THE YOUNG KENTUCKIANS SERIES 
 
 ON 
 
 GENERALTHOMAS': 
 STAFF 
 
 BYRON A.DUNN 
 
THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
. '-.y 
 
 S^ILMER COLLECl JOiN 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arcliive 
 
 in 2010 witli funding from 
 
 University of Nortli Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/ongeneralthomassOOdunn 
 
ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF 
 
General Thomas sat on his Horse and watched the 
 dreadful Conflict. 
 
The Young Kentuckians Series 
 
 On General Thomas's 
 Staff 
 
 BY 
 
 Byron A. Dunn 
 
 Author of "General Nelson's Scout" 
 
 Chicago 
 
 A. C. McClurg and Company 
 
 1899 
 
Copyright 
 
 By a. C. McCLURG & CO. 
 
 A. D. i8gg 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
TO MY MOTHER 
 
 WHOSE GRANDFATHER GAVE HIS LIFE THAT THE UNION MIGHT BE 
 
 AND WHO IN 1861 
 
 SENT HER SON FORTH TO BATTLE THAT THE UNION 
 
 MIGHT BE PRESERVED 
 
 THIS VOLUME IS MOST AFFECTIONATELY 
 
 DEDICATED 
 
 602871 
 
INTRODUCTION. 
 
 TN the first book of this series, entitled "Gen- 
 -*- eral Nelson's Scout," the author depicted the 
 struggle in Kentucky during the first year of the 
 war; in the book now offered to an indulgent pub- 
 lic, the story is carried forward from the so-called 
 siege of Corinth to that memorable charge which 
 swept the heights of Missionary Ridge. The pe- 
 riod embraced by this tale was, for the Union, one 
 of the darkest in the Civil War. It was not until 
 Vicksburg fell and Gettysburg was won that the 
 clouds began to break and roll away. 
 
 History and fiction are here closely interwoven, 
 and there is hardly an incident given that is not 
 founded on fact. 
 
 The account of the death of General Nelson is 
 as told by an officer who was close to one of the 
 chief actors in the tragedy. The country never 
 fully realized the great loss it suffered in Nelson's 
 death. If he, instead of General Gilbert, had been 
 in command of the center at Perryville, the history 
 of that battle might have been different. 
 
 In General George H. Thomas we have one of 
 7 
 
8 INTRODUCTION. 
 
 the grandest figures in the war, one that will grow 
 brighter as the years go by. His modesty, his 
 bravery, his patriotism, his nobleness of character, 
 place him among the greatest of Americans. 
 
 The true character of General John H. Morgan 
 as herein depicted is somewhat different from his 
 reputation among the people of the North. He 
 has often been pictured as little better than a guer- 
 rilla. Instead, he was one of the most chivalric and 
 gallant of the Confederate commanders. 
 
 In accounts of military movements and of battles, 
 it has been the aim of the author to arrive as nearly 
 as possible at the exact truth. To this end he has 
 carefully searched the official records of the Rebel- 
 lion, the several histories of the times, the numer- 
 ous personal memoirs of commanders on both sides, 
 and has also used his own personal knowledge, as 
 well as the knowledge of numbers of his comrades. 
 Many of the facts found in the chapter on Perry- 
 ville were gleaned from the sworn testimony of 
 witnesses before the Buell Military Commission. 
 
 B. A. D. 
 Waukegan, III., June, 1899. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER PAGE 
 
 I. HOW CORINTH WAS BESIEGED - - - 13 
 
 II. CARRYING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL - - 26 
 
 III. THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK - - 38 
 
 IV. A THREE-HUNDRED-MILE RACE - - - 52 
 V. A MEETING WITH MORGAN - - - - 60 
 
 VI. CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE - - - 78 
 
 VII. THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND - - ' - - 96 
 
 VIII. THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON - - II3 
 
 IX. A MYSTERIOUS BATTLE - - - - 1 24 
 
 X. OVER THE CLIFF - ... - 146 
 
 XI. FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH - - - - 165 
 
 XII. MISSING -.--.- 176 
 
 XIII. A FAIR PLOTTER .... - ig2 
 
 XIV. CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN - - - 215 
 XV. "YOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE"- - 232 
 
 XVI. STONE RIVER - - . - . 246 
 
 XVII. A VALIANT HUSBAND - - - - - 260 
 
 XVIII. CONWAY's REVENGE .... 273 
 
 XIX. THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA - . - 29O 
 
 XX. TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP - - - 30I 
 
 XXI. CARRYING THE NEWS TO MCCOOK ... 318 
 
 XXII. CHICKAMAUGA ..... 335 
 
 XXIII. THE BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS ... 350 
 
 XXIV. THE STORMING OF MISSIONARY RIDGE - - 357 
 XXV. CUPID VERSUS MARS - - - - . 364 
 
ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 General Thomas sat on his Horse and watched the dread- 
 ful Conflict Frontispiece 
 
 " Wheel, and ride for your Life " - - Facing- fage 29 
 
 Stewart's Eye brightened as a light Step entered the 
 
 Room 51 
 
 "Your Attention a Moment, Comrades," said Colonel 
 
 Shackelford 72 
 
 Fred heard the Shouts and Laughter of the Men. They 
 
 were coming - 85 
 
 The Blade of the upraised Sword went twirling through 
 
 the Air iii 
 
 Davis, calling to Nelson to defend himself, almost im- 
 mediately fired 119 
 
 Miss Freeman rushed out of the House waving the Stars 
 
 and Stripes 147 
 
 Fred wildly grasped a small Sapling as he went over 
 
 the Precipice - 7 163 
 
 Captain Malcolm plunged forward on his Face, dead - 187 
 
 "Do with me as you like. I am only sorry my Plans 
 
 failed" 230 
 
 Calmly folding his Arms, Fred said, " I am ready " - 282 
 
 " Who comes there ?" 314 
 
 Then, as if by common Consent, Officers and Soldiers 
 
 started up the Ridge 361 
 
ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 HOW CORINTH WAS BESIEGED. 
 
 "TT'S thundering; I guess it's going to rain." 
 
 -I- These words were uttered lazily by a boyish- 
 looking soldier who lay outstretched on a blanket 
 under a tent-fly, which was pitched in the midst of 
 a Southern wood. The day was very warm, and 
 the hot rays of the sun shimmering down through 
 the leaves of the trees gave the canvas the appear- 
 ance of mottled silver. All through the woods, as 
 far as the eye could reach, was stretched row upon 
 row of white tents, sheltering a mighty army. 
 
 Again a dull, heavy roar came rolling sluggishly 
 through the forest, as though it found hard work to 
 penetrate the heated atmosphere, 
 
 "Sure, that's thunder," exclaimed the young 
 soldier, raising his head from the saddle he was 
 using for a pillow; and resting his body on one 
 elbow, he listened intently. 
 
 "Whew! but it's hot," he continued. "I wish 
 it would rain; don't you, Stewart?" 
 
 He spoke to a stolid-looking soldier, apparently 
 13 
 
14 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 about twenty-five years of age, who sat on a cracker- 
 box under the shelter of the tent, contentedly 
 smoking a pipe. This man wore no blouse, and the 
 collar of his woolen shirt was unbuttoned and 
 thrown back, disclosing a brawny neck. He smiled 
 at the question, but continued to smoke without 
 answering. 
 
 "There I do you hear that?" exclaimed the boy, 
 as the heavy roar once more came rumbling through 
 the forest. "Now what do you say?" 
 
 "What in the world are you driving at, Hugh?" 
 asked the soldier addressed as Stewart, somewhat 
 tartly, as he knocked the ashes out of his pipe on 
 the corner of the cracker-box. 
 
 "Look here," answered Hugh, "you need not 
 get so uppish over a simple question, and don't 
 knock your ashes in among the crackers. I don't 
 mind a little seasoning once in a while, such as sand 
 and the like, but I draw the line at stale tobacco. 
 Bless me! if it isn't thundering again." 
 
 "Thundering, nothing!" growled Stewart. "It 
 seems to me, Hugh, that you have heard those 
 fellows barking often enough to recognize the 
 sound. One would think you had never heard a 
 cannon. Pope must be waking up the John- 
 nies." 
 
 "You don't mean to tell me that that is a can- 
 non," cried Hugh, sitting up and feigning a look of 
 the utmost astonishment. "Impossible!" 
 
 "Why impossible, smarty?" 
 
 "All that I have to say is, if that is cannon, I 
 
HOJV CORINTH WAS BESIEGED. \$ 
 
 wouldn't be in Pope's shoes for anything," solemnly 
 answered Hugh. 
 
 "Why, you don't think the Johnnies will whip 
 him, do you?" 
 
 **0h, no! but won't Halleck be mad? He will 
 arrest Pope, sure, if he happens to hit a Johnny." 
 
 Stewart burst out laughing. "Well, Hugh," he 
 exclaimed, "you are a good one, but I don't know 
 but you are about right. The old man would be 
 raving if Pope should happen to bring on a general 
 engagement. He says he isn't ready for one 
 yet. 
 
 "Ready! ready!" retorted Hugh; "will he ever 
 be ready? I tell you, Halleck makes me tired." 
 
 "Isn't there something in the army regulations 
 about speaking disrespectfully of your superior 
 officers? You had better be a little careful, young 
 man." 
 
 "Fudge! the whole army, from Grant down, 
 would be court-martialed if any notice were taken 
 of what is said among ourselves. Growling is one of 
 the dearest prerogatives of the American soldier, 
 and woe be to the general who tries to take it from 
 him. But hear that ! Something is going to hap- 
 pen, certain, this time." 
 
 The roar of artillery had become more continuous, 
 and sounded nearer. 
 
 "I think we had better be prepared for duty, 
 Hugh," said Stewart, getting up and putting on 
 his blouse. "An aide has just ridden up to General 
 Nelson's headquarters. " 
 
1 6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "I am ready," exclaimed Hugh, rising and 
 yawning. "Anything to break this monotony." 
 
 They had not long to wait. An officer came to 
 tell them they were wanted, and as quickly as 
 possible they presented themselves at headquarters. 
 Orders were handed them to be delivered to the 
 different brigade commanders. "And be spry about 
 it," said the aide. 
 
 In a few minutes the clear notes of the "assem- 
 bly" were ringing through the forest. The division 
 fell in, and soon marched at quickstep toward the 
 sound of the artillery. 
 
 John Stewart and Hugh Raymond were two of 
 Nelson's orderlies. Stewart was the opposite of 
 Hugh in temperament, being rather phlegmatic and 
 stolid, and many were the pranks that the jovial- 
 hearted boy played on him. Stewart took all of 
 Hugh's pranks and bantering good-naturedly, and 
 they were the best of friends. He was as brave as 
 a lion and as true as steel, and Hugh could not 
 have had a better companion. 
 
 Nelson's division was at this time a part of the 
 mighty army which had gathered at Pittsburg 
 Landing, under the command of General Henry S. 
 Halleck, after the battle of Shiloh. Twenty miles 
 away, at Corinth, lay the Confederate army under 
 the command of Beauregard. 
 
 No finer or larger army was ever marshaled on 
 American soil than the one commanded by Gen- 
 eral Halleck. It numbered over one hundred and 
 twenty thousand as brave and gallant soldiers as 
 
HOW CORINTH WAS BESIEGED. 17 
 
 ever shouldered a gun. Under Halleck were such 
 commanders as Grant, Sherman, Buell, Pope, 
 Thomas, McPherson, and a host of others who 
 afterwards distinguished themselves. 
 
 By a bold and rapid movement Halleck could 
 have crushed Beauregard; but instead he crept 
 along. A dozen shots in front would cause him 
 to stop for hours, if not for days. He always 
 seemed to be in a nightmare of fear of a Confed- 
 erate attack. It took him a month to advance 
 twenty miles. Such a burlesque, called a siege, 
 was never before or since enacted in American his- 
 tory. It seems incredible that any general, with a 
 modicum of military genius, could be the chief figure 
 in such a farce. Yet this man was afterwards the chief 
 military adviser of the government at Washington. 
 
 It is during this tedious advance on Corinth 
 that our story opens. Hugh was by no means 
 the only one disgusted with Halleck's manner of 
 conducting the campaign. There was discontent 
 among the soldiers, from Grant down. 
 
 On the 9th of May, General Pope threw forward 
 two brigades into Farmington, a hamlet about five 
 miles from Corinth. These brigades were attacked 
 by a Confederate division, and it was the sound 
 of this fight which brought forth the remarks of 
 Hugh. Halleck, still fearing a general attack, 
 ordered Nelson's division to the relief of Pope. 
 Later, learning the cause of the fighting, he grew 
 purple with rage, ordered Pope, who was about 
 to reinforce his brigades, to halt, and at once 
 
1 8 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 to order back the troops engaged in fighting. So, 
 unsupported, the two brigades had to retreat, fol- 
 lowed by an exulting and victorious enemy. 
 
 Nearly two hundred of Pope's men fell in this 
 conflict, a sacrifice to Halleck's over-cautiousness 
 and incompetency. As for Pope, he was sharply 
 reprimanded, and was not allowed to advance a 
 foot for days. It was not until the 20th day of 
 May that he was allowed to occupy Farmington 
 permanently. At the time of the battle of Farm- 
 ington there was no less a personage visiting the 
 army than the Honorable Thomas A. Scott, 
 Assistant Secretary of War, and in surprise he 
 asked Halleck why he ordered a retreat, instead of 
 supporting his advance brigades. 
 
 "It might have brought on a general engage- 
 ment," answered Halleck, "and that is what I 
 would by all means avoid." 
 
 "Why are you so afraid of a general engage- 
 ment?" asked the Secretary. 
 
 "On account of the strength of the enemy. 
 An engagement might prove very disastrous." 
 
 The badly frightened Secretary rushed to the 
 telegraph office, and sent the following dispatch to 
 Washington: 
 
 "In my judgment, which is respectfully submitted for your 
 consideration, a heavy reinforcement of infantry and artillery 
 should be sent here immediately, or we shall soon be besieged, 
 and that, too, in an enemy's country." 
 
 Thus the President's anxiety was increased, 
 for at this time McClellan was loudly caUing for 
 
HOW CORINTH WAS BESIEGED. 19 
 
 reinforcements from the Peninsula. Yet at the 
 time Scott sent this telegram, Halleck had at least 
 two men to Beauregard's one, and his army was in 
 far better condition and much better armed. 
 
 When the fight at Farmington was over, Nelson's 
 division was ordered back to its old camp. Hugh 
 was beside himself with rage. He threw himself 
 down on his blanket, and for a time, for a wonder, 
 was silent. Stewart calmly lit his pipe and com- 
 menced smoking. 
 
 "Stewart," at length yelled Hugh, "wky don't 
 you say something? Why don't you swear? I 
 would, if I dared. Great God! to see our poor 
 fellows driven back — those howling Johnnies after 
 them, and we not allowed to advance a foot. Is 
 Halleck a coward, or a traitor?" 
 
 "Neither," answered Stewart, laconically. 
 
 "What is he, then?" fairly howled Hugh, beat- 
 ing the ground with both fists. 
 
 Stewart took his pipe from his mouth, sat a 
 moment as in deep thought, and then said : 
 
 "I think — with all due respect to my command- 
 ing general — I think he is somewhat of an old fogy. 
 He is conducting this siege, as he calls it, according 
 to some musty military book written a century ago; 
 and under the supposition that the Confederates 
 will remain in Corinth and allow him to dig a trench 
 all around them. Now, if the Rebs would remain 
 in Corinth, Halleck would be all right; he would 
 get them in time. But they won't stick. When 
 the old man thinks he has them, they will be gone. ' ' 
 
20 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 This was a long, a very long speech for Stewart 
 to make. Hugh applauded by jumping up and 
 slapping him vigorously on the back, yelling: 
 "Good for you, old fellow, good for you! You 
 ought to be promoted." 
 
 If Hugh could have heard what was said in Gen- 
 eral Nelson's tent he would have known that he 
 was in good company. Several ofificers were pres- 
 ent discussing the situation, and Nelson gave full 
 vent to his temper. 
 
 "It's a shame," he growled, "a burning shame, 
 to let such an opportunity pass. What we want is 
 a battle. It is far better to meet the enemy in a 
 fair fight on an open field, than it is to storm breast- 
 works. We have men enough to eat them up." 
 
 "I don't know about that," spoke up an ofificer. 
 "Halleck is fearful of a genera'l engagement. He 
 says the enemy is very strong and receiving rein- 
 forcements eveiy day," 
 
 "Strong — receiving reinforcements every day!" 
 roared Nelson. "Then why, in the name of Julius 
 Caesar, don't he attack them before they receive 
 any more reinforcements? If we cannot whip them 
 on an open field, how can we expect to whip them 
 behind fortifications?" 
 
 "But," persisted the ofificer, "Halleck's idea is 
 to besiege them, pen them up, and force them to 
 surrender. He is already bringing up siege guns." 
 
 "Pen them up! bringing up siege guns!" sneered 
 Nelson. "Why don't he bring three or four gun- 
 boats overland ? It would be as sensible. Of CQurse, 
 
HOW COR/NTH WAS BESIEGED. 21 
 
 Beauregard will allow himself to be penned up in 
 Corinth like a pig! He will play with Halleck as 
 long as he can, and then get out. I tell you the 
 whole thing is a farce — a roaring farce." 
 
 Here Nelson exploded, and went ofT in one of 
 his fits of profanity, and the officer thought it best 
 not to pursue the conversation any further. 
 
 The days went by, and Halleck' s army dragged 
 itself along, foot by foot, like a great wounded 
 snake. 
 
 If a shot was fired in front, Hugh would look 
 wise and say to Stewart: "That means a week's 
 stop. I just bet Halleck is rushing around and 
 yelling, 'Don't bring on a battle! don't bring on a 
 battle!' He is big on the dig, though; he has the 
 ground all dug up between here and the Landing." 
 
 One of the most discontented men in the army 
 was General Grant. In his orders Halleck had 
 named Grant as second in command, but in reality 
 he had little more to do with the army than the 
 humblest private. A short time before the cam- 
 paign closed. Grant came into Sherman's tent look- 
 ing unusually dejected. He sat for some time, 
 smoking in silence, then said, abruptly, "Sherman, 
 I am going to leave." 
 
 "Leave?" asked Sherman, in surprise. 
 
 "Yes, leave; my luggage is all being packed. I 
 go to-morrow morning. The fact is, Sherman, 
 I can't stand it any longer. The campaign is a 
 farce, and I have borne all the snubbing I am going 
 to. You ought to have seen Halleck's look when 
 
22 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 I suggested to him the other day that he could ex- 
 pedite matters a little. He treated me with utter 
 contempt." 
 
 "General," said Sherman, earnestly, "don't 
 leave. It will be your ruin if you do. Hold on a 
 little longer. It will come out all right in the end. 
 The outcome of this campaign will be that Corinth 
 will be evacuated, this vast army divided, and you 
 will come into your own again." 
 
 "Do you think so?" asked Grant, anxiously. 
 
 "I almost know so. For your own sake, for the 
 sake of your country, reconsider your idea of leav- 
 mg. 
 
 Sherman was so earnest that Grant wavered, 
 and at last promised him he would postpone his 
 going away for a time. 
 
 Thus the hero of Vicksburg was saved to the 
 nation. 
 
 A snail will cover some ground if given time 
 enough, and after a month of crawling Halleck had 
 his army before Corinth. His siege guns were 
 mounted and ready to open fire. The belief that 
 the enemy was receiving reinforcements and might 
 attack him still haunted him. Heavy trains were 
 heard rumbling in and out of Corinth. Wild 
 cheering could be heard as the trains came in. 
 
 On May 28th General Nelson pushed his division 
 close up to the enemy's works. The practiced 
 eyes of his officers saw that the works were slightly 
 manned and could be taken. 
 
 Hugh came galloping back to Nelson, his face 
 
HOW CORINTH WAS BESIEGED. 23 
 
 aflame with excitement. "General," he exclaimed, 
 "Captain Wheeler of General Amnen's staff, bade 
 me tell you that if you will give permission, the 
 brigade can be in Corinth in twenty minutes." 
 
 Nelson uttered a big oath. "I dare not," he 
 said; "but I will report to Halleck, though pre- 
 cious little good it will do." 
 
 When General Halleck was told what Captain 
 Wheeler had reported, and that he asked permis- 
 sion to make the charge, he smiled disdainfully, 
 and said: 
 
 "Nelson, your officers are simply crazy to think 
 of such a thing. Your division would be slaughtered. 
 The enemy is receiving heavy reinforcements. 
 Have you not heard the rumbling of the trains, 
 and the cheering as the reinforcements arrived?" 
 
 "But, General," persisted Nelson, "the rumbling 
 of the trains may mean Ihey are evacuating, and 
 the cheering may be done on purpose to deceive." 
 
 "When I want advice, I will let you know," 
 replied Halleck, loftily. "Go back to your com- 
 mand, and when I wish you to charge you will 
 receive orders." 
 
 Away around on the right Sherman had made 
 an advance and captured a commanding position. 
 One of his brigades, commanded by General John 
 A. Logan, was astride of the Memphis Railroad. 
 In his brigade were a number of experienced rail- 
 road men. They listened to the rumbling of the 
 trains, as they moved in and out. Reporting to 
 Logan, they said: 
 
34 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "General, every train that goes out of Corinth is 
 heavily loaded ; every train that comes in is empty. 
 We cannot be deceived. Our ears know the differ- 
 ence between the sounds of an empty and a loaded 
 train too well. Corinth is being evacuated." 
 
 Logan sent the information to Halleck, and 
 asked permission to advance. Halleck by this 
 time was thoroughly angry. "Tell Logan when 
 I want him to advance, I will let him know," 
 was the reply, "and tell him to pay no attention 
 to the idle stories of his men." 
 
 On the morning of May 30th heavy explosions 
 were heard in Corinth. A heavy column of black 
 smoke arose and hung over the city. All in front 
 was silent, not even a single shot came from a 
 picket. The Federal skirmishers advanced, and 
 found the works deserted. Corinth was evacu- 
 ated. 
 
 The fleeing army was pursued, but not over- 
 taken. General Pope, in the exuberance of his 
 spirits, sent word to Halleck that the woods were 
 full of stragglers, and that he would take ten 
 thousand prisoners. 
 
 Halleck immediately telegraphed to Washington 
 that Corinth had fallen with ten thousand prisoners, 
 and the whole North went wild with joy. But the 
 truth soon became known, that the victory was a 
 barren one, and that all that Halleck had to show 
 was a little territory — nothing else. So the bells 
 ceased ringing and the cannon ceased firing. The 
 inevitable came to pass. Halleck's great army, an 
 
HOW CORINTH WAS BESIEGED. 25 
 
 army that could have swept the enemy to the 
 Gulf, was broken up. Grant held Corinth and 
 turned toward the Mississippi. Buell turned to 
 the east, and was ordered to capture Chattanooga. 
 The effects of the evacuation of Corinth were to 
 the Federal cause worse than a defeat. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 CARRYING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL. 
 
 THE pursuit of Beauregard's army was under- 
 taken with great parade and flourish of 
 trumpets, but it amounted to nothing. The Con- 
 federates halted at Okalona, and there began to lay 
 plans for the recovery of the States of Tennessee 
 and Kentucky. On the Federal side Nelson's 
 division was stopped in the pursuit of Beauregard 
 at Booneville, a place some thirty miles south of 
 'Corinth. From there it was turned back and 
 encamped at luka. 
 
 In the meantime Halleck had planned great 
 things. Buell was to march east, capture Chatta- 
 nooga, and then make a campaign into Eastern 
 Tennessee. It was on the program that he was 
 even to threaten Atlanta. 
 
 Grant was to operate south and west, and open 
 up the Mississippi. These plans looked well on 
 paper, and they commenced well, for Memphis fell 
 on the 7th of June, and on the same day Negley's 
 cannon thundered at the gates of Chattanooga. 
 But Negley had but one brigade, was unsup- 
 ported, and had to fall back over the mountains. 
 The Confederate generals, also, were to have 
 
 26 
 
CARRTING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL. 27 
 
 something to say about Halleck's plans being car- 
 ried out. 
 
 On the arrival of Nelson's division at luka that 
 general sent for Hugh Raymond and John Stewart, 
 and told them he had an urgent mission on which 
 he wished to send them. 
 
 "I have received from Generals Halleck and 
 Buell dispatches of the utmost importance," said 
 he, "which must be placed as soon as possible 
 in the hands of General Mitchell at Huntsville. 
 These dispatches relate to the manner of conduct- 
 ing the coming campaign, and on no account must 
 they fall into the hands of the enemy. While I 
 do not consider the journey necessarily a danger- 
 ous one, it may become so, for there is no telling 
 when you may run into a roving company of For- 
 rest's cavalry. I have chosen you to carry the 
 dispatches, relying upon your bravery and good 
 judgment." 
 
 At these words of the general both Hugh and 
 Stewart saluted, and Stewart said: "General, we 
 are grateful for the confidence you repose in us, 
 and we shall try not to be unworthy of it. If 
 need be, the dispatches will be protected with our 
 ives. 
 
 As for Hugh, he was so overjoyed at the com- 
 mission that he hardly heard what was being said. 
 
 "I am confident," the general replied, "the dis- 
 patches are in good hands. You had better cross 
 the river at Eastport, then continue east through 
 Florence, Rogersville, and Athens. This is not 
 
28 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 only the shorter, but the less dangerous route. 
 But remember you are riding through an enemy's 
 country. This will be the case, especially, between 
 Florence and Athens. Do not spare horseflesh. 
 Change horses if necessary at Florence and Athens. 
 Here is an order that will enable you to do so. 
 That is all." 
 
 The two soldiers were soon on their way, Hugh 
 light-hearted and merry, Stewart silent and pre- 
 occupied, as usual. 
 
 "This is a lark," remarked Hugh, after they had 
 been on the way for some time. 
 
 "It may not be as much of a lark as you 
 think," answered Stewart, and he again relapsed 
 into silence. 
 
 "What is the matter, Stewart?" at length asked 
 Hugh; "you are as solemn as a deacon; you are 
 awfully glum." 
 
 "Am I?" replied Stewart, with a faint smile. 
 "To tell the truth, I feel glum, as if something 
 were going to happen to me — to be killed, perhaps. ' ' 
 
 "Oh, pshaw! Stewart, what's the use of talking 
 like that? We are going to have a jolly trip, see if 
 we don't. Cheer up, old boy," 
 
 "I hope so; but, Hugh, if anything should hap- 
 pen to me, the dispatches are in my breast pocket. 
 Get them and defend them to the death." 
 
 "Stewart, you have the blues. For mercy's 
 sake, get a smile on your face. You will feel all 
 right when we get through." 
 
 The day was an uneventful one, and they 
 
Wheel, and Ride for your Life." 
 
CARRYING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL. 29 
 
 approached Rogersville just as night was falling. 
 Hugh was rallying Stewart on his fears, when a 
 turn in the road suddenly brought them face to 
 face with a company of Confederate cavalry. So 
 unexpected was the meeting that the Confederates 
 for a moment gazed at the scouts in astonishment. 
 
 As quick as thought Stewart jerked the dis- 
 patches from his pocket, and handing them to 
 Hugh, cried, "Wheel, and ride for your life." 
 Then, revolver in hand, he boldly charged on the 
 Confederates. 
 
 At Stewart's command, Hugh hurriedly turned 
 his horse and raced to the rear, never realizing the 
 desperate resolution his companion had taken. 
 Hearing the sharp reports of carbines and revol- 
 vers, he looked back, just in time to see Stewart, 
 in the midst of his mad charge, reel and fall from 
 his horse. Hugh's first impulse was to go to his 
 aid, but he remembered the dispatches, as well as 
 the hopelessness of such an attempt, and spurred 
 his horse forward. Then there came a volley, and 
 the balls hissed around him. His horse gave a 
 quick start, and ran with greater speed than ever 
 for a short distance, then staggered and fell, arose 
 and fell again, never more to rise. 
 
 Thanks to his skillful horsemanship, Hugh 
 escaped being caught under the falling horse; 
 but the Confederates were close after him, and, 
 on foot, he darted into a wood which fortunately 
 lined one side of the road. 
 
 As the Confederates came up to the dead horse 
 
30 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 they stopped, swore loud and furiously over Hugh's 
 escape, and fired two or three volleys into the 
 shadows of the wood, hoping to stop the fugitive 
 by a chance shot. 
 
 It was now dark, and the leader said: "No use, 
 boys; he has escaped. One can't see his hand 
 before him in those woods. Curse the luck! I 
 would like to have got them both." 
 
 "Lieutenant," spoke up a soldier, "I believe 
 they were the bearers of important dispatches. I 
 saw the one who charged us so boldly hand a pack- 
 age to the boy just as he wheeled his horse. I 
 believe the fellow deliberately gave up his life, 
 thinking the boy might escape and save the dis- 
 patches." 
 
 "Well," responded the lieutenant, "it was the 
 pluckiest deed I ever saw. He emptied two of 
 our saddles. I wonder if the fellow is dead?" 
 
 "He ought to be," replied the soldier, "from 
 the number of bullets fired at him. Those dis- 
 patches must have been important, or he would 
 never have flung his life away like that." 
 
 "I reckon the boy will find hard work getting 
 through with them now," responded the lieuten- 
 ant, as he ordered his men to mount; "there is 
 some comfort in that." 
 
 While the soldiers were talking, Hugh vas plung- 
 ing into the woods with the energy of desperation. 
 Falling over logs, running against trees, whipped 
 by the brush, he at last stopped, exhausted. He 
 listened intently, but there was no sound of pur- 
 
CARRYING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL. 31 
 
 suit. The woods were silent, save for the sighing 
 of the wind through the trees. He was shaking as 
 with ague, and his breath came in quick gasps. 
 The precious dispatches he still clutched in his 
 hand. 
 
 He sat down to rest and think. He seemed 
 dazed, and turned to speak to Stewart to ask 
 him what they should do, when suddenly he real- 
 ized the fate of his companion. A great sob 
 arose in his throat, and tears gushed from his eyes. 
 A realization of his loneliness and helplessness came 
 over him, and he threw himself on the ground in an 
 agony of grief. In the fire and smoke of battle 
 Hugh knew no fear, being carried away by the 
 excitement and clamor of the moment. But here, 
 alone in the woods, his horse killed, surrounded by 
 foes, a different kind of courage was required, and 
 his heart sank. Then the fate of Stewart horrified 
 him. The man had deliberately ridden to his 
 death that the dispatches might be saved. 
 
 But Hugh was no coward, and soon his natural 
 bravery and spirits began to return. He arose, 
 dashed the tears from his eyes, and exclaimed : 
 "This will never do; these dispatches must be 
 delivered. I cannot be more than twenty-five or 
 thirty miles from Athens. I will get there, if I 
 have to skulk through the woods and fields, and 
 I have no time to lose." 
 
 The night was dark, and he had no idea which 
 way to go. He groped his way along, but was 
 continually running against trees, falling over logs, 
 
32 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 and his face was scratched and bleeding from con- 
 tact with the brush. 
 
 "It's no use," he sighed; "I must wait for 
 daylight," and throwing himself on the ground, he 
 again gave way to his feelings. 
 
 How long Hugh lay there he never knew. To 
 him it seemed hours. Suddenly there was borne 
 to his ears the sound of a rude chant. Was he 
 awake, or dreaming? No, the notes of the music 
 came to him faintly but clearly. Peering through 
 the woods, he caught the gleam of a light. Cau- 
 tiously working his way toward it, he came upon a 
 scene so fantastic, so weird, that he stopped and 
 gazed in astonishment. 
 
 A small circle had been cleared in the woods; 
 in the center of this clearing burned a bright fire. 
 Around it were squatted forty or fifty negroes. 
 The singing had ceased, and they were being 
 harangued by one of their number. The light 
 brought their dusky faces into bold relief, and their 
 shadows, cast by the flames as they leaped and 
 flickered, danced in among the trembling foliage, 
 like so many specters. All at once the speaking 
 ceased; the negroes arose, joined hands around 
 the fire, and keeping time with their swaying 
 bodies, commenced a chant. And this is what 
 they sang: 
 
 " De glory ob de Lawd am cummin', 
 We see it a-blazin' in de dawn, 
 De Linkum sogers am a trampin', 
 Jus' heah de tootin' ob de hawn. 
 
CARRTING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL. 33 
 
 "Wake up, chil'ens! Wake up, chil'ens! 
 De glory ob de Lawd am cum. 
 Wake up, chil'ens! Wake up, chil'ens! 
 De glory ob de Lawd am cum. 
 
 " We hab bin a-lookin' an' a-prayin', 
 Foh de yeah ob jubilee to cum, 
 Now de sogers, dey am a-marchin', 
 Jus' heah de beatin' ob de drum. 
 
 "Wake up, chil'ens," etc. 
 
 "No mo' de little pickaninny, 
 Shall be sold into cruel slabery, 
 Massa Linkum, he hab spoken 
 An' de darkies all am free. 
 
 "Wake up, chil'ens," etc. 
 
 Hugh at once knew he had met friends, and 
 without thinking of the consequences, dehberately 
 walked into their midst. His appearance caused 
 an instantaneous panic. With shrieks of mortal 
 terror, most of the negroes plunged into the dark- 
 ness of the forest. Two or three of the boldest, 
 however, set upon Hugh, and before he could 
 speak he was pinioned to the ground, fingers of 
 iron gripped his throat, and a flashing knife 
 gleamed before his eyes. Never was Hugh nearer 
 to death. He tried to cry out, but no sound 
 came, and everything grew black before him. In 
 his agony he threw out an arm. The color of the 
 sleeve of the blouse caught the negro's eye. The 
 deadly grip relaxed, the descending knife stopped 
 in its course. 
 
 "Who air yo'?" asked the negro in a hoarse 
 voice. It was some time before Hugh could get 
 
34 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 his breath enough to answer. At last he managed 
 to gasp out, "Friend — Lincoln soldier." 
 
 "How cum yo' heah?" 
 
 "Let me up, and I will tell you." 
 
 Hugh was raised to his feet, but still held in a 
 firm grasp, until they became fully convinced that 
 he was in reality a Lincoln soldier. The frightened 
 negroes came stealing back one by one, and with 
 open mouth listened to his story. Most of them 
 had heard something of the fight, and that one of 
 the Yankees had escaped. When he had finished, 
 they crowded around him, asked pardon for their 
 violence, and would have covered his hand with 
 kisses if he had let them. 
 
 "Now, boys," he said, "I must get to Athens. 
 Can you not help me? I have letters from Mr. 
 Lincoln to General Mitchell. It was to get these 
 letters that the rebels attacked us. They are very 
 important. You know my horse was killed ; is 
 there not some way you can get me another 
 horse?" 
 
