August 1776
It was days before the British and Hessian troops that were landed on Long Island took to the field of battle. The movement of thousands of men, supplies, horses, and cannon was no small task. More over, what the British had in store for the Americans required time and patience to setup and execute. With superior numbers, the British could afford to take as much time as they needed to get the job done right. Meanwhile, the Continental Army, under the direction of Generals Israel Putnam and John Sullivan, dug in for the battle unaware of the fact that there existed a major flaw in their defenses.
It was well before sunrise, on August 27th, that Sullivan arrived at Kennedy Mansion to fetch his magician, Charlotte Rose. Leaving Fisher to defend Manhattan with General Knox, Sullivan and Rose boarded a boat to cross the East River at the mile wide Brookland Ferry Crossing. Upon arrival on Long Island the action was already brewing. The British, under General Grant, were already marching towards Lord Stirling's men along the right flank of the American defenses, and six pound small shot from Hessian guns had just begun to rain in on Sullivan's main body of men in the densely forested center position of the defenses. The British and Hessian forces outnumbered the Americans 3 to 1.
Sullivan rode off to tend to his lines leaving Charlotte to fend for herself. Charlotte was assigned a horse and young solider, more of a boy than man, as an escort and she quickly got to work riding up to Stirling's men who were feverishly exchanging volleys with Grants forces. Stirling's men were few but they were brave. The bulk of the men were from the Maryland 400, they all wore bright blue field coats and were among the best troops that would take to the field that day. Dug in behind their ditches, they held General Grant at bay until late that morning.
Charlotte spent most of her time attempting to boost morale and kick up favorable winds but she was limited in what she could do without Fisher. Meanwhile, Fisher remained with Knox and Col. John Glover at the main battery on Manhattan Island to support the other other half of Washington's army. From Manhattan Island the army could hear the incessant boom of the Hessian's cannon across the East River. High tide was still hours away and the winds were calm for the time being. The morning dragged on and Fisher found himself wishing he were on Long Island, attempting to make a difference instead of waiting for the tide with Knox and Glover to prevent a hypothetical attack from Admiral Howe's fleet. Finally Fisher made it known to Knox that he wished to take the ferry to Long Island to support Charlotte and Sullivan.
Knox did not want to lose Fisher. If Washington was correct, a full scale invasion of Manhattan was coming. Knox argued that the battle happening on Long Island was only a distraction intended to split the Continental Army into two and if Fisher left, he would be playing right into the Howe Brother's hands. Fisher eventually convinced Knox to let him go but only after he assured him that the winds would not be favorable for Admiral Howe to sail up the Hudson and land an invasion force on Manhattan.
Despite Fisher's efforts to assist with the fighting on Long Island, his presence would ultimately make little difference in the outcome of the battle. In fact, the battle had already been lost the night before the battle even began. In a daring move General Cornwallis, Howe's best military strategist, had marched all night with 10,000 redcoats up the coast of Long Island in a flanking maneuver intended surround the Americans and force a complete surrender of their forces. The British successfully went undetected and by 9:00 am were in position to launch their surprise attack on Sullivan and his men. With the addition of Cornwallis' 10,000 men the Americans became outnumbered 6 to 1.
Just as Fisher met up with Rose on the battlefield the drums of Cornwallis' army began to beat. The drums were a signal to the Hessian's who had been shelling Sullivan's left flank all morning to begin their attack. The American's up until that point were in high spirits, believing they were holding the British at bay. However the opposite had been true, the British had been the ones keeping the Continentals at bay until their trap was ready to be sprung. In a coordinated push Cornwallis, Grant, and the Hessian's converged on the American positions. There was nowhere to run, Sullivan's men were flanked and their only route for retreat was blocked.
In the face of staggering odds Sullivan braced his men to stand and fight. Stirling was commanded to hold his flank against Grant's men. Sullivan turned his main force around to face their rear to defend against Cornwallis' flanking army, and Fisher and Rose were sent to assist the left flank where the Hessian's were about to attack.
The left flank was commanded by Colonel Samuel Miles. There were less than 1,000 men under Miles' command and they were facing the prospect of defending themselves against 4,000 Hessian troops. The shelling they had received all morning was enough to cause a panic amongst their lines but the sight of German soldiers marching with fixed bayonets on their position terrified the men beyond measure. It was fact that the Hessian's were the strongest fighting force in all of Europe but there were also rumors that the German's fought savagely in battle and would offer no quarter to the Americans if they surrendered. As the Hessian's drew near Miles leapt to the front lines and shouted to his men for them to stand and fight until death. Miles' words were not intended as encouragement, they were merely a reminder of the cold hard truth of their plight, fight or surrender, they were all dead men.
Fisher and Rose again found their skills to be of little consequence in such a large and tumultuous situation. They had neither the time nor the materials to work any magic that would upset the scales in favor of the British. The Hessian's made a straight approach on Miles' men, never firing their muskets. The Americans managed two volleys before the Hessian's poured over their trenches and began the slaughter. Most American's had no bayonets, and those who had a bayonet had never used it in battle. Miles' men were cut down. Some stood their ground and fought as best they could, some tried to surrender, but all were shown no mercy.
In a final stand, Miles regrouped behind the trenches and manned a six pound cannon with some men who rallied around him. The cannon was loaded with canister shot, a tin can filled with iron balls the size of cherry tomatoes, and fired right into the ranks of the Hessians waiting for their chance to join the melee. The shot was devastating, when the smoke cleared there was a 30 foot wide mess of carnage where moments ago a company of Germans had stood. Recognizing the threat, the rest of the waiting Hessians pushed through trenches and made to silence the cannon.
Fisher was distracted elsewhere but Charlotte was near the cannon when it went off. As the crush of German soldiers converged on the cannon they forced Charlotte back too. Charlotte was hemmed at Miles' position as the Colonel and his men were frantically reloading the cannon for a second shot. Miles' eyes meet Charlotte's, his gaze was probing and ravenous. Before she knew it he was on top of her, his hands clawing and tearing at her clothes. He tore every last brass button from her jacket before his eyes locked on something hanging about Charlotte's throat. It was Major Andre's locket. Miles snatched the locket, chain and all, from Charlotte's neck and sprang to his feet.
Charlotte didn't understand what had gotten into Miles but she refused to let her locket go without a fight. She chased Miles back to the cannon but arrived too late to stop him from throwing the handful of buttons and the locket down the barrel of the cannon. Charlotte pounded Miles with her fist and shouted for him to return her locket but her shouts were drowned out by the roar of the cannon as it fired its second round.
Time slowed to a crawl as the blast went off. Charlotte's attention was instantly pulled to the belch of fire and smoke that plumed from the mouth of the cannon. Amongst the various scraps of metallic debris that flew from the cannon was Andre's locket. Charlotte could clearly see it as it spun and collided with the other pieces of shot that were flying towards the oncoming Hessians. Never once over the the split second flight did Charlotte lose track of the locket, even as it tore through fabric and flesh, she watched it as it made its way through the air and embedded itself in the soft earth of the trenches beyond.
Time returned to normal and the Hessian's crashed into the cannon and Miles' men. Charlotte scrambled away from the fray just as Miles was run through by the bayonet of a German soldier. Everywhere around her there was struggle and bloodshed, yet through it all, she launched herself towards the trenches with a singular purpose - to retrieve her locket.
The position was lost and Fisher gave up his attempts to work his magic and looked for Charlotte so they could retreat together. As he scanned the battlefield he saw her charging into the fight like a mad-woman. Fisher ran after her, throwing Americans and Germans alike from his path in order to reach her. He pulled her to her feet just as her fingers found the locket. Together they narrowly found their way out from the battle and headed back to Sullivan's position, suffering only minor injuries. Those Americans who could did the same. Miles was defeated; it seemed only a matter of time before Sterling and Sullivan suffered the same fate.
Better gaming through discussion
Saturday, August 1, 2015
Tuesday, July 21, 2015
14 - The Last Day of Magic
August 1776
The Americans expected an attack in the wake of Washington's rejection of the Howe's ineffectual peace offering. However July passed without incident and as August began to come to a close the American's wondered when the British would finally spring their attack. On the eave of their mobilization to attack New York General Howe instructed his Royal magicians to launch a preemptive strike intended to soften and demoralize the Continental Army stationed in, and around New York.
It was a quiet evening on August 22nd. Nicholas Fisher was sitting in his room making notes in his journal when suddenly he felt a surge of magical energy spring up all around him. It was instant and overwhelming. He jumped from his chair and rushed out into the streets to identify the source. He quickly determined the source to be 3 British magicians using practical magic to drum up a massive storm. By the time Fisher explained the situation to Charlotte and General Knox the sky over the bay had already turned as black as ink and huge thunderhead clouds were reaching like greedy fingers up and over the airspace of the city. Lighting darted across the ominous clouds and a constant deep rumbling thunder shook the ground unlike any summer storm Fisher had ever felt.
There was nothing Knox or any of the Continental soldiers could do against the wrath of the Royal magician's attack. On the other hand, Nicholas and Charlotte could do something about the attack, even though their situation seemed dire. So began the magician's clash that lasted the better part of 3 hours.
Nicholas immediately attempted to counter the magic of the British magicians but they were too strong and had too much energy in reserve to be stopped. The storm was inevitable but Nicholas was determined to foil their plot somehow. In an attempt to feel out the storm and perhaps hold it at bay Nicholas asked Charlotte to discharge some of the storms energy before it reached the city. Charlotte discharged one large lighting bolt from the storm and directed it back to Staten Island which set ablaze some of the British powder supplies and caused a white-hot explosion visible from the Main Battery on Manhattan Island. The Royal Magicians quickly reacted and pushed the storm out off of the bay and over the New York City.
Fisher had never faced of against three Royal magicians before. For once he began to feel that magic could not overcome the obstacle in front of him, in terms of practical magic he was terribly outmatched in this situation. Charlotte too struggled to do anything with the storm, the storm wanted to be destructive, and everyone on the city expected the worst. Any effort on Charlotte's part only resulted in further damage and mayhem in the city. The breaking point for the two Continental magicians came when Charlotte coerced Fisher to channel as much energy as he could through her.
Fisher channeled as much power as he could through Charlotte. The power was so great that it blinded Charlotte to the reality of the situation. One moment she thought she was building up a lighting strike to destroy the British magicians, and the next moment she realized she was unleashing the storm's fury on three officers of the Continental Army. It all happened so quickly she couldn't stop herself. A huge blue tendril of lightning burst through a small house in the middle of Manhattan and instantly killed all three men.
Fisher had no idea that he had been an accessory to the death of three men from his own army, but he could instantly from the look on her face that the power he had fed Charlotte was too great and that something had gone terribly wrong. Fisher abandoned his scheme of trying to fight the storm head on, instead he formed a new idea to stop the British magicians. Fisher had no time to explain his new plan. All fisher told Charlotte before he charged off was to hold back the storm and keep it from harming the city as best she could.
For two hours Fisher rode though the streets of New York City shouting to anyone who would listen that there was nothing to fear, Charlotte Rose, the savior of the Boston and Quebec Sieges was here to protect them. Slowly word spread and the mood of the men in the city changed just enough to offer a hope of fighting the storm back with some positive emotional magic. Fisher returned to Charlotte exhausted, Charlotte herself was exhausted, as were her reserves of stored magic.
Just as the storm entered its third hour Fisher and Rose made their stand. They gave it everything they had, and it was just enough to dislodge the storm's grasp over the city. The black clouds rolled back out over the bay and just as the storm receded back to Staten Island the British magician's stopped feeding the storm and within minutes the clouds broke up and scattered back out and over the Atlantic. The storm was over.
Charlotte woke the following morning from a fitful evenings rest. All night in her mind she replayed the massive lighting blast that killed the three men in the house just a few blocks away. Seeking to shake the endless torment from her conscience she set out early before anyone else at the Kennedy mansion was awake. She made her way across a few short blocks and in that small space of time passed by several burned homes. The storm the previous evening had set many a fire in the city and in the thick morning fog the smell of burnt wood hung heavy in the air.
Charlotte made her way to the small house she had seen so many times by then in her minds-eye. The small home was ravaged, the roof blasted away and most of the single story walls were charred black from the blast. Standing in front of the house Charlotte was forced to accept that it had been real, what she had seen, what she had done, was real. She was afraid to enter but at the same time, the house had a certain pull on her, an emotional gravity that pulled her in. She stepped inside.
The men were strewn about the small room that had been the dining room. Their bodies were blackened beyond recognition. The tip of one man's sword was complexly melted off and the coins of another man were reduced to puddles of metal that had pooled into a blistered pocket of flesh on the man's thigh. The only thing to identify any of the men was an officers insignia which Charlotte took from one of the dead men's coats. Perhaps she could learn the man's identity from the insignia, or perhaps she would simply keep it to honor the man and to serve as a reminder of what had happened; it was too soon to know for certain. Charlotte didn't stay long, she was quickly overwhelmed by the smell and had to remove herself from the house.
Charlotte, still reeling from the aftermath of the storm, returned to Kennedy Mansion before breakfast was set. Neither Fisher nor Knox were aware of her morning excursion. Charlotte did well to hide her fragile state even as they all discussed the storm over the morning meal. Warning shots were fired from the main battery just as breakfast was cleared from the table. Everyone got up to see what new ill fate the British had in store for them. Across the bay the British were loading men into small landing craft. The portents of the storm being a precursor for the invasion were true. The British were coming to fight, and from the looks of the mounting invasion force the fight appeared as though it would be a bloody affair.
Knox and the magicians watched as the General Howe sent forth his men. As was typical during breakfast a knock could be heard at the front door. It was about that time of the morning that General Greene typically came to call and delivered the days report, however the man who stepped through the doors of the dining room was not General Greene, it was General John Sullivan. Sullivan seemed surprised and somewhat sheepish to find Fisher and Rose in the company of General Knox. The last time the three had met things had not gone so well. Fisher and Rose had been extricated, by order of the deceased General Thomas, from Sullivan's command hours before he foolishly lead his reinforcements, and Thomas' evacuees from the Quebec siege, back into battle with Guy Carleton and John Burgoyne's superior forces just outside of Montreal. The battle was a blood-bath, the Continentals were sent fleeing pell-mell into the surrounding swamps. Over half the men died in battle or from smallpox after being chased for days through the swamps by the British. The battle cost Sullivan his command and nearly his place in the Continental Army.
However, on August 23rd, in the dining room of the Kennedy Mansion, Sullivan seemed to be a changed man. He greeted the magicians with respect and apologized from his handling of the situation in Canada. Perhaps the defeat had brought about the change of heart, or perhaps the scolding and demotion from the Continental Congress had curbed his arrogance. Either way, Sullivan was to lead the men on Long Island into battle, not Greene. Sullivan explained that Greene had fallen ill and that Washington had appointed him to lead so that Greene could recover.
Knox invited Sullivan to stay and discuss the plans for the battle. Sullivan explained that Washington was being forced to split his Army in two. When outnumbered, as Washington was - 3 to 1, it was never advised to split your forces, but Washington felt he had to. He believed that General Howe was landing a third of his men on Long Island as a diversion and that the real invasion of New York would happen after General Howe's brother, Admiral Howe, sailed the remaining two-thirds of the men up the Hudson River and landed on Manhattan Island. Washington had no choice but to defend against both attacks; if either one were successful they would be cut off and they would be forced to surrender the entire army.
Sullivan told Knox that he was being given command of New York. It would be his responsibility to stop Admiral Howe and the British fleet. Meanwhile Sullivan would defend Long Island. After laying the grounds for the defense of their two positions the two generals turned their attention to the magicians in the room. Seeing as the army was being divided they suggested that the magicians be divided as well. That way each half of the army would have a magician support. At first Fisher and Rose were opposed to the idea, stating that they worked best together, but eventually they agreed to separate for the battle to best serve whatever the British threw at them. The battle for New York was to be the biggest and most important battle either magician, or the Continental Army for that matter, had seen. Yet, Nicholas and Charlotte would have to face it apart from one another.
