Matt R. Erickson
2013
Gordon Radcliff’s plan was ironically rooted in America’s extensive seacoast defense system. On March 17, 1861, two weeks after the necessary two-thirds of Congress had sent the proposed 13th Amendment to the States for ratification and a week after the Confederate States of America approved emitting bills of credit directly, Gordon Radcliff attended a family reunion and dinner. Originally Gordon had planned to skip the reunion, so he could continue to concentrate on his work, to come up with some plan to move things forward. It was only after the ever-persistent nagging by his mother that he dutifully decided at the last minute to attend the function. If his mother only knew the ultimate cost of that nagging, she would have never enticed her son to attend. If she knew then the devastation her son would help instigate and his ‘reward’ for bringing it to his mentor’s attention, she would have taken far more drastic action than simply avoid nagging her son. After dinner, Gordon patiently listened, along with several other family members, to his patriotic cousin ramble on continuously about his second year of engineering studies at West Point. The cousin spoke at great length, saying that he had never really liked blowing things up as a kid, but had always loved building structures. Gordon began strategizing, planning his exit. The only thing he liked more than blowing things up was making money, and he had much figuring yet to do to better ensure he could make that happen. The cousin admitted when his brothers were playing ‘Cowboys and Indians’ when they were all young, he would be constructing safe-haven forts to help protect the women and children. Continuing those efforts into adulthood, the cousin figured that with the men out fighting battles, many women may soon find themselves widowed. He planned to marry one of those rich widows, like his hero, George Washington. As the cousin with no shortage of patriotic fervor began relaying the history of the First System
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