1850 American Gold Tycoon.

Chapter 737 From Private to Lieutenant

"Robert, what are your plans next? Continue northward?"

Beauregard sat down by the warm fireplace, took off his gloves and warmed himself by the fire, asking Robert Lee about his next plan.

"Beauregard, did you notice the soldiers standing guard at the entrance of the White House?"

Robert E. Lee took off his military cap and sat opposite Beauregard.

"I saw it." Beauregard recalled the scene before entering the White House. The image of the Confederate guards shivering in the cold wind at the door flashed through his mind, and he said self-deprecatingly.

"What a irony! The fields of the South produce more than two-thirds of the world's cotton, but our young men in the South, who are only a hundred miles away from the capital, Richmond, do not have enough clothes to keep warm."

Even the guards standing guard at the door of the White House in Washington were not guaranteed warm clothing, let alone ordinary Confederate soldiers.

Richmond's logistical support work was very inadequate.

At the beginning of the war, the Confederate Army was in high spirits and won battle after battle. Everyone, including the Confederate President Davis, believed that the war could be ended before winter came.

If the president is like this, one can imagine the attitude of his subordinates.

The Confederate Army's quartermaster department did not prepare much warm clothing at all.

In late autumn, the young men of the Confederate Army could only borrow winter clothes and quilts from their fellow villagers in the war zone to keep warm.

"Now that Baltimore has been occupied, let the boys build fortifications along the Susquehanna River. The boys also need a good rest so that they can have a peaceful Christmas," said Robert Lee.

Robert Lee had traveled a lot in the North before, and he was already familiar with the terrain and conditions of the northern states.

Even without looking at the map, he could complete the layout of the front-line defense.

The various units of the Southern Army have been fighting at a high intensity for the past six months and are already exhausted and really need a good rest.

"I heard that not many people in the West froze to death. It's a miracle. The central frontier is much colder than Washington," said Longstreet, who arrived late.

"The Yankees' logistical work is so good. It would be great if our quartermasters were as trustworthy as them."

The Western Army fought in the central frontier region thousands of miles away from the core ruling area, but was not burdened by logistics.

This impressed Longstreet, who was in charge of the logistics of the Confederate Army.

As someone who also worked in logistics, Longstreet knew how difficult it would be for the Western Army to accomplish this.

Willis, a tall and thin man from the 5th South Carolina Infantry Regiment, was already wearing a crude brown double-breasted cotton lieutenant's uniform, and around his slender waist he wore a red belt that he had taken from his fellow countryman and friend, Lieutenant Bob.

The belt has different shades of color, and it is difficult to tell which part is dye and which part is blood.

But the South Carolina state emblem on the belt is still very beautiful.

War is indeed the fastest ladder for military promotion.

Just half a year ago, Willis was still a naive private from South Carolina who was inspired by the recruiting officer's passionate speech and joined the army without hesitation.

He was now a lieutenant in the 5th South Carolina Infantry.

In the past, this was something he would never have dared to dream of.

Except for the Second Battle of Manassas, when the 5th South Carolina Infantry Regiment was in a rest period, the 5th South Carolina Infantry Regiment almost never missed any battle and made great achievements.

Of course, there were also heavy casualties.

Especially during the damn Battle of Washington, 5 brothers of the 150th South Carolina Infantry Regiment died under the guns of the Northerners.

Willis's good friend from the same hometown, Lieutenant Bob, was killed by a Yankee militiaman's gunfire a month ago, and his brother, who served in the 2nd South Carolina Infantry Regiment, also died in Washington.

Lieutenant Bob was a very remarkable person in Willis's mind. He had attended the Military Academy in South Carolina, was an excellent shooter and rider, and could write poetry.

In his hometown, Lieutenant Bob is a well-known young talent in the surrounding area and is very popular among young girls.

Such an outstanding person actually died at the hands of an old farmer in Washington.

