He has hardly slept with all the anticipation. It is just at breaking of dawn when he gets off his cot and begins to put on his best uniform. He has one of his black servants button his outfit as he stares confidently into the mirror. This will be the start of my career, he tells himself. After he is properly outfitted with his colt pistol at his side and his best pressed uniform adorned with freshly shinned medals of achievement, he begins a very cocky and confident strut out of his tent. Even his shoes in this dusty camp have a high mirror shine to them. He is expecting no blood or sweat or grime to come his way. After leaving his tent he can see the scurry of black bodies moving to and fro with a distinct smell of burning tents with a faint trace of smoke lingering around his nostrils. He makes his way into the colored section of the camp to survey the presumably dead Mathew Brodus. After he rounds a row of tents he can see a pile of cloth splattered with blood near where this Brodus' tent was the day before. He doesn't get too close and just stands there for a moment to enjoy this victory.
"Sir, we have eliminated an assassin in our mitts. I am glad you were unhurt, I feared the worst." Brodus says behind Col. Smith in a very dry and unemotional tone. This has startled Smith as he was enjoying a moment of victory.
"Good to hear Sergeant." Col Smith says in a condescending manner. "I trust my men are ready to deploy?"
"Sir, yes sir! We are finishing our formation and ready to head out. Should I fill out a report about this Peter and his failed assassination attempt?"
"You have quite the imagination Brodus. This was just a stupid nigger doing what stupid niggers do." Col. Smith says as he turns to Brodus hoping to goad him into attacking him. He knows that if Brodus does anything insubordinate then he will be sent to the stockade and he will be free of this obstruction.
"Sir, yes sir! I will get the men ready to march." Brodus strains to not lunge at this man and snuff the life out of him. He knows he could easily dispatch of him and not only would his movement and men's moral be better, but he firmly believes the whole world would be a better place without this cancer in it.
Brodus is fuming in anger and disappointment in himself for putting up with a man like Col. Smith. He knows he is doing what must be done for now to get his troops deployed. After leaving the colored sleeping quarters he sees his men, the men he has been training for months to do more than kill white confederates, they are in a large open field lined up and absolutely still. He can see Mo and Ty roaming around making sure everyone is following the discipline they have tried to instill in these 2300 men over the last few months. Brodus is not disappointed and in a small moment of weakness he lets a tear roll down his cheek in admiration to see his fellow black men attaining this level of professionalism. He takes up a position in front of his men and awaits Col. Smith to take command of these men and head them out. Several hours go by before Col. Smith struts out on the field. Brodus assumes he was wanting to catch these men sitting down, unorganized or disorderly. Instead all 2300 men stand firm with all the equipment ready to head to war. He rolls his eyes and shouts to move out.
They have been marching for a few weeks heading to Gettysburg. The Confederate forces are pushing towards there after their victory in Chancellorsville. After arriving behind the Union forces there is a disdain for this newly arrived colored army regiment and Col. Smith is not treated like a white officer of his stature should be, and for a few moments he can feel what it is like to be a colored man in the United States. He orders his men to take up a position on the Northern border of Union forces trying to position himself as far away from the fighting as possible. He spends his nights getting drunk and writing angry letters to men back home he blames for putting him in this position.
Unlike the now very drunk Col Smith, Brodus and his advisers are bone dry sober. They have been analyzing maps and surveying the terrain around this stronghold. He knows of this man named Robert E. Lee, and the amazing victories he has had thus far. He knows even on the Northern tip far away from the approaching Confederate forces that they will get to test their training and their men in battle very soon. He has a liability that he must take care of but is unsure of how to move forward after eliminating Col. Smith. He collaborates with SSG Franks and devises a plan to forge Col. Smith's signature when requesting equipment and supplies, he is drunk all day and night and barely notices anything happening outside his tent. Franks takes care of the orders and delivering them to the proper people and no questions are raised. Brodus' men are now properly outfitted and equipped in more than the shabby old and barely usable equipment they had started with.
