Gathering Shadows

By P. G. Simmons

In 1860, Jessie Buchanan, a fiery redhead, was living life to the fullest and enjoying the leisurely Southern lifestyle, but it took all of her strength to fulfill her duties after her fathers death. A breach between family members and the discovery of love caused her internal conflict as the Civil War began. When the wars horrors and hardships came to a close, the Southern way of life had been crushed by the Union. A murder of a Yankee carpetbagger, a hasty trial, a violent hurricane, and a close brush with death brought Jessies turbulent struggles to an end.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 7, 2013
• ISBN: 9781493103546

P. G. Simmons

P. G. Simmons lives on a small farm with her husband. They have two dogs, one cat, chickens, and a few cattle. Although she is a published writer, she is also a photographer, sculptor, and graphic designer. Her latest novel, Evil Deceit, is a continuation in the saga of the Claybourne family, which is seeped in deep Southern traditions and moral values.

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PROLOGUE

I t was 1860, and the Buchanan family, like most other families in small Southern towns, was going about their daily lives, methodically working and living a carefree and leisurely life. They were one of the most respected families in their community. Benjamin Buchanan’s family had owned the local mercantile store located on the banks of the Alabama River ever since they settled in Selma years ago. Although it was a time of turmoil and unrest in the country, the population was divided. Some looked to the US Congress to come to some sort of compromise to keep the Southern states from seceding. Others were ready to pull the nation apart and stand up for states’ rights . As the arguments flourished and the rumors flew, small towns like Selma were still living in denial.

Jessie Gale Buchanan’s petite stature belied her twenty-two years, an age which most people considered one on their way to becoming an old maid. She was the second oldest of four girls. Although all the females in the Buchanan family were considered pretty, the two youngest were considered to be the most beautiful girls in the county. Benjamin and Tillie Buchanan were the most affectionate and indulgent of parents, and even though Benjamin doted on all of his daughters, Jessie was by far her father’s favorite. It was a well-known fact that he had been somewhat disappointed in the fact that the firstborn had not been a son to carry on the Buchanan name, and the whole town accepted the later reality that Jessie was his surrogate son. Under those circumstances, it seemed it was logical that everyone looked the other way when Jessie began to demonstrate her abandonment for the strict rules of conduct regarding young women.

Even though the Buchanans were very comfortable moneywise and did have servants, there was one particular house rule which each girl had to obey. Their father demanded that they each learn how to run the large house and supervise the domestic help. As soon as one reached the age of thirteen, she took on the responsibility of running the household for a six-month period. Virginia, the eldest daughter, and Eloise, the third born, were more than capable of stepping into any situation involving the home or family because they were what most folks would consider homemakers. When Jessie’s turn at the household duties rolled around, she was a total failure even though Virginia did her very best to help her sister control the frustrations of being all thumbs and the agony of accountability. It became obvious early that Jessie had no interest in learning any of the duties related to running a house, and after her first try, her father never insisted that she make the effort ever again. Since his favorite daughter was more interested in his commerce business, he allowed her to continue with her passion working at the mercantile store. That pleased him, while at the same time, it distressed her mother, who expressed often that Jessie would never be able to find a husband. Finally, in order to satisfy Tillie Buchanan, it was agreed that Jessie would have to do a few chores like their youngest daughter, Mary Anne, and nothing else since she was not the least bit domestic.

Jessie was pretty in her own way, but her biggest and best quality was that she was quite clever. Her main fault, if anyone asked, was her temper, which, through much trial and error, she had learned to control by the age of fifteen. But the one thing that she had no control over was her unruly flowing red hair, which gave her the illusion of an untamable wild animal. Her turbulent and stormy enthusiastic desires to grab life as it came made those around her think of her as impractical and imprudent at times. The wildness of her childhood had the cover of some sort of priority because of the community standing of her parents. Yet if she had been a boy, no one would have considered her unbridled intensity out of the ordinary, but she was a young and independent woman when women were to be demure and shy. For years, almost everyone agreed that she was uninhibited and could not possibly be crafted into an expected sweet, gentle, and pliable charming Southern belle.

Jessie’s love of horses was known throughout Dallas County. Early on, she was riding horses bareback and unchaperoned. By eight, she was resigned to ride with a saddle, but her father was never able to convince her to give up riding astride. She understood horses and handled them better than most men around. She had a chestnut filly when she was growing up, which was the fastest horse around, and she loved to feel the wind in her face as she rode freely across the green open fields and valleys surrounding her beloved home, Brier Cliff. She never lost a race, and she never lacked an opponent who had an appetite to run her into the ground. But none of the boys or young men in the county ever got to savor the experience of winning against her.

On the other hand, she had a disciplined and orderly mind that could be most practical where business was concerned. When it counted most, she became extraordinarily remarkable and practical and able to subdue all of her intensity and uninhabited zest for life as deemed necessary. Her father had been quick to encourage Jessie’s independence and enthusiasm and ability to succeed in everything she tried. When she began to show a real talent for math and interest in his trade, he was quick to contribute to her desire to follow in his footsteps. He beamed with pride every time she accomplished something that other females did not.

Because she was more like her father than her sisters, who most resembled their mother in looks and attitude, she tried all the harder to demonstrate the gentleness and demureness required of young ladies by society. In truth, everyone gave up on her as the years passed, except for her older sister, Virginia. By the time she reached fifteen, Jessie did acquire some semblance of a sweet and reserved young lady through much trial and error. She did to some extent prove her family as well as the community wrong as Jessie learned to curb her temper and her zest and to some extent resemble a proper young lady. Though she had learned to present herself properly in a demure and respectable way, she still retained her independence and freedom, her wild and daring attitude, her sharp and at times unreserved speech, and her intense rebellious nature to in the face of the establishment!

