The Gray Ship Read online

  "Our ship and all of its crew have somehow managed to stumble into an opening in time itself," Campbell said. "We've been calling it a time portal. Moments before the Daylight Event that I mentioned, the date was April 10, 2013, 152 years from now. We can't explain it, but one thing is certain: We have travelled through time; we are from the future."

  Gideon Wells' eyes were riveted on Campbell. He then looked into the eyes of Fr. Rick and Lt. Jack. His aide Commander Roebling sat motionless, letting the Secretary deliver the response. "Gentlemen," said Wells, "do you expect us to believe this nonsense?"

  "No sir, we don't," said Campbell. "That's why I'm here to extend the invitation of our captain to visit the USS California, the Gray Ship. We're inviting you to visit the future and see it with your own eyes."

  Chapter 16

  Gideon Wells didn't want to waste any time, and he told Campbell that he would prepare to visit the California the next day. He told his aide, Roebling, to cancel all of his appointments for the next two days. He also told Roebling to find Admiral David Farragut and order him to join them. Farragut was an experienced admiral in the Union Navy, and Wells wanted an officer with a lot of sea knowledge to look at the Gray Ship.

  Roebling arranged for sleeping quarters for the Gray Ship officers.

  A coach took them to the waterfront at 8 a.m. the next day, April 14. As they approached the launch, Wells, Roebling, and Farragut exchanged glances. This elegant vessel was only a tender for the Gray Ship, Wells thought. Donizzio had tightened the lines to make it easier for his new guests to board the launch.

  When they were all aboard, Campbell invited them into the pilot house. He introduced Donizzio, the boat captain, and asked him to explain the workings of the motor launch. Donizzio showed them the radar and depth meter, and described all of the switches on the large console. He pointed to the GPS plotter and explained that they had no satellite navigation. "Global Positioning System?" asked Farragut. Campbell, deciding that their education on twenty-first-century technology would begin now, answered his question. He described the rocket technology used to put satellites into orbit. He tried to explain how a metal object can orbit the earth.

  "How many of these satellites are in the sky, Commander?" asked Wells.

  "Over 1,000, Sir, about half owned by the United States. But, of course, I'm talking about the year 2013. Now, presumably, there are none," said Campbell.

  Donizzio asked Corporal Falanga to cast off the lines. When Donizzio turned on the twin Cummings diesel engines, each with 320 horsepower, the rumble was something that his new guests had never heard, or felt, before.

  ***

  Within a half hour, the California came into view. As they approached the ship, all that Wells, Farragut, and Roebling could do was stare. Neither they, nor anyone else in 1861, had ever seen a vessel so large. Farragut asked what about her top speed. When Campbell told him it was over 30 knots, he just shook his head. Campbell also explained the armaments that they were looking at. It was difficult to explain a guided missile to a man who fired cannon balls.

  When they pulled next to the California, the ladder awaited them. Donizzio guided the boat so the exit gate lined up exactly next to the ladder threshold. As Wells stepped aboard, the shrill sound of the boatswain's pipe sounded across the ship, followed by, "United States Navy, arriving." It was the traditional way of announcing that a dignitary has just boarded the ship and what office the dignitary held. When Captain Patterson came aboard, the announcement would always be "California, arriving."

  When the group reached the quarterdeck, the ship's ceremonial entry area, a phalanx of sailors in dress blues came to attention and saluted. Campbell escorted his guests to the captain's office. Wells and his colleagues would meet with the captain alone. The name Ashley can be male or female, and they were expecting to see a man. When Wells, Farragut, and Roebling were escorted into her office, Ashley almost felt sorry for them. As they looked at her they were more than confused, they were visibly flummoxed. In 1861 the very idea of a woman on a Navy ship was an anathema, but a woman captain was unbelievable. And a colored woman captain was unthinkable. Ashley approached each man individually and gave him a warm, firm handshake.

  "Gentlemen, please be seated." They sat around a conference table. Ashley didn't want to sit behind her desk, in deference to the Secretary of the Navy. Ashley got right to the point.

