Civil War ISOT:Mustang Blue unlike any other

Hidden Location

1862



General Beauregard looked the man standing before him over. His all black uniform from the Department of Health and Safety made him stand out in the tent.



"Major Nathan Bedford Forrest, CADoHS reporting as ordered General."



Beauregard looked Forrest over, "I see the Health and Safety has been good to you." Noting the lean look on the Major, "I assume you have some understanding of why you have been summoned here?"



Coldly looking forward, Major Forrest observed the map behind the General. Without saying a word he walked around the General, studying the map. He reached and moved a few things. Beauregard stared and looked at the Major with annoyance.



"Your map was off General. These are the latest updates actual positions. You might want to have your scouts realign themselves to this."



General P.G.T. Beauregard laughed and slapped Major Forrest on the back. "Well I can see your time has not been completely wasted. How do you know your information is the most up to date?"



One of Beauregard's aides came in and delivered the days dispatches from the telegraph. The general opened the dispatches and laughed even harder, "So you still not only have the touch, You have refined it."



He walked over to a book picking it up, turning he handed it to Major Forrest. Forrest took the book without looking at it. "The Colonel's updated tactical manual for West Point. Included is a list of speeches and arguments he had with Cadets."



Beauregard looked at Forrest, "So you have copies of all of this?"



"As well everything else in the possession of the D o H and S on the present Commandant of West Point." Forrest smiled, "A man destroys your life you do sometimes get hung up on the man studying his every move. General I can tell you several things."



Beauregard stared at Forrest for a minute, " Go ahead Major. What has your study shown you."



"Your losing and losing badly." Pointing back over to the map, " The combined Bushwackers and regular Army are losing by yards now. Every time you make a move it seems that the enemy knows your plans. Yet you can find no leak. Last few weeks, supplies have dropped off in frequency with slightly poorer quality. At least this is what you have reported"



The smile left Beauregard's face, "Those were .." Sighing," Proof enough of the problem. I take it you read the associated works that are now part of the course at west point. "



"Machiavelli, Sun Tzu, and Robert Rogers among a few. I have read every single book in the new West Point reading list." Pausing as he looked around, "General. This is not why you brought me here."



"No Major it is not. Why do you think I had you brought to me," General Beauregard stood up?



"You need someone to hit the Yankees hard. You need breathing room and someone to buy it for you. You need someone to slow the Colonel's contributions to the war effort. "



Beauregard's smile returned," And what makes you think the Confederate Army would allow you to return to field duty?"



"No offense General, I am the best Calvary man here in this part of the country. I am probably the best horseman serving the confederacy." Forrest looked Beauregard straight in the eyes, "On my word of honor. Give me a calvary unit and I will harass the Union. Give me complete say in how they are recruited, I will buy a year. However there is one problem, my family."



General Beauregard walked over to his command desk and pulled out insignia. "Welcome back Lt. Colonel." He handed the rank to Forrest, "General Lee manipulated Davis into reassigning you a month ago. Your back Lt. Colonel and you report to me."



"My Family," Forrest asked.



"Lets say the first Butcher of Belmont is very pissed. We traded A General and his staff for your family." As Forrest started to complain Beauregard held up his hand. "Truth is we would have given them all back. Your family was just an excuse to get something in return. We have a secondary problem that only a few people are aware of."



"My family was not," Forrest shook his head. "I read no reports over other problems. Unless,"His eyes went wide. He shook his head, "The hubs and network of telegraph lines.."



General Beauregard sat back down, "It is not a fact we let the reporters speak of. We had to chose and it is a very bad sign. Keep the Hub or feed union Prisoners. We went into debt to build the Telegraphs lines. We had to use a lot of imported metal." He looked down. "We need you, in addition to hitting union supply lines to ... We need you to use your skills with Calvary to steal as much precious metals as you can from the Union."



Upset for a second, " You want me to be a thief and highwayman."



"Damn it Forrest, your earlier actions put us into this mess. We almost had British intervention. We need gold and silver and whatever else you can steal."



Calming down for a second, "It cant be that bad General. We are soldiers not.."



Taking a moment while he spoke, "Forrest. Without your efforts the Confederacy as it is will have to make tough choices. Payroll or ammo, tents or boots, uniforms or food... none of these are pleasant choices we face."



"General Lee is really on board with this?"



