte Cristo Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5We Have Always Lived in the Castle Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rebecca Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Light Between Oceans: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5East of Eden Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Demon Copperhead: A Pulitzer Prize Winner Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Tender Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Other Einstein: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Carnegie's Maid: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Second Life of Mirielle West: A Haunting Historical Novel Perfect for Book Clubs Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Red Tent - 20th Anniversary Edition: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Canterbury Tales Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Book Woman's Daughter: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Yellow Wife: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The House of Eve Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rules of Magic: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lady Tan's Circle of Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hang the Moon: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Kitchen House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Poisonwood Bible: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5That Bonesetter Woman: the new feelgood novel from the author of The Smallest Man Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Girls in the Stilt House: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Island of Sea Women: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Euphoria Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Magic Lessons: The Prequel to Practical Magic Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hallowe'en Party: Inspiration for the 20th Century Studios Major Motion Picture A Haunting in Venice Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for When Cotton Was King
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
When Cotton Was King - Alvin S. Yusin
Copyright © 2017 Alvin S. Yusin.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.
LifeRich Publishing
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.liferichpublishing.com
1 (888) 238-8637
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1337-7 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1336-0 (hc)
ISBN: 978-1-4897-1335-3 (e)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017950337
LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 01/16/2019
Dedicated to Count Leo Tolstoi whose novel War and Peace inspired this work
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Major Families and their Relationships
The Antebellum Years
Chapter 1 The Blackstones
Chapter 2 Forgive and Forget - Never
Chapter 3 The Kind Widow
Chapter 4 Lydia’s Confession
Chapter 5 The Widow’s Idea
Chapter 6 Murdock
Chapter 7 Change of Plan
Chapter 8 King Cotton
Chapter 9 Andrew The Apprentice
Chapter 10 Bad News
Chapter 11 How To Earn A Fortune
Chapter 12 La Nouvelle Orleans
Chapter 13 A Father’s Folly
Chapter 14 Jeffersonian Expansion
Chapter 15 When the Rains Came
Chapter 16 Andrew Takes Control
Chapter 17 Tea With Angelique
Chapter 18 Andrew and The General
Chapter 19 Going Home
Chapter 20 A Moment of Peace
Chapter 21 Lawyer Lawrence
Chapter 22 Apple Hill Plantation
Chapter 23 Who Are The Sandcastles?
Chapter 24 Who Shall I Marry?
Chapter 25 Vengeance Is Mine
Chapter 26 How To Wreak Vengeance
Chapter 27 The Dubious Savior
Chapter 28 Painful Realization
Chapter 29 Black Stone Heart
Chapter 30 The Wellworths
Chapter 31 Memories of Momma Jo
Chapter 32 The Past Remembered
Chapter 33 The Clubfooted Child
Chapter 34 An Unfortunate Marriage
Chapter 35 I Have Two Mommas
Chapter 36 Andrew’s Triumph
Chapter 37 Twins!
Chapter 38 Rebecca’s Realization
Chapter 39 Andrew’s Deception
Chapter 40 Healing Old Wounds
Chapter 41 A Glimmer of Hope
Chapter 42 Momma Jo’s Sons
Chapter 43 The Sons’ Story
Chapter 44 Cruelty Revealed
Chapter 45 Michael’s Story
Chapter 46 Future Plans
Chapter 47 What Denmark Vesey Did
Chapter 48 And The Years Pass
Chapter 49 Jackson
Chapter 50 Arabella
Chapter 51 The Changing Times
Chapter 52 Joseph
Chapter 53 Love and Marriage
Chapter 54 Wedding At Apple Hill
Chapter 55 Jackson In Love
Chapter 56 The Beales
Chapter 57 Jackson Rebels
Chapter 58 An Unusual Invitation
Chapter 59 Cousin Susan
Chapter 60 A New Direction
Chapter 61 Dinner At Cousin Susan’s
Chapter 62 Where To Hide Them?
Chapter 63 Rebecca and the Slave Patrol
Chapter 64 President Polk’s War
Chapter 65 Death Comes to Apple Hill
Chapter 66 Truth And Its Consequences
Chapter 67 An Unexpected Encounter
Chapter 68 How To Explain It All
Chapter 69 The New Andrew
Chapter 70 A Comforting Resolution
Chapter 71 The Children
Chapter 72 What Happens to Property!
Chapter 73 Michael
Chapter 74 Fight For Life
Chapter 75 The Awakening
Chapter 76 Learning To Hate
Chapter 77 Hatred
Chapter 78 Michael’s Revenge
Chapter 79 The Avenger Strikes
Chapter 80 A Wayward Brother
Chapter 81 The Prelude Years
Chapter 82 The Blackstone Grandchildren
Chapter 83 Changing Times And Perspectives
Chapter 84 Luke
Chapter 85 Clayton Driscoll
Chapter 86 Easter At Apple Hill
Chapter 87 The Family Gathers
Chapter 88 The Spectre of War
Chapter 89 Robert’s Dilemma
Chapter 90 Love In Bloom
Chapter 91 The Dreaded Confrontation
Chapter 92 A Slave’s Existence
Chapter 93 Free At Last
Chapter 94 A Father’s Pride
Chapter 95 The New Physician
Chapter 96 Another School?
Chapter 97 Convention and Conflicts
Chapter 98 John Brown’s Mantle
Chapter 99 December Wedding
Chapter 100 Explosion!