 The burly negro who acted as leader scratched 
 his head, and said: "Don't know 'bout dat, massa; 
 bosses mighty scarce. So many stolen, white folks 
 take good care of dem ; keep dem locked up ; hid 
 in de woods. Now, Massa Jones hab good hoss 
 hid in de woods; but golly! he kill me if dat hoss 
 gone. Heah, Jim," addressing a quaking individ- 
 ual who had just slid back from the woods, "how 
 'bout Doctah Jenkins's hoss?" 
 
 "Massa Jenkins hab only one ole hoss; de rest 
 
CARRTING DISPATCHES TO MITCHELL. 35 
 
 all stolen. Says dis boss so po' and mean no one 
 want him. Massa keep him in stable — no lock. 
 But, Lawd, massa, yo' don't want dat hoss; hardly 
 go at all. " 
 
 "He would be better than none," spoke up 
 Hugh. "I can get another horse, when I get to 
 Athens." 
 
 Jim didn't much like the idea of stealing his 
 master's horse, and it was only after he was threat- 
 ened by the other negroes that he consented. 
 
 "I'm a gone nigger, suah, if Massa Jenkins fin' 
 it out," he whimpered. 
 
 "I will fix that, Jim," spoke up Hugh. "I 
 will leave a note telling the doctor I took him, 
 and I will see that your master gets a horse back, 
 or pay for this one. Everybody in Rogersville 
 knows about the fight, and that I got away. No 
 one will suspect you." 
 
 So it was arranged that Jim should steal the 
 doctor's horse. By the light of the fire Hugh 
 wrote the promised note, telling Jim to leave it 
 in the stable. Bidding his dusky friends good-bye, 
 Hugh was conducted by Jim to the outskirts of 
 the village, close to the doctor's residence. Here 
 he was told to wait. In about ten minutes Jim 
 came back with the horse saddled and bridled, but 
 the poor negro was trembling so that his teeth 
 rattled. It was plain to be seen that it was only 
 from fear of the vengeance of his companions that 
 he had taken the horse. 
 
 The feelings of Doctor Jenkins can better be 
 
36 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 imagined than described when, in the morning, he 
 found his horse gone. But Hugh's note explained 
 it all, and Jim was not suspected. 
 
 Hugh found the horse fully as old and slow as 
 Jim had said, but it was much better than going 
 on foot. He skirted around the little village, and 
 then struck the main road to Athens. The horse 
 refused to go faster than a slow trot, and Hugh 
 was bemoaning his bad luck, when he was startled 
 by the tramping of horses a short distance ahead. 
 He hastily withdrew from the road, and took shel- 
 ter in the shadow of a friendly tree, for the moon 
 was now shining faintly. A squadron of Confed- 
 erate cavalry swept by, and from snatches of con- 
 versation he learned that they had been out looking 
 for him. Hugh now blessed his stars that his horse 
 was old and slow. If he had been riding fast, he 
 might have ridden into the midst of these cavalry- 
 men before he heard them. 
 
 He was yet several miles from Athens when day 
 broke, but he was in a country which was more or 
 less scouted by the Federal cavalry, and therefore 
 in little danger. It was nearly noon when he rode 
 into the little city and reported to Colonel Turchin, 
 of the Nineteenth Illinois Volunteers, the com- 
 mander of the post. The colonel listened to his 
 story with a great deal of interest. 
 
 "To-morrow morning," said he, "a train under 
 the escort of cavalry leaves here for Huntsville. 
 The road is dangerous to travel without an escort; 
 wait until then, and you can go through with them. 
 
CARRYING DISPATCHES lO MITCHELL. 37 
 
 In the meantime, I will see that a horse is procured 
 for you. Now," he continued kindly, "go and 
 get some rest; you have had a hard time of it." 
 
 Hugh thanked the colonel for his kindness, but 
 lingered as if he would say more. 
 
 "What is it, my boy?" 
 
 "Would — would it be too much to ask that if 
 possible you would see what has become of Stew- 
 art? I almost know he was killed, but I would 
 like to have him have a decent burial." 
 
 "From your story," replied the colonel, "Stew- 
 art deserves a monument. He was certainly a 
 hero. I shall act on your suggestion. I want to 
 clean out that nest of Rebel cavalry that has been 
 hanging around Rogersville, anyway." 
 
 "And see that the doctor gets his horse back," 
 added Hugh. "The way I got him was a little too 
 much like stealing." 
 
 The colonel smiled. "Yes, I will see about that, 
 too." 
 
 The next morning Hugh left for Huntsville in 
 company with the cavalry, and the journey was 
 concluded without incident. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK. 
 
 GENERAL O. M. MITCHELL sat in his head- 
 quarters at Huntsville poring over a number 
 of maps which were spread out on a table before 
 him. He looked careworn, and his countenance 
 had a troubled expression. At length he rolled up 
 the maps, gave a sigh, and sat buried in deep 
 thought. His meditations were interrupted by an 
 orderly who came in, saluted, and said, "A courier, 
 who has just arrived from Corinth with dispatches, 
 awaits outside." 
 
 "Show him in at once," said the general, eagerly, 
 and a moment afterwards Hugh was ushered into 
 the room. 
 
 "Are you direct from General Halleck?" was the 
 first question asked by Mitchell. 
 
 "I am direct from General Nelson at luka," 
 replied Hugh; "but he told me the dispatches I 
 have were from Generals Halleck and Buell." 
 
 "When did you leave luka?" 
 
 "Three days ago." 
 
 "Did you come through alone?" 
 
 "Only from Rogersville to Athens. A comrade 
 started with me, but he was killed near Rogersville. 
 
 38 
 
THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK. 39 
 
 I should have been here some hours earlier had 
 we not been attacked near that place by a squad of 
 cavalry." 
 
 "Ah! you were attacked, then?" 
 
 "Yes, general." 
 
 "I will hear about it later. I must now look 
 over the dispatches you have brought. Make your- 
 self comfortable at my headquarters until I send for 
 you." 
 
 Hugh retired, and the general eagerly turned to 
 his dispatches. As he read his brow contracted, 
 and his whole face showed the most bitter disap- 
 pointment. 
 
 Having read them through, he dashed them to the 
 floor in a passion, exclaiming: "All is lost! All is 
 lost ! Fools ! Fools ! ' ' 
 
 Arising, he paced the floor with quick, nervous 
 steps. "What is the use of worrying," he at last 
 muttered to himself. ' * My work will all be undone, 
 but what will that matter to me? What fools! what 
 fools! To think they can fuss with a needless rail- 
 road for weeks, and still capture Chattanooga." 
 
 When Buell commenced his advance from Nash- 
 ville to Shiloh, General O. M. Mitchell executed 
 one of the most brilliant lesser movements of the 
 war. Starting from Shelbyville, Tennessee, by a 
 rapid march his advance appeared before Huntsville, 
 Alabama, on the morning of April nth. If his 
 army had dropped from the clouds the inhabitants 
 of that little city would not have been more aston- 
 ished. The place surrendered without resistance. 
 
40 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Mitchell captured one hundred and seventy prison- 
 ers, fifteen locomotives, and one hundred and fifty- 
 passenger and freight cars. 
 
 Using Huntsville as a base of operation, he sent 
 a force by rail east and west, and in twenty-four 
 hours was in possession of the Memphis and Charles- 
 ton Railroad from Decatur to Stevenson, a distance 
 of over one hundred miles. 
 
 All through the weary days when Halleck was 
 creeping toward Corinth, Mitchell held this road, 
 fighting a number of successful small engagements, 
 and by a rapid combination of his troops in differ- 
 ent places, made the enemy think his force was 
 three times as large as it really was. He ordered 
 Negley's brigade to cross the mountains from Mc- 
 Minnville, and on the 7th of June that brigade 
 reached the Tennessee opposite Chattanooga and 
 shelled that city. But Negley's force was so small 
 he did not deem it prudent to try to cross the river, 
 and owing to a lack of supplies he was forced to fall 
 back to McMinnville. 
 
 Chattanooga was the gateway not only to East 
 Tennessee, but to Atlanta, Georgia. If it had been 
 taken early in the war, the backbone of the Confed- 
 eracy would have been broken. 
 
 After Corinth was evacuated, Halleck planned 
 large campaigns on paper. Grant was to open the 
 Mississippi, and Buell was to complete the work so 
 auspiciously begun by Mitchell. Chattanooga once 
 captured, the campaign was to be extended into 
 East Tennessee, and Atlanta itself threatened. 
 
THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK. 41 
 
 The plan was perfectly feasible, but to be suc- 
 cessful it required a bold, rapid movement. Buell 
 wanted to make the campaign by the way of Ten- 
 nessee and McMinnville, paying no attention to the 
 Memphis and Charleston Railroad, but Halleck was 
 in favor of moving directly east along the line of the 
 road. After a long discussion, Halleck yielded to 
 Buell, and that general left immediately for luka to 
 put his plan into execution. 
 
 But Buell was hardly out of sight before Halleck 
 changed his mind, and telegraphed him that he must 
 keep along the line of the railroad. He did more: 
 he ordered Buell to repair the road from luka to 
 Decatur as he advanced. This not only meant 
 days, but weeks of delay. Buell remonstrated 
 against the order, but his remonstrance did no good. 
 In a letter dated the 17th of June, Buell wrote to 
 Halleck, as follows : 
 
 "The movement I am making cannot be made 
 without risk, if not made promptly. It seems to 
 me that the importance of the railroad from Bear 
 Creek to Decatur is greatly overrated ; as a means 
 of transferring troops, it is of no value whatever, 
 and as a channel for supplying those in Tennessee, 
 it is neither needed nor convenient, while its ex- 
 posure to interruption makes it extremely objection- 
 able." 
 
 Halleck, however, was deaf to all reasoning, and 
 ordered Buell to carry out his orders. Thus left 
 without choice, Buell advanced slowly, repairing 
 the railroad as he went. The delay was fatal. 
 
42 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Great as was Halleck's mistake in the advance on 
 Corinth, this was a greater one. It brought to 
 naught the whole campaign, and prolonged the war 
 for at least one year. For the paralyzing touch of 
 Halleck, the nation paid dearly. 
 
 The dispatches which Hugh carried to Mitchell 
 told that general of Halleck's plans; that the rail- 
 road must be repaired before Buell could join him. 
 Mitchell already had the Nashville and Chattanooga 
 Railroad repaired nearly to Stevenson, and there 
 remained a gap of only twenty miles that needed 
 repairs in the railroad leading from Nashville to De- 
 catur. For a campaign against Chattanooga, the 
 Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad was really the 
 only one needed. Afterwards, this one road sup- 
 plied Sherman's immense army on the Atlanta 
 campaign. 
 
 No wonder General Mitchell was in utter despair 
 when he received Halleck's orders. He saw that 
 the whole movement would result in complete 
 failure. 
 
 To all this there was a curious ending. General 
 Buell was relieved of his command in the fall, and 
 a military commission was organized at Cincinnati 
 to inquire into his conduct as commanding general ; 
 why he failed to capture Chattanooga, and thus 
 made the invasion of Kentucky by Bragg possible. 
 
 After days of inquiry, this presumably eminently 
 wise, august, and impartial Commission made the 
 following report : 
 
 "When the Rebels evacuated Corinth, there was 
 
THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK. 43 
 
 no place upon which they could rally in time to 
 oppose successfully the army under Major-General 
 Halleck in his attempt to open the Mississippi, and 
 possess ourselves of East Tennessee. To accom- 
 plish the latter purpose, General Buell, in command 
 of what has since been known as 'The Army of the 
 Ohio,' was sent in the direction of Chattanooga 
 with instructions to seize that place and through it 
 East Tennessee. It has been proved on the part of 
 the government, and not denied by the defense, 
 that the Rebels were not in force at that time in 
 either place, and had General Buell pushed on, he 
 would have taken the more important strategic 
 points almost without resistance. Why this was 
 not done. General Buell assures us, was owing to a 
 lack of supplies, and the attempt to repair and 
 keep open long lines of railroad through a hostile 
 population. But the most extraordinary fact in 
 this connection pressing upon the Commission, is 
 that the commander of the Army of the Ohio knew 
 at the time that these lines of railway would be 
 useless for the lack of rolling stock, and although 
 an attempt is made evidently to shield himself 
 under the orders of Major-General Halleck, we 
 find no earnest remonstrance that would justify the 
 Commission in regarding such a defense as sufificient. 
 The brief oral instructions claimed to have been 
 received, followed by the yet briefer telegram, evi- 
 denced a confidence in and a discretionary power 
 given to Major-General Buell, which should now 
 bar any attempt to shift the responsibility. The 
 
44 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 fact that he knew, at the time, the hopelessness and 
 absurdity of these efforts is conclusive." 
 
 There can be but one conclusion drawn from this 
 most extraordinary finding of the Commission. 
 Buell was the under dog in the fight. He had been 
 removed from his command ; in a measure, he was 
 in disgrace ; he was execrated by nearly the whole 
 of his army and half of the North. Therefore, he 
 had no power to reward or punish; no influence to 
 be felt. 
 
 On the other hand, Halleck was high in author- 
 ity, the military adviser of the President, and vir- 
 tually the commander-in-chief of the Federal armies. 
 It would not do to censure Halleck; it might cause 
 the honorable members of the Commission trouble; 
 so Buell not only had to bear his own sins, but was 
 made the scapegoat of Halleck. 
 
 But even this toadying did not placate Halleck. 
 Like a Bourbon, he never learned. The Commis- 
 sion had had the temerity to call his pet scheme of 
 repairing the railroad "an absurdity." 
 
 When the report of the Commission was forwarded 
 to him at Washington, he sat down in wrath and 
 wrote: 
 
 "So much of the report as states that General 
 Buell's advance was delayed by the repairs on the 
 Memphis and Charleston Railroad, and that Gen- 
 eral Buell's lines of supply were unnecessarily long, 
 is incorrect. General Buell had no other line of 
 supply than this road until he reached Decatur and 
 connected with the Nashville road." 
 
THE PARALTZING HAND OF HALLECK. 45 
 
 Eastport, on the Tennessee River, was at that 
 time a depot of supplies for the Federal army. 
 From Eastport it is hardly two days' march to 
 Decatur. Yet in the above Halleck solemnly de- 
 clared it was necessary to spend weeks in repairing 
 a railroad to cover this short distance. 
 
 And this is the man who sat in judgment on our 
 generals for years. It was only when he was for- 
 bidden to interfere with Grant and Sherman that 
 the war was brought to a successful close. 
 
 As commanding general, it was Halleck's business 
 to order Buell to make the movement on Chatta- 
 nooga as expeditiously as possible. Yet, forsooth, 
 Buell is condemned, because he did not accompany 
 his protest to Halleck with a kick. 
 
 It is to be hoped that in future years, history will 
 render General Buell justice in this matter. 
 
 Was it any wonder that the dispatches which 
 Hugh brought utterly crushed every hope that 
 Mitchell had of taking Chattanooga? Terrific 
 battles were to be fought, thousands to be slain, and 
 months to pass before Chattanooga should fall. 
 
 In the morning after Hugh's arrival, he was told 
 that General Nelson's division was to move in a 
 few days as far east as Huntsville, and that he need 
 not make the return journey until then. Instead, 
 he was sent to Nashville with dispatches, making 
 most of the journey by rail. When he returned 
 he found that Nelson, with his division, had reached 
 Athens, and he joined the general there. 
 
 He was warmly greeted by Nelson, who informed 
 
46 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 him that he was Sergeant Hugh Raymond now, 
 promoted for bravery and fidelity in carrying the 
 dispatches. 
 
 * * But, General, I do not deserve this, ' ' said Hugh, 
 with quivering lip. "It was Stewart who gave his 
 life that I might get away with the dispatches. If 
 that man had lived, he ought to have been made a 
 general. He went to his death, while all I had to 
 do was to run." 
 
 "And a very good run you made of it, Sergeant," 
 answered the general. "It takes far more cour- 
 age to run sometimes than it does to stand still and 
 be taken prisoner. You took your life in your 
 hands when you ran." 
 
 "But Stewart, General, does any one know what 
 became of his body? Did you march through 
 Rogersville when you came here. ' ' 
 
 A twinkle came into Nelson's eye as he answered : 
 "I think I will send you to Rogersville to-morrow, 
 and let you look the matter up. The place is now 
 garrisoned by a small force of our men." 
 
 The next morning, just as Hugh was starting 
 on his trip to Rogersville, he witnessed an incident 
 he could never think of without laughing. But it 
 had its serious side to at least one person, and that 
 was a peddler of pies. 
 
 An Alabama cracker, tall, lank, sallow, came 
 into the camp selling pies. They were of half-moon 
 shape, the crust a good substitute for India rubber,^ 
 and the filling indescribable. 
 
THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK, 47 
 
 *'Heah is yo' fine peach pe-ies, only fifty cents!" 
 he was yelling at the top of his voice. 
 
 Anything in the shape of a pie made the boys' 
 mouths water, and the man was soon surrounded by 
 a crowd of soldiers and doing a flourishing business, 
 when Nelson came along. He was in a furious 
 passion. Supplies were not coming up to suit 
 him; he had received orders to send part of his 
 division toward Nashville to help to guard the rail- 
 road ; and he was out of sorts generally. Seeing 
 the man engaged in selling his pies, he rode up to 
 him and thundered, "I thought I told you to keep 
 out of this camp, selling those abominations you 
 call pies." 
 
 The fellow was thoroughly frightened. "I — I — 
 forgot," ^he stammered. 
 
 "Forgot, did you? Well, you will never forget 
 again. Here corporal," turning to a grinning 
 soldier, "take this fellow out and hang him." 
 
 The terror-stricken wretch dropped his pies, fell 
 on his knees, and raised his hands pleadingly. 
 
 "Mercy! mercy!" he gasped. "I hev a wife 
 an' eight chil'uns! I never will sell ennymo' pe-ies, 
 Ginerel, indeed I won't." 
 
 "Mercy! do you think you deserve mercy, selling 
 those things to my boys for fifty cents apiece? 
 They are more dangerous than Rebel bullets. 
 Here, eat every one of them, and that quick, or I 
 will hang you." 
 
 The man snatched up a pie, and in a moment it 
 was gone. 
 
48 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Now, another." 
 
 He picked up the second one, but it disappeared 
 a Httle slower. As he took the last mouthful, he 
 looked up at the general with a pleading eye. 
 
 "Another! don't be fooling about it." 
 
 The third disappeared, amid the shouts and 
 laughter of the soldiers who had crowded around to 
 see the fun. 
 
 "Don't be slow about it, — another." 
 
 The fellow slowly reached for the fourth pie. He 
 choked on it two or three times, but it at last joined 
 its companions. 
 
 "I can't eat enny mo', Ginerel, I can't," moaned 
 the poor fellow. 
 
 "Take him out and hang him, corporal," shouted 
 Nelson. 
 
 The corporal reached out for the man, but the 
 victim grabbed another pie, and was gulping it down 
 in huge mouthfuls. When he had finished, he 
 looked up at Nelson with tears streaming down his 
 face. 
 
 "One more or hang.' 
 
 Tremblingly he reached for the sixth pie, took a 
 few mouthfuls, but nature had reached its limit- — 
 the stomach revolted. 
 
 "Escort him out of the camp," said Nelson to 
 the corporal, "and hang him if he ever shows his 
 face here again." 
 
 Amid the hoots, jeers, yells, and cat-calls of the 
 soldiers, he was led out of camp, bent half double, 
 his hands pressed on his stomach, and groaning at 
 
THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLECK. 49 
 
 every step. Just as the corporal left him, he handed 
 him his basket, saying, "Here is your basket, 
 Uncle." 
 
 Strange to say there was not a single pie in it. 
 
 "Did I eat 'em all?" whimpered the man, as he 
 took the basket. 
 
 "Every one, Uncle, every one. I think you 
 must have devoured at least two dozen," answered 
 the corporal, with a wink as he walked away. 
 
 It was a hot, dusty ride, but in his eagerness 
 Hugh covered the distance to Rogersville by noon. 
 To the commander of the post, Captain Cope- 
 land, he presented a personal letter from Nelson. 
 The captain read it, smiled, and said: "I think, 
 Sergeant, I can take you to a person who can give 
 you the information you wish. But first, wash 
 the dust of travel from you, and have some dinner. 
 I am in luck to-day. I can give you much better 
 than soldier's fare." 
 
 After dinner the captain walked with Hugh to a 
 commodious house, which stood in a beautiful grove 
 on the outskirts of the village. They were met at 
 the door by a fine looking old Southern gentleman, 
 who shook hands cordially with the captain. 
 
 "Allow me. Doctor," said the captain, "to 
 introduce to you Sergeant Hugh Raymond, who 
 would like to see your patient." 
 
 "Yes, sah, this way, sah," replied the doctor. 
 
 Hugh's heart gave a great bound, — "his 
 patient!" Could it be that Stewart was alive? 
 
 They were ushered into a large, airy room, and 
 
50 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 there, propped up in bed, was Stewart, looking 
 pale and thin, but alive and smiling. 
 
 With a cry of joy, Hugh was on his knees beside 
 the bed, one of Stewart's hands in his, and crying: 
 "John! John! how glad I am to see you. Then 
 you were not killed after all!" 
 
 "No, Hugh, I am worth a dozen dead men yet. 
 This left arm you see all bandaged up was 
 broken. I have a hole through my thigh, and as 
 you see, a ball gave me a pretty deep scalp wound. 
 The last rendered me senseless, and I was left for 
 dead. I would have died if it had not been for 
 good Doctor Jenkins here, who, although an 
 enemy, obeyed the Scriptures — took me in and 
 bound up my wounds." 
 
 "Doctor Jenkins! Doctor Jenkins!" gasped Hugh. 
 "Why, it was the doctor's horse I got away with!" 
 
 "Here, Doctor," shouted Stewart, "here is the 
 thief that stole your horse; he has confessed." 
 
 Hugh looked foolish, but soon rallied, and said: 
 "Doctor, I hope you will forgive me; it was a 
 case of necessity. I am here now to make amends, 
 if you did not get the horse back. I left orders to 
 have him returned." 
 
 "I will forgive you, Sergeant, seeing that General 
 Nelson gave me a much better one," laughed the 
 doctor. 
 
 "Hugh," said Stewart in a low voice, so as not 
 to be heard by the others, "the doctor is a brick — 
 a perfect brick — if he is a cantankerous, fire-eating 
 Reb. He is one of the best men I ever saw; he 
 
Stewart's Eye brightened as a light Step entered the Room. 
 
THE PARALYZING HAND OF HALLBCK. 5 1 
 
 saved my life. And then," here Stewart hesitated, 
 blushed, and his voice sank to a whisper, "he has 
 one of the sweetest, dearest girls for a daughter 
 you ever saw." 
 
 "So! So!" whispered Hugh, "the land lies that 
 way, does it? Another case of Othello and 
 Desdemona. I suppose congratulations are in 
 order, old fellow." 
 
 Hugh saw Stewart's eye brighten, as a light step 
 was heard entering the room, and a moment later 
 he was introduced to Miss Ruth Jenkins. She was 
 a pretty girl, with deep, tender blue eyes, and her 
 voice was sweet and low, with that soft accent 
 which is one of the chief charms of the Southern girl. 
 
 When Hugh got an opportunity, he whispered to 
 Stewart: "I say, old boy, you are a lucky fellow. 
 Here I have been mourning for you dead, and, 
 instead of that, you have captured one of the 
 sweetest girls in Alabama. I wouldn't mind being 
 shot, if you would guarantee like results. Has the 
 doctor any more girls?" 
 
 "No, Hugh, I am sorry, but you see one family 
 couldn't afford two such girls as Ruth." 
 
 "Just my luck; but, John, you deserve it all." 
 
 Stewart pressed Hugh's hand; he was too happy 
 for words. 
 
 Just before they took their leave, Captain Cope- 
 land turned to Hugh and said: "Oh, yes! I came 
 nearly forgetting. By request of General Nelson, 
 Sergeant Hugh Raymond, let me introduce you to 
 Lieutenant John Stewart." 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 A THREE-HUNDRED-MILE RACE. 
 
 THE year 1862, which opened so auspiciously 
 for the Union arms, closed in gloom. The 
 splendid victories which commenced with Mill 
 Springs, followed by Donelson, Shiloh, the fall of 
 New Orleans, and of Island No. 10, ceased with 
 the evacuation of Corinth. 
 
 On the Peninsula, McClellan was beaten back 
 from before Richmond. Pope's boastful and vain- 
 glorious campaign in Virginia ended with the awful 
 slaughter and defeat of Manassas. 
 
 The victorious march of the Army of the Ohio 
 under Buell was suddenly stopped. For weeks it 
 struggled against the inevitable, groping like a man 
 in the dark for an antagonist it could not find; it 
 then was swept back for three hundred miles, and 
 found itself once more on the banks of the Ohio. 
 
 The whole State of Tennessee, east of the Ten- 
 nessee River, with the exception of Nashville, fell 
 into the hands of the Confederacy. Half of the 
 State of Kentucky went the same way. Grant, 
 however, held his own from Corinth west to 
 Memphis. 
 
 Buell's halt to repair the railroad had given the 
 52 
 
A THREE-HUNDRED-MILE RACE. 53 
 
 Confederates a breathing spell and time to concen- 
 trate an army at Chattanooga. Beauregard had 
 been relieved from command, and Braxton Bragg 
 appointed in his place. Bragg was a bold and 
 aggressive general. He at once began to plan to force 
 Buell back and invade Kentucky. He even con- 
 templated crossing the Ohio and capturing Cincin- 
 nati, thus making the North feel the heavy weight 
 of war. 
 
 This contemplated advance of Bragg could never 
 have been brought about, had it not been for the 
 daring deeds of two Confederate cavalry officers, 
 General N. B. Forrest and Colonel John H. Morgan. 
 These two men literally became the scourge of the 
 Federal army. They brought to naught the well 
 laid plans of our generals, prevented Buell's 
 contemplated Chattanooga campaign, and at last 
 made it possible for Bragg to send our armies 
 scurrying back to Louisville. To Morgan and 
 Forrest belong the honor of accomplishing with a 
 few hundred men what many generals would not 
 have accomplished with thousands. 
 
 In July, Morgan, with less than a thousand men, 
 swept through the State of Kentucky like a whirl- 
 wind almost up to the Ohio River. He captured 
 town after town, destroyed hundreds of thousands 
 of dollars' worth of property, tore up miles of 
 railroad, burnt bridges, threw trains off the tracks, 
 and drove the whole State into a panic. During 
 the same month, Forrest captured Murfreesboro, 
 with hundreds of prisoners, including General 
 
54 ON" GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Crittenden ; tore up the railroad nearly to Nashville, 
 and escaped comparatively unharmed. 
 
 These raids, by destroying the railroads, cut off 
 the supplies from Buell's army, and put the men on 
 half and quarter rations. Now commenced the 
 dissatisfaction against Buell, which at last grew to 
 such proportions as to cause his removal. Buell 
 was a strict disciplinarian. He severely punished 
 foraging, and protected the property of Secessionists 
 and Unionists alike. His soldiers, suffering with 
 hunger, looked with longing eyes toward the rich 
 fields and well filled smoke-houses they were not 
 allowed to touch. The murmuring was not only 
 deep, but loud. At last a soldier was shot by a 
 Southern planter under peculiarly atrocious cir- 
 cumstances, because he entered a field of corn. It 
 almost raised a mutiny, and aggravated the feeling 
 against Buell. 
 
 At this time the cavalry arm of the Federal army 
 was weak in numbers and inefficient. It was found 
 impossible to catch Forrest or Morgan with infantry, 
 so those generals harassed the rear of the Federal 
 army at will. 
 
 It was known to Buell and his generals that Bragg 
 was about ready to move, but as to when and where 
 he would strike, they were completely in the dark. 
 They found it almost impossible to get any reliable 
 information. 
 
 One day Thomas and Nelson were discussing the 
 situation, and Thomas said: 
 
 "General, I wish that protege of yours, Captain 
 
A THREE-HUNDRED-MILE RACE. 55 
 
 Shackelford, were here. Young as he was, he was 
 the most reliable scout I ever had. He seemed to 
 divine the plans of the enemy, almost by intuition." 
 
 "Confound him!" growled Nelson, "I am afraid 
 we have lost him altogether." 
 
 "How is that?" asked Thomas. 
 
 "At Nashville I had him regularly commissioned 
 as captain. No commission was ever more worthily 
 bestowed. It was information I received from him, 
 that made me make my race for Shiloh. He found 
 his father, who was a Confederate colonel, desper- 
 ately wounded on the battlefield, and asked and 
 received an indefinite leave of absence to take him 
 home. A couple of weeks ago, I wrote him, asking 
 him if possible to return, saying I needed his ser- 
 vices very much. The young cub responded by 
 sending me his resignation. I am afraid he is being 
 influenced by his father." 
 
 "I am sorry to hear it," responded Thomas. "I 
 became greatly attached to him." 
 
 "I am holding his resignation," continued Nel- 
 son, "in hopes he will reconsider. I expect to see 
 him shortly. I received orders to-day to give up 
 my division and go back to Kentucky to take com- 
 mand of the troops in that State." 
 
 "So I hear," answered Thomas. "My congrat- 
 ulations, General; if I mistake not, the field will 
 be a lively one before long." 
 
 "Thomas," answered Nelson, evidently with 
 much feeling, "I don't want to go back. I hate to 
 give up my division, and have protested against 
 
56 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 going, but the last orders are imperative. Then — 
 then — " 
 
 "Then what, General?" 
 
 "I am ashamed to say it, but I have a feeling 
 that some calamity is impending, and I dread to 
 go back." 
 
 Thomas smiled. "General, you are not super- 
 stitious, are you?" 
 
 "No, but somehow I cannot get rid of this feel- 
 ing. I believe my going back to Kentucky will be 
 neither for my own good nor the good of my 
 country." 
 
 In August Morgan made another raid, capturing 
 Gallatin, and then in a pitched battle defeated the 
 Federal cavalry under General R. W. Johnson. A 
 few days afterwards, Forrest swept entirely around 
 Nashville, escaping by the way of West Tennessee. 
 
 Buell was at his wits' end. Word came that 
 General Kirby Smith with a large force was 
 advancing into Kentucky through Cumberland Gap, 
 and that Bragg had crossed the Tennessee at Chat- 
 tanooga. Although the air had been full of rumors 
 that Bragg intended to invade Kentucky, Buell 
 would not believe that that general would try to 
 slip past him. 
 
 "It would not be military for Bragg to leave a 
 hostile army in his rear," reasoned Buell. He 
 confidently believed that Bragg would try to de- 
 stroy his army before he made any attempt to 
 invade Kentucky, and therefore would attack him. 
 But where? This was what puzzled Buell. He 
 
A THREE-HUNDRED-MILE RACE. 57 
 
 first gave orders for his army to concentrate at 
 Altamont, then at McMinnville, then at Murfrees- 
 boro. 
 
 Second in command to Buell was General George 
 H. Thomas. It was at this time that Thomas 
 began to exhibit those qualities which afterwards 
 placed him in the foremost rank of the Federal 
 commanders. Since the battle of Mill Springs, he 
 had had no opportunity to show his mettle. His 
 division came too late to take part in the battle of 
 Shiloh. He had an important command during the 
 siege of Corinth, but no general could distinguish 
 himself in that colossal failure. After the evacua- 
 tion of Corinth, his division was kept guarding the 
 railroad for weeks. Bragg had completely mystified 
 and outgeneraled Buell, and Thomas tried to set 
 him right. 
 
 "Bragg," said Thomas, "will neither attack you 
 at McMinnville, Murfreesboro, nor Nashville. His 
 destination is Kentucky, and he will pass to the 
 east of us. 
 
 "What!" asked Buell in surprise, "and leave us 
 in his rear?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Thomas. "The army should be 
 concentrated with all possible dispatch at Sparta. 
 You can then strike Bragg as he debouches from 
 the Sequatchie Valley, and, I believe, administer 
 an overwhelming defeat." 
 
 But Buell could not believe it. If he concen- 
 trated the army at Sparta, it would leave Murfrees- 
 boro and Nashville open to attack. So Thomas's 
 
58 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 advice was put aside as worthless. Well would it 
 have been for the country and for Buell, if it had 
 been taken. 
 
 Buell was dumfounded when he learned that 
 Bragg had crossed the Cumberland, and was two 
 days' march ahead of him on his way north, and the 
 race for the Ohio River began. It was one of the 
 most peculiar movements of the war, this race for 
 Louisville. 
 
 Bragg stopped two days to capture Mumfords- 
 ville, and this brought Buell up with him. For 
 three days the two armies faced each other in battle 
 array at Prewitt's Knob. Each commander hesi- 
 tated to attack, for a defeat would have been fatal to 
 either. It was here that the absurd story that Buell 
 and Bragg slept together gained credence. These 
 generals were brothers-in-law, and the story that 
 they slept at a farmhouse outside of the lines dur- 
 ing these three days was believed by thousands of 
 the soldiers. So great was the dissatisfaction among 
 the officers of the Federal army that, while at Prew- 
 itt's Knob, a secret council was held, and some of 
 them boldly advocated the plan of deposing Buell 
 by force, and putting Thomas in his place. This 
 plan was brought to an abrupt close by an officer 
 saying: "I know General Thomas well. I know 
 of what stuff he is made. Now, try to depose 
 Buell and elevate Thomas to the command, and he 
 will be the first one to arrest, try, and shoot every 
 one of you for mutiny.'' 
 
A THREE-HUNDRED-MILE RACE. 59 
 
 This put an end to all the talk of deposing Buell 
 and putting Thomas in his place. 
 
 At the end of three days, Bragg moved on, and 
 now was presented the extraordinary spectacle of 
 both armies traveling northward, on parallel roads, 
 and but a few miles apart. 
 
 Before reaching Louisville, Bragg turned to the 
 right to form a junction with Kirby Smith, and the 
 road was left open for Buell to march his discon- 
 tented, weary, ragged, bare-footed, half-starved 
 men into Louisville, where not only food and rai- 
 ment, but a royal welcome awaited them. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 
 
 A FEW miles from Danville, Kentucky, on the 
 Richmond road, may be seen one of those old- 
 fashioned mansions which are so common in that 
 part of the State. It stands well back from the 
 road in a park of native forest trees. A winding 
 driveway, bordered with flowers, leads from the 
 road to the mansion. The surrounding landscape 
 is one of surpassing beauty, and it never looked 
 lovelier than one day in the latter part of July, 
 1862, as it lay smiling beneath the summer sun. 
 Stacks of golden grain dotted the fields, ready to be 
 delivered to the insatiable maw of the thresher. 
 Fields of corn, rising and falling in gentle swells 
 when touched by the passing breeze, were set like 
 islands of emerald in the midst of a sea of brown. 
 Pastures, rich in bluegrass, in which grazed the 
 finest of horses and cattle, were seen on every side. 
 Here and there were stretches of primeval forest, 
 the lofty trees towering above the surrounding 
 country, and beckoning with their waving branches, 
 as if inviting the heated traveler to enter their cool- 
 ing shade. 
 
