Where is God's Hand

By James M Geeslin

Follow Dr Lee Campbell's life as a young country doctor to a Confederate officer fighting throughout the Western Campaign with his faithful companion, Moses at his side. Come along on his secret mission to the Caribbean to secure a large cache arms for the Rebel cause, all the while being dogged by the traitorous Mullen's. Later after the

• Language: English
• Publisher: James M. Geeslin
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781087924946

Book preview

1

James Ridley Lee Campbell, stood atop a step ladder he had borrowed from Campbell’s Store. The store was his family’s holdings which included a small livery and cooperage. He and Moses had grown up here. The store and its environs about the small town of Ashland, Alabama, had been their whole world until Lee, with Moses at his side, went off to East Alabama Male College.

It was the second time in just a few months that he found himself on the ladder. This time it was under the same pewter skies and a sharp wind that banged the varnished and styled shingle that announced that J. R. Campbell, M. D. was seeing patients in the small house just three doors down from Campbell’s Store that Lee and Moses had converted into a physician's office. The parlor had been turned into a quite spacious and well-appointed waiting room with a leather, not quite Federal style, love seat, a lightly decorated iron stove with a pierced door that allowed a view of the rosy fire within and heated the room nicely. The double hung window beside the door was draped with green light weight velvet letting in just enough light to prevent a somber ambience but yet still allowing an uplifting feel. Three large Captain chairs completed the room.

Lee had a hard time grasping the carefully varnished sign with the gold leaf letters that he had hung just a few months before. He remembered thinking, given the similar ominous weather that existed at that time, that this was not the ideal time to be opening a practice.

The winter of 1860 saw things very unsettled in Clay County and the rest of Alabama, as it was becoming the center of the secessionist movement and Montgomery had become the nascent capital of the proposed Confederate States of America.

Lee had been correct about the prospects of opening a practice in these unsettled times. The ill, and infirm, or even the county inhabitants mildly discouraged about their health, had not beat a path to his surgery. Lee was the only physician in Clay County at present, and his only competition was old Dr. Nickels in Lineville, who was known to be a pretty good doctor but hard to get at night and on weekends and was known to take a little tonic even in the daytime. He and Moses had returned from Philadelphia where Lee had just completed his studies and received his medical degree and though his arrival had gathered some attention there had not been a rush to his door forecasting a prosperous beginning.

2

Lee took down the shingle with a heavy heart with Moses looking on. Moses felt somewhat the same and not only because he could read Lee’s almost every mood, but because he shared a little in what he knew Lee was viewing as a failure. Moses had shared their time in Philadelphia, and before that at East Alabama Male College, freeing Lee from any responsibilities other than his studies. He kept their rooms spotless; their clothes were always clean and proper, always making sure Lee was a gentleman, properly dressed. He unconsciously acted as a calming influence when Lee tended to spend too much time at pursuits other than his studies, those being playing cards quite successfully at the local taverns in Auburn and later at the better establishments in Philadelphia.

When Lee moved to study medicine, Moses would often stay up into the late hours to keep him from falling asleep while studying. He drilled Lee on some of the lesson questions and helped him with his anatomy drawings and thereby he learned some of the treatments and anatomy that would serve him very well in the years to come.

After handing the sign down to Moses, Lee took a moment to look around and think about how he and Moses had gotten to this point. Where was God’s hand in this relationship? As usual, this was his constant thought about almost everything in his life. Raised by a devout Roman Catholic mother and a Scottish father with a strong Calvinist streak , one telling him everything was in God’s hands and the other telling him everything was predestined. He was, if not confused, not ready to accept either view of things in his life.

He looked at Moses and questioned why he deserved such a loyal friend and how they came to this spot. God’s hand? Maybe. Moses never called Lee by his given name though Lee had asked him to do so many times, and as they had gotten older he had assured Moses that he was not just his servant. Though in his mind Lee could not exactly define how they were joined, only that he wished for Moses to always be at his side. He knew Moses had a mind as quick as his and saw every situation as clearly. He had one sense that exceeded Lee’s in that he could foresee dangerous circumstances and unfortunate events before Lee could.

Whenever he looked long at Moses he always thought of his mother and how Moses came into the family.