They get orders to move out and cover the right flank as Confederate forces begin to attack and withdraw seeking weaknesses in the lines. It is on the second day of this battle that they can see Confederate forces approaching them. Brodus visits a sobering Col. Smith who is unaware of what is going on. Brodus tells him that General Grant himself has asked that they offensively push towards the confederates and a victory here will allow him a promotion to a white regiment and SSG Franks has doctored some paperwork to reflect this. Smith is still groggy from days of drunkenness so he is more susceptible to this ploy and doesn't question it at all. He orders Brodus to get the men ready and they will be victorious under Smith's command. It is almost dusk and Brodus has his men in a line of forty spaced apart in ten foot intervals and they begin to push towards the confederate forces out in the distance. There are numerous trees scattered around between the two forces and Brodus' men have been ordered to move quietly and without the aid of torches or lanterns. The confederate forces don't have the same discipline and can be heard and seen as the sun begins to set. Brodus approaches Col. Smith as he seems to be sobering up and is now aware of how close he is to the enemy. Brodus leans up to his ear and whispers.
"You will never lead my men in battle." As he utters those words he puts his hand over Col. Smith's mouth and plunges a dagger into his heart with a slight twist of his wrist he can see the moments of agony frozen on his dead face. He pulls out the dagger that once belonged to a failed assassin named Peter, and he can't help but enjoy the irony of his death. Very silently he issues some hand commands that are replicated perfectly down the line and by the time the last column of men receive their orders they all move out in unison.
The fighting is fierce and fast. Brodus is flanked by Mo and Ty as they tear through the entrenched Confederate forces. Only a few shots are fired by some of them before they are struck down alerting other Confederate forces as they peer into the darkness outside of their campfires and torches spread around. Brodus and his men move from camp to camp extinguishing the fires as they move making it harder for the next camp to see what is going on. They use hand to hand techniques they perfected with their rifles bayonet attached and after dispatching of a few hundred enemies they have only lost a handful themselves. They fight throughout the night slowly, but methodically, eliminating a much larger force then they had. They are eventually able to flank their artillery and quickly kill all the men that were lingering around waiting for fire orders.
Eight hours of fighting and roaming around different camps on this Northern edge of the Confederates forces has yielded great results. They killed men sleeping in beds and even those on lookout. Most of them are caked in blood and their uniforms are barely recognizable as Union troops. Brodus and his men are assessing their situation in a General's tent that was leading this brigade of men. According to his estimates, they have killed or dispersed some 1700 men and only lost 113 of their own. His advisers and bodyguards follow him out of the tent with their stolen Intel and begin making their way back to the Union side. Scouts from both sides have surveyed the damage and can see a small black regiment fleeing back towards their origination. This deadly incursion during the midnight hours has been spread across both sides with both of them equally in disbelief. The Confederates withdraw from Gettysburg demoralized at the Union's devilish tactics of killing men in their sleep and unleashing the savage black men against them. They quickly overlook the way they have been treating, and continue to treat, blacks in the South as they berate and condemn the actions of Brodus and his men. Rumors of savage men with gorilla like strength with no morals or souls tearing men apart limb by limb using no weapons at all. These rumors do the Union good instilling fear in their enemy but Brodus is still called in to answer for the charges of being extremely heinous on the battlefield.
Maj. General Meade was the Union General credited with defeating Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg but he knows as well as most that even though he was victorious in that battle, that the outcome of this war could very well be credited to the efficiency and demoralization of confederates by Brodus and his black regiment. He has asked to meet with this man against the objection of his fellow officers and advisers. Unlike most of the officers in the Union General Meade has had lovely debates with General Grant about the mistreatment of colored folk around the country. He would never openly support the tactics used by Brodus, but it is hard to condemn a man that has done so much to ensure victory of this brutal war that has turned American against American, brother against brother. General Meade is sipping on some very fine brandy that was sent to him when news of his victory spread North when Brodus enters his command tent.
"Sir, Sergeant Brodus of Camp William Penn's Colored Troop reporting as ordered." Brodus offers a textbook salute and his form is rigid and still as possible. He holds his salute with eyes forward unaware of the intentions of this General, and when his salute isn't returned immediately he wonders if he has traded his Col. Smith for a similar higher ranking foe.
"At ease Sergeant." General Meade says offering a lazily salute to put this man at ease. "What happened to your commanding officer? The Colonel Smith?"
"Sir, Colonel Smith was mortally wounded during the initial attack we began that night."
"I see." He replies as he sips his brandy and stares at Brodus with a examining gaze. "How do you feel about that?"
"I'm sorry sir, I don't understand the question."
"I'm asking how you feel knowing your beloved commanding officer was struck down before you and your men achieved a great victory against a numerically superior force."
"Sir, I don't feel anything one way or the other."
"I just wanted to gauge your response and you don't disappoint. Do you know what most officer think of you and your men?" General Meade asks almost rhetorically.
"They think we are mindless savages, unworthy of training or commanding in battle sir!"
