Chapter 7
Sid sat on his horse watching the distant farmhouse from a tree covered hill that was behind the house. The farmhouse had been one of the largest of the houses in the area. Next to the farmhouse were a barn and a couple of outbuildings. One of the outbuildings was obviously a smoke house for curing meat. The darkened walls spoke of years' worth of preserving meat. Another building looked to be a timber mill. Next to it was a building that looked as if it was used to cure the cut lumber.
Standing beside him was a scout who went by the name of Sneak. The scout had been watching the house since early the previous day. Gesturing at the house, he said, "There are over a hundred slaves and ten overseers. The family running the show has a man, a woman, and three kids."
"Can we pull the slaves out during the night?"
"No. They are still building a shelter for them. Since they aren't locked up in a building, the slaves are chained up at night in back of the house. That wouldn't be so bad except they watched over by dogs. If we try to sneak in there, the dogs will start barking," the scout answered.
Sid had watched slaves as they were forced to take care of the crops of all of the adjacent pieces of property. While most homesteads had one or two acres of land, the slavers had joined all of the homesteads along the one side of the road to get a place of almost a hundred acres. They were working the slaves hard using the whip on occasion to motivate them to work harder. He wanted to make sure that the overseers paid for their cruelty. He asked, "What about the overseers?"
"They are sleeping in one of the outbuildings."
"How many doors are in the outbuilding?"
"One very large door," answered the scout. Anticipating the next question, he said, "No windows. I'd say that it was once used for curing and storing lumber."
Looking over at the scout, Sid said, "You are the scout they call Sneak?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good job, Sneak," Sid said, "Get some rest. We'll move into position a half an hour before sunrise."
"Thanks, sir," Sneak replied. Without making a sound, Sneak disappeared back into the woods.
Sid made a gesture and three of his veteran leaders rode up beside him. Sid pointed to the farm spread out below them and said, "That long building down there is where the overseers are sleeping. We'll get into position in the orchard using false dawn. I'll give the command and two of our units will ride in hard and storm the long building. The third will take out the house."
"Which of us do you want leading the charge on the house?" asked one of the men.
"Which of you wants the job?"
The three men looked at each other. They had seen how the overseers treated the slaves and wanted the chance to have their pound of flesh. One of them sighed and said, "I'll lead them."
"Good," Sid said. He looked at the three men and said, "I want as many of them alive as possible."
The men agreed and, once dismissed, went to talk to their men. Each man had ten men under their command. Sid trusted them to take care of the specific details on how to attack the buildings. Connor rode over and said, "Our first raid."
"Two raids at once," Sid corrected. Masterson was at the other farm organizing the attack on it. Like Sid, Masterson didn't like the charge in and attack approach, but there wasn't much that could be done without raising an alarm.
"The men are ready," Connor said. He had left them once the veterans had returned to their men.
"We're too slow," Sid said. He wasn't happy that they were using so many men on this raid. He had envisioned smaller groups moving in and liberating the slaves.
"It is our first raid. Let our men get a little experience under their belts. They'll know what to expect on the next raid and we won't need so many men," Connor said.
"You're right," Sid said. Shaking his head, he said, "I wonder how long it will be before we get enough experience that our men are able to liberate five or six farms a day."
"Ambitious, aren't you?" Connor said with a grin.
"I'm sure that if you were a slave, you'd think I wasn't ambitious enough," Sid said.
Connor looked at Sid for a long moment and then said, "Lighten up, Sid. I know you feel responsible for these men, but if you take things too seriously you'll drive yourself crazy. You need a heavy hand with Masterson; not with me or Peterson."
"I'm not criticizing you; I'm criticizing myself. We've been marching for almost four weeks and this is our first engagement. Even though I knew that it would take us some time to get to this point, I can't help but feel bad that it took us this much time," Sid replied keeping his eyes on the farmstead below.