 Yet, fair as was the landscape, peaceful as seemed 
 the scene, the whole country was a seething volcano. 
 
 60 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 6 1 
 
 But as yet, although the war had been in progress 
 over a year, Central Kentucky had, in a great 
 measure, escaped its ravages. It is true that all her 
 towns were garrisoned with Federal troops, and not 
 a day passed but that some of her highways echoed 
 with the steady tramp of marching columns. But 
 the sanctity of private property had generally been 
 respected, and the husbandman had been permitted 
 to gather the fruits of his labor. 
 
 On the afternoon of that summer day, there sat 
 on the porch of this mansion a father and son, the 
 latter just entering manhood. The man was middle- 
 aged, of martial appearance, and wore the uniform 
 of a Confederate colonel. A pair of crutches rested 
 on the arm of his chair, and a glance showed that 
 one of his legs had been amputated below the 
 knee. It was left on the bloody field of Shiloh. 
 
 The boy was hardly eighteen, though he looked 
 at least twenty. While not above medium size, 
 his frame was well knit, and his muscles stood out 
 like knots of iron. The bronze of his face showed 
 that he was no stranger to the tented field. He 
 also wore a uniform, but it was of the Federal blue, 
 and young as he was, the straps on his shoulder 
 showed him to be a captain. There conversing 
 quietly together they sat — father and son — Con- 
 federate and Federal. 
 
 Through an open window came the notes of a 
 piano, and now and then was heard a sweet, girlish 
 voice singing snatches of songs. The sound of the 
 piano ceased, and a beautiful little girl, some thir- 
 
62 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 teen years of age, came dancing out of the house. 
 First she ran to the grave, quiet man in gray, and 
 throwing her arm around his neck, covered his face 
 with kisses; then she did the same to the boy in 
 blue. Her love knew no difference between the 
 Blue and the Gray. The storms of passion which 
 swept the land had no place in her heart, 
 
 "Oh, Papa — Fred!" she cried, "how happy we 
 all are once more! How glad I am to get away 
 from that horrid old school and be at home ! Papa, 
 Fred, you will neither one go away to the awful 
 war any more, will you?" And she ran to her 
 father again, and entwined his neck with her loving, 
 childish arms. 
 
 "Now promise, papa dear, promise," she said 
 pleadingly. 
 
 Her father disengaged the clinging arms, then 
 holding her at arms' length, he gazed into her eyes, 
 and his own filled with tears. 
 
 "How like your mother you are growing, child! 
 How like your mother!" he exclaimed, brokenly. 
 
 "But, papa, you haven't promised yet," replied 
 the child, pouting. 
 
 "Well, Belle, Fred and I have been talking it 
 over, and we have both about concluded that we 
 have had enough of war. Now, does that satisfy 
 you?" 
 
 "Oh, how glad I am! How glad I am!" she 
 shouted. "Thank you, dear papa," and she flitted 
 away, and the piano was soon heard rattling away 
 at a livelier rate than before. 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 63 
 
 Colonel Shackelford continued to sit for some 
 time in silence; then turning to his son he asked, 
 "Fred, have you sent in your resignation?" 
 
 "Yes, father; but I have not heard from General 
 Nelson yet." 
 
 "Well, Fred, I have concluded to resign my 
 commission ; that is, if I can get a communication 
 through to the Confederate government, which is 
 no easy matter just now." 
 
 "I am so rejoiced, father, that you have con- 
 cluded to resign," answered Fred. "If the State 
 is not invaded, we can live here safe and happy." 
 
 "Not happy, Fred, not happy; there can be no 
 happiness for me as long as the South is bleeding. 
 And if the Confederates should invade the State, as 
 I hope and believe they will, it will be anything 
 but peaceful. Fred, you and I may be drawn into 
 the war again from the force of circumstances." 
 
 Fred sighed. "That's so, father. I think I 
 shall ride to Danville this afternoon, and learn if 
 there are any new developments." 
 
 "Do so, my son; but do not be gone longer than 
 necessary. I am uneasy every moment you are 
 out of my sight, lest some harm may come to you." 
 
 "That should be the last thing to trouble you, 
 father," laughed Fred, as he went out to get ready 
 for his trip. 
 
 He soon appeared mounted on a magnificent thor- 
 oughbred, and waving a salute to his father, gal- 
 loped toward Danville. 
 
 Colonel Shackelford gazed after his son with 
 
64 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 pride. The neat-fitting captain's uniform set off 
 his figure to advantage, and he sat his horse like 
 a centaur. 
 
 "A fine boy! A fine boy!" he muttered to him- 
 self, and then a shadow of extreme sorrow passed 
 over his face. "What a pity," he continued, 
 "what a pity he is untrue to the South!" and he 
 sighed deeply. 
 
 The one great sorrow of Colonel Shackelford's 
 life was that his son was fighting against a cause 
 that he loved. 
 
 It was nearly dark when Fred returned from 
 Danville. 
 
 "What news?" asked Colonel Shackelford, as he 
 entered the house. 
 
 "Much, father," he replied with a grave coun- 
 tenance. "But first let us have tea; we can then 
 talk uninterruptedly." 
 
 "You look worried, my son," said the Colonel; 
 "you must have heard something that displeases 
 you. 
 
 "You shall know all, father, presently," was the 
 answer. 
 
 During the meal little was said except by Belle, 
 who continued to prattle away, telling how happy 
 she was, now that papa and brother were not going 
 to war any more. 
 
 After tea Colonel Shackelford and his son with- 
 drew to the porch, where they could talk without 
 interruption, and at the same time enjoy the cool 
 breezes of the evening. 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 65 
 
 "Well, Fred, what is it?" anxiously asked the 
 Colonel. 
 
 "To tell the truth, father, things are looking 
 pretty dark for the Federals, just now," replied 
 Fred, gloomily. 
 
 Colonel Shackelford's face lighted up with joy. 
 Fred noticed it, and a pang shot through his heart. 
 
 "Of course," continued Fred, "the news that 
 McClellan has been forced to fall back from before 
 Richmond is old. But it is now said that his army 
 is en route back to Washington to defend it against 
 an expected attack." 
 
 "We will have it this time ! We will have it this 
 time!" excitedly exclaimed his father, rapping the 
 floor with his crutch. "The Yankees will never 
 get in sight of Richmond again." 
 
 Without noticing the interruption Fred contin- 
 ued, "But the thing that concerns us most at 
 present is that Morgan is on a big raid." 
 
 "Morgan on a raid? Where, Fred, where?" 
 
 "Close by. He captured Lebanon with its gar- 
 rison and immense stores; then moved north, cap- 
 turing town after town, tearing up the railroads, 
 and even threatening Frankfort and Lexington. 
 The last heard from him was that he had captured 
 Cynthiana. " 
 
 "Cynthiana, Fred, did you say Cynthiana? Is 
 he as far north as Cynthiana?" 
 
 "Yes, but it is now reported that he is on the 
 retreat southward, and he may pay us a visit, for 
 all we know." 
 
66 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Hurrah for Morgan!" shouted the Colonel, 
 whirling his crutch around his head. 
 
 Fred smiled; he couldn't help it. It was rare 
 that he ever saw his sedate father show any excite- 
 ment. 
 
 But Colonel Shackelford suddenly stopped in the 
 midst of his rejoicing; his face clouded, and he 
 asked rather anxiously, "Fred, do you think it 
 would be safe for you if Morgan should visit us?" 
 
 "Hardly, father; I should have to get out. But 
 his most direct route southward would be east of 
 us — through Richmond, probably." 
 
 "You know, Fred, you have resigned. You are 
 really a private citizen now." 
 
 "But my resignation has not been accepted yet." 
 
 "Fred," and Colonel Shackelford hitched in his 
 chair uneasily, "had — had you not better lay aside 
 that uniform?" 
 
 A flush of shame and anger came over Fred's 
 face, but he controlled himself, and answered 
 calmly: "So my father would have me strip off my 
 uniform because Morgan is somewhere near. I 
 never expected such advice from Colonel Shackel- 
 ford." 
 
 "No, no Fred, I did not mean that; I would 
 have you do nothing cowardly." 
 
 "I shall surely wear it now that Morgan is near," 
 was Fred's answer. "But, father, when our resig- 
 nations are accepted, we will both lay aside the 
 uniforms." 
 
 Colonel Shackelford remained silent a moment. 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN, 67 
 
 and then said: "I am a little like you, Fred; to lay 
 aside my uniform now would seem almost an act of 
 cowardice, and in my case, one of treachery to the 
 South." 
 
 Fred did not desire to pursue the conversation 
 further. The news that he had heard depressed 
 him ; so excusing himself, he went to his room. 
 
 Colonel Shackelford sat musing a long time after 
 his son left him. What he had heard had worked 
 a transformation in him. He felt the blood surg- 
 ing through his veins; all his soldierly instincts 
 were aroused, and he longed to be at the head of 
 his regiment once more. 
 
 "It's cowardly — cowardly," he muttered, "to 
 resign now, just as the war may be surging around 
 my very door." 
 
 Then thoughts of Fred came to him — the son he 
 had disowned — the son who had saved his life, and 
 been forgiven. 
 
 "If I go back to service," he thought, "Nelson 
 will get hold of Fred again. The wretch! I have 
 a heavy account to settle with that traitor, if I ever 
 meet him. If it had not been for him, Fred would 
 not have been wearing that accursed uniform. But 
 come what may, I shall never disown him again. 
 He has proven too true a son. I am proud of him, 
 proud of him, if he is fighting with the Yankees. 
 Not eighteen yet, and a captain." 
 
 A short time afterwards the thump, thump, of his 
 crutches was heard as he retired to his room. 
 
 The next morning as Colonel Shackelford sat on 
 
68 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 the porch enjoying his cigar, the trampling of 
 horses' feet coming up the turnpike was heard, and 
 then the jingHng of sabers. He thought nothing 
 of it, as Federal cavalry was no uncommon sight. 
 But he was startled when the troop wheeled into 
 the yard, and as they came up the drive he saw 
 they wore the slouched hats of Morgan's troopers. 
 Cantering up before the porch, they formed into 
 line, saluted ; and their leader, a trim young lieu- 
 tenant, sprang from his horse, and rushing up the 
 steps, grasped the colonel's hand, shouting: 
 
 "How do, Uncle Dick? Awfully glad to see you ! 
 Surprised are you ? I am with Morgan now. Oh ! 
 but we are having glorious times with the Yanks — 
 making them dance, I tell you ! Morgan is the 
 greatest man on earth — greater than Jeff Davis and 
 Beauregard rolled into one. Uncle, you ought to 
 be with us. It would do your heart good to — " 
 
 "Hold on, Cal," broke in Colonel Shackelford, 
 "let me get a word in edgewise. I am glad to see 
 you. What have you been doing?" 
 
 "Doing?" shouted Cal, "we have been smiting 
 the Philistines, vulgarly called Yanks, 'hip and 
 thigh,' as the Bible would say. The deviltry we 
 have done — why, uncle, it would astonish you. 
 We have thrown trains off the tracks, torn up rail- 
 roads, burnt bridges and warehouses, captured 
 wagon trains, and taken prisoners until we are tired 
 of paroling the cowardly wretches." 
 
 "Enough, Cal. Now where are you going?" 
 
 "Going back to Tennessee. The chase is set- 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 69 
 
 ting a little too lively for comfort. We did think 
 a little of taking Lexington, but even Yankees can 
 become a little too numerous. I reckon there are 
 about ten thousand after us, but they are all run- 
 ning here and there — everywhere but the right place 
 — under Morgan's orders, Jerusalem! but it's 
 enough to make a horse laugh to see how they 
 swallow Morgan's telegrams." 
 
 Just then Fred, who had been in his room writ- 
 ing letters, hearing the noise, came out to see what 
 was the matter. When Calhoun saw him, he 
 stopped his harangue, turned pale, then flushed 
 with anger. It was the first time the cousins had 
 seen each other since their terrible meeting in a 
 stable, when Fred wrung from Calhoun the prom- 
 ise of silence under the threat of instant death to 
 both. Fred was the first to recover from surprise. 
 
 **Why, Cal, old boy," he said cheerily, extend- 
 ing his hand, "I am glad to see you. Where in 
 the world did you drop from?" 
 
 Calhoun hesitated, then took the proffered hand 
 and said in a low voice: "In the name of the pro- 
 phet! why did you show yourself in that uniform?" 
 
 But it was too late to retreat. Calhoun's troop- 
 ers had noticed, the uniform, and were shouting: 
 
 "A Yank! A Yankee captain! Take him in. 
 Lieutenant, he is your meat." 
 
 "Gentlemen, comrades!" cried Colonel Shackel- 
 ford, alarmed, and he arose and steadied himself on 
 his crutches. "A word with you, if you please," 
 
 "Hurrah for Colonel Shackelford ! Hear Colonel 
 
70 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Shackelford!" shouted one of the men, and three 
 cheers were given with a will. 
 
 "I thank you, comrades," said the Colonel, when 
 the cheering had subsided, "but what I want to say 
 is this: This supposed Federal captain is my son. 
 I am sorry to say he was a captain in the Federal 
 army, but am glad to inform you he is so no more; 
 he has resigned." 
 
 "What does he wear them duds for, then?" de- 
 manded a hoarse voice. 
 
 "Let him take off them Lincoln rags, if he wants 
 us to let him alone," shouted a chorus of voices, 
 and a perfect babel arose. 
 
 Calhoun turned to his men and raised his hand. 
 At once there was silence. 
 
 "Boys," he exclaimed, "this is my cousin, Cap- 
 tain Shackelford, who once took me prisoner in fair 
 fight, but let me go, because I was his cousin. 
 Some of you know the story of Colonel Shackel- 
 ford, how he fell at Shiloh desperately wounded, 
 fighting among the bravest of the brave. He would 
 have died on the field if he had not been discovered 
 by his son, and nursed back to life and health. 
 For the sake of his father, he has given up an hon- 
 orable military career. As you have been told, he 
 has resigned from the army. As for the uniform, 
 no doubt he wears it not because he is proud of it, 
 but you must remember this portion of the country 
 is in the hands of the Yankees, and it enables him 
 to give a better protection to his father and the 
 property." 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 71 
 
 Fred sprang forward, his face flaming with anger. 
 That he had been placed in such an unpatriotic and 
 ignoble light, aroused his indignation, and he was 
 about to enter a fierce denial, when Calhoun caught 
 him by the arm, and whispered warningly in his 
 ear: "Keep still, you fool; go into the house, and 
 all will be well; I am going to withdraw my men." 
 
 "Never, Cal! I would rather be shot than have 
 them think true what you said of me. I wear the 
 uniform because I love it; because it represents the 
 right—" 
 
 Here he was interrupted by a second company of 
 Morgan's men, who came galloping up to the 
 house, led by no less a personage than Captain 
 P. C. Conway. Noticing Fred, he shouted: 
 
 "A prize, boys, a prize! Take that Yankee cap- 
 tain, dead or alive." 
 
 Calhoun drew his sword, and springing in front 
 of Fred, exclaimed: "Back! back! every one of 
 you. Captain Shackelford is my prisoner; he has 
 just surrendered to me." 
 
 "Stand aside, Lieutenant Pennington, or it will 
 be the worse for you," exclaimed Conway, white 
 with passion. "Stand aside, I say. I am your 
 superior officer; disobey me at your peril. I have 
 an account to settle with that traitor and spy, and 
 I propose to settle it in my own way." 
 
 "The first man who lays hands on him, except 
 by my command, dies," replied Calhoun, sheathing 
 his sword and drawing a revolver. 
 
 "Sergeant, arrest Lieutenant Pennington," com- 
 
72 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 manded Conway, turning to one of his men; "arrest 
 him for mutiny, and kill him if he resists." 
 
 There was a murmur of dissent from Calhoun's 
 command, and they made a movement as if they 
 would defend their officer. As for the sergeant, he 
 did not move. 
 
 "Are you going to obey?" thundered Conway, 
 drawing his sword. 
 
 But another interruption was at hand. During 
 the exciting scene enacted before his eyes Colonel 
 Shackelford had sat as pale as death, but without 
 saying a word. Drawn by the sound of the tumult. 
 Belle had come on the porch, and stood by her 
 father, gazing on the faces of the excited men in 
 terror. 
 
 Her father bent toward her and whispered in her 
 ear. She nodded, and was gone as quick as a 
 flash. In a moment she returned, and placed a 
 large navy revolver in her father's hand. 
 
 Colonel Shackelford arose, and steadying himself 
 on his crutch, said in a clear, firm voice, "Your 
 attention a moment, comrades." 
 
 The uproar ceased ; every eye was on Colonel 
 Shackelford. 
 
 "Comrades," he began, without the least show 
 of excitement, "if my son is rightfully a prisoner 
 of war, I shall be the last one to oppose the just 
 claims of his captors, or do aught against our be- 
 loved South. Captain Conway claims my son as 
 his prisoner not from motives of patriotism, but 
 from those of revenge. He cannot have him. I 
 
Your Attention a Moment, Comrades," said Colonel 
 Shackelford. 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 73 
 
 here deliver my son into the custody of Lieutenant 
 Pennington, his rightful captor, who will conduct 
 him to Colonel Morgan. It will be for Morgan to 
 say whether my son shall be held or paroled as a 
 prisoner of war. Now, Captain Conway, a word 
 to you. I have no quarrel with you, but I shall 
 see that from malice you do not dishonor the sword 
 you wear. I am a colonel in the Confederate ser- 
 vice. As such I order you to take your company 
 and leave my premises inside of two minutes." 
 
 The colonel stopped ; the situation was dra- 
 matic. Conway was trembling with bafiBed rage, 
 and hesitated about obeying the order. 
 
 "Do you hear?" said Colonel Shackelford quietly, 
 and those nearest him heard the lock of his revolver 
 click. 
 
 Conway turned, spoke to one of his officers, and 
 in a moment more the command filed out of the 
 yard. 
 
 "Now, Lieutenant," said the colonel to Calhoun, 
 "do your duty. Take Captain Shackelford to Mor- 
 gan and tell him the facts." 
 
 Without another word he picked up his other 
 crutch and made his way into the house. 
 
 Calhoun's troop gave a wild cheer. The cool- 
 ness, the firmness, as well as the justness of the bat- 
 tered warrior had won their hearts. They would 
 have carried Fred safe to Morgan, if they had had 
 to wade through blood. 
 
 That night Morgan's command rendezvoused at 
 Crab Orchard. They were in the highest spirits, 
 
74 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 as they were now comparatively safe from pursuit. 
 Calhoun's troop was one of the last to report. 
 
 "Ah, Lieutenant," said Morgan, as Calhoun 
 presented himself with his prisoner, "whom have 
 you here? Fred Shackelford, as I live! Well, you 
 young scapegrace, what deviltry have you been up 
 to now?" 
 
 "None at all, Colonel," replied Fred, coolly; 
 "ever since Shiloh, I have been at home caring for 
 my father." 
 
 "Good!" exclaimed Morgan; "it would be better 
 for you, my boy, if you were such a man as your 
 father." 
 
 Then turning to Calhoun, he said, "Why didn't 
 you parole him. Lieutenant, and leave him with his 
 father?" 
 
 "Because, Colonel, there was a misunderstand- 
 ing." 
 
 "A misunderstanding — how?" 
 
 Calhoun related all the circumstances, concealing 
 nothing. Morgan listened frowningly, and when 
 Calhoun had finished he said to Basil Duke, 
 "Make out a parole for Captain Shackelford." 
 
 "But, Colonel, I protest," interrupted Conway, 
 who had joined the group around Morgan. "Fred 
 Shackelford is no common prisoner; he is not only 
 a traitor, but a spy." 
 
 "A traitor?" asked Morgan; "how do you make 
 that out?" 
 
 Conway hesitated. "He is a spy, anyway, and 
 should suffer the fate of one, ' ' he answered, sullenly. 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 75 
 
 "Where is your proof that he is a spy?" 
 
 "Why, Colonel," stammered Conway, "you 
 surely have not forgotten how he spied on us at 
 Louisville, at Georgetown, at Lexington, and how 
 he threw Buckner's train off the track?" 
 
 Morgan looked amused, and said: "You seem to 
 forget. Captain, that none of us were in the Confed- 
 erate service at the time you mention. As for 
 throwing Buckner's train off the track, if I mistake 
 not, we have been engaged slightly in that kind of 
 business ourselves. In fact, Captain, if that is a 
 hanging offense, you had better not let the Yankees 
 get hold of you." 
 
 This was in the nature of a compliment to Con- 
 way, for he had acquired considerable notoriety by 
 capturing two or three trains of cars. He was 
 diplomat enough to see that it would not be policy to 
 press the matter further with his chief, so he lightly 
 remarked, "As you please. Colonel, but I really 
 think the fellow ought to be hanged." 
 
 He managed to whisper to Fred, as he passed 
 him: "We will meet again, young man. My 
 revenge is only postponed."* 
 
 After Fred's parole was made out, he was no 
 longer considered as an enemy, but a friend. He 
 received an invitation to stay in camp all night as a 
 guest of his cousin, and he gladly accepted. Dur- 
 ing the evening an officer of the command sauntered 
 up to Fred, and said: "Captain, I reckon we have 
 met before. You are the boy who ran over me at 
 Lebanon." 
 
 *See "General Nelson's Scout," by the same author. 
 
76 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Mr. Mathews, I believe," replied Fred, smiling. 
 
 "The same, at your service. Captain. Say, have 
 you got that hoss yet?" 
 
 "Yes; but I thought it hardly safe to ride him 
 down here among you fellows. You know a good 
 horse too well, when you see one." 
 
 Mathews chuckled. "Right you are. Captain. 
 Don't you know I took a great fancy to that hoss. 
 I am sorry I did not make you a friendly call, 
 instead of my friend Conway there. I should have 
 left you and compromised on the hoss. Captain, 
 when I visit Kentucky again, I will call around and 
 take him." 
 
 "All right. Captain," replied Fred, jokingly. "I 
 will try to give you a hearty welcome." 
 
 "Do you hear that, gentlemen?" spoke up 
 Mathews. "He has given his consent. Thank you. 
 Captain, thank you," and he sauntered away. 
 
 There was a hearty laugh at Fred's expense, and 
 one of the soldiers cried, "I will bet a five that Jim 
 Mathews will have that hoss in less than sixty 
 days. 
 
 "Taken!" yelled one of Calhoun's company, and 
 the stakes were placed in the hands of a grizzled old 
 sergeant. 
 
 "Fred," said Calhoun, "you will have to place a 
 double guard around Prince." 
 
 But Fred looked upon the whole thing as a huge 
 joke. Little did he think that in a few hours the 
 soldier would have won his bet. 
 
 Fred stayed with Calhoun all night, heard from 
 
A MEETING WITH MORGAN. 77 
 
 his lips the story of some of Morgan's wonderful 
 exploits, and the two parted in the morning as of 
 old — sworn friends. 
 
 On his return home he received a warm welcome 
 from his father, who seemed to be greatly pleased 
 over the treatment his son had received from Mor- 
 gan. 
 
 "Paroled, are you?" he said. "Well, I am glad 
 of it; you can't fight now, even if Nelson wants 
 you. 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 
 
 IF Fred could have heard a conversation which 
 took place between Captain Mathews and two 
 of his men the evening after his release, he would 
 have been a frightened boy — frightened not for 
 himself, but for the safety of his horse. 
 
 Morgan's first stopping place after he left Crab 
 Orchard was Somerset. No sooner had the raiders 
 gone into camp than Mathews sent for two of his 
 most trustworthy and daring soldiers, 
 
 "Colvin and Rains," said the captain, calling 
 them by name, "I have sent for you to see if you 
 would undertake a difficult and perhaps dangerous 
 job for me." 
 
 "Tell us what it is. Captain, and we are your 
 men," answered Colvin.. 
 
 "Did you hear me talking with that young Cap- 
 tain Shackelford last evening?" 
 
 "Yes, Captain. That was a mighty fine hoss he 
 was ridin'. Many of the boys have bin wonderin* 
 why Morgan didn't take him. He don't miss many 
 such chances." 
 
 "The hoss belonged to the boy's father, who is 
 a Confederate colonel. But the boy' has a finer 
 
 78 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 79 
 
 hoss ; I have had my eye on him for a year. You 
 heard what he said last night to me about the 
 hoss." 
 
 "Yes; rather bantered you; much as told you to 
 get the hoss if you could." 
 
 "Well, Jim Mathews never takes any such banter. 
 I mean to have that hoss." 
 
 "But how, Captain? We air a good fifty miles 
 from whar the hoss is." 
 
 "That is what I want you two boys for. I want 
 you to sneak back and steal that hoss. I believe 
 you can." 
 
 The men looked at each other a moment, and 
 then Colvin replied: "Gad! Captain, we will try it. 
 Only let us take the one the boy had at Crab 
 Orchard, too. We both want good horses to ride 
 back." 
 
 "All right. Colonel Shackelford should not 
 object to contributing one hoss to the Confederacy." 
 
 In a short time Colvin and Rains, mounted on 
 two of the poorest horses in the company, rode 
 away in the darkness. To all queries as to where 
 they were going their only answer was, "On a 
 secret expedition for the captain." 
 
 The two men did not take the road over which 
 Morgan retreated. They would be sure of meet- 
 ing pursuing Federal cavalry. Instead they rode 
 well to the left, and then took unfrequented roads. 
 By so doing they found no difificulty in making their 
 way back. 
 
 Prince, Fred's horse, was dearer to him than the 
 
8o ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 apple of his eye. So intelligent was he, that Fred 
 declared he knew more than many persons ; in fact, 
 the horse could detect the presence of an enemy 
 much quicker than his owner, and more than once 
 he had saved his master from being captured. Since 
 Fred's return from the army, owing to the trouble- 
 some condition of the country, he had had Prince's 
 stable guarded, and every precaution taken for the 
 horse's safety. It was his practice to go to the 
 stable every night before he retired, to see that his 
 favorite was well cared for and that his orders were 
 being obeyed. 
 
 On the third evening after his return from Crab 
 Orchard, as he was making his usual visit to the 
 stable, he was startled to meet Dave, the colored 
 hostler, staggering toward the house, his face cov- 
 ered with blood. The poor fellow managed to 
 gasp, "Prince gone," and fell insensible. 
 
 Calling for help, Fred ordered him to be carried 
 into the house, and then rushed to the stable. 
 Sure enough. Prince was gone, and with him Blen- 
 heim, the horse he had ridden to Crab Orchard. 
 Fred was nearly beside himself with grief and anger; 
 but nothing could be learned until Dave recovered 
 consciousness. He had received a terrible blow on 
 the head ; only the thickness of his skull had saved 
 him from instant death. It was some hours before 
 he recovered sufficiently to tell his story. He was 
 caring for the horses, before retiring for the night, 
 when he heard a noise behind him, and as he turned 
 to see what it was, he received a blow which rendered 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 51 
 
 him senseless. When consciousness returned, the 
 horses were gone. During the day he thought he 
 had seen two men skulking through a field of corn 
 which came close up to the stable. That was all he 
 knew. 
 
 Nothing could be done until morning, and by 
 that time the thieves would be miles away. It 
 looked as if Prince was hopelessly lost. With the 
 light of day came the discovery of two abandoned 
 horses which showed the effects of hard riding. 
 Fastened in the mane of one of them was a note. 
 Fred opened it, and to his surprise read: 
 
 Captain Frederick Shackelford, U.S. Army. 
 
 My Dear Captain,— Owing to pressing business in Tennessee, 
 instead of coming myself for that horse you promised me, I 
 have concluded to send two of my men for him. I trust they 
 will be most hospitably received, and their visit made a pleas- 
 ant one. If my men should happen to take another horse, tell 
 the Colonel, your father, it is for the Confederacy. 
 James Mathews, Captain, 
 
 Morgan's Command. 
 
 "Well, that's cool, to say the least," remarked 
 Fred, as he read the note. Then he sat down to 
 think. His resolution was soon taken; he would 
 have Prince back, or perish in the attempt. 
 
 Returning to the house, he showed his father the 
 note, and then quietly said, "I am going to have 
 that horse back." 
 
 "Fred! Fred! What do you mean?" asked the 
 colonel, alarmed. 
 
 "I mean I am going after Prince. Do you think 
 I will let Jim Mathews get away with him?" 
 
82 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "What can you do alone chasing Morgan, when 
 the whole Federal army can't catch him?" 
 
 "I can catch Morgan much easier alone than with 
 a brigade of soldiers; that is, I can gain his camp. 
 I will then have to work some plan to get Prince 
 away. 
 
 "But think of the danger. Don't go, Fred," 
 pleaded the colonel. 
 
 "Father, please do not try to dissuade me. My 
 mind is fully made up. Follow Morgan I shall, 
 and being alone, I do not believe the danger will 
 be as great as you think." 
 
 The colonel groaned. "I shall not have a min- 
 ute's peace while you are gone," he said. 
 
 "Don't worry, father; I expect to be back in a 
 week or ten days, and I'll bring Prince with me." 
 
 The colonel shook his head. "More likely," he 
 said, sadly, "I shall hear of your being shot, or 
 perhaps captured and hung as a spy." 
 
 Fred still had the disguise that he wore on his 
 trip to Georgetown and Lexington the year before, 
 and when he had fully prepared for his adventure 
 even the colonel did not know him, and Belle asked 
 her father in a whisper who that strange boy was, 
 fleeing in terror when Fred asked her for a kiss. 
 
 Taking one of the horses discarded by the thieves, 
 he started on his journey. Avoiding all main roads, 
 so as not to meet any Federal cavalry, he made 
 direct for Tennessee. During his journey he repre- 
 sented himself as one of Morgan's men who had 
 been taken prisoner, but escaped. While at Crab 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 83 
 
 Orchard he had learned from Calhoun the names of 
 many of Morgan's officers, therefore could answer 
 leading questions asked him. 
 
 Southern sympathizers gave nim all aid and infor- 
 mation in their power, and he found no trouble in 
 learning the route Morgan had taken. When he 
 crossed over the line into Tennessee he learned that 
 Morgan was operating near Gallatin. He now had 
 to be more careful, and after two or three very 
 narrow escapes he decided to abandon his horse and 
 take to the woods and fields. He was now not 
 only alone, but on foot and surrounded by ene- 
 mies; yet he never faltered. 
 
 When about seven miles north of Gallatin he 
 thought he heard the sound of firing. Listening 
 intently, he soon became satisfied that an engage- 
 ment was in progress. Cautiously making his way 
 through a wood, he gained an elevation from which 
 he could overlook the theater of strife. Before him 
 stretched the Louisville & Nashville Railway, 
 which in its course passed through a high hill by 
 means of a tunnel. This tunnel was defended by 
 a strong blockhouse, which was surrounded by a 
 detachment of Morgan's command, and the firing 
 was brisk. As there was no artillery being used, 
 Fred saw no reason why the blockhouse should not 
 hold out indefinitely; but to his intense disgust the 
 white flag was soon run up. 
 
 No sooner had the blockhouse surrendered than 
 with whoops and hurrahs the Confederates began 
 to tear up the railroad. A train of flat cars which 
 
84 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 had been captured was loaded with wood and rails, 
 set on fire, and run into the tunnel, which soon 
 became a raging furnace. 
 
 Cautiously creeping nearer, Fred, with the aid 
 of his field-glass, which he had with him, had no 
 trouble in distinguishing Mathews, Conway and his 
 cousin as being in the party, and his heart beat 
 hard and fast when he saw that Mathews was riding 
 Prince, while Captain Conway was mounted on 
 Blenheim. The object of his search had been 
 found; what to do next was the question. 
 
 Fred's plan of campaign was soon formed. The 
 destruction of the tunnel completed, the command 
 would naturally return to Gallatin. He crawled 
 back out of sight, and then started as fast as he 
 could run toward Gallatin. After going about two 
 miles, he crossed the road leading to that city, so 
 as to be on the west side. "If I get possession of 
 Prince," he mused, "I can never return the way I 
 came. I must try to reach Nashville. I can do 
 it in four or five hours of hard riding, and I must 
 be on the Nashville side of the road." 
 
 Carefully examining the lay of the ground as he 
 passed along, he came to a place which caused him 
 to cry out for joy. 
 
 "If made on purpose it couldn't be better," he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 The road to Gallatin ran through a wood, and at 
 the place where Fred stopped it was crossed by 
 another road, which turned abruptly a few yards 
 beyond the crossing to avoid a hill, thus enabling 
 
Fred heard the Shouts and Laughter of the Men. 
 were cominsr. 
 
 Thev 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 85 
 
 one to stand in this road but a short distance from 
 the Gallatin road, and yet be entirely concealed 
 from those passing along the latter. As Fred said, 
 if the place had been made for his purpose, it could 
 not have been improved, 
 
 "If they come this way, Prince is mine," he 
 whispered joyfully to himself, and he carefully 
 examined his revolver to see that it was in order. 
 
 He waited until he began to despair, thinking 
 they had gone some other way; but no, from up 
 the road he heard the trampling of horses, then 
 the shouts and laughter of the men. They were 
 coming. 
 
 Fred's face burned as with fire; his heartbeat 
 like a trip hammer. The column came in view, 
 Mathews and Conway riding at the head. Both 
 were in the highest spirits, and were laughing and 
 talking. Fred raised his revolver, then his hand 
 dropped. "I can't do it," he said to himself ; "it's 
 too much like cold-blooded murder. I will try the 
 other plan. It will be all right if Prince can 
 unhorse him ; if not, it will be time enough to use 
 my pistol." 
 
 The head of the column had reached the cross- 
 road. A low, tremulous whistle, more like the 
 faint note of a bird than anything else, vibrated 
 through the woods. Prince stopped, threw up his 
 head, and stood as if listening intently. Then came 
 a sharp, piercing whistle as keen as the cut of a 
 sword. 
 