The Americans expected an attack in the wake of Washington's rejection of the Howe's ineffectual peace offering. However July passed without incident and as August began to come to a close the American's wondered when the British would finally spring their attack. On the eave of their mobilization to attack New York General Howe instructed his Royal magicians to launch a preemptive strike intended to soften and demoralize the Continental Army stationed in, and around New York.
It was a quiet evening on August 22nd. Nicholas Fisher was sitting in his room making notes in his journal when suddenly he felt a surge of magical energy spring up all around him. It was instant and overwhelming. He jumped from his chair and rushed out into the streets to identify the source. He quickly determined the source to be 3 British magicians using practical magic to drum up a massive storm. By the time Fisher explained the situation to Charlotte and General Knox the sky over the bay had already turned as black as ink and huge thunderhead clouds were reaching like greedy fingers up and over the airspace of the city. Lighting darted across the ominous clouds and a constant deep rumbling thunder shook the ground unlike any summer storm Fisher had ever felt.
There was nothing Knox or any of the Continental soldiers could do against the wrath of the Royal magician's attack. On the other hand, Nicholas and Charlotte could do something about the attack, even though their situation seemed dire. So began the magician's clash that lasted the better part of 3 hours.
Nicholas immediately attempted to counter the magic of the British magicians but they were too strong and had too much energy in reserve to be stopped. The storm was inevitable but Nicholas was determined to foil their plot somehow. In an attempt to feel out the storm and perhaps hold it at bay Nicholas asked Charlotte to discharge some of the storms energy before it reached the city. Charlotte discharged one large lighting bolt from the storm and directed it back to Staten Island which set ablaze some of the British powder supplies and caused a white-hot explosion visible from the Main Battery on Manhattan Island. The Royal Magicians quickly reacted and pushed the storm out off of the bay and over the New York City.
Fisher had never faced of against three Royal magicians before. For once he began to feel that magic could not overcome the obstacle in front of him, in terms of practical magic he was terribly outmatched in this situation. Charlotte too struggled to do anything with the storm, the storm wanted to be destructive, and everyone on the city expected the worst. Any effort on Charlotte's part only resulted in further damage and mayhem in the city. The breaking point for the two Continental magicians came when Charlotte coerced Fisher to channel as much energy as he could through her.
Fisher channeled as much power as he could through Charlotte. The power was so great that it blinded Charlotte to the reality of the situation. One moment she thought she was building up a lighting strike to destroy the British magicians, and the next moment she realized she was unleashing the storm's fury on three officers of the Continental Army. It all happened so quickly she couldn't stop herself. A huge blue tendril of lightning burst through a small house in the middle of Manhattan and instantly killed all three men.
Fisher had no idea that he had been an accessory to the death of three men from his own army, but he could instantly from the look on her face that the power he had fed Charlotte was too great and that something had gone terribly wrong. Fisher abandoned his scheme of trying to fight the storm head on, instead he formed a new idea to stop the British magicians. Fisher had no time to explain his new plan. All fisher told Charlotte before he charged off was to hold back the storm and keep it from harming the city as best she could.
For two hours Fisher rode though the streets of New York City shouting to anyone who would listen that there was nothing to fear, Charlotte Rose, the savior of the Boston and Quebec Sieges was here to protect them. Slowly word spread and the mood of the men in the city changed just enough to offer a hope of fighting the storm back with some positive emotional magic. Fisher returned to Charlotte exhausted, Charlotte herself was exhausted, as were her reserves of stored magic.
Just as the storm entered its third hour Fisher and Rose made their stand. They gave it everything they had, and it was just enough to dislodge the storm's grasp over the city. The black clouds rolled back out over the bay and just as the storm receded back to Staten Island the British magician's stopped feeding the storm and within minutes the clouds broke up and scattered back out and over the Atlantic. The storm was over.
Charlotte woke the following morning from a fitful evenings rest. All night in her mind she replayed the massive lighting blast that killed the three men in the house just a few blocks away. Seeking to shake the endless torment from her conscience she set out early before anyone else at the Kennedy mansion was awake. She made her way across a few short blocks and in that small space of time passed by several burned homes. The storm the previous evening had set many a fire in the city and in the thick morning fog the smell of burnt wood hung heavy in the air.
Charlotte made her way to the small house she had seen so many times by then in her minds-eye. The small home was ravaged, the roof blasted away and most of the single story walls were charred black from the blast. Standing in front of the house Charlotte was forced to accept that it had been real, what she had seen, what she had done, was real. She was afraid to enter but at the same time, the house had a certain pull on her, an emotional gravity that pulled her in. She stepped inside.
The men were strewn about the small room that had been the dining room. Their bodies were blackened beyond recognition. The tip of one man's sword was complexly melted off and the coins of another man were reduced to puddles of metal that had pooled into a blistered pocket of flesh on the man's thigh. The only thing to identify any of the men was an officers insignia which Charlotte took from one of the dead men's coats. Perhaps she could learn the man's identity from the insignia, or perhaps she would simply keep it to honor the man and to serve as a reminder of what had happened; it was too soon to know for certain. Charlotte didn't stay long, she was quickly overwhelmed by the smell and had to remove herself from the house.
Charlotte, still reeling from the aftermath of the storm, returned to Kennedy Mansion before breakfast was set. Neither Fisher nor Knox were aware of her morning excursion. Charlotte did well to hide her fragile state even as they all discussed the storm over the morning meal. Warning shots were fired from the main battery just as breakfast was cleared from the table. Everyone got up to see what new ill fate the British had in store for them. Across the bay the British were loading men into small landing craft. The portents of the storm being a precursor for the invasion were true. The British were coming to fight, and from the looks of the mounting invasion force the fight appeared as though it would be a bloody affair.
Knox and the magicians watched as the General Howe sent forth his men. As was typical during breakfast a knock could be heard at the front door. It was about that time of the morning that General Greene typically came to call and delivered the days report, however the man who stepped through the doors of the dining room was not General Greene, it was General John Sullivan. Sullivan seemed surprised and somewhat sheepish to find Fisher and Rose in the company of General Knox. The last time the three had met things had not gone so well. Fisher and Rose had been extricated, by order of the deceased General Thomas, from Sullivan's command hours before he foolishly lead his reinforcements, and Thomas' evacuees from the Quebec siege, back into battle with Guy Carleton and John Burgoyne's superior forces just outside of Montreal. The battle was a blood-bath, the Continentals were sent fleeing pell-mell into the surrounding swamps. Over half the men died in battle or from smallpox after being chased for days through the swamps by the British. The battle cost Sullivan his command and nearly his place in the Continental Army.
However, on August 23rd, in the dining room of the Kennedy Mansion, Sullivan seemed to be a changed man. He greeted the magicians with respect and apologized from his handling of the situation in Canada. Perhaps the defeat had brought about the change of heart, or perhaps the scolding and demotion from the Continental Congress had curbed his arrogance. Either way, Sullivan was to lead the men on Long Island into battle, not Greene. Sullivan explained that Greene had fallen ill and that Washington had appointed him to lead so that Greene could recover.
Knox invited Sullivan to stay and discuss the plans for the battle. Sullivan explained that Washington was being forced to split his Army in two. When outnumbered, as Washington was - 3 to 1, it was never advised to split your forces, but Washington felt he had to. He believed that General Howe was landing a third of his men on Long Island as a diversion and that the real invasion of New York would happen after General Howe's brother, Admiral Howe, sailed the remaining two-thirds of the men up the Hudson River and landed on Manhattan Island. Washington had no choice but to defend against both attacks; if either one were successful they would be cut off and they would be forced to surrender the entire army.
Sullivan told Knox that he was being given command of New York. It would be his responsibility to stop Admiral Howe and the British fleet. Meanwhile Sullivan would defend Long Island. After laying the grounds for the defense of their two positions the two generals turned their attention to the magicians in the room. Seeing as the army was being divided they suggested that the magicians be divided as well. That way each half of the army would have a magician support. At first Fisher and Rose were opposed to the idea, stating that they worked best together, but eventually they agreed to separate for the battle to best serve whatever the British threw at them. The battle for New York was to be the biggest and most important battle either magician, or the Continental Army for that matter, had seen. Yet, Nicholas and Charlotte would have to face it apart from one another.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
13 - The Last Day of Magic
July 1776
Things calmed down in New York in the days following the celebration over The Declaration. Admiral Howe was still making his way across the Atlantic, and so the newly independent state militias settled back into their daily routines of reinforcing the city in preparation of defending their new country.
On July 12th at three in the afternoon, under perfect weather conditions the 20 gun Rose and 40 gun Phoenix loosed their moorings on Staten Island and set sail to round the tip of Manhattan and travel up the North River (Hudson). Warning shots rang out from the American main battery once the ships intentions were clear. The warning shots roused Knox and the magicians from their leisurely afternoon activities at the Kennedy Mansion. The three grabbed their personal effects and rushed out into Broadway, within Bowling Green, just as the first volley erupted from Knox's cannons at the main battery. The ground shook beneath their feet as 20 cannon erupted, sending over 500 pounds of shot hurtling towards the approaching British war ships. The Asia and Phoenix quickly returned fire. Nicholas had just enough time to grab Charlotte and duck behind the bare plinth, which until recently held the statue of King George III, as cannon balls bounced and barreled down Broadway, smashing through homes and shattering cobblestone streets.
People poured from their homes immediately. Broadway was choked with panicked citizens running for their lives. The magicians and Knox tried to push their way through the throng of people but it was futile. By the time the second volley was fired from the battery, Knox had been separated from the magicians. The magicians took shelter in homes when fired upon and moved up Broadway in between volleys. It was several minutes and several volleys later that the magicians finally made their way to the battery.
Knox reunited with them at the battery and together the three climbed to the top of the walls to get a better view of their attackers. The Rose and Phoenix were cruising at full sail and making their way swiftly out of range of the main battery. Fisher went to work on slowing the ships down by trying to change the winds while Knox shouted commands to his cannon crews. Charlotte was briefly pressed into service to assist one of the crews, but after the first shots rang out only feet from where she stood, she was so severely rattled that she was of no assistance to anyone from that point on.
Fisher and Knox worked tirelessly, leap-frogging on horse back from battery to battery up Manhattan Island over the next hour in a vain attempt to damage or even slow down the two massive vessels. In the end, over 200 shots were fired from the American batteries, many of which found their mark, but the Rose and Phoenix slipped past without much trouble or damage taken. The only casualties of the skirmish were 6 Americans who died when their cannon backfired and exploded as a result of improper loading.
At dinner that evening, Knox chided himself when relating the days action to Nathanael Greene for having not lead his men better. Greene and Fisher attempted to encourage Knox for leading his men to stand and fire upon the enemy as they were heavily shelled themselves, but there was nothing that could be done to cheer up the young artillery general. The passage of the Rose and Phoenix was rather inconsequential for the moment, but the ease of their passage highlighted a major weakness in the American's position on Manhattan Island - they could be easily flanked and cut off. Greene and Knox made plans to scuttle ships in the river and create obstructions to funnel any future ships into killing zones to hopefully prevent the British from surrounding them and land-locking the entire army on Manhattan but both men feared the their efforts would deter further British movements.
Later that same evening warning shots were fired again from the battery indicating an incoming ship. From the large windows on the second floor of the Kennedy Mansion, haloed by the blood-red light of the sunset, Knox could see the union jack flying high above the HMS Eagle - The flagship of Admiral Howe's fleet. The long wait was over, action was certain to follow.
The following day Nicholas and Charlotte were surveying the main battery at the tip of Manhattan Island for damage with General Knox when cries of a boat approaching started from the men on the battery walls. The approaching boat was a small landing craft flying a white flag and carried only two men. The men were British Redcoats and they wore their full battle regalia despite the blazing summer heat. The two men where pulled from their boat and held on the shore. Knox hailed the men from atop the battery walls, shouting down to them he demanded they declare their business.
The senior officer, a lieutenant, pulled from his coat a letter and held it aloft declaring that he wished to deliver a letter from Admiral and General Howe to "George Washington, Esquire." Knox without hesitation replied to the man below that there was no such person in the army. The lieutenant was dumbfounded by Knox's response, he stood staring back up at Knox not knowing how to respond. Finally Knox shouted down to him again asking, "Surely you are a sensible man, have you not heard of General Washington?" As soon as the lieutenant replied yes Knox pulled back from the rampart and ended the conversation.
Nicholas and Charlotte were just as confused as the lieutenant after the exchange. They quickly asked Knox to explain his odd handling of the situation. Knox explained that Admiral and General Howe were attempting to insult the commanding general by not recognizing his rank as general in the Continental Army and addressing him as an individual. By not respecting Washington's rank the Howe Brothers were dismissing the validity of his command, and in turn relegating the men under his command to little more than an angry mob instead of a proper army. Before Knox left the battery that afternoon he gave instructions to his men that they were to refuse any correspondence not properly addressed the General Washington.
Two days later the same men approached the battery, again with a letter in hand. This time the letter was addressed to "George Washington, Equire, Etc." The letter was refused by Knox's men. Again two days passed and the men returned for a third time. The same letter was presented, this time addressed to "George Washington, Equire, Etc., Etc." The Knox's men quickly dismissed the letter bearer.
The game was finally put to a stop on July 20th when a new messenger arrived at the battery. His name was Colonel James Patterson and he requested an audience with General Washington to personally deliver the letter. Washington agreed to meet with Col. Patterson. The meeting was arranged at Knox's residence, the Kennedy Mansion. Refusing to be insulted by the British, Washington assembled a room full of his closest officers, and instructed them to dress in their full uniform. Washington intended to meet with Col. Patterson and send a clear message back to the Howe Brothers that he too could play in their game of gentlemanly posturing.
With the help of the magicians, the reception served to belittle Col. Patterson and empower General Washington. Indeed the atmosphere of dominance in the room was so strong that the Colonel acted as if he were addressing royalty when he spoke to Washington. Patterson attempted at first to apologize for the confusion in properly addressing Washington, explaining that Esquire and Etc. were often used to imply everything that ought to follow when the exact rank or title of a gentlemen was uncertain. Washington deftly deflected the thinly veiled insult by announcing that he was familiar with that line of etiquette but that Esquire and Etc. may also imply nothing at all or worse, anything at all.
Patterson once again attempted to deliver the letter to Washington, but Washington left the letter untouched and told the Colonel that any he would refuse any letter concerning his station as a public figure when it was addressed to him as a private individual. Patterson was effectively shut down by Washington; to keep the conversation alive Patterson offered to verbally relate the contents of the letter. Washington agreed.
Patterson related to Washington that Admiral and General Howe were appointed by King George III to act as commissioners to "accommodate this unhappy dispute," and that nothing would please them more than to reach terms with Washington concerning their recently declared revolution. Washington again rose to the occasion and put Patterson in his place. Washington explained that he was unable to discuss peace terms with the Howe brothers, only Congress could do that; Washington went on to call Patterson's bluff, pointing out that neither could the Howe brothers negotiate peace terms, they could merely offer pardons on his majesty's behalf. Not allowing Patterson to respond, Washington followed up with the knockout punch saying, "men who have done no wrong seek no pardons, we are only defending our indisputable rights."
Patterson was stupefied by Washington's skilled word-craft. There was nothing more for Patterson to say or do. He took the untouched letter and turned to leave. Just before he reached the door he stopped and turned to Washington asking, "Has you excellency no particular commands for me to relate back to Admiral and General Howe?" Without hesitation Washington replied, "Nothing sir, except my particular compliments to them both."
With that the reception was ended. Washington had played his role to perfection and Patterson was sent back to the Howe brothers with a clear message, General Washington was not to be taken lightly, and the Americans would not be pacified by anything short of independence from Britain. The stage was set, it would come to blows to decide who won and who lost.
Things calmed down in New York in the days following the celebration over The Declaration. Admiral Howe was still making his way across the Atlantic, and so the newly independent state militias settled back into their daily routines of reinforcing the city in preparation of defending their new country.
