This was in addition to the personal weapons, clothing, armor, and equipment that each man carried on his Big Person.
Twelve tons was about the upper limit for one of our pneumatic tired carts, and once we got off the track, it would take two Big People to pull one at a decent speed. For use on the tracks, the carts were fitted with bolt-on, oversized, flanged steel rims that raised the rubber tires a bit above the tracks. When we left the track in Lesser Armenia, the rims would be taken off and discarded. Or at least we would discard them. Somebody else was supposed to collect them up later.
The road north was double tracked, as were most of our main lines. This normally let carts be pulled in both directions without excessive amounts of scheduling being required. It also simplified construction, since it permitted materials to be delivered continuously, while empty rail carts could easily return for more. Then again, it took twice as much track, and twice as much labor to prepare the roadbed, so we only used the system on lines that we thought would get heavy usage.
For this mission, I had demanded and had gotten both tracks, with all other traffic being stopped until we went by.
Big People pulled army carts down the two tracks, without needing a human driver riding aboard. Mounted men rode on the bridle trails on either side. Flankers, point men, and a rear guard rode farther out.
Standing orders were that if any cart broke down, it would be shoved off of the track, with some men to repair it, and then they had to try to catch up later, once they got it fixed. The last company in the column included engineers equipped to make any repairs a cart could need, or to salvage useful parts if the cart was totaled.
My column was over three dozen miles long, and we would be picking up more men and supplies as we went down north. It stretched from the city gates of Jerusalem almost to the Mediterranean Sea. This put me at the tail end of the column. Once we got off the railroad, and into possibly hostile territory, my personal party would move up to the center, where a commander belongs. I promised myself that this time, I’d do things properly. No more silly heroics for me!
The physical arrangement of my troops was a bit haphazard in the beginning. We were in protected territory, and not everybody had joined us yet, so it really didn’t matter, yet. Tonight, I would have to come up with a sensible order of march.
I had three carts for myself, my eight bodyguards, and my seven household troops, who did the work around my camp. I also had seven messengers attached to me, although I wasn’t sure why. They’d been with me since I’d left Timbuktu, and I guess that they’d become a tradition. They still wore the red dyed ostrich plumes on their helmets, too. They’d have a hard time replacing them in Mongolia!
My bodyguards preferred to ride with me or one of the household troops, riding pillion, behind the man. I had a double saddle on Silver, which permitted Terry to ride side-saddle in front of me. Shauna was usually riding behind, often standing up on Silver’s rump, just looking around, keeping an eye on things, even when we were at a full gallop!
I also had my own radio rig, with two independent radios, and three operators for them. The men doubled as buglers, for short-range communications. These radios were built in an enclosed cart that was pulled by a single Big Person, with plenty of room for the batteries and sleeping spaces for two of the operators. They were expected to work around the clock, with one of them always on duty. A generator connected to the rear axle kept the batteries charged, although there was also a manual charger for use when we were stopped for any length of time. The cart had my flag, the white eagle on a red background of the Christian Army, flying above it from the antenna, to let people know where I probably was.
My column had well over a gross of these radio carts in operation,
Twelve tons was about the upper limit for one of our pneumatic tired carts, and once we got off the track, it would take two Big People to pull one at a decent speed. For use on the tracks, the carts were fitted with bolt-on, oversized, flanged steel rims that raised the rubber tires a bit above the tracks. When we left the track in Lesser Armenia, the rims would be taken off and discarded. Or at least we would discard them. Somebody else was supposed to collect them up later.
The road north was double tracked, as were most of our main lines. This normally let carts be pulled in both directions without excessive amounts of scheduling being required. It also simplified construction, since it permitted materials to be delivered continuously, while empty rail carts could easily return for more. Then again, it took twice as much track, and twice as much labor to prepare the roadbed, so we only used the system on lines that we thought would get heavy usage.
For this mission, I had demanded and had gotten both tracks, with all other traffic being stopped until we went by.
Big People pulled army carts down the two tracks, without needing a human driver riding aboard. Mounted men rode on the bridle trails on either side. Flankers, point men, and a rear guard rode farther out.
Standing orders were that if any cart broke down, it would be shoved off of the track, with some men to repair it, and then they had to try to catch up later, once they got it fixed. The last company in the column included engineers equipped to make any repairs a cart could need, or to salvage useful parts if the cart was totaled.
My column was over three dozen miles long, and we would be picking up more men and supplies as we went down north. It stretched from the city gates of Jerusalem almost to the Mediterranean Sea. This put me at the tail end of the column. Once we got off the railroad, and into possibly hostile territory, my personal party would move up to the center, where a commander belongs. I promised myself that this time, I’d do things properly. No more silly heroics for me!
The physical arrangement of my troops was a bit haphazard in the beginning. We were in protected territory, and not everybody had joined us yet, so it really didn’t matter, yet. Tonight, I would have to come up with a sensible order of march.
I had three carts for myself, my eight bodyguards, and my seven household troops, who did the work around my camp. I also had seven messengers attached to me, although I wasn’t sure why. They’d been with me since I’d left Timbuktu, and I guess that they’d become a tradition. They still wore the red dyed ostrich plumes on their helmets, too. They’d have a hard time replacing them in Mongolia!
My bodyguards preferred to ride with me or one of the household troops, riding pillion, behind the man. I had a double saddle on Silver, which permitted Terry to ride side-saddle in front of me. Shauna was usually riding behind, often standing up on Silver’s rump, just looking around, keeping an eye on things, even when we were at a full gallop!
I also had my own radio rig, with two independent radios, and three operators for them. The men doubled as buglers, for short-range communications. These radios were built in an enclosed cart that was pulled by a single Big Person, with plenty of room for the batteries and sleeping spaces for two of the operators. They were expected to work around the clock, with one of them always on duty. A generator connected to the rear axle kept the batteries charged, although there was also a manual charger for use when we were stopped for any length of time. The cart had my flag, the white eagle on a red background of the Christian Army, flying above it from the antenna, to let people know where I probably was.
My column had well over a gross of these radio carts in operation,
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