*****

Olivia Celeste La Bouton, was born on July 11, 1827 in a fine house on Rue Royale in the Vieux Carre of New Orleans. She was a second child and second daughter of Marie Celeste and Jacques La Bouton. The La Boutons were a wealthy family, with wealth derived from extensive cane and cotton production on their large plantation upriver from New Orleans.

Her father Jacques was not at home always as he oversaw their large cane and cotton plantation in St. Mary’s Parish. Marie was younger than Jacques and preferred the active social life of the city and the association of the large group of French speaking friends, all descendents of families who left France to escape the French Revolution bringing most of their fortunes with them.

Marie Celeste made sure Olivia and her other children were well educated and could speak French and Spanish in addition to English. She taught them all the elegant manners and topics of conversation necessary to move in the society of the day.

Olivia, along with about a dozen young women of her age made their debut at an elaborate ball when they had turned 18. Her family expected that she would soon be married given her beauty and the prospect of a rather large dowry waiting for the young man who succeeded in winning her hand. There was a parade of the flash sons of the families on the New Orleans Social List knocking at her door in a competition to see who could win her favor. She gently turned away caller after caller in favor of delving deeply into writings of the great philosophers of the day and perfecting classical musical pieces on the piano.

But she was no reclusive shy flower. There were riding dates, boating dates about the lacustrine areas of Lake Pontchartrain, and lawn parties by the number to which she was always escorted by a different young hopeful.

At one rather large such party at a great plantation just up the river from the city, Olivia met a tall thin son of a Scotsman from northern Alabama who was in town along with a contingent of successful men from his area seeking financial backing in order to start a bank in Chambers and Clay counties Alabama. His name was Aaron Campbell.

Their meeting occurred as Olivia was surrounded by the wealthy and titled sons of all of the most prominent families from Baton Rouge to New Orleans. To any close observer it was plain to see that she was being oppressed by this overt attention and quite bored.

Aaron Campbell was one of the observers who noticed Olivia's predicament. He thought a minute and then moved toward the group. From the edge of the circle he said in a rather strong voice , Oh, my apologies, Miss La Bouton, but your father has asked that I bring you to him in the library.

Olivia looked questioningly at this handsome stranger and after a minute's hesitation thinking anything was better than listening to these sycophants said, Excuse me gentlemen and took the arm of the handsome man dressed not quite as fashionably as most of the males in attendance.

Aaron said, I must apologize again Miss La Bouton, your father did not send me, and there is nothing amiss. My name is Aaron Campbell and I thought you looked like you were in need of relief from all your suitors. Very presumptuous of me I realize, but I could not resist.

I must say, Mr. Campbell, is it? Your methods are generally quite ungentlemanly but your assumptions are quite correct. This was said with a bit of bon homine. Now that we are not going to my father, what shall I do with you? Or rather what do you intend to do with me?

May I suggest that we continue to the library so I may explain myself more fully.

And so the brief courtship of Olivia and Aaron began.

In the following weeks they were constantly together discovering their love of horses and riding, boating, and especially reading. The library in the townhouse had a large and well-stocked library, and they spent many hours there pouring over the classics and some of the newer popular novels of the day.

The initial fondness quickly developed into a passionate romance when Aaron extended his stay after the others returned to Alabama after successfully acquiring sufficient capital from the great Planters and Merchants Bank of New Orleans to start the small bank in east Alabama.

Aaron, knowing he had to get back to the store before Johnny and Prudy gave away half the stock, fell to his knees and proposed marriage somewhat hurriedly. Still declaring his profound love in a way that stole Olivia’s heart. Even after Aaron spared no detail about how life in a very small rural town would be so different from her usual social whirlwind she was so stricken she agreed readily. He really had no idea she would accept but was quite surprised when Olivia did not seem at all put off by the prospect of being a small town country wife and managing the now to be expanded dry goods section of the Campbell Store. In fact she thought it would be quite a relief from the cloying social life of New Orleans.

Marie Celeste was quietly but strongly against the marriage, but both she and Olivia’s father knew that their strong-willed daughter would not change her mind. They also both understood that their daughter was not getting any younger and had rejected so many suitors that very few called these days.

