"Walter Jon Williams - No Spot of Ground" - читать интересную книгу автора (Williams Walter John)

Poe looked at him. "The Yankees will not forever give their armies to men like Butler," he said.

Sorrel gazed resentfully at the lantern for a long moment. "Grant is no Butler, that is certain. But we will
do a Chancellorsville on him nonetheless."


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 No Spot of Ground


"We may hope so," said Poe. He had no confidence in this offensive. Lee no longer had the subordinates
to carry things out properly, could no longer do anything in the attack but throw his men headlong at
Federal entrenchments.

The young colonel rose. "Thank you for the cider, General. I will visit Generals Law and Gregg on my
return journey."

Poe rose with him, memory still surging through his mind like the endless waves of Yankee regiments at
Port Walthall Junction. He knew he had not made a good impression, that he had confirmed in Sorrel's
mind, and through him the minds of the corps staff, the stories of his instability, his hysteria, and his
egotism.

Harvey Hill, he thought, seething. Send Harvey Hill to tell me what to do.

Sextus brought Colonel Sorrel his horse and helped the young man mount. "Thank you for speaking to
Gregg and Law," Poe said.

"Use their forces as you see fit," Sorrel said.

"This division has had hard fighting," Poe said. "I will be sparing in my use of them."

"We've all had hard fighting, sir," Sorrel said. A gentle reproach. "But with God's help we will save
Richmond again this next day."

Poe gave a swift, reflexive glance to the ravens, anticipating another "Nevermore," but saw they were
still asleep. No more omens tonight.

Sorrel saluted, Poe returned it, and the Georgian trotted off into the night.

Poe looked out at the Yankee campfires burning low off on his left. How many times, he wondered,
would this army have to save Richmond? McDowell had come for Richmond, and McClellan, and Pope,
Burnside, Hooker, Meade, and Butler. Now there was Grant, who had seized hold of Lee's army in the
Wilderness and declined to let it go, even though he'd probably lost more men than the others put
together.

Maybe Lee would turn tomorrow into another Chancellorsviile.

But even if he did, Poe knew, one day this or another Yank general would come, and Richmond would
not be saved. Even Lee could only fight history for so long.