All eyes swung to Wake, who had his own focused on West, whose smile never wavered. A sinister dread started to build within him as Wake replied with as much nonchalance as he could muster to match his superiors. “No questions at this time, sir. Of course, we will all do our duty. I must tell you, however, that a month ago I personally faced the militia on this section of the coast and found them to be well armed and persistent. They also had a field piece with which they shelled my ship, without success. Just so you know, sir.”
Wherley and West seemed to be enjoying this. Wherley’s reply had the character of repartee.
“Precisely, Lieutenant. You make my point for me, sir. They were no match for your sailor boys and you accomplished your goal, so they certainly won’t be much of a contest for my New Yorkers.”
“As I said, Colonel, the sailors will all do their duty. We’ve fought on this coast before and will again in this war.”
Wherley now stood taller, beaming in his perceived rhetorical victory, and put a patronizing touch to Wake’s shoulder. “Excellent, Lieutenant. Captain West here said you were the man for the job and that Colonel Grosland had made a wise choice. Now, let us return to the mechanics of this endeavor, so that all will know what is expected. This will be a great victory for all of us to share. I dare say, gentlemen, that our efforts in Florida will provide some much needed welcome news for the nation this week. Martin, my good man, would you be so kind as to continue in describing the assignments for these officers.”
Martin stepped up as Wherley sat down. A triumphant grin spread across the colonel’s face and he gave a smiling nod to West, who nodded back and then returned to gaze at Wake and the others.
Martin’s narration of the details included the times of debarkation to the shoreline of the river, about a quarter mile in from the mouth, where the road met the water. The gunboats would provide fire if the militia showed up at the landing, and the ships would all furnish their boats for the troops to go ashore. The tug would tow the boats up the river to the landing while the schooners would remain just off the bar, their guns loaded with grapeshot. The whole period of the operation was put at a week, maybe more. By that time, success would be assured and more reinforcements could be requested from the Union forces in South Carolina or Louisiana to follow up and perhaps even take the state capitol at Tallahassee.
Just before sunset the Fort Brooklyn would steam south, with smoke bellowing profusely and all lights aboard lit, close along the coast in order to confuse any Rebel lookouts into thinking the intended target was Bayport or Clearwater. At midnight the ferryboat would reverse course and return to the anchorage. All ships would weigh anchor two hours before dawn and be gone from sight by the time the Confederates in the area could see the anchorage.
Argument against the idea was futile. The egos and personal stakes were too high to sway the senior officers involved. The smell of fame and promotion was in the air and the personal agendas of the army colonels were obvious. Wake resolved to make his part of the plan as efficient as possible and to protect the lives of the sailors entrusted to him to the best of his ability. He had no illusions of easy victory for the soldiers and hoped that any obstacles they would most certainly encounter would be overcome with a minimum of blood shed.
After the meeting, dinner was served for them in the wardroom of the Nygaard. For the schooner captains it was an unexpected pleasure to eat the much better fare available in a larger ship. They devoured a meal of fresh vegetables and somewhat fresh beef, followed by several pies with citrus fruit fillings. Wake was no culinary expert and had no idea the names of what he ate, but he appreciated the work of the cook and wondered if his aboard St. James could accomplish the same if the ingredients were available. He made a mental note to have his cook contact the Nygaard’s and find out how he did it.
As the evening wore on, the more senior officers expounded on the war and how it should have been fought from the beginning. West and Wherley were in agreement with each other on many of the issues, with Martin and McKinney remaining silent. The often boisterous Taylor was quieter than usual and sat with the junior officers at the other end of the table. The fine provisions of the meal helped make up for their apprehensions regarding their immediate future, and none of the food went to waste.
When Wake went down the side of the Nygaard to his boat the uneasy feeling in his mind had subsided somewhat, placated by good food and drink and the company of the other junior officers. The sunset had just finished and darkness was descending rapidly, the very distant shoreline already gone from sight.
Wake was very tired after a long day. When finally in his bunk, his thoughts drifted to Linda and despite his exhaustion he started to feel some hope that the mission, or at least his part of it, could be pulled off without a major loss of life or equipment and that a night’s sleep might make it all look better. There was nothing he could do for the 195th New York Infantry’s part of the operation, and he decided not to worry about it. In any event, the morrow would not be dull.
***
The morning