The Union militiaman who killed Lieutenant Bob was killed by Willis himself. Willis carefully examined the Yankee soldier who killed his hero. He turned out to be an old farmer of similar status to him. Judging from his attire, he was not even a small farmer, but probably a tenant farmer or hired worker.

Soldiers who joined the army at the same time as Willis, as long as they are still alive and perform bravely, can be promoted to lieutenant or second lieutenant if they are lucky, and can be promoted to sergeant if they are less lucky.

Now Willis faces the same trouble as Lieutenant Bob, that is, how to discipline the new recruits.

Just when Willis was having a headache, the young men under his command came out of a fairly luxurious house carrying large and small bags.

A person who looked like a hostess grabbed a young man and begged him not to steal her things.

The young man was annoyed by the hostess and threatened her with a bayonet on his rifle: "You stinky northern bitch! So many people borrowed your clothes, but you just kept holding on to me. Do you think I look honest and easy to bully?!"

Seeing this, Willis stepped forward and grabbed the young man's rifle, saying gloomily, "Don't kill anyone."

Before entering the city, perhaps it was out of consideration for international image, or perhaps it was because they did not want to overly anger the Northern Federation.

Robert E. Lee issued an order prohibiting the looting and killing of civilians in Washington.

But the Confederate Army's logistical support was so poor that it was impossible to stop looting.

If they didn't grab some coats and quilts, the Confederate boys would really be frozen to death in this cold winter on Christmas Eve.

Not retaliating and killing the civilians in Washington was the greatest mercy these Confederate soldiers could show.

After being scolded by the lieutenant, the Confederate soldier left cursing.

Willis was angry at the Confederate soldier's disrespectful attitude. When he was a rookie, he was extremely respectful and obedient to Lieutenant Bob.

Perhaps it was because he had just been promoted to lieutenant and did not yet have enough prestige.

It will get better later.

Willis thought so.

"Please, give our things back to us." The hostess grabbed Willis's arm and begged, "I know you must be a kind and good person."

Many of Willis's fellow countrymen, including his brother, died in Washington, so he naturally had no good feelings towards the residents of Washington.

Although Willis was not well educated and was a country bumpkin, he knew that these civilians were not innocent.

He rudely slapped the hostess's hand away, and his tone was as cold as the snowy weather today: "When your man voted for old Lincoln, he should have expected this day to come."

Willis, feeling depressed, returned to the military camp and wandered around it. He met his old acquaintance Hong Delie who was setting up a stall near the camp. He walked uncontrollably to Hong Delie's stall.

"Congratulations, Lieutenant Willis, you've been promoted again." Hong Delie quickly changed his words after glancing at Willis's recently replaced epaulettes and confirming that they were two stars.

"Look at this double-breasted coat and these leather boots. They are so impressive!"

"Is there any longevity cream available today?" Willis' pupils widened as he searched around Hong Delie's stall for the goods he wanted.

"I kept it specially for you." As he said that, Hong Delie took out a black plaster and took Willis into a warm tent filled with smoke that looked like a fairyland.

Inside the tent, five or six Confederate officers and soldiers were lying in a mess, smoking.

"Hong Delie, I didn't understand why you Chinese people like this stuff before." Willis took a very ecstatic puff, and said as he lay limply on a straw mat next to the coal stove.

"It is indeed a good thing that can make people forget all the troubles of time."

"Nonsense, we don't smoke this stuff anymore." Hong Delie shook his head quickly, "In the West, smoking this stuff will get you hanged, and it will also prevent your children from taking the civil service exam and joining the army.

If you hadn't begged me to bring this stuff to you, I wouldn't have wanted to touch it at all. The German-controlled area in Mexico is now also very strict. I got these goods from the French-controlled area. The Mexicans in the French-controlled area always raise the price. "

"Well, you profiteer, are you going to raise the price again?" Willis couldn't help but spit and cursed when he heard it.

(End of this chapter)