"It was his idea after reading the course material from west point. He quoted the Colonel and said the Major failure of most Militaries was when they overlook talented people because of their backgrounds. So he asked to borrow my honor to get something done. He told Davis the plan, to which Davis rejected outright.. At least until General Lee told him that I had a complete objection to the plan. He even told him I threatened to resign if the Plan was agreed to."



"Davis still doesnt like you," Lt. Colonel Forrest shook his head.



"To the Point he assigned you to report to me with the Confederacy's blessing for your mission."With a huge grin, "I sent the dispatch to the war department loudly complaining. With several complaints over this being wrong."



"Making noise but doing nothing," For second something in Forrest flashed. He shook his head, "I am the man for the job General."



Looking at the Lt. Colonel, "Good..... I would like another Calvary man's opinion on the front line. Grants forces are sitting here..."



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Bank of New Orleans

New Orleans, Louisiana



"Its all right mam. I know big numbers must scare a little lady such as yourself." The slimy looking man smiled, "The taxes due are not that.." The tax man paused as Selena's face had went very unlady like.



She smiled and stood. Looking at the smiling man she sat on her desk. She spread her legs right in front of the tax man. His face changed to a smile as he stood up. Pushing him back down she took off her bottom half of her dress.



"Mrs. Rogers," the tax man smiled. "This is.." Some primitive danger sense passed through the tax mans mind. He tried to stand up only to be shoved back ten feet.



"This is business, nothing personal," Selena smiled as she ran out of her office. The first person she ran to skirt-less was the bank guard.



"You ok Mrs. Rogers," the bank guard was also a member of the Home Guard. He saw the missing bottom half of her dress and tears. His face turned red..



Seeing this, Selena Rogers smiled. "He said if I didn't cooperate he would take everything. He... He touched me.." She buried her head into the Bank Guards home guard arm band and sniffled.



The Tax man came out of the office disheveled from being shoved. He looked around as the men in the Bank eyed him. "Wait, Its not like she.."



The Bank guard nodded to one of the Home Guard men and walked out Mrs. Rogers.



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Rogers Plantation

A few hours later



The man posing as her father in law spoke, "That was one hell of a risk Selena. I do not see any other option my dear." He stood walking over to the window. "I have gotten filtered reports from friends of the family. This is happening all over the confederacy. It appears the Tax Collecting arm is going on steroids."



Sipping her drink, "I can see why the Department of Health and Safety decided to let the Confederate Secret Service run this."



"You know the Home guard has to put men up in the Jail. They are going to try the tax man. " The man posing as her Father in Law took another drink, " Selena it was a brilliant touch. The Tax Collectors are asking for HG units in this part to protect them."



Selena sat in her Ex- husbands chair. She poured herself a refill and downed it. "My dear Father in law.. It is worse then that, I ordered the Home Guard man working the loans to give the good people extensions. These new taxes are eating up everything and the morons in charge of this country are blind."



"It is to help secure liberty that every man has to pay his fair share." The man posing as her Father in law toasted a person not there. "My dear daughter in law, If I told you who wrote that you would be shocked. Suffice it to say... Our people are the ones who uttered it and since then the CSS has claimed.."



"You mean this is all part of the plan to bring down .." Stopping she remembered to stay in character, "Our enemies."



" The prediction is in a few months the Confederacy will start to seize gold and silver. They will utter some non-sense reason, but the truth is they will have to do it. They will offer confederate notes in exchange for the transferred gold and silver."



"They are going to go to pure paper money," Selena was shocked. "Wait a second how do we know they will do this?"



"I asked myself this same question. We have no evidence they will be doing this. None what so ever," The older Gentleman posing as Roger Senior stood by the window.



"Wait. I read the purchase orders for Cotton. Why are we supposed to be paying the same price for cotton." Selena paused, "That diminishing return Garbage. Excessive number of cotton bales mean they are not worth as much. We are going to save as much as we can.. When they get desperate to sell, our cotton is going to be sold for less then they can afford to sell it for."



"You understand this.. How? "



"My Dear Father in Law," Selena slyly commented. "It is a problem.. I have heard about. The more girls vying for the attention of the limited supply of eligible men .. In any situation, lowers the value of the women in the men's eyes."



Her father in law laughed, "Business is cut throat at basic needs levels." The man posing as Rogers Senior smiled at Selena's knowledge. "The idea does appear to be flood the market with cotton as the south tries to sell cotton. What makes it worse, my guess is we will be the winning bid. Then the next year we will use the cotton we buy through third parties to under bid them again. Re-flooding the market." He refills his drink, " A viscous cycle we started.. To the Confederacy..."



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