 Prince gave a prodigious bound, wheeled, reared, 
 
86 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 and then darted up the crossroad. So sudden and 
 unexpected was the movement that Mathews, 
 although a splendid horseman, was thrown violently 
 to the ground. A few bounds took the horse to 
 where Fred stood. But now an unexpected inci- 
 dent occurred. Blenheim, seeing Prince go, bolted 
 and followed, in spite of the efforts of Conway to 
 hold him. Therefore, just as Fred was going to 
 vault into the saddle, Blenheim and his rider 
 appeared on the scene. There was no help for it; 
 Fred leveled his revolver to shoot. Conway saw 
 his danger, and threw himself from his horse, but 
 not in time to escape a bullet in his shoulder. In 
 a trice Fred was on Prince's back and away, fol- 
 lowed by the now riderless Blenheim. 
 
 As for the Confederates, so suddenly had every- 
 thing happened that they stood for a moment irreso- 
 lute. Three or four sprang from their horses to 
 assist Mathews, who was trying to struggle to his 
 feet. 
 
 "Oh, oh!" he groaned. "My arm is broken! 
 What scared that cursed horse?" 
 
 Then came the sharp report of Fred's revolver as 
 he fired at Conway. A score of men spurred down 
 the road, nearly riding over the prostrate captain. 
 They caught sight of Fred, and a dozen carbines 
 cracked, but without effect, and several dashed on 
 in pursuit. 
 
 In the mean time Conway had been assisted to his 
 feet, and was helped back, bleeding freely from the 
 wound in the shoulder. 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 87 
 
 ^* 
 "What was it? Who was it? Were there more 
 
 than one?" were the questions showered on him. 
 
 He only knew he was confronted by a dark- 
 haired boy, who had a pistol leveled on him, and to 
 save himself he had thrown himself from his horse, 
 but not in time to avoid the ball. 
 
 "It must have been young Shackelford," said 
 Mathews; "the horse knew the whistle." 
 
 "But Shackelford hasn't black hair and a dark 
 skin," groaned Conway. Then he exclaimed: 
 "Fiends of darkness! It was that young devil 
 after all. That is the disguise he wore when he 
 spied on us at Georgetown and Lexington. Curse 
 him! I will have him yet." 
 
 "I almost wish Morgan had let you hang him," 
 groaned Mathews, tenderly caressing his broken 
 arm. "But, Conway, the sooner you and I get to 
 Gallatin the better." 
 
 Two of the men dismounted and gave their horses 
 to the wounded officers. By this time part of the 
 pursuing party had returned, only those who rode 
 the swiftest horses continuing the chase. 
 
 "They will never catch him; they might as well 
 come back," growled Mathews. 
 
 When the command reached Gallatin, and 
 Mathews had his arm set and Conway his wound 
 dressed, they felt a little more reconciled, Conway 
 being told that his wound was not severe. 
 
 When Morgan heard the story he smiled, and 
 said: "Perhaps it was a good thing for you, 
 Mathews, after all. You have bragged so much 
 
88 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 about getting that horse that we were all getting 
 disgusted." 
 
 "All right, Colonel," replied Mathews; "I 
 reckon I have blowed considerable about that hoss. 
 I ^don't bear the boy any ill-will, like Conway; it 
 was a mighty smart trick, that of his, but I will 
 have that hoss yet. See if I don't." 
 
 With Conway the feeling was different. The 
 incident, if possible, intensified his hatred for Fred 
 tenfold, and he swore if the boy ever fell into his 
 hands he would have his revenge, come what would. 
 
 Later in the day the last of the pursuing party 
 returned, reporting utter failure in their attempt to 
 overtake the fugitive. 
 
 As for Fred, the success of his plan filled him 
 with exultation. Once more he was on the back of 
 his beloved steed, and it was all he asked. For 
 nearly ten miles he kept up his tremendous pace. 
 The few inhabitants along the road gazed in wonder 
 as the curious cavalcade went thundering past. It 
 looked as if Vengeance in the shape of a riderless 
 horse was pursuing the slayer of his master; and 
 more than one country bumpkin solemnly declared 
 that the last horse was not riderless; that in the 
 saddle, urging him on, was a spectral figure, the 
 head a grinning skull, and out of the fleshless mouth 
 and nostrils came smoke and fire, while the bony 
 arm upheld a flaming sword. 
 
 At last, hearing no sound, nor seeing any signs of 
 pursuit, Fred reined in his horse. His glossy coat 
 reeked with sweat, and great flecks of foam streaked 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 89 
 
 with blood, dripped from his nostrils. Dismount- 
 ing under the shade of a tree, Fred caressed Prince 
 as gently as if he were a beautiful maiden, speaking 
 to him in the most endearing terms. As for Prince, 
 he fairly quivered with joy, and whinnying with 
 delight, rubbed his nose affectionately against his 
 master. 
 
 All this time Blenheim stood by trembling in 
 every limb, and Fred saw that he was not only 
 badly winded, but that the loose stirrups had cut 
 and bruised his sides. 
 
 "Poor Blenheim! good horse!" said Fred, pat- 
 ting his head. "You were not going to be left 
 behind, were you? I owe you one for getting rid 
 of that fellow Conway. I will relieve you, old fel- 
 low, " and he removed the saddle from the horse's 
 back, so the stirrups could no longer hurt him. 
 
 When Fred had given the horses a good rest, he 
 went on at a more leisurely pace. "There is no 
 use of hurrying. Prince, my boy, unless we scent 
 danger, is there?" he said. 
 
 Fred always talked to Prince as though the horse 
 could understand every word, and always maintained 
 that he could. 
 
 From the direction of the road he was traveling 
 Fred concluded he would come out on the Nash- 
 ville and Bowling Green turnpike, several miles 
 north of its junction with the Gallatin pike. He 
 had learned the way the turnpikes ran during his 
 ride with Bailie Peyton the year before. After 
 traveling several miles farther he reached the top of 
 
90 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 a rather high hill. Before him lay a beautiful val- 
 ley, and through it, like a great white serpent, 
 wound the Nashville and Bowling Green turnpike. 
 But what interested him more was a body of soldiers, 
 who in the distance looked like so many ants crawl- 
 ing along, and they were creeping to the northward. 
 
 Were they friends or foes? He could not tell at 
 that distance. As he approached nearer, he could 
 distinguish cavalry, artillery, and infantry. At last 
 he could distinguish the colors, and they bore the 
 stars and stripes. 
 
 "They are Union troops. Prince, my boy!" he 
 shouted. "We are safe. Hello! I reckon I 
 shouted too soon." 
 
 This remark was called forth by the discovery of 
 a small body of Confederate horse between himself 
 and the Federal troops. But even as he looked, a 
 company of cavalry from the marching column 
 deployed and charged the Confederates, who came 
 flying back in hot haste. 
 
 Fred quickly sought shelter in a clump of trees, 
 and the Confederates passed him at full gallop. 
 They were in too great a hurry to notice particu- 
 larly what stood by the side of the road. 
 
 "Jerusalem! What have we coming here?" 
 This question was asked as Fred approached, by a 
 Federal corporal, who had been left with a squad of 
 cavalry to guard the road until the column had 
 passed. 
 
 "Halt there!" exclaimed the corporal, as Fred 
 drew near. The command was at once obeyed. 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 9I 
 
 "Who are you, and where are you going?" next 
 asked the corporal. 
 
 "I am a Federal officer, escaping from Morgan," 
 was Fred's answer. 
 
 "Well, all I have to say," replied the cor- 
 poral, "you are a queer looking specimen for an 
 officer. Do you always take an extra horse with 
 you? 
 
 "Not always," answered Fred. "But, say, are 
 you going to keep me waiting here all day?" 
 
 "Oh! come on, horses and all; we can take care 
 of you." 
 
 Just then an officer rode up, and ordered the cor- 
 poral to fall in the rear guard with his men. The 
 officer, a lieutenant, in command of the rear guard, 
 looked at Fred rather contemptuously as the cor- 
 poral made his report. 
 
 "Who did you say you were?" asked the lieu- 
 tenant, superciliously. 
 
 "An officer of the United States army," replied 
 Fred, coolly. 
 
 "An officer of the United States army?" sneered 
 the lieutenant. "What is your name and rank?" 
 
 "Captain Frederick Shackelford, late of General 
 Nelson's staff." 
 
 The lieutenant started in surprise. "You," he 
 exclaimed, "you Captain Shackelford, Nelson's 
 famous scout? Now I know you are lying. I was 
 with Nelson on his march from Nashville to Shiloh 
 and saw Captain Shackelford every day. You look 
 about as much like him as a donkey looks like a 
 
92 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 horse. You have trapped yourself nicely, young 
 man; General Nelson is with this column." 
 
 Before Fred recovered from his surprise on hear- 
 ing that Nelson commanded the column, the lieu- 
 tenant, who had been looking Prince over carefully, 
 exclaimed : 
 
 "Great heavens! that is the horse Captain Shack- 
 elford used to ride. I know him well; the horse 
 was as famous as his master. Corporal, arrest this 
 fellow at once. I believe Captain Shackelford has 
 been murdered, and this spy thought to personate 
 him. Boy, if you have made away with Shackel- 
 ford, I wouldn't give a straw for your life. Nelson 
 never was an angel, and he is in a terrible temper 
 to-day." 
 
 "Take me to him, and I will answer for Ihe con- 
 sequences," replied Fred. 
 
 But the lieutenant was going to take no chances. 
 Fred was deprived of his arms and closely guarded. 
 As a prisoner he was conducted into the presence 
 of his old commander. 
 
 The column had halted to rest, and they found 
 Nelson in company with Generals Manson and 
 Cruft sitting in the shade of a tree. Before the 
 lieutenant could open his mouth to make his report, 
 Nelson sprang to his feet, and reaching out his 
 hand, exclaimed, "Captain Shackelford, how came 
 you here, and in your old disguise?" 
 
 "Let's get out of here," whispered the lieutenant 
 to the corporal who had Fred in charge, and they 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 93 
 
 retired, the soldier grinning broadly over the 
 officer's discomfiture- 
 Fred, in as few words as possible, told his story. 
 Nelson listened in silence, and when he had finished 
 said: 
 
 "I would give my right hand if I could capture 
 Morgan. He is doing us more harm than all the 
 rest of the Rebel army put together. We have no 
 general who seems to be able to cope with him." 
 
 The march was resumed, and Fred, riding by the 
 general's side, related to him all that had happened 
 since Shiloh. 
 
 Nelson then said: "I still have your resignation 
 in my pocket. I am loath to accept it. I now need 
 your services more than ever, since I am going back 
 to Kentucky. I do not want to go back; I re- 
 monstrated against it in the strongest terms, but 
 Buell would not take 'No' for an answer. Things 
 are in a bad way. The whole State is in confusion; 
 and the central portion is wild with fear over the 
 reported invasion of Kirby Smith." 
 
 "But, General, you can surely straighten things 
 out if any one can." 
 
 "That's the rub, Fred. I doubt if any one can. 
 You have no idea how things have gone since 
 Shiloh. Halleck made the gigantic blunder of the 
 war by not moving on Corinth rapidly. He had 
 enough men to eat Beauregard up. Then came 
 that magnificent campaign — on paper — in which 
 Buell was to capture Chattanooga and invade East 
 Tennessee. It was dished by Halleck's order to 
 
94 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 reconstruct a railroad of no earthly use. Now 
 Buell seems utterly at a loss as to what Bragg will 
 do, and is flying around like a chicken with its head 
 cut off. I can think of nothing else. No one 
 seems able to grasp the situation unless it is General 
 Thomas, and he is too modest to push his views. 
 Mark my words, the whole army will be back to the 
 Ohio before many weeks." 
 
 "Oh! no. General; it cannot be as bad as that," 
 replied Fred. 
 
 "Yes, full as bad as that. See how Morgan and 
 Forrest ride around us at pleasure. The railroad is 
 a mass of ruins, and it will take weeks to repair it. 
 The soldiers in front are suffering for lack of food, 
 and the conditions will grow worse." 
 
 Here Nelson relapsed into silence, and Fred 
 noticed that his face looked sadder than he had 
 ever seen it before. It was some time before he 
 spoke again, and then he suddenly said: 
 
 "Fred, I believe I am getting superstitious. I 
 feel that I am going back to my death — certainly 
 to some great misfortune. A black cloud is before 
 me, the darkness of which I cannot pierce." 
 
 "You must get rid of such gloomy thoughts, Gen- 
 eral. I trust you are going back to win even 
 greater honor and glory than ever before. The 
 opportunity will be before you." 
 
 "God grant it," replied the general solemnly; 
 for despite his roughness, Nelson had a belief in 
 Providence. 
 
 "Fred," he resumed, very earnestly, "you must 
 
CAPTAIN MATHEWS GETS PRINCE. 95 
 
 take back your resignation. I need you. You 
 even improve my temper when you are around." 
 
 "General, you forget I am a prisoner on parole." 
 
 "That is so. I will see that you are exchanged 
 at the first opportunity." 
 
 "I have promised my father to leave the army if 
 he will." 
 
 "But your father has not left the army yet. He 
 may not. This invasion of Kentucky may alter 
 everything." 
 
 "In that case, General, I will see. God knows I 
 should like to be with you." 
 
 At Bowling Green the party took the cars for 
 Louisville. Hugh Raymond was with Nelson, and 
 Fred did not forget to congratulate him on his ser- 
 geant's stripes. 
 
 "And they were fairly won," said the general, 
 when asked about Hugh. 
 
 General Nelson did not tarry at Louisville. 
 Kirby Smith had already entered the State, and 
 Nelson started for Lexington to organize an army 
 to meet him. 
 
 Fred sold Blenheim for a big price to a Federal 
 officer in Louisville. 
 
 "I hate to treat you so meanly, old fellow," said 
 Fred, as he bade him good-bye, "but it is getting 
 dangerous to keep good horses in Kentucky." 
 
 At Lexington Fred left General Nelson, prom- 
 ising to see him again as soon as possible. He saw 
 him sooner than he thought for, and under circum- 
 stances both of them little expected. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 
 
 IT was a joyful welcome that Fred received when 
 he reached home. 
 
 "Thank God that I see you again, my dear 
 boy!" said Colonel Shackelford, with deep emotion, 
 as he grasped his hand. "I have not had an easy 
 moment since you left." 
 
 "Well, father," exclaimed Fred, gayly, "here I 
 am safe and sound, and what is more, I have 
 brought Prince with me." 
 
 "Brought Prince with you !" cried the colonel. 
 "How in the world did you get him, Fred? If any 
 one ever went on a wild goose chase, I thought you 
 did; and even despaired of your coming out alive." 
 
 "It was a much easier job than you think," 
 replied Fred ; and then he gave his father a full his- 
 tory of his trip. 
 
 "Wonderful! wonderful!" exclaimed Colonel 
 Shackelford. "Prince certainly deserves some of 
 the credit. He is a remarkable horse, and does 
 credit to your training. But you say Blenheim 
 bolted and followed. Did you kill Conway?" 
 
 "No, I think he escaped with a wound. He 
 threw himself from the horse so quickly that he dis- 
 
 96 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 97 
 
 concerted my aim. The villain has more presence 
 of mind than I ever gave him credit for." 
 
 "It may be for the best," said his father; "but 
 you have cause to fear that man as long as he is 
 alive. He is one that never forgets or forgives. I 
 am now afraid you have added Captain Mathews to 
 the list of your enemies." 
 
 "Mathews shouldn't complain; he stole my 
 horse, and I got him back." 
 
 "I hope he will not show the same spirit Conway 
 does; but one thing is certain, Fred, you will have 
 to lie low when Morgan is around. You say you 
 sold Blenheim?" 
 
 "Yes; I hated to see him go, but a thousand 
 dollars was a big price; and just now good horses 
 are dangerous property in Kentucky." 
 
 "And will become more so if we are invaded by 
 both armies, as it now appears we may be. I think 
 I will send Stimson to the Louisville market with 
 all the horses I can spare." 
 
 "I would do so, father, if I were you. Morgan 
 is no respecter of persons when he wants a good 
 horse ; and if we are overrun by both armies, there 
 will not be a horse left in the country." 
 
 "The advice is good, Fred. I will act upon it 
 at once," replied the colonel; and then he contin- 
 ued, "So Nelson is back in Kentucky, is he — the 
 arch traitor? He will be wanting you now sure." 
 
 "I am at least safe," answered Fred, with a 
 smile, "until I am exchanged." 
 
 "That was a lucky thing, Morgan taking you, 
 
98 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 after all. I am heartily glad you are a paroled 
 prisoner. Fred, do you really believe that this 
 part of the country will shortly become the theater 
 of war?" 
 
 "I do, father. Nelson says the whole Federal 
 army will be pushed clear back to Louisville. He 
 is very despondent over the turn affairs have taken. 
 
 The colonel's eyes sparkled. He struck his 
 crutch violently on the floor, and exclaimed: "And 
 here I sit doing nothing, while the blows that will 
 give freedom to the South are being struck. I feel 
 like a craven wretch." 
 
 Fred looked at his father anxiously. He saw 
 that the war fever was burning fiercely in his veins, 
 and felt that all their plans of living in peace 
 would vanish in thin air if the war wave should roll 
 over central Kentucky. Like his father, if the 
 strife came, he longed to be in it ; so he said noth- 
 ing to allay his excitement. Instead he said: "If 
 there should be fighting around here, it would not 
 be a good place for Belle. I believe she had better 
 be sent back to school." 
 
 "A wise idea, Fred. There is no knowing how 
 soon she may be left without a protector." 
 
 So the next day poor Belle, notwithstanding her 
 tears and expostulations, was sent back to school; 
 and much to Stimson's surprise, he was ordered to 
 take all the horses that could be spared from the 
 farm to Louisville and sell them. 
 
 In the mean time the rumors of the advance of 
 Kirby Smith kept coming thick and fast. The 
 
 ll 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 99 
 
 twenty-eighth of August came, and there was now 
 no doubt that Kirby Smith with his army was near- 
 ing Richmond, and the Federal authorities were 
 straining every nerve to meet the coming storm. 
 
 That evening Fred rode to Danville to see his 
 uncle Judge Pennington, and hear the news. He 
 found the city wild with excitement. The little 
 garrison had been ordered to Lexington, and the 
 Unionists of the place were dumb with surprise and 
 filled with consternation. Many of the more prom- 
 inent Union men were preparing to leave with the 
 soldiers. Weeping wives clung around the necks 
 of their husbands, not knowing whether they would 
 ever see them again or not. 
 
 Hardly was the last soldier gone before Confed- 
 erate flags began to fly from the houses of well- 
 known Secessionists, and the suppressed feelings of 
 months found expression in the wildest enthusiasm. 
 
 As for Judge Pennington, he was almost too 
 happy to talk. He ran up the stars and bars, and 
 made a fiery speech to the assembled mob, telling 
 them their days of oppression were over; that here- 
 after Kentucky would be one of the brightest stars 
 in the Confederacy. He was startled on seeing 
 Fred in the crowd, wearing his Federal uniform. 
 Already the crowd had noticed it, and cries began 
 to be heard of "Strip it off of him!" "Hang the 
 spy and traitor!" 
 
 "Come here, you young jackanapes!" roared the 
 judge. "What do you mean by presenting your- 
 self here in those rags.?" 
 
lOO ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Because I have a right to wear them," said 
 Fred, firmly. "But I would inform the gentlemen 
 here I am a paroled prisoner, and as such entitled 
 to the protection of every brave man." 
 
 "Come in here; I want to talk with you," said 
 the judge, and amid the howls and execrations of 
 the mob, Fred coolly walked into the house. As 
 the nephew of Judge Pennington and the son of 
 Colonel Shackelford, Fred knew he was in no dan- 
 ger of violence. 
 
 "What do you think now of your beloved Union, 
 Fred?" asked the judge. "Didn't I tell you it 
 would be so? Kirby Smith is already knocking at 
 our door. Bragg is on the way to drive Buell 
 across the Ohio. The whole State will be ours in a 
 few days. The star of the South is in the ascendant. 
 
 "You are mistaken, uncle," replied Fred, mis- 
 chievously. "It's not a star you see; it's a rocket. 
 It is going up brilliantly enough, but it will soon 
 explode in mid-air, and come down ashes." 
 
 "Why! why! why!" roared the judge, angry 
 that his favorite simile had been turned against him. 
 "I have a mind to cane you for your impertinence. 
 But tell me about your trip South ; everybody is 
 talking about it, and laughing that at least one per- 
 son has got the better of Morgan." 
 
 So Fred had to tell the story, and then added, 
 "You should be proud of Calhoun, uncle. Morgan 
 told me he was one of his most valued officers — a 
 little too reckless sometimes, but always ready for 
 an adventure." 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. lOI 
 
 "I am proud of him. That raid of Morgan's was 
 one of the most daring achievements of the war. 
 Fred, Morgan took a fancy to you. You might 
 have been a captain riding with him to-day if 
 you hadn't played the fool and gone off with that 
 traitor, Nelson." 
 
 "I am a captain now, uncle," said Fred, meekly. 
 
 "A captain, a captain of what? — of a lot of thiev- 
 ing Yankees!" replied the judge, scornfully. "But, 
 Fred, we won't quarrel. I am feeling too happy. 
 See that flag floating out there? It will never come 
 down." 
 
 "Don't be too sure of that, uncle; but fly it 
 while you can, for it will have to come down before 
 many days." 
 
 "You dare tell me that?" exclaimed the judge, 
 growing excited again. "I have a mind to ask you 
 to tea, and see if you can't take a little sense 
 through your stomach, if I can't beat any into your 
 brain." 
 
 So Fred stayed to tea, and it was after dark 
 before he started for home. When about a mile 
 from his destination he was startled by being 
 accosted by George, one of the faithful servants of 
 the family. Fred drew Prince up so suddenly that 
 he sat back on his haunches. 
 
 "Great heavens! George, what is it? Has any- 
 thing happened to father?" he asked Avith quivering 
 voice. 
 
 "Kunnel all right, but he say, 'Fo' God's sake, 
 George, stop Massa Fred an' gib him dis;' " and 
 
I03 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 he handed Fred a note, adding, "Right smart 
 Rebel sojers at home." 
 
 Fred leaped from his horse, and lighting a match, 
 read: "Major Hockoday is here with a squadron 
 of cavalry. Keep away until George tells you the 
 coast is clear." 
 
 "George," said Fred, "father bids me stay from 
 home until the Rebel soldiers go. You will find me 
 under the large tree which stands close to the gate 
 opening into the pasture. Let me know as soon as 
 they go." 
 
 "Yes, massa, George will come as soon as he 
 can." 
 
 "What in the world can Major Hockoday want 
 of my father?" thought Fred, as he took his station 
 under the tree to await the coming of George. "It 
 must be something about his return to the army." 
 
 Not only minutes but hours passed, still no 
 George. Fred began to be very restless, and wore 
 a path pacing back and forth. It was past mid- 
 night when he heard the low whistle, the signal 
 agreed upon, given by George. 
 
 Fred answered the signal, and the negro at once 
 appeared, and said, "Sogers gone; massa gone, 
 too." 
 
 "What!" exclaimed Fred, in surprise. 
 
 "Massa gone; tuk carriage, Sam drove; Ned, 
 he rode massa's saddle hoss. Go to Richmond. 
 Sam and Ned drive carriage back." 
 
 That his father should go away so suddenly, 
 without saying a word to him, cut Fred to the 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 1 03 
 
 heart. There must be some mystery about it. It 
 was with conflicting emotions that he entered the 
 house. The hollow echo of his footsteps seemed to 
 mock him. Was this the home where he had spent 
 so many happy days with his father, who said he 
 freely forgave, and now had gone away without one 
 word? He would not believe it; his father must 
 have left a note somewhere. At last he found it on 
 the table in the library. Breaking it open with 
 trembling fingers, he read : 
 
 My Dear Son, — You will doubtless be surprised at my 
 sudden departure without even a parting word with you. But 
 as I must go, I feel this is best, for it will save us both much 
 heartache. Shortly after you left. Major Hockoday rode up to 
 the door, accompanied with a squadron of cavalry. You can 
 imagine my surprise on seeing him. But I was more surprised 
 when he handed me a commission as brigadier-general in the 
 Confederate army; also a letter from General Kirby Smith, 
 asking me to meet him at once, as he expected to attack the 
 Federal force at Richmond, and had a brigade at my disposal, 
 I felt that I could not prove false to the trust reposed in me, so 
 made preparations to go at once. 
 
 God keep you, my son; even if you enter the army again 
 there shall be no more estrangement between us. If we never 
 meet again in this world, let us hope that at last we shall find 
 peace with your dear mother in heaven. 
 
 Your affectionate father, 
 
 R. Shackelford. 
 
 To understand fully General Shackelford's note, 
 let us see what occurred after Fred left for Danville. 
 About dark he was startled by having a squadron 
 of Confederate cavalry ride up to the house, and 
 was agreeably surprised to find in the commander. 
 Major Hockoday, an old acquaintance. But he was 
 
I04 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 more than surprised when Major Hockoday, in 
 shaking hands with him, said: 
 
 "General Shackelford, it makes me happy to see 
 you looking so well ; also allow me to congratulate 
 you." 
 
 "Major," answered Colonel Shackelford, "it's 
 like renewing my youth to see you. Where in the 
 world did you come from? But you have made a 
 great mistake in my rank. I am not a general, and 
 there is no likelihood of my ever being one." 
 
 "Pardon me, General, but allow me to differ >vith 
 you; read this," and the major handed him a for- 
 midable-looking document. 
 
 Colonel Shackelford took the document, opened 
 it, but before he read far, the paper dropped from 
 his astonished hands. It was a commission from 
 Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States, 
 as brigadier-general of volunteers. With it was a 
 personal letter, stating that the commission was 
 granted for gallantry on the field of Shiloh, where 
 his regiment held in check the last fearful charge of 
 the enemy, thus enabling Beauregard to withdraw 
 his army in safety. The letter also stated that he 
 had been regularly exchanged, and was therefore 
 free to report for duty at any time. 
 
 Another letter was enclosed from General Kirby 
 Smith, saying he had a brigade at his disposal; that 
 he expected to attack Richmond the next day, and 
 hoped the general would report at once. 
 
 Colonel, or as he must now be called. General 
 Shackelford, was deeply moved by these tokens of 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 105 
 
 appreciation. Not only this, but he clearly saw it 
 was his duty to accept the commission. It seemed 
 as if fate were inexorably driving himself as well as 
 Fred back into the army ; it would be worse than 
 folly to resist. So he wrote the note to Fred, 
 found on the library table, and after a hurried prep- 
 aration took his departure for Richmond. 
 
 Fred read his father's letter with a swelling heart. 
 It showed that, come what might, there would be 
 no more estrangement between them ; that his 
 father's love would always be his, and he shed 
 happy tears over the fact. 
 
 ' ' There is now nothing, ' ' thought he, ' ' to prevent 
 my joining Nelson, except that plaguy parole. If 
 it were not for that I would join him to-morrow. I 
 will go and see him, anyway; perhaps I can find 
 out when I shall be exchanged." 
 
 With these thoughts he went to bed. The next 
 day, Stimson, the overseer, returned from Louis- 
 ville, where he had been to sell the horses. He 
 had made a good sale, and was correspondingly 
 happy. Great was his surprise to find Mr. Shackel- 
 ford gone and Fred preparing to go. 
 
 "You will have to do without us again, John," 
 said Fred. "If the country is overrun by the 
 armies, as now seems probable, the farm may be 
 devastated and everything portable taken away. It 
 will do no good to object. Do the best you can, 
 and do nothing to arouse the anger of either side." 
 
 "Will they take grain or provisions without pay- 
 ing?" asked Stimson in some surprise. 
 
io6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "They may pay you in vouchers, but under the 
 circumstances, vouchers will be of little value from 
 either side. We shall simply have to make up our 
 minds to lose whatever is so taken." 
 
 "And you call that war, do you?" asked Stim- 
 son, with some indignation. 
 
 "The least part of it, John, the least part of it. 
 War means not only robbery, but death." 
 
 Honest John Stimson went away shaking his 
 head; to him such warfare was nothing more or 
 less than robbery. 
 
 A short time aftei^wards Fred was surprised to see 
 Hugh Raymond dash up to the door. 
 
 "Why, Hugh!" exclaimed Fred, extending his 
 hand. "I am glad to see you; but what brings 
 you here? You look as if you had ridden hard." 
 
 "I have," answered Hugh, "and I must ride 
 harder. Here are orders from Nelson," and he 
 handed Fred an official-looking envelope. 
 
 Fred hastily broke it open and read : 
 
 Lexington, Aug, 28, 1862. 
 Captain Frederick Shackelford, 
 
 Dear Sir: — This is to inform you that you have been reg- 
 ularly exchanged. You are therefore directed to report to 
 me at Richmond at your earliest convenience. 
 
 Wm. Nelson, 
 Major-General Commanding. 
 
 "Hugh," said Fred, "this is an order for me to 
 report at Richmond. Is Nelson there?" 
 
 "No; but he starts from Lexington to-morrow 
 morning for that place. Kirby Smith is advancing 
 rapidly, and I have orders to General Manson, who 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 1 07 
 
 is in command at Richmond, to fall back if there is 
 danger of his being attacked in force. Nelson will 
 be in Richmond to-morrow to take command." 
 
 "Well, tell the general I will be there to-mor- 
 row," replied Fred. "But, Hugh, dismount, and 
 rest yourself and horse." 
 
 "I can't, Fred; my orders are to hurry. If 
 Manson don't get any dispatch, he may fight; and 
 if he does, he will get whipped. Good-bye, Fred, 
 till I see you," and turning, Hugh clapped spurs to 
 his horse, and soon disappeared in a cloud of dust. 
 
 "So there is a prospect of a battle at Richmond," 
 mused Fred. "Well, I will be there to bear my 
 part." 
 
 Early the next morning Fred once more bade fare- 
 well to his home, and started for Richmond. 
 When within about ten miles from his destination he 
 thought he heard the sound of artillery. He 
 stopped and listened. He was not mistaken. 
 Faintly, like the echo of distant thunder, came the 
 sullen roar of cannon. The battle was on. He 
 urged his horse forward with greater speed, and 
 soon the sounds of battle were heard distinctly. 
 Prince felt the excitement as well as his master, and 
 with head erect and eyes flashing, sprang forward, 
 as if eager for the fray. When about five miles 
 from Richmond, Fred, to his dismay, found him- 
 self cut off by a body of Confederate cavalry. 
 Turning into a by-road, which led to the left, he 
 dashed on. No less than three times did he 
 attempt to reach "flichmond, to find himself cut off, 
 
Io8 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 and it was not until he reached the road which leads 
 from Lexington to Richmond that he found the 
 way clear. 
 
 Up this road came a solitary rider at full speed, 
 his horse covered with foam and dust. As he drew 
 near, Fred, to his surprise, recognized General Nel- 
 son. Sheridan rode twenty miles to turn defeat 
 into victory at Cedar Creek. Nelson rode thirty 
 miles to try to save his army at Richmond, but 
 failed. When he saw Fred he drew rein, and 
 exclaimed, "You here, Captain?" 
 
 "Yes, General, if I get into Richmond on this 
 road, it will be the fourth time I have attempted 
 it." 
 
 "Ah! you have been headed off by the Rebel 
 cavalry like myself. I only reached this road by 
 taking by-paths and crossroads." 
 
 Fred saw that he was greatly excited, and as the 
 roar of battle came to their ears. Nelson shuddered, 
 and said : 
 
 "Great God! I fear the worst. I sent orders to 
 Manson not to fight, but to fall back toward Lan- 
 caster. What can he mean? But come, we have 
 no time to waste." 
 
 They soon met fugitives from the battle, but in 
 no great numbers. But as they entered Richmond, 
 the scene became indescribable. The streets were 
 packed with fleeing soldiers, wagons, teams, and 
 caissons. Teamsters were yelling and cursing like 
 maniacs, trying to force their way through. 
 Wagons were being overturned, and the teamsters, 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. 109 
 
 cutting their mules loose, would mount them and 
 join the mass fleeing down the Lexington turnpike. 
 But the roar of battle was still heard beyond Rich- 
 mond. 
 
 "On! on!" cried Nelson. "All may not yet be 
 lost." 
 
 Skirting around the struggling, yelling, shriek- 
 ing, panic-stricken mass, they rode toward Rogers- 
 ville. They passed numerous wounded men, strug- 
 gling back, and some of them when they recognized 
 their general, raised a feeble shout, but most of 
 them hurried on, with only one thought — to get 
 away. 
 
 After going about two miles they met the main 
 army, coming back in utter rout. Nelson dashed 
 in among them, pleading, cursing. 
 
 "It's your general, boys," he would shout. 
 ' ' We will lick them yet. ' ' 
 
 Here Hugh was met with General Manson, who 
 was doing all he could to rally the men. Almost 
 by superhuman efforts some twenty-five hundred of 
 the men were rallied on the outskirts of the town 
 near the cemetery. 
 
 "If we can hold them," groaned Nelson, "if we 
 can hold them until night, I can get the army 
 away. 
 
 On came the Confederate host like a mighty tor- 
 rent, to break against the slender line and be flung 
 back for a moment, and then roll on again. 
 
 As a strong dam at last gives way before the press 
 of water, so did this dam of twenty-five hundred 
 
no ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 men give away before the human torrent pressing 
 against it. Then came demoralization, utter rout, 
 insane fear. 
 
 Nelson forgot everything in his rage. Like a 
 madman he spurred his horse into the terror- 
 stricken mob. 
 
 "Poltroons! cowards!" he shrieked, and he 
 struck with his sword right and left. But no hu- 
 man power could have stayed those affrighted men. 
 They would have rushed into a death tenfold more 
 fearful than that from which they were fleeing. 
 Nelson was almost deserted ; the enemy were press- 
 ing around him. 
 
 Fred saw his danger. "Fly, General! fly for 
 your life!" he cried. 
 
 Nelson wheeled his horse, but as he turned a 
 stalwart Confederate grabbed for the bridle-rein. 
 A saber flashed in the air, and with a moan the man 
 sank down, cleft through the skull. 
 
 "Well done, Hugh!" cried Fred, as he witnessed 
 the gallant act. 
 
 Just then General Shackelford, riding in front of 
 his brigade, leading them in their headlong charge, 
 caught sight of Nelson. With a cry of rage he 
 spurred his horse straight toward him. Before him he 
 saw the man who, he believed, not only tore Ken- 
 tucky from her rightful place in the Confederacy, 
 but who had perverted his son and persuaded him to 
 raise his sword against his kindred. 
 
 Nelson heard a warning cry, and turned his head 
 to see General Shackelford by his side with sword 
 
The Blade of the upraised Sword went twirling through 
 the Air. 
 