When she turned seventeen, her father presented her with a big red stallion, which she immediately named Reb. This horse was as wild and temperamental as she was! Jessie was so in tune with the colt that it was uncanny how she could read him. She credited him with almost-human intelligence always talking to him as if he were a compatriot and an equal. If she was delayed beyond the time when she was expected to take her daily ride, the big red stallion would begin pacing back and forth in the open the paddock and call to her. It was not unusual to see Reb following her around like one of the hunting hounds.

Upon rising every morning, she donned her riding habit, and no matter what the weather, she would exercise the big stallion. That was his time, and he knew it! Except for rare occasions, she always wore a riding outfit in case she had a spare hour or two for taking to the meadows with Reb. She became such an accepted sight that no one in the community thought twice about her lack of restraint when riding alone across the countryside. But as Jessie and Reb began to age, they began to understand their places in the scheme of things. Reb became content to wait for her to come to him, and she learned the hard lesson of putting work before pleasure!

The eldest daughter, Virginia Lynn, was refined and gentle. She was a tall young woman with a quiet and comfortable grace, and her long delicate neck rose from her high collars, revealing her creamy white skin. She had crystal clear blue eyes that could see right down into your soul, and she would know just what to say to comfort you. She was a model daughter willing to please her parents and tackled every domestic problem with diligence and goodwill. No one could ask for a more obedient and thoughtful child growing up as Virginia, and her parents were entirely content with her as an adult.

Over time, she became her mother’s right hand in running the household, and in all honesty, Tillie Buchanan left it all in her hands. Sorrow came to the family when Virginia finally married around Christmastime. Not that the man she had chosen was disagreeable in any manner, shape, or form. It was the idea that the beloved firstborn was leaving the nest and the bosom of her family. Everyone depended on her. She was the one that the younger siblings ran to when they had a problem, and she was the one that the servants looked to for direction, and she was the glue that held the family together.

The first time Jessie met the captain was at the Mercantile. She immediately liked the pleasant and outgoing man. He always had a good word for everyone and always displayed an even temper. He looked to be around forty years, rather thickset and jolly with gentle blue eyes and a soft, kind voice. Jessie knew that he was a respected and well-liked gentleman farmer and was thought of quite highly in all the local communities. He never met a man or woman who did not like him or one he didn’t like! After a while, Jessie came to believe that the captain would be a perfect match for her sister Virginia. If she had to describe him, she would tell her sister that he was an exceptional human being, very outgoing and friendly, but a bit on the heavy side. Jessie was sure that his physical makeup and habits as a bachelor made him seem so much older than his chronological age. Yet she was sure that her older sister could curb his activities and improve his health to the point where his years and looks would again be quite robust. Determined that they should meet, she set about arranging for Virginia to bring her lunch to her at the Mercantile in hopes that the two would accidently come upon each other by chance!

At the age of twenty-five, Virginia had resigned herself to be an old maid. She made herself content to do things for others. So when her sister requested that she personally make the trip down to the store, she could not refuse her. It wasn’t too long after that when she and Captain Henry Carter met. They immediately liked one another and, at Jessie’s urging, began to see each other on a regular basis. Although Benjamin Buchanan liked the man, his wife worried over the fact that Henry Carter was older than her precious Virginia. After all, she complained, he was almost the exact same age as she was and actually fourteen years Virginia’s senior. Still, they both agreed in the end that he was a most suitable age for a woman like Virginia, who was considered well past the prime age for marriage.

On her sister’s wedding day, Jessie felt both happiness and pains of sadness. The fact was that her closest confidant would no longer be available to help ease the wounds of hurt that she had so often incurred growing up and still suffered once in a while as an adult. It caused her to be melancholy at a time when she should have been overjoyed that her dear sister was beginning a new life. She was angry with herself for how she felt! After all, she had a hand in them meeting and courting. Anyway, Cahaba wasn’t that far away! The most important thing was that the marriage itself had every promise of happiness for Virginia, who had devoted herself to everyone’s happiness but her own.

It was true that Virginia and her new husband were going to be living close by, less than a two-hour drive away. Cahaba was a beautiful little village located along the Alabama River in the heart of the Black Belt, a rich agricultural region known for its very fertile soil. Jessie was quite aware of the great difference between a sister only a few miles away and a sister in the same house. She would miss those intimate discussions and quiet moments they shared in the late evenings, but she had the wonderful satisfaction that Virginia had found real happiness with a lifetime partner who could appreciate her qualities.

With the wedding over and the bride and groom off on their wedding trip to New Orleans, it was easy to forget just how much Virginia had cared for her younger siblings. Being the oldest, she had taken on all the responsibilities to teach all of her sisters how to be ladylike and civil and kind to everyone. She showed them how to control their childish tempers with pleasant humor. She was the one who often was devoted to nursing them through various illnesses. Every one of them owed Virginia a large debt of gratitude for everything she had done for them over the years. Although Virginia’s wedding was a happy day, it was still a black day for the remaining women of the family, and they were not prepared for the empty feelings in their hearts.