  "I realize that you're surprised that the California's commanding officer is not only a woman but a black woman, or 'colored' to use the language of your day." She gave them a brief synopsis of the advancement of African Americans over the past 152 years. She told them that two Secretaries of State in a row were black, and that the President of the United States in 2013 is a black man.

  Gideon Wells, a staunch abolitionist, hated the institution of slavery and the treatment of "colored people." He even had changed parties from Democrat to Republican in no small part to support Abraham Lincoln in his White House run because he was so enthusiastic about Lincoln's desire to abolish slavery.

  Wells looked at Ashley and said, "Madam Captain, I can only praise God that I have seen this day, and have seen with my own eyes the vindication of what President Lincoln stands for." He couldn't wait to report to Lincoln.

  "Gentlemen, I fully appreciate how you must feel," Ashley said. "You're on a ship that you probably could not have imagined, meeting people who claim that they come from another time, and you're no doubt thinking that we all must be insane. I know that you would like an explanation of how this occurred. I'm afraid that I can't give you one because we're all as mystified as you. But the reality is that a few days ago this ship and all its crew were in the year 2013, and here we are in 1861. For lack of a better phrase, we've travelled in time. I believe you met Lieutenant John Thurber. Before he entered the Navy he was an well-known author and had written a famous book on the phenomenon of time travel. In a few minutes I'm going to ask Lt. Thurber to join us for lunch to answer all of your questions. I'm also going to invite Father Rick Sampson, our ship's chaplain, who you also met. Father Sampson, besides his religious vocation and Navy commission, is an expert on the Civil War. The war for us is history, but we now find that it has only just begun."

  Father Rick and Lt. Jack were escorted into the captain's office where lunch was served. After lunch and a futile attempt at small talk, Ashley asked Lt. Jack to give their guests a synopsis of his book, Living History, as well as his personal experiences in crossing the time portal.

  After Jack finished his report, Wells asked, "Lieutenant, in your two previous experiences going back in time, did you do anything that may have changed the future?"

  "No Sir," said Jack. "Although both of my experiences prior to this one were short, something just told me not to change anything. I guess it's a philosophical point Mr. Secretary. If you change the past, you won't know what the future may hold."

  "Mr. Secretary, I think you have raised the most important question," Ashley said. "This ship can have a dramatic impact on the Civil War. Dare we do that?" Wells didn't reply. He just stroked his beard.

  ***

  Ashley asked Father Rick to discuss the Civil War, and what would happen over the next four years.

  "Madam Captain," Wells shouted, "did you say four years?"

  "Yes, sir. I'll let Father Rick fill in the details."

  "Gentlemen," Father Rick said, "I'm going to review what I've studied in the history books, our history books, and from that history, what is going to happen in the next few years. The books told us that the Battle of Fort Sumter would happen at 0430 on the morning of April 12, 1861. Captain Patterson personally witnessed the first volley and checked her time piece. It was exactly at the time the history books said it would be." He looked at Ashley, who nodded.

  “Over the next two months there will be battles, but they will amount to no more than skirmishes. In about three months, on July 21, the first major engagement of the war will occur near Manassas, Virginia by a creek called Bul
l Run. There was a great deal of speculation, especially on the Union side, that this battle would be decisive and would convince Jefferson Davis that it would be futile to continue the war. Two inexperienced armies clashed, ours led by General Irwin McDowell, the South led by General P.G.T Beauregard. Most expected the battle to be a Union victory. Instead it was a defeat. The battle saw 2,896 Union casualties, including 460 killed. The South had 1,982 casualties with 387 killed. Bull Run, or Manassas as the South called it, was the largest and the bloodiest battle in our nation's history up to that point."

  Admiral Farragut spoke. "Father Sampson, those numbers are startling. Are you sure they're correct?"

  "Yes, sir," said Father Rick. "It will get worse, much worse. For example, next year, on September 17, 1862 the Battle of Antietam will be fought. The South called it the Battle of Sharpsburg. It will be the bloodiest single day in American history, even up to 2013. All told 22,717 were killed, missing or wounded on both sides." Wells, Farragut and Roebling just looked at each other. Wells took a sip of water.