THE BATTLE OF RICHMOND. Ill 
 
 Uplifted, gathering strength for the fatal blow. He 
 had no time to parry, no time to defend ; but there 
 came a sharp ring, and the blade of the upraised 
 sword went twirling through the air, broken at the 
 hilt. With a hoarse cry. General Shackelford threw 
 down the shattered blade, and drew his revolver; 
 but before he could shoot, a bullet pierced the brain 
 of his steed, and horse and rider went down to- 
 gether. 
 
 His men saw their general fall, and a crashing 
 volley rang out. Nelson reeled in his saddle, but 
 kept his seat. Hugh Raymond's horse fell dead, 
 pinning his rider to the earth. Fred was the only 
 one of the party unhurt. 
 
 It was not until their horses had carried them 
 out of danger that Fred noticed that one of Nelson's 
 legs was covered with blood. 
 
 "General," he exclaimed anxiously, "you are 
 wounded! Can I do anything for you?" 
 
 "I have been hit twice," responded Nelson, 
 "but they are nothing but scratches. I must ride 
 to Lexington ; the army is totally routed. Oh, 
 the disgrace of it! the cowards!" almost sobbed 
 Nelson. "If I had only had my old Fourth Divi- 
 sion here, it would have been different, but now — " 
 and he broke down completely. 
 
 Fred never forgot that ride back to Lexington. 
 Through the darkness of the night they rode, and 
 never drew rein until the lights of the city appeared. 
 Nelson was mostly silent, but once he suddenly 
 turned to Fred and asked: 
 
112 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Captain, is this the darkness I saw before me, or 
 is worse coming? What can be worse, except 
 death, and I thought it was death once, as well as 
 defeat. Captain, did you see that officer with sword 
 upraised over my head to strike? Just as I ex- 
 pected the stroke, I saw the blade go twirling 
 through the air. What happened?" 
 
 Fred did not answer. 
 
 "Ah, Captain, you are silent; you saved my life. 
 Tell me about it." 
 
 "There is not much to tell," replied Fred. "I 
 saw the ofificer about to strike ; the instant the sword 
 stood motionless before the downward stroke, I 
 fired and struck the blade just above the hilt. It 
 snapped in two. Then he attempted to draw his 
 revolver, and I killed his horse." 
 
 "Killed the horse," roughly asked Nelson, "why 
 didn't you kill the rider, and let the horse go?" 
 
 "Because," replied Fred, in a low voice, "the 
 officer was my father. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON. 
 
 BACK to Lexington poured the fugitives from 
 the battle of Richmond. Out of six thou- 
 sand five hundred Federal troops that faced the 
 Confederates on that fatal field, only eight hundred 
 escaped. Over eleven hundred lay dead and 
 wounded ; the rest were prisoners. Among these 
 prisoners was Hugh Raymond. Before he could 
 release himself from his fallen horse the enemy 
 were upon him, and he had to surrender. 
 
 The results of the battle of Richmond were far- 
 reaching. Lexington was evacuated, the whole of 
 central Kentucky given up, and a mad rush for 
 Louisville and Cincinnati followed. 
 
 The hardships of that retreat will never be for- 
 gotten by those who endured them. The summer 
 had been very dry. Great clouds of stifling dust 
 arose over the marching columns, filling mouth and 
 nostrils to suffocation. Not only the small streams, 
 but good-sized rivers were dry, and the sufferings 
 of the men because of the want of water were ter- 
 rible. Many a canteen was filled from ponds cov- 
 ered with filthy green scum, and in some of these 
 ponds carcasses of animals were festering. 
 
 "3 
 
114 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Many a time on the retreat Fred's heart bled as 
 he saw mere boys lying exhausted, fainting by the 
 side of the road. Most of the regiments were new, 
 and the men unaccustomed to the hardships of the 
 march. It is safe to say that of the new troops that 
 entered Kentucky in the summer and fall of 1862 
 nearly one-half were dead or disabled by sickness in 
 less than six months. 
 
 When it became known that the Federal forces 
 had been defeated at Richmond and were in full 
 retreat for Louisville and Cincinnati, the excitement 
 throughout Indiana and Ohio was intense. It was 
 expected that Kirby Smith would at once move on 
 Cincinnati, while Bragg would make Louisville his 
 objective point. Cincinnati was placed under mar- 
 tial law, thousands of her citizens were impressed 
 and made to throw up fortifications on the Ken- 
 tucky side. Hundreds of farmers from the sur- 
 rounding country reported with squirrel rifles, and 
 they would have made a foe not to be despised if 
 occasion had required their services. 
 
 The Confederates set up a provisional govern- 
 ment at Frankfort, and proceeded to run the State 
 to suit themselves. 
 
 Nelson, sore over his defeat, and suffering 
 from his wounds, did not improve in temper, but 
 he lost none of his indomitable energy. Upon his 
 arrival in Louisville he at once made preparations to 
 defend it against the expected attack of Bragg. In 
 a measure he infused his courage and energy into 
 those who were trembling ; yet so great was consid- 
 
THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON. 115 
 
 ered the danger that a pontoon bridge was prepared 
 to be thrown across the Ohio in case a retreat 
 became necessary. 
 
 During these eventful days Fred found plenty to 
 do. He was here, there, everywhere, carrying out 
 the orders of Nelson. Thousands of new troops 
 were thrown into the city, and there armed and 
 drilled. 
 
 Nelson never was patient with the slow move- 
 ments of the government, and the condition in 
 which these troops reported aroused his fiercest 
 anger. He became involved in several quarrels, 
 and, if possible, became more tyrannical and irri- 
 table than ever. The sting of the terrible defeat at 
 Richmond still rankled in his breast, and the cloud 
 which hung over his mind was not dispelled. 
 
 "I should never have come to Kentucky," he 
 would say to Fred. "I feel it more and more. 
 Richmond was only a forerunner of something 
 worse." 
 
 At last, ragged, footsore, and hungry, BuelFs 
 army entered Louisville. The city was safe. Prep- 
 arations were at once made for an advance. 
 
 "Fred," remarked Nelson, two or three days 
 after the arrival of Buell, "I am going to give a 
 banquet. I am thirty-seven years of age on the 
 twenty-seventh. ' ' 
 
 "Yes, General." 
 
 "I can tell you a most singular story," contin- 
 ued Nelson. "Last spring, while before Corinth, 
 in conversation with General James Jackson and 
 
ii6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 General W. B. Hazen, we were surprised to find 
 that all three were born on the same day of the 
 month, September twenty-seventh. I asked them 
 to celebrate our next birthday by eating dinner with 
 me at the Gait House in Louisville, and they 
 accepted the invitation. By a singular chain 
 of circumstances, which not one of us could have 
 possibly foreseen, we are all three now in the city. 
 I shall give the dinner, but there is something 
 uncanny in the whole thing. We three will never 
 eat another birthday dinner together — mark that." 
 
 "Why, General," said Fred, gayly, "it's a good 
 omen. You see, it enables all of you to keep your 
 engagement." 
 
 The general smiled, and replied, "I shall try to 
 think so." 
 
 The invitations were sent, and the banquet given. 
 It was a most notable gathering. Nearly all of the 
 general officers in the army were present, as well 
 as many of the more prominent citizens of Louis- 
 ville. But General Buell, the commander-in-chief 
 of the army, was absent. He sent an excuse that 
 the press of his duties would not allow him to 
 attend. But the truth was, he had received heavy 
 news that day, that of his being removed from the 
 command of the army, and General George H. 
 Thomas appointed in his place. 
 
 The banquet went as merrily as the dance before 
 the battle of Waterloo. Many were the toasts 
 drunk to the distinguished generals whose natal day 
 was being celebrated. Little did the banqueters 
 
THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON. HJ 
 
 think that the angel of death hovered over two of 
 the distinguished men they were honoring. 
 
 As the wine was going around, the Hon. J. J. 
 Crittenden, United States Senator from Kentucky, 
 and one of the prominent guests present, arose in 
 his place and said : 
 
 "Gentlemen, I have a toast to propose, a little 
 out of the ordinary, perhaps, yet one which I think 
 every one present who loves his country and desires 
 the success of our armies will gladly drink to. It is 
 this — " and he raised his glass on high: 
 
 "To General Alexander McDowell McCook, the 
 coining commander of the Army of the Ohio.'' 
 
 Many of the officers sprang to their feet with 
 loud hurrahs, and raised their brimming glasses, 
 but the more conservative among them gazed on 
 each other in dismay. As for General Nelson, he 
 was thunderstruck. This was his banquet. Buell, 
 although not present, was an invited guest, and 
 this was a direct insult to him. Angry protests 
 began to be heard, and the banquet came to an end. 
 
 Nelson was greatly depressed by what had taken 
 place. He was one of General Buell's stanchest 
 supporters, and that such a circumstance could have 
 happened at a banquet given by him served to 
 render his temper still more irritable. The next 
 day many things occurred to further annoy him. 
 On the morning of the 29th, as he came down from 
 his room, he met in the corridor of the hotel 
 Brigadier-General Jefferson C. Davis. 
 
 General Davis had served with Major Robert 
 
Ii8 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Anderson at Fort Sumter, and later with much dis- 
 tinction in Missouri and Arkansas under Fremont 
 and Curtis, especially at Pea Ridge. He had sud- 
 denly been assigned by the war department to the 
 command of one of the brigades of new troops then 
 being formed at Louisville to reinforce Buell's 
 army. This brigade was embraced in General Nel- 
 son's command. 
 
 Meeting General Nelson casually in the corridor 
 of the Gait House, General Davis saluted him, and 
 said: "General, I have just ridden out to where 
 my new brigade is encamped, and I find the men 
 are not yet armed ; to whom shall I apply for the 
 arms when I want them?" 
 
 "How many muskets will you need for them?" 
 inquired Nelson. 
 
 Davis reflected a moment, and then said, 
 "About four thousand eight hundred." 
 
 Nelson, who for some unknown reason had 
 formed a prejudice against Davis, turned upon him 
 with a sneer, and said in the most insulting tone, 
 "Do you pretend to be an officer of the regular 
 army, and say you want about so many guns?" 
 
 Davis flushed and replied, tartly, "General, I 
 am not making a requisition ; when I am ready to 
 make my requisition there will be no indefiniteness 
 about it." 
 
 "Do you dare to talk back to me in that way, you 
 puppy?" exclaimed Nelson, and stepping forward 
 he slapped Davis in the face with the back of his 
 hand. 
 
Davis, calling to Nelson to defend himself, almost 
 immediately fired. 
 
THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON. II9 
 
 To understand the situation and to appreciate 
 the insult, it should be explained that General Nel- 
 son was a large, tall, and powerfully built man, 
 while Davis was of scarcely medium height and very 
 slightly built, and that quite a crowd of hotel 
 loungers had now gathered around them. 
 
 General Davis naturally turned white with rage, 
 but controlling himself with a strong effort, he 
 replied : 
 
 "General Nelson, I suppose you understand that 
 no rank and no position will prevent your being 
 called to account at the proper time for such an 
 insult?" 
 
 "What! you puppy! you call me to account? 
 There is satisfaction for you," again advancing and 
 striking Davis in the face. 
 
 The smaller man was now simply insane with 
 passion, and he naturally searched with his hand 
 for the arms he usually carried ; but he was at the 
 time totally unarmed. 
 
 A young lawyer of Louisville, a friend of General 
 Davis, was standing by in the crowd, and unfor- 
 tunately threw back his coat and showed Davis the 
 handle of a revolver. Davis, not knowing what 
 he was doing, snatched the revolver, and calling to 
 Nelson to defend himself, almost immediately 
 fired. The shot took effect, and the wound was 
 mortal. 
 
 General Nelson was immediately carried upstairs 
 to his own apartments, and every care possible was 
 given him. Being a man of singularly religious 
 
I20 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 feeling and impulse, in spite of his passionate and 
 aggressive nature, at his own request a clergyman 
 was sent for, and in an hour or two the man who 
 held Kentucky in the Union — the man who, in spite 
 of "don't hurry" from Grant himself, rushed his 
 troops through to Shiloh, and not only saved that 
 battle, but also Grant and Sherman to the nation — 
 died — died not as he would have died, on the field 
 of battle, but as the fool dies. 
 
 A great, and in some respects a noble, man thus 
 fell a victim to his own passionate and unreasonable 
 temper, and General Jeff C. Davis throughout a 
 long and brilliant career in the army always moved 
 under a shadow. He seemed like a man who, while 
 he could not condemn his passionate and impulsive 
 action, always sincerely regretted that his act had 
 been so needlessly provoked. 
 
 In General Nelson perished one of the most pic- 
 turesque figures of the war, a character full of con- 
 tradictions, yet beneath the rough exterior one of 
 God's noblemen. 
 
 The true character of Nelson can never be writ- 
 ten in fewer words, a better idea of the man cannot 
 be gained, than by quoting what the Hon. Stanley 
 Matthews once told him, speaking to him as one 
 true friend speaks to another. Matthews, who 
 afterwards was one of the justices of the Supreme 
 Court of the United States, in 1861 was a colonel 
 commanding a regiment in Nelson's division. One 
 day Nelson came to him in a towering rage. He 
 had had a quarrel, a serious quarrel, with one of 
 
THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON. 121 
 
 his best friends, and he came to ask Matthews if it 
 would do for him, an officer in the United States 
 army, to challenge his friend to a duel. 
 
 Matthews listened to his story, and then said, 
 "General, do you wish me to tell you freely and 
 truly what I think of this most unfortunate afifair?" 
 
 "Yes," replied Nelson; "tell me freely and 
 truly." 
 
 "And you will take it kindly?" 
 
 "Yes," was the reply. 
 
 "Then allow me to say you have done your friend 
 a great injustice." 
 
 Nelson stared at him in surprise, and then stam- 
 mered, "Do you really think so?" 
 
 "I certainly do." 
 
 "What should I do? What is right to do?" earn- 
 estly asked Nelson. 
 
 "What should a gentleman do in such a case?" 
 answered Matthews. 
 
 Without saying another word, Nelson went 
 straight to the friend with whom he had quarreled, 
 said he had been in the wrong, and asked his par- 
 don. He then came back and told Matthews what 
 he had done. 
 
 Colonel Matthews then said to him: "General, 
 do not let us part without giving me an oppor- 
 tunity of saying one final word. You are two 
 different men, according as you are looked at 
 from the outside, or as you are known from the 
 inside. The outside man is rough, overbearing, 
 inconsiderate, and tyrannical, easily giving offense 
 
122 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 and not overlooking offense given by others; but 
 the inside man is generous, open, frank, fearless, 
 magnanimous. You forget that the inside man is 
 known only to a few intimate friends, and that the 
 world at large sees only the outside man. Some of 
 these days you will come in contact with some per- 
 son in some offensive way, who, not appreciating 
 more than he can see from the outside, will, in 
 resenting your offensive manner, shoot the outside 
 man, and in doing so kill the inside man." 
 
 Had Matthews the gift of prophecy when he 
 uttered these words? It would almost seem so by 
 the light of after events. 
 
 With a grand military pageant Nelson was laid 
 to rest. His war-horse, fully equipped, was led 
 behind his bier, walking with bowed head, as if he 
 understood that his master would never ride him in 
 battle again. The last sad requiems were sung, the 
 last volley fired over the pulseless breast, the earth 
 heaped on the once proud form, and all that was 
 mortal of Nelson was left alone. No, not alone. 
 On the fresh earth which covered him there knelt 
 the figure of a young officer. His tears fell thick 
 and fast; he prayed for the soul of him that was 
 gone. Lifting his streaming eyes to heaven, he 
 sobbed : 
 
 "Merciful Father, show forgiveness to him who 
 lies here. Thou knowest how kind, how good, how 
 generous his real heart was. In his last moments 
 he looked to Thee for pardon for his sins. Forgive, 
 O Father, for he forgave." 
 
li 
 
 THE DEATH OF GENERAL NELSON. 1 23 
 
 The shades of night fell, darkness covered the 
 earth, and still the young ofidcer knelt on that grave 
 as if loath to depart. At last he arose, gazed down 
 on the fresh-made mound, now dimly seen in the 
 darkness, and raising his hands, as if in benediction, 
 said: 
 
 "Farewell! farewell, forever! Friend, benefac- 
 tor, patriot, the savior of Kentucky, the hero of 
 Shiloh ! The country may never realize thy worth, 
 or the great loss it has suffered in thy death. Thy 
 true history may never be written. But, O Lord, 
 Thou knowest." 
 
 And with bowed head Fred Shackelford passed 
 out of the silent city of the dead into the great, 
 busy, bustling, throbbing city of the living — a city 
 whose streets echoed to the tramp of thousands of 
 armed men, for Buell's army was about to march 
 out to attack Bragg. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 A MYSTERIOUS BATTLE. 
 
 THE morning following Nelson's burial Fred sat 
 in the now deserted headquarters, utterly dis- 
 consolate. It seemed to him that all his hopes, even 
 his patriotism, were buried in the coffin with his 
 fallen chieftain. His sad reverie was broken by the 
 entrance of an orderly, who handed him an official 
 envelope. He broke it open and read: 
 
 Headquarters Army of the Ohio. 
 
 Louisville, Ky., Oct. 2, 1862. 
 Captain Frederick C. Shackelford, late of General William 
 Nelson's Staff, will, at once, report to General George H. 
 Thomas for duty. 
 
 Don Carlos Buell, 
 
 Major-General Commanding. 
 
 Fred was surprised at receiving this order, but he 
 welcomed it gladly. He had served under Thomas 
 almost as much as under Nelson, and in his heart, 
 although the thought gave him pain and made him 
 think that he was ungrateful to the dead, he felt 
 that Thomas was superior to Nelson in those quali- 
 ties which go to make a true man. He did not lack 
 energy and firmness when occasion demanded ; yet 
 withal he was as modest and as gentle as a woman. 
 Therefore it was with a lighter heart than Fred 
 
 124 
 
A MTSTERIOUS BATTLE. 1 25 
 
 imagined he could carry that he made his prepara- 
 tions to join General Thomas, whose army was even 
 now on its way to Bardstown to give battle to Bragg. 
 
 It was a warm welcome that Fred received from 
 General Thomas. 
 
 "Fred, or Captain, as I must call you now," 
 said the general, with a smile, "I am glad to see 
 you. I have chosen you to command my scouts, 
 of which I have quite a number. I need not tell 
 you it is a very important position. Upon the 
 accuracy of the information which you furnish may 
 depend the success or safety of the army." 
 
 "I am grateful, General," replied Fred, "for the 
 confidence you repose in me, and trust I shall prove 
 worthy of it. To serve under you is like coming 
 home, especially since he is gone," and in spite of 
 himself Fred's eyes filled with tears. 
 
 "My boy," said Thomas, gently, "those of us 
 who knew Nelson best are shocked at his untimely 
 death. It was a dreadful tragedy, and the country 
 has suffered a greater loss than it will ever know. 
 It was written long ago, ' He that is slow to anger 
 is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his 
 spirit than he that taketh a city.' If Nelson had 
 learned this lesson, he might have been with us 
 to-day. But let us forget his faults, and remem- 
 ber him only as the patriot, and the bravest of the 
 brave. 
 
 "Amen," replied Fred, fervently. 
 
 After a little more conversation Fred said : "Gen- 
 eral, who is in command of the army? I under- 
 
126 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 stood Buell had been relieved, but the order I 
 received to-day to join you was signed by him." 
 
 Thomas looked pained. ' ' Captain, ' ' he answered, 
 "General Buell was relieved, and I was appointed 
 in his place." 
 
 "You, General, you!" cried Fred. "Oh! how — " 
 but a look in the general's face made Fred stop 
 abruptly. 
 
 "Yes," said Thomas; "I was appointed in his 
 place, but protested so earnestly that Halleck 
 revoked the order. I believed that Buell was wrong- 
 fully removed, that the clamor against him was 
 unjustifiable, and believing this I could not do less 
 than I did. Then we are upon the eve of a battle; 
 Buell has his plans all made, and it would be sui- 
 cidal to remove him just now." 
 
 "But, General," asked Fred, "has not Buell lost 
 the confidence, in a great measure, of both officers 
 and men?" 
 
 "Unfortunately, yes, and to an alarming ex- 
 tent — so much so that there is a widespread move- 
 ment to place McCook in command." 
 
 "I know," exclaimed Fred. "That dreadful 
 toast offered at the banquet given by Nelson; I 
 believe it was one of the things that put him in the 
 fearful passion that led up to his death." 
 
 "It will be fortunate," answered Thomas, "if 
 the evil stops there. It has had a demoralizing 
 effect on the army, and it may lead McCook to act 
 more independently than he should for the success 
 of the army." 
 
A MTSTERIOUS BATTLE. 1 27 
 
 "All of these things must be known and keenly 
 felt by Buell," said Fred. 
 
 "They are," replied Thomas; "and if it had not 
 been for me he would not have consented to assume 
 command again. I told him this campaign would 
 give him an opportunity to regain what he had evi- 
 dently lost — the confidence of his army as well as 
 of the country. The next few days will make 
 Buell, or he will have to retire from the army. 
 But enough of this. Now let us talk business. I 
 have a number of scouts — splendid, daring men, 
 but men who do not always use the best judgment; 
 neither can I always rely on their information. 
 They need a head, one that will guide them and 
 aid them in their work. I have at this moment an 
 important question to solve ; it is whether Bragg 
 will give battle at Bardstown or not." 
 
 "And you want me to find out if possible?" 
 
 "By all means." 
 
 "General, let me have six of these scouts of 
 whom you spoke. Let them be mounted on the 
 fastest horses you have. I will try to gain for you 
 the information you desire." 
 
 "How soon do you wish to start, Captain?" 
 asked Thomas. 
 
 Fred looked at his watch. "It is now four 
 o'clock," he answered. "I want to start at five. 
 Let the men have their supper and the horses be 
 well fed." 
 
 At the appointed time the men were ready. 
 They were all superbly mounted, and each was 
 
128 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 armed with a brace of heavy revolvers and a Spen- 
 cer carbine. Five of them were young men, stal- 
 wart fellows, and ready for any daring adventure. 
 
 The sixth needs more than a passing" notice. He 
 was a man over fifty years of age, tall, bony, and 
 every sinew as tough as steel. He was dressed in 
 citizen's clothes, which hung loosely around him, 
 as if made for a much larger man. His eyes were 
 small, dark, and piercing, and were overhung by 
 heavy brows, while his hair and beard, which he 
 wore long, were grizzled. He was not only one of 
 the best scouts in the army, but also one of its most 
 daring spies. 
 
 He was known as John Smith, and when rallied 
 on the very uncommon name that he bore, with 
 twinkling eyes he would say : 
 
 "Jest the name for a scout and spy, sah. What 
 if they catch me; they only have John Smith, and 
 how in the name of the great Andrew Jackson air 
 they to know what John Smith it is? What if I am 
 strung up: the ole woman and young uns need 
 never let on. It war only John Smith that war 
 hanged, and that don't mean me more than a thou- 
 sand other John Smiths. Nuthing like the name 
 of John Smith, sah, to hide one's identity." 
 
 This was the man who was to be the guide of 
 the party. As Fred rode up to take command, 
 Smith ran his keen eye over him, and gave a grunt ; 
 but whether of satisfaction or disgust over so young 
 a leader, no one knew. 
 
 "Boys," said Fred, in a quiet tone, "pur mission 
 
A MTSTERIOUS BATTLE. 129 
 
 is to try to find out whether the enemy intends to 
 fight at Bardstown, or run. To do this we shall 
 have to get very close to their main lines. The 
 whole country to the east swarms with their cavalry, 
 and it is doubtful if we could get close enough to 
 find out what they are doing. My plan, therefore, 
 is to ride west and south, and approach Bardstown 
 from the southwest. Smith, I am told you know 
 the roads." 
 
 "Yes, Captain, like the cow-paths at home." 
 
 "Come on, then. We have no time to lose. 
 You will ride by my side." 
 
 "I reckon the young un will do," muttered 
 Smith to himself, as he took his place by Fred's 
 side. 
 
 I For ten miles Smith rode west, then turned south. 
 Darkness came, but they kept on, covering mile 
 after mile. Little was said, Fred asking Smith a 
 question once in a while about the country. 
 
 At last Smith drew rein. "Captain," he said, 
 "we air now southwest of Bardstown, and it is 
 about ten miles away ; this road leads directly thar. " 
 
 Fred struck a match, carefully concealing the 
 light, and looked at his watch. It was ten o'clock. 
 
 They had been five hours on the way, and had 
 ridden at a rapid pace. 
 
 "It is early yet," remarked Fred, "and we will 
 give the horses a chance to breathe." 
 
 When it was time to start Fred said: "We will 
 now ride directly toward Bardstown. Smith, 
 you take the lead, and keep your eyes and ears 
 
130 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 open. Ride in single file and at a walk. We 
 have plenty of time, and by walking our horses we 
 shall make little noise, and can better hear any one 
 approaching. I will bring up the rear." 
 
 If Fred could have seen the expression on Smith's 
 face when he said this he would have been amused. 
 
 "The young un is afraid," muttered Smith, with 
 a look of unutterable disgust. "I didn't think it of 
 him." 
 
 After going about two miles, Prince suddenly 
 stopped, pricked up his ears, then turned his head 
 and looked at his master. 
 
 "Halt," commanded Fred, in a low voice; "pass 
 the word along the line." 
 
 The word was passed, and the men all halted. 
 Fred listened intently, and soon the trampling of 
 horses' feet could be heard in the rear. 
 
 "A company of cavalry is coming," said Fred. 
 "We must hide and let them pass. Quick now, 
 boys, and make as little noise as possible." 
 
 A fence was let down, and the party passed into a 
 field, where fortunately they found some bushes 
 which screened them. 
 
 A squadron of at least fifty cavalry passed, and 
 one was heard to say, "There is no Yanks out this 
 way, sure." 
 
 "Captain," asked Smith, "how did you hear 
 them so quick? You must have sharp ears." 
 
 "My horse told me," answered Fred. "That is 
 the reason I took the rear; I reasoned that if any 
 scouting parties were out, they would be returning." 
 
A MrSTERIOUS BATTLE. 131 
 
 "Andrew Jackson!" thought Smith, "and I 
 reckoned he was afraid. Smith you air a fool," 
 and in his excitement he took a second chew of 
 tobacco, although it was not two minutes since he 
 had taken a liberal supply from a huge twist which 
 he kept stowed away in a cavernous pocket. 
 
 "It is really fortunate," continued Fred, "they 
 passed. We can now follow them closely without 
 fear of running into their pickets. The pickets will 
 halt them, and thus give us warning. Smith, you 
 ride on ahead, keeping as close to them as pru- 
 dent, and when they are halted come back and tell 
 us. But first, let me fix your horse's feet;" and 
 Fred, dismounting, drew from his pocket four 
 mufflers made to fit a horse's hoofs. 
 
 They were soon adjusted, and Smith rode away, 
 his horse stepping as noiselessly as a cat. "Andrew 
 Jackson!" he chuckled, "what a man the captain 
 is — for a boy." 
 
 The party now rode more rapidly, but letting 
 Smith keep a good distance ahead of them. They 
 kept on thus for several miles. At last Smith came 
 riding back. "They have been halted," he said. 
 
 "How far are we from Bardstown?" asked Fred. 
 
 "About two miles," was the answer. 
 
 "That is full as near as I hoped to get without 
 running into their pickets," said Fred. "Smith, do 
 you know of any high point near here from which 
 Bardstown and the country beyond can be seen?" 
 
 "Yes, Captain; thar is a road which leads to the 
 left, about three hundred yards back, and Carver's 
 
133 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 hill is a short distance up that road. From its top 
 thar is a good view." 
 
 "Well, you can lead us to Carver's hill." And 
 the march was noiselessly resumed. 
 
 "Here we air, Captain," said Smith, as a dark- 
 looking mass could faintly be seen before them. 
 
 "We will not try to ascend the hill now," said 
 Fred; "there maybe pickets on top. We must 
 wait for daylight." 
 
 Taking shelter in a thick piece of woods, the 
 party patiently waited for day. As soon as it was 
 light enough to see, Fred told the rest of his men 
 to remain where, they were, while he and Smith 
 carefully reconnoitered the hill; and they moved 
 away as stealthily as two Indians. 
 
 "Some one is thar," whispered Smith. "I smell 
 fire; thar, don't you see the smoke?" 
 
 Sure enough a little column of smoke was curl- 
 ing upward. Carefully crawling nearer, they soon 
 discovered two soldiers. 
 
 "They are cavalry videttes," whispered Fred. 
 "See, their horses are picketed close by." 
 
 "They air gettin' breakfust. Captain, and seem 
 to be kind o' careless. We can bag them easy." 
 
 "They must be taken without a shot," whis- 
 pered Fred back; "it will not do to raise an 
 alarm." 
 
 "All right, Captain." 
 
 The two videttes did not dream of danger; they 
 were earnestly engaged in discussing their breakfast. 
 
 "I call this poor grub," said one, "and poorer 
 
A MTSTERIOUS BATTLE. 133 
 
 drink — nuthin' but water. Say, Tom, wouldn't 
 you-uns like to have a swig of the coffee the 
 blamed Yanks have?" 
 
 "Wouldn't I?" exclaimed Tom, smacking his 
 lips. "It's a shame the Yanks have such good 
 things, and we-uns go without." 
 
 "Gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to invite 
 you to take a cup of coffee with me," said a stern 
 voice close by them. 
 
 The surprised Confederates sprang to their feet. 
 There stood two men covering them with their 
 revolvers. 
 
 "It's no use to kick; up with your hands!" said 
 Fred. 
 
 The men slowly obeyed, as if in a trance. They 
 could hardly realize that they were prisoners. After 
 disarming them, Fred asked, "What are you doing 
 here?" 
 
 "Watching to see if we could see any Yanks," 
 answered one. 
 
 "Well, you have seen some, haven't you?" 
 laughingly demanded Fred. 
 
 "Two too many," answered one of the prisoners, 
 with some show of humor. 
 
 "Do you know what Bragg is doing in Bards- 
 town?" 
 
 "No; the gineral don't consult we-uns," the 
 fellow answered, with a grin. 
 
 "That's strange. When did you come out here 
 on guard?" 
 
 "Yesterday mornin'." 
 
134 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "When do you expect to be relieved?" 
 
 "We-uns had orders to go in to-night without 
 bein' relieved." 
 
 "You did? That shows Bragg is leaving Bards- 
 town, doesn't it?" 
 
 "Don't know, and if I did, I wouldn't tell you- 
 uns," sullenly answered the prisoner. 
 
 "All right, my man," responded Fred, "I don't 
 blame you. Here, Smith, you take the prisoners 
 back. Make them lead their horses ; I want to 
 take a good look before I come." 
 
 The sun had arisen, and the whole country lay 
 spread out before Fred like a vast panorama. He 
 had a powerful field-glass, and with it he carefully 
 scanned the vicinity of Bardstown. Soon vast 
 clouds of dust began to arise and move to the east- 
 ward. Bragg's army was on the march. Here 
 and there he caught a glimpse of the moving col- 
 umns. Fred watched until he became satisfied that 
 the whole Confederate army was on the march. 
 
 "There will be no battle at Bardstown," he said 
 to himself, as he shut up his glass. "'Now to 
 Thomas with the news as quickly as possible." 
 
 Returning to his men, Fred told them he had 
 learned all he wished. "And now, boys," said 
 he, "a quick return. Smith, can you take us back 
 a shorter way than we came?" 
 
 "Yes, Captain, I reckon I can save you about ten 
 miles." 
 
 "Lead on, then." 
 
 The horses were not spared in going back, and it 
 
A MrSTERIOUS BATTLE. 135 
 
 was not yet noon when Fred reported to Thomas. 
 The army was on the march, slowly pressing its 
 way toward Bardstown, and there was stiff skir- 
 mishing in front. 
 
 "Ah, Captain, that is you, is it?" said the gen- 
 eral. "You have made a quick trip, and I see you 
 have not returned empty-handed," glancing at the 
 two prisoners. "Do they know anything?" 
 
 "I think not," replied Fred; "but if they do 
 they won't tell. But I have found what you wanted 
 to know." 
 
 "They are going to make a stand, of course?" 
 responded Thomas. "The stubborn resistance they 
 are making in front shows that." 
 
 "You are mistaken. General; the resistance is 
 simply to gain time. There is only cavalry in your 
 front. Bragg's army has already left Bardstown. 
 Press them hard, and you will soon have the place." 
 
 This was done, and before night the Union army 
 was in possession of Bardstown. Fred's report 
 made it possible for Buell's army to occupy Bards- 
 town one day sooner than Bragg expected. He 
 was now followed so closely that to save his 
 immense trains he resolved to give battle. For this 
 purpose he concentrated his army at Perryville. 
 
 Buell's center corps arrived within two miles and 
 a half of Perryville on the seventh of October. 
 It was halted, and orders sent to McCook, who com- 
 manded the left, to hurry up. The same order 
 was sent to Thomas, who commanded the right 
 wing of the army. It was Buell's intention to have 
 
136 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 his whole army in line and ready to deliver battle 
 by ten o'clock on the 8th. But Thomas had to 
 march out of the way to procure water for his 
 troops, and it was twelve o'clock before he reported 
 ready for action. McCook was also delayed, but 
 reported his corps in readiness by noon. It was now 
 getting so late that Buell decided not to give battle 
 until the next day. He had been injured by a fall 
 from his horse, and did not leave his tent to learn 
 the position of his army. Neither did he seem to 
 think that Bragg would attack him. 
 
 When McCook reported at noon he stated that his 
 men were suffering terribly for lack of water, and 
 that he could get a supply by advancing his lines 
 some six hundred yards. Buell told him to advance 
 and secure the water, if he could do so without 
 bringing on a general engagement. 
 
 About one o'clock a heavy cannonading was heard 
 on the left. 
 
 "What is that?" asked General' Buell, as the roar 
 of artillery reached his ears. 
 
 "It's only General Gay with his cavalry," 
 answered one of his aides. "He is shelling the 
 outposts of the enemy." 
 
 "Well," answered Buell, as he went back into his 
 tent, "he is wasting a great deal of good ammuni- 
 tion." 
 
 The sound of cannonading not only continued, 
 but increased in volume, but as no report of a 
 battle reached Buell, he paid no attention to the 
 matter. 
 
A MYSTERIOUS BATTLE. 137 
 
 Away over on the right, three miles farther away 
 than Buell, Thomas heard the distant thundering 
 of the cannon. He listened, and was troubled. 
 Turning to General Crittenden, who commanded 
 the right corps, he said : 
 
 "Send an aide to General Gilbert and learn the 
 cause of that cannonading. It sounds to me like a 
 general engagement." 
 