On July 12th at three in the afternoon, under perfect weather conditions the 20 gun Rose and 40 gun Phoenix loosed their moorings on Staten Island and set sail to round the tip of Manhattan and travel up the North River (Hudson). Warning shots rang out from the American main battery once the ships intentions were clear. The warning shots roused Knox and the magicians from their leisurely afternoon activities at the Kennedy Mansion. The three grabbed their personal effects and rushed out into Broadway, within Bowling Green, just as the first volley erupted from Knox's cannons at the main battery. The ground shook beneath their feet as 20 cannon erupted, sending over 500 pounds of shot hurtling towards the approaching British war ships. The Asia and Phoenix quickly returned fire. Nicholas had just enough time to grab Charlotte and duck behind the bare plinth, which until recently held the statue of King George III, as cannon balls bounced and barreled down Broadway, smashing through homes and shattering cobblestone streets.
People poured from their homes immediately. Broadway was choked with panicked citizens running for their lives. The magicians and Knox tried to push their way through the throng of people but it was futile. By the time the second volley was fired from the battery, Knox had been separated from the magicians. The magicians took shelter in homes when fired upon and moved up Broadway in between volleys. It was several minutes and several volleys later that the magicians finally made their way to the battery.
Knox reunited with them at the battery and together the three climbed to the top of the walls to get a better view of their attackers. The Rose and Phoenix were cruising at full sail and making their way swiftly out of range of the main battery. Fisher went to work on slowing the ships down by trying to change the winds while Knox shouted commands to his cannon crews. Charlotte was briefly pressed into service to assist one of the crews, but after the first shots rang out only feet from where she stood, she was so severely rattled that she was of no assistance to anyone from that point on.
Fisher and Knox worked tirelessly, leap-frogging on horse back from battery to battery up Manhattan Island over the next hour in a vain attempt to damage or even slow down the two massive vessels. In the end, over 200 shots were fired from the American batteries, many of which found their mark, but the Rose and Phoenix slipped past without much trouble or damage taken. The only casualties of the skirmish were 6 Americans who died when their cannon backfired and exploded as a result of improper loading.
At dinner that evening, Knox chided himself when relating the days action to Nathanael Greene for having not lead his men better. Greene and Fisher attempted to encourage Knox for leading his men to stand and fire upon the enemy as they were heavily shelled themselves, but there was nothing that could be done to cheer up the young artillery general. The passage of the Rose and Phoenix was rather inconsequential for the moment, but the ease of their passage highlighted a major weakness in the American's position on Manhattan Island - they could be easily flanked and cut off. Greene and Knox made plans to scuttle ships in the river and create obstructions to funnel any future ships into killing zones to hopefully prevent the British from surrounding them and land-locking the entire army on Manhattan but both men feared the their efforts would deter further British movements.
Later that same evening warning shots were fired again from the battery indicating an incoming ship. From the large windows on the second floor of the Kennedy Mansion, haloed by the blood-red light of the sunset, Knox could see the union jack flying high above the HMS Eagle - The flagship of Admiral Howe's fleet. The long wait was over, action was certain to follow.
The following day Nicholas and Charlotte were surveying the main battery at the tip of Manhattan Island for damage with General Knox when cries of a boat approaching started from the men on the battery walls. The approaching boat was a small landing craft flying a white flag and carried only two men. The men were British Redcoats and they wore their full battle regalia despite the blazing summer heat. The two men where pulled from their boat and held on the shore. Knox hailed the men from atop the battery walls, shouting down to them he demanded they declare their business.
The senior officer, a lieutenant, pulled from his coat a letter and held it aloft declaring that he wished to deliver a letter from Admiral and General Howe to "George Washington, Esquire." Knox without hesitation replied to the man below that there was no such person in the army. The lieutenant was dumbfounded by Knox's response, he stood staring back up at Knox not knowing how to respond. Finally Knox shouted down to him again asking, "Surely you are a sensible man, have you not heard of General Washington?" As soon as the lieutenant replied yes Knox pulled back from the rampart and ended the conversation.
Nicholas and Charlotte were just as confused as the lieutenant after the exchange. They quickly asked Knox to explain his odd handling of the situation. Knox explained that Admiral and General Howe were attempting to insult the commanding general by not recognizing his rank as general in the Continental Army and addressing him as an individual. By not respecting Washington's rank the Howe Brothers were dismissing the validity of his command, and in turn relegating the men under his command to little more than an angry mob instead of a proper army. Before Knox left the battery that afternoon he gave instructions to his men that they were to refuse any correspondence not properly addressed the General Washington.
Two days later the same men approached the battery, again with a letter in hand. This time the letter was addressed to "George Washington, Equire, Etc." The letter was refused by Knox's men. Again two days passed and the men returned for a third time. The same letter was presented, this time addressed to "George Washington, Equire, Etc., Etc." The Knox's men quickly dismissed the letter bearer.
The game was finally put to a stop on July 20th when a new messenger arrived at the battery. His name was Colonel James Patterson and he requested an audience with General Washington to personally deliver the letter. Washington agreed to meet with Col. Patterson. The meeting was arranged at Knox's residence, the Kennedy Mansion. Refusing to be insulted by the British, Washington assembled a room full of his closest officers, and instructed them to dress in their full uniform. Washington intended to meet with Col. Patterson and send a clear message back to the Howe Brothers that he too could play in their game of gentlemanly posturing.
With the help of the magicians, the reception served to belittle Col. Patterson and empower General Washington. Indeed the atmosphere of dominance in the room was so strong that the Colonel acted as if he were addressing royalty when he spoke to Washington. Patterson attempted at first to apologize for the confusion in properly addressing Washington, explaining that Esquire and Etc. were often used to imply everything that ought to follow when the exact rank or title of a gentlemen was uncertain. Washington deftly deflected the thinly veiled insult by announcing that he was familiar with that line of etiquette but that Esquire and Etc. may also imply nothing at all or worse, anything at all.
Patterson once again attempted to deliver the letter to Washington, but Washington left the letter untouched and told the Colonel that any he would refuse any letter concerning his station as a public figure when it was addressed to him as a private individual. Patterson was effectively shut down by Washington; to keep the conversation alive Patterson offered to verbally relate the contents of the letter. Washington agreed.
Patterson related to Washington that Admiral and General Howe were appointed by King George III to act as commissioners to "accommodate this unhappy dispute," and that nothing would please them more than to reach terms with Washington concerning their recently declared revolution. Washington again rose to the occasion and put Patterson in his place. Washington explained that he was unable to discuss peace terms with the Howe brothers, only Congress could do that; Washington went on to call Patterson's bluff, pointing out that neither could the Howe brothers negotiate peace terms, they could merely offer pardons on his majesty's behalf. Not allowing Patterson to respond, Washington followed up with the knockout punch saying, "men who have done no wrong seek no pardons, we are only defending our indisputable rights."
Patterson was stupefied by Washington's skilled word-craft. There was nothing more for Patterson to say or do. He took the untouched letter and turned to leave. Just before he reached the door he stopped and turned to Washington asking, "Has you excellency no particular commands for me to relate back to Admiral and General Howe?" Without hesitation Washington replied, "Nothing sir, except my particular compliments to them both."
With that the reception was ended. Washington had played his role to perfection and Patterson was sent back to the Howe brothers with a clear message, General Washington was not to be taken lightly, and the Americans would not be pacified by anything short of independence from Britain. The stage was set, it would come to blows to decide who won and who lost.
Thursday, June 25, 2015
12 - The Last Day of Magic
July 1776
By the following morning, July 3rd, Lucy Knox, along with the majority of the wives and sweethearts of the Continental Army were gone. New York boasted the third largest population in the colonies prior to the rebellion, somewhere around 20,000 residents but most had fled and yet the city was still bursting at its seams. Over half the residents had left but approximately 19,000 Continental soldiers had taken their place and more were coming into join the fight every day. Across the bay on Staten Island were stationed another 20,000 British soldiers and German mercenaries and rumor had it that another 15,000 were expected to arrive any day.
Fisher, Rose, and Knox were having breakfast when Nathanael Greene arrived to deliver the morning report. He reported that Washington's scouts had learned that General William Howe was not planning on launching an attack on the city until his brother, Admiral Richard Howe, arrived with the remaining 15,000 reinforcements and additional naval warships. Admiral Howe was expected any day, but no one, including the British knew the exact date. The total British force was expected to number over 30,000 men with 30 war ships and 300 more additional supporting naval craft. The numbers were staggering, in fact this expeditionary force was the largest ever deployed by the British in its history. The British plan seemed clear, squash the rebellion in one swift stroke.
Besides the bad news Greene also carried with him some good news in the form of letters. Greene had mentioned that Charlotte was still in the city when he last had seen the city's quartermaster. The quartermaster recognized the name and fetched a large crate filled with letters all addressed to Charlotte, every last one of them from Major Andre. The letters dated back to March just before Charlotte left Boston to head to Canada. The letters accumulated over the months, being undeliverable since Charlotte's whereabouts were unknown. Greene had no specific orders for the magicians for the day so Charlotte excused herself and spent the rest of the day reading through each letter.
The following morning Greene again stopped by the Kennedy Mansion to deliver the morning report. For Charlotte, again the news was good. Washington had decided not to cancel the ball which had been planned for following evening, July 5th. The news seemed odd considering that just across the bay stood an imposing British camp poised to strike at any moment. As if that wasn't enough to unsettle everyone in the city, there were several thousand Redcoats in plain sight marching and parading along the shores of Staten Island in a constant show of power and dominance over the Continentals. The magicians and Knox all agreed that the circumstances didn't seem to call for a party but Washington's orders were clear, every officer was to attend the ball.
Knox arranged a carriage to the ball, the magicians traveled with him. The event was held in a large estate outside of the city proper. The turn out was good and Charlotte was surprised to see that there were in fact a fair share of women who were still in the city. The three friends toured the home and made small chat with Knox's many acquaintances. After an hour or so General Washington arrived. The quartet of army players announced his entrance with fanfare. Washington strode into the middle of the main hall and positioned himself to make an announcement. All eyes were on the Commanding General.
At 6'-3", wearing a blue field coat and looking regal, Washington spoke in a loud and commanding voice. He thanked everyone for their attendance and joked that his advisers warned him of a holding a party while the enemy was camped on the door step to the city. Washington assured everyone that the British arrival was foreboding but there was still occasion to celebrate. Without further ado Washington announced that on July 2nd the Continental Congress passed a resolution to declare independence from Britain. By July 4th Congress completed revisions Thomas Jefferson's Declaration, which ultimately served as the final document. Before officially opening the party, Washington told his officers that "it was his hope that this important event will serve as a fresh incentive, to act with courage knowing that the peace and safety of his country depends solely on the success of our arms."
The army was no longer fighting for rights as Englishmen, now they were fighting for freedom as citizens of a new nation of united and independent states. Spirits were high throughout the evening. Washington, missing his usually dance partner Caty Greene, who left the city the same day Lucy Knox departed, asked Charlotte to honor him with a dance. Charlotte and Washington, both accomplished dancers, hit it off and shared conversation and the dance floor several times throughout the evening. Charlotte and Washington spoke of things both civil and military. When Charlotte asked what role she and Fisher might play in the coming battle for New York Washington replied that their roles would be much the same as his; as is the case when defending one must react to the attackers advances. Fisher and Rose would be responsible for countering the machinations of the royal magicians under the command of the brothers Howe.
Charlotte danced the night away and Fisher spent his evening with Knox and Greene socializing with various officers of the army. One officer took a particular interest in Fisher. His name was John Glover, a fellow seaman and Colonel of the Marblehead Regiment from Massachusetts. The Marblehead men where one of the most disciplined and skilled regiments in the whole Continental Army. Their 800 men unit was made up of almost entirely fishermen who understood the chain of command and knew how to take orders from their time spent at sea. They were so revered that Washington hand picked men from Glover's unit to act as his personal body guards.
The two men shared a love for the sea and sailing which made it easy for Glover to like and respect Fisher. The two talked of business and magic briefly before Glover turned the conversation back to sailing. He mentioned to Fisher that Washington had created a make shift Continental Navy from ships such as Glover's ship, Hannah, to be used as privateers. These privateers were all privately owned ships which were officered by private individuals authorized for use in warfare specifically to capture British merchant and supply ships. Glover urged Fisher to consider loaning his ship to the cause to act as part of the growing navy. According to Glover, the privateers had been largely successful thus far in capturing small British ships and disrupting supply lines.
The evening came to a close and the guests all returned to their homes and quarters. By the next morning General Howe had received word of the party and the reason for its celebration. The ball was a complete success just as Washington had planned. The men's spirits were higher than ever and the newly declared independent Americans had put on a display of power of their own in the face of their British assailants.
A few days slipped by and still William Howe keep his soldiers at bay on Staten Island awaiting his brother's arrive. In the meantime Washington had received a copy of The Declaration and set a plan into motion to have the soldiers of his army assemble in the parade grounds just outside the city to hear a reading of The Declaration. At six o'clock in the evening on July 9th copies of The Declaration were handed out to officers and the words were read aloud to the groups of men, hundreds at a time, gathered there at the parade grounds.
The words stirred such emotions in the men that shortly after being dismissed a large mob formed of soldiers and civilians. The mob wove its way down Broadway to Bowling Green, a park right in front of the Kennedy Mansion, where a lead statue of King George III on horseback stood. The mob of people pulled down the statue and sawed off the head of King George. The head was mounted on a spike outside a tavern and the lead body was melted down to make musket balls for use in the coming battle.
By the following morning, July 3rd, Lucy Knox, along with the majority of the wives and sweethearts of the Continental Army were gone. New York boasted the third largest population in the colonies prior to the rebellion, somewhere around 20,000 residents but most had fled and yet the city was still bursting at its seams. Over half the residents had left but approximately 19,000 Continental soldiers had taken their place and more were coming into join the fight every day. Across the bay on Staten Island were stationed another 20,000 British soldiers and German mercenaries and rumor had it that another 15,000 were expected to arrive any day.
Fisher, Rose, and Knox were having breakfast when Nathanael Greene arrived to deliver the morning report. He reported that Washington's scouts had learned that General William Howe was not planning on launching an attack on the city until his brother, Admiral Richard Howe, arrived with the remaining 15,000 reinforcements and additional naval warships. Admiral Howe was expected any day, but no one, including the British knew the exact date. The total British force was expected to number over 30,000 men with 30 war ships and 300 more additional supporting naval craft. The numbers were staggering, in fact this expeditionary force was the largest ever deployed by the British in its history. The British plan seemed clear, squash the rebellion in one swift stroke.
Besides the bad news Greene also carried with him some good news in the form of letters. Greene had mentioned that Charlotte was still in the city when he last had seen the city's quartermaster. The quartermaster recognized the name and fetched a large crate filled with letters all addressed to Charlotte, every last one of them from Major Andre. The letters dated back to March just before Charlotte left Boston to head to Canada. The letters accumulated over the months, being undeliverable since Charlotte's whereabouts were unknown. Greene had no specific orders for the magicians for the day so Charlotte excused herself and spent the rest of the day reading through each letter.
The following morning Greene again stopped by the Kennedy Mansion to deliver the morning report. For Charlotte, again the news was good. Washington had decided not to cancel the ball which had been planned for following evening, July 5th. The news seemed odd considering that just across the bay stood an imposing British camp poised to strike at any moment. As if that wasn't enough to unsettle everyone in the city, there were several thousand Redcoats in plain sight marching and parading along the shores of Staten Island in a constant show of power and dominance over the Continentals. The magicians and Knox all agreed that the circumstances didn't seem to call for a party but Washington's orders were clear, every officer was to attend the ball.
Knox arranged a carriage to the ball, the magicians traveled with him. The event was held in a large estate outside of the city proper. The turn out was good and Charlotte was surprised to see that there were in fact a fair share of women who were still in the city. The three friends toured the home and made small chat with Knox's many acquaintances. After an hour or so General Washington arrived. The quartet of army players announced his entrance with fanfare. Washington strode into the middle of the main hall and positioned himself to make an announcement. All eyes were on the Commanding General.