The change in the family had begun long before Virginia married Captain Carter. It was early summer three years previously that the marriage of Eloise Careen, the Buchanans’ third daughter, had taken place. This was one union in which their father was extremely happy to give his daughter away in marriage. Even Tillie Buchanan was absolutely ecstatic over the fact that her daughter Eloise was going to marry Stewart Kerry Claybourne, son of the rich and prosperous Ralph and Margaret Mary Claybourne of the Willow Ridge Plantation.

Ralph Claybourne and Benjamin Buchanan had been neighbors and friends for ages, and both families often visited each other’s homes. The nicest thing was that Willow Ridge was located across Valley Creek from Brier Cliff. On horseback, the distance was only about a mile if one crossed the creek, which divided the properties. Needless to say, the children of both families grew up together and shared a lot of the same ideas and recreations. Jessie and the Claybourne boys were always in and out of the houses with or without invitations whenever the desire struck them. Known as the Three Musketeers, they were constantly in and out of trouble. The problem was no one was sure if it was the Claybourne boys who involved Jessie in their pranks or Jessie who was the leader getting the boys into trouble!

The Claybourne plantation covered hundreds of acres and was located in between Cahaba to the east and Selma to the west and Summerfield to the north. Willow Ridge was the largest plantation in Dallas County, covering acres and acres of cotton as far as the eye could see in every direction. The long winding drive up to the house off Cahaba Road was lined with oaks and willows, while the house itself was located on a ridge overlooking the Alabama River, which wound its way up from just above Mobile. The plantation house was a beautiful huge building surrounded by willow and magnolia trees, with six magnificent columns along the front porch and four large columns off the back.

The Claybourne twins looked like their father, a tall well-proportioned man with dark hair and dark eyes. The twins were identical, and most people couldn’t tell them apart except for Jessie, who had grown up running, riding, shooting, and fighting with the boys. She had no problem knowing which twin was which! Both boys were outgoing, roguish young men who had a taste for adventure and excitement. Stewart had a rather weak chin even though it appeared rather square, like his brother’s. His eyes were a bit narrower of the two, but just as dark and remote-looking. Stewart was quick to flatter and evade the truth, whereas his brother, Stephen, was outspoken but truthful. Everyone thought that Stewart was destined for greater things than farming since he was determined to study law at the university. He had big plans and high expectations for a career in law that one day may lead to politics, and Stephen, who studied botany at the university, was certain that his fate lay in the land and Willow Ridge. Although both had been born to the ease of plantation life and had never wanted for anything, Stewart could not wait to get out of Selma, and Stephen couldn’t wait to return.

After graduating from university, Stewart immediately moved to Mobile and began his law career, and Stephen followed his heart, returning home to work the plantation. Both twins in the end were successful! Three years later, Stewart made partner in one of the biggest and most respected law firms in Mobile. Stephen’s experimental project for increasing the production of his cotton product had an extremely favorable outcome, making him one of the wealthiest plantation owners in the state.

Eloise was only fourteen when Stewart Claybourne announced that he planned to marry her as soon as she reached her seventeenth birthday. He had grown up watching Eloise mature from a golden-haired young toddler into a beautiful young woman. She was a slender young girl of normal height with her mother’s long neck, which swooped down into perfectly rounded slender shoulders. Her nose seemed to always be titled slightly upward only because of the weight of her luxuriant blonde hair, which she always made sure was coiffured perfectly. She was the picture of Southern womanhood and the perfect belle, an ornamental, empty-headed, charming young girl with only one thought on her mind—marriage. It had been noticed early that Eloise worshiped Stewart ever since she realized boys were different from girls. All she ever dreamed of was for him to return her affection, and all she ever prayed for was to be his wife. Eloise did not have what one considered a quick mind, but that might have been one of the things that Stewart liked about her. The fact that she was rather addled at times did not sway him, for she was gorgeous to look at and a perfect match for an ambitious man.

During the years while he waited for Eloise to grow up, he worked diligently at his profession and procured a lovely Greek Revival home in one of the best areas of Mobile. He personally arranged for the entire house to be decorated and readied for his new bride. He picked out everything from furniture to dishes to silverware and even decorated the nursery, which he fully expected to be filled with children right away. He was determined that his wife should not have to lift a finger preparing a home but just walk in and begin managing the household. Due to his standing in the community, he was diligent in purchasing the many slaves needed to cater to their comfort and leisure. Eloise was more than satisfied to let Stewart make all the decisions and provide for her comfort and care. After all, she and her mother were preparing her hope chest for marriage!

Being a man who knew what he wanted and never being denied anything in life, Stewart was as good as his word! Upon Eloise’s seventeenth birthday, he not only properly asked for her hand in marriage, but he slipped a huge emerald engagement ring on her finger. There was no illusion that she did not want the same things that he wanted.

Although almost two hundred miles away, Eloise was more than happy to relocate, settle in her new home, and rub elbows with the best of Mobile society. She thrived on parties, the theater, and the attention of gentlemen. She was a born hostess and homemaker and just the type of wife for a motivated young lawyer. It was no hardship for Eloise to leave the warmth and comfort of her father’s home for the splendor and protection of Stewart’s home in Mobile. She was content to be married and anxious to start a family. The only sad part of the equation was that she would be out of daily contact with her mother and sisters, but then as Stewart often reminded her, there is always letter writing!