"Is that what you believe Sergeant?"
"No Sir!" Brodus says with a deadly glare. No doubt as deadly as his face is when he is taking a life.
"Nor do I. I am promoting you to the rank of Sergeant Major, you are also ordered to form your regiment into a more structured unit. I want you to have six companies and promote six men to the rank of Sergeant First class as well as four new Sergeants for each company."
After uttering those words Brodus for the first time is taken aback by the recognition of his men and their actions by not only a white officer but a commanding officer of the Union Army's largest force. Maj. General Meade was in contact with both General Grant and President Lincoln and they unanimously agreed in this formation. They knew there would be too much backlash in promoting Brodus to a much deserved officer rank, and also most men would not be comfortable if they knew an entire regiment of black soldiers was let loose without the supervision of a white officer. The three men arranged to have suitable officers assigned to the new regiment but left in place a paper obstruction that would delay their appointment indefinitely. Winning the war was what mattered the most and based on Brodus and his men they were assured victory was on the horizon. General Meade spent the next few hours having a detailed conversation with Brodus about his life goals and what he wanted to attain during the course of the war and following after it. This was a long conversation and at the end of it both men knew, not only more about each other, but also that they could be allies now and after the war if things panned out correctly.
A year had passed since that conversation in the command tent and Brodus and his men were becoming exceedingly efficient at attacking Confederates along their Southern strongholds. Eventually Brodus met up with General Ulysses S. Grant after he was named Commander of all Union forces by President Lincoln in March, 1864. Brodus shared much tactical insights with Grant and the two men spent many long late night hours discussing strategy and arguing over the proper role of Brodus and his Colored regiment. Both men wanted the same outcome both during and after the war, but neither were naive enough to think there would be no opposition against them. Brodus had a plan to help in Grant's offensive attacks in Virginia and began preparing his men for more bloodshed.
He wasn't numb to losing men, or even taking another man's life, he just knew it was part of what needed to be done to ensure his people's freedom and equality. Ty and Mo retained their rank of Private so they could stick solely by Brodus' side throughout battles. Brodus' second in command was First Sergeant William Stone. He was a beautiful tactician and strategist who was ultimately responsible for much of the direction that they have taken in the past few months. They have begun to hit Confederate strongholds and their supply lines in Southern territory leading to a massive increase of Confederate deserters and whole companies and battalions surrendering to Brodus and his men. Brodus' Army, as it was often referred to by whites and blacks alike, began a determined push towards Atlanta with major Union forces following in the wake of their surgical strikes mopping up leftovers.
One stronghold was Dalton, Georgia surrounded by mountains and tough terrain the Confederate Army of over 60,000 strong dug in to repel a much larger Union force. Brodus, with the heed of 1SG Stone, decided to take his 2,500 men and attack feebly defended supply lines coming from Atlanta towards Dalton. Each attack led to more Intel on routes and times of supplies being guarded and transported around the area.
One such attack occurred on June 17th 1864 near the town of Resaca between Dalton and Atlanta. A previous engagement led to information about a stockpile of supplies and equipment that was loosely guarded since it was firmly in Confederate territory. They approach some large buildings cautiously only spotting a handful of guards. Brodus has most of his men waiting in a nearby tree line as he takes seventy five men to investigate. He orders a squad of twelve men to take out one of the guards apparently sleeping at his lookout post. To everyone's surprise the guard was a dummy and the twelve men are swallowed by a large explosion as a mortar shell hits directly in the middle of them. That singular explosion that cost Brodus one his best squads was quickly followed by dozens more as they scrambled to retreat. Ty and Mo are at Brodus' side when they are halfway to the tree line and an explosion hits several men directly behind them and they are launched in the air and slam back to the ground. Brodus opens his eyes but sounds are muffled and he can see his men at the tree line shouting, but is unable to make out anything. He scans around behind him and can see body parts and blood thrown about the green fields. Further back he can see a few thousand Confederate soldiers lining up just along the building they were at and taking aim. His thoughts race about the good men that he has lost as well as the remainder of his forces in the tree line awaiting orders. Brodus is whisked off his knees and carried swiftly to the safety of the tree line just as the first bullets from their initial volley pepper the trees and unlucky soldiers still in the open, including some of them that collapse around where Brodus was carried shielding him. Brodus' Army retreat into the thicker cover of trees eliminating the pop shots the Confederates were taking.
