A Lieutenant at Eighteen Page 18

  CHAPTER XV

  THE ATTEMPTED ESCAPE OF A WAGON-TRAIN

  The details of the battle of Mill Springs, as it was generally calledwhen the accounts of it were published at the time, or, more properly,Logan's Cross Roads, as General Thomas called it in his report to thechief of staff of the Department of the Ohio, are too voluminous to begiven at length; and they have been published so many times in variousworks that it is unnecessary to repeat them. Only such parts as relateto the career of the "lieutenant at eighteen" will be introduced,though incidentally some of the movements of the army will be included.

  The general in his report says: "I reached Logan's Cross Roads, aboutten miles north of the intrenched camp of the enemy, on the CumberlandRiver, on the 17th instant." On the night of his arrival he sent amessenger to Colonel Stedman's camp, ordering him to send forward along train of wagons, that had halted in the road from the river, undera strong guard, and himself to attack the enemy where they werereported to be.

  This train had not arrived at the headquarters of the general; but thereason for its non-arrival was apparent, for the rain had begun to fallin torrents on the afternoon of the 17th, and had continued to pourdown for two days. The road was inundated, and the creeks wereimpassable. On Saturday morning at an early hour the pickets ofWolford's cavalry encountered the enemy advancing upon the Unionforces. The Confederates were held in check until General Thomas couldorder a force forward adequate to give them battle. This was thebeginning of the battle of Mill Springs.

  The general's camp was on the left of the pike from the river. TheFourth Kentucky, Second Minnesota, and Ninth Ohio were sent forward tohold the enemy, and took positions near Logan's house, while Wetmore'sBattery was placed near the Somerset Road. The Confederates advanced onthe other side, almost to this road. Three regiments and a battery hadmoved forward to the north side of a fence which extended east and weston both sides of the pike.

  General Crittenden, commanding the army, with his staff, had a positionjust south of this fence, though Zollicoffer led the attackingbrigades. General Thomas immediately ordered an advance of his wholeforce, and the fighting became general. It was a long and severebattle, with alternate repulses and advances on both sides. The enemyfinally retreated to their intrenchments, ten miles distant, but didnot reach their works till after dark. As the enemy were marching tothe attack, the wagon-train had been discovered mired in a field towhich its escort had been driven by the unexpected approach of theConfederates.

  It was a long train, and must be loaded with provisions, forage, andammunition. The famished Southern soldiers, who had nothing but drybread, and that in small quantities, cast longing eyes at the miredwagons; and a company of Tennessee cavalry was sent to capture them.They were about a mile distant, and were moving a rod or two, in fitsand starts, at a time, towards the Jamestown Road, with the escort atthe wheels lifting them out of the soft soil. The guard was commandedby a Minnesota lieutenant; and he had kept pickets out in the rear, whohad given him early notice of the approach of the enemy.

  If the train continued on the pike, it was sure to be captured; but theofficer in command determined to make the attempt to escape with hiswagons, and with infinite labor and exertion he had made a mile on hisway to the road. He was certainly a plucky fellow; but he could notfight a whole brigade of infantry with two companies of cavalry. Hehad, therefore, taken his chance of reaching the Jamestown Road, andfortunately he had posted himself on the roads and distances of thelocality.

  The Riverlawn Cavalry, with its riflemen, were in the road some timebefore Captain Woodbine, mounted on a magnificent steed, arrived at theplace of rendezvous. The company were at ease, and the aide-de-camp ofthe general rode directly to the head of the column and saluted themajor.

  "I may say now that this was to be a reconnaissance in force, thoughyour command is all the general can send for the purpose," said thecaptain. "But I have heard of the advance of the enemy, and it may notbe necessary to feel of them; so you may send out the platoon under thecommand of Lieutenant Lyon, in whom the captain appears to haveunlimited confidence, by a road I will point out to you, to reconnoitrein the direction of the pike, on which and the road to Somerset thegeneral is encamped."

  "Do you expect this force will find an enemy in that direction?" askedthe major.

  "I do not, though it is possible. That heavy baggage-train must havemoved to the north by the pike, if it has not been captured before thistime. If Lieutenant Lyon should discover the escort, he will re-enforceit, sending back a messenger to you, Major. If not too late, it is ofvital importance that this train be saved, for the general says it hasrations enough in its wagons to feed the Confederate army for a week atleast," replied the captain.

  "How far is it to the pike?" inquired the major.

  "It is about five miles; and till the platoon comes to a piece of wood,the lieutenant will have a tolerable road, and through the forest,which is over a half a mile across."

  "How far is it to the woods?"

  "Two miles, more or less. You had better send two scouts out in advanceof the platoon, and do so at once," added the captain; and the majorregarded his requests as orders coming directly from the general.

  "Send Sergeant Knox and Private Milton to me," said Major Lyon, at thesuggestion of Captain Gordon, to Artie, his orderly. "I think Miltonknows all about the country in this vicinity."

  "So much the better," replied the aide-de-camp, as the two scoutssaluted the major. "Milton, are you acquainted about here?"

  "As well as in the dooryard of my father's house in Miltonville. I havebeen to Fishing Creek as man and boy, and fished it for its wholelength," replied the new recruit.

  "Do you know the road across the country to the Danville Pike? It isnothing but a by-path to the woods."

  "I know it very well, for I have ridden my horse over it fifty times,"answered Milton.

  "He will do, Major. Send them off at once."