With two daughters married, there were only two left. Mary Anne was still much too young to even think of marriage, even though she was coming up on her seventeenth birthday. Still, not one member of the family was worried that Jessie might end up an old maid because they never in their wildest dreams expected her to marry anyway. Even her own mother, Tillie Buchanan, believed that she was way too outspoken and independent to suit any man. Growing up, her sisters Eloise and Mary Anne had teased her horribly about being a tomboy. Virginia was the only one who still held hope for her and often encouraged her to be a little more shy and retiring. And as for her father, he had no real feelings one way or the other since he believed that marriage was just a safety net created for women, which his Jessie would never need!

Two years after Eloise was married, the youngest sister, Mary Anne, was sent away to finishing school when she turned fourteen. Being the youngest, she was also the loveliest of the four girls. She not only inherited the beauty from her mother’s side of the family, but she also received the selfishness and moodiness from her father’s side. She did not have the sweetness and gentleness of Virginia and Eloise nor the unselfishness and thoughtfulness of Jessie. She had the worst traits of both sides of the family and was considered a most hateful and selfish child. But being the youngest, she was also the most spoiled and pampered daughter.

She had been a demanding child ever since she had been born. She always got everything she wanted and threw horrid temper tantrums when she didn’t get her own way. More often than not, she got her way just to keep the peace in the household. Everyone was quick to give in to her just to avoid arguments. Mary Anne knew how to play everyone in the family but Jessie. Since she found it hard to get her way with her hotheaded older sister, she avoided trying to manipulate her. In a way, it was more pleasant around the house with her gone, but in another, she was missed even though she returned home for holidays and special occasions like a wedding.

The entire household managed very well without Mary Anne being present, and her short visits were just long enough before she became tiring. The family loved Eloise and looked forward to her long visits. But neither of the younger daughters was missed like the beloved Virginia. Losing Virginia, a daughter who contributed to the care and welfare of the family, was like losing their anchor or a surrogate mother. It was clear from the very beginning that the loss of warmhearted Virginia would be much more difficult for the family to deal with than when they lost the frivolous and empty-headed Eloise or the bad-tempered little Mary Anne.

With Virginia now gone, it left the Buchanans with another empty chair at the family dinner table. There were just Jessie and her parents with no prospect of a fourth, fifth, or sixth chair being occupied to cheer up the long evenings of conversation. After dinner, Benjamin Buchanan would compose himself to nap in his most favorite old leather chair in the library with an open book on his lap. Every evening for over six days, Jessie had calmly sat in the sitting room and endured her mother’s complaints of what a loss Virginia was to the household. Although everyone missed Eloise and Mary Anne, they both agreed that the eldest daughter’s bright and happy face and good companionship was indeed sorely missed most of all.

Three of the sisters were now gone, and Jessie was not sure she could stand any more changes in her life at the present time. She was glad that she still lived at home with two loving parents, where she was able to run free and ride horses whenever she felt like it. She had no obligations other than the ones she carved out for herself at the Mercantile. Jessie knew that she was well over the age of being considered a child, but she tried her best to hold on to that comfortable and easy way of life to which she had become so accustomed. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to grow up! It was that she didn’t really know how to become what everyone expected her to be and still retain the freedom and lifestyle she so dearly loved.

S elma was a large and populous town, and Benjamin Buchanan owned a thriving mercantile business located along the busily traveled Alabama River. All the trade flowed from Mobile up the river to Selma and then on into Montgomery to be dispersed all over the Alabama area. The cotton trade became big business in Montgomery, and the city grew so rapidly that the capital of the state was moved there in 1846. No one knew at this time that it would become the first capital of the Confederate States of America when the South finally did secede from the Union.

The Buchanans were one of the oldest families in the area, thus providing them a high place in the local society. Brier Cliff was one of the most beautiful antebellum homes located on over one hundred acres at the edge of town just off of Water Street. It was bordered to the south by the Alabama River, the west by Valley Creek, and the north by Live Oak Cemetery. It was just far enough away from town to enjoy riding and hunting and just relaxing and just close enough to town for Benjamin Buchanan to easily travel to and from his business daily.

In 1805, when the Alabama Territory was carved out of the Mississippi Territory, it was opened up to white settlements. It was at this time that a Scotsman by the name of Jessie Buchanan took his savings and packed up his family and headed to America to secure his fame and fortune. Landing in Mobile, the Buchanans made the pilgrimage up the Alabama River toward Cahaba, where he planned to start a mercantile business. But along the way, he heard about the little settlement which was starting to grow by leaps and bounds. This upstart of a village enchanted him, and being an astute businessman, he bypassed the big settlement of Cahaba and took his family to the thriving little settlement called Selma. Being one of the early families to settle the area gave the big Scotsman bragging rights. He had not come to this country a pauper, but he had enough money to set up a business and build the family home he promised his wife.

The Scotsman had a good head on his shoulders and always seemed to get the best end of any deal, and it wasn’t any different when it came to choosing just the right tract of land for his new home. It was a luscious sprawling green expanse of flat land with an abundant supply of water. Perfect for a big house and barns and raising horses. Although a very thrifty man, he spared no cost in building the home he promised his wife, which he named Brier Cliff.

Benjamin Buchanan’s grandfather Jessie Buchanan worked hard carving out a successful mercantile business. The big redheaded Scotsman also passed down his untiring work ethic and thriftiness to his son and grandson. Jessie Buchanan’s hard work and loyalty to neighbors cemented the Buchanans’ place in the community. Known throughout the county as fair and honest businessmen, Jessie Buchanan and his son, William became very well respected and liked. William took over the mercantile business upon Jessie’s death and continued to make a comfortable living for the family. But it was Benjamin Buchanan who made the business bigger and better. He had just turned twenty when his father, William, died of malaria during the epidemic of 1841. He took over the Mercantile and, over the years, increased the size of the business to cover almost every stop along the Alabama River. As a man of stature and wealth, his family was considered as important a contributor to the community as any of the large plantation owners or farmers in Dallas County.