Brodus' hearing comes back slowly and he starts dictating defensive formations to 1SG Stone that is eagerly awaiting orders. Ty was the one that grabbed Brodus and carried him to safety with Mo right behind them creating a human shield. Mo was hit in the right shoulder, but only a graze and they have quickly recovered from that mortar blast and are awaiting a good fight ahead of them. Brodus' men take up position behind trees staggered at the top of a minor ridge with a creek behind them. The Confederates charge in full speed hoping to kill them some more Negroes. They scream and bellow in blood curdling octaves, like bloodhounds on a chase of a wounded animal. Unfortunately for them the men are calm and execute their training with deadly precision. A loud whistle fills the air and in unison six hundred men peer around trees and unleash a volley of bullets at the rushing Confederates when they are mostly forty yards away. They duck back behind the trees before the bodies of several hundred men hit the forest floor. After the thud of bodies more Confederates stream past them just as another six hundred men stand up from the other side of the ridge and open fire. Both sides are close enough that reloading would be too slow so they charge each other straight on. However, on the right flank of the Confederates Brodus leads a few hundred men into the fray. Brodus uses a sword that he had taken from a Confederate Calvary officer he killed himself a year ago and begins weaving in and out of the enemies slashing and hacking his way towards their center. Alongside Brodus are Ty and Mo, with Mo wielding a giant 2 hand claymore that an average man would have a hard time wielding as he swings around wildly cleaving men in two or partially decapitating them. Ty is swinging around two 1 handed axes with very long handles and extremely large blades on the head of the axe. On the back of his axes he had a blacksmith hammer's head formed to crush his foes if he didn't feel like slicing them.
Brodus and his bodyguards don't account for the majority of Confederate casualties this day. His infantryman that hid behind the trees and ridgeline are accurately stabbing with their bayonets and swinging around their rifles to bludgeon people with the butt of their stocks. Over a thousand Confederates are maimed or killed within an hour of the assault and the remaining few hundred drop their weapons and fall to their knees crying out for forgiveness. After interrogating the officer of this unit they learn that General Lee was hoping to lure Brodus into a trap and end the current momentum of Union forces into Georgia. They caught him momentarily off guard but after this failed ambush and subsequent mass killing of Confederates their demoralization has peaked. General Lee surrenders to General Grant with Brodus at his side and with Lincoln's praise for the role of Negroes across the country in ending this war and uniting this country.
A year after Lee surrendered Brodus finds himself in Washington D.C. receiving the Medal of Honor from Lincoln for his outstanding and courageous efforts in defeating the Confederate insurrection. Brodus spends his time with political allies trying to make a smooth transition for freed black slaves as well as the second class citizen blacks that were free in the North. Despite his gallantry and admiration by many whites, there is a poisonous aura around some of his proposals of all men and women created equal. He has stated many times that in America both men and women of any race should be U.S. citizens and be treated no differently than any other under the law. His goals of passing a Federal Amendment ensuring these freedoms comes to a tragic roadblock with the assassination of President Lincoln. In late December 1866 a renegade group of Confederates that had sewn destruction around the North finally achieved their ultimate goal when Lincoln was leaving a meeting with his wife on the way back to the White House. They attached dynamite to themselves and rushed towards Lincoln and his wife shouting "The South shall rise again". The explosion sent the country into mourning and Vice President Andrew Johnson felt now was not the time to rock the boat with Brodus and his demands.
Three years after that tragic assassination there was little political movement towards equality. However, Ulysses S. Grant won the Presidential Election and guaranteed Brodus that he would meet his demands as his first order of business. This was not an easy task for the two men that much of the country saw as winning the war. There was opposition from Southern politicians that wanted to keep blacks and women in a limited citizenship role due their customs and personal beliefs. Equally in the North many businesses feared increased cost of labor for new immigrants as well as women and blacks if all was deemed equal. After nine months of debates and arguments, some of which almost boiled over into violence, there was a new Constitutional Amendment that said:
All Men and Women as U.S. citizens of any color, religion or creed are hereby protected equally under the law and shall not be abridged or infringed with their rights in any way.
This was a major victory for a majority of Americans that have lived their lives in poverty and disgust. However, there had already been plans to delay the citizenship process for women and blacks throughout the South. In light of these events Brodus used the last of his political capital to supplant black politicians in the states of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Missouri. These states would be a haven for any women or minorities that felt any undue pressure or obstruction to their path to citizenship. These states elected the first black and the first women representatives and congressmen the U.S. had ever seen. Despite much pressure Brodus left the political life with Ty and Mo as they began to structure schools and programs for the needy in their states.