Jackson R McBride and Judah P Benjamin

Young Jackson McBride, the grandson next door, continues to grow and grow. Nita and I are blessed to be close enough to hold him darned near every day, and watch him grow from wriggling infant into a delightfully chubby little person with a distinct and charming personality.

Yea, that sounds like a grandparent, doesn’t it, and the boy is just a few months old. If you and I stick with this blog long enough, we’ll be experts in child development.

In a related vein, Nita and I survived four days of immersive grand-parenting with Violet and Eva, our two new granddaughters, while the newlyweds were honeymooning in Scotland.  They are wonderful little girls and when they ask ‘Granddaddy Phil’ for anything, I pretty much oblige. It’s been three decades since I’ve read nighttime stories to tired little ones who are fidgeting and fighting sleep; and then made frozen waffle breakfasts, seemingly just minutes after I finished reading and turned out their bedroom light.

Yes, indeed, we were worn out from the energy expenditure involved in surrogate parenting, even for a few days, but now we’re more than two old faces to the girls, and that made the long days special.

Bookwise, I’ve taken a plunge into unknown waters by inserting a somewhat well-known historical person into my story. The new character is Judah P. Benjamin, who held three different positions in the cabinet of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. If you haven't already guessed, that’s his image at the top, 

I’ve already slid a few generals into the action, since it’s hard to tell a war story without them. Nonetheless, I’ve restrained from engaging the generals in much dialogue with my fictitious main characters and Secretary of State Benjamin’s role is growing along different lines.

Judah Benjamin has been an enigma to historians.

First, he was Jewish.

Second, as a young man he married a wealthy young Creole Catholic woman from Louisiana. After the early years of their marriage during which he managed their plantation in Louisiana, she lived in Europe while he remained in America.

Third, he destroyed all the documents related to his service as a high-ranking Confederate cabinet member.

Fourth, he escaped capture after the surrender and fled to Europe where he studied English law and became a successful lawyer in Great Britain for two decades until he died in his 70’s.

Fifth, he is widely acknowledged as one of the brightest minds in the Confederacy. He was one smart dude.

Sixth, there are veiled, but discernable hints in contemporary accounts of his behavior that he may have been gay.

To sum up Benjamin, I’d say he was wildly successful businessman and politician in the Confederacy, but he was never of the Confederacy. In, but never of. He reminds of the story I retold a few weeks ago illustrating the difference between involvement and commitment. (Ham and egg breakfast: The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed)

Benjamin was certainly involved in governing the Confederate States of America, but in the end he did not sink with the Confederacy. He stayed until the bitter conclusion of the war, actually fleeing a burning Richmond along with his boss, President Davis; but then Benjamin split away on a harrowing solo journey to leave America. Once he reached Europe, he set about “re-inventing” himself, to use the term we retirees throw around nowadays. 

So, I chose this interesting public figure to play a role in the new novel, to become entwined in the twisting tale of Captain John McBee. I can’t say how involved Judah Benjamin will become, since the story isn’t yet fully written, but I’ve greatly enjoyed putting words in his mouth in conversation with McBee. He’s a very intriguing fellow, and I can’t kill him off since I’m not writing an alternative history novel, so he may find a way to pop into the story more than once.