Not only was Benjamin Buchanan lucky in business, but he was very lucky in winning the heart and hand of one of the most popular young girls from one of the best families in the county, Matilda Anne Ross. Known affectionately as Tillie, she was a giddy, happy, beautiful young girl of sixteen with long golden curls and big blue eyes. Benjamin was absolutely and totally enchanted with her and determined to marry her. Although Tillie Ross was like most girls her age… scatterbrained and spoiled, yet charming and endearing. She was petite and had that vulnerability that made men want to throw their protective wings about her, shielding her from danger and harm. Like most young Southern girls, she had no head for figures or politics but from the earliest age was trained to manage and run a household. Yes, Tillie Ross was more than ready for marriage and to take on the job as mistress of her own home.

Over the next few years, Tillie gave her husband four beautiful daughters. Even with the disappointment of no sons on the horizon, Benjamin Buchanan wouldn’t have traded any of them for a male heir. As aggravating as it was, none of Buchanans’ daughters lacked for friends growing up or gentlemen callers as they grew into available young ladies. Benjamin was determined that his daughters would not only attend the best finishing school in Montgomery but would not be denied the biggest and best coming-out parties in town. Not only were they all pretty, rich, and well educated, but they were charming and had perfect manners. Three of the girls had thick golden hair and blue eyes like their mother, except for Jessie, who inherited her flaming red hair and smoky gray eyes from her great-grandfather.

Being a smart man, Mr. Buchanan prepared and extended Jessie Gale’s education past that of finishing school just as he would if she had been a son. The first time he held the little bubbling bundle in his arms and saw that bright red hair, he christened her Jessie, after his grandfather Jessie Buchanan. The only wish he ventured aloud was that he hoped his redheaded daughter would possess her mother’s temperament and not that of her Scottish grandfather!

He knew that of all his daughters, Jessie was the only one who was strong-willed enough to take control and run the family mercantile business. Because she was not only an outspoken and independent young lady, but she was also quick of mind and excellent with figures. He began to prepare her for this endeavor at an early age. So determined that she should be able to take charge and run the business without missing a beat, he often insisted that she accompany him to work. It wasn’t unusual to see her trailing after him before she could hardly walk, and by six, she was familiar with every supply, crop, and barge on the river.

Even though women alone after the death of their husbands found it hard to survive in the South without the strong arms of a man for protection, Jessie had no such fear. She was not just any woman, for she was quite able to take care of herself. She was independent enough that she would never have to rely on a man to support her, and she was smart enough to handle any problems that would crop up. One thing her father could say about her without any remorse was that she was no wilting flower on a vine and could stand on her own. Deep down, he wasn’t sure any man would accept a woman as strong and independent as Jessie. It wasn’t the fact that she could ride and shoot as good as any man… even her sisters were average horsewomen. But he did believe that no man could deal with a woman who could handle businessmen with as much finesse as any gentleman and was hot-tempered enough not to take any guff of any man. She was often referred to as the Redheaded Devil . . . just one of the many nicknames given to her by some very hardheaded men in the area. Growing up, the boys liked the fact she could outride them and give them a fight when necessary, but they all would have agreed secretly that she was not the type of girl any one of them would ever want to marry. She had a backbone of iron and an acid tongue that could put any boy or man in his place. Her downfall was not that she was smart and capable, but that she was never willing to give in or lose to the male species. Yet she was fair and well respected by all who worked for her or dealt with her. She even took the nicknames she acquired over the years in good stride and joked about them.

CHAPTER 1

T he Christmas season was fast approaching, and the holiday spirit was contagious. Preparations for the suspension of work throughout Dallas County had begun weeks before Christmas. It was all preceded by a period in which the plantation owners, town tradesmen, industrialists, and professional operators settled all their financial affairs. All of this was done to accomplish one goal, and that was that everyone in the surrounding areas could focus on enjoying the holiday season. This was a much-needed interval of leisure after a hard year of work as it allowed the slaves and the owners—as well as farmers, clerks, and merchants—a long period of rest and recuperation. As Alabama was the first state in 1836 to make Christmas an official holiday, it was only natural that it had become the most important celebration of the year!

The Buchanans were no different from their neighbors as they were joyously prepared for the various members of their family to come home to spend Christmas. Mary Anne was to arrive within the week as her school was closed for the holidays. Stewart and Eloise were to arrive a few days before Christmas and spend at least a month visiting with both their families afterward. Captain Carter and Virginia had also made plans to return from their New Orleans trip in time to join everyone for a Christmas Day dinner.

There was never a set length of stay for guests and relatives since unbounded hospitality was one of the chief Southern values, and special emphasis was laid on it during the Christmas season. Guests planning to stay throughout the holiday season would start to arrive on Christmas Eve, and all were expected to take part in all the local festivities and parties through the first of the year. This intrusion was rarely a hardship on any family as most homes in the area were large and well staffed with slaves. It was not unusual for family members and some guests to stay for weeks and sometimes months.