At 6'-3", wearing a blue field coat and looking regal, Washington spoke in a loud and commanding voice. He thanked everyone for their attendance and joked that his advisers warned him of a holding a party while the enemy was camped on the door step to the city. Washington assured everyone that the British arrival was foreboding but there was still occasion to celebrate. Without further ado Washington announced that on July 2nd the Continental Congress passed a resolution to declare independence from Britain. By July 4th Congress completed revisions Thomas Jefferson's Declaration, which ultimately served as the final document. Before officially opening the party, Washington told his officers that "it was his hope that this important event will serve as a fresh incentive, to act with courage knowing that the peace and safety of his country depends solely on the success of our arms."
The army was no longer fighting for rights as Englishmen, now they were fighting for freedom as citizens of a new nation of united and independent states. Spirits were high throughout the evening. Washington, missing his usually dance partner Caty Greene, who left the city the same day Lucy Knox departed, asked Charlotte to honor him with a dance. Charlotte and Washington, both accomplished dancers, hit it off and shared conversation and the dance floor several times throughout the evening. Charlotte and Washington spoke of things both civil and military. When Charlotte asked what role she and Fisher might play in the coming battle for New York Washington replied that their roles would be much the same as his; as is the case when defending one must react to the attackers advances. Fisher and Rose would be responsible for countering the machinations of the royal magicians under the command of the brothers Howe.
Charlotte danced the night away and Fisher spent his evening with Knox and Greene socializing with various officers of the army. One officer took a particular interest in Fisher. His name was John Glover, a fellow seaman and Colonel of the Marblehead Regiment from Massachusetts. The Marblehead men where one of the most disciplined and skilled regiments in the whole Continental Army. Their 800 men unit was made up of almost entirely fishermen who understood the chain of command and knew how to take orders from their time spent at sea. They were so revered that Washington hand picked men from Glover's unit to act as his personal body guards.
The two men shared a love for the sea and sailing which made it easy for Glover to like and respect Fisher. The two talked of business and magic briefly before Glover turned the conversation back to sailing. He mentioned to Fisher that Washington had created a make shift Continental Navy from ships such as Glover's ship, Hannah, to be used as privateers. These privateers were all privately owned ships which were officered by private individuals authorized for use in warfare specifically to capture British merchant and supply ships. Glover urged Fisher to consider loaning his ship to the cause to act as part of the growing navy. According to Glover, the privateers had been largely successful thus far in capturing small British ships and disrupting supply lines.
The evening came to a close and the guests all returned to their homes and quarters. By the next morning General Howe had received word of the party and the reason for its celebration. The ball was a complete success just as Washington had planned. The men's spirits were higher than ever and the newly declared independent Americans had put on a display of power of their own in the face of their British assailants.
A few days slipped by and still William Howe keep his soldiers at bay on Staten Island awaiting his brother's arrive. In the meantime Washington had received a copy of The Declaration and set a plan into motion to have the soldiers of his army assemble in the parade grounds just outside the city to hear a reading of The Declaration. At six o'clock in the evening on July 9th copies of The Declaration were handed out to officers and the words were read aloud to the groups of men, hundreds at a time, gathered there at the parade grounds.
The words stirred such emotions in the men that shortly after being dismissed a large mob formed of soldiers and civilians. The mob wove its way down Broadway to Bowling Green, a park right in front of the Kennedy Mansion, where a lead statue of King George III on horseback stood. The mob of people pulled down the statue and sawed off the head of King George. The head was mounted on a spike outside a tavern and the lead body was melted down to make musket balls for use in the coming battle.
Thursday, June 4, 2015
11 - The Last Day of Magic
May-June 1776
It was days before Thomas was able to gather up his scattered men and assemble them all at Trois-Rivières (Three Rivers), which was little more than a trading post along the St. Lawrence River. His men were exhausted and starving; many of the men had walked over 50 miles with little to no food. Thomas established a field hospital and camp but only temporarily, he had no intention of staying. The siege was over, in Thomas' mind their destination was Montreal. Thomas believed that the only chance the army had of standing up to a force the size of which had landed in Quebec was to retreat back to Montreal and convince Arnold to fall back even further and fortify Fort Crown or Fort Ticonderoga, where the British navy would have a difficult time supporting their land troops.
Fisher and Rose's trip back to Trois-Rivières was easier than most. They were fortune to be with Thomas immediately after the battle and were able to retreat with the General by one of the few bateau that were not left behind. Fisher was still in poor health when they arrived at Trois-Rivières so Thomas ordered him to continue on with the retreat. Thomas sent Fisher, along with others of ailing health, back to the town of Sorel where there was food and beds. Rose accompanied him.
It wasn't until May 17th that Thomas arrived in Sorel with his army. It had been 11 days since their defeat outside of Quebec. Thomas visited with Fisher in the field hospital and found the magician to be in much better health. With Thomas' approval Fisher was released from the hospital and given orders to help with the continuation of the army's retreat. Thomas had gotten word that General John Sullivan was heading up from Montreal soon with 3,000 fresh troops with which to continue the fight for Quebec. Thomas knew that any further offensive would be disastrous and once again turned to his magicians for help with his plans to pull all the way back to Montreal.
The plan came from Charlotte, drawing from her success with Crowe she concocted an idea to use emotional magic to help prod the army on with its retreat. Charlotte had learned from Crowe that she could amplify and control strong emotions. The stronger and wider felt the emotion the more powerful she could be. She knew that the mood of the troops was depressed and disheartened and that the mood was strong. She convinced Fisher to channel that depressing mood through her in an attempt to amplify it and send it back out to the men.
Her plan worked. So well in fact that even Fisher fell prey to her magic. What little fight the army had left in it was washed away and Thomas was able to convince the men to follow him back to Chambly, which was just outside of Montreal. However, before the men left Sorel, Thomas himself came down with Smallpox from one of his many trips to the field hospital where he was tending to his men. On June 1st, Thomas and his army arrived in Chambly. Thomas was in very poor health.
General Sullivan arrived in Chambly the same day as Thomas. Thomas gathered his officers to meet with Sullivan to discuss their plans despite his health. Sullivan opened the meeting with bravado and explained that he was under orders from the Continental Congress to press the attack on the British and make up the lost ground from Thomas' retreat. Thomas and his men did everything they could to convince Sullivan that the British were just too strong even with the new 3,000 reinforcements Sullivan had brought. Thomas was in command and had final say but still he didn't want to override Sullivan and the Continental Congress. Thomas wanted Sullivan to agree with him, but after long debate, there was no changing Sullivan's mind. Thomas called for the men to reconvene the following day hoping that time might allow the reality of the situation to sink in for Sullivan.
The next day, June 2nd, the men assembled for the meeting but Thomas was late. After several minutes Fisher offered to check on him. Fisher knocked on the general's door but got no response. Finally he opened the door and found the general dead. Out of respect the meeting was delayed, but not for long. They reconvened later that afternoon at which time Sullivan, having taken command, pushed again for an attack and this time got his way.
On June 1st, the previous day, Thomas, understanding the gravity of his situation both militarily and bodily, decided to release Fisher from his command and transfer him back to Knox in New York. Thomas feared that if Sullivan took command he would drag Fisher with him, possibly to his death. Thomas couldn't waste the Continentals best magician on a fool's errand so he wrote the order to release Fisher and kept it on his person.
As Sullivan laid out his plan of attack for his officers in the meeting, men just down the hall were looking after Thomas' effects and found the written order to release Fisher. After the meeting Fisher was presented his release papers and Fisher in turn presented the orders over to Sullivan. Sullivan wasn't happy with Thomas' backhanded move but there was nothing he could do to reverse the order. Fisher unceremoniously was dismissed. He and Charlotte left the next day for New York.
General Howe and the British army who evacuated Boston back in March had unexpectedly sailed north to regroup in Halifax, Nova Scotia instead of departing directly for New York as the Continentals had expected. The result was that Continental Army was given ample time to travel South from Boston to occupy and fortify New York without interference from the British. Winter had turned to spring and the British remained North awaiting reinforcements as New York went from a city on the brink of invasion back to a state of semi-normalcy. Nicholas and Charlotte returned to New York City in mid-June, a city that was not under siege but somehow felt as if it were surrounded by an invisible army waiting to strike.
Nicholas and Charlotte wasted little time in finding Henry Knox upon their arrival. Down Broadway to Bowling Green at the tip of Manhattan Island, just before The Battery, they were directed to go to find General Knox's quarters. Fronting on Bowling Green was The Kennedy Mansion at No. 1 Broadway. The mansion had previously belonged to a notable Loyalist, Archibald Kennedy, but was commandeered by George Washington as his headquarters until his wife, Martha, arrived and asked to stay outside of the city. Washington assigned the estate to Knox.
A young stout, yet pretty woman answered the door. When Fisher asked if General Knox was available the young woman chuckled at Fisher's formality and shouted for her husband, calling him to the front door by his first name. The woman was Lucy Knox, Henry's wife. The magician's and the Knoxes spent the proceeding day catching up and sharing tales of their recent adventures.
Nicholas and Charlotte took up residence at No. 1 Broadway at the insistence of Lucy and took part in the daily entertainment of guests and visitors to the General. The majority of the visitors were officers of the army. The magicians were introduced to each man, as well as his wife, as they came to call. Frequent visitors were Nathanael Greene and his wife Caty. Caty (Cathrine) and Charlotte shared much in common and became quick friends. Both women were in their early twenties and loved fashion and socializing. It wasn't long before Caty and Charlotte were both stringing the men in their lives along in bouts of shopping and dining at the most expensive venues throughout the city. Nathanael and Nicholas soon found they too shared something in common, both men were in their late forties and were helpless to control the boundless, youthful feminine energies of their partners.
Charlotte was finally back in the comforts of a bustling city with a vibrant social scene. After months of travel and living in the wilderness things were looking up. To top things off a ball was announced to be held on July 5th in the city and all of the officers of the army were invited to attend with their partners for a formal evening of music and dancing.
On July 2nd, just days before the ball, the Knoxes and the magicians were taking their breakfast on the second floor dining room of the Kennedy Mansion. The dining room offered an expansive view of the New York Bay through a large set of windows on the south wall. Right in the middle of the meal a loud rumbling boom shook the china and rattled the furniture. Henry and Nicholas knew immediately what the sound had been. The signal cannon at The Battery had been fired indicating an enemy sighting.
With that single blast of warning fire the false sense of normalcy that New York had been enjoying for the past few months was blown away and was instantly replaced by the anxiety of imminent war. Henry leapt from his chair and rushed to the south windows. Before he reached the glass several more warning shots were fired and his wife Lucy went into a panic. Henry lost his temper with her briefly, but there was love intertwined in his words, as he sternly reminded her that this day was coming and that she had to pack her things and leave the city immediately. Lucy clutched Charlotte and told her to come pack her things with her. Charlotte gave Nicholas and Henry a knowing look and the two men knew instantly that Charlotte was not leaving the city with Lucy. Charlotte went with Lucy, but she didn't pack her things.
Standing in front of the windows Nicholas and Henry surveyed the bay. They could see 45 ships under full sail cruising into the bay. At long last the British had finally arrived.
By days end Lucy was packed and gone. The following morning, July 3rd, more than one hundred ships were floating in New York Bay. The British would eventually make their assault of the city, but for now they were content to make their landing on Staten Island, away from Washington's army and out of range from Knox's cannons.
It was days before Thomas was able to gather up his scattered men and assemble them all at Trois-Rivières (Three Rivers), which was little more than a trading post along the St. Lawrence River. His men were exhausted and starving; many of the men had walked over 50 miles with little to no food. Thomas established a field hospital and camp but only temporarily, he had no intention of staying. The siege was over, in Thomas' mind their destination was Montreal. Thomas believed that the only chance the army had of standing up to a force the size of which had landed in Quebec was to retreat back to Montreal and convince Arnold to fall back even further and fortify Fort Crown or Fort Ticonderoga, where the British navy would have a difficult time supporting their land troops.
Fisher and Rose's trip back to Trois-Rivières was easier than most. They were fortune to be with Thomas immediately after the battle and were able to retreat with the General by one of the few bateau that were not left behind. Fisher was still in poor health when they arrived at Trois-Rivières so Thomas ordered him to continue on with the retreat. Thomas sent Fisher, along with others of ailing health, back to the town of Sorel where there was food and beds. Rose accompanied him.
It wasn't until May 17th that Thomas arrived in Sorel with his army. It had been 11 days since their defeat outside of Quebec. Thomas visited with Fisher in the field hospital and found the magician to be in much better health. With Thomas' approval Fisher was released from the hospital and given orders to help with the continuation of the army's retreat. Thomas had gotten word that General John Sullivan was heading up from Montreal soon with 3,000 fresh troops with which to continue the fight for Quebec. Thomas knew that any further offensive would be disastrous and once again turned to his magicians for help with his plans to pull all the way back to Montreal.
The plan came from Charlotte, drawing from her success with Crowe she concocted an idea to use emotional magic to help prod the army on with its retreat. Charlotte had learned from Crowe that she could amplify and control strong emotions. The stronger and wider felt the emotion the more powerful she could be. She knew that the mood of the troops was depressed and disheartened and that the mood was strong. She convinced Fisher to channel that depressing mood through her in an attempt to amplify it and send it back out to the men.
Her plan worked. So well in fact that even Fisher fell prey to her magic. What little fight the army had left in it was washed away and Thomas was able to convince the men to follow him back to Chambly, which was just outside of Montreal. However, before the men left Sorel, Thomas himself came down with Smallpox from one of his many trips to the field hospital where he was tending to his men. On June 1st, Thomas and his army arrived in Chambly. Thomas was in very poor health.
General Sullivan arrived in Chambly the same day as Thomas. Thomas gathered his officers to meet with Sullivan to discuss their plans despite his health. Sullivan opened the meeting with bravado and explained that he was under orders from the Continental Congress to press the attack on the British and make up the lost ground from Thomas' retreat. Thomas and his men did everything they could to convince Sullivan that the British were just too strong even with the new 3,000 reinforcements Sullivan had brought. Thomas was in command and had final say but still he didn't want to override Sullivan and the Continental Congress. Thomas wanted Sullivan to agree with him, but after long debate, there was no changing Sullivan's mind. Thomas called for the men to reconvene the following day hoping that time might allow the reality of the situation to sink in for Sullivan.
The next day, June 2nd, the men assembled for the meeting but Thomas was late. After several minutes Fisher offered to check on him. Fisher knocked on the general's door but got no response. Finally he opened the door and found the general dead. Out of respect the meeting was delayed, but not for long. They reconvened later that afternoon at which time Sullivan, having taken command, pushed again for an attack and this time got his way.
On June 1st, the previous day, Thomas, understanding the gravity of his situation both militarily and bodily, decided to release Fisher from his command and transfer him back to Knox in New York. Thomas feared that if Sullivan took command he would drag Fisher with him, possibly to his death. Thomas couldn't waste the Continentals best magician on a fool's errand so he wrote the order to release Fisher and kept it on his person.
As Sullivan laid out his plan of attack for his officers in the meeting, men just down the hall were looking after Thomas' effects and found the written order to release Fisher. After the meeting Fisher was presented his release papers and Fisher in turn presented the orders over to Sullivan. Sullivan wasn't happy with Thomas' backhanded move but there was nothing he could do to reverse the order. Fisher unceremoniously was dismissed. He and Charlotte left the next day for New York.
General Howe and the British army who evacuated Boston back in March had unexpectedly sailed north to regroup in Halifax, Nova Scotia instead of departing directly for New York as the Continentals had expected. The result was that Continental Army was given ample time to travel South from Boston to occupy and fortify New York without interference from the British. Winter had turned to spring and the British remained North awaiting reinforcements as New York went from a city on the brink of invasion back to a state of semi-normalcy. Nicholas and Charlotte returned to New York City in mid-June, a city that was not under siege but somehow felt as if it were surrounded by an invisible army waiting to strike.