Chapter 101 The Last Christmas
The War Years
Chapter 102 Bull Run
Chapter 103 That Woman
Chapter 104 Parry and Thrust
Chapter 105 Lydia’s Return to Georgia
Chapter 106 Blockade Begins -New Orleans Falls
Chapter 107 Robert’s Homecoming
Chapter 108 Detour To Williamsburg
Chapter 109 Treating the Wounded -- A New Approach
Chapter 110 The Attack
Chapter 111 A Resolute Physician
Chapter 112 Luke’s Visit
Chapter 113 Robert In Love
Chapter 114 The European Dilemna
Chapter 115 Clayton’s Furlough
Chapter 116 The New Lydia
Chapter 117 What Changed Lydia
Chapter 118 Welcome Charles Francis
Chapter 119 Clayton Is Missing!
Chapter 120 The Union Uplifted
Chapter 121 Samuel Enlists
Chapter 122 Robert’s New Assignment
Chapter 123 Lieutenant Arliss
Chapter 124 Mrs. Mims
Chapter 125 Planning A New Hospital
Chapter 126 A Visit To Hell
Chapter 127 Colonel Sweet
Chapter 128 Prayer And A Promise
Chapter 129 A Plan For Escape
Chapter 130 Robert Saves A Life
Chapter 131 The Hospital Steward
Chapter 132 An Unexpected Tragedy
Chapter 133 The Trial Run
Chapter 134 Mrs. Mims To The Rescue
Chapter 135 A Careless Action
Chapter 136 Escape
Chapter 137 The Patient’s Progress
Chapter 138 Wounds of War
Chapter 139 How to Get Clayton Home
Chapter 140 Robert’s Crisis
Chapter 141 The Confrontation
Chapter 142 The Colonel’s Maneuver
Chapter 143 An Unexpected Meeting
Chapter 144 An Unexpected Arrival
Chapter 145 Death of A Giant
Chapter 146 General Lee’s Perspective
Chapter 147 Maggots and Flies
Chapter 148 Cemetery Ridge
Chapter 149 How Are The Mighty Fallen
Chapter 150 A Hospital For Officers
Chapter 151 Luke
Chapter 152 Best Laid Plans
Chapter 153 Breaking God’s Heart
Chapter 154 Going Home
Chapter 155 A Pleasant Surprise
Chapter 156 Grayson For President?
Chapter 157 The Ideal Son - In - Law
Chapter 158 Thanksgiving At Apple Hill
Chapter 159 A Graveside Meeting
Chapter 160 From Bad to Worse
Chapter 161 Christmas Surprise
Chapter 162 News From Washington
Chapter 163 Luke and Clayton’s Plan
Chapter 164 Lydia’s Reaction
Chapter 165 Preparing For The Journey
Chapter 166 The Human Perspective
Chapter 167 At Scot’s Corner
Chapter 168 What Should Not Be
Chapter 169 One Week Before
Chapter 170 At Home In Wiliamsburg
Chapter 171 A Negro Soldier’s Life
Chapter 172 The Major’s Plan
Chapter 173 Preparing For General Sherman
Chapter 174 Major Cavendish’s Experience
Chapter 175 General Sherman’s Response
Chapter 176 It Could Have Been Worse
Chapter 177 The Captain’s Return
Chapter 178 Night Raiders
Chapter 179 The Siege of Petersburg
Chapter 180 The Truth Be Known
Chapter 181 The Fate of Plantagenet Hall
Chapter 182 General Pope To The Rescue
Chapter 183 The Captain Fails
Chapter 184 Kentucky
Chapter 185 Avoiding Mother’s Ministrations
Chapter 186 Robert’s Assignment
Chapter 187 Getting Around The General
Chapter 188 Sergeant Baines Intervenes
Chapter 189 Letters From Home
Chapter 190 Negro Horse Soldiers
Chapter 191 The Attack On Saltville
Chapter 192 Sanders Farm Overrun
Chapter 193 Driving In The Fog
Chapter 194 Robert At The Hospital
Chapter 195 The Ferguson Gang
Chapter 196 The Hospital Attacked
Chapter 197 Murder and Mayhem
Chapter 198 Touch and Go
Chapter 199 A Visit to Samuel Black
Epilogue
About the Author
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Agencies whose interest and consideration helped develop this novel
American Heritage Publications
House Divided Project— Dickinson College
Library of Congress
University of Chicago Library Special Collection
United States Capitol Historical Society
National Park Service
MAJOR FAMILIES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIPS
I. The Blackstone Family – First Generation
A. Big Andrew Blackstone: Alcoholic father of Little Andrew [Andy]
B. Lydia Spencer Blackstone: Born out of wedlock, mother of Little Andrew. Wife of Big Andrew
III. The Blackstone Family – Subsequent generations
A. Andrew Blackstone [Little Andy grown up]: Family patriarch, son of Big Andrew Blackstone and Lydia Spencer Blackstone.
B. Jackson Blackstone: Son of Andrew Blackstone and Rebecca Wellworth
C. Arabella Blackstone: Daughter of Andrew Blackstone and Rebecca Wellworth
D. Luke Blackstone: Son of Jackson Blackstone and Madeline Beale
E. Lydia Blackstone: Daughter of Jackson Blackstone and Madeline Beale
F. Robert Sandcastle: Son of Arabella Blackstone and Joseph Sandcastle
I. The Sandcastle Family
A. Adam Sandcastle: Father of Joseph Sandcastle
B. William Sandcastle: Uncle of Joseph Sandcastle
C. Joseph Sandcastle: Husband of Arabella Blackstone and Father of Robert Sandcastle
IV. The Driscoll Family
A. Clara Driscoll: Mother of Clayton Driscoll
B. Clayton Driscoll: Husband of Lydia Blackstone
III. The Pope Family
A. Samuel Pope: Father of David and Ethan
B. Adela Pope; Samuel’s wife and mother of David and Ethan
C. David Pope: Husband of Susan Bradshaw
D. Ethan Pope: Brother of David Pope
V. The Bradshaw Family
A. Susan Bradshaw: Cousin of Rebecca Wellworth; wife of David Pope
II. The Howard Family
A. Josephine Howard [Momma Jo]; Former Wellworth slave, second mother to Rebecca Wellworth; Wife of Christopher Walsh, mother of Gabriel and Michael Howard.