Marcel La Bouton, Olivia's father, knew Aaron well from the banking discussions and perceived that he was really the only man with a real head for business among the group. Having such great respect for his future son-in-law’s demeanor and his prospects, he did not object to his daughter marrying out of their restrictive social class. He was impressed by Aaron’s insistence that Oliva’s dowry be put in her name and remain in the New Oeleans bank.

The couple was married in a simple but elegant ceremony in the La Bouton townhouse. Simple and elegant among the upper crust in New Orleans did not mean without a beautiful cream silk gown to set off the bride’s raven locks entwined with strands of pearls. Her hourglass figure and olive complexion was striking as she descended the inside staircase while the guests strained from the courtyard to get a look at the Bishop in all his finery ready to unite the couple. Because St. Louis Cathedral was still under construction the Bishop had given permission for the ceremony to take place at home. Neither was the reception held in the courtyard so simple. There were sparkling lanterns and torches lighting the faces of the hoity creole society. The food and drink was the best that could be found in the city and was in great abundance. Large silver plates of boiled shrimp and crawfish, steaming gumbo served out in numberless small silver bowls, oysters both raw and steamed swimming in drawn butter. Roast duck, goose, ribs of beef, Snapper stuffed with crabmeat and numerous small savories along with copious amounts of wine and Champagne. And of course a grand layer wedding cake, the first of its kind seen in New Orleans and copied after one Marie Celeste had seen pictures of in old Versailles prints.

After a brief receiving line, held mostly for Marie Celeste’s benefit so she could see who attended, the young couple quickly changed into traveling attire and were bid Bon Voyage by the guests as they departed for a wedding trip on one of the first great paddle wheel steamers to travel north on the Mississippi. Not a few suggested sotto voce that Oliva had made a great mistake heading to the crude frontier. The newlyweds seemed deliriously happy as they set off for Ashland, to begin their life as what would be the primary social couple of the small town and the surrounding countryside.

3

Olivia pulled her shawl a little closer around her shoulders. Although the trees were budding, it was still chilly this morning. The green shawl was not her favorite; that one, the red one, was currently wrapped around James Ridley Campbell, now called Lee, her first born child. He was currently resting in the old cradle in the main room above the store. She was thinking how happy the baby had made her and Aaron when she heard the small sound.

Was it a baby bird chirping? No, it was too early for that, she thought. Maybe a kitten, people were always leaving unwanted kittens out by the road, to be found or die. Perhaps a squirrel barking, but it did not sound exactly like that either.

Olivia stopped to look around and brushed aside a few stalks of Jonhson grass since the sound seemed to be coming from there.

It was no baby bird or kitten.

It was a dusty-pink, black-haired baby.

She was drawn instantly to pick up the child and quickly determined that it was a boy who immediately stopped crying and looked at her with big brown eyes. She thought she had never seen eyes so captivating. Her Lee had dark eyes, in fact one was just a little bit darker than the other, but not like these large dark brown orbs of appreciation now staring up at her. She looked around twice, but she was completely alone. If this was a dream, it included the smells of a baby in dire need of being changed. Being a new mother, that overruled any other thoughts, and she rushed the last few hundred yards and up the back steps to the spacious apartment rooms above the store.

After getting the heavily soiled rags off the child, and quickly washing the little baby, she had time to examine the child carefully.

She knew immediately that he was mixed-race and quite healthy. He was about four to six months old, and about the same size and age as her Lee. She knew he was thirsty and hungry. How to give him a drink? She had no baby bottles since she was nursing Lee and knew the baby was too young to drink from a glass or cup.

Before she knew it, she had the child at her breast and he was greedily nursing away. Was she going to nurse them both? Lee was now awake, had thrown off the red shawl and was looking hungrily in her direction. Up he went to the other breast.

And so it was that the foundling child got his first taste of, as well as his introduction, to the Campbell family.

4

Aaron Campbell sat at the little table in between the store counter and the somewhat diminished, but no less important to Aaron, apothecary section. He watched the dust motes floating in the sunbeams coming through the windows in the stairwell. He often sat there, in the quiet part of the afternoon, going over the store and livery account books. Today he disliked what was written— or not written— there. He was half-listening to Ms. Peterson, a frequent visitor to the store, who was in to buy some tonic and was chatting about who-knows-what.

Regarding the books, Old Johnny, who lived above the stable with his wife, Prudy, did a good