 In about an hour the officer returned and re- 
 ported that General Gilbert had stated it was only 
 Gay with the cavalry, and that there was no cause 
 for alarm. Meantime the sound of the cannonad- 
 ing had grown heavier than ever. Thomas shook 
 his head. "If that is a cavalry reconnoissance, " he 
 exclaimed, "it is the liveliest one I ever heard." 
 
 Three o'clock came, and still there was no cessa- 
 tion of that ominous roar on the left; in fact, it had 
 increased in intensity. 
 
 "Crittenden," exclaimed Thomas, "I tell you 
 there is something unusual going on over there. 
 Send another aide. Here, let Captain Shackelford 
 go; I can depend on him. Ride fast. Captain." 
 
 Away went Fred on his errand. He found Gen- 
 eral Gilbert far to the rear of his corps, near Buell's 
 headquarters. 
 
 "Why," said Gilbert, "I sent word some time 
 ago to Crittenden that it was Gay with the cavalry. 
 What ails you fellows over on the right, anyway?" 
 
 "Nothing ails us," replied Fred, "but both Gen- 
 erals Thomas and Crittenden are naturally alarmed 
 over this continuous and heavy cannonading. 
 
138 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 There! just hear that, General. If that doesn't 
 sound like a battle I never heard one." 
 
 "Perhaps you never did," replied Gilbert, rather 
 superciliously. 
 
 "Perhaps not," said Fred, coolly, "but I was at 
 Mill Springs, Donelson, and Shiloh; but I am 
 glad. General, to hear there is no general engage- 
 ment, and will so report." 
 
 "Hold on," exclaimed Gilbert, "I will send 
 Crittenden a note," and he hastily scribbled a note 
 and handed it to Fred. 
 
 "It is strange," said Fred to himself. "I will 
 go by Buell's headquarters, and see if I can learn 
 anything. I don't like that General Gilbert. What 
 is he doing away back here, anyway?" 
 
 At Buell's headquarters Fred found everything 
 quiet — no excitement, no uneasiness. Nothing 
 was known of a general engagement. "It's only 
 Gay," was the answer. 
 
 There was nothing for Fred to do except to 
 return and make his report; but as he rode, that 
 continuous thunder on the left followed him. He 
 stopped and listened. The wind was blowing a 
 gale from the south, and it roared through the for- 
 est, so that musketry could not have been heard 
 half a mile away. "Is it possible that a battle 
 could be fought and no one know it?" he muttered, 
 and he rode on, his heart full of doubt; he was not 
 satisfied. 
 
 He found Thomas and Crittenden together dis- 
 cussing the situation and anxiously awaiting his 
 
A MYSTERIOUS BATTLE. 1 39 
 
 return. He made his report, and handed Critten- 
 den Gilbert's note. Crittenden opened it, smiled 
 as he read, and handed it to Thomas. This is 
 what was in the note: 
 
 "McCook is kicking up all the rumpus. My 
 children are all quiet, and by sunset we will have 
 them in bed and nicely tucked in, as we used to do 
 in Corinth." 
 
 Thomas read the note, a look of disgust came 
 over his face, and he turned away without saying a 
 word. At the very moment General Gilbert wrote 
 this note one of his divisions was hotly engaged, 
 and his corps lost nearly a thousand men during the 
 day. 
 
 "General," said Fred to Thomas, as they rode 
 away, "I believe there is something wrong over 
 there in spite of all they may say. The sound of 
 cannonading is much plainer at Buell's headquar- 
 ters than here. If I am any judge, there are at 
 least ten or twelve batteries engaged." 
 
 "Captain," replied the general, "surely your 
 suspicions are wrong. Buell and Gilbert would 
 know it if there was a battle in progress." 
 
 Fred shrugged his shoulders. "Listen, General," 
 said he. 
 
 They both listened intently. "Strange," re- 
 marked Thomas, "that a cavalry reconnoissance 
 should cause such a continuous and heavy artillery 
 fire. It may be the enemy is making lots of noise 
 over there, thinking to weaken our right, and then 
 throw his whole force on us. I will be prepared." 
 
140 OiV GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 So General Thomas rode out to his front line, 
 saw that it was in the most advantageous position, 
 and that every precaution was taken to guard against 
 surprise. It was after dark, and all sounds of battle 
 had ceased on the left before he returned to his 
 headquarters. He was there met by a courier with 
 news that startled him. 
 
 Fred had left Buell's headquarters but a few 
 minutes when one of McCook's staff came dashing 
 up. "General," he cried, his voice quivering with 
 excitement, "the whole Rebel army has thrown itself 
 on McCook. Generals Jackson and Terrill are killed, 
 the whole division is scattered to the four winds. 
 Rousseau's men are fighting like devils, but are 
 being forced back." 
 
 "Impossible!" cried Buell. 
 
 "Alas! it is only too true," replied the ofificer. 
 "Help must come at once or the whole left will be 
 swept away." 
 
 "When was the attack made?" demanded Buell, 
 sharply. 
 
 "A little after one, General — nearly three hours 
 ago." 
 
 "And here it is a quarter past four. Why was 
 I not informed of this before?" asked the general 
 angrily. 
 
 "I do not know." 
 
 Buell's face darkened, but he did not question the 
 officer further. Turning to an aide, he said: "Go 
 tell General Thomas to advance his lines, and press 
 the enemy hard." He then mounted his horse and 
 
A MrSTERIOUS BATTLE. 141 
 
 rode rapidly to the front, where he gave orders for 
 McCook to be reinforced. Gooding's brigade from 
 Gilbert's corps was thrown into the breach, the 
 enemy's advance checked, and just before dark the 
 battle ceased. 
 
 It was seven o'clock before Thomas received 
 Buell's orders to advance his lines. 
 
 "Does General Buell expect me to make a night 
 attack?" asked Thomas in surprise. 
 
 "I do not know," replied the aide. "I give 
 you the order just as I received it." 
 
 "What time was this order given you?" 
 
 "After four — nearly half-past four," was the 
 answer. 
 
 "And you have been nearly three hours coming 
 three miles! What does it mean?" asked Thomas, 
 sternly. 
 
 "I couldn't find you," replied the officer, uneas- 
 ily; "so I waited at your headquarters for you." 
 
 "Under what circumstances was the order given 
 you? 
 
 "General Buell had just received news that 
 McCook had been attacked and driven back." 
 
 "It seems that it took McCook as long to reach 
 Buell, as it did you to reach me. I shall see Buell 
 before I make this night attack; the battle is now 
 over." 
 
 In a few minutes General Thomas received orders 
 not to advance, but to report to headquarters. 
 Accompanied by Fred, he at once obeyed. They 
 found every one excited over the reports from the 
 
142 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 battle on the left. As they were talking, General 
 Rousseau rode up. A look of incredulity came 
 over General Buell's face as Rousseau told him of 
 the battle. The excitement of the conflict was still 
 on Rousseau, and he exclaimed, hotly: 
 
 "General Buell, you do not seem to comprehend 
 the fierceness of the conflict in which we have been 
 engaged. It was awful. Of the seven thousand 
 men I took into battle, between two and three 
 thousand lie dead and wounded on the field. We 
 were left to fight the battle alone," continued Rous- 
 seau, "with help in sight." 
 
 "Are you not mistaken about your loss?" asked 
 Buell, huskily. 
 
 "No, General; a third of my division is gone." 
 
 "And not a word did I hear of the battle until 
 you were slaughtered," said Buell, bitterly.* 
 
 General R. B. Mitchell, who commanded a divi- 
 sion in Gilbert's corps, now rode up to report. He 
 had been unable to find his corps commander. 
 
 *It is almost inconceivable that General Gilbert was igno- 
 rant, as he professed to be, that a battle was being fought, and 
 there is strong evidence, not given in the generally accepted 
 histories, that General Buell also knew of 't. Captain Julius 
 R. Fitch, now an honored citizen of Evanston, 111., was in com- 
 mand of Signal Station 3, in rear of Sheridan's Division, Dan 
 McCook's Brigade. Captain Fitch affirms that the following 
 message was signaled to him from the left: 
 
 McCooK TO Buell. 2:10 p. m., Russell House: 
 
 The enemy has attacked me in force with infantry and artillery. 
 
 McCooK. 
 
 This message Fitch affirms he had signaled back to Station 
 I, at Buell's headquarters; then, watchmg through his glass, he 
 saw it delivered to the signal officer at Station i, and saw him 
 deliver it to Buell. Captain Fitch's statement is corroborated 
 by other persons equally responsible. 
 
 These very suggestive facts are offered for the consideration 
 of the future historian. 
 
A MYSTERIOUS BATTLE. 1 43 
 
 "Where is General Gilbert?" he asked, sarcas- 
 tically. 
 
 "I expect him here every moment, ' ' Buell replied. 
 
 "General Buell," Mitchell exclaimed, "do you 
 know that Carlin's brigade of my division charged 
 clear through Perryville this afternoon, and if I had 
 been properly supported I could have held the 
 place, and cut the Rebel army in two?" 
 
 "Impossible!" cried Buell. "Mitchell, if you 
 had taken and held Perryville, it would have put 
 another star on your shoulder." 
 
 "Nevertheless," responded Mitchell, "I took it, 
 and could have held it with support. A great 
 opportunity was lost this afternoon." 
 
 As General Mitchell was riding away, he met Gen- 
 eral Gilbert, who said: "General, you may think it 
 strange that I was not with my command to-day, 
 but I was in the rear looking after supports." 
 
 "General Gilbert," replied Mitchell, angrily, "I 
 have received nothing but conflicting orders from 
 you ever since we started from Louisville. You 
 order me to do one thing; and in less than half an 
 hour one of your aides comes and contradicts it. 
 Hereafter, remember, I shall obey no order from 
 you, except it be in writing; and the fewer I get 
 the better satisfied I shall be," and the irate gen- 
 eral rode away. 
 
 Mitchell had hardly left Gilbert when he met 
 Colonel Dan McCook, who commanded the left 
 brigade of Gilbert's corps. 
 
144 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Hello, McCook!" said he, ''did you see the 
 fight this afternoon?" 
 
 "See the fight!" responded McCook, with an 
 oath. "Mitchell, I have sworn enough this after- 
 noon to sink the army. To stand still and see our 
 brave boys cut to pieces, and not raise a finger to 
 help them, made every drop of blood in my veins 
 boil." 
 
 "Why didn't you help?" asked Mitchell. 
 
 "No orders, no one to give any. I begged 
 Sheridan to open with his artillery. We would 
 have had a cross-fire on the batteries which were 
 cutting up Rousseau so, and what do you think he 
 said?" 
 
 "Might hurt somebody, I suppose," growled 
 Mitchell. 
 
 "He said he had orders from Gilbert not to open 
 the batteries for fear it might draw the Rebel fire on 
 us. Where is Gilbert now?" 
 
 "At Buell's headquarters. I have just been read- 
 ing the riot act to him." 
 
 "Good! Some one should suffer for this day's 
 work," said McCook, as he rode on in search of his 
 general. 
 
 When it was known on the right that their com- 
 rades had been slaughtered through having been 
 left to fight the battle unaided, the rage of the 
 officers and men knew no bounds. 
 
 "What was Buell doing that he didn't know of 
 the battle?" asked one. 
 
 "Oh! in his tent, three miles in the rear, rubbing 
 
A MTSTERIOUS BATTLE. 145 
 
 his sprained leg, probably," sarcastically answered 
 an officer, who apparently was no friend of Buell. 
 
 "Better ask McCook," spoke up a partisan of 
 Buell's, "what he was doing when he didn't report 
 to Buell as soon as he was attacked. Thought he 
 could whip the whole Rebel army by himself, prob- 
 ably, and then he could get Buell's place that he is 
 hankering after. McCook is the one to blame." 
 
 "What I should like to know," said Fred, "is 
 what General Gilbert meant by sending such a 
 report by me. Buell may be excusable for not 
 knowing about the battle, but what can be said of 
 a corps commander who does not know his own 
 corps is engaged?" 
 
 "Who is General Gilbert, anyway?" asked a 
 brigade commander. 
 
 No one knew ; he seemed to be as mysterious as 
 the battle. 
 
 Every one expected that the fight would be 
 resumed in the morning. This expectation was 
 general, but when morning came, and the Federal 
 army advanced, the enemy was gone. 
 
 Thus passed into history the battle of Perryville. 
 For the numbers engaged, it was one of the blood- 
 iest and most fiercely contested of the war. The 
 Federal army lost nearly five thousand men. Yet the 
 commander-in-chief knew nothing of the battle until 
 it was nearly over; General Thomas, the second in 
 command, knew nothing of it whatsoever, and over 
 thirty thousand soldiers knew nothing of the death 
 grapple in which their comrades were engaged. 
 
 It was the battle mysterious. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 OVER THE CLIFF. 
 
 ALTHOUGH Bragg had given up Perryville, it 
 was confidently expected he would give battle 
 at Harrodsburg, he having been reinforced by the 
 army of General Kirbj^ Smith at that place. The 
 terrible blow that he had struck McCook at Perry- 
 ville so disconcerted Buell that he determined to 
 await the arrival of General Sill's division, which 
 had been sent against Kirby Smith at Frankfort, 
 before he would venture to attack Bragg. Thus 
 were three precious days lost, and this delay en- 
 abled Bragg to escape. 
 
 On the eleventh, General Thomas, becoming sus- 
 picious that Bragg did not intend to fight at either 
 Harrodsburg or Danville, sent a brigade to each of 
 these places to see if they were still held in force 
 by the enemy. 
 
 Fred asked and received permission to accompany 
 the force to Danville. He was very anxious to 
 hear from his father, and thought that his uncle, 
 Judge Pennington, might know something of him. 
 
 The Confederate cavalry was met just before 
 Danville was reached, and a running fight took place 
 through the streets of the city. The inhabitants of 
 
 146 
 
Miss Freeman rushed out of the House waving the Stars 
 and Stripes. 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 1 47 
 
 Danville were nearly equally divided in their sym- 
 pathies between the Union and the Confederacy. 
 The place had been in possession of the Confeder- 
 ates ever since the battle of Richmond, and the 
 Union citizens welcomed the return of the Federals 
 with the wildest delight. Even when the fight was 
 going on, they brought from their secret places the 
 flags they had hid, and rushing to the doors and 
 windows of their houses waved them and cheered 
 the Federals on. 
 
 There lived next door to Judge Pennington a 
 Mr. Freeman, a stanch Union man, whose daughter 
 Jennie, a lovely girl, worshiped the old flag. 
 
 Before Mr, Freeman's house was reached, and 
 while the fight was raging. Miss Freeman rushed 
 out of the house waving the stars and stripes. At 
 the same time Fred, to his surprise, saw Calhoun 
 Pennington dash out of his father's yard. 
 
 The girl saw him, and waving her flag, shouted, 
 "Run, you braggart, run!" 
 
 Calhoun shouted back: "A kiss for that some 
 day, Jennie Freeman," and galloped away amid a 
 shower of balls. He met a squad of Confederate 
 cavalry, and under his command, they turned and 
 pressed back the Federal advance. 
 
 Miss Freeman became intensely excited. Heed- 
 less of danger, she rushed into the street, amid the 
 hissing balls, and waved her flag for the soldiers to 
 come on. 
 
 The commander of the skirmishers, a gallant 
 young lieutenant named Lawrence, saw the girl's 
 
148 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 danger. "For God's sake, men, don't shoot! 
 Charge bayonets!" he shouted. 
 
 With a cheer the men charged without firing a 
 shot, and as they passed, the lieutenant doffed his 
 hat and said : 
 
 "In the name of heaven, lady, go into the house. 
 I would rather every Rebel would escape than have 
 a hair of your head touched." 
 
 "Oh, sir, don't mind me!" she cried. "Charge 
 those braggart Rebels." 
 
 She would have made a picture for an artist. 
 Poised on one foot, her arm extended with the old 
 flag pointing to the fleeing Rebels, her hair blowing 
 around her shoulders, her bosom heaving with 
 excitement, and her eyes flashing fire, she looked 
 a veritable goddess of victory. 
 
 No doubt Lieutenant Lawrence thought so. 
 His eyes devoured her from head to foot. He 
 tried to induce her to go into the house, but he 
 could only stammer. He flushed, turned pale, then, 
 as if recollecting his duty, turned and waving his 
 sword, shouted, "Forward, men!" and they dashed 
 on, scattering the Confederates before them. 
 
 But in that brief time Cupid had shot an unerring 
 shaft. 
 
 Fred, who knew the girl well, was a spectator of 
 the interesting episode, and when the soldiers had 
 passed on he said to her: 
 
 "God bless you, Jennie! you saved the old flag, 
 I see. But it was very rash of you to rush out here 
 into the line of fire. What made you do it?" 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 1 49 
 
 "Is that you, Fred Shackelford?" cried the girl, 
 without heeding the question. "Did you see that 
 cousin of yours run? And after all his bragging 
 how he has been living on Yankees the past year! 
 And, Fred, did you notice that lieutenant who was 
 so afraid I would get shot? It was just splendid to 
 see the way he led on his men! He is handsome, 
 isn't he?" 
 
 "Poor fellow!" replied Fred, with a solemn face. 
 "He is hit — hit hard; he will never recover." 
 
 "Oh! oh! oh!" cried the girl, her eyes filling 
 with tears. "Why didn't you tell me? Why 
 didn't you bring him into the house! Go after 
 him, Fred — bring him here. Don't let him die in 
 the street." 
 
 "He is not hit that way, Jennie; but his heart is 
 pierced through and through with a shaft from 
 your bright eyes." 
 
 "Fred Shackelford, I have a mind never to speak 
 to you again," she replied, her chin quivering and 
 voice trembling. 
 
 "Come to think about it, I don't blame him," 
 continued Fred. "To tell the truth, Jennie, you 
 did look a perfect Joan of Arc. If I didn't know 
 you were so old, and had such an abominable 
 temper, I should propose to you myself, right 
 here." 
 
 "I old, and have an abominable temper!" she 
 cried. "I never will speak to you now, Fred 
 Shackelford. So there!" and she turned her back 
 to him. 
 
150 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "See here, Jennie; don't you remember how- 
 many times I have taken your part when Calhoun 
 was tormenting you? Now, tell me what has hap- 
 pened while the Rebels have been here. That's a 
 good girl. I was only fooling." 
 
 "Oh! Fred, we have had an awful, awful time. 
 Bragg, you know, made his headquarters here, and 
 he flooded the city with proclamations telling how 
 he had come to redeem Kentucky and drive the 
 Yankees into the Ohio, never again to pollute the 
 sacred soil of the State. And the Secessionists 
 believed him. My! but they did carry their heads 
 high. We poor Unionists not only were snubbed, 
 but insulted on every side. Poor papa and all the 
 rest of the prominent Unionists fled from the city. 
 They can come back now, can't they, Fred?" 
 
 "I hope so. I met your father in Louisville; he 
 was well. I think you will see him in a few days. 
 But good-bye, Jennie. I must go in and see Uncle 
 and Aunt Pennington." 
 
 "Oh, my!" laughed the girl. "I reckon you 
 will find the judge just past seeing. He was so 
 sure Bragg had come to stay." 
 
 Fred found his uncle's house tightly closed, and 
 it was some time before he could gain admittance. 
 Judge Pennington had taken a very active part in 
 the organization of the provisional State govern- 
 ment, and was one of Bragg's chief advisers. He 
 had been slated as Senator to the Confederate Con- 
 gress. Now that the city was in the hands of the 
 Federals, Mrs. Pennington saw nothing before him 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 151 
 
 but death or imprisonment, and was in a state 
 bordering on hysteria. 
 
 "You can and will save the judge, won't you, 
 Fred?" she wailed, wringing her hands. 
 
 "Aunt, there is no cause for alarm," said Fred, 
 soothingly. "Just let uncle remain quiet, and keep 
 his opinions to himself, and I do not think he will 
 be molested." 
 
 "Young man," exclaimed the judge, proudly, 
 "I am too old to stifle my honest convictions; I 
 shall play the hypocrite for no one." 
 
 "Not that, uncle; just a little wisdom, that's all. 
 But, uncle, I am so anxious to hear from father. 
 Surely, you have heard from him, or seen him 
 lately." 
 
 "Your father has been here several times, Fred. 
 He had a very narrow escape at Richmond ; his 
 horse was shot as he was in the act of shooting down 
 that miscreant Nelson, though it seems Nelson 
 was spared for a more ignominious death. But it 
 will always be a matter of regret with your father 
 that he did not die at his hands. Your father 
 believes, and always will, that you would not have 
 been in the Yankee army if it had not been for 
 Nelson." 
 
 "Please, uncle," said Fred, and his voice trem- 
 bled, "do not speak of Nelson. Let the dead rest 
 in peace. Was father at Perry ville?" 
 
 "No, his command was not there. But, Fred, 
 were you at Richmond? When I asked your father 
 if he saw you there, he looked troubled, and said 
 
152 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 that just before he charged on Nelson he thought 
 he saw you, but was not sure. I half-way believe 
 he thinks it was you who saved Nelson's life." 
 
 To Fred's great relief his uncle did not wait for 
 an answer, but asked, "Now that Nelson is gone, 
 who are you with?" 
 
 "I am on General Thomas's staff," answered 
 Fred. 
 
 "A renegade Virginian, as Nelson was a renegade 
 Kentuckian ; yet I hear he is a very fair man. But, 
 Fred, I forgot to tell you one thing; your Cousin 
 George Shackelford was killed at Perryville." 
 
 "What! Kate's brother!" exclaimed Fred, 
 deeply affected by the news. "I am so sorry. 
 What of Uncle Charles?" 
 
 "He is well, but, of course, plunged into the 
 deepest grief. He is now colonel of his regiment." 
 
 "I am so sorry to hear of George's death. He 
 refused to take my hand at Donelson." 
 
 "Little wonder, Fred. How a Shackelford can 
 fight against the South is more than I can see." 
 
 Just then the Federals, who had pursued the 
 Confederates some distance beyond Danville, came 
 back; and Fred, going out, learned that they were 
 not to hold Danville, but were to fall back to their 
 original position. So he went back into the house 
 to bid his uncle and aunt good-bye. 
 
 When Mrs. Pennington heard the news she 
 turned to her husband in surprise, and said, "Why, 
 judge, I thought you told me that Bragg was re — " 
 
 "Mrs. Pennington!" said the judge, in a tone 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 153 
 
 which caused that lady to stop talking so quickly 
 that she bit her tongue. 
 
 Fred pretended not to notice the interruption, 
 and bidding his uncle and aunt farewell, said he 
 would try and see them again soon. 
 
 On the way back to camp Lieutenant Lawrence 
 sought Fred out, and asked, in a tone which he 
 meant to be very indifferent, whether he was 
 acquainted with the young lady who exposed her- 
 self so recklessly on the street. 
 
 "Acquainted with her!" answered Fred. "I 
 have known her ever since she wore pinafores. A 
 fairer and truer girl does not live in Kentucky." 
 
 The lieutenant sighed. "If — if it's possible," he 
 stammered, "would you give me an introduction to 
 her?" 
 
 "Certainly, if I get an opportunity," answered 
 Fred. "Ah! Lieutenant, you are hard hit; I told 
 her so." 
 
 "You told her so!" cried the lieutenant, flushing 
 angrily. 
 
 "Yes, and she thought I meant you had been 
 wounded. You should have seen her. Her pretty 
 eyes filled with tears, and she begged me to go 
 after you and bring you to her home, where she 
 could nurse you. 
 
 "Captain," cried the lieutenant, forgetting his 
 anger, "you are joking! You are not telling the 
 truth. Did she ask you to do that?" 
 
 "On my honor she did. Lieutenant." 
 
 "Oh! why didn't some friendly bullet strike me 
 
154 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 down ! I could afford to be wounded, even unto 
 death, to have her by me, to feel her gentle touch, 
 to 
 
 "Hold on, Lieutenant, hold on! Don't take on 
 like that. You are hit harder than I supposed ; but 
 keep up courage. If we stay near Danville, you 
 shall have an introduction. Just let me dance at 
 the wedding!" 
 
 Fred had no chance to give the introduction, but 
 the lieutenant got his wish. In one of the skir- 
 mishes with Bragg' s rear guard beyond Wild Cat, 
 Lieutenant Lawrence was severely wounded. He 
 was brought back to Danville and placed in a hos- 
 pital. Here, on one of her rounds of mercy, Miss 
 Jennie Freeman found him, and — but why prolong 
 the story? After the war there was a wedding, 
 and they called the bridegroom Major Lawrence, 
 and the lovely bride was worthy of her gallant hus- 
 band, and, in the language of the fairy tales, "they 
 lived happily ever after." 
 
 As soon as Fred reached camp he told General 
 Thomas of the conversation between his uncle and 
 aunt, and added that he did not believe that Bragg 
 intended to give battle at all, but would get out of 
 the State as soon as possible. 
 
 "It is the general opinion in the army," replied 
 Thomas, "that he will give battle at Camp Dick 
 Robinson." 
 
 "It was the opinion of every one," replied Fred, 
 * * that he would renew the battle at Perry ville. Then 
 we were all sure he would make a stand at Harrods- 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 1 55 
 
 burg or Danville. Both of these places have been 
 captured by our troops to-day. It is evident he is 
 retreating." 
 
 Thomas thought a moment, and then said : * ' Cap- 
 tain, you may be right. We will go and see General 
 Buell." 
 
 They went and laid the matter before Buell. He 
 listened attentively, and then said : 
 
 "Captain Shackelford, that conversation between 
 your uncle and aunt is a very slight thing to base 
 your conclusion on. Everything points to the fact 
 that Bragg intends to make a desperate stand at 
 Dick Robinson. It is a very strong position; he 
 has gathered immense stores there. Everything 
 that Bragg has said points to the fact that he 
 entered Kentucky with the intention of staying. It 
 is not reasonable to suppose he will evacuate the 
 State without a decisive battle. The battle will be 
 fought at Dick Robinson." 
 
 The matter was ended so far as Buell was con- 
 cerned, and Fred retired disappointed and chagrined. 
 He had been turned down without ceremony. On 
 their way back he was silent for some time, and 
 then suddenly said: 
 
 "General Thomas, I am going on a scout to- 
 night. I am going to prove the truth of my opin- 
 ion." 
 
 "Until to-night," replied Thomas, "I was fully 
 of the opinion of General Buell that Bragg would 
 give battle. In fact, I confidently expected Gen- 
 eral Harker to find the enemv in force at Harrods- 
 
156 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 burg, and gave him strict orders not to bring on a 
 general engagement. I confess finding both Har- 
 rodsburg and Danville held by so small a force has 
 shaken my opinion. I ought to have let you go 
 on that scout you proposed the day after the battle 
 of Perryville, but I thought it too dangerous, and 
 felt sure that the enemy would make a stand at 
 Harrodsburg. I shall not hold you back to-night. 
 How many men will you need?" 
 
 "None, General, this is something I can do better 
 alone." 
 
 General Thomas looked grave. "I do not wish 
 to lose my captain of scouts," he said. 
 
 "General," replied Fred, "I was born and raised 
 in this country. I know every road and path. It 
 is much safer for me to be alone than it is to have 
 a force that would compel me to keep the main 
 roads." 
 
 "You may be right," answered Thomas. "When 
 do you expect to be back?" 
 
 "By noon to-morrow, if everything goes right," 
 and thus saying, Fred rode away into the night. 
 
 When he got outside of the Union pickets he 
 took to the fields, so as to avoid any roving bands 
 of the enemy. Knowing the country so well, he 
 carefully avoided all roads and houses, and a little 
 before midnight found himself in the vicinity of his 
 own home. Hitching Prince in a tumble-down 
 shed which had been used to store hay in, and 
 which was seldom visited, he carefully made his 
 way to the house. It was silent and apparently 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 157 
 
 deserted. He walked around it, but there were no 
 signs of life. 
 
 Going to one of the negro cabins, he knocked 
 lightly at the door. There was no response, and 
 he gave a louder knock. 
 
 "Who is dar?" exclaimed a frightened voice 
 inside. 
 
 "Massa Fred. Open up, George." 
 
 There was a sound of shufifling feet, and the door 
 was unbarred and carefully opened. Fred stepped 
 in and shut the door. 
 
 "Good Lor' A'mighty, Massa Fred!" exclaimed 
 George, "what ar' yo* doin' heah? De Rebbels get 
 yo', suah." 
 
 "George, when did you see my father last?" 
 
 "Ole massa, he heah to-day. Tousands of soger 
 men heah wid him. Went away 'bout dark." 
 
 "Are there any soldiers around the place now?" 
 
 "No, Massa, da all gone." 
 
 "George, wake up Sam; I want to see him." 
 Sam was George's boy, a great, hulking negro of 
 twenty-two. 
 
 So Sam was awakened, and after rubbing his eyes 
 a while, was made to understand that Massa Fred 
 wanted him. 
 
 "Sam," said Fred, "I want to cross Dick River 
 to-night. I am aware you black boys have a secret 
 path by which you cross back and forth. Now, I 
 want you to guide me over." 
 
 "'Fo' de Lawd, Massa, da is no path," answered 
 Sam, trembling. To give up the secret of that 
 
158 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 path would be rank treason on the part of any of the 
 slaves. 
 
 "Sam, none of your lying, or it will be the worse 
 for you. Do you pretend to say you go around by 
 the road every night you run away to see Jane, 
 that yellow girl of Major Peters's? Guide me over 
 that path and I will give you ten dollars, and keep 
 still. I will also speak to the Major about you 
 and Jane. Ten dollars will go a good way toward 
 furnishing the cabin." 
 
 Sam's eyes brightened. "Massa never tell 'bout 
 de path?" 
 
 "Never, Sam." 
 
 "All right, Massa, I show yo'." 
 
 "George," said Fred to the old negro, "I left 
 Prince in that hay shed in the north field. Feed 
 and water him in the morning. Better go before 
 daylight. If I do not come back, tell Stimson." 
 
 "Nebber cum back, Massa Fred!" cried the 
 negro. "What yo' mean?" 
 
 "The Rebels may get me, George; so if I don't 
 come back, tell Stimson about the horse." 
 
 It was past midnight when Fred and Sam started 
 on their perilous journey. It was over four miles 
 to the river, and they had no time to lose. Dick 
 River was a small stream now — owing to the 
 drought entirely dry; but its bed was a terrible 
 chasm, a great gash cut in the earth, in places two 
 hundred feet deep. Its walls of limestone were 
 perpendicular, except that here and there they 
 were seamed by some ravine cutting into them. It 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 1 59 
 
 was this great chasm which Fred and Sam had to 
 cross. It would not do to take any road or known 
 path, as these avenues were all guarded by the 
 Confederates; hence Fred appealed to Sam, know- 
 ing that the slaves had a secret path across this 
 chasm. 
 
 "Sam," asked Fred, as they were on the way, 
 "are there any Rebel soldiers this side of the river?" 
 
 "Yes, Massa, guardin' all de roads; but, golly!" 
 and he chuckled, "da kno' nuffin' 'bout de road 
 Sam takes." 
 
 As they approached the river Sam descended 
 into one of the side ravines, and they were soon in 
 Egyptian darkness; but the negro seemed to know 
 the way as by instinct. He kept whispering to 
 Fred what was before him, thus making it as easy 
 for him as possible. But in spite of these cautions, 
 he received more than one bump and fall. 
 
 At length the bottom was reached, the dry bed 
 of the stream crossed, and the ascent commenced. 
 Fred found it easier climbing in the dark than it had 
 been going down. Before they reached the top 
 Fred whispered, "Sam, there may be pickets on 
 top; be very careful." 
 
 "Me be careful, Massa; me dodge dem." 
 
 But none were found, and as soon as they assured 
 themselves of the fact Fred said, "Sam, you know 
 that hill a short distance back of Major Peters's 
 house?" 
 
 "Yes, Massa, know him mighty well. Bin thar 
 wid dat yeller Jane many a time." 
 
l6o ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Well, Sam, take me there." 
 
 This was accomplished without incident, but in 
 the direction of Dick Robinson bright fires were 
 seen burning. 
 
 "We will stay here until morning, Sam," re- 
 marked Fred. "So make yourself as comfortable 
 as possible." 
 
 Sam threw himself on the ground and was soon 
 fast asleep, but Fred kept a lonely vigil until day- 
 break. 
 
 When the sun was fairly up, Fred awakened Sam 
 and said: "Now, Sam, I am going to the top of 
 the hill. Keep close watch, and if anything sus- 
 picious happens, whistle." 
 
 This Sam faithfully promised to do, and Fred 
 carefully worked his way to the top of the hill. 
 He took one look and was satisfied. Clouds of 
 smoke rested over Dick Robinson, and away to the 
 south heavy clouds of dust were rising. There 
 were no troops in sight except cavalry, and with 
 the aid of his glass he could see they were engaged 
 in feeding the flames with sundry articles. It was 
 all plain ; the Confederates were burning their sur- 
 plus stores and retreating south. 
 
 "I must get back with this news as soon as pos- 
 sible," thought Fred. "I am afraid it is too late 
 now to overtake any large portion of Bragg's army. 
 The question is, can I get back without being 
 observed ; the cavalry seems to be pretty numerous 
 around here. I must try, anyway. I wonder what 
 General Buell will say now." 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. l6l 
 
 Making his way back to the place where he had 
 left Sam, he found to his surprise that the negro 
 had disappeared. Fred gave a low whistle, but 
 there was no response. 
 
 "If that nigger has played the traitor," he mut- 
 tered — but he was startled by the sound of a rifle 
 shot, and then shouts from the direction of Major 
 Peters's house. Running to where he could get a 
 view, he saw Sam coming full speed toward him, 
 pursued by a Confederate soldier. 
 
 As soon as Fred left Sam that worthy began to 
 think of Jane, and the more he thought the greater 
 became his desire to see her. At last the desire 
 overcame his prudence. 
 
 "I will jes' go an' steal one kiss from her lubly 
 lips," he thought, "an* den get back 'fore Massa 
 Fred do." 
 
 Just before he reached the house, he suddenly 
 came face to face with a Confederate soldier. If he 
 had kept his head, in all probability he would have 
 been taken for one of the slaves of the place, and 
 passed unnoticed, but he turned and ran. 
 
 "Here, you black rascal!" yelled the soldier, 
 "what are you running for? Halt!" 
 
 But Sam ran the faster, and the soldier fired. 
 This gave the alarm, and in a short time a company 
 of cavalry was in pursuit. Sam headed directly 
 for Fred. Discovery could not be avoided. 
 
 "My only chance is to gain the river," thought 
 Fred, and away he went like an antelope. 
 
