General George Washington's Great Secret
or
The Man Who Twizzled America
by Mathew J. Bowyer
Copyright ©1998
ISBN: 0-87714-351-X eBook edition
ISBN: 0-87714-528-8 PB edition
or
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.
This is a work of fiction. All characters and events portrayed in this book are fictional, and any resemblance to real people or incidents is purely coincidental.
Epilogue - The greatest untold story in American history is that of the so-called French and Indian War. Probably because it antedated the United States. A footnote to this event mentions the British General Braddock secretly buried his payroll coins stoppered into the muzzle of two brass cannons in the forest alongside his path to Fort Duquesne. The General was killed and is buried beside the path he made famous. George Washington emerged the hero. He knew the secret but for various reasons, never divulged it. For 40 years I have lived proximate to the suspected location of the treasure cache. I hoped to uncover it upon the excavation of my swimming pool. I wasn't lucky; but my research on this subject led me to piece together a story so fantastic as to be unbelievable.
My historical romance - General George Washington's Great Secret - could conceivably create a stir in Great Britain as well as France. Washington, then a young militia captain had been charged in absentia by France, before the arrival of Braddock in America, with the murder of a French officer, M. Jumenvail. That event actually precipitated the War. [Jumenvail is buried near the old trail to Fort Duquesne, in a well-marked grave, ironically proximate to Braddock's grave.] After the peace treaty, the indictment of Washington became moot.
"Of one thing we are sure however, and that is that the treasure has never been recovered, and that the British Government, which has never given up its claim, has offered one half of the gold to any one who finds its. Historical Society of Fairfax County, Virginia Inc. Yearbook, Volume 3 - 1954.
He is a well-known freelance writer whose articles, covering a spectrum of human interests regularly appeared in national publications. Now out of print, his book, "THEY CARRIED THE MAIL: A Survey of Postal History and Hobbies" (Luce/McKay-1972), received national acclaim. He is an author of non-fiction books on mysticism, collecting, investing, religion and historic fiction. His writings, he says, "is just a hobby."
For several years, Mat wrote a monthly column-"Washington Wrappers"-for the nation's largest (90,000 circ.) philatelic newspaper, Linn's Stamp News. Also, a column-"Mat's Chat"-for the National League of Postmasters' magazine and a syndicated column for Trans-World News Service.
Adding flavor to his writing and engagements as an after-dinner speaker, Mat's travels - at times as a tour host - have included virtually all of the European countries, the MIDEAST and the Pacific.
This title was nominated for the Frankfurt eBook Awards.
The Book - This historical novel contains the first Early American romance; so pristine in its purity and world-shaking in the monetary and political impact during its day, as to be unbelievable by later generations, but its femme and her hero finally emerge upon modern America, drawn directly from the footnotes of history by an author who spent more than forty years sifting through the soil of centuries in search of this story.
1755: General Braddock and his crack Coldstream Guards arrive in America. The first chapter ends upon his naive Orderly, Abba - who later develops into the stories protagonist -losing his virginity, being seduced by the most beautiful of the British army nurses, Irma, in the darkened graveyard of Christ's Church in Alexandria, Virginia. Abba, though, regardless being affianced to his betrothed back in London, is enamoured of Irma's underage sister who, by special dispensation had been allowed to join the Expedition as a Nurse because their head-of-family brother is an Officer in the Coldstream Guards. She, Cynthia, is to become the reason of our protagonists tour de force. Shortly, for supposedly attempting to fend off attentions to the older sister, Irma, one of the British soldiers - a self-appointed protector of the British woman's virtue - is challenged to a secret duel by the flamboyant, mysterious but prominent Colonial lawyer, Juan Sebastian - who is to become a central character in this book's plot.
The Virginia Militia officer, George Washington who, also, is to become one of the chief characters in this saga, guides Abba around the judicial area at the spartan burial. There are the stocks, a hog-thief being de-eared, and other punishments incidental to the maintenance of civility on this faraway outpost of civilization. Braddock advises Washington that the French politicos in Paris have requested the Indians get his redheaded scalp in retaliation for his Militia having "murdered" a French officer.
