Minor Fictional Characters in How Few Remain

This article lists the various minor fictional characters who appear in How Few Remain, the opening, stand-alone volume of the Southern Victory series. These characters are identified, but play at best a peripheral role in the series. Most were simply mentioned or had a very brief, unimportant speaking role that did not impact the plot, and never appeared again.

Gentleman Arsonist
The Gentleman Arsonist was the sardonic term Samuel Clemens used when referring to the Royal Marine who burned down his house during the Second Mexican War. During the War, the British shelled San Francisco and landed Marines to raid the US Mint. To cover their orderly retreat back to their ships, the Marines indiscriminately set fire to buildings behind them. The Gentleman Arsonist actually set fire to Clemens' neighbor's house but it spread and burnt down most of the block.

Saul Berryman
Captain Saul Berryman was the personal adjutant to US General-in-Chief William Rosecrans, stationed at the War Department in Washington DC. He was a bright young man who, although wasn't fluent in speaking German, was none the less competent enough to hold a basic conversation with the German Military Attache, Colonel Alfred von Schlieffen.

When the Second Mexican War began in 1881, Confederate colonel William Elliott demanded the surrender of the city. Captain Berryman, who represented Rosecrans was under orders to categorically reject any offers of surrender. After informing the Confederate Colonel he would have to fight for the city, he left for the train station, boarding a train with General Rosecrans, he relocated to Philadelphia.

He served Rosecrans faithfully throughout the duration of the war, but by the year's end, the harsh reality of his country's dire situation had taken their toll on him as he was no longer the bright and youthful man he'd been at the war's beginning, but none the less, kept up his polite manners to all visitors.

Bill
Bill was a middle-aged man living in Rochester, New York. He was good friends with two other men, Jim and Josh. In January of 1882, Bill and his two friends ran into Frederick Douglass in a drug store and started persecuting him, blaming all Negroes for the loss of the Second Mexican War. His courage fled him when the drug store owner pointed a gun at him and told him to leave.

Buckley
Sergeant Buckley was an artillery sergeant in charge of a Gatling gun team during the Second Mexican War. His gun was under over all command of Colonel George Custer, and he often acted as senior man of the two gun crews, as well as a liaison between them and the Colonel.

He understood the weapons he operated and could pick his ground well, which would later serve him well during a raid he made into the Indian Territory.

He continued to serve Custer faithfully for the duration of the war, following him to the Utah Territory, and later, the Montana Territory. Although fiercely loyal to Custer, the affection was not reciprocated.

Fred Cavanaugh
Fred Cavanaugh was a miner and labor organizer in Denver, Colorado. In 1881, he met with Abraham Lincoln to arrange for him to speak his ideas about capital and labour at the Denver Opera house. Fred had a sense of humor and although considered an equal with his friend, Joe McMahan, he usually let Joe to all the talking.

Archibald Creel
Second Lieutenant Archibald Creel (d. 1881) was a soldier in the US Army when the Second Mexican War began in 1881. Attached to the Army of the Ohio, he took part in the disastrous campaign in Louisville, Kentucky, but never saw the fighting first hand for himself as he was attatched to General Willcox' Staff. When German Military Attache, Alfred von Schlieffen wished to visit the front line in the city, Willcox's adjutant, Captain Oliver Richardson was unable to escort the colonel, so he charged the Second Lieutenant with the job.

Once he reached the front line, he was horrified by the horrors of the fierce fighting in the close quarters of the city, but managed to keep his cool none the less. Seeing the stubborn and often dirty fighting defense conducted by the Confederates left him with little love for them. He was constantly worried about the German Colonel's safety, fearing his death would be put on his own head, especially when he heard about the toll CS snipers were taking on high ranking officers.

Ironically, as they left the front and arrived at the rear, the Second Lieutenant believed that they were out of danger when he became the victim of a long range sniper.

Eb
Eb was a private in the Second Mexican War. Attached to the Army of the Ohio, he was placed on guard duty for Brigadier General Willcox' headquarters. When US reporter Frederick Douglass approached the tent, Eb displayed his distaste for Negroes in general and Douglass in paarticular. After he refused to grant Douglass admittance to the General, Douglass promptly identified himself and his intention of writing about the army, but also that Eb wouldn't be put in such a favorable light. This prompted Eb to move with hast, fetching the General's aid, Captain Oliver Richardson. After confessing that he had no idea that Douglass was coming, he was forced to set up a tent for the man.

Katie Fitzgerald
Katie Fitzgerald was the widowed proprietor of a café in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was a Catholic, and thus considered a "Gentile" by the Mormons. She had a brief affair with George Custer during the 1881 Mormon uprising that arose from the Second Mexican War, but that ended when Custer's wife Libbie came to Salt Lake City.