"It takes some time to get used to the ebb and flow of a campaign. All campaigns start out slow. It takes time to get your army equipped and into position. Towards the middle of the campaign it heats up to where engagements come fast and furious. Near the end of fighting, the engagements slow down, but become much larger. Once the enemy has surrendered, you have the after engagements where holdouts have to be tracked down and eliminated," Connor said.
"My uncle told me about that. He also said that the first steps are the most important steps."
"You've made all the right steps so far," Connor said. He was actually impressed with how Sid had run the campaign so far. He had laid a good foundation of trust between the leaders and the men who followed him. Camp discipline was as good as he'd ever seen on any campaign.
"Why do you say that?"
"You hired me as an advisor," Connor said with a smile.
Sid laughed at the comment and said, "Let's get back to camp. Sunset is approaching and it is too dark at night to risk traveling through the woods."
The engagement in the morning was almost anti-climatic. The squads of men rode up to the outbuilding where the overseers were sleeping and after rushing into the building took them without a fight. The owner and his family were taken while still in their beds. Sid had watched the action from the hilltop at the suggestion of Connor rather than participate directly. There would be plenty of time for him to actively participate in raids, but it was important for the men to learn to operate independently.
Once the area was under their control, Sid mounted his horse and headed down the hill. Connor rode beside him with a large smile on his face. As they went, Connor asked, "What are you going to do with the captives?"
"I'll make sure that justice is served," Sid answered.
Connor frowned at the thought that Sid was going to turn the captives over to the former slaves. He didn't want the campaign to start with a bloody execution of their captives. It would lead to greater resistance in the future and could spiral out of control. He looked over at Sid and said, "Don't get carried away."
"I won't," Sid answered looking over at Connor. He could see the concern on the other man's face.
By the time they reached the farmhouse, the captives from both sites had been herded together in a small group in a cleared area in front of the house. The former slaves, over two hundred of them, were standing around. A small handful of them had looks of anger on their face. All that was keeping them from ripping their former taskmasters into tiny pieces was the presence of Sid's men between the groups.
Sid dismounted and made his way to the house. He went inside and came out with a chair. Taking a seat, he pointed to freed slaves and said, "Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Sid Jones. I am the person in charge of this band of men. We have some important business to take care of before you can go on with your lives. So if you will bear with me, we will try to make this as painless as possible."
Looking at the former slaves, he said, "I would like you to line up according to how long you were held as a slave. The individual who has been a slave the longest is to be first in line."
It took five minutes for people to sort themselves out according to the criteria Sid had requested. Once that was done, Sid went to the first man and asked, "How long were you held as a slave?"
"Ten years," replied the man in a flat voice. His eyes were dead and he answered without emotion. The years of slavery had beaten the spirit out of the man. His body bore scars testifying to years of physical abuse.
Sid nodded and went to the next man in line. He repeated his question and learned that man had been a slave for ten years as well. Going from one person to the next, he asked his question and received his answer. The shortest time spent as a slave was five years. The slaver society was smart and wouldn't allow new slaves to be held close to the outer boundaries of the area controlled by them. New slaves were more difficult to control. Someone was in control and that person was very smart.
"By the power invested in me through force of will and arms, I hereby declare you to be free men and women," Sid shouted after taking a position in front of the gathered men and women.
While the former slaves tried to decide how they were supposed to react, Sid returned to his chair and studied the overseers. It was clear that none of them had ever spent time as a slave. Turning back to look at the former slaves, he said, "Would all those who want to join with us in fighting slavery please step forward."
Nine men immediately stepped forward. After a slight delay a woman stepped forward as well. One of the men still in line looked over at the woman and then went over to stand beside her. Sid watched the situation unfold and nodded his head. It was more people than he had expected. Turning to Connor, he said, "Take them and integrate them into our forces."