  "Excuse me for a suggestion. I think Lieutenant Lyon will do better ifhe has about half of our riflemen with him," interposed Captain Gordon,when the two scouts had galloped up the road on their mission.

  "That is a good idea," added the captain.

  "Rather too many men for a young man to command," said Deck's father,shaking his head.

  "He is the best officer in the squadron for this duty," persisted thecaptain of the first company.

  Major Lyon yielded the point, for the aide-de-camp had practicallyordered Deck to the command of the expedition. The lieutenant marchedhis platoon ahead of the column, while Captain Ripley detailed thirtyof his men, under the command of Lieutenant Butters, to which positionthe jailer had been elected by the company. Life Knox gallopedfuriously in advance of Milton for half a mile, till the latter calledto him to halt.

  "Here is the road across the country," shouted the recruit.

  There was a fence across the entrance, which Milton removed withoutdismounting, for it consisted of only two rails, within his reach. Liferode through the opening, and started his horse into a gallop again.The subsoil was of gravel, with a thin coating of loam on it, not morethan three inches deep, so that the animals had a good footing.

  "Are we uns in a hurry?" asked Life, turning his head back to see hisfellow scout.

  "I should say so," replied Milton; "for the wagon-train may be capturedbefore we come up with it if we delay, though we don't know that it isin any danger; but the pike must be crowded with the enemy hurrying onto the attack of General Thomas's force."

  "Then I reckon we had better keep the hosses' legs moving lively,"replied Life, as he hurried his steed to his best paces.

  They soon reached the forest, which extended from one of greater extenton the other side of the pike, though the scouts passed through only aprojecting corner of it. Beyond the end of the by-road, Miltonexplained, was a portion of low ground, through which ran a smallstream. It was in this soft place that the wagon-train had mired. Butit had advanced a mile from the pike; and Milton declared that i
t wasmoving by the longest way to hard ground, the shortest being to theroad they had used for two miles and a half.

  "There they be!" exclaimed Life; and he reined in his foaming steed totake a survey of the surroundings.

  "That escort is having a hard time of it," added Milton.

  "Thunder and lightning-bugs!" suddenly exclaimed the sergeant. "There'sa whole company of Cornfed cavalry after 'em."

  "But they are having as hard a time of it as the escort of the wagons,for their horses mire above their knees," added Milton. "But they aregetting ahead very slowly in spite of the soft soil."

  "But whar be them Cornfeds gwine?" asked Life, who seemed to beenamored of the name into which Butters had tortured the word. "Theyain't gwine the shortest way to the wagon-train."

  "They are not; and I don't understand their game," answered Milton.

  Suddenly, at an order from the commander of the company, the "Cornfeds"dismounted, and proceeded to lead their horses; but the animals stillsank deep in the mud, even without the weight of their riders.

  "Whar's that stream you spoke on, Milton?" asked Life, as he continuedto study the situation.

  "Over to the left of you, and I've often fished it."

  "I see it; how fur is it from that company?"

  "Not more than a hundred rods from the head of the column."

  "Is the bottom of the brook mud?"

  "Not a bit of it. It is hard gravel below the top soil of mud."

  "Then I reckon I know what them fellers are driving at," said Life,apparently pleased with his solution of the question. "How deep is thewater?"

  "From one to three feet, I should say."

  "That's the idee! Them fellers is gwine to take to the stream," saidLife. "How wide is it?"

  "From twenty to thirty feet in different places."

  "Then it is wide enough for them to march in column of fours."

  Life dismounted, and climbed a tree, which afforded him a view of thewinding stream. It passed within twenty rods of the mired wagons, andprobably the mud was not so deep nearer the woods as it was fartherfrom it. Leading their horses, the company got along faster thanbefore, but still had some distance to go before they reached thestream. The escort of the train seemed to be discouraged at theprospect before them; though they still worked hard at the wheels, andtheir progress seemed to be slower than when first seen.

  "I reckon we shall have a fight on this medder, Milton, and you mustride back and report to the leftenant," said Life as he descended fromthe tree. "Them half-starved Cornfeds won't give it up; for a dozen ormore wagins, loaded with rations, is a prize to them, to say nothin' ofthe army in which they train. Your horse is well rested now, and youmust make the gravel fly on your way to the road; for I reckon there-enforcements will be needed as soon as they can get here."

  "All right, Sergeant; I will make the distance as fast as we didcoming," replied Milton as he started his horse, and immediatelyhurried him to a gallop.

  Life Knox ascended the tree again, seated himself on a branch, andproceeded to watch the "Cornfeds." In about ten minutes more theyreached the stream; but they had some difficulty in making their horsesgo down the steep bank, for the animals were evidently disgusted withtheir experience in the soft soil. The troopers stamped down the sods;and after making an inclined plane to the water, they rode down intothe flowing current. The horses, perhaps concluding that they had madethis movement to be watered, fell to drinking as though they had had nowater that day.

  Life was rather disappointed when he saw the company making so goodprogress in this novel road, and they soon reached their nearest pointto the coveted wagons. The enemy were now within twenty rods of thetrain. Half an hour had elapsed since Milton left, and it was abouttime for the re-enforcement to appear.

  The sergeant wanted to do something to retard the advance of thecompany; and, at the top of his ample lungs, he began to give militarycommands, as though he had a regiment in charge. The enemy heard hisvoice, and halted where they were in the stream.