B. Christopher Walsh: Husband of Momma Jo, father of Gabriel and Michael Howard.
C. Gabriel Howard: Former slave who owns a furniture company
D. Roseanne Bartlett Howard: Gabriel Howard’s wife
E. Michael Howard: Brother of Gabriel Howard, President of a Philadelphia bank
VI. Black family
A. Samuel Black: Former Blackstone slave and childhood friend of Robert Sandcastle, lieutenant in Union Cavalry unit.
II. Grayson Family
A. Elizabeth Grayson: Wife of Robert Sandcastle
B. Senator Owen Grayson: Father of Elizabeth Grayson
C. Prudence Grayson: Wife of Owen Grayson and mother of Elizabeth
IV. The Townsend Family
A. Amelia Townsend: older cousin of Rebecca Wellworth, who took over her care after her mother’s death.
B. Rupert Townsend: Amelia Townsend’s husband.
III. The Beale Family
A. John Beale: Woodsman, colleague of Andrew Blackstone in New Orleans
B. Constance Le Reynard Beale, Wife of John Beale, mother of Madeleine
C. Armand Le Reynard; Father of Constance
D. Madeleine Le Reynard Beale, daughter of Constance and John, wife of Jackson Blackstone
PART I
THE ANTEBELLUM YEARS
10813.tifA slave being auctioned, 1861.
Sketch by Thomas R. Davis, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division Illus. in: Harper’s weekly, v. 5, no. 237, 1861 July 13, p. 442
CHAPTER 1
THE BLACKSTONES
Williamsburg, Virginia—1795
Andrew Blackstone, called Big Andrew by those who knew him, was a large man weighing well over two hundred pounds, with unruly black hair that grew in all directions, an equally unruly full black beard, thick arms and alarming blue eyes, their expression dulled by the alcohol he drank, When intoxicated, a frequent occurrence, heavy hands punched and slapped wife or child, as he screamed obscenities that need not be repeated. When tired of punching and slapping he attacked chairs and smaller tables, which were thrown against the wall. Last to feel the effects of his drunken rages were dishes, cups, and bowls placed in a hutch which stood next to the fireplace. They were thrown to the ground where they shattered into fragments. At such times Little Andrew and his mother would hide under the bed. Although terrified of his father, Little Andrew almost looked forward to his outbursts. It was only then that his mother would hold him in her arms.
Big Andrew always shame-faced and repentant when he woke the next day in more sober state would dress, leave the house, and return with replacements for whatever it was he had destroyed. As a rule he remained with them for two months, during which time there was food on the table—and games with Poppy
during his sober periods. Money was plentiful. Little Andrew never understood how he came by the money. Where do you get all the money, Poppy?
he would ask. Poppy always smiled, and gave the same reply Nothing to bother your head about, Andy.
Then one morning Little Andrew would wake up and Poppy would be gone—for days, months, one year on several occasions. Whatever money he left was spent. Fortunately, his mother excelled in sewing and embroidering, skills valued by wealthier women of Williamsburg, who hired her to mend their damaged finery or edge a tablecloth with an embroidered floral pattern. In this way she scratched out a meager income when Poppy was away. Having no place to leave Little Andrew, she brought him with her. He would play outside on pleasant days and in the barn when weather was inclement. The one room of the house into which he was allowed was the kitchen when provided a midday meal, eaten with Negro slaves.
One day Little Andrew walked into the dining room of Adela Pope’s home, a spacious room with floral papered walls, a bay window that opened onto a lovely flower garden and mahogany breakfronts filled with porcelain artifacts that stood against the walls. A large rectangular mahogany table took up much of the room’s space. Two crystal chandeliers hung over the table. Sunbeams streaming through the bay window struck their crystal prisms shattering them into a thousand brightly colored fragments. This spectrum of color caught his eye. He didn’t see two women enter the room: Adela Pope, mistress of the house and Amelia Townsend. You’re not allowed in here!
Mrs. Pope snapped. Get to the kitchen where you belong.
Her voice startled him, and he swore an oath he heard Poppy use on many an occasion. That oath prompted Adela Pope’s derogatory remarks, remarks Little Andrew would never forget…or forgive
CHAPTER 2
FORGIVE AND FORGET - NEVER
So distraught was Little Andrew that he spent the afternoon sobbing behind the barn. Although seven years of age, he appeared younger: Pleasant features, tousled dark hair, soft full lips, and wide blue eyes that held a look of innocence and wonder, giving him an angelic appearance…a deception Little Andrew used to his advantage, as his behavior was far from angelic. He was born with a defiant nature, expressed in tricks played upon his neighbors. Blessed with a thin and wiry frame promoting rapid movement, he was long gone well before his pranks were discovered.
However, he could not run from Adela Pope’s words, which reverberated in his head, each recurrent memory producing a new flow of tears. His mother commented on his red eyes on their way home.