"Sure thing," replied the older man. He gestured to the volunteers to follow him before walking off to the side of the house. The small band of eleven followed him at a pace common among slaves. They moved fast enough to avoid the whip, but slow enough to give voice to their unhappiness at being ordered around. His first task was to get them fed and clothed. His second task was to return their spirit to them.
Sid turned to look at the overseers with narrowed eyes. In Chaos there wasn't a Geneva Convention concerning the care and feeding of prisoners of war. In a voice that carried through the entire area, he said, "You know that as prisoners of war, you are mine to do with as I will."
None of the prisoners even bothered to look up at him. Sid repeated himself, "You know that as prisoners of war, you are mine to do with as I will!"
One of the prisoners looked up and, after spitting on the ground, said, "So kill us already."
"There is almost fourteen hundred years worth of enslavement represented here. The violence against them must be redressed," Sid replied in a hard tone of voice. The line of former slaves looked at him with interest wondering what he meant to do.
Sid stared at the overseers for a minute and then said, "Each of the overseers have a choice between death by hanging and thirty-five years of indentured servitude."
The chance to live was immediately grabbed by the overseers. One of them asked, "Who will own our papers of indenture?"
Sid smiled and pointed to the former slaves. In a hard voice, he answered, "They will. Each of the former slaves will own you for a duration equal to half of the time that they had been held as a slave. I will leave it up to them to decide how they manage their ownership of you."
The overseers exchanged worried looks. Sid watched them for a minute and then said, "Any of you that would prefer to die by hanging, please step forward and we shall take care of that little piece of business first."
None of the overseers stepped forward. Turning to address the former slaves, Sid said, "Get into groups of people such that each group has seventy years of forced slavery represented. Then select the overseer that will serve you for the next thirty-five years."
One of the former slaves asked, "What will we do? We have nothing."
"It is time for you to take control of your own lives. You can stay here and divide up the land and the houses amongst you. The former owners are far from here and will be given the lands to which they have been taken."
His announcement created a huge wave of excitement among the men and women gathered there. They started to talk amongst themselves to create groups consistent with Sid's command. Chaos reigned as the groups formed and they selected overseers. Sid turned to Peterson and said, "Draw up the papers of indentured servitude."
"As you command," the man answered with a smile. He was impressed with the solution Sid had for dealing with the overseers.
Sid turned to examine the two masters, their wives, and their children. The former slave owners were looking around nervously wondering what was going to be their fate. Rather than address their fear, Sid waited for the first phase of business to end. It took almost an hour for the groups to organize and the appropriate papers to be drawn up. Turning to Masterson, Sid said, "Take the owners and their wives aside for questioning. We need to know more about this slave society. Once we've gotten the answers we need, then I'll decide what to do with them."
"As you command," Masterson said with a grin. He snapped his fingers and a company of men came over to him. With a grin, he said, "Take those folks over to the smoke house and lock them up."
Sid watched the small group of captives as they were led away by the company of men. Turning to the former slaves, he said, "Today is a holiday. Relax and enjoy yourselves. Raid the pantry and prepare a feast. You have become free men and women. I know of very few events in life that deserve celebration more than that."
Connor returned to stand beside Sid in time to hear the announcement. He smiled at the reaction of the former slaves. Pleased with the resolution of the situation, he said, "Good job."
"Thanks."
"The new recruits are going to be a problem," Connor said.
"What have you done with them?"
"I got them set up at the camp and introduced them to the men that were there. They are eating right now. I won't start working them for a day or two. They need a chance to come to grips with the changes in their lives. Not one of them smiled the entire time I was around them."
"Have a couple of the more reticent recruits work with Olaf," Sid said with a smile.
Laughing Connor said, "I like the way your mind works. If that man can't cheer them up, no one can."
"Where is Barson?" Sid asked.
Connor answered, "He's back at the camp."
Sid stood and said, "Let's go talk to Peterson. I want Barson to handle the division of resources among the released slaves. Each group needs enough food and material to survive the year."
"Why Barson?"
