Quantico - The Unwritten history... Chapter 2.

The main problem facing General Lee and this secret military offensive, was moving his troops undetected... for as long a time as possible.

There was over 200 miles of unfriendly ground to be covered.

If He could get his forces halfway there, before anyone realized something was going on, he was confident that the objective could be achieved..
It had been planned out meticulously months before, but the sudden lack of thousands of troops missing from his ranks would be a problem. A problem that would draw attention..
Spies were everywhere,he knew that, and the noticeable lack of bodies would soon be apparent. The element of surprise would have gone..
And surprise was essential if this was to be a successful campaign.
Picketts charge fixed this first problem beautifully with thousands of dead bodies now lying on the battleground.

They just weren't the dead confederate soldiers, that the Union troops thought they were.

The other big problem was the amount of troops that he could actually send on this campaign. Or lack of.
Smaller numbers had a much greater chance of success than sending a larger army.
He couldn't afford to send masses of cavalry with quick maneuvers, as this would not go unnoticed.
They enemy would be alerted, and they would be engaged much too soon.

No, He had to send infantry units and some hand drawn artillery, all moving in small groups - separately, and all heading to the same rendezvous point.

That rendezvous was just outside the small town of Middletown.
Coincidentally - was also the midway point between Gettysburg and their final destination. Quantico.
And a final destination it was, for he expected non of his loyal soldiers to ever return.

It was a heavy price for Lee to pay, personally - as he saw his army as his, and his soldiers were not only his fighters, but his friends, and he took personal responsibility to look after them as best he could.
There would be no help for these brave few thousand volunteers, heading deep into enemy territory, down the Maryland, Delaware peninsular...
Only fighting, death and imprisonment awaited them.

But the prize was worth the sacrifice, He knew that.
He would have gladly gone on the campaign, if President Jefferson Davis himself had not explicitly ordered him not to go.
He knew his general well.

He knew that his old war horse would choose to be in the field with his men, fighting side by side with them, and not hightailing it back to Virginia.
Retreating just wasn't in his blood.

He has given only three officers the true objective of their mission.
He trusted them completely.
They were entrusted with what to look for, but he could never tell them why.
Secrecy was everything, and he doubted very much that they could truly understand the magnitude of this endevour, even if he did tell them.
Burdening them down with this extra knowledge, would only burden them with extra responsibility, and added no advantage to the overall success of the campaign.

As long as one of them reached the Quantico cottage, with enough time to retrieve the box hidden under the floor, all the loss of life would be worth it.
And the whole world would be grateful.
If non of them made it?
Then it would be terrible loss of some very good men - all for nothing.

One the box was found, a small boat was ready and waiting for them, near the coastline.
They were ready to exit the peninsular at a moments notice, to head back to friendly southern soil.
There was only enough room on the boat for the three officers and their precious cargo.

Their orders were explicit – they were to leave the rest of the army behind , and leave them to their own fate..

Meanwhile in Salisbury - 100 miles south from Middletown...

"What are we looking for, again?" The soldier said to his sergeant.
" A box," Replied the sergeant, " That's all I know. ...Just a box."

"Well... if it's full of gold I'm taking it for myself, and heading home," The private relied, cheerfully.
"Not until you give me 'alf of it, you won't, " Said the sergeant, smiling.

"We must have searched every house in America, by now! ," Whined the soldier, " I hope it's worth it,"

"There ain't no bloody box, you idiot! ," Snapped the sergeant, " They're just giving us something to do, to stop us from getting bored. There ain't much of nothing else happening ''ere, is there?
You can always count on the army to give you nothing to do, if there's nothing to do.", He chuckled, finding his own play on words, amusing..
"Where to next, Sarge?, There ain't nothing here," Said the soldier, emerging from the shack.

"Further north, soldier, always north.." The Sergeant replied.

" What about this Quantico place,?" The soldier asked, looking at his map, pointing.
" Quantico?" The Sarge said, impatience in his voice. " It's one bloody house, in a million other houses.. I don't think missing one house is gonna change the outcome much...Besides Georgetown has a saloon bar, or so I've heard.."

"Georgetown it is, then!" The soldier chirped up cheerfully
The sergeants platoon fell in and started trudging north, towards Georgetown, checking on any houses as they went..