Am I trash, Momma, white trash?
he asked quietly.
What!
Lydia Blackstone exclaimed, dull grey eyes, usually empty of expression, opening wide with amazement.
Trash is garbage!
he cried in a terror-filled voice. Everyone throws garbage away.
With those words he began to sob, and Lydia Blackstone reached out to hold and comfort him.
How … where did you hear that?
she asked.
From… Mrs.… Pope,
he said, gulping down his sobs.
Why would she say such a thing?
Lydia Blackstone asked softly.
Goin to the kitchen..,
Little Andy explained. I got into another room. She came in so mad. I don’t know why! I was just lookin,’ and she yelled at me—‘Get out! ’
he said, mimicking her shrill angry voice. She made me mad. I wasn’t doing nothin’—just lookin at the colors. And I said something Poppy always says when he’s mad. She called me a nasty little boy. I don’t know what nasty is, but then she said I was white trash. I know what trash is and what you do with it.! I know that!
The tears were forming, but he squelched them.
Oh,
said his mother, concern in her eyes melting away as she let go her son, placing her hands at her sides. Did you use a bad word, Andy?
Just what Poppy says when he’s mad,
Little Andrew said innocently, knowing full well he had used one of those cuss words his momma hated.
Poppy uses bad words,
she said, furious with her son. You used a bad word, Andy. Bad words come out of the mouths of bad children.
Little Andrew was suddenly terrified. Then you’re gonna throw me away, Momma,
he cried, and in spite of all his efforts, he began to sob once more.
No, Andy, I won’t throw you away. You’re not trash. You’re one of God’s good children. Good children never use bad words. Remember what the Bible says. Lord Jesus loves all good children, not bad ones. But He’s happy to love any bad child who asks for His forgiveness. Tonight, Andy, you must ask our Lord to forgive you for using bad words.
His mother’s words stopped all tears and made him angrier, even as he lowered his eyes, pretending repentance, and responded: Yes, Momma, I’ll ask Lord Jesus to forgive me."
His momma was out when he went to bed. With the price of candles so high, she went to Widow Tredgold’s rooms to do her embroidering
Little Andrew didn’t ask Lord Jesus to forgive him when he said his prayers. He asked Lord Jesus to make bad things happen to Mrs. Pope. He climbed into bed, couldn’t sleep as memories of the day tumbled into mind.
I’ll never cry again,
he said aloud, I swear it. I’ll get Mrs. Pope’s house. I’ll take it away… throw out the Popes, all of them, out in the street. I’ll give the house to Momma … she’ll be proud of me… she’ll love me … and we’ll live happily ever after.
He remembered those words, written in a book of children’s stories his mother used to teach him to read. In that book everyone lived happily ever after. How he envied those characters.
Yes,
he murmured in a drowsy voice, maybe one day Momma, and Poppy, and me, we’ll all live happily ever after.
And with that pleasant thought, he fell into a restful sleep.
CHAPTER 3
THE KIND WIDOW
Matilda Tredgold never stopped thanking God for her widowhood. Whenever she heard the word widow,
a sense of comfort came over her, as it brought to mind freedom from an abusive husband.
Cornelius Tredgold had been a violent man, who’d treated wife and two slaves equally. He owned a dry goods store, but spent much of his time at Raleigh Tavern drinking, gambling, and womanizing. He left running the store to his wife and slaves, returning home infrequently. At those times he helped himself to store receipts, let out whatever bilious humor drove him, and left. He was killed by runaway horses while crossing the street. His widow inherited the store along with her husband’s debts. She was forced to sell the slaves to pay off his creditors. She had no children and continued to run the store by herself. Despite her best efforts the store generated only enough income to provide her with basic necessities and a few extras.
She attended the same church as Lydia Blackstone. They shared a common misery as they both had abusive husbands, and this shared existence cemented a bond of friendship between them. Other church members were surprised to see any interaction between them given their antithetic backgrounds. Matilda Tredgold was descended from Wythe ancestors, respected members of the Williamsburg community. Lydia Blackstone, on the other hand, had a tainted background.
Their appearances were equally antithetic. Matilda Tredgold was a short plump woman with thick silver grey hair worn in a tight bun on the top of her head. Her eyes were sky blue, her lids wrinkled. Her nose was straight and small, her lips thick, an unfortunate attribute exaggerating her double chin. She wore gowns with floral design and full skirts that made her appear heavier than she was.
Lydia Spencer Blackstone’s appearance reflected hardships she had endured all her life. Although twenty – four years of age her appearance suggested a woman of forty. She was tall and gaunt, shuffling as she walked, body bent forward, shoulders rounded, breathing labored. Her straight blonde hair streaked with grey hung carelessly down her back. Her eyes, slate grey in color lacked expression. Her attire of grey, black, or dull brown homespun gowns complemented her appearance.
Shortly after Cornelius Tredgold’s death Lydia used up whatever money remained and could no longer pay her rent. The widow invited her to live in a small cabin her husband had constructed behind the store. It consisted of two rooms one of which had a stone fireplace and an oven for baking bread. As a rule the cabin’s occupants were Little Andrew and Lydia. However, Big Andrew would show up from time to time. The widow preferred Lydia deny him entry, but his abused wife could not bring herself to do so.
CHAPTER 4
LYDIA’S CONFESSION
One night the widow was awakened by loud cries and crashing noises.
Quickly realizing the noises came from the cabin, she put on her dressing gown, rushed down the stairs, grabbing a broom from the store to use as a weapon should it become necessary to defend herself. She was out the door seconds later, running down the lane as fast as her plump legs could carry her, muttering as she ran, The brute is home. I know it.