"He's going to be my logistics officer once the army gets to the size where we need to split our forces. Masterson will lead the other army and he'll need Peterson to keep him in line. You'll stay with me," Sid answered.
"You're getting ahead of yourself, aren't you?" Connor asked wondering if Sid had good reason to think that way.
"Not really. It would be a shame to lose a training opportunity like this just because the lessons learned won't be needed for nine months or so," Sid answered. His uncle had always drilled into him that the leader needed to take the long-term perspective because if he didn't, no one would.
Nodding his head, Connor said, "You're right. I'm pleased with how you dealt with the prisoners. I had expected that you'd hang them all."
Frowning as he thought about the consequences of his decision, Sid said, "They are in for a rough time. I imagine that most of the former overseers will get raped a time or two over the next few days."
The suggestion of rape surprised Connor. He looked at Sid and asked, "Why would you say that?"
Sid pointed to some of the women who had been freed. While the men were generally pushing around the overseers at each imagined transgression, the women had expressions of pure unadulterated hate on their faces. It didn't take the Chaos equivalent of a rocket scientist to know what they had planned for their former overseers. He said, "I'm sure that each of those women was repeatedly raped by the overseers. Considering the humiliation they've survived, it is obvious to me that they are willing to make whatever promises are necessary to get their little taste of revenge."
"I hadn't thought of that," Connor admitted. He was surprised that Sid had even considered the possibility.
"It will take some time, but things will work out in the end. There are rules concerning indentured servants that don't exist for slaves."
"What about the owners and their families?"
"The men will become indentured servants for the community as a whole. The women will be allowed to support themselves by working in the local whorehouse or by begging. However, none of them will be allowed to move further than a three hour walk from town. The children will be untouched. I don't believe in making children pay for the crimes of their parents," Sid answered. He didn't feel guilty about sentencing the women to such a life. He was putting them in a position where they would come to cherish every possession they had.
Connor stared at Sid for a moment and then said, "You would actually sentence the women to working in a whorehouse?"
"I'm not forcing them to work in a whorehouse. I'm only saying that more likely than not that it is the only way they will be able to support themselves and their children," Sid answered. He gestured for one of the former slaves to come over and talk to him. The man came over in a slow shuffle. With a mixture of insolence and respect in his voice that would prevent a beating while letting Sid know that he didn't appreciate being ordered around, the man asked, "What do you want?"
"Just wanted to ask you a question or two," Sid answered with a pleasant smile. He understood the edge to the man's behavior.
The man tensed up and asked, "What choice do I have?"
"You're a free man and have the choices available to all free men," Sid answered. He wondered how long the suspicious nature of the former slaves would last.
"Okay," the man replied looking at Sid with suspicion. He was quiet for a moment and then said, "Ask away."
"Who treated you harsher, the slave owner or his wife?"
"The owner was a hard man, but the wife was a cruel bitch," answered the man with real venom in his voice. The owner at least viewed them as an investment that was to be cared for. When the owner got angry at a slave, the slave was whipped. When the wife got angry at a slave, the slave died. His oldest friend had been killed because of that woman.
"That is all that I wanted to know," Sid said glancing meaningfully at Connor. He said, "Thank you very much."
"May I go now?"
"Unless you have any questions for me," Sid answered. After a slight pause, he added, "If you have any questions, ask anyone around here. They'll be glad to help you in any way they can."
"Thanks," the man said. He walked away quickly. He wasn't about to trust a man with power.
Connor was quiet and waited until the freed man had gone on his way. He turned to Sid and asked, "How did you know?"
"The owner views slaves as business investments. Their wives tend to view the slaves as personal property. One is more careful about assuring that a business investment brings a good return on value than one is about maintaining personal property," Sid answered.
"That makes sense," the older man said while nodding his head.
Sighing, Sid said, "We'll have to have some of the more junior men
deal with the former slaves until they believe the reality of their
situation."