Nicholas and Charlotte wasted little time in finding Henry Knox upon their arrival. Down Broadway to Bowling Green at the tip of Manhattan Island, just before The Battery, they were directed to go to find General Knox's quarters. Fronting on Bowling Green was The Kennedy Mansion at No. 1 Broadway. The mansion had previously belonged to a notable Loyalist, Archibald Kennedy, but was commandeered by George Washington as his headquarters until his wife, Martha, arrived and asked to stay outside of the city. Washington assigned the estate to Knox.
A young stout, yet pretty woman answered the door. When Fisher asked if General Knox was available the young woman chuckled at Fisher's formality and shouted for her husband, calling him to the front door by his first name. The woman was Lucy Knox, Henry's wife. The magician's and the Knoxes spent the proceeding day catching up and sharing tales of their recent adventures.
Nicholas and Charlotte took up residence at No. 1 Broadway at the insistence of Lucy and took part in the daily entertainment of guests and visitors to the General. The majority of the visitors were officers of the army. The magicians were introduced to each man, as well as his wife, as they came to call. Frequent visitors were Nathanael Greene and his wife Caty. Caty (Cathrine) and Charlotte shared much in common and became quick friends. Both women were in their early twenties and loved fashion and socializing. It wasn't long before Caty and Charlotte were both stringing the men in their lives along in bouts of shopping and dining at the most expensive venues throughout the city. Nathanael and Nicholas soon found they too shared something in common, both men were in their late forties and were helpless to control the boundless, youthful feminine energies of their partners.
Charlotte was finally back in the comforts of a bustling city with a vibrant social scene. After months of travel and living in the wilderness things were looking up. To top things off a ball was announced to be held on July 5th in the city and all of the officers of the army were invited to attend with their partners for a formal evening of music and dancing.
On July 2nd, just days before the ball, the Knoxes and the magicians were taking their breakfast on the second floor dining room of the Kennedy Mansion. The dining room offered an expansive view of the New York Bay through a large set of windows on the south wall. Right in the middle of the meal a loud rumbling boom shook the china and rattled the furniture. Henry and Nicholas knew immediately what the sound had been. The signal cannon at The Battery had been fired indicating an enemy sighting.
With that single blast of warning fire the false sense of normalcy that New York had been enjoying for the past few months was blown away and was instantly replaced by the anxiety of imminent war. Henry leapt from his chair and rushed to the south windows. Before he reached the glass several more warning shots were fired and his wife Lucy went into a panic. Henry lost his temper with her briefly, but there was love intertwined in his words, as he sternly reminded her that this day was coming and that she had to pack her things and leave the city immediately. Lucy clutched Charlotte and told her to come pack her things with her. Charlotte gave Nicholas and Henry a knowing look and the two men knew instantly that Charlotte was not leaving the city with Lucy. Charlotte went with Lucy, but she didn't pack her things.
Standing in front of the windows Nicholas and Henry surveyed the bay. They could see 45 ships under full sail cruising into the bay. At long last the British had finally arrived.
By days end Lucy was packed and gone. The following morning, July 3rd, more than one hundred ships were floating in New York Bay. The British would eventually make their assault of the city, but for now they were content to make their landing on Staten Island, away from Washington's army and out of range from Knox's cannons.
Monday, May 18, 2015
10 - The Last Day of Magic
April-May 1776
Nicholas and Charlotte were called to General Arnold's office for deployment. General John Thomas had arrived in Montreal and they would be traveling with him to Quebec. Before Thomas arrived Arnold explained that all reinforcements were being inoculated before heading to Quebec to prevent the further spread of Smallpox. Fisher received the treatment without issue but Rose put up a fight long enough for Thomas to arrive. Thomas exploded at Arnold for administering inoculations those headed north with him. Before he was a general John Thomas had been a doctor and he ardently disagreed with inoculation on the grounds that it only created a chance of infection for those who were at no risk.
Thomas chastised Arnold for sending infected men to the front lines and threatened to dismiss Fisher from his army. Arnold apologized and insisted that Fisher and Rose both go with him to Quebec stating that, Franklin personally vouched for their expertise in magic saying specifically, that of the three magicians, Fisher and Rose were the two to keep close by.
After several long days spent traveling up the St. Lawrence, which was still partially frozen, they arrived outside of Quebec. Fisher and Rose could do little to ease their passage, thick ice floes choked the river. Winter held an icy grip on Canada that year and refused to release its hold even for the magicians. All of Fisher and Rose's efforts where in vain and it only exhausted Fisher as the trip dragged on. On the last day of the journey Fisher began to exhibit symptoms of the pox and Thomas warned him to rest and lie low.
Upon arrival Thomas found himself in charge of 1,300 men, of which only 700 men are fit to fight, the rest were sick unto death with pox. To make matters worse the camp had only a few days rations left and only enough gunpowder for each man to fire two volleys. In addition to his woes, Thomas had roughly 600 men with expired short-term enlistments who were still hanging around the camp. The expired enlistees refused to fight or be productive and were further bringing down the morale of the army. Even though the short-term enlistees were released from duty they were stuck in camp due to the same winter conditions that prevented Thomas from making a speedy journey north. There was nowhere for them to go but to walk several hundred miles home on an empty stomach with no winter clothes through the biting cold, so instead they stayed.
Thomas' first assessment of the siege was that his men didn't need a general, they needed a doctor. Thomas quickly began to understand that he was not sent to Quebec to salvage a victory but to manage an evacuation. All reports indicated that the British had converted one of their ships into an ice breaker and were making good progress towards Quebec. The reinforcements were expected to land in a day or so, and once they did, the siege would be over.
The British ships coming up the river were loaded with 13,000 fresh troops from Europe. Of the 13,000 men on board 8,700 were British regulars the other 4,300 were German mercenaries referred to as Hessians. Hessians were known throughout the world as the elite troops in all of Europe. The news that the men in the siege camp would be outnumber 2 to 1 by Hessians alone was enough to destroy any hope of winning a battle once the reinforcements arrived.
Thomas began to organize a retreat but he needed several days to accomplish the task given all the supplies and sick who needed to be moved. Thomas released the magicians to do what they could to help the army, with a warning to Fisher that he should rest and try to stay healthy due to his sickness.
Fisher and Rose found Crowe to be just as discouraged as Thomas with the situation in camp when they caught up with in his tent. For weeks Crowe had been sitting idle trying to stay healthy as the army wasted away. As much as Fisher wanted to help he was too sick to manage any travel or physical exertion. Not wanting to sit with Fisher, Rose suggested that Crowe take her out to see how close the British were to reaching Quebec. With any luck, Rose hoped that they could do something about impeding their progress. Crowe reluctantly agreed and the two set out together.
The
key to Rose's astounding feat came from the discovery that Crowe could
unknowingly channel magic to her when be became frustrated. Crowe
complained the whole way telling Rose that they were wasting their time
but Rose remained confident. The more Crowe doubted her the more
determined she became to prove him wrong.
They arrived at an overlook within range to see three large ships flying the Union Jack down river through Crowe's spyglass. The lead ship had iron plating strapped to its stern and was smashing its way through the lose ice, clearing a path for the ships behind it. At that point Crowe figured his point was proven and insisted that they return. Rose refused him and they fought. At one point in their argument Crowe blew up at Charlotte. When he did he inadvertently channeled his anger into Rose. Feeling the rush of magic, Rose turned Crowe's frustration with her against himself. Charlotte yelled right back at him and literally bowled him with a magically charged shout.
Charlotte had found a new source of magic. She took control of the situation and pressed Crowe into her service from that point on. There was power in Crowe's frustration and Charlotte wanted more of that power. On Charlotte's orders they stealthily approached the ice breaker ship. At one hundred yards they stopped and ducked behind some low vegetation. The ships name, HMS Surprise, was clearly legible on the bow of the ship. With Crowe's spyglass they could see the faces of the men on board.
Crowe immediately took notice of the German mercenaries on board. He explained to Charlotte that they were called Hessians, savage warriors and the most disciplined soldiers in all of Europe. Crowe was equally terrified and disgusted by the Germans, King George had hired mercenaries to fight and kill his own subject.
Rose wasn't impressed. She took the spyglass and spotted the captain of the ship. He was a tall angry looking man and he was shouting at the top of lungs at his men to hasten their progress. All of the sudden Charlotte had an idea. She pulled out all of her trinkets laid them out on her lap. Next she told Crowe to watch the captain. Crowe didn't know where she was going with all her antics but he was terrified of being spotted and angry beyond measure with Rose for her bullheaded behavior.
Rose knew Crowe was reaching his breaking point. She also knew that so long as he remained frustrated with her he would continue to funnel anger into her and allow her to work some bit of magic. Between Crowe's anger and her magiced trinkets Charlotte was able to create a cocktail of magics, using everything she has in one shot, and hurled it at the Surprise. To the both of their astonishment it worked and a shard of ice shattered a part of the ships iron plating, impaling the ship and stalling the ship.
The captain went into a rage. Crowe still fuming and not knowing what Charlotte was doing funneled his anger, as well as the anger of the entire crew, into Charlotte. With that power Charlotte was able to hold the ship pinned on the ice long enough to allow ice and water to flow into the hull. The damage to the ship was bad enough that the captain ordered his men to dislodge the ship and turn back for repairs.
Charlotte's success was so great that even Crowe, despite Charlotte's pride in her self, couldn't stay angry with her. The two slipped off unnoticed and returned to camp with their glorious tale of victory.
In Crowe and Rose's absence, Fisher whipped up a flurry of activity centering around his tent. Messengers came and went, and even General Thomas was summoned to his council. The truth of the matter was that Nicholas was ill, and getting worse, but for all appearances he was conducting some grand scheme. The ruse worked and the soldiers around camp soon became interested in what the magician was planning.
Thomas stayed with Fisher for many long hours, feeding the soldier's speculation of some master plan being hatched, while in fact Thomas was actually giving aid and watching over Fisher as he slept. The camp that Crowe and Rose returned to was not the camp they had left. Instead of the usual quiet and lethargy that had been so commonplace for months there was talk of action. Their story of turning back the British reinforcements only heightened everyone's expectation of a battle in which the Continentals would assuredly be the victors given their new-found secret weapon, the magicians.
The buzz around camp that the magicians had created would ultimately being their undoing. The British, despite the Surprise's setback, were able to reach Quebec the next day due to a warming of the weather. Guy Carlton wasted no time in assembling his relieved and restless men and took to the field with 1,000 men, consisting of Canadian loyalist militia and British regulars, to drive the Continentals away from city and end the siege. Instead of retreating, as was the plan Thomas originally had in mind, his men clamored for a fight. Thomas couldn't deprive his men a chance to fight, it was after all what they had come there to do.
The Continentals fielded less than 250 men and only one cannon, for which nobody had much of any experience firing. Carlton outnumbered and out gunned the Continentals with 6 gleaming brass cannon. Carlton brought his men to bear, in orderly rows 6 men deep, on the Thomas and his small inexperienced army. The Continentals were no match. After one cannonade and a single musket volley, both of which were more show that anything, Carlton had the Continentals in a broken retreat dropping muskets, satchels of food, and powder horns all over the battlefield as they fled.
To make matters worse, the over confidence of the Continentals had caused the women and the sick of the camp to linger to watch the battle expecting a victory. They should have been packing and retreating with the extra time that the soldiers were buying them, instead they were swept up in the panic of the army's retreat causing them to leave everything behind in their escape. All in all the Continentals left behind most of their sick, nearly all of their food, 15 cannon, several barrels of powder, the majority of their boats, and pieces of important military correspondence, which the Britsh would later use to exploit their weaknesses.
As for Fisher, he chose to fight in the battle against Thomas's better judgement. Charlotte wisely stayed out of the battle, but found herself in harms way nonetheless after the camp was overrun by Carleton's men. Fisher managed to help Thomas keep their men in formation, even against staggering odds. In the end, the men broke and ran. In the scramble Fisher was trampled and was almost killed due to his weakened state, but Thomas plucked the magician off the battlefield from his mount and rode him to safety with the rest of the fleeing men and camp followers.
The Siege of Quebec was over, but the retreat from Canada had just begun.
Nicholas and Charlotte were called to General Arnold's office for deployment. General John Thomas had arrived in Montreal and they would be traveling with him to Quebec. Before Thomas arrived Arnold explained that all reinforcements were being inoculated before heading to Quebec to prevent the further spread of Smallpox. Fisher received the treatment without issue but Rose put up a fight long enough for Thomas to arrive. Thomas exploded at Arnold for administering inoculations those headed north with him. Before he was a general John Thomas had been a doctor and he ardently disagreed with inoculation on the grounds that it only created a chance of infection for those who were at no risk.
Thomas chastised Arnold for sending infected men to the front lines and threatened to dismiss Fisher from his army. Arnold apologized and insisted that Fisher and Rose both go with him to Quebec stating that, Franklin personally vouched for their expertise in magic saying specifically, that of the three magicians, Fisher and Rose were the two to keep close by.
After several long days spent traveling up the St. Lawrence, which was still partially frozen, they arrived outside of Quebec. Fisher and Rose could do little to ease their passage, thick ice floes choked the river. Winter held an icy grip on Canada that year and refused to release its hold even for the magicians. All of Fisher and Rose's efforts where in vain and it only exhausted Fisher as the trip dragged on. On the last day of the journey Fisher began to exhibit symptoms of the pox and Thomas warned him to rest and lie low.
Upon arrival Thomas found himself in charge of 1,300 men, of which only 700 men are fit to fight, the rest were sick unto death with pox. To make matters worse the camp had only a few days rations left and only enough gunpowder for each man to fire two volleys. In addition to his woes, Thomas had roughly 600 men with expired short-term enlistments who were still hanging around the camp. The expired enlistees refused to fight or be productive and were further bringing down the morale of the army. Even though the short-term enlistees were released from duty they were stuck in camp due to the same winter conditions that prevented Thomas from making a speedy journey north. There was nowhere for them to go but to walk several hundred miles home on an empty stomach with no winter clothes through the biting cold, so instead they stayed.
Thomas' first assessment of the siege was that his men didn't need a general, they needed a doctor. Thomas quickly began to understand that he was not sent to Quebec to salvage a victory but to manage an evacuation. All reports indicated that the British had converted one of their ships into an ice breaker and were making good progress towards Quebec. The reinforcements were expected to land in a day or so, and once they did, the siege would be over.
The British ships coming up the river were loaded with 13,000 fresh troops from Europe. Of the 13,000 men on board 8,700 were British regulars the other 4,300 were German mercenaries referred to as Hessians. Hessians were known throughout the world as the elite troops in all of Europe. The news that the men in the siege camp would be outnumber 2 to 1 by Hessians alone was enough to destroy any hope of winning a battle once the reinforcements arrived.
Thomas began to organize a retreat but he needed several days to accomplish the task given all the supplies and sick who needed to be moved. Thomas released the magicians to do what they could to help the army, with a warning to Fisher that he should rest and try to stay healthy due to his sickness.
Fisher and Rose found Crowe to be just as discouraged as Thomas with the situation in camp when they caught up with in his tent. For weeks Crowe had been sitting idle trying to stay healthy as the army wasted away. As much as Fisher wanted to help he was too sick to manage any travel or physical exertion. Not wanting to sit with Fisher, Rose suggested that Crowe take her out to see how close the British were to reaching Quebec. With any luck, Rose hoped that they could do something about impeding their progress. Crowe reluctantly agreed and the two set out together.
Crowe left thinking that one glimpse of the British ships
and the 13,000 men aboard would be sufficient to squash Rose's enthusiasm and put an end to her foolishness. Instead the
pair would return with Rose triumphant, and Crowe signing her praises,
recounting stories of how she single-handedly foiled the enemy and turned back a British flagship.
They arrived at an overlook within range to see three large ships flying the Union Jack down river through Crowe's spyglass. The lead ship had iron plating strapped to its stern and was smashing its way through the lose ice, clearing a path for the ships behind it. At that point Crowe figured his point was proven and insisted that they return. Rose refused him and they fought. At one point in their argument Crowe blew up at Charlotte. When he did he inadvertently channeled his anger into Rose. Feeling the rush of magic, Rose turned Crowe's frustration with her against himself. Charlotte yelled right back at him and literally bowled him with a magically charged shout.