Ben Franklin consults with the General. Daniel Boone comes to sign on as a guide. Other notables of the day rightfully traipse the pages. Braddock advises the Colonial Governors of King George's secretly forthcoming Stamp Act to help defray the Crown's expenses of defending the American colonies against the French and Indians. [Unknown at that time, of course, but this would be the precursor of the 'Boston Tea Party.']
Soon, it is time for the March to Fort Duquesne to begin. At the end of the first day rain bogs down the troops. Surreptitiously the General and his Orderly bury the payroll coins, stoppered into the muzzles of two brass cannon at a spring alongside the trail expecting to retrieve the cache on the way back. [This is documented by verbatim excerpts from official Orderly Books of "Braddock's Expedition."]
The British soldiers were content having their way with the American and Indian women on the march. But some of the Colonial militia, particularly those vagabond enlistees who had signed up at the port of Alexandria, simply because it was the exciting thing of the moment, were causing many problems, particularly regarding the British Nurses. Abba's favorite, Cynthia, was in constant carnal danger. Irma has sacrificed herself rather than have her sister submit. Abba has had to rescue Cynthia from rape. There are lashings of men and women. Finally, the unexpectedly grueling march, fear, and lack of food made sex the least of concerns. Snake meat, mixed with bear, helps fend off hunger in those murderous mountains.
Most of this army of 1500 - a great number in that day - once so resplendent and backed by the world's greatest nation, becomes reduced to a tattered rag-tag band whose main concern is daily survival. Oh, there is leadership in the likes of General Braddock, Colonel Hackett, Captain Washington and Orderly Kern. But, how can they command human frailties in a failing mission? Periodically, verbatim accounts of the "Expedition," excerpted from official records and the Officers' Orderly Books are injected into the script to provide authenticity to the unbelievable happenings.
Irma had attempted suicide. Dr. Sternoff had died with delirium tremens. Many of the men were sick. Then, they heard the shouts and saw the brightly war-painted savages. Ambushed! Most of the white men were killed, including the sisters' brother and Colonel Halkett along with his two sons. Captain Washington is seen as the battle's hero, leading the survivors to safety Abba, Irma, Cynthia and the Indian fighter, Corporal Silas Sledge were taken prisoner. They watch Irma being burned at the stake. The wily Indian fighter, Corporal Sledge, manages to escape with Cynthia and Abba, who was naked, as he was to be the next burned. Rejoining the remains of the Expedition, Abba is present when the General dies, after the old man gives to him his "twizzle" baton and requests he return to London and visit the Commandant of the Tower, for an important, secret message.
Somehow, Abba and Cynthia - now a speechless zombie - make it back to the unbelieving city of Alexandria. The Crown in an interim move, conveniently abandons the pursuit of French antagonism in America. Governor Dinwiddie offers Abba a job as his scribe. Abba accepts with the proviso that the Governor also employ Cynthia as a helper in his office. When the governor gets politically ousted, the bachelor lawyer Juan Sebastian who intimates to Abba he knows about the secretly buried payroll - hires Abba and Cynthia. After about two years Cynthia blossoms and begins to give indications that someday she might come out of her shell.
The man-about-town, the dashing bachelor lawyer Sebastian, tries vainly to get Abba attached to any of the eligible young women. There is one who almost makes it, At a party it is managed to have him become isolated with her. She offers her body and soul, saying that if Abba doesn't care to marry her, she will be forced to wed one of the rich old men who pursue her.
Unmarried women were scarce in the Colonies. Pressure to wed badgered women from all angles. Men fought over them. Chastity until marriage was common; sex was synonymous with childbirth, and beautiful women were more prized than bales of wealth. Though hurtfully tempted by this beauty who loved him above her other choices, the young man hewed hard to his puritanical morality and forsook the offered pleasure of the moment for, hopefully, a greater satisfaction later in life.
