What Would You do? #1

[johan_steele]

Option 1:

It is the winter of 1864/65 You are a Major in the CS Army, from a wealthy plantation near Galveston. Your father pwns just under 100 slaves. You volunteered for the CS Army in 1862 but have been given primarily staff jobs in the States capital. A few monthes ago you were assigned as a Conscription officer tasked w/ bringing in as many men as possible for the service. Your assigned area is the northern frontier of Texas. There are several Volunteer "Ranger" Companies along the border ranging in size from 6-7 men to as many as forty. These men are largely composed of Unionist men who refused the initial drafts but opted to support Texas by defending the borders against the Commanche. There are also numerous fairly decent sized groups hiding on the frontier who have refused conscription and any support for the CS.

On one of your prior sweeps of the area a Captain of a Ranger Company gave you two eager volunteers... aged 14 & 62 and informed you that they rest of his command, 35 men, were purseing a Comanche War Party.

Your assets: 2 teamsters w/ wagons, a single Sergeant who lost his leg at Chickamauga last year and enough horses to pull two wagons and carry yourself and your sergeant. Your Sergeant has made no secret of the fact that he believes you a shirk as you have not served in a combat unit. Both of your teamsters are indeed shirks as they both have managed to evade conscription to this point; though both are adamantly Pro CS... at least in your presence.

[johan_steele]

Option 2:

You are a Captain of one of the "Ranger" Companies, you are tasked w/ guarding more than 100 miles of border w/ the "Nation" (modern Oklahoma). You have command of 30 men including yourself, the arms available to your men are what they arrived w/ as well as a few carbines and several excellent Enfield Rifles which you issued to the best shots in the company. You know that most, if not all of the men under your command are pro-Union or at the very least Anti-Secesssion. All are exceptional Indian Fighters... they have to be or their scalps would be decorating a Commanche pommel by now.

Your command has been fairly succesful in keeping Commanche depradations to a minimum, they have been supplied w/ decent horses by capturing them from the Commanche. It has been most of a year since any have been paid and you have exhausted your own credit w/ the local shopkeepers purchasing neccessary supplies and rations. THe Confederate currency provided you for post expenses are refused by local merchants as worthless.

The last time the conscription officer came through your two newest recruits were grabbed up by him and it is rumored he's on his way back through again. The last time he came through 6 men didn't come back from their patrol... dead or deserted you don't know. You have listed them on your rolls as dead, though you suspect they left to avoid conscription.

There has been more activity of late w/ both Commanche raiding parties and the bands of "draft dodgers."

[rbenne]

Can’t see myself as number one, just too difficult, if not impossible to deal with so I will take position 2

First I would dispatch a pair of riders to the state capital to inform the powers that be (whoever I report to) that the Confederate script is not being accepted and request either provisions or gold to provision my men. Along with detailed reports of activity in the area, RE: Indians, etc.

After carefully selecting which two men I dispatch, one of which has that spiffy Enfield rifle, I will give them there “other” instructions. Since I have hand picked the two volunteers I am confident they will carry out there other orders with discretion.

The recruiter will probably be listed as a deserter when he doesn’t turn up again.

I will no longer worry about it since I trust my men and go back to the duties at hand. As to re-supply, this is a much more serious issue and I hope the men I sent are able to accomplish there overt mission as well as I assume they will there covert one.

[johan_steele]

Not a bad solution Raymond... not bad at all.

The actual events:

The Ranger CO told his men that the conscription officer was en route and to follow their consciences. All but five left, the others went on a patrol chasing a Comanche raiding party. Only two survived their brush w/ the Commanche.

On the way back from a conscription sweep the Conscription officer's small party was atacked by Commanches, all the horses were lost and two men killed; including the Sgt. He filed a complaint w/ the state capital and survived the War. In 1870, After calling one of the Rangers who had engaged the Commanche raiding party a coward he was challenged to a duel... he lost.

[gunny]

#2

If we are that good at fighting Indians, we can certainly avoid this lame conscription officer. I continue operations against the Indians and avoid contact with the C. S. officer. I won't kill him if found - as the C. S. authority knows the stance of most of the Rangers, and we don't want to bring suspiscion on ourselves. I might try to convince the fella of joining us as we have some similar priorities - keeping the raiding parties away.

#1

I don't feel like I'm accomplishing any thing - my only recruits were too young or too old last few times. I offer my services to the Rangers and provisions to help them, and in return we can work to defend the frontier together.

[gary]

I'd go with #2. As to supplies, I'd take them, give a receipt and let the merchant worry about Richmond paying him. Regarding the conscription officers, I'd lead my men into the bush to find or "fight" the Commanches and wouldn't come back until he is either gone or my supplies exhausted.

Regarding #1, if I was compelled to do it, I'd chew out the sergeant with insubordination and insolence. He's a sergeant, I'm a major. As major, I go where the Confederacy sends me whether it's conscription or a front line regiment.