Charlotte had found a new source of magic. She took control of the situation and pressed Crowe into her service from that point on. There was power in Crowe's frustration and Charlotte wanted more of that power. On Charlotte's orders they stealthily approached the ice breaker ship. At one hundred yards they stopped and ducked behind some low vegetation. The ships name, HMS Surprise, was clearly legible on the bow of the ship. With Crowe's spyglass they could see the faces of the men on board.
Crowe immediately took notice of the German mercenaries on board. He explained to Charlotte that they were called Hessians, savage warriors and the most disciplined soldiers in all of Europe. Crowe was equally terrified and disgusted by the Germans, King George had hired mercenaries to fight and kill his own subject.
Rose wasn't impressed. She took the spyglass and spotted the captain of the ship. He was a tall angry looking man and he was shouting at the top of lungs at his men to hasten their progress. All of the sudden Charlotte had an idea. She pulled out all of her trinkets laid them out on her lap. Next she told Crowe to watch the captain. Crowe didn't know where she was going with all her antics but he was terrified of being spotted and angry beyond measure with Rose for her bullheaded behavior.
Rose knew Crowe was reaching his breaking point. She also knew that so long as he remained frustrated with her he would continue to funnel anger into her and allow her to work some bit of magic. Between Crowe's anger and her magiced trinkets Charlotte was able to create a cocktail of magics, using everything she has in one shot, and hurled it at the Surprise. To the both of their astonishment it worked and a shard of ice shattered a part of the ships iron plating, impaling the ship and stalling the ship.
The captain went into a rage. Crowe still fuming and not knowing what Charlotte was doing funneled his anger, as well as the anger of the entire crew, into Charlotte. With that power Charlotte was able to hold the ship pinned on the ice long enough to allow ice and water to flow into the hull. The damage to the ship was bad enough that the captain ordered his men to dislodge the ship and turn back for repairs.
Charlotte's success was so great that even Crowe, despite Charlotte's pride in her self, couldn't stay angry with her. The two slipped off unnoticed and returned to camp with their glorious tale of victory.
In Crowe and Rose's absence, Fisher whipped up a flurry of activity centering around his tent. Messengers came and went, and even General Thomas was summoned to his council. The truth of the matter was that Nicholas was ill, and getting worse, but for all appearances he was conducting some grand scheme. The ruse worked and the soldiers around camp soon became interested in what the magician was planning.
Thomas stayed with Fisher for many long hours, feeding the soldier's speculation of some master plan being hatched, while in fact Thomas was actually giving aid and watching over Fisher as he slept. The camp that Crowe and Rose returned to was not the camp they had left. Instead of the usual quiet and lethargy that had been so commonplace for months there was talk of action. Their story of turning back the British reinforcements only heightened everyone's expectation of a battle in which the Continentals would assuredly be the victors given their new-found secret weapon, the magicians.
The buzz around camp that the magicians had created would ultimately being their undoing. The British, despite the Surprise's setback, were able to reach Quebec the next day due to a warming of the weather. Guy Carlton wasted no time in assembling his relieved and restless men and took to the field with 1,000 men, consisting of Canadian loyalist militia and British regulars, to drive the Continentals away from city and end the siege. Instead of retreating, as was the plan Thomas originally had in mind, his men clamored for a fight. Thomas couldn't deprive his men a chance to fight, it was after all what they had come there to do.
The Continentals fielded less than 250 men and only one cannon, for which nobody had much of any experience firing. Carlton outnumbered and out gunned the Continentals with 6 gleaming brass cannon. Carlton brought his men to bear, in orderly rows 6 men deep, on the Thomas and his small inexperienced army. The Continentals were no match. After one cannonade and a single musket volley, both of which were more show that anything, Carlton had the Continentals in a broken retreat dropping muskets, satchels of food, and powder horns all over the battlefield as they fled.
To make matters worse, the over confidence of the Continentals had caused the women and the sick of the camp to linger to watch the battle expecting a victory. They should have been packing and retreating with the extra time that the soldiers were buying them, instead they were swept up in the panic of the army's retreat causing them to leave everything behind in their escape. All in all the Continentals left behind most of their sick, nearly all of their food, 15 cannon, several barrels of powder, the majority of their boats, and pieces of important military correspondence, which the Britsh would later use to exploit their weaknesses.
As for Fisher, he chose to fight in the battle against Thomas's better judgement. Charlotte wisely stayed out of the battle, but found herself in harms way nonetheless after the camp was overrun by Carleton's men. Fisher managed to help Thomas keep their men in formation, even against staggering odds. In the end, the men broke and ran. In the scramble Fisher was trampled and was almost killed due to his weakened state, but Thomas plucked the magician off the battlefield from his mount and rode him to safety with the rest of the fleeing men and camp followers.
The Siege of Quebec was over, but the retreat from Canada had just begun.
Sunday, April 26, 2015
09 - The Last Day of Magic
April 1776
In the week leading up to the end of April, Fisher and Rose continually checked in with Franklin to see if there was anything they could do to be of service but the answer was the same every time - nothing. Franklin's efforts in propaganda and diplomacy had amounted to nothing and his patience was wearing thin. Franklin's confidence in Congress' fool-hardy scheme was all but gone. The Canadian's were not going to join the rebellion. The best Congress could hope for was that the Continental army could hold back the British alone and that meant capturing Quebec.
At the same time dismal reports were coming in from the front lines of the siege of Quebec. As of April 15th more than half of the short-term enlistments of the 1,900 Continentals had expired. With their strength recently cut in half, and the camps suffering from disease and hunger, the moral of the troops was shattered. Luckily, General John Thomas had just arrived in Montreal, fresh from Boston, with a small contingent of men with which to reinforce the beleaguered Continentals. Thomas reported to Arnold upon arrival in Montreal and Arnold gave him orders take command of the siege. Arnold hoped that Thomas would inspire confidence in the men since he had just successfully lead the men in Roxbury and on Dorchester Heights to victory over the British in Boston. Thomas was told to leave for the Quebec as soon as weather permitted.
At the close of the month Fisher and Rose had accomplished little and their prospects of being useful were quickly disappearing. Finally Fisher decided to seek an audience with General Arnold to offer his services again. Fisher still had his reservations about joining the army but he wanted to help with the situation in Canada and Arnold was the only man in Montreal who could make use of him.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had absolutely no interest in joining another siege camp. One siege had been plenty for her. Instead she wished to return to New York to perform or aid Knox and Washington with the defense of the city. She made her opinion known, but Fisher remained determined to fight and proceeded with his proposal to Arnold anyways.
Arnold welcomed the two magicians back to his office with great warmth. He expressed his deepest respect for their craft and art. Arnold confided in them that he believed the only reason that the Continentals failed to capture Quebec in their initial attack was the result of there being no magician to coordinate favorable weather conditions. Arnold believed that had Crowe stayed with his forces, instead of being called back to Boston, Richard Montgomery would still be alive, and the Continentals would currently have been reinforcing Quebec to repel the British reinforcements.
Before long Arnold was urging Fisher to join his men, saying that his involvement could be the difference between success and failure. Fisher explained that he wanted to join but didn't want to commit to an enlistment. Arnold explained that without enlisting Fisher would never be able to assist the siege. Arnold explained that the troops wouldn't respect him, that the officers wouldn't trust him. Still worse, he would almost certainly be laughed out of the camp or killed for fear of being a spy. As the two men talked Fisher began to understand that Arnold was right and that if he wanted to help he would need to enlist.
Charlotte, fearing that she would be separated from Fisher as a result of his enlistment, pleaded with Nicholas to reconsider. Arnold eased her fears by explaining that she would not be separated from Fisher. Instead the two of them would be kept together as long as Fisher remained in service to the army. By joining the army Fisher would be given the rank of Captain and leeway to accomplish his magic in whatever manner he saw fit. Charlotte would be able to join the camp as his dependent and travel with him wherever he needed to go. Furthermore Arnold ensured Charlotte that Fisher would not be sent to fight on the front lines, or storm the city, since magicians typically performed their duties from the rear of the battlefield.
Charlotte never warmed up to the idea but in the end she agreed to let Fisher join so long as his enlistment was limited to 6 months, and that upon immediate completion of the siege that Fisher be transferred back to New York under the command of General Knox. Arnold agreed to the terms and Fisher signed his enlistment papers right then and there.
Fisher's first orders from Arnold were to report to General Thomas and help him secure safe passage to Quebec up the St. Lawerence River.
In the week leading up to the end of April, Fisher and Rose continually checked in with Franklin to see if there was anything they could do to be of service but the answer was the same every time - nothing. Franklin's efforts in propaganda and diplomacy had amounted to nothing and his patience was wearing thin. Franklin's confidence in Congress' fool-hardy scheme was all but gone. The Canadian's were not going to join the rebellion. The best Congress could hope for was that the Continental army could hold back the British alone and that meant capturing Quebec.
At the same time dismal reports were coming in from the front lines of the siege of Quebec. As of April 15th more than half of the short-term enlistments of the 1,900 Continentals had expired. With their strength recently cut in half, and the camps suffering from disease and hunger, the moral of the troops was shattered. Luckily, General John Thomas had just arrived in Montreal, fresh from Boston, with a small contingent of men with which to reinforce the beleaguered Continentals. Thomas reported to Arnold upon arrival in Montreal and Arnold gave him orders take command of the siege. Arnold hoped that Thomas would inspire confidence in the men since he had just successfully lead the men in Roxbury and on Dorchester Heights to victory over the British in Boston. Thomas was told to leave for the Quebec as soon as weather permitted.
At the close of the month Fisher and Rose had accomplished little and their prospects of being useful were quickly disappearing. Finally Fisher decided to seek an audience with General Arnold to offer his services again. Fisher still had his reservations about joining the army but he wanted to help with the situation in Canada and Arnold was the only man in Montreal who could make use of him.
Charlotte, on the other hand, had absolutely no interest in joining another siege camp. One siege had been plenty for her. Instead she wished to return to New York to perform or aid Knox and Washington with the defense of the city. She made her opinion known, but Fisher remained determined to fight and proceeded with his proposal to Arnold anyways.
Arnold welcomed the two magicians back to his office with great warmth. He expressed his deepest respect for their craft and art. Arnold confided in them that he believed the only reason that the Continentals failed to capture Quebec in their initial attack was the result of there being no magician to coordinate favorable weather conditions. Arnold believed that had Crowe stayed with his forces, instead of being called back to Boston, Richard Montgomery would still be alive, and the Continentals would currently have been reinforcing Quebec to repel the British reinforcements.
Before long Arnold was urging Fisher to join his men, saying that his involvement could be the difference between success and failure. Fisher explained that he wanted to join but didn't want to commit to an enlistment. Arnold explained that without enlisting Fisher would never be able to assist the siege. Arnold explained that the troops wouldn't respect him, that the officers wouldn't trust him. Still worse, he would almost certainly be laughed out of the camp or killed for fear of being a spy. As the two men talked Fisher began to understand that Arnold was right and that if he wanted to help he would need to enlist.
Charlotte, fearing that she would be separated from Fisher as a result of his enlistment, pleaded with Nicholas to reconsider. Arnold eased her fears by explaining that she would not be separated from Fisher. Instead the two of them would be kept together as long as Fisher remained in service to the army. By joining the army Fisher would be given the rank of Captain and leeway to accomplish his magic in whatever manner he saw fit. Charlotte would be able to join the camp as his dependent and travel with him wherever he needed to go. Furthermore Arnold ensured Charlotte that Fisher would not be sent to fight on the front lines, or storm the city, since magicians typically performed their duties from the rear of the battlefield.
Charlotte never warmed up to the idea but in the end she agreed to let Fisher join so long as his enlistment was limited to 6 months, and that upon immediate completion of the siege that Fisher be transferred back to New York under the command of General Knox. Arnold agreed to the terms and Fisher signed his enlistment papers right then and there.
Fisher's first orders from Arnold were to report to General Thomas and help him secure safe passage to Quebec up the St. Lawerence River.
Thursday, April 9, 2015
08 - The Last Day of Magic
April 1776
Fisher and Rose eventually set off from Boston for Montreal with Crowe and a small contingent of troops. They retraced the path they took with Knox's expedition back through the Berkshire Mountains and then up through Albany. As they passed through Saratoga Crowe experienced the natural power of the town that Fisher and Rose had felt as they came through on Christmas of last year. The shear magnitude of magical energy was so profound to Crowe that he requested they spend a day in Saratoga so that Fisher could take him to the epicenter.
In the afternoon, after the troops were settled in, Fisher and Rose accompanied Crowe out to the epicenter. The open field looked just as unassuming as it had when they had performed their Christmas spectacle just a few months previous. Crowe was enamored and spend the next hour exploring the area until an old gentlemen approached the three magicians out in the field. The man wore a spring coat and hat, he had on his a pair of round spectacles, and he walked with a pronounced limp. He introduced himself as Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin heard from the men in town that three magicians from Boston were there in Saratoga so he took it upon himself to walk out and meet them despite a debilitating flair of gout that he was suffering through. Franklin explained that he knew a thing or two about magic himself. Franklin even performed a brief display of magic for the magicians. The trick turned out to be more of a chemical reaction than practical magic, however Franklin's trick spurred a conversation amongst the four of them. They discussed weather, magic, science, and politics for sometime until Franklin excused himself from their company to get off his feet and rest, but before he left he invited them all for dinner to continue their conversation.
That evening a small banquet was hosted for Franklin in Saratoga. Fisher, Rose, and Crowe were invited as guests of Franklin. Polite conversation was carried out during the meal, most of which centered on Franklin, however sometime after dessert Franklin turned the conversation towards practical magic and science. The small company of dinner guests soon pressed Franklin to demonstrate a small display of electricity as he was known to do at such dinner parties. Franklin agreed.
The demonstration Franklin gave was one he had done countless times. He fetched from his luggage a medium sized Leyden Jar. He explained to the guests that the jar already contained a charge of electrostatic energy from days ago, before he left Philadelphia. He asked for a volunteer and sheepishly a man stepped forward. Franklin gave the man a metal fork from the table and instructed him to slowly move the fork towards the metal rod sticking out of the Leyden Jar. The man cautiously moved the fork towards the metal rod until a small flash of electricity arched between the fork and the metal rod shocking the volunteer mildly. The guests were pleased with display but Franklin quickly dispelled their applause. Franklin explained that arch had been a small one and that he thought there was enough of a charge left in the jar for one more demonstration.
Franklin again asked his volunteer to approach the jar with the fork, but this time Franklin gave a knowing glance over his shoulder at Fisher. Fisher understood at once what the old man was thinking. Before the volunteer began his second approach Fisher slide his chair back, stood up, and blew out all but one of the candles in the room. The dining room was cast into near darkness. Just as he had hoped the darkness heighten everyone's excitement for the second shock; Fisher could feel the air grow even heavier with magical energy.
The volunteer was visibly shaking as he approached the Leyden Jar the second time. As the fork came within two feet of the jar Fisher pooled all of the energy in the room and feed it through Charlotte. The energy was palpable, and with it, Rose directed the energy into the air between the jar and the fork. The air tingled and then cracked with electricity. From the jar erupted a thick blue vein of electricity that briefly illuminated the whole room as it greedily consumed the magically charged air between the jar and the fork. The fork was blasted from the volunteer's loose grip and clattered along the floor. The room went dark again and everyone was stunned, nobody said a word for quite some time.
Soon after clearing away his equipment Franklin excused himself and left the dining room. The guests were still buzzing from the display, all of their conversations centered on the spectacle. After several minutes it became clear that Franklin was not returning so one by one the guests left the party. After the last guest left Franklin reentered the dining room where Fisher, Rose, and Crowe were still sitting, quietly talking amongst themselves.