1 62 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Sam saw him as he broke cover, and took after 
 him, yelling, "Oh, Massa! Massa!'' 
 
 This called the attention of the soldiers to Fred, 
 and they redoubled their efforts. They now had 
 bigger game than the negro. Fred's only chance 
 was to gain the woods which bordered the river. 
 To do this he had at least half a mile to run, and, 
 fortunately, three or four high fences intervened. 
 These the cavalry had to throw down before they 
 could follow. Sam ran like a race horse, and over- 
 took Fred before he reached the woods. The pur- 
 suers evidently thought they might escape, for they 
 commenced firing, and the bullets began to zip 
 uncomfortably close to their ears. The goal was 
 almost reached when Fred heard the thud of a ball, 
 and, glancing at Sam, saw him sink to the earth. 
 Fred caught a look of his face as he fell — the stamp 
 of death was upon it. Poor Sam ! he would never 
 see Jane again; his devotion had cost him his life. 
 
 With one last desperate effort Fred reached the 
 woods, and soon arrived at the edge of the cliff. 
 He looked over and groaned. It descended smooth 
 and perpendicular as a wall for fully two hundred 
 feet. The way was yet open to the left, and he 
 turned, hoping to find a ravine or at least a cleft or 
 seam in which he might hide. He dashed along at 
 breakneck speed, when suddenly his foot caught in 
 a vine and he fell, plunging headlong over the cliff. 
 A cry of horror burst from his pursuers, who were 
 close behind him. 
 
 As a drowning man clutches at a straw, so did 
 
Fred wildly grasped a small Sapling as he went over the 
 Precipice. 
 
OVER THE CLIFF. 1 63 
 
 Fred wildly grasp a small sapling as he went over 
 the precipice. It bent down with his weight, re- 
 mained out of sight for a moment, then slowly 
 sprang back into its place. 
 
 His pursuers came and looked over. About ten 
 feet below there was a narrow ledge. A tangled 
 mass of vines grew down to this ledge, and they 
 were torn in one place as if Fred had clutched them 
 when he fell. 
 
 A hundred feet below, the tops of the tallest 
 trees were waving, and lodged in the branches of 
 one was Fred's hat. 
 
 "Poor devil!" said one of the soldiers, "he de- 
 served a better fate; he was a plucky one." 
 
 "Better this than be hanged as a spy," remarked 
 another. 
 
 Just then an officer came galloping up — no less a 
 personage than Major Hockoday. 
 
 "Where is he?" he cried, "you haven't let him 
 escape, have you? It was Fred Shackelford, the 
 best scout in the Yankee army. His capture would 
 be worth a regiment of men." 
 
 "He fell over the cliff. Major," said one of the 
 men. 
 
 The major started. "Are you sure?" he asked. 
 
 "Sure, we saw him fall." 
 
 "I have no cause to love the boy," thought the 
 major; "in fact, I have many causes to hate him; 
 the damage he has done to the South is past esti- 
 mating, and yet I am sorry ; it will be heavy news 
 to bear to his father." 
 
164 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Major Hockoday dismounted and peered over the 
 edge of the cliff. There, a hundred feet below, was 
 Fred's hat, and as the wind stirred the tops of the 
 trees, the hat waved to and fro, and nodded and 
 beckoned as if in mockery. 
 
 Out of the solemn depths there came the caw! 
 caw! of crows, and now and then they arose on 
 their sable pinions, almost brushing the hat in their 
 flight. 
 
 Major Hockoday stepped back, and lifted his eyes 
 to heaven. The glorious sun was lighting the earth, 
 but, high in the clear air, a buzzard slowly circled 
 around and around, as if he had already scented the 
 feast awaiting him. 
 
 The major shuddered, mounted his horse, and 
 rode away, saying: "See that a strong picket line 
 is maintained along the river during the day; 
 stoutly resist any advance the enemy may make, 
 and at nine this evening withdraw to Dick Robinson 
 and there await orders." 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH, 
 
 WHAT had become of Fred? So sudden was 
 his fall that he had no time to think. The 
 clutching of the sapling was by chance. It changed 
 the direction of his fall, and instead of going down 
 head foremost, he alighted on the narrow ledge 
 spoken of, and at the same time he grasped the 
 vines which grew thickly on the side of the cliff. 
 
 The ledge supported his weight, and by holding 
 on to the sapling and the vines he managed to keep 
 himself from falling. But he heard the voices of 
 his pursuers close at hand. He had saved himself 
 from a dreadful death only to be captured. Then, 
 with a great leap of the heart, he noticed that the 
 cliff was shelving, and that in behind the vines 
 there was plenty of room, not only to rest securely, 
 but also to be safe from observation. To part the 
 vines and crawl behind them was the work of a 
 moment. To do this he had to release the sapling, 
 his only means of again reaching the top. But he 
 did not think of this; his only thought was for 
 present safety. He heard all that passed between 
 Major Hockoday and the soldiers, and smiled to 
 think how completely they were deceived. The 
 
 165 
 
l66 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 order to picket the cliff until night he heard with 
 dismay. It meant that he must lie in concealment 
 all day, and he resigned himself to his fate, making 
 himself as comfortable as possible. 
 
 But as he lay thinking, by degrees his situation 
 forced itself upon him. How was he to scale the 
 cliff? Could he not climb up by the vines? He 
 reached out and took hold of some of them and 
 pulled; they broke off in his hands. He looked at 
 the cliff. It was so shelving there was no possible 
 chance of getting any foothold to support his weight. 
 Perhaps there was a place where the vines were 
 stronger and thicker; he would risk it rather than 
 give himself up, perhaps to be hanged as a spy. 
 
 He could hear the soldiers talking above him, and 
 laughing over his supposed fate; and one came to 
 the edge of the cliff and dropped a stone, to find 
 out, he said, how long the Yank was in falling. 
 
 The soldiers soon settled down to a game of 
 cards, and the sound of their voices came faintly 
 to his ears. Tired nature asserted itself, and he fell 
 into a fitful slumber. In his dreams he was once 
 more fleeing from his pursuers; once more Sam was 
 shot down by his side ; once more he took the fear- 
 ful plunge over the cliff, but the bush and vine 
 gave way, and he went down, down! and the rush- 
 ing wind took away his breath, and he saw with 
 frightful distinctness the cruel, jagged rocks below. 
 With a cry of agony that echoed and reechoed 
 through the rocky gorge, he awoke, trembling in 
 every limb, the cold sweat streaming from every pore. 
 
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. 167 
 
 The fearful shriek startled the crows from their 
 resting-places, and they flew away with hoarse 
 cries. The cards dropped from the trembling hands 
 of the players above. The cry was so terrible, so 
 unearthly, surely it could not be human. With 
 chattering teeth and shaking limbs, they crouched 
 on the ground, some mumbling prayers, and others 
 uttering imprecations. At last one of them whis- 
 pered through his white lips: "It's the wraith of 
 the boy! It's the wraith of the boy!" And they 
 moved farther away from the cliff, and all the gold 
 in the world would not have induced one of them 
 to go again and look over where Fred had fallen. 
 At the first shades of night they hurried away, and 
 their story was listened to with open-mouthed won- 
 der by their comrades. 
 
 When darkness came, and Fred knew by the 
 silence above that the guards had gone, he made 
 an attempt to scale the cliff. Carefully he turned, 
 resting his knees on the ledge, and clutching the 
 vines. Inch by inch, he drew himself upright. 
 Hope revived in his heart; the vines would hold. 
 He attempted to draw himself up, but the moment 
 his full weight came upon them they gave way, and 
 he fell, his knees striking the ledge with such force 
 as to bruise them cruelly, and he felt himself slip- 
 ping over. Was his dream coming true? In des- 
 peration he clutched the vines with both hands: 
 they held, and he was saved. Trembling, shakiiv, 
 in every nerve, he crawled back into his resting- 
 place, and for a time lay there as weak as a babe. 
 
1 68 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Then he gave himself up to despair. He must 
 lie there in the cleft, dying by inches, perishing 
 with hunger and thirst. 
 
 "Better," he moaned, "throw myself down at 
 once and end it. Why did I not perish on the bat- 
 tlefield, or why was it Sam and not I who fell? To 
 die here, like a rat in a hole, is awful," and he 
 groaned in his agony. 
 
 At length he grew calmer. He would not give 
 up or lose all hope. Perhaps when light came he 
 might find a place where the vines grew larger and 
 stronger, or could he not devise some way to get 
 hold of the sapling? He might make a rope out of 
 his clothing, and by] some means throw the end 
 around the sapling or some projecting rock; and 
 with these thoughts he grew calm. After a while 
 he fell asleep — for sleep comes, even to the con- 
 demned criminal in his cell. 
 
 Now, in his dreams his mother came, and smiled 
 on him, and he stretched forth his hands and mur- 
 mured, "Mother! mother!" He awoke with the 
 bliss of the dream on him and a great contentment 
 in his heart. 
 
 Surely he heard the sound of voices in the gorge. 
 He parted the vines and peered over the ledge, 
 and below was a party of negroes bearing torches, 
 apparently looking for something; and in the light 
 of one of the torches he recognized George. His 
 heart gave a great bound ; he was saved ! 
 
 "George! George!" he shouted. "Here I am!" 
 
 The torch dropped from the hands of the 
 
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. 169 
 
 affrighted negro and he fell on his knees, crying: 
 "O Lawd! Lawd! Dis nigger goin' to die. Massa 
 Fred call him from de udder worl'. O Massa Fred! 
 go way! go way! Ole George not ready to die!" 
 
 "George!" cried Fred, "I am alive; come and 
 save me." 
 
 With cries of terror the whole crowd of negroes 
 dropped their torches, and with howls, shrieks, 
 and prayers, fled through the darkness. 
 
 With a sinking heart Fred saw the effect of his 
 cries for help. 
 
 "They have taken me for a spirit," he groaned, 
 "and all the power in the world could not induce 
 them to come back. I am lost! I am lost!" 
 
 But the shrieks and cries of the negroes attracted 
 the attention of John Stimson, General Shackel- 
 ford's overseer, and soon the afTrighted negroes 
 were crowded around him, and with chattering 
 teeth told how Massa Fred's haunt had called to 
 them; and George fell groveling at his feet, crying: 
 "Ise goin' to die! Massa Fred he called me by 
 name. He say, 'George, George, cum to me!' 
 O Lawd! Lawd !" 
 
 It was but little Stimson could get from the ter- 
 ror-stricken crowd, and he knew it was of no use to 
 try to get one of them to return with him, so he said : 
 
 "Boys, build a good fire, and make a big light; 
 that will keep away any ghost. I will go and see 
 if I can find out what has frightened you so." 
 
 "Massa Stimson, don't go!" pleaded George. 
 "Dat ghost git yo', suah!" 
 
lyo ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 But Stimson laughed, and told them ghosts 
 wouldn't touch white folks, and bade them stay 
 close by the fire until he came back. Then taking 
 a torch he slowly made his way up the gorge. 
 
 "Can it be," he said to himself, "that Fred was 
 not killed by the fall, but badly hurt, and is lying 
 helpless? It seems impossible that any one could 
 fall over the cliff and live, but it is a strange story 
 these niggers tell. One thing is certain, dead men 
 don't call out." 
 
 Fred saw the glimmering light of Stimson's torch 
 coming, and hope once more revived. 
 
 "Some white man must have been with them," 
 he thought. "No negro would have ventured 
 back." 
 
 As soon as the light came near enough, Fred 
 cried: "Help! help! I have fallen over the edge 
 of the cliff!" 
 
 "Hello!" shouted Stimson. "Whoareyou? and 
 where are you?" 
 
 "Is that you, Stimson?" answered Fred. "Thank 
 the Lord, I am saved — saved!" 
 
 "Fred Shackelford, in the name of God, where 
 are you?" exclaimed Stimson, gazing up toward 
 where the voice came from, for he could see noth- 
 ing, and began to feel that the mysterious voice 
 was a little uncanny. 
 
 Fred then told him what had happened, and said, 
 "The only way you can rescue me is to get a stout 
 rope, and pull me up to the top." 
 
 Stimson listened, and then said, cheerily: 
 
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. 171 
 
 "Keep up good courage, my boy; I will soon have 
 you safe and sound." 
 
 ** Hold a moment," cried Fred; "are there any 
 Rebels around?" 
 
 "No," answered Stimson, "they are all gone." 
 
 "Then hurry, for I am most dead. I have been 
 in this hole for about fifteen hours." 
 
 Fred saw the glimmering light disappear in the 
 distance, but this time with the happy thought that 
 deliverance was at hand. 
 
 Stimson found it hard work to make the negroes 
 believe that Fred was not dead ; and it was only by 
 the most direful threats that he at last persuaded 
 those of the bravest to consent to go with him. As 
 for George, he would have been blown from the 
 mouth of a cannon before he would have budged an 
 inch. He looked upon the whole thing as an artful 
 trick of the ghost to get hold of him. Stimson 
 told the old man and the others whose help he did 
 not need to go home, and right gladly did they 
 obey. 
 
 Minutes seemed like hours to Fred, but at last 
 he heard Stimson shouting, "Fred, where are 
 you?" 
 
 "Here! here!" answered Fred. 
 
 Guided by the sound of Fred's voice, Stimson 
 and his men carefully worked their way to the edge 
 of the cliff; a stout rope was lowered, and Fred 
 was drawn up by strong and willing hands. 
 
 The first thing he did when safe was to fall on 
 his knees and thank God for his great deliverance; 
 
172 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 then, turning to Stimson, he grasped his hand and 
 poured out his thanks. 
 
 The rough old overseer was greatly moved. He 
 brushed the tears from his eyes, and exclaimed : 
 
 "Captain, I am as happy as you are. Do you 
 not know I was looking for your dead body?" 
 
 "Ah!" said Fred, "that accounts for the fright 
 of George and the rest of the negroes. They 
 thought I was dead. But how in the world, Stim- 
 son, did you come to know I had fallen over the 
 cliff?" 
 
 "I received a note from Major Hockoday asking 
 me to look for your dead body," answered Stim- 
 son. 
 
 This explained it. Major Hockoday was not will- 
 ing to let the body of the son of his friend, General 
 Shackelford, remain unburied — a feast for the buz- 
 zards. So he sent a note by one of his men to 
 Stimson, telling him what had befallen Fred, and 
 asking him to find the body and give it Christian 
 burial. 
 
 Fred heard the story in silence. It was to Major 
 Hockoday, then, that he owed his preservation. 
 
 "I will remember the major for that," said Fred, 
 "even if he thought it was only to bury a dead 
 boy." 
 
 There was a grand jubilee among the slaves when 
 they were made to understand that Massa Fred was 
 still alive. But George still doubted. It was only 
 after he had seen Fred walk around, and with fal- 
 tering step had approached and felt of his arms to 
 
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. 173 
 
 make sure he was flesh and blood, that he beheved. 
 Then he covered Fred's hands with his kisses, and 
 wet them with his tears. 
 
 "Golly! Massa Fred!" said the faithful old ser- 
 vant, "I reckon yo' war a ghost, suah, an' dat ole 
 George's time had cum. But whar is dat nigger, 
 Sam?" 
 
 He was told as gently as possible of the death of 
 Sam. As he listened he scratched his head, 
 shuffled his feet around, and then looking up, said: 
 
 "Dat air Sam, he allers war a fool nigger. Now, 
 Ned, he would ' hab known 'nough not to run. 
 Dat yeller gal, Jane, jes' made a bigger fool ob 
 him dan ebber." 
 
 And with these words poor Sam was dismissed. 
 
 After a hearty meal, for Fred was nearly fam- 
 ished, he rode to Thomas's headquarters, where he 
 was gladly welcomed. 
 
 "I had nearly given you up for lost. Captain," 
 said the general. "What news?" 
 
 "Bragg has evacuated Camp Dick Robinson, 
 and his army is well on its way to the South." 
 
 In less than a minute an aide was galloping furi- 
 ously to Buell with the information Fred had 
 brought. 
 
 After listening to the story of his adventures. 
 General Thomas said: "Captain, you have much 
 to be thankful for. You have been delivered from 
 the very jaws of death. The news of Bragg's 
 retreat, I am afraid, has come too late; that wily 
 general has outwitted us, and will get away with 
 
174 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 his plunder. And his escape will seal the fate of 
 Buell; yet, there is not a single general, from my- 
 self down, but expected Bragg to fight a general 
 engagement. You sounded the first warning, Cap- 
 tain, from what you heard your aunt say, but the 
 warning was not heeded." 
 
 No sooner did Buell receive the news of Bragg's 
 retreat than he ordered a hot pursuit, but to no 
 purpose; with the exception of a few skirmishes 
 with the rear guard, Bragg escaped unscathed from 
 the State. 
 
 The Kentucky campaign gave rise to any amount 
 of controversy, not only in the Federal, but in the 
 Confederate army as well. If Bragg intended, as 
 he proclaimed, to hold Kentucky, his campaign was 
 a failure. But if his campaign was intended to 
 inflict all the damage possible on the Federals with 
 a slight loss to himself, the campaign was a great 
 success. The Federal armies in Tennessee and 
 Kentucky, from the first of August to the last of 
 October, suffered a loss of at least 20,000 in killed, 
 wounded, and prisoners, and all this without a 
 decisive engagement. During the same time the 
 Confederate loss did not exceed 8,000. A vast 
 amount of Federal property was captured, and what 
 could not be carried away was destroyed. 
 
 When it became known for a certainty that Bragg 
 was retiring from the State, Buell sent for Fred and 
 told him he wished to send him on a very hazardous 
 mission, that of carrying dispatches to Bowling 
 Green and Nashville. 
 
FROM THE JAWS OF DEATH. 175 
 
 The" posts of Bowling Green, Kentucky, and 
 Nashville, Tennessee, were the only ones not evac- 
 uated when Buell made his retrograde movement. 
 For weeks these posts had been cut off from all 
 communication with the North. Buell now wanted 
 to get dispatches to these places, telling the com- 
 manders that Bragg was retreating and that they 
 must be prepared for an attack. These dispatches 
 had to be taken through a country swarming with 
 detached bands of the enemy, and Buell had 
 selected Fred as the one best fitted to accomplish 
 the mission successfully. For the dangerous enter- 
 prise Fred picked out ten of his best and bravest 
 scouts. 
 
 Among these was John Smith. Fred had formed 
 a high opinion of the old scout's ability. Another 
 one of the ten was a young man named Richard 
 Darling. He was twenty-seven years of age, had 
 received a fine education, but drifted West, and 
 had spent three years on the plains, fighting Indians 
 and freighting. Fred considered him one of his 
 best men. 
 
 The next morning Fred reported with his men at 
 Buell's headquarters, received the despatches and 
 final instructions, and the little party turned their 
 horses' heads toward Bowling Green. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 MISSING. 
 
 THE ten men whom Fred had chosen for his 
 companions were as brave and reckless a set 
 as ever undertook a desperate enterprise. Not a 
 man of them but had taken his Hfe in his hand a 
 score of times. Each one was splendidly mounted 
 and armed with a Spencer repeating carbine and a 
 brace of heavy revolvers. Fred thought they were 
 good for five times their number. The last instruc- 
 tions were received from General Thomas, and the 
 little party rode away as gayly as to a wedding feast. 
 
 The general stood and gazed after them until 
 they were out of sight, and then remarked, "See 
 how carelessly they ride away, and yet it is the last 
 scout that some of them may make — but Captain 
 Shackelford will get through if any one can." 
 
 After the first few miles small parties of roving 
 Confederates were occasionally seen, but they 
 quickly got out of the way. It was not Fred's 
 wish to fight, except in case of necessity; in fact, 
 he had orders to avoid fighting, if possible. They 
 met with no incident worth mentioning until they 
 approached Green River, on the road which leads 
 from Campbellville to Columbia. Where this road 
 
 176 
 
MISSING. 177 
 
 crosses the river the north bank is low, but the 
 south bank rocky, steep, and high. The road, after 
 crossing the river, turns down the stream for 
 nearly a mile, then doubles back on itself, ascend- 
 ing the bank by an easy grade until it reaches a 
 point opposite the bridge, where it turns south 
 once more, not more than five hundred feet from 
 where the stream is crossed. There is a footpath 
 up the steep, rocky bank, which pedestrians take, 
 and by making the stiff climb, save nearly two miles 
 of travel. 
 
 When Fred came in sight of the bridge, a com- 
 pany of Confederate cavalry, going the same way 
 as himself, were just crossing it. They turned 
 down the stream, and the trees which lined the 
 bank soon hid them from view. 
 
 "Halt," commanded Fred, "that party has evi- 
 dently not noticed us, or if they have they have 
 taken us for Confederates, and we will wait and let 
 them get well in advance." 
 
 Just then one of his men exclaimed, "Great 
 heavens! There comes another company behind 
 us." Fred looked back, and to his dismay saw at 
 least one hundred Confederate cavalrymen coming 
 at a swinging gallop. They had been caught be- 
 tween two hostile forces. 
 
 It did not take Fred a moment to determine 
 what to do. He had traveled the road before, 
 and knew of the turn, and of the path up the steep 
 bank. 
 
 "Forward, boys," he shouted, and they made a 
 
1 78 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 dash for the bridge. This crossed, he commanded 
 five of his men to take the horses up the bank, and 
 the other five to stay with him, and help to hold the 
 bridge. 
 
 "It's a steep climb," he said, "for the horses, 
 but let Prince go first, and the others will follow 
 more willingly. Here, Prince, go," and the horse, 
 obedient as a dog, commenced climbing the hill. 
 
 Fred and his five men now had stern work before 
 them. Concealing themselves behind rocks, they 
 awaited the onset. The advancing Confederates 
 noticed that something was wrong with the party in 
 front, and came on a charge. Just as the foremost 
 horses struck the bridge it was swept with a tor- 
 rent of balls, and several horses and riders went down. 
 
 Surprised at the rapidity of the fire, for Fred and 
 his men were discharging their repeating rifles and 
 revolvers, making as much noise as a hundred men 
 with muzzle-loaders, the Confederate commander, 
 fearing an ambuscade, sounded the retreat, and 
 formed his men in line of battle some distance from 
 the bridge. This gave Fred and his men time to 
 climb the bank, and join their comrades, who had 
 led all the horses up in safety. 
 
 The Confederates in advance, hearing the firing, 
 instead of keeping on, galloped back to see what 
 was the matter, and thus all their enemies were in 
 their rear. With a yell of defiance and a parting 
 volley, Fred and his party mounted and rode away. 
 
 Coming to a road leading to the right, they took 
 it, and soon were beyond all fears of pursuit, 
 
MISSING. 179 
 
 "Captain," said Smith, "I kinder don't like to 
 flatter you, but that thar was as slick a job of 
 gettin' out of a tight place as I ever see." 
 
 "It was nothing," responded Fred. "I have 
 traveled the road several times before, and knew 
 the lay of the ground like a book." 
 
 But the respect and admiration of the men for 
 their young captain did not diminish on account of 
 his explanation. 
 
 The party reached Bowling Green without further 
 adventure, and found the garrison in the highest 
 spirits, and beyond being deprived of their mail 
 facilities, perfectly contented. The enemy had not 
 troubled them, and the country had afforded them 
 abundance of food. A flouring-mill had been kept 
 busy grinding flour, and for weeks the garrison 
 had been enjoying the luxury of soft bread. Plenty 
 of army stores were left, and there was scarcity 
 of nothing. In his northern march Buell had left 
 hundreds of crippled and worn-out soldiers there, 
 and these convalescents, as they were called, were 
 now the heartiest and fattest men in his army. 
 
 Of all the men in Buell's army none had quite as 
 easy a time during the Bragg-Buell campaign as 
 those at Bowling Green. The storm centers were 
 to the north and south of them ; they rested in the 
 calm. 
 
 The news that Fred brought was eagerly de- 
 voured, and many were the questions asked. 
 Colonel Bruce, the commander of the post, received 
 his dispatches, and after reading them, said; "Buell 
 
l8o ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 thinks that part of Bragg's army may attack me 
 before he can reinforce me. In this I think he is 
 mistaken. Bragg is too far east to try to reach 
 me. If I am attacked it will be by Breckinridge's 
 forces moving down from Nashville. But I think 
 it is Nashville that is in danger; that city has been 
 in a state of siege ever since the army moved 
 north." 
 
 "I have dispatches to take through to Nashville 
 also," said Fred. 
 
 "What!" asked Colonel Bruce, in surprise, "you 
 ordered to reach Nashville?" 
 
 "Yes, Colonel." 
 
 "Buell surely does not understand the situation, 
 or he would not have given you such an order. 
 The undertaking is a most dangerous one. Breck- 
 inridge and Forrest have the place closely invested. 
 I have tried to get dispatches through several times, 
 and have failed each time. It is a continuous fight 
 there." 
 
 "Nevertheless, my orders take me there, and there 
 I shall go, or at least, I shall try," answered Fred. 
 
 "I see no alternative, " replied the colonel; "but 
 it is a most hazardous undertaking." 
 
 By the direct road it is about seventy-five miles 
 from Bowling Green to Nashville. A party as well 
 mounted as Fred's could easily make it in a day. 
 But Fred had no thoughts of taking this road ; he 
 knew he would have no earthly chance of getting 
 through. After discussing the situation with 
 Colonel Bruce, he decided that the safest route 
 
MISSING. l8l 
 
 would be to bear to the west, keeping about half- 
 way between Franklin and Russellville. 
 
 With the best wishes of Colonel Bruce for a safe 
 journey, Fred and his companions started for Nash- 
 ville. 
 
 It was early in the morning of a glorious October 
 day, and the whole party were in the highest spirits. 
 
 "We must not ride so fast as to weary our 
 horses," said Fred, "as at any time our safety may 
 depend on their freshness." 
 
 The journey was without adventure until late in 
 the afternoon. They had crossed over the line into 
 Tennessee, and were exercising the utmost vigilance 
 to prevent a surprise. As a matter of precaution. 
 Smith, who was dressed in citizen's clothes, was 
 sent ahead as an advance guard. If he scented 
 danger he was to signal back by waving his hand. 
 For some little time Fred had been aware that there 
 was a large party of mounted men some two miles 
 in his rear, and had been riding fast so as to distance 
 them. Suddenly Smith, who was some two hun- 
 dred yards in front, gave a violent signal for them 
 to halt. There was a sharp curve in the road, so 
 Fred could not see what was ahead. 
 
 Smith had ridden almost onto a party of Confed- 
 erate cavalry lounging by the side of the road, 
 apparently waiting for the larger party behind. 
 For the second time Fred was sandwiched between 
 two hostile bodies of troops. So close was Smith 
 to them there was no chance of running, so making 
 a signal for those in the rear to stand still, he boldly 
 
1 82 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 rode forward. Saluting the leader, a young lieu- 
 tenant, standing by the side of his horse, he 
 asked, "What command is this?" 
 
 "The Nashville Independents — a part of Forrest's 
 command," was the answer. "But who are you?" 
 
 "I am John Smith of Kentuck, guide to a small 
 party of Morgan's men who have been scouting 
 north and west of Bowling Green." 
 
 "Where is your party?" asked the lieutenant. 
 
 "Jest 'round the bend. I wanted to make sure 
 who you war before they advanced. I will tell 
 them to cum on," and turning his horse, he rode 
 leisurely back. 
 
 In a few words Smith told Fred the situation. 
 "Thar is not over a dozen of them," he said, "and 
 they are entirely unsuspectin'. We can charge 
 right through." 
 
 It was the only way, and Fred gave the order to 
 charge. "Don't take time to shoot," he said. 
 "The safest way is to go by them like a whirlwind, 
 lying low on your horses' necks." 
 
 The scouts were into and past the astonished 
 Confederates before they recovered from their sur- 
 prise. Then came a straggling volley, and Smith's 
 horse staggered and fell. In the hurry of the 
 moment Fred did not notice the misfortune which 
 had befallen the old scout. 
 
 The sound of the firing brought up the Confed- 
 erates in the rear on the gallop, and learning what 
 was the matter, the captain commanding ordered a 
 swift pursuit. 
 
MISSING. 183 
 
 "We shall have to check those fellows at the first 
 favorable place," muttered Fred, as he looked back 
 and saw how closely his party was being pressed. 
 
 They were now running up a hill, and the horses 
 were laboring heavily. On each side of the road 
 there were woods so thick with underbrush as to be 
 impassable for cavalry. On reaching the top of the 
 hill, Fred noticed it fell away abruptly, so that a 
 few yards would take them out of sight. 
 
 "Just the place!" exclaimed Fred. "Halt! 
 You, Osborne and Jennings, hold the horses. Dis- 
 mount, quick. Now, boys, creep up to the rise, 
 just so as to be out of sight. Keep cool. Fire 
 low. Now — fire!" 
 
 Eight men arose as one man and poured a volley 
 into the ranks of the pursuing cavalry, the foremost 
 of them being but a few yards away. The leading 
 horses went down ; before those behind could check 
 their speed they plunged over the fallen horses, and 
 the narrow road became a kicking, struggling mass 
 of men and horses. 
 
 The leaden hail kept coming, and there was no 
 escape except retreat, and this those who were 
 unharmed did, after delivering an ineffectual volley. 
 
 "Well done, boys!" shouted Fred. "I think 
 their ardor has been considerably cooled." 
 
 "Furies!" yelled the Confederate captain, "are 
 you going to let ten men beat you off?" 
 
 "Ten men!" replied an old veteran, "from the 
 way they shoot I should reckon there were at least 
 a thousand." 
 
184 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "They are armed with repeating rifles," said a 
 second. "They can shoot all day without load- 
 ing." 
 
 A hasty consultation was held. It was decided 
 to dismount a number of men, have them enter the 
 woods on either side, and flank the daring Yankees. 
 
 Fred saw the movement, and said, "Now we 
 must get out, boys," and when the Confederates 
 had pressed their way through the woods, they 
 found the birds flown. 
 
 The captain of the Confederates, whose name 
 was Malcolm, stormed and raved like a madman, 
 when he found that they had escaped. 
 
 "Night will soon be here," he growled, "and 
 there is no use of chasing them further. They are 
 a good two or three miles away by this time ; then 
 our wounded must be attended to." 
 
 It was with a rueful countenance that Captain 
 Malcolm surveyed the field. Six of his men lay 
 dead, six were desperately wounded, while at least 
 ten more had received wounds more or less severe. 
 Twelve or fifteen horses were killed and disabled. 
 
 Fred's men had not only emptied their seven 
 shooters, but a revolver each, and almost every shot 
 had taken effect on a man or a horse. 
 
 "A pretty report," muttered Captain Malcolm, 
 "to carry back. Ten men inflicted this loss on us, 
 and then got away." 
 
 There was a large plantation some half a mile in 
 the rear, and here the dead and wounded were car- 
 ried. 
 
MISSING. 185 
 
 As Captain Malcolm was pacing up and down 
 the porch of the house, cursing his luck, one of his 
 men approached and said, "Captain, have you for- 
 gotten the prisoner?" 
 
 "The prisoner! the prisoner!" exclaimed the 
 captain. "Bring him in." 
 
 Smith was brought into the presence of the 
 infuriated ofificer. 
 
 "Who are you?" demanded the captain, with a 
 fierce oath. "You wear no uniform." 
 
 The old man looked his interlocutor calmly in the 
 face, and replied, "I am John Smith of Kentucky — 
 guide and scout to the Federal army." 
 
 "John Smith of Kentucky?" sneered the captain. 
 "I think I have seen you before. If I mistake 
 not, I saw some one who looks like you sneaking 
 around our works at Fort Donelson, before it was 
 attacked by Grant. I have the pleasure to inform 
 you, John Smith of Kentucky, you will hang to- 
 night at precisely nine o'clock. You wear no uni- 
 form, you are not a soldier, therefore not entitled 
 to be held as a prisoner of war. You are simply a 
 renegade and a spy. You will guide no more 
 Yankees into our midst. Away with him, and if 
 he escapes the one who guards him will take his 
 place." 
 
 "Captain," said a lieutenant, the second in com- 
 mand, and a fine-looking young officer, "is not that 
 order rather summary? If the man is really a spy, 
 should he not be tried and condemned as such by a 
 court-martial?" 
 
1 86 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "No one asked you for your opinions, Lieuten- 
 ant Garrard," snapped the captain. "Tiie man 
 dies. He led us into the ambuscade. This version 
 of our defeat is the only way we can square our- 
 selves with Forrest." 
 
 The lieutenant bowed. "One thing more, Cap- 
 tain," he said. "You have only ordered the roads 
 picketed. Ought we not to throw a strong guard 
 around the whole camp ? Those Yankees seem to 
 be desperate fighters, and they may attack the camp 
 and attempt a rescue of the prisoner." 
 
 The captain's lip curled. "Ten men carry off a 
 prisoner from over one hundred ! You are getting 
 timid. Lieutenant." 
 
 Lieutentant Garrard flushed, and turning on his 
 heel, went away without another word. 
 
 The shades of night fell. The wounded had 
 been cared for, the dead buried. The Confederates 
 were encamped in a grove close to the plantation 
 house. The little band of Federals that had 
 inflicted such a loss on them they supposed miles 
 away. It lacked but five minutes of nine o'clock. 
 
 "Bring out the prisoner," commanded Captain 
 Malcolm. Smith, with his hands bound, was 
 brought before him. 
 
 "Traitor!" sneered Malcolm. "Six brave men 
 who rode with us this morning now lie in their 
 shallow graves, uncofifined and unknelled. Half a 
 dozen others have been wounded near unto death, 
 and standing around are a number more with ban- 
 daged limbs, thirsting for vengeance. You guided 
 
Captain Malcolm plunged forward on his Face, dead. 
 
MISSING. 187 
 
 the men who inflicted this loss on us. For the 
 like of you there is no mercy. Bring on the 
 rope!" 
 
 A rope was brought, and a noose slipped over 
 Smith's head and tightened around his neck. The 
 eyes of the old man blazed, but there was not a 
 sign of fear. The noose was firmly fixed, the loose 
 end of the rope thrown over a stout limb of a tree 
 and seized by three stalwart troopers. The camp 
 fires cast a fitful light on the scene; the soldiers 
 crowded near; the presence of death caused silence 
 on the part of the most hardened. 
 
 "Have you anything to say before we send you 
 to the devil, your master?" asked the captain, as 
 the men stood waiting for the command to pull. 
 
 "Nothin'," coolly replied Smith, ''except to say 
 you do me too much honor when you reckon I am 
 to blame for your lickin'. As for hangin' me, I 
 am only John Smith of Kentucky, and you be a 
 blamed coward to murder me without a " 
 
 "Up with him!" roared the captain. 
 