Enrique Gutierrez
Colonel Enrique Gutierrez was the commanding officer of the Mexican Army garrison in Paso del Norte, Chihuahua. He met with General Stuart on June 14, when the Trans-Mississippi crossed the Rio Grande to take possession of the two erstwhile Mexican provinces.

The colonel was a lean, saturnine man who spoke good English. While he hated the sale of his homeland, he preferred the Confederate method of paying then occupying, as opposed to the US method of occupying and then paying left him with little love of Yankees. After lowering his nation's flag for the last time, Colonel Gutierrez watched as the Stars and Bars was raised, and although he saluted it, the sight brought him to tears.

Clay Herndon
Clay Herndon was a reporter for The San Francisco Morning Call. Editor-in-chief Samuel Clemens sent him to interview the commandant of Alcatraz Island, a facility which left Herndon unimpressed and later proved useless during the Battle of San Francisco. Upon hearing of the US government's playing up of the pathetic "victory" at Pocahontas, Arkansas, Clemens and Herndon had a good laugh at this example of inept desperation and grasping at straws.

Jonathan Jackson
Jonathan Jackson (1866-????) was the only son of Confederate General Thomas Jackson and his wife Mary. Jonathan was 15 years old at the time of the Second Mexican War (1881-1882), and thus too young to actually fight, a fact that vexed him. He and his elder sister, Julia, accompanied the general to the field once during the war.

Despite his youth, Jonathan was astute enough to realize that Wade Hampton III had attempted to recruit Thomas Jackson in an effort to block President James Longstreet's efforts to end slavery.

Monty Jesperson
Monty Jesperson was a reporter for the Alta Californian, a Republican newspaper in San Francisco, California. In 1881, Jesperson favorably covered a pronouncement by Mayor Adolph Sutro outlining the steps the city was taking to maintain security during the Second Mexican War. Jesperson was a friend of Samuel Clemens of The San Francisco Morning Call despite the latter's complete and utter disagreement on politics with Jesperson.

Jim
Jim was a middle-aged man living in Rochester, New York. He was good friends with two other men, Bill and Josh. In January of 1882, Jim and his two friends ran into Frederick Douglass in a drug store and started persecuting him, blaming all Negros for the loss of the war. His courage fled him when the drug store owner pointed a gun at him and told him to leave.

Josh
Josh was a middle-aged man living in Rochester, New York. He was good friends with two other men, Bill and Jim. In January of 1882, Josh and his two friends ran into Frederick Douglass in a drug store and started persecuting him, blaming all Negros for the loss of the war. His courage fled him when the drug store owner pointed a gun at him and told him to leave.

Joseph Little
Joseph Little (d. 1881) was a captain in the US Army from Boston. During the campaign in Louisville, he commanded the six guns of Battery B of the Massachusetts Volunteers Artillery. He had a good relationship with US journalist, Frederick Douglass and treated the man with courtesy and respect. Stationed just outside the city limits of New Albany, his battery opened fired on Louisville in order to provide support for the troops crossing the Ohio. However, his battery also drew return fire from the Confederates, and Captain Little was killed instantly by their first barrage.

Joe McMahan
Joe McMahan was a miner and labor organizer in Denver, Colorado. In 1881, he met with Abraham Lincoln to arrange for him to speak his ideas about capital and labor at the Denver Opera house. A socialist at heart, and a follower of Karl Marx, and thus he was moved by Lincoln's speech. When he asked the former president if he'd ever read Marx' works, Lincoln answered that he had.

Neufeld
Sergeant Neufeld, US Army, was an artillery Sergeant in charge of a Gatling gun team during the Second Mexican War. His gun was under over all command of Colonel George Armstrong Custer, and although of equal rank, the commander of the other gun, Sergeant Buckley, organized the both of them.

He understood the weapons he operated and performed admirably during Custer's Raid into Indian Territory.

He continued to serve Custer for the duration of the war, following him to the Utah Territory, and later, the Montana Territory.

Noah
Noah (d. 1881) was a volunteer in the US Army from Massachusetts. When the Second Mexican War began, he joined the Battery B of the Massachusetts Volunteers Artillery. During the campaign in Louisville, the battery opened fired on Louisville in order to provide support for the troops crossing the Ohio. However, the battery also drew return fire from the Confederates, and he was mortally wounded. Realizing he had no hope, he asked the nearest person, US journalist Frederick Douglass, to end his life. Although hesitant, Douglass complied with Noah's request. Noah's cousin thanked Douglass for doing the deed.

