'No, sir. The president is emphatic on that. He said the other day that we are like a family that has been divided too long, until a beloved child within the family dies. That child is the four hundred thousand sons so far lost. In spite of our differences we must now gather to mourn him and to repair all that we have done to each other.
'This is unofficial, but the president has authorized me to state this to you two gentlemen in private. If the South returns thus, come next summer, he will place before the Republican Party a nomination of a Southerner as his running mate and will promise one or two cabinet-level offices as well. The party will run on a unity and reconciliation platform.'
'The terms are generous,' Judah conceded, 'but the issue of the blacks. Where are they to go? How will they live?'
'I saw the field carpeted with dead black soldiers at Frederick,' Grant said coldly. 'If any have earned the right of full citizenship, it is they.'
He looked over at Lee, who lowered his eyes and then nodded in agreement.
'It will be hard. But I believe, as Lincoln said to me a few days back, 'Every drop of blood drawn by the bondsman has now been repaid.' We must learn to live together. And I pray that we can. Lincoln will propose a program in December opening up land in the west as part of the Homestead Act for any who wish to go there to start life anew. He is proposing as well federal moneys for schools and colleges, and, if need be, the direct loans for the purchase of land in the South, at fair market value, for any who wish to sell part of their farms and plantations to those who once worked them.'
'That will be expensive.'
'The war cost nearly two million dollars a day. The price will be cheap in comparison to another year of war. If your congressmen and senators vote for the appropriations, well, to be cynical, they will profit, because they are some of the biggest landholders, but in so doing will set the example as well. Sir, I must warn you, the president and I have talked about this at length. If maneuvers are played by former owners, to try to rebond their former slaves to the land, through sharecropping, or contracts of service that are impossible to fulfill, the offer of direct purchase will be withdrawn, and confiscation might then be considered.
'It is the clear and stated policy of this administration that the black man is now an equal citizen, in a nation of equals. Many of them paid that price in blood, as both Generals Grant and Lee can affirm. If this nation is to heal, that must be one of the cornerstones. We do not wish this issue to haunt us for the next hundred years. We can end it here.'
Elihu leaned forward and stared straight at Judah.
'Sir, if we do not agree to this point, I fear that what helped to cause this war, the issue of slavery and race, will continue to fester within us for the next hundred years. I do not wish to sound overly sentimental or patriotic, but the Declaration did declare that all men are created equal. I want to believe that the four of us, sitting here, can help that to come true.'
Judah sighed.
'And yet human nature being what it is, I hope your dream is true, Elihu. I have a friend in Baltimore, a rabbi, who shared basically the same thoughts with me just a few weeks past. Yes, he is right, and so are you. As a Jew I should be more sensitive to that than most. The history of my people is replete with persecutions, and I fear in times to come it will happen again, perhaps even worse than what was endured before. But we here now rail against the deep-seated fears of so many.'
'Then we set the example,' Grant interjected. 'The example the president will set as well. The example I know you, General Lee, have always set. I received a report yesterday how you personally intervened and protected some of our black prisoners of war. I thank you for that, and I can assure you word of that will spread.'
'They were honorable soldiers, I could do no less.'
'I think, gentlemen, we are all in agreement on this,' Elihu interjected.
Elihu looked over at Grant and sat back.
'Gentlemen, I think it has nearly all been said.'
Lee nodded.
'I promise you, General Lee, rations shall be up by dawn for your men. The signing of paroles will start tomorrow as well. Might I suggest a formal stacking of arms and colors on the morning of September 3. At which time I will try to issue out five days' rations to each of your men to help them on their way home.'
'Thank you, sir.'
The group stood up and was silent, not sure how it was to end.
'It is our duty now,' Grant said, 'to heal this nation.'
The White House
August 31,1863 10:30 P.M.
The serenaders had gathered around the White House at dusk, when the first newspaper extras had been rushed out into the streets, newsboys crying, 'Lee surrenders at Frederick!' 'Grant saves the Union!'
The crowd, which only days before had been on the verge of rioting, was now exuberant, cheer after cheer rising up as two batteries in Lafayette Park fired off a hundred-gun salute.
He had finally relented and stepped out onto the balcony, unable to speak for several minutes as hysterical cries greeted him.
Finally he lowered his head. Then all fell silent, and he looked up at them.
'Now is a time of celebration,' he said, 'and I join with you.'
Again long minutes of cheering. 'Hurrah for Old Abe.' 'Hurrah for Grant.' 'The Union.'
'And yet, our task is not finished,' he began, the crowd falling silent with his words. 'There is much to do. Let us all join in prayer that our former brothers and sisters of the South shall see the will of God in this decision and that soon the guns will fall silent forever. That the chorus of the Union shall again swell as one voice and that the better angels of our nature shall again prevail.
'Now is a time of celebration but it must be, as well, a time of forgiveness. Forgiveness of our former foes, and yes, of ourselves as well, for all that we have done to each other. God has placed this test before us and let us rise to the occasion, not just now but in years to come. Let us set aside our hatreds, our fears, and join hands once more. Let us show compassion for the wounded and the widow'-he paused- 'of both sides.
'And let us honor, as well, the pledge made by our forefathers in the Declaration, in which it is written, that all men are created equal. Let us now honor that pledge as well.'
There were no cheers now, only a somber silence, some in tears.
He forced a smile and looked down at the band on the front lawn of the White House.
'Bandmaster, I think we can claim right of conquest to a song I have loved dearly for years, but have seldom heard in this city of late.'
'Whatever you desire, Mr. President,' the bandmaster shouted back, and a certain levity returned to the crowd.
' 'Dixie.' I would dearly love to hear 'Dixie' once more.'
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Edwards Ferry
The Banks of the Potomac
September 3, 1863
The roll of drums echoed from the woods, sending a shiver down his spine. It was not the long roll signaling the charge, just a steady thumping beat, growing louder and louder.
A cool breeze swept across the Potomac, ruffling the water, flags whipping out around him, the national colors, corps standards, regimental flags, his own headquarters flag.
The morning was cool, rain having passed during the night, the dawn breaking fresh and clear with a hint of