The conversation that followed amongst the magicians and Franklin was brief but enlightening. Franklin proved to the magicians that he in fact knew a thing of two about practical magic, whether he could actually perform magic himself was unclear, but the man seemed to know more than most. Franklin explained that some magic, like the magic they had witnessed that evening was based on perception. Fisher and Rose admitted to experimenting with such magic, while Crowe denied that it was possible. Franklin metaphorically refereed to himself as a Leyden Jar; just a Leyden Jar holds an electrical charge - so too could he. Franklin explained that when people see him they expect certain outcomes due to his fame and notoriety. The expectation that people have of him generates a magical charge just like the jar. A magician can then harness and direct that energy the he generates, Franklin likened himself to a catalyst or battery for magical energy. Fisher and Rose were encouraged while Crowe recoiled further and further from the prospect of such practices the more Franklin spoke. Eventually Franklin grew tired and had to excuse himself. The four retired for the night.
The next day all four set off together for Montreal. They shared the road up to Fort George, and then by boat they journeyed up Lake George, past Fort Ticonderoga, up Lake Champlain and nearly a week later arrived in Montreal. Along their journey Franklin discussed mostly magic and politics with Fisher, Rose, and Crowe. The most interesting point of discussion concerning magic was related to the practical magic that the Native American's practiced. Franklin told of stories he had read or heard of that the Natives practiced a sort of spiritual magic, very similar to the type of magic that Charlotte was able to perform. Franklin had few details to share but he did know that there were Indians who could sense and wield the magic that comes from men.
The magicians came to learn that Franklin was traveling to Montreal as a embassy on behalf of the Continental Congress. Franklin was charged with the task of winning the Canadian populous over to the cause of rebellion against the British. However, for reasons political, economical, social, and religious Franklin had very little hope of succeeding in convincing the Canadian's to join the fight against the British. Nevertheless, Franklin would try his best to succeed against all odds.
When they arrived in Montreal they parted ways. Crowe reported to Benedict Arnold, Franklin went to begin his work establishing a free press to distribute propaganda, and Fisher accompanied Rose to find her family. To Rose's relief her aunt and uncle's home still stood. The City of Montreal had for a brief time been a battleground and a number of structures showed signs of the struggle to that took place when the Continentals took the city by force. From the street she could even see her aunt and uncle moving within the home.
Rose asked Fisher to give her some time to explain things to her family. Fisher obliged and left for a nearby tavern. The reunion didn't go as Rose had planned. At first her aunt and uncle were relieved to see her alive and safely home, but as Rose explained where she had really been, and what she had been doing for the past few months, her aunt and uncle became angry with her. In their eyes she had foolishly been carousing with the enemy, the American rebels, and had squandered her good name and prospect of attracting a suitable husband. Rose took serious offense to her aunt and uncles dismissal of what she had accomplished.
Rose's emotions got the best of her and she stormed up to her room like a defeated child and locked herself in. She sat and thought on her situation until night when, finally she determined that she would not stay under her family's roof any longer. If they couldn't see what she saw in the American rebellion then they truly were the enemy. With a heavy heart Charlotte packed up what belongings she could carry and slipped out her window into the night to find Fisher.
Fisher was surprised to hear that Charlotte had fallen out with her family, but he was glad to have her at his side once again. They found accommodations that night and woke the next morning ready to seek out Franklin to help him with his mission. It didn't take long to track Franklin down, he was the talk of the city. When they arrived at the building where Franklin had set up his printing press they found him busily working. General Benedict Arnold had also come to pay the printer a visit and the three were introduced.
Arnold apologized that he couldn't stand to greet them properly as his leg was wounded from a gun shot wound he took when his forces failed to seize Quebec a few weeks ago. Arnold explained that he had been fortunate despite his injury, his commanding officer General Richard Montgomery, the man who lead the Continentals in the capture of Montreal, had been killed in the battle. With Montgomery dead, Arnold had assumed command of the troops laying siege to Quebec.
When Fisher and Rose asked Franklin what they could do to help his mission Franklin deferred to Arnold. Franklin explained that the success of his mission hung, in large part, on the success of the siege and capture of Quebec. The only thing stopping the Continental's from capturing Quebec was Guy Carlton and his mixed force of 800 loyalist militia and British regulars. Guy Carlton, the Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of Canada, had retreated from Montreal and was now fortifying Quebec to stave off the Continental army long enough for 8,000 British troops to arrive from England. If the Continentals could seize Quebec before the British reinforcements arrived they would control the harbor and could stop the British from landing in, and taking back Canada.
Franklin believed that the magicians would be best used as part of Arnold's forces stationed outside Quebec. Due to his injury Arnold was forced to command the troops from the rear at Montreal in order for him to recover from his wound, however he had already sent Crowe to the front lines to reinforce his troops. Arnold asked if Fisher and Rose were up for the task of joining the fight. Fisher and Rose were, but Fisher was reluctant to officially join the Continental Army. Arnold sensed Fisher's apprehension and made it clear that he had no interest in recruiting men who's hearts were not in it.
Fisher and Rose once again asked Franklin how they could best serve him, but Franklin didn't have any specific answer for them besides helping Arnold. For the time being the two magicians where stuck at an impasse, a hard decision awaited them - commitment or inaction.
Fisher and Rose eventually set off from Boston for Montreal with Crowe and a small contingent of troops. They retraced the path they took with Knox's expedition back through the Berkshire Mountains and then up through Albany. As they passed through Saratoga Crowe experienced the natural power of the town that Fisher and Rose had felt as they came through on Christmas of last year. The shear magnitude of magical energy was so profound to Crowe that he requested they spend a day in Saratoga so that Fisher could take him to the epicenter.
In the afternoon, after the troops were settled in, Fisher and Rose accompanied Crowe out to the epicenter. The open field looked just as unassuming as it had when they had performed their Christmas spectacle just a few months previous. Crowe was enamored and spend the next hour exploring the area until an old gentlemen approached the three magicians out in the field. The man wore a spring coat and hat, he had on his a pair of round spectacles, and he walked with a pronounced limp. He introduced himself as Benjamin Franklin.
Franklin heard from the men in town that three magicians from Boston were there in Saratoga so he took it upon himself to walk out and meet them despite a debilitating flair of gout that he was suffering through. Franklin explained that he knew a thing or two about magic himself. Franklin even performed a brief display of magic for the magicians. The trick turned out to be more of a chemical reaction than practical magic, however Franklin's trick spurred a conversation amongst the four of them. They discussed weather, magic, science, and politics for sometime until Franklin excused himself from their company to get off his feet and rest, but before he left he invited them all for dinner to continue their conversation.
That evening a small banquet was hosted for Franklin in Saratoga. Fisher, Rose, and Crowe were invited as guests of Franklin. Polite conversation was carried out during the meal, most of which centered on Franklin, however sometime after dessert Franklin turned the conversation towards practical magic and science. The small company of dinner guests soon pressed Franklin to demonstrate a small display of electricity as he was known to do at such dinner parties. Franklin agreed.
The demonstration Franklin gave was one he had done countless times. He fetched from his luggage a medium sized Leyden Jar. He explained to the guests that the jar already contained a charge of electrostatic energy from days ago, before he left Philadelphia. He asked for a volunteer and sheepishly a man stepped forward. Franklin gave the man a metal fork from the table and instructed him to slowly move the fork towards the metal rod sticking out of the Leyden Jar. The man cautiously moved the fork towards the metal rod until a small flash of electricity arched between the fork and the metal rod shocking the volunteer mildly. The guests were pleased with display but Franklin quickly dispelled their applause. Franklin explained that arch had been a small one and that he thought there was enough of a charge left in the jar for one more demonstration.
Franklin again asked his volunteer to approach the jar with the fork, but this time Franklin gave a knowing glance over his shoulder at Fisher. Fisher understood at once what the old man was thinking. Before the volunteer began his second approach Fisher slide his chair back, stood up, and blew out all but one of the candles in the room. The dining room was cast into near darkness. Just as he had hoped the darkness heighten everyone's excitement for the second shock; Fisher could feel the air grow even heavier with magical energy.
The volunteer was visibly shaking as he approached the Leyden Jar the second time. As the fork came within two feet of the jar Fisher pooled all of the energy in the room and feed it through Charlotte. The energy was palpable, and with it, Rose directed the energy into the air between the jar and the fork. The air tingled and then cracked with electricity. From the jar erupted a thick blue vein of electricity that briefly illuminated the whole room as it greedily consumed the magically charged air between the jar and the fork. The fork was blasted from the volunteer's loose grip and clattered along the floor. The room went dark again and everyone was stunned, nobody said a word for quite some time.
Soon after clearing away his equipment Franklin excused himself and left the dining room. The guests were still buzzing from the display, all of their conversations centered on the spectacle. After several minutes it became clear that Franklin was not returning so one by one the guests left the party. After the last guest left Franklin reentered the dining room where Fisher, Rose, and Crowe were still sitting, quietly talking amongst themselves.
The conversation that followed amongst the magicians and Franklin was brief but enlightening. Franklin proved to the magicians that he in fact knew a thing of two about practical magic, whether he could actually perform magic himself was unclear, but the man seemed to know more than most. Franklin explained that some magic, like the magic they had witnessed that evening was based on perception. Fisher and Rose admitted to experimenting with such magic, while Crowe denied that it was possible. Franklin metaphorically refereed to himself as a Leyden Jar; just a Leyden Jar holds an electrical charge - so too could he. Franklin explained that when people see him they expect certain outcomes due to his fame and notoriety. The expectation that people have of him generates a magical charge just like the jar. A magician can then harness and direct that energy the he generates, Franklin likened himself to a catalyst or battery for magical energy. Fisher and Rose were encouraged while Crowe recoiled further and further from the prospect of such practices the more Franklin spoke. Eventually Franklin grew tired and had to excuse himself. The four retired for the night.
The next day all four set off together for Montreal. They shared the road up to Fort George, and then by boat they journeyed up Lake George, past Fort Ticonderoga, up Lake Champlain and nearly a week later arrived in Montreal. Along their journey Franklin discussed mostly magic and politics with Fisher, Rose, and Crowe. The most interesting point of discussion concerning magic was related to the practical magic that the Native American's practiced. Franklin told of stories he had read or heard of that the Natives practiced a sort of spiritual magic, very similar to the type of magic that Charlotte was able to perform. Franklin had few details to share but he did know that there were Indians who could sense and wield the magic that comes from men.
The magicians came to learn that Franklin was traveling to Montreal as a embassy on behalf of the Continental Congress. Franklin was charged with the task of winning the Canadian populous over to the cause of rebellion against the British. However, for reasons political, economical, social, and religious Franklin had very little hope of succeeding in convincing the Canadian's to join the fight against the British. Nevertheless, Franklin would try his best to succeed against all odds.
When they arrived in Montreal they parted ways. Crowe reported to Benedict Arnold, Franklin went to begin his work establishing a free press to distribute propaganda, and Fisher accompanied Rose to find her family. To Rose's relief her aunt and uncle's home still stood. The City of Montreal had for a brief time been a battleground and a number of structures showed signs of the struggle to that took place when the Continentals took the city by force. From the street she could even see her aunt and uncle moving within the home.
Rose asked Fisher to give her some time to explain things to her family. Fisher obliged and left for a nearby tavern. The reunion didn't go as Rose had planned. At first her aunt and uncle were relieved to see her alive and safely home, but as Rose explained where she had really been, and what she had been doing for the past few months, her aunt and uncle became angry with her. In their eyes she had foolishly been carousing with the enemy, the American rebels, and had squandered her good name and prospect of attracting a suitable husband. Rose took serious offense to her aunt and uncles dismissal of what she had accomplished.
Rose's emotions got the best of her and she stormed up to her room like a defeated child and locked herself in. She sat and thought on her situation until night when, finally she determined that she would not stay under her family's roof any longer. If they couldn't see what she saw in the American rebellion then they truly were the enemy. With a heavy heart Charlotte packed up what belongings she could carry and slipped out her window into the night to find Fisher.
Fisher was surprised to hear that Charlotte had fallen out with her family, but he was glad to have her at his side once again. They found accommodations that night and woke the next morning ready to seek out Franklin to help him with his mission. It didn't take long to track Franklin down, he was the talk of the city. When they arrived at the building where Franklin had set up his printing press they found him busily working. General Benedict Arnold had also come to pay the printer a visit and the three were introduced.
Arnold apologized that he couldn't stand to greet them properly as his leg was wounded from a gun shot wound he took when his forces failed to seize Quebec a few weeks ago. Arnold explained that he had been fortunate despite his injury, his commanding officer General Richard Montgomery, the man who lead the Continentals in the capture of Montreal, had been killed in the battle. With Montgomery dead, Arnold had assumed command of the troops laying siege to Quebec.
When Fisher and Rose asked Franklin what they could do to help his mission Franklin deferred to Arnold. Franklin explained that the success of his mission hung, in large part, on the success of the siege and capture of Quebec. The only thing stopping the Continental's from capturing Quebec was Guy Carlton and his mixed force of 800 loyalist militia and British regulars. Guy Carlton, the Captain General and Governor-in-Chief of Canada, had retreated from Montreal and was now fortifying Quebec to stave off the Continental army long enough for 8,000 British troops to arrive from England. If the Continentals could seize Quebec before the British reinforcements arrived they would control the harbor and could stop the British from landing in, and taking back Canada.
Franklin believed that the magicians would be best used as part of Arnold's forces stationed outside Quebec. Due to his injury Arnold was forced to command the troops from the rear at Montreal in order for him to recover from his wound, however he had already sent Crowe to the front lines to reinforce his troops. Arnold asked if Fisher and Rose were up for the task of joining the fight. Fisher and Rose were, but Fisher was reluctant to officially join the Continental Army. Arnold sensed Fisher's apprehension and made it clear that he had no interest in recruiting men who's hearts were not in it.
Fisher and Rose once again asked Franklin how they could best serve him, but Franklin didn't have any specific answer for them besides helping Arnold. For the time being the two magicians where stuck at an impasse, a hard decision awaited them - commitment or inaction.
Wednesday, March 25, 2015
07 - The Last Day of Magic
March 1776
The day after the snow storm General Howe sent out an envoy to establish a seize fire under which the British agreed evacuate the City of Boston intact so long as the Continentals held their cannon fire and allowed them to leave. These terms were not what Washington had hoped for at the outset of the siege however Washington agreed to them. It was better to have a victory and reclaim Boston than it was to press the fight and suffer severe casualties.
As the British made preparations the evacuate Boston Washington summoned his generals to establish a plan for the next phase of the war. The Howe's forces would be evacuating Boston and heading for New York, however there were sources that said that another army of equal force had set sail from England and was due to land in Quebec to push the Continentals back out of the Canadian Territory. The Continentals would soon be facing a two front war and resources, men, and morale were becoming scarce.
As the generals meet Fisher, Rose, and Crowe meet to discuss the aftermath of the storm. Crowe couldn’t explain how such a powerful storm had come up on them so quickly. Fisher and Rose shared their theory that the storm was the result of them magically holding back the weather from the area for the past week. Crowe wasn’t convinced and he was reluctant take any credit for the storm for fear that his superiors would ask for him to conjure something off that scale again.
In the end Fisher, Rose, and Crowe decided to neither claim nor deny responsibility for the storm in order to avoid the generals counting on magic of that magnitude and putting their men in danger when it couldn't reliably be done again. Crowe, however, was intrigued by the prospect of creating such powerful weather events by bottling up storms for long periods of time. The three magicians agreed to test this theory again as soon as they could.
Knox came looking for the magicians after Washington’s war council was completed to deliver orders to Crowe and make a proposal to Fisher and Rose. Crowe’s orders had come from Canada. Benedict Arnold had once again requested Crowe’s services in the fight to claim Canada. Crowe had already fought alongside Arnold to great effect in the year previous. Their efforts resulted in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown, along with its artillery which had just been used to dislodge the British from Boston. Arnold wanted the magician again to help claim Quebec and seal the British out of the Northern Territory once and for all.
After giving Crowe his orders Knox delivered a letter to Charlotte that had come back from New York for her. The letter carried her uncle’s seal and was dated only two weeks after she left on Knox’s expedition. The letter revealed that Charlotte’s uncle had returned to Montreal almost immediately after she left with Knox. Charlotte had lied to her uncle telling him that she was making a trip up to Montreal to visit with the family to explain her absence and her uncle, concerned for her safety, left New York to find her. In the letter Charlotte’s uncle explained that the Continentals had seized Montreal and that their city was the center of ongoing warfare between the Canadian Loyalists and the Continentals.