 The words were scarcely out of his mouth when 
 there came the sharp crack of carbines, and Captain 
 Malcolm plunged forward on his face, dead. Of 
 the three men who had hold of the rope, one fell 
 dead, shot through the heart, while the other two 
 lay groaning, desperately wounded. 
 
 "At them, boys!" shouted a shrill voice, and 
 Fred and his party plunged into the midst of the 
 Confederates, shooting right and left. To cut the 
 cords which bound Smith was the work of an 
 
1 88 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 instant, and the next moment he and his rescuers 
 disappeared in the darkness. 
 
 So sudden, so unexpected, was the attack that 
 the Confederates scattered in confusion, but the 
 stern voice of Lieutenant Garrard soon rallied them. 
 All they could do was to send volley after volley 
 in the direction the Federals had escaped. 
 
 It is now necessary to go back to Fred and his 
 little band to explain what has just been narrated. 
 In their retreat from the place where they had in- 
 flicted such punishment on the enemy, they had 
 gone but a short distance before Fred became aware 
 that they were not being pursued, and called a 
 halt. His men gathered around him, but there was 
 no rejoicing over the victory. Instead, they sat 
 on their horses silent, and with gloomy brows. One 
 of their number was missing. 
 
 At last Fred spoke. "Boys," he said, "do any 
 of you know what has become of Smith? Was he 
 killed, as — " Here his voice broke, he could say no 
 more. 
 
 "I do not think he was killed," spoke up one of 
 the men. "He was a little in advance of me when 
 his horse fell, and I saw him struggling to free him- 
 self." 
 
 "In his case I am afraid death would be prefer- 
 able to being a prisoner," said Fred. 
 
 "Captain," exclaimed Richard Darling, "you 
 surely do not think they will treat him as — as a spy?" 
 
 "That is what I fear. You see he is not a soldier; 
 he is dressed in citizen's clothes." 
 
MISSING. 189 
 
 A cry of anger burst from every man. "Cannot 
 something be done?" was the question asked by all. 
 
 *'Are you willing to attempt a rescue, whatever 
 the odds?" asked Fred, 
 
 "Yes! Yes!" The answer was shouted as by 
 one voice. 
 
 Fred looked on his men with a face full of pride. 
 "Boys," he said, "it shall be as you say. With 
 such men as you the impossible is almost made 
 possible. Let us find a place to rest and feed our 
 horses, and I will lay before you my plans." 
 
 They turned off the road into a field of corn, 
 beyond which there was a wood. When the wood 
 was reached Fred ordered a halt, told his men to 
 gather some of the corn and give the horses a good 
 feed, "And," said he, "we need some supper our- 
 selves, and while we eat we can talk." After the 
 horses were fed, and the men were eating their 
 scanty meal, Fred told them his plans. 
 
 "There is but little doubt," said he, "that the 
 Rebels took their dead and wounded back to that 
 plantation, a short distance from where we made 
 our stand. A little this side of the house a cross- 
 road comes down from the west, and between this 
 road and the house there is a fine grove. We shall 
 find the Rebels encamped in that grove, if I am not 
 mistaken. My idea is to keep through the field 
 until we strike that crossroad. Once across that 
 we can get in their rear. I doubt if they will have 
 any pickets out, except on the main road, for they 
 do not dream of danger. Just the moment it gets 
 
190 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 dark enough to hide our movements we shall start. 
 What to do after we get near them depends on cir- 
 cumstances." 
 
 As soon as it was dark they started. Carefully- 
 working their way through the fields, they at last 
 came to the road spoken of by Fred. Following 
 this down as near to the Confederate camp as they 
 dared, they made a wide gap in the fence and en- 
 tered the field. 
 
 "Notice this place carefully," said Fred, "for 
 when we retreat this is where we want to strike the 
 road." 
 
 Once in the field they had no trouble in approach- 
 ing close to the camp. The final arrangements were 
 now made. Two of the men were to stay with the 
 horses, another one was to try to capture one of the 
 Confederate horses for Smith to ride in case he were 
 rescued. To Richard Darling, one of the men 
 who were to be left with the horses, Fred gave his 
 dispatches, saying: "If I fail to come back, take 
 Prince and leave your own horse, join those who do 
 get back, and ride for Nashville. If none of us 
 come back, you two who are left here with the 
 horses, ride for Nashville." 
 
 To those who were to go with him, he said : "We 
 must keep together until we enter the camp, and 
 see if we can learn what has been done with Smith. 
 If we can locate him, we will make our plans. If 
 an alarm is raised, make for the horses, and get 
 away as soon as possible. Remember the plan is 
 to ride west on the crossroad until the first road 
 
MISSING. 191 
 
 leading south is reached. Wait there, not long, 
 for there will be pursuit, but until you are reason- 
 ably sure all who have escaped have arrived. Then 
 ride south, and ride hard." 
 
 After the instructions were well understood, Fred 
 and his six companions stole noiselessly into the 
 Confederate camp. Their task was an easy one, 
 for the whole camp was so intent on seeing the 
 execution of Smith that a regiment could have 
 walked in on them unobserved. The moment that 
 Smith was rescued, the party made for the horses. 
 As they ran the balls whistled around them, but one 
 by one they reached the horses, and springing into 
 .the saddle, were away. 
 
 Soon Dick Darling was the only one left. He 
 sat holding Prince by the bridle. Of all those who 
 had gone to the rescue, Fred was the only one who 
 had failed to come back. 
 
 "Captain! Captain !" Darling called. The answer 
 was a volley which killed his horse, and he heard 
 the enemy running toward him. With a sinking 
 heart he jumped on Prince and galloped after his 
 comrades. He found them at the rendezvous, anx- 
 iously waiting for him and Fred. 
 
 "Boys," he exclaimed in a voice which sounded 
 like a sob, "Captain Shackelford is missing." 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A FAIR PLOTTER. 
 
 MISSING!" 
 For a moment every one was struck dumb 
 by Darling's words. Their captain dead or a pris- 
 oner! They could hardly realize it. Then came a 
 storm of questions, but Darling could tell but lit- 
 tle. All that he knew was that he had remained 
 until all but him had gone. He had called aloud 
 for the captain, and for an answer received a volley 
 which killed his horse, and he had to fly to escape 
 capture. 
 
 Those who were with Fred in the rescue could 
 not remember seeing him after he cut the cords 
 which bound Smith and then disappeared with the 
 rest of them in the darkness. 
 
 "He must have been struck down by a stray 
 ball," said Darling, in a quivering voice. 
 
 "An' all to save my wuthless ole carcass," spoke 
 up Smith, bitterly. "Boys, you can go on to Nash- 
 ville; I am not goin'." 
 
 "Not going?" they all cried. "What are you 
 going to do, Smith? Show the white feather, and 
 skulk back to Bowling Green?" 
 
 "Take that back! take that back!" cried the old | 
 192 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 1 93 
 
 man, angrily, "or as sure as thar is a God in 
 heaven some of ye will bite the dust." 
 
 If they could have seen Smith's face in the 
 darkness, and observed how his hand clutched his 
 revolver, they would have known how near to 
 death some of them were. 
 
 "There! there!" they exclaimed. "Forgive us. 
 Smith; we might have known you would not leave 
 us except for some good cause. What is it?" 
 
 "I am goin' to try and find out what has become 
 of the captain," was the answer, 
 
 "And if you will let me, I will stay with you?" 
 spoke up Darling. 
 
 "Good for you, Dick! Thar is no other man I 
 ruther'd have," replied Smith. 
 
 Now that it was known what Smith intended 
 doing every man insisted on staying with him. 
 
 "Two is plenty," said the old man. "Then, if 
 all stayed, who would tend to the captain's dis- 
 patches?" 
 
 They had not thought of this. It was of the 
 utmost importance that the dispatches should go 
 through ; that was their mission. So it was settled 
 that they should try to reach Nashville without 
 waiting for Smith and Darling. 
 
 One of the company, James Craig, was selected 
 as leader. He was about thirty years of age, cool 
 and collected in time of danger, and perfectly fear- 
 less. Darling placed the dispatches in his hands, 
 with the remark: 
 
 "Let us change horses, Craig. I have the cap- 
 
194 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 tain's horse, and the last thing he said to me was to 
 see to the horse, and take him through to Nash- 
 ville if he didn't come back." 
 
 "He does set an awful store on that horse," 
 replied Craig, "and no wonder. He will be a good 
 thing to have if we ride in the night, for he will tell 
 us if any Rebs are near." 
 
 So everything was arranged, and with warm 
 grasps of the hands, for feeling was too deep for 
 words, the little squad separated, eight of them 
 riding toward Nashville, the other two sitting on 
 their horses, silent, motionless. 
 
 Hardly had the eight disappeared in the dark- 
 ness when Smith and Darling became aware that 
 a body of horsemen were rapidly approaching from 
 the direction of the Confederate camp. 
 
 Hastily withdrawing a short distance from the 
 road, they stopped and listened. 
 
 "Here is a road leading to the south," a voice 
 said. "They may have taken it; let's see." 
 
 A man dismounted and lighted a match. "Ah!" 
 he exclaimed, "their horses stood here and stamped. 
 And here are fresh tracks leading south. We are 
 on the right track, boys," and mounting, the troop 
 galloped rapidly down the road. 
 
 "Boys," said Craig, as they lost sight of Smith 
 and Darling, "I believe our best plan is to make a 
 straight run for Nashville. If not stopped, we can 
 reach the city by morning." 
 
 To this they all agreed, but they had not ridden 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 1 95 
 
 far when Prince began to be restless and kept 
 throwing his head around. 
 
 "Prince scents mischief," exclaimed Craig. "I 
 believe we are being pursued. Out of the road ! 
 quick!" 
 
 The squad took shelter behind a clump of 
 bushes. Hardly had they done this when a troop 
 of cavalry came galloping by. 
 
 "I could have sworn," said one of the passing 
 troopers, "I heard the tramp of horses' feet in front 
 a moment ago. Look well to your arms, boys." 
 
 When the sound of the horses* feet died away in 
 the distance, Craig drew a long breath and said : 
 
 "That was a close call. If it hadn't been for 
 Prince they might have been on us before we knew 
 it. Good horse!" and he patted the horse's neck. 
 
 "They are now ahead of us. What had we bet- 
 ter do now?" asked one of the men. 
 
 "Take the first road that leads to the left," 
 replied Craig. "In that way I think we can dodge 
 them." 
 
 All night they rode without further adventure, 
 and when morning came they were within a few 
 miles of Nashville. Soon they met a Federal train, 
 heavily guarded, going out for forage. The danger 
 was over. 
 
 When they reached Nashville Craig at once 
 sought General Negley, the commander of the 
 post, and delivered his dispatches. The general 
 read them, then looked sharply at Craig, and asked, 
 "Are you Captain Shackelford?" 
 
196 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "No, General; the captain is either killed or a 
 prisoner in the hands of the enemy." 
 
 "Ah! then you had trouble? No wonder. It's 
 a miracle you got through. Tell me all about it." 
 
 When Craig had related all that had happened 
 since they had left Danville the general said : 
 
 "I have heard of Captain Shackelford; he is a 
 most remarkable young officer, and it is a pity he is 
 either killed or a prisoner. To you and your brave 
 comrades my thanks are due for bringing the dis- 
 patches through safe. Remain in Nashville; in 
 all probability the whole army will be here in a 
 short time." And the interview was over. 
 
 But the moment Craig was gone Negley's face 
 assumed an anxious look, and turning to Captain 
 Lowrie of his staff, he said: "These dispatches tell 
 me that Bragg is in full retreat for Tennessee, and 
 Buell is fearful that he may throw a portion of his 
 forces on us before we can be reinforced. But I 
 think our greatest danger is that Breckinridge and 
 Forrest may conclude to attack us before Buell can 
 succor us. I see no reason why Buell cannot get 
 here before Bragg can. But under all circumstances, 
 I am ordered to defend the city to the last man. 
 Our vigilance must be doubled." 
 
 We will now return to the Confederate camp. 
 After the death of Captain Malcolm the command 
 devolved on Lieutenant Garrard, a young, brave, 
 and capable officer. When he had restored order 
 and dispatched the detail of twenty men in pursuit 
 of the raiders, he turned his attention to his dead 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 1 97 
 
 and wounded. Captain Malcolm and three soldiers 
 were found to be killed, while at least half a dozen 
 were added to the list of wounded. It was the 
 sorriest day Captain Malcolm's company had ever 
 seen. As far as was known none of the attacking 
 party had been hit, yet a chance shot might have 
 struck some one of them. When Lieutenant Gar- 
 rard spoke of this, a sergeant said: "Lieutenant, I 
 believe at least one of them was hit. Just before 
 the last volley was fired I am certain I heard some 
 one call out, 'Captain! Captain!' as if in distress. 
 May I take a squad of men and search the ground 
 in the direction that they retreated?" 
 
 "Certainly, if you wish," answered the lieuten- 
 ant. "It would make me feel a little better if half 
 of the raiders were found dead." 
 
 The search was made, and soon the dead horse 
 of Darling was found, but nothing further. 
 
 "Reckon all the Yanks got away," growled the 
 sergeant. "It must have been the fellow whose 
 horse was shot that I heard call 'Captain!' Some 
 of their horses must be carrying double. Clifford 
 ought to overtake them, sure." 
 
 On the return of the party one of them stumbled 
 over some obstacle and fell. He muttered a curse 
 and reached out his hand to help himself. He 
 touched something that made him draw it back 
 with a shudder. 
 
 "Hello!" he cried, "a dead Yank, as sure as I 
 am born. Boys, we did get one of them." 
 
 The supposed dead body was brought into camp. 
 
198 01^ GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 As the light of the fire fell on the gruesome object 
 Lieutenant Garrard exclaimed, "The Yankee cap- 
 tain, by all that is great!" 
 
 He bent down and placed his hand over Fred's 
 heart. "He is not dead by any means," he con- 
 tinued, "but by the looks of his head he ought to 
 be. Let's see how hard he is hit." 
 
 An examination showed that a ball had plowed 
 along the side of Fred s head, inflicting an ugly 
 but not necessarily a dangerous wound. 
 
 "An eighth of an inch deeper and it would have 
 been all over with him," said the lieutenant, rising 
 up. "As it is, he is badly stunned. Here, Jen- 
 kins, take the fellow in hand. You have had enough 
 work to-day to make you proficient." 
 
 Jenkins was a kind of rough surgeon, who filled 
 that office in the absence of the regular surgeon of 
 the regiment. 
 
 He washed the blood from Fred's wounds, shaved 
 away the hair, drew the ragged edges of the wound 
 together as close as possible, and secured them by 
 strips of court plaster. He then bandaged up the 
 head, and drawing himself up, remarked rather 
 proudly: 
 
 "There, I call that a pretty neat job, especially 
 to be done for a Yankee. He is young for a cap- 
 tain, but my! he is a fighter." 
 
 "Give him some stimulant; I reckon he is coming 
 around," said the lieutenant. 
 
 A spoonful of whisky was given him. Fred gave 
 a deep sigh; the eyelids quivered, then the eyes 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 1 99 
 
 opened, and he looked in a dazed way on the group 
 gathered around, 
 
 "Where am I?" he asked in a faint voice. 
 
 "Among friends," answered one of the men, with 
 a grunt, "friends that will stick closer to you than 
 a brother." 
 
 "Am — am I a prisoner?" he questioned, for he 
 began to be conscious that those gathered around 
 were Confederates. 
 
 "You be, honey, and will be until you air hung. 
 You cheated us out of one hangin', but we'll have 
 another now," replied the man, brutally. 
 
 "Stevens," said Lieutenant Garrard, sternly, "I 
 am ashamed of you ; the captain is a prisoner of 
 war, and as such he shall be treated." 
 
 The soldiers slunk away, and Fred, although a 
 prisoner, knew that he was in the hands of a gentle- 
 man. But with consciousness came the recollection 
 of his comrades. Not seeing them, he looked in- 
 quiringly at the lieutenant, and asked, "My com- 
 rades — where are they?" 
 
 "They have escaped so far," answered Lieuten- 
 ant Garrard. 
 
 "Thank God!" exclaimed Fred, fervently, and 
 the excitement made him sick and faint. 
 
 "You must be quiet," said the Heutenant, kindly, 
 and he ordered him to be carried into the house 
 where the severely wounded of the Confederates 
 had been taken. 
 
 In the morning Fred felt so much better that he 
 
200 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 got up and found that he could walk, although his 
 head swam and ached dreadfully. 
 
 Lieutenant Garrard came to him, and told him 
 they were to move, "We shall have to leave several 
 of our more severely wounded here," said he, "and 
 if you feel utterly unable to ride, I will leave you, 
 provided you will give your word of honor you will 
 not try to escape. But we shall march slowly as 
 we take a number of our less severely wounded 
 with us, and I should be pleased to have you 
 accompany us. You know you are all we have to 
 show for a very ugly fight," and he smiled grimly. 
 
 "I will try to go, Lieutenant; you are very 
 kind," answered Fred. 
 
 "Very well," replied the lieutenant, "we shall 
 start at nine o'clock. By the way. Captain, I 
 have never inquired your name." 
 
 "Captain Fred Shackelford, of General Thomas's 
 staff." 
 
 "Shackelford! I am acquainted with a young 
 lady of that name who resides in Nashville." 
 
 "I have a cousin in Nashville," replied Fred; 
 "Miss Kate Shackelford, daughter of Colonel 
 Charles Shackelford." 
 
 "The very same!" cried Garrard. "Captain, I 
 congratulate you on having so beautiful and spir- 
 ited a cousin," and his face fairly glowed as he 
 said it. 
 
 Fred looked at him and tried to smile, but it 
 was a painful effort. "Lieutenant, can I offer my 
 congratulations in advance?" 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 20I 
 
 Garrard blushed, and answered, "You are pre- 
 mature; the young lady has not said yes yet." 
 
 Fred stood the journey better than he expected. 
 As the lieutenant had said, they marched by easy 
 stages, and it was not until the evening of the 
 second day that they crossed the Cumberland 
 River, several miles below Nashville, and arrived 
 at the headquarters of General Forrest, which were 
 in a spacious and beautiful mansion house situated 
 about two miles from the river. 
 
 Into the presence of this officer Fred was con- 
 ducted. Lieutenant Garrard made his report, and 
 the general's brow darkened as he listened, until 
 at last he burst into a terrible fit of rage. 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me," he exclaimea, with a 
 fearful oath, "that ten men inflicted this loss on 
 you? That you allowed your camp to be raided and 
 a prisoner released by such a pitiful handful of 
 men? You are a disgrace to your profession; I 
 shall have you court-martialed and dismissed from 
 service. Consider yourself under arrest." 
 
 Garrard turned as pale as death. He unbuckled 
 his sword and handed it to Forrest, with, "One 
 word, General." 
 
 "Not a word! not a word! Begone from my 
 presence." 
 
 Stung to desperation, Lieutenant Garrard replied: 
 "You shall hear me. General Forrest, whether you 
 wish to or not. As to the implication that I am a 
 coward, the man who dare say it, be he general or 
 private, lies. I was not in command of the troop; 
 
202 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Captain Malcolm was, and you should know it. 
 Neither he nor any one else was to blame for the 
 repulse. The road was narrow, an unpenetrable 
 thicket on each side, and it was simply impossible 
 for the men to stand up against the rain of balls 
 from their repeating rifles. We were so close after 
 them that there was no thought of an advance 
 guard. If you had been there it would have been 
 no different. As to the camp being raided, I 
 requested Captain Malcolm to place a strong guard 
 around the entire camp, but he laughed at my fears. 
 He thought the pickets on the roads enough. After 
 Captain Malcolm's death I did all any officer could 
 do. Now I am ready to go." And he wheeled to 
 go out. 
 
 Forrest, like Nelson, was violent, but rather liked 
 a man who stood up for his rights and dared to talk 
 back. 
 
 "Hold on, Lieutenant!" thundered Forrest. 
 "Talk that way to your general, will you? But, 
 gad! I rather like it ; it shows spirit. Captain," 
 turning suddenly to Fred, "what do you say about 
 the conduct of Lieutenant Garrard?" 
 
 "That he is a brave and gallant ofificer, General, 
 and if you disgrace him you will do a great wrong," 
 replied Fred, promptly. 
 
 "Here is your sword. Lieutenant; buckle it on 
 again. I forgot you were not in command. As 
 for Captain Malcolm, he has gone beyond my juris- 
 diction. Now, Captain," to Fred, "I will attend 
 to your case. Your name?" 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 203 
 
 Fred gave it. 
 
 "What was your business so far away from your 
 command?" 
 
 ' ' I was carrying dispatches from General Buell to 
 General Negley at Nashville." 
 
 "Ah! where are the dispatches?" 
 
 ' ' Safe in the hands of my comrades who escaped. ' ' 
 
 "Where was Buell when you left him?" 
 
 "At Danville, just starting in pursuit of Bragg." 
 
 "I can imagine the tenor of your dispatches, Cap- 
 tain. It was for Negley to hold Nashville until 
 reinforcements came." 
 
 "I did not read them, General; they were 
 sealed." 
 
 "Buell evidently intrusted his dispatches in good 
 hands. I believe you say your name is Shackel- 
 ford?" 
 
 "Yes, General." 
 
 "And at one time you were connected with Nel- 
 son?" 
 
 "Yes, General." 
 
 "I have heard of you, Captain. We have drawn 
 a greater prize than I thought; I reckon we shall 
 have to keep you a while." 
 
 Fred, who had been standing all this time, sud- 
 denly grew faint, and would have fallen if an officer 
 had not caught him. 
 
 "Excuse me, Captain," said Forrest. "I did 
 not realize you were wounded," and he at once 
 ordered Fred to be taken to an upper room, and 
 laughingly remarked to the corporal who had him in 
 
204 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 charge, "You would better watch him closely, even 
 if he is wounded, for he is a slippery fellow." 
 
 As Fred was leaving the room he heard Forrest 
 say to Garrard, "You are excused now; report 
 here to-morrow at one o'clock; the young lady will 
 be here." 
 
 Fred's head was splitting; he staggered as he 
 walked, but the words, "the young lady will be 
 here," caught his ear, and for some reason made an 
 impression on him. A good night's rest worked 
 wonders for Fred, and after partaking of a good, 
 substantial breakfast, he declared he felt quite like 
 himself. 
 
 A surgeon dressed his wound, and told him he 
 would have to keep very quiet for a few days. The 
 first thing that he did when left alone was to 
 examine his room carefully. It was in one end of 
 the house, and the large chimney which is a feature 
 of the old plantation houses of the South was in 
 one corner. The chimney had been papered, and 
 in running his hand over it Fred discovered that a 
 place which had been cut for a stove-pipe had never 
 been filled — simply papered over. A picture par- 
 tially covered the place. Pushing aside the picture, 
 Fred made an aperture in the paper, and applied 
 his ear to it. He started back in surprise; the 
 chimney was a perfect conductor of sound, and every 
 word uttered in the room below could be distinctly 
 heard. Here was a discovery. 
 
 *'I reckon," said Fred to himself, "I shall be feel- 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 205 
 
 ing so badly to-day that I shall need perfect rest. I 
 may hear something worth hearing." 
 
 When his dinner was brought in he was found in 
 bed and complaining of a severe headache; "but" 
 said he, "all I want is perfect quiet, and I shall be 
 all right." 
 
 So he was left in peace, but in the hall outside of 
 the door the steady tramp of a sentinel could be 
 heard. Forrest was going to take no chances on 
 his escape. 
 
 About one o'clock Fred became aware that 
 something unusual was going on downstairs. The 
 sound of galloping horses was heard, and there was 
 a confused murmur of voices. He stole noiselessly 
 to the chimney, and placed his ear to the aperture. 
 General Forrest and a number of ofificers were in 
 the room below, and from their talk Fred learned 
 that they were expecting General Breckinridge, and 
 that some important movement was to be dis- 
 cussed. Presently a commotion arose out of doors, 
 which was occasioned by the arrival of the general. 
 At this time General John C. Breckinridge was in 
 command of all the Confederate forces around 
 Nashville. After the customary ceremonial of re- 
 ceiving the general commanding was over, the room 
 was cleared, and Breckinridge and Forrest were left 
 alone. 
 
 "I hear, General," said Breckinridge, "that a 
 small raiding party of your forces has had an 
 unfortunate affair." 
 
2o6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Yes," replied Forrest; "and the bitter part is, 
 it was inflicted by so few men. There were but 
 eleven in the Federal party." 
 
 "Am I to understand that eleven men met over 
 one hundred of yours and inflicted a loss of nearly 
 thirty, and then escaped?" asked Breckinridge, in 
 surprise. 
 
 "That is about the way of it. General. I am 
 ashamed of it, but it is a fact. The most shameful 
 part is, my men allowed their camp to be raided 
 and a prisoner released. I placed Lieutenant Gar- 
 rard under arrest, but on ascertaining that the 
 blame rested with Captain Malcolm, who was killed, 
 I released Garrard, who is really a most gallant 
 officer. Then we need him now. It is through him 
 that the business we are to discuss this afternoon 
 was brought about. Garrard brought in one pris- 
 oner, however, the leader of the Federals — a Cap- 
 tain Shackelford." 
 
 "What! Fred Shackelford?" 
 
 "The same, General." 
 
 "Forrest, that boy may not be able to do the 
 damage he did us in Kentucky, but the time was 
 when his capture would have been worth a brigade 
 of men. He it was who made our plans miscarry 
 in Kentucky." 
 
 "I know the whole story. General. I believe he 
 is dangerous enough now to keep," replied For- 
 rest. 
 
 "You are right; keep his name off the exchange 
 list. Is he dangerously wounded?" 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 207 
 
 "I think not, although the surgeon has enjoined 
 complete rest. Danger of brain fever, I believe." 
 
 "I often wonder," said Breckinridge, "how Gen- 
 eral Shackelford could have such a son. He is one 
 of our best and bravest generals. But what was 
 the boy doing down here?" 
 
 "He was carrying dispatches from Buell to 
 Negley." 
 
 "Ah! did you get the dispatches?" asked Breck- 
 inridge, eagerly. 
 
 "No, but it is easy to imagine what they were. 
 They were to tell Negley to hold on until he could 
 be reinforced, and in all probability he was told 
 about what time that would be. This, General, 
 brings me to the reason why I have sent for you. 
 Nashville must be taken, and that right away, or it 
 will be too late." 
 
 "But, General, are we not too weak to storm the 
 city? You know we have discussed this question 
 before, and decided that it would be a mistake to 
 try to take it by assault," 
 
 "The plan I am about to present does away with 
 an assault. It can be taken by strategy." 
 
 "But how? The enemy is very alert." 
 
 "By obtaining the countersign, and marching 
 troops into the city under cover of darkness." 
 
 "Who will bell the cat; or, in other words, who 
 will get the countersign?" asked Breckinridge, with 
 a laugh. 
 
 "We have that arranged," answered Forrest. 
 "Ah! There she comes now," he continued, as the 
 
2o8 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 clatter of horses' feet was heard outside, and a mo- 
 ment later Fred heard the voice of Lieutenant 
 Garrard, and his heart stood still when he heard 
 the lieutenant introduce his companion as Miss Kate 
 Shackelford. 
 
 "Shackelford?" said Breckinridge. "Any rela- 
 tion to — " A look from Forrest stopped him. 
 "A daughter of Colonel Charles Shackelford," 
 added that general. 
 
 "Miss Shackelford," continued Forrest, "has 
 made arrangements to have the countersign to- 
 morrow night. She will come out and give it to 
 us. The plan is to enter the city by the Hardin 
 pike. I have a company dressed in Federal uniform, 
 who will give the countersign and then dispose of 
 the guards. The road once open, I shall march as 
 many troops as possible into the city before dis- 
 covery. Through Miss Shackelford I am in cor- 
 respondence with friends in the city. They have 
 organized to help. Every patrol along the Hardin 
 pike, clear up into the heart of the city, will be 
 captured, leaving the way clear. Everything has 
 been arranged ; only your consent and cooperation 
 are lacking." 
 
 Breckinridge looked at Forrest in surprise. "The 
 plan is an admirable one," he replied, "but how 
 can this young lady be so sure that she can get the 
 countersign to-morrow?" 
 
 If Fred could have seen Kate as Breckinridge 
 asked this question he would have seen a deep blush 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 209 
 
 mantling her cheek ; as it was, he could only listen 
 in breathless attention. 
 
 "Miss Shackelford can explain if she wishes," 
 said General Forrest, bowing to her. 
 
 The reply was long in coming. At length Kate 
 asked, in a trembling voice, "General Breckinridge, 
 is it wrong to deceive — to be a hypocrite for the 
 sake of the South?" 
 
 "War, my child," gently answered Breckinridge, 
 "is nothing but a series of deceptions; the side 
 which deceives the most effectually is the most suc- 
 cessful. To deceive one's enemy is the first prin- 
 ciple of war." 
 
 "I have a lover," began Kate, in a low tone, 
 "a Captain Ainsworth. Oh, howl despise him! 
 but for the sake of information I have encouraged 
 him. I have boasted to him of my love for the 
 hated Union. I have a cousin, a Captain Shackel- 
 ford, in the Lincoln army, and I said it was he who 
 had converted me. I have completely won the 
 confidence of Captain Ainsworth. Through his 
 influence I get passes to come through the lines to 
 visit a sick aunt. I pretend to play the spy, and 
 carry back information of your movements — infor- 
 mation that is true, but that can do no harm. I — 
 I have even promised to marry this man, if he would 
 give me the countersign. I made it a test of his love. 
 I told him I would never marry a man who would 
 not confide in me, even unto death. He has 
 yielded. To-morrow he is ofificer of the day, and 
 
2IO ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 has promised me the countersign. He will keep 
 his promise." 
 
 She stopped, gave a little hysterical sob, and 
 then cried: "You will not despise me, General? It 
 is for the South." 
 
 Breckinridge was deeply moved. With that 
 courtliness which made him in manner one of the 
 first gentlemen of his State or nation, he arose and 
 going to her, gently raised the hand of the sobbing 
 girl to his lips, and reverently kissing it, cried : 
 
 "Oh, my God! my God! How can the South 
 fail when her fairest and purest daughters dare so 
 much. Child, if I were a priest I would absolve 
 you; as it is, I can only say, God bless you." 
 
 Forrest then said: "Here, General, are the plans 
 of the fortifications of Nashville; also a map with 
 the location of every picket-post marked. Miss 
 Shackelford has, indeed, been a valuable ally to 
 us." 
 
 Breckinridge examined the plans and map with 
 admiration. Both were drawn with remarkable 
 skill. "Are these the work of your hands. Miss 
 Shackelford?" he asked. 
 
 Kate bowed. "It is very little to do for the 
 cause," she said. 
 
 After some further conversation regarding details, 
 Kate was dismissed, and was accompanied by Lieu- 
 tenant Garrard, who rode with her as near to the 
 Union lines as he dared. 
 
 "Louis," she said, as soon as they found them- 
 selves alone, and she turned to him a tear-stained 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 211 
 
 face, "how can you love me after what you have 
 heard this afternoon? On my way here you asked 
 me to be your wife. I told you to wait until — 
 until you heard all my confession. You have 
 heard how I have listened to the protestations of 
 love from Ainsworth, how I have even promised to 
 be his wife. Can you — can you love me after this?' ' 
 
 "Darling," cried Garrard, "if possible I would 
 love you tenfold more from what I have heard. To 
 be the husband of the woman who delivered Nash- 
 ville from the hands of the oppressors is more honor 
 than I dare hope. Dearest, I know how pure, how 
 true you are, and fully realize the agony it has cost 
 you to do what you have done. Talk about the 
 courage which charges to the mouth of the can- 
 non — it is nothing to the courage, the heroism, 
 you have shown. Darling, promise to be mine." 
 
 And with drooping eyelids and burning cheeks, 
 Kate spoke the words that made her the affianced 
 wife of Lieutenant Louis Garrard. 
 
 When the conference with Generals Breckinridge 
 and Forrest was over, and Kate with Lieutenant 
 Garrard had been dismissed, Fred staggered from 
 his place at the chimney completely exhausted. 
 The information that he had secured unnerved 
 him. Nashville was to fall after all. "O God!" 
 he groaned, "if I could but get away. And to 
 think that Kate, my sweet Cousin Kate, could do 
 as she has done. She has disgraced herself, dis- 
 graced the name of Shackelford. Oh ! she is vile — 
 vile." 
 
212 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Fred stopped in his ravings. Why should he 
 curse Kate in his frenzy? What had he been doing 
 for a year? How about Conway? Had he not 
 even spied upon his father's guests? He had been 
 rewarded, crowned with honor for what he had done. 
 Why was it worse for Kate to deceive than for 
 himself? But to think that Kate, the pure, 
 straightforward, truth-loving Kate — could deceive, 
 could lie, could even pretend to love, it made him 
 shiver, even if the stake for which she was playing 
 was a city. 
 
 According to the details which he had heard 
 Nashville was to be attacked at three o'clock 
 Wednesday morning. It was on Monday he heard 
 the conversation. On Tuesday Ainsworth would 
 be officer of the day. Kate was to get the counter- 
 sign as early as possible, and then by aid of 
 her pass come outside the Federal lines. Under 
 cover of darkness the troops were to mass on the 
 Hardin pike, as closely to the Federal picket line 
 as possible. When the pickets were captured, 
 the troops were to march into the city. 
 
 So excited was Fred with the knowledge he had 
 obtained that when the surgeon called to see him 
 in the evening his pulse was going like a trip ham- 
 mer. 
 
 The surgeon shook his head. "This will not 
 do," he said, and he gave Fred a potion that made 
 him sleep all night. 
 
 The next day was one of the most miserable Fred 
 ever spent. He heard Forrest giving orders to 
 
A FAIR PLOTTER. 21 3 
 
 his officers, and knew that the movement for the 
 capture of Nashville had already commenced. He 
 chafed like a caged tiger, and revolved in his mind 
 a hundred schemes to escape. But he had to give 
 them all up. Not only was there a guard in the 
 hall, but under the window on the outside a watch- 
 ful sentinel paced to and fro. He went to the 
 window, and raising it, leaned out. The sentinel 
 roughly ordered him away. 
 
 "I only want to get a mouthful of fresh air," 
 Fred said. 
 
 "Very well," replied the sentinel, "you can 
 leave the window open, but keep away from it. 
 My orders are strict." 
 
 The day waned; night came. It was very quiet, 
 for most of the troops had gone, and only a few 
 guards were left around headquarters. Fred threw 
 himself on the bed, but could not sleep. 
 
 "At three o'clock! at three o'clock! Nashville 
 