Indeed, Big Andrew was home. He’d arrived two hours earlier in a drunken and argumentative state. He began to smash crockery and throw furniture about the room. Destruction of personal goods was followed in short order by slapping and punching his wife. Widow Tredgold was infuriated by the scene that met her eye as she ran through the open door. There was a whimpering Little Andrew cowering in a corner, face buried in his hands. Lydia Blackstone had fallen to the ground in a dazed state, one eye blackened, her lip bleeding. Big Andrew was screaming obscenities. He stopped, a look of amazement on his face when he caught sight of the widow. The widow began to strike him with the broom. She struck him again and again, shouting, Get out you miserable drunk! Get out!
Surprise, fear, and complete disorientation stopped Big Andrew from turning on his attacker. Instead he lunged through the door, shouting and swearing as he made his way awkwardly down the lane. When he was out of sight, the widow took a sobbing Lydia Blackstone into her arms.
My poor dear, you can’t stay here. The brute may return. You and Andy will spend the night with me.
A few minutes later, Little Andrew and his mother were safely ensconced in the widow’s rooms above the store. Little Andrew fell asleep in a yellow rocking chair close by the fire as Widow Tredgold tended to his mother’s injuries.
It was the widow’s habit to keep brandy on hand for emergencies. She followed her ministrations with two glasses of brandy for each of them. Lydia Blackstone, unaccustomed to hard drink, punctuated her swallows with some coughing and spluttering. She had placed a book on the table when she picked up her glass. Widow Tredgold caught sight of it.
"Isn’t that a copy of Trelawney’s Stories For Children? My mother read it to me when I was a girl. Did your mother read it to you?"
Whether from brandy, the widow’s kindness… reference to her mother, or a combination of all three, Lydia Blackstone suddenly burst into tears and unleashed a flow of words that had been tightly constrained for many years. A birthday gift from mother. She died ... I was five… never knew my father. Mother never told me … …perhaps she didn’t know. The church placed me with Sofia Whitecliff, a seamstress. She died three years ago. I felt no grief, no sadness… nothing, yet I’d lived with her for eleven years. She never tired of telling me I was a bastard…how she sacrificed by taking me in… teaching me, a bastard, to sew, to read, write, do sums, but always that same word, bastard… bastard… She paused to suppress tears and sobs that threatened to burst forth…then continued in a quiet voice.
I was fifteen when I met Andrew … twinkling blue eyes… chiseled features, dark hair… a pleasant form… He was a prince come to rescue me… like princes in Trelawney’s book… princes rescuing maidens from cruel step mothers who worked them to death. Andrew Blackstone was my prince… handsome, daring, exciting. He would save me from Sofia Whitecliff. She was working me to death. Andrew would take me away… a new world… new life where I would live happily ever after… Pregnant! she suddenly cried …at sixteen, I’m sure you knew it. Everyone in Williamsburg did.
Yes I knew. An unloved child taken advantage of by a scoundrel
The widow took Lydia in her arms and held her tightly.
How terrible for you! Neither one was capable of loving, That woman gave no love… only pain. Big Andrew was no different. But, my dear, you have a child, someone to love, someone who loves you. A wonderful opportunity to find the love you never had and could never give. You are so fortunate to have that child, that sweet boy.
Lydia stopped sobbing, regaining some control over her emotions. Big Andrew’s child… Big Andrew, not a prince… a brute… a drunk…He married me…Should I be grateful… I blame the child, Matilda,
she said slowly. Had I not been pregnant…Had he died as he was born… so many do …My life would have been so different…
She stopped speaking. Her face reflected the most intense pain as she pressed her hands against her head. I am the most dreadful of God’s children,
she cried in an anguished voice. What mother can harbor such feelings for her own child? But I do, so many terrible feelings, terrible thoughts, and I hear Sofia Whitecliff’s voice shrieking, ‘Just like your mother, a bastard bringing a bastard child into this world. Andrew and I married. My son is not a bastard. But in my heart of hearts, I don’t believe it. My heart tells me Andy is a bastard ...all of Williamsburg knows it and knows who the bastard’s father is. Big Andrew Blackstone, a violent drunk and ne’er-do-well, proper mate for a bastard wife and proper father for a bastard son.
With those words she let out a shriek. No,
she cried, shaking her head violently, as if such movement would dislodge those painful thoughts thrusting them into some fiery pit to be consumed, never to haunt her again.
Whether from her outburst, the brandy or both, Lydia suddenly feeling exhausted almost fell into a chair next to the table and, as the alcohol’s effects took hold, laid her head down and quickly fell asleep.
Her cry had awakened Little Andrew.
Momma, Momma,
he called in a fear-filled voice as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Widow Tredgold stood transfixed with astonishment as she listened to Lydia Blackstone’s tirade. Little Andrew’s call for his mother restored her senses. She walked over to where he sat and stooped to pick him up. "You’re safe, Andy. Your momma had a bad dream, nothing more, just a bad dream.
Oh,
he said drowsily.
She held him tightly and he snuggled into her as he began to fall asleep again. She sat down in the rocking chair, and slowly began to move to and fro, to and fro. Andy grew drowsier and drowsier. He put his arms around the widow as he whispered, I love you, Momma. I love you so much.
I love you, Andy,
the widow responded. Little Andrew smiled and held onto the warmth of her body as he drifted off to sleep.
It was five days later that his momma came into the room to give him the news.
Poppy is dead!