Charlotte felt terrible for lying to her uncle and causing him to go off chasing her into a war zone. Furthermore, her absence in Montreal would cause further heartache for her uncle and relatives. She determined that she needed to return to Montreal to clear things up and make sure that her family were all safe.
As Charlotte made up her mind to return to Montreal, Knox made a proposal to Fisher to join the Continentals and act as the practical magician of the army tasked with establishing a base around New York to continue the fight with General Howe’s forces. Fisher was torn between his desire to serve with the Continentals and also his promise to Charlotte that he would see her safely back to her family once they had finished their journey with Knox. In the end Fisher kept his promise to Charlotte and postponed his enlistment in the Continental Army. Fisher agreed to travel north with Charlotte to find her family and keep her safe. Knox would be sorry to see his magicians go but he understood.
It was determined that Fisher and Rose would travel with Crowe up to Montreal together since it was a shared destination. The trip had the added bonus of providing a good opportunity to test their theory of building up storms once they arrived in Canada. Knox invited Fisher and Rose to stay in Cambridge for a few days longer to wait for the British to evacuate before they set off for Canada. Knox wanted the opportunity to walk the streets of their mutual city together in order to appreciate what their journey had accomplished. Fisher and Rose agreed.
Almost a week later on March 17th 11,000 British troops cast off from the port of Boston carrying with them 1,000 loyalist citizens. The city was left mostly intact as Howe had promised but the British made sure to dispose of any food, clothing, livestock, weapons, and munitions that they couldn't carry with them into the bay before they left. The British may have been defeated but they made sure that no spoils of victory went to the Continentals on that day.
Throughout the day the Continental Army paraded into the war torn city to salvage what they could. For Knox and Fisher Boston had been their home. The day was bittersweet for both men as they walked the streets and surveyed the damage done to their city. The bookstore and home of Knox was ransacked, nothing useable remained. As for Fisher his warehouse along the docks was in complete ruins from artillery fire in addition to the fact that the British had fouled the building by using it as a stable. Regardless their homes were once again theirs, and this first victory felt like something upon which the Continentals could build momentum for their cause.
The day after the snow storm General Howe sent out an envoy to establish a seize fire under which the British agreed evacuate the City of Boston intact so long as the Continentals held their cannon fire and allowed them to leave. These terms were not what Washington had hoped for at the outset of the siege however Washington agreed to them. It was better to have a victory and reclaim Boston than it was to press the fight and suffer severe casualties.
As the British made preparations the evacuate Boston Washington summoned his generals to establish a plan for the next phase of the war. The Howe's forces would be evacuating Boston and heading for New York, however there were sources that said that another army of equal force had set sail from England and was due to land in Quebec to push the Continentals back out of the Canadian Territory. The Continentals would soon be facing a two front war and resources, men, and morale were becoming scarce.
As the generals meet Fisher, Rose, and Crowe meet to discuss the aftermath of the storm. Crowe couldn’t explain how such a powerful storm had come up on them so quickly. Fisher and Rose shared their theory that the storm was the result of them magically holding back the weather from the area for the past week. Crowe wasn’t convinced and he was reluctant take any credit for the storm for fear that his superiors would ask for him to conjure something off that scale again.
In the end Fisher, Rose, and Crowe decided to neither claim nor deny responsibility for the storm in order to avoid the generals counting on magic of that magnitude and putting their men in danger when it couldn't reliably be done again. Crowe, however, was intrigued by the prospect of creating such powerful weather events by bottling up storms for long periods of time. The three magicians agreed to test this theory again as soon as they could.
Knox came looking for the magicians after Washington’s war council was completed to deliver orders to Crowe and make a proposal to Fisher and Rose. Crowe’s orders had come from Canada. Benedict Arnold had once again requested Crowe’s services in the fight to claim Canada. Crowe had already fought alongside Arnold to great effect in the year previous. Their efforts resulted in the capture of Fort Ticonderoga and Fort Crown, along with its artillery which had just been used to dislodge the British from Boston. Arnold wanted the magician again to help claim Quebec and seal the British out of the Northern Territory once and for all.
After giving Crowe his orders Knox delivered a letter to Charlotte that had come back from New York for her. The letter carried her uncle’s seal and was dated only two weeks after she left on Knox’s expedition. The letter revealed that Charlotte’s uncle had returned to Montreal almost immediately after she left with Knox. Charlotte had lied to her uncle telling him that she was making a trip up to Montreal to visit with the family to explain her absence and her uncle, concerned for her safety, left New York to find her. In the letter Charlotte’s uncle explained that the Continentals had seized Montreal and that their city was the center of ongoing warfare between the Canadian Loyalists and the Continentals.
Charlotte felt terrible for lying to her uncle and causing him to go off chasing her into a war zone. Furthermore, her absence in Montreal would cause further heartache for her uncle and relatives. She determined that she needed to return to Montreal to clear things up and make sure that her family were all safe.
As Charlotte made up her mind to return to Montreal, Knox made a proposal to Fisher to join the Continentals and act as the practical magician of the army tasked with establishing a base around New York to continue the fight with General Howe’s forces. Fisher was torn between his desire to serve with the Continentals and also his promise to Charlotte that he would see her safely back to her family once they had finished their journey with Knox. In the end Fisher kept his promise to Charlotte and postponed his enlistment in the Continental Army. Fisher agreed to travel north with Charlotte to find her family and keep her safe. Knox would be sorry to see his magicians go but he understood.
It was determined that Fisher and Rose would travel with Crowe up to Montreal together since it was a shared destination. The trip had the added bonus of providing a good opportunity to test their theory of building up storms once they arrived in Canada. Knox invited Fisher and Rose to stay in Cambridge for a few days longer to wait for the British to evacuate before they set off for Canada. Knox wanted the opportunity to walk the streets of their mutual city together in order to appreciate what their journey had accomplished. Fisher and Rose agreed.
Almost a week later on March 17th 11,000 British troops cast off from the port of Boston carrying with them 1,000 loyalist citizens. The city was left mostly intact as Howe had promised but the British made sure to dispose of any food, clothing, livestock, weapons, and munitions that they couldn't carry with them into the bay before they left. The British may have been defeated but they made sure that no spoils of victory went to the Continentals on that day.
Throughout the day the Continental Army paraded into the war torn city to salvage what they could. For Knox and Fisher Boston had been their home. The day was bittersweet for both men as they walked the streets and surveyed the damage done to their city. The bookstore and home of Knox was ransacked, nothing useable remained. As for Fisher his warehouse along the docks was in complete ruins from artillery fire in addition to the fact that the British had fouled the building by using it as a stable. Regardless their homes were once again theirs, and this first victory felt like something upon which the Continentals could build momentum for their cause.
Friday, February 27, 2015
06 - The Last Day of Magic
March 1776
February was spent making preparations to conduct an attack on Boston. Washington had gotten word from his spies that General Howe, the Commanding General of the British Army, was making preparations to leave Boston and sail north to New York as soon as the weather was favorable. The British had grown tired of occupying Boston and the city held no advantage to them anymore. New York would be a fresh base of operation for the British, with a mostly loyalist population, where the British could regroup after 11 months of stalemate in Boston.
Washington's window of opportunity to force a decisive battle with the British was slipping away. If the British were allowed to evacuate Boston without conflict he would lose all hope of support from both the Continental Congress back in Philadelphia and the Continental Army. On the other hand, if Washington could take the British by surprise it was possible that he could trap the British completely and force a surrender - effectively ending the war. The Continentals needed to make sure the British couldn't leave.
Henry Knox and Brigadier General John Thomas were given orders by Washington to take some 4,000 men out of Cambridge to fortify the town of Roxbury, southeast of Boston Neck. Fisher and Rose went with them. Knox split the men into two forces once they arrived in Roxbury. Knox's forces organized work teams to cut trees and build portable gun emplacements called chandeliers to haul along with the artillery up to Dorchester Heights. The chandeliers would allow the Continentals to instantly create gun batteries along the heights without having to dig into the frozen and rocky ground up on the heights. Thomas' men dug in around Roxbury and created redoubts to hold back any British counterattack.
From atop Dorchester Heights Knox would have a commanding position. The entirety of Boston and its harbor lay within the range of his 18 and 24 pound guns. Yet Dorchester Heights was equally dangerous as it was rewarding to occupy. General Howe's army outnumbered the Continentals and the British had a full Navy to compliment its ground forces. If Howe chose to march out of Boston and engage the Continentals the men along the heights would be cut off and trapped. It was therefore Thomas' duty to prevent that from happening.
The Continentals worked for almost two weeks to prepare for the battle. During that time Fisher and Rose worked from Dorchester Heights to keep the winds calm. Crowe operated four miles north out of the ruins of Charlestown towards the same goal. Collectively they maintained a low profile and kept the British ships from sailing for New York.
Nicholas Fisher and Charlotte Rose had pledged to work with Crowe to calm the weather and stop the British from leaving even though the two magicians hadn't actually joined the Continental Army. They wanted to help with the siege but they found it easier to go about their work without the regulations of the military structure. Knox and Washington didn't mind, they would take all the help they could get.
On March 4th the Continentals completed their work. Word was sent to Washington and his response was to prepare for battle immediately. There was no time to lose, everyday that went by there was a chance the British would set sail. However, there was another reason Washington wanted to press the attack as well. March 5th was the 6th anniversary of Boston Massacre and Washington was counting on the significance of that anniversary to rally his men. That evening, March 4th, Knox mobilized a force of 2,000 men to drag the artillery and chandeliers up to Dorchester Heights.
Early morning, March 5th, the British in Boston were shaken from their slumbers by the pounding of cannon fire. The Continentals fired upon the British from Cambridge as well as Dorchester Heights. The British fleet was pinned down and the army couldn't evacuate under heavy fire so they mounted a quick counterattack. They sent men in small transports across the harbor to silence the guns in Cambridge while the bulk of their forces marched out and across Boston Neck where General Thomas was waiting with just 2,000 men.
Fisher and Rose did their best to curtail the British advance but ultimately two magicians could not prevent the passage of an entire army. The British pushed out of Boston and threatened to press combat with the awaiting Continentals. Thomas tried to rally his men but they were severely outnumbered, completely exhausted from days of endless labor, and lacked bayonet or cannon to resist a charge from the superior British force.
All day long a storm had been building along the coast. After nearly two weeks of bottling up the weather the magicians had unknowingly created a meteorological powder keg that was primed to explode. As the British marched on the fortifications outside of Roxbury a large and roiling storm was churning off of the coast and pushing inland fast. Thomas' men began to break upon seeing the storm coupled with the British advance. Fisher and Rose retreated from Dorchester and arrived just in time to witness the collapse of Thomas' men. Fisher made to stand against the British and rally Thomas' broken army but alas he was unsuccessful. The magician could turn neither men nor storm.
Before long the storm swallowed everything. The British gave chase to Thomas' men through the storm until the snow was so thick they couldn't see more than a few feet ahead of themselves. Fisher and Rose retreated with Thomas' men, all the while hearing the beating drums of the British in tow. It was the storm that finally saved them. The storm was a true force of nature, an unintended consequence of magical intervention, and it conquered both armies that day. The British finally gave up, the sound of their drums faded as they pulled back to Boston. The Continentals fell back too. They made their way back to their camps to wait out the storm that had just saved their lives.
February was spent making preparations to conduct an attack on Boston. Washington had gotten word from his spies that General Howe, the Commanding General of the British Army, was making preparations to leave Boston and sail north to New York as soon as the weather was favorable. The British had grown tired of occupying Boston and the city held no advantage to them anymore. New York would be a fresh base of operation for the British, with a mostly loyalist population, where the British could regroup after 11 months of stalemate in Boston.
Washington's window of opportunity to force a decisive battle with the British was slipping away. If the British were allowed to evacuate Boston without conflict he would lose all hope of support from both the Continental Congress back in Philadelphia and the Continental Army. On the other hand, if Washington could take the British by surprise it was possible that he could trap the British completely and force a surrender - effectively ending the war. The Continentals needed to make sure the British couldn't leave.
Henry Knox and Brigadier General John Thomas were given orders by Washington to take some 4,000 men out of Cambridge to fortify the town of Roxbury, southeast of Boston Neck. Fisher and Rose went with them. Knox split the men into two forces once they arrived in Roxbury. Knox's forces organized work teams to cut trees and build portable gun emplacements called chandeliers to haul along with the artillery up to Dorchester Heights. The chandeliers would allow the Continentals to instantly create gun batteries along the heights without having to dig into the frozen and rocky ground up on the heights. Thomas' men dug in around Roxbury and created redoubts to hold back any British counterattack.
From atop Dorchester Heights Knox would have a commanding position. The entirety of Boston and its harbor lay within the range of his 18 and 24 pound guns. Yet Dorchester Heights was equally dangerous as it was rewarding to occupy. General Howe's army outnumbered the Continentals and the British had a full Navy to compliment its ground forces. If Howe chose to march out of Boston and engage the Continentals the men along the heights would be cut off and trapped. It was therefore Thomas' duty to prevent that from happening.
The Continentals worked for almost two weeks to prepare for the battle. During that time Fisher and Rose worked from Dorchester Heights to keep the winds calm. Crowe operated four miles north out of the ruins of Charlestown towards the same goal. Collectively they maintained a low profile and kept the British ships from sailing for New York.
Nicholas Fisher and Charlotte Rose had pledged to work with Crowe to calm the weather and stop the British from leaving even though the two magicians hadn't actually joined the Continental Army. They wanted to help with the siege but they found it easier to go about their work without the regulations of the military structure. Knox and Washington didn't mind, they would take all the help they could get.
On March 4th the Continentals completed their work. Word was sent to Washington and his response was to prepare for battle immediately. There was no time to lose, everyday that went by there was a chance the British would set sail. However, there was another reason Washington wanted to press the attack as well. March 5th was the 6th anniversary of Boston Massacre and Washington was counting on the significance of that anniversary to rally his men. That evening, March 4th, Knox mobilized a force of 2,000 men to drag the artillery and chandeliers up to Dorchester Heights.
Early morning, March 5th, the British in Boston were shaken from their slumbers by the pounding of cannon fire. The Continentals fired upon the British from Cambridge as well as Dorchester Heights. The British fleet was pinned down and the army couldn't evacuate under heavy fire so they mounted a quick counterattack. They sent men in small transports across the harbor to silence the guns in Cambridge while the bulk of their forces marched out and across Boston Neck where General Thomas was waiting with just 2,000 men.
Fisher and Rose did their best to curtail the British advance but ultimately two magicians could not prevent the passage of an entire army. The British pushed out of Boston and threatened to press combat with the awaiting Continentals. Thomas tried to rally his men but they were severely outnumbered, completely exhausted from days of endless labor, and lacked bayonet or cannon to resist a charge from the superior British force.
All day long a storm had been building along the coast. After nearly two weeks of bottling up the weather the magicians had unknowingly created a meteorological powder keg that was primed to explode. As the British marched on the fortifications outside of Roxbury a large and roiling storm was churning off of the coast and pushing inland fast. Thomas' men began to break upon seeing the storm coupled with the British advance. Fisher and Rose retreated from Dorchester and arrived just in time to witness the collapse of Thomas' men. Fisher made to stand against the British and rally Thomas' broken army but alas he was unsuccessful. The magician could turn neither men nor storm.
Before long the storm swallowed everything. The British gave chase to Thomas' men through the storm until the snow was so thick they couldn't see more than a few feet ahead of themselves. Fisher and Rose retreated with Thomas' men, all the while hearing the beating drums of the British in tow. It was the storm that finally saved them. The storm was a true force of nature, an unintended consequence of magical intervention, and it conquered both armies that day. The British finally gave up, the sound of their drums faded as they pulled back to Boston. The Continentals fell back too. They made their way back to their camps to wait out the storm that had just saved their lives.
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