  "Despite the massive casualties," Father Rick said, "there was no clear tactical victory at Antietam. There are going to be many other major battles in the next four years. The names are familiar to any school child from our time who studies history." Father Rick looked at his notes.

  "I'm going to read to you, by order of date, the costliest battles of the next four years. These aren't the only battles but the costliest. The casualty numbers include dead, wounded, missing, or captured." Father Rick then read from his list. He spoke with a calculated monotony, as if reading a list of the dead at Sunday Mass:

  Fort Donelson - February 1862 - 19,455 casualties.

  Shilo - April 1862 - 23,741

  Manassas, Second Battle - August 1862 - 25,251

  Antietam - September 1862 - 26,134

  Stone's River - December 1862 - 24,645

  Chancellorsville - May 1863 - 30,099

  Gettysburg - July 1863 - 51,112

  Chickamauga - September 1863 - 34,624

  Spotsylvania - May 1864 - 27,399

  Wilderness - May 1864 - 25,416

  He looked up from his notes. "Gentlemen, now I'm going to read the total casualties of the Civil War: All told, there were approximately 620,000 total casualties on both sides. Recent studies indicate that the total may be closer to 800,000. The next four years are going to be Hell on earth."

  Wells, Farragut, and Roebling sat, ashen faced. They said nothing.

  Gideon Wells then put his face in his hands and wept.

  Chapter 17

  Bradley seethed. Why wasn't I invited to meet with the Union leaders in the Captain's office? I'm second in command, and who does she invite but a chaplain and a brand new officer. Did I spend 24 years in this Navy to be treated like shit? Dashing Ashley is in over her head as usual. I know every inch of this goddam ship and she brings in the rookies.

  Bradley was heading to his office when he saw Chief Petty Officer Albert Ray walking toward him. Ray, the Chief Gunnery Mate, worked directly under the command of Lt. Cmdr. Andrea Rubin, the Weapons Officer. Bradley had known Chief Ray for years, going back to his drinking days. They had closed many a bar together. He was happy that Ray was on the California. The two men had a natural feel for each other. They both considered themselves "old South," he from Louisiana and Ray from Alabama. They both shared views on various subjects, especially race, that were anachronisms in 2013 America. Bradley didn't like black people but kept his views to himself, although he couldn't recall what he may have said during long evenings on a barstool. Chief Ray's feelings for black people were more direct: he hated blacks with a deep, brooding contempt. He hated black people generally and Captain Ashley Patterson in particular. Like Bradley, he saw this young woman's rise to the command of a Navy ship as a politically correct bow from the top brass because she was a darling of the media.

  "Good morning, Chief," Bradley said to his old friend.

  "Good morning, Sir, and how are you doing?" Ray asked. Word gets around fast on a ship, and Ray had heard that the visitors from the Union were being entertained without the presence of the XO. "I guess our fine captain figures she can do without your knowledge and experience, Commander," said Ray.

  "Let's have a cup of coffee in my office," said Bradley. He escorted Ray in, and closed the door behind him.

  Bradley knew that he couldn't pull off his idea of defecting to the Confederacy without help. The man sitting across from him just may be that help.

  Chief Albert Ray, 43 years-old, balding and overweight, had once been a member of a Ku Klux Klan klavern in his hometown in Alabama. He had even risen to the exalted position of Grand Cyclops, the leader of his group. He had been in the Navy for 21 years. His job, as Chief Gunners Mate, was to oversee the condition and readiness of all weapons on the ship. He answered to Lt. Commander Andrea Rubin, the ship's Weapons Officer. He hated reporting to a woman although he hid his contempt.

  "What bothers me, my old friend, is that it's easy to figure out what's going to happen," said Bradley. “Captain Patterson, or Dashing Ashley as I call her, is meeting with Lincoln's Navy Secretary at this very moment."