Dead?
Little Andrew whispered softly. Poppy is dead? Really dead? Are you sure?
Yes,
she replied. I am sure.
Tears filled his eyes, tears Little Andrew tried to control, angry at himself when he was unable to do so. I swore, his mind cried out, never to cry, never to let anything or anyone hurt me."
And after only a few minutes his resolve won out. The tears dried up.
One year later he learned Poppy had broken into a warehouse and was killed by the owner.
CHAPTER 5
THE WIDOW’S IDEA
Matilda Tredgold began to treat him well—not that she’d ever treated him badly. But after that eventful night, and his father’s death, she began to treat him special.
That was the word he coined to describe the change in her behavior. In the past she acknowledged his presence with a nod or short greeting, continuing with whatever it was she was doing. But now, should she catch sight of him, she would stop to smile and wave and offer a kind word. Should he come into her store, for whatever reason, she would provide him with a sweet as well as an inquiry into his activities that day. He began to spend more time with her, helping her organize shipments of produce. He preferred to remain with her rather than accompany his mother. One day, when his mother was away and he was seated on a closed barrel in the widow’s store, chewing a peppermint stick, he asked the widow a question: Why are you so nice to me, Ms Tredgold?
Because you’re a fine young man, Andy,
she responded with a smile. If God had blessed me with a son, I would have wanted him to be like you.
Then you wouldn’t throw me away.
Throw you away?
she repeated, astounded. Where do you get such ideas?
Little Andy shrugged. I don’t know. I just get ’em.
No one would ever throw you away, Andy, not a sweet boy like you.
What if I wasn’t sweet? Would you throw me away then?
No, Andy,
she said softly, understanding. I wouldn’t throw you away even if you were a sour boy.
They both laughed. Little Andy continued to smile as he reflected on the widow’s joke and chewed his peppermint stick. He began to love the widow, love her very much. Then she did something that changed his life forever. She introduced his mother to Gilbert Murdock.
CHAPTER 6
MURDOCK
One year after Big Andrew Blackstone’s death, Widow Tredgold had an idea.
Matilda Tredgold’s cousin married a bank clerk named Gilbert Murdock. Her cousin died two years after the marriage. Her widower husband never remarried. He earned a reasonable income in the Williamsburg Bank. He would make an excellent husband for Lydia. First and foremost, he abhorred any and all who drank alcoholic beverages. He called such drinks Satan’s cider,
and those who drank them "Satan’s spawn. He had no children. He would become the gentle loving father Andy never had. Motivated by the positive perspectives generated by her anticipated outcomes, she immediately arranged an introduction.
Gilbert Murdock was a gaunt and somber man—somber brown eyes, somber expression—and he never smiled. Black was the color he preferred and black was the color of his hair and closely cropped beard.
The religious convictions he and Lydia Blackstone shared formed a bond between them. Widow Tredgold was delighted when Lydia Blackstone told her about their engagement. Unfortunately her delight was short lived.
One week before the wedding, Gilbert Murdock dropped by her store. Lydia and Little Andrew were out, and business was slow. With no customers present she prepared tea, and the two sat down at a small table in the rear of the shop to drink it.
How fortunate for both of you,
she said, referring to his impending marriage. Lydia is a fine woman, whose sewing skills will add to your income—and you, Cousin, will not only get a wife, but also a delightful boy for a son.
His response astounded her.
I am familiar with the circumstances of her birth and her son’s conception,
he said coldly. Our Lord forgave Mary Magdalene and I have forgiven Lydia. She, herself, sought Our Lord’s forgiveness and has become a good Christian woman. Perhaps her birth and her indiscretion were His way of directing her to the way of life he wishes all his children to follow. As for the child, he too is marked, given the manner of his conception. He lacks humility and religious conviction. I know she has tried to instill them, as have the church fathers, but he continues his defiant and sinful ways. He is Lydia’s mistake. Once we marry I have a Christian duty to see that Andrew follows Our Lord’s directives and learns some trade. He has a way with figures, which will be useful for him in his adult life. I will begin his training at the bank. When the time is ripe I will arrange an apprenticeship for him in another city, where he can sharpen his skills.
Gilbert Murdock took his leave after his remarks.
Matilda Tredgold felt angry, then remorseful. His tone, his remarks,
she said aloud. he’s not the father Andy needs—no love, no kindness. What did he call him? Lydia’s mistake—a mistake, that sweet lonely little boy, a mistake. I made a far greater mistake when I introduced him to Lydia.
They married.
The family moved to a small house Gilbert Murdock owned on Tenth Street. Within a year’s time the combined incomes of husband and wife permitted them to purchase a larger home closer to the bank. Little Andrew, thanked his new father
when he decided to teach him banking skills. He knew such skills could be used to his advantage at some future time.
However, the true nature of their relationship was not as amicable as it appeared. Little Andrew resented his new father,
who could never replace Poppy, and new father
resented Little Andy, whom he regarded as an excessive burden.
My wife’s mistake,
he repeated over and over again in private conversations. Still,
he would continue, Little Andrew is Lydia’s child, and it is my Christian duty to care for him until he reaches an age when he can care for himself.
It was Gilbert Murdock’s hope to send his stepson off to a bank in another city when he reached a reasonable age, there to learn duties required of a bank clerk. However, that plan was never realized.
CHAPTER 7
CHANGE OF PLAN
Seven years after his marriage to Lydia Gilbert Murdock altered his plan for Little Andrew.
