He paused to allow this thought to permeate itself throughout the collective consciousness of his assembled leaders. When he was ready to continue, Scott looked over at his G-3. “While we could do as you suggest and swing south, I doubt if the Guard would sit over there and allow us to bypass them. They have interior lines. As soon as they figure out what we were up to they will shift around to face us as we try to maneuver on the outside track.”

“We can still split the division,” Lieutenant Colonel Joe Brown, the G-3, offered. “One brigade here would be more than enough to hold most of the units we now face while leaving the second brigade free to swing south and around their open flank.”

Scott shook his head. “No, Joe. Not this time.” Looking at all the staff principals and brigade commanders gathered before him, Scott explained. “Up to now we have succeeded in making this a bloodless coup. If the governor of this state and the commander of those Guard units over there really wanted to keep it that way, they would have kept on going west. But they didn’t. For whatever reason they stopped. They stand there because they have decided to call our bluff.”

Brown looked down at the ground for a moment. Lifting his eyes, he looked at his commander. “Sir, we’re not playing poker here.”

Folding his arms across his chest, Scott nodded. “We’ve talked about this before. We knew that this could happen. I understand your trepidation. I understand your reservations. Believe me, I share every one of your concerns, your fears. What we are about to do will stay with us for the rest of our lives. Unlike previous battles we have found ourselves in, there will be no glory tomorrow. I do not expect that there is a man standing here now who will leave here proud of what we are about to do. But do it we will. Come tomorrow when I give the order to move out I expect each and every one of you to put aside any personal feelings you have. I expect you to go forward and crush the enemy. That is your sworn duty. That is what you have trained for all your life. And that is what I am ordering you to do.”

Pausing, Scott looked into the eyes of each of his commanders. When he spoke again, his tone was less strident. “I pray that tomorrow will bring an end to this terrible chapter in our nation’s history. I pray that what we do here will convince others to seek more peaceful means of resolving their political differences. Whether or not either of those comes to pass will very much depend upon how well you execute your assigned duties.”