Brier Cliff, under Tillie Buchanan’s guidance, had to be decorated with evergreens, myrtle, holly, and mistletoe. As everyone worked to make the home look gay and charming, they would talk of how the coming evenings would be marked by dancing and drinking of eggnog and making the rounds of the parties. Even the Buchanans’ invitations for their open house had already gone out, and the Christmas morning presents for the grandchildren had already been wrapped and hidden away. There were stockings for Eloise’s two little girls to hang on the bedposts at night on Christmas Eve for Santa Claus to put little gifts in. This was Tillie Buchanan’s most favorite time of the year, and she was looking forward to celebrating with her family.

The general population had more to think about than all the arguments taking place in the United States Congress. No one wanted to think about the unrest, which was slowly flowing all over the country. After all, most people had families to care for and businesses to run, and they elected politicians to represent their wishes. Sectionalism had increased steadily over the past sixty years, phasing slavery out of existence in the North, while in the South, slavery continued to grow and expand westward. The North felt they must stop this spread of slaveholding and worked hard to compromise to some degree, but none of the amendments could appease the South, and from there, the talks about secession steadily grew.

Even with the restlessness and discontentment over these conditions, the women, without any thought of an approaching war, were determined to savor and relish the holidays that were upon them. No expense was to be spared on the richness of the food and entertainment for their guests. Having no information to the contrary, the ladies of the family were adamant that this was to be one of the happiest and most enjoyable holidays ever. So the women refused to see what was happening within their own borders and concentrated all their interests on their homes as most women did not have any thoughts regarding politics. If any of them even mentioned something to do with the government, it was assumed that they were merely mimicking their husband’s or their neighbor’s ideas. So it was safe to say that the ladies hardly ever let the idea of the possibility of war enter their heads.

But the young men of the South were all gallant gentlemen who saw the chance at war as a glorious time to become a hero and show their bravery. The dreams of glory surrounded their lives and their conversations, and this illusion of the splendor of war filled their thoughts day and night. They neglected to see the raw, harsh side of a war, the killing and maiming of human beings or brothers under the skin, for they only had stories from the older generation, and what young buck even listened to those old folks.

Even Jessie was caught up in the talk of secession, for she was not your typical female thinker and prided herself on being able to draw her own conclusions. She did not rely on others to tell her what she should think. She held like most Southerners firmly with the ideals of states’ rights and slavery while standing against the Tariff of Abominations. She was well aware that it was the tariffs that would hurt the South, mainly her father’s trade. Although the tariffs protected the industries of the North, they would end up damaging the South because everyone would end up having to pay higher prices on goods they did not produce but still needed in order to survive. The tariffs would also make it difficult for the other countries which dealt with the South to purchase the much-desired cotton, thus in turn cutting out or at least down on the biggest income of the Southern states.

Benjamin Buchanan held no slaves, and everyone who was in his employment was free because of the views he held so close to his heart. He believed that no man had a right to own another, but he also believed that he had no right to tell other men how to live their lives or to give up their slaves. He also never felt the need to control how his daughters felt on the subject and left them to draw their own conclusions.

Virginia and Eloise were more like their mother and had very little interest in whether slaves were free or not, and the talk of war was of no interest whatsoever. As for Mary Anne, she was just a mere child and didn’t have the brain or the time to think of such things. Only Jessie had the intelligence to question what was taking place across the nation. She was interested in the talk of war and Congress and never missed the opportunity to discuss it with the many gentlemen who dealt with the Mercantile. If she had been a man, she, like all the young men, would have more likely been ready to take on all the Northern states without thought of consequences.

As Christmas approached, it looked as if the South was coming closer to the act of secession. Words were more heated, and the Deep South was ready to secede at the drop of a wrong word. But it had been the election of Abraham Lincoln in November, the previous month, which had been the final trigger. When John C. Breckinridge, the standard-bearer of Southern Democrats, came in second, this was a hard blow to the South and their hopes. It was well known that if it had not been for the split among the Democrats, Lincoln, who garnered much less than 50 percent of the popular vote, might not have placed first, and the secession might have been avoided.

The reasons for the secession fell into two camps. Some Southerners believed that it was over states’ rights and tariffs, where others believed it was because of slavery and the election of a Republican as president. But whatever the reason, the Deep South, to a man, stood shoulder to shoulder against all odds and waited for the final word to come down for secession. All the efforts at compromise had been futile, and the power of the Southern states in the U.S. Congress was dwindling fast. Now the entire South waited for what they all believed was inevitable! Communities were divided, and tempers were quick to snap. In Selma, most of the townspeople were secessionist, whereas a few of the local individuals were what some considered Northern sympathizers.

It was on December 20, when the entire population of Selma was preparing and looking forward to a happy and joyous Christmas season. On that particular date, South Carolina called a state convention, and the state congress voted, perceiving the North as a threat to the rights of the state. South Carolina was the first to take the lead and vote to secede from the Union. This one act did more to advance nullification and secession than any other, but no one at the time truly believed that seven more states would follow suit within a few months and the Confederate States of America would be born.

That same day, Benjamin Buchanan had been at the Mercantile directing the work on the docks. It was important to finish up the necessary business of loading the last cargo of cotton, which was to go downriver to the Port of Mobile, and a shipment of medical supplies and ammunition to go upriver to Montgomery. It was imperative to get these last of the year’s business out of the way in order to close down the Mercantile for the holidays.

The excitement over the festivities was vibrating all over town, and the streets were pretty empty as most businesses had been closed for a number of days in order for the individuals to enjoy the endless rounds of social functions. It was a time for friends and neighbors to renew old friendships and enjoy such activities as foxhunting, dinner parties, and dances.