Algernon van Nuys
Major Algernon van Nuys (d. 1881) was the regimental commander of the Sixth New York Volunteer Infantry during the Second Mexican War. After US President Blaine rejected the first CS peace offering, US General Willcox launched a flanking maneuver against the defenses of Louisville.

Major van Nuys led the 6th New York in that attack and almost succeed in cracking the Confederate lines if not for the sudden counter-attack by Second Lt. Jeb Stuart Jr.

After the attack petered out and the lines stabilized, Major van Nuys kept up a steady offensive defense, by leading his regiment on raids against Confederate trenches. Unfortunately this proved his undoing. In retaliation for these raids, the Confederates counter-raided his trench lines, and in the insuring raid, Major van Nuys was shot in the mouth, destroying his lower jaw and killing him.

He also made friends with Frederick Douglass, and before his death, treated him like an old comrade.

Overall
Major Overall was third in command of the Third Virginia, positioned south and west of St. Matthews during the Siege of Louisville. When the Army of the Ohio made its second crossing in an attempt to outflank the Army of Kentucky while it was busy in the city of Louisville, Colonel Tinker's regimental headquarters came under heavy attack. The headquarters was hit by artillery fire and he although he survived the bombardment, he suffered wounds that forced him from the battlefield.

With no one else in charge, command of the Third Virginia fell to Second Lieutenant Jeb Stuart Jr., allowing him to save the day. After the fighting petered out, it was later learnt that the major lost his injured leg.

Vernon Perkins
Vernon Perkins, brother of Alexandra Clemens, lived in San Francisco.

Calhoun Ruggles
Calhoun Ruggles was a Confederate cavalry commander during the War of Secession. After the war ended, he stayed on in the Confederate Army, fighting against the Comanche Indians in Texas.

By 1881, he was a colonel of the Confederate Fifth Cavalry. Colonel Ruggles understood his mounts, camels, and was able to take his troopers long distances through the otherwise impenetrable desert.

After returning to Sonora from his campaign in the New Mexico Territory, General Jeb Stuart found his supply lines under assault from Yankee raiders. At Stuart's order, Ruggles and the Fifth Cavalry successfully hunted the raiders down.

The front with the US remained quiet until December 1881, when fighting broke out between the Mexicans and Apache Indians. Once again, Colonel Ruggles was used to scout ahead, to find out the situation. Unfortunately, he arrived too late, and the entire town of Cananea was burnt to the ground. He followed Stuart into the Sierra Madre after the Indians, where the general became a casualty.

Salazar
Salazar (d. 1882) was the alcalde of the Mexican town of Cananea. In 1881, the town transferred ownership from Mexico to the Confederacy. After the Trans-Mississippi Department's successful campaign into the New Mexico Territory, General Stuart set up his HQ within the town.

Senor Salazar was very hospitable to Stuart and his troops but was highly suspicious of the Apache Indians, warning the Stuart that they could prove troublesome, and if they did, it would be impossible for Stuart to dig them out of the Sierra Madre. He reluctantly allowed the Apaches to join in the celebrations for Stuart, but quickly turned against them during an altercation afterwards.

When the situation spiralled into hostilities, Salazar was killed when the Apache burnt down the town, and in a twist of irony, his predictions about the Apache came true for Stuart.

Steinfeldt
Lieutenant Colonel Steinfeldt (d. 1881) was second in command of the Third Virginia, positioned south and west of St. Matthews during the Siege of Louisville. When the Army of the Ohio made its second crossing in an attempt to outflank the Army of Kentucky while it was busy in the city of Louisville, Colonel Tinker's regimental headquarters came under heavy attack. The headquarters was hit by artillery fire and Tinker and Steinfeldt were killed.

Teddy
Teddy was a War of Secession veteran in Denver. He lost both legs above the knees and by the time of the outbreak of the Second Mexican War had become a drunkard and a beggar to deal with his loss of limb and his pain. When Abraham Lincoln gave him a quarter, Teddy threw it away, refusing charity from a man he hated so much.

Tinker
Colonel Tinker (d. 1881) was the commanding officer of the Third Virginia, positioned south and west of St. Matthews during the Siege of Louisville. When the Army of the Ohio made its second crossing in an attempt to outflank the Army of Kentucky while it was busy in the city of Louisville, Colonel Tinker's regiment came under heavy attack. His headquarters was hit by artillery fire and he was killed.

Jethro Weathers
Jethro Weathers was a Confederate cavalry captain in 1881. He intercepted George Armstrong Custer's unit as they chased Satanta's band of Kiowas. Custer had been prepared to cross over into Confederate territory, but Weathers' arrival ended that plan. Weathers made it abundantly clear that he and his men would defend C.S. territory.

The two men traded insults, with Weathers expressing his disgust at the election of "Black Republican" James G. Blaine as President of the United States.