Mathew Turner, owner of Turner Farms Plantation, was looking for someone to assist his plantation manager. It was the manager’s responsibility to take charge of the slaves, oversee planting and harvesting cotton, and keep plantation accounts. His present manager performed well in his handling of slaves and oversight of the planting, but had a difficult time managing plantation accounts. When Mr. Turner was transacting business in the bank he presented his problem to a fellow planter. Gilbert Murdock overheard him as an idea popped into mind.
Excuse me, Mister Turner, he said.
I couldn’t help overhearing your conversation. I have a stepson, sir, he said,
a personable and intelligent young man who has a way with figures. I had hoped to find him an apprenticeship that would utilize his talents. If you would be willing to take him on, I believe it would satisfy both our needs. He would be able to improve your accounting, and you could teach him skills required to manage a plantation—skills to earn his own way as an adult."
Mathew Turner mulled it over in his mind for a few minutes, then spoke thoughtfully: An apprentice isn’t a major expense. Good with figures, you say,
he mused. He could do the accounting. He would relieve Bill Jack of that task. Mister Jack could then direct all his attention to the slaves. Yes, I believe it will suit both our needs.
Having resolved the matter of his stepson’s future, Gilbert Murdock no longer felt any obligation.
Andrew, no longer little at age fifteen, had developed into a muscular youth with broad shoulders, a deepening voice, and his father’s blue eyes and dark hair which he carefully combed. Not happy at home, he was only too willing to try his hand at prenticing,
as he put it.
Andrew’s mother was pregnant, an unexpected pregnancy given her age. She found caring for two men plus the larger house extremely difficult, and offered no resistance to her husband’s plans for Andrew’s future. She barely kissed her son goodbye, feeling relief rather than sadness as he walked out the door.
CHAPTER 8
KING COTTON
With invention of the cotton gin and the worldwide demand for cotton products, cotton reigned in Virginia—as elsewhere in the South—becoming a mainstay of the Southern economy. Other than tobacco, other crops were grown for individual family use.
The planting and harvesting of cotton required a large, cheap labor force—and slavery, disappearing in the industrialized North, where immigrant labor was plentiful, became entrenched in the South.
Turner Farms was a large cotton plantation on the James River. With 1,000 acres of fertile soil, well-suited to grow cotton, Mathew Turner’s plantation was one of the wealthiest on the river.
When Andrew saw Turner Farms for the first time he wondered how it had acquired its name. There were few, if any farm animals, no characteristic farm structures, and an absence of the usual farm crops. Instead, a large plantation house stood in the center of the cotton fields, its Doric columns suggesting a Greek temple rather than a house of any kind. The fields of cotton pods around it resembled a white sea rather than acres of growing plants.
They drove their buggy to the manager’s home. It was a pleasant cottage located near the slave quarters. When the manager arrived, Mr. Murdock shook his hand and introduced Andrew to him. He left his stepson after delivering a lengthy sermon on the importance of obedience, self-discipline, and total application to his work, feeling pleased with himself for having done his Christian duty, and relieved to be free of his wife’s mistake.
CHAPTER 9
ANDREW THE APPRENTICE
The manager was Bill Jack, a burly man with unkempt grey hair, a large paunch and narrow brown eyes who ate too much and drank even more. Yet total dissipation had softened his nature, and he was kind to Andrew, whom he took under his wing and protected, seeing in him the son he never had.
The term manager
was misleading. Bill Jack managed very little. His primary management
responsibility was to get maximum work out of plantation slaves for minimal cost. He did share his own view as to how those slaves should be treated with Andrew.
Negroes are property,
he would say on more than one occasion, no different than cows and mules. You feed them, clothe them, work them, beat them when a good beating’s needed—and best of all, Andy, my boy, you bed their women. You bed them whenever you want. What they want don’t matter. All slaves are yours, Andy, to do with as you please. Of course you don’t bed cows and mules. That’s the difference," He then winked at Andrew as they both roared with laughter.
Andrew’s talent with figures was fully appreciated by Bill Jack. He was only too happy to put him in charge of keeping the accounts. It took Andrew about one month to realize how he could manipulate the figures to provide himself with extra cash.
CHAPTER 10
BAD NEWS
Bill Jack gave Andrew a swig of corn whiskey before he told him.
Dead, Andy! Your momma’s dead! Childbirth took her, your little brother too. I’m sorry.
No tears fell from Andrew’s eyes when he heard the news. He had mastered the feelings that created them. They were buried, well out of sight and well out of mind.
He went to the funeral, said little to Gilbert Murdock and quickly returned to the plantation, taking with him only his mother’s book of children’s stories. He did visit Widow Tredgold, the one person for whom he had any affection.
I am sorry, Andy,
the widow said, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief, sorry not only for Lydia’s passing, but for the whole marriage. I hoped Gilbert Murdock could provide a father’s love. He didn’t… your mother did love you, Andy. You must believe that. Sometimes love is hard to show when life circumstances are painful and difficult. But love was always there. It’s important for you to know that.
Her voice broke, and she wept softly.
Don’t upset yourself, Ms. Tredgold,
he said. I know she tried. It was hard for her. And Mister Murdock, he found a good position for me. One day I’ll own my own plantation. You’ll see.
The Widow Tredgold smiled. Yes, Andy, I’m sure you’ll do well.
…
When Andrew Blackstone was sixteen years old his time with Bill Jack came to an abrupt end. Bill Jack dropped dead.
With Bill Jack gone Andrew realized his status had changed Mister Turner hardly knew him, and the likelihood that he would chose a sixteen year- old youth as his manager was as remote as snow in August.