Being a devoted family man himself, Benjamin Buchanan planned that his employees would also spend this time with their families. That was the reason he could be found down on the docks working side by side with the workers, lifting and toting in order to finish the work and quickly get the workers on their way.

When her father did not arrive home in time for dinner, Jessie went to fetch him. She was a little angry with herself for not joining him at the Mercantile and helping get things tidied up for the holidays. Heaven knows how much work there was to do! If only she had helped, he’d be home in the warm bosom of his family, enjoying a hot meal and good companionship.

Knowing that most of the workers had already taken off for the holidays, she knew that her father and a few of the most loyal dockworkers were at the Mercantile getting the last of the shipments loaded and out of the way. Still, she worried that by staying home to help with the decorations, she had put her father in a position of having to possibly work much longer hours than he had expected.

It didn’t take that long for her to ride into town as she was able to cut across much of the undeveloped fields around the powder magazine and the arsenal. By the time she got to Water Street, she was almost there.

Sliding off the big red stallion, she hurried over to the door and noticed that it stood slightly open. Everything was quiet and dark as she slipped into the big room. She felt ripples run up her spine as she walked through the store and glanced out the big windows overlooking the river. She didn’t see anyone or any movements on the docks, and needless to say, she was beginning to feel a little nervous about it. Where was her father? Could he have already started for home, and she missed him by cutting cross-country? Without hesitation, she headed down the stairs toward the docks, taking the steps two at a time.

Once she was standing on the docks, she began a slow and methodical search for her father. Could something have happened to him? Maybe he was sick or incapacitated in some way. Her heart began to beat rapidly as she forced herself to slow down and search the dock area much more carefully.

Finally, she saw a bit of material caught on the jagged wood piling next to the ladder leading down to the water’s edge. It could be her father’s, she surmised, but then it could be any of the workers who manned the docks daily. Someone was always catching their clothing on the pilings. Why was she always so suspicious?

She peered over the edge of the planks and into the dark river below. She had to stare into the darkness for a few moments before her eyes adjusted enough so that she could make out shapes and forms below. It was then as she swept the water’s edges under the docks that she made the worst discovery of her life!

She had found her father! There he was, floating facedown in the river, an arm wedged into a support plank on the pilings, which were driven deep down into the river. That fact in itself had kept his body from just floating on down the river. If that had happened, they wouldn’t have known for days, if ever, what had happened to him.

She fell to the deck and put her face in her hands, fighting the tears which were welling up in her eyes. If she was going to cry, she needed to get it out of the way. It was going to be up to her to become the strength for the family. That would be what her father had wanted. Still, she couldn’t stop thinking that if she had just been a half-hour earlier, she might have been able to save her father’s life. Or if she had only gone to the Mercantile with him, things might definitely have turned out differently. It was her fault! How was she going to square the loss of her father with the family?

As she sat there trying to decide what to do next, she heard footsteps running up behind her. She couldn’t even bring herself to turn around to see who might be coming toward her.

Ms. Jessie, Jason called. Yore mama sends me to fetch youse and Master Benjamin.

When she didn’t bother to look up, he added, What’s de matter? Why’s youse crying, child?

Oh, Jason, Jessie whispered, pointing to the edge of the dock. It’s Papa. He has drowned.

Oh no, the black man whined. Not Master Benjamin?

Jason went over to the edge and glanced over into the water. Squinting, he barely could see the outline of a body. He sighed and frowned.

We needs to get de body up, Ms. Jessie, he said softly as he grabbed her by the arm and gently pulled her to her feet. We can’t leave the master likes dat.

Holding back her tears, Jessie said chokingly, You’re right. We must get him up on the dock.

Neither of them had any reason to believe that it had not been an accident. Even after Jason had hurried off to get the sheriff, Jessie sat next to her father’s body trying hard to hold back the tears. It was at that moment that the moonlight struck a small bright green object lying next to the pillar of the dock. Somehow, it had caught Jessie’s eye, and being curious, she reached over, picked up the object, and studied it closely.

Why, it was only an odd-shaped piece of green glass… although it looked like an emerald? Weird, she thought. Where could it have possibly come from? It couldn’t be real? No one who worked on the docks could afford anything like it. She frowned as she turned it over and over in her hand. What did it remind her of? She tried hard to remember, but her mind was much too complicated with everything else that had just happened. Maybe she would remember later, she thought as she absentmindedly slipped it into her jacket pocket.

For it being a holiday, the sheriff, with Jason following close behind, arrived rather quickly. After talking with Jessie, he surveyed the situation carefully. He explained that it appeared as if her father had somehow tripped and hit his head on the big dock post… knocking himself out. He then likely fell into the water, where his arm got caught on the support beams holding the pilings. It looked as if he had never regained consciousness and died by drowning. It was obviously a horrible and tragic accident, the sheriff said as he tried to comfort the grieving daughter.

At the inquest, it was ruled that Benjamin Buchanan slipped and fell into the water, hitting his head on the edge of the dock, splitting it open, and rendering him unconscious. It was unanimously believed and proclaimed that this and only this caused him to drown, and under those circumstances, the coroner ruled that Benjamin Buchanan’s death was indeed an accident.

Nothing about the accident seemed logical, and Jessie had a hard time accepting the verdict. Jessie suspected foul play but could not prove it since her father had no known enemies. There were apparently no witnesses or no one was willing to come forward, and the court had to rule on the evidence before them. She had no choice but to abide by the findings that her father died by a quirk of fate.