It is now ten years since Braddock and his Coldstream Guards arrived in America. "Braddock Road" is still perilous. Abba decides it is time for him to make that pilgrimage back to London. He finds his betrothed Mary has died. At the Tower, the Commandant reveals that Abba is the recognized bastard son of bachelor General Braddock. And, that Braddock's Expedition was a "proprietary" venture, in that the General had been given a grant of money, with the proviso that any extra cost he would have to bear and any unexpended funds would be his. Thus, legally, the buried treasure belonged to Braddock's heir; him, Abba.
Upon his return to America Abba tells Sebastian he will get the old Indian fighter Silas Sledge to go with him to dig up the treasure, and give part of it to the man because he saved their lives - his and Cynthia's. At the site, though, upon probing the ground and determining the cache, Sledge attempts to kill Abba. saying that he and Sebastian had plotted to split the- spoils, once Abba divulged the location. Our still-naive protagonist cannot believe this, but he is forced to kill Sledge [his trusty "twizzle stick" provides the coup de grace] or be killed himself. He leaves the bounty buried.
Back to Alexandria. First to Gadsby's Tavern, where he finds his friend George Washington, who now is a very wealthy Virginia politician. Abba confides to George, who is the only other person to know of the secret burial of Braddock's payroll. George gives Abba gold, then and there, for his share in Sebastian's lucrative trading company, and advises that the treasure cache will remain a secret with him, to eternity.
At the darkened law of offices, Abba stealthily enters and, unbeknownst to the occupants sees that Sebastian has lured Cynthia there, after hours, and is telling her that he, Abba, will not be coming back, that he had absconded with company funds and fled to England that very day.
Abba, hiding, watches the wily lawyer begin to disrobe the virginal young woman who is virtually in a state of shock. As the final garment is about to be tugged away and the man has his expanding penis fully exposed, Abba rushes into die room, unsheathes the baton General Braddock had bequeathed to him, which is actually a secret sword - his "twizzle stick" - and with one fell swoop severs the organ.
The cunning barrister produces a derringer from his boot and holds it to Cynthia's head, demanding help with her as hostage. Abba's short sword begins to penetrate the lawyer's neck. The single shot goes awry. The sword goes to its hilt. This would be the final death for Cynthia to witness in this God-forsaken frontier. And, it was the shock needed to shake her from die psychological trauma that had held her in its frigid bondage since those dreadful days during the French & Indian War. With that release she was freed from her longstanding fear.
She saw that her knight in shining armor had always been beside her. The two now recognized true love. So, then and there they pledged their troth each to the other. Cynthia demanded of Abba that they make a sacrament unto each other and their God immediately, this very night - by consummating a common law marriage. The virginal woman willingly and wantonly became a wife before The Falcon set sail for England at dawn. The earthly fortune in gold and silver coins now bore no luster when compared to the love they had finally found. As Cynthia said, while she watched America fade into the ocean waves, "It is a story that I can tell our children's children about their grandfather and his good American friend, George Washington who fought with General Braddock ... three men who valued fidelity more than fortune.
Historians will salivate at their discovery of heretofore unpublished facts found in this book The author has taken many dates and records, verbatim, from Orderly Books written by the officers I aides at the times of their happening. The author, for 44 years, has lived proximate to the Braddock Road site of the yet-unfound buried gold. During that time he researched Braddock Road from its inception as but a buffalo trail to today's multi-laned macadam highways - from the General's Headquarters at the Carlyle House in Alexandria, to Fort Duquesne in Pennsylvania. The author, in his retracking Braddock's steps of 1755, before the existence of the United States, did not find the treasure, only unearthing artifacts such as Indian arrowheads and spent bullets (‘minnie balls') from the United States Civil War (1861-1865) However, his prize was this story.
Readers of romance, the bizarre or buried gold, will gasp as they see that, indeed, truth is stranger than fiction. Moreover, they will love the surprise ending that leads the breathless observer to the realization that despite life's travails and tragedies - love, and faith in love, reigns. This historical novel is substantiated by a bibliography and photos.
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