  “It's obvious that she's going to offer this ship to fight against the South," Bradley said. "Even if she doesn't, the Secretary of the Navy has the power to simply order it so. Let's face it, since we find ourselves in 1861, the California is a Union ship. With the California thrown into the fight, the South won't have a prayer. The fire power on this one ship can turn the tide of any engagement. They'll probably surrender after the first battle, and the Confederacy will come to an end almost as soon as it began. Slavery will be abolished within months, without time for Southern plantation owners to make a transition away from it. Slavery's an institution that can't be undone overnight. Besides, slave owners paid fair and square, and the slaves are their private property." Bradley looked intently at Ray, trying to judge his reaction.

  "I hear you loud 'n clear Commander," said Ray. " Abe Lincoln shoved his foot up Ole Dixie's ass. The South just wanted to be left alone. Fuck'n Yankees just couldn't let all be well. They had to tell us what to do and how to do it. Makes you wish you could do sumpin about it."

  Bradley sensed the beginning of an alliance.

  "You know, Chief," said Bradley, "the people who fought for the South were called rebels. The ones who once served in the Northern military were even called traitors. But some people, like you and me, know that they were patriots fighting for their homeland. They were willing to fight and die for a just cause. Best example is Robert E. Lee himself."

  "So now that we're here," said Chief Ray, "the South gets fucked all over again."

  "Well, let's think about that," said Bradley. "When the SEALs were snooping around in Charleston they heard a lot of talk about a mysterious Gray Ship. Obviously that's us, the California. I imagine the Confederate command, both Army and Navy, must be very nervous. They're probably thinking the North has come up with a big new secret invention. Wouldn't it be interesting if the Confederacy had some inside information about the California, including her vulnerabilities? Wouldn't it also be interesting if they had some modern weapons to level the playing field? Wouldn't it be interesting if the South had, oh, I don't know, some rocket propelled grenades, night vision goggles, automatic carbines, surface to air, and anti-ship missiles? Wouldn't it be interesting?"

  Chief Ray moved closer, lowered his voice and said, "That would be very interesting indeed, Commander."

  Chapter 18

  Captain Patterson called SEAL Petty Officer Pete Campo to the bridge. "Petty Officer Campo, I understand that a Seaman Planck has signed up for your class."

  "Yes Ma'am. I saw his name on the roster this morning. I start a new beginner's class tomorrow and he'll be there."

  "Let me tell you a few things about Planck. You'll see that he's tall, gangly, probably best described as gawky. And he's got a problem."

  "What's that Captain?"

  "A lot of his shipmat
es are making his life miserable, picking on him constantly and generally bullying him, all because of his appearance. He's what I call a 'bully magnet.' He needs confidence training and physical conditioning. I'm not looking for you to turn him into a SEAL, just a confident human being." She focused her eyes directly into Campo's and said, "Pete, I want you to pay special attention to this kid. He's a good crewmember, and I want him to be a better person. Can I count on you?"

  "Captain, give me a month and you won't recognize this sailor."

  Chapter 19

  Secretary Wells was still thinking about the horrible casualty statistics that Father Rick had described. Like everyone in command in the North, he had expected a short war. With the industrial strength transportation and communications of the Northern states, the Confederate administration would soon see that continued secession, not to mention war, would be futile. When the Erie Canal opened in New York State in 1825, it created a vast commercial network from Lake Erie to the Atlantic Ocean, building an industrial infrastructure the South could only envy. But, Wells thought, if the people on this ship are correct and they can tell him what the future holds, he would have to rethink everything about the Civil War, and so would Abraham Lincoln.

  ***

  Captain Patterson ordered Ivan Campbell to give their distinguished guests a tour of the California, further infuriating Bradley.

  "Gentlemen, let me be candid with you, and tell you that we're no smarter than you are," Campbell said. "We came here with 152 years of scientific and technological advancement. On this tour I'm going to concentrate on our present capabilities. I've asked Father Rick, our ship's unofficial historian, to join us."

  The tour began with a lecture delivered by Father Rick condensing 152 years of technological history into a few minutes. Father Rick had found a two page listing of the major technological discoveries in a book from the ship's library entitled: Technology from the Civil War to the Manned Space Station. He photocopied the pages and handed copies to their guests. As they were reading he snapped a photo of them with his IPad and handed it around to the men.