Although her mother was well equipped to run a household, Tillie Buchanan was quite unprepared to take on the finances of the family and more so under the sudden circumstances of her husband’s death. On top of it all, Jessie knew that the family was ill equipped to handle all the stress and vex of pressures of what might lie ahead if the South seceded and war was declared. Without the guiding hand of her father, who was the rock of the family, she knew that all could easily be lost. Now she understood what her father had been telling her all those years that she was the only one who would be prepared to take the reins as head of the family and run the mercantile business.

She knew what would be expected of her, and she quickly moved into her father’s place at the mercantile store. She did not have time to think about anything but the business and keeping food on the table just like her father had expected. She left it to the other members of the family to mourn and to feel sorry for what they had lost. She was kept busy at the Mercantile, and with the assistance of Mr. Bain, she was able to keep things running on an even keel, not skipping a beat. All those long hours she spent with her father working and meeting with businessmen were all worth it. Her reputation as a fair and honest businesswoman spread like wildfire, and it was widely known that she was well prepared to take her father’s place.

Although she had Reb to exercise every morning to clear her head and prepare herself for the daily grind, she was still the one who faced the danger of suffering from intellectual solitude. It was in the evenings after dinner when she missed her father the most. Jessie missed the rational and serious discussions about the state of the country, which the two of them used to scrutinize. Her mother, who she dearly loved, was no real thinker, and her interests were mainly in domestic things, such as gossiping and visiting friends. Even the youngest child, Mary Anne, who had returned home a few days before their father’s funeral, lacked a lot of interest in basic conversation.

It was hard to believe that it had been less than two years since Mary Anne had left for finishing school in Montgomery. The change in Jessie’s little sister impressed her. Naturally, Jessie was particularly struck by how pleasing and agreeable her sister had become since being away from home. Mary Anne had always been considered the beauty of all the girls. She had her mother’s fair skin, blue eyes, and curly blonde hair. For a young girl of sixteen, she had the figure of a more mature woman, boasting a fine bosom and perfectly sculptured curves with a tiny waistline of no more than sixteen inches. She now seemed to have a calm look of sweetness on her face and a shy manner. She demonstrated impeccable manners, which she had apparently acquired at Miss Reed’s Finishing School. Although there was nothing remarkably clever in Mary Anne’s conversation, she could at times be very engaging to talk with when it was a subject she knew something about. Showing all the proper etiquette and decorum a young lady should and giving the impression of a quiet gentle soul, it was hard to recall the horrid temper tantrums and the spitefulness of Mary Anne the child. Quite a change, Jessie thought, from a temperamental child of fourteen into a refined young lady!

Jessie was sure that her father would have been pleased with her little sister’s transformation, and at times, she tried to be genuinely interested in whatever the girl had to say, whether or not it was of importance. She understood that Mary Anne was way too young to be shut up in the house with a grieving mother and rather distant sister, but it was a ritual that must be carried out.

It had been a hard decision, but Jessie would soon have to break the news to Mary Anne that she would not be returning to finishing school in Montgomery. Jessie hoped that her sister would understand that the money was rather tight, and it would be much better for her to remain at home now. She was well aware of what her father had been trying to accomplish economically, but now it was going to be harder with him gone. Jessie was determined to find a way, if possible, for her sister to have her coming-out party on her seventeenth birthday just as planned. She would do exactly what her father would have done in order to introduce her little sister into society.

Also, the Southern economy depended on cotton, and cotton was an extremely profitable product at the moment. But she knew that it could plummet at any moment given the fact that the South lacked industrial manufacturing and had to import all the goods the region did not produce. So it was prudent for her to exercise good common sense as long as everything was so unsettled and unpredictable. Because of her father, she understood that if the South seceded, hard times would take over, and without a doubt, the North would squeeze the economy of the South as soon as possible by making it difficult for Britain and others to pay for the cotton they might import.

She had to somehow hedge her bets toward the unknown future of the entire South. Jessie knew that what was to come would be bleak and dark, for her father had not spared any explanations about how bad things would get if the South ended up seceding from the Union. It was Jessie who understood how important the mercantile business would be during those dark periods to come.

With everything closing in on her, Jessie could not help wishing for the bygone days. It seemed she had no one to confide in. Mary Anne, at sixteen, was much too young to understand anything dealing with business. She missed Virginia and her good counsel. With her father’s counsel lost, she believed it was inevitable that she should soon lose her last valuable relationship. Where was her childhood friend when she needed him? He was the only one who would or could understand all the problems which were now on her shoulders.

Her mother and sister looked to her for direction and counseling now that her father was gone. Jessie could not do much but sigh over it and do her best, always wishing for the impossible to happen in order to make life so much easier for her charges. She found it was important to acquire Virginia’s cheery spirit and Eloise’s gentle grace whenever she was in the company of her mother and younger sister. Jessie would slip away and disappear at all hours of the day just to be alone.

If she wasn’t busy down at the Mercantile, she spent all her time riding. Reb was the one confidant that she could count on. She avoided having to spend too much time with her mother, who merely wanted to do nothing more than complain about unimportant things like having to live on less and not being able to go to parties. Or Mary Anne, who preferred to talk of taking tea with callers who were kind enough to pay a visit to Brier Cliff. These were such unimportant things which would soon make no difference one way or the other in the scheme of life and death. But she did not have the heart to crush Mary Anne’s or her mother’s complacency with the hard, cold truth of reality. There was very little that the three of them had in common or could talk about, especially since they never wanted to discuss business or politics. The state of affairs was what consumed Jessie’s thoughts most of the time.

The times