Free Lords of an Empty Land by Randy Denmon Page B

Thaxton slowly lifted a hand, placing it on Moses’s extended arm. “Let’s all settle down,” he said softly, pulling the arm down.
    Douglas slowly lowered his pistol and nodded to Basil to do the same, but his partner kept his steady weapon locked on the constable’s brother’s chest.
    â€œ Lower the pistol,” Douglas said, irritated with Basil. Basil did not react, and Douglas followed the sheriff’s lead and reached over himself and pulled down Basil’s arm.
    â€œI’ll see you again, soon,” Garrett said to Basil, turning for the door. He stopped and pointed at Douglas. “You too. We’re going to run you and your godless soldiers out of this country, once and for all. Damn bloodthirsty swines. I’m hoping you come after me. We have ways of making these problems go away around here.”
    Garrett marched toward the door, the sheriff and the two Dallon boys behind him.
    â€œIf you break the laws of the republic,” Douglas yelled, “I’m going to haul you in, to stand in front of a Federal jury!”
    â€œI suspect we won’t have to worry about you, one way or the other, before long,” Garrett said as he walked out of the room.

    The morning had all but ended. The searing sun now commanded the day. Douglas walked down the street, chewing on that morning’s melee with Moses Garrett as he went through his stash of mail that he had just retrieved from the post office. He looked ahead to his office. Over the door, the weathered wooden sign read: Freedmen’s Bureau and US Army Post, 4th Cavalry Regiment, Troop A. Above the building, on a long wooden pole, the Stars and Stripes, weathered and frayed, hung flat in the dead air. To Douglas’s knowledge, it was the only American flag in the parish.
    The Freedmen’s Bureau had been closed for almost a year, and he had a new sign made, but had yet to get around to installing it. Uneven, unpainted boards covered the spacious building. Though only he, Huff, and Basil currently resided here, the building contained his office, a mess room, quarters capable of housing a squad of cavalry, and a small detention cell constructed of iron bars. Local businesses catered to almost all of his and his men’s needs. Most of the citizens would have preferred not to pitch in, but the army paid cash, Federal script, a rare commodity that few refused.
    The building’s appearance didn’t please Douglas. He wanted it to look more like his vision of a post he commanded. It needed a fresh coat of paint and some carpentry work. He reminded himself of the repairs he planned to initiate after the harvest when labor would be plentiful.
    He unfolded the letter he had scribbled out this morning and planned to send by telegram this afternoon, reading again.

    To: Assistant Adjutant General
Headquarters, District of Louisiana
New Orleans, La.
    Â 
    Colonel M. J. James:
    Â 
    In discharging my duties as given me by you on September 7, 1869, I am forwarding the following. My initial inquiries into matters as instructed indicate that on the subject of general violence in the area of the upper Red River parishes, and the recent murder of several men under my command, I can expect no help from the local authorities, state or local. Additionally, recent investigations indicate that these stated elements may in fact be aiding the perpetrators, if not directly involved. Threats to me and the authority that I represent have in recent days been made directly to my person. Based on my professional judgment, I deem it essential that additional troops, two squads of cavalry, be placed under my immediate command. Considering the size and organization of the parties hostile to the army, these forces will be sufficient to achieve the goal of stated orders, calm elements of society, protect the rights of all citizens, and promote general peace that will benefit all parties.
    Â 
    I am, very respectfully, your willing