Suddenly an idea came to mind, an exciting audacious idea, that he cried aloud:
New Orleans! New Orleans is the place to go.
CHAPTER 11
HOW TO EARN A FORTUNE
In 1808, Congress passed a law forbidding the importation of slaves. The law disturbed slave owners. They could breed their slaves, and anyone black, half-black, even one-eighth black, was still their property. But those slaves understood and spoke English. Some knew how to read and write. With knowledge gleaned from reading and a common language, they could begin to plot, and concerns about slave rebellions began to haunt their owners’ thoughts. Slave owners began to purchase illegally imported slaves who understood no English and spoke a variety of African dialects, preventing communication with each other as well as their English speaking cousins, who looked upon the new arrivals with contempt.
New Orleans, with its bayous and swamps hampering any possibility of pursuit by the Coast Guard, became the center of an illicit slave trade that brought Negroes from Cuba. It was to New Orleans that Bill Jack had gone in late 1808 and early 1809, ostensibly to purchase grain and feed from the McClellan Grain and Feed Company, but in truth to buy Negroes, newly arrived from Cuba, and bring them back to Virginia.
Andrew Blackstone considered New Orleans to be the best place to go….. acquiring a large fortune was essential to his plan, his dream, his revenge. What better way to rapidly accrue a fortune than by running slaves
White trash!
he would sometimes cry aloud whenever his mind conjured images of Mrs. Pope. I’ll show you who’s white trash.
CHAPTER 12
LA NOUVELLE ORLEANS
He reached New Orleans on August 12, 1809.
It was hot and humid. The city stank, and each breath filled his lungs with stagnant wet air that made him cough and choke. A yellow fever epidemic had decimated the population.
He went to the McClellan Grain and Feed Company as soon as he arrived to meet with Cyrus McClellan. It was located in a clapboard building with large windows that flooded the interior with light during the day. Wooden barrels filled with grains and dried grasses required for local livestock were arranged in rows and provided the musty smell and somewhat smoky atmosphere that permeated the building’s interior. Cyrus McClellan had set aside a small room located close to the building entrance for his office. He was a fragile man, thin, narrow- framed, jittery, and bald. His narrow gray eyes darted constantly from one thing to another. In times of fearful diseases, which he believed were carried by the humid air, he covered his face with a white linen handkerchief through which he breathed and spoke.
I have bad news, sir,
Andrew began feigning sadness. Bill Jack is dead, sudden-like, unexpected. We was partners with the slaves he got from you,
he continued, his mind formulating an embellished tale. We sold slaves to Virginia planters. He told me if anything happened to him to come see you. He said to tell you I was good with arithmetic. I kept accounting books for him, but any work, maybe slave-trade work, if you know how I can get that. What I don’t know, Mr. McClellan, I learn quick.
Cyrus McClellan’s ears perked up when he heard of the young man’s accounting skills, as his previous accountant had died of the fever. He hired him immediately to fill that position. He was also eager to add this strapping healthy young man to his company of slave runners, whose ranks had been thinned considerably by the epidemic.
In no time at all Andrew Blackstone became an accepted member of the McClellan Company’s legal and illegal interests. He joined the crews that sailed McClellan’s graceful sloops through the Gulf of Mexico into the Caribbean and on to Cuba. There they picked up their cargo of black slaves newly arrived from Africa, who were crowded and chained into the sloop’s limited below-decks space, where they made the voyage back to New Orleans, inhaling the stench of their own excrement and vomit. Many died, their now useless carcasses dumped overboard. The remaining slaves felt relief rather than remorse as the removal of those dead bodies provided extra space for them. As for the slave runners, they had no regrets. They would increase the price of each remaining slave, and in that way maintain the same profit margin. Suffice it to say that between his accounting manipulations and his share of the slave trade profits, Andrew Blackstone became a very wealthy man in a very short period of time.
Most slavers were drawn from New Orleans criminal element. Their daily existence strengthened a finely tuned survival apparatus. They had neither the time, the interest, or the energy to concern themselves with reading, writing, and arithmetic. However, there were times when such skills were required to keep track of expenses, and to understand and sign legal documents. Andrew Blackstone had those skills—and, realizing the advantageous position this happy circumstance gave him, willingly aided his colleagues whenever they asked. In that way he quickly assumed a leadership position.
Andrew Blackstone was amazed at the progress he had made. Within a period of three years he advanced from a supplicant begging a position from Cyrus McClellan to a wealthy young man who asked for nothing from anyone. However, financial security and the level of influence he acquired did not satisfy him. His only interests were to hold a dominant position in the aristocratic circles which controlled Williamsburg society and to wreak vengeance on the Pope family. He wanted them totally destroyed! That would come later. Economic and social dominance had to come first. He had the knowledge and the skills to achieve economic dominance. No doubt about that! How to grow cotton… … banking skills… … slave trade wealth … all would be utilized when he returned to Williamsburg to garner economic strength and power. But social dominance…that was another matter: Proper language, proper manners, proper clothing…proper this, proper that…He had no idea as to how to acquire those accoutrements of aristocratic breeding. How …how…how!
Enter Angelique de Valois!
CHAPTER 13
A FATHER’S FOLLY
Angelique de Valois descended from the Capetian line, who ruled France before the Bourbon kings. As a younger son, her father Marcel de Valois had no claim to his father’s lands or title and was required to marry well. After his father’s death Marcel de Valois decided to take advantage of opportunities available in the New World. With his father’s legacy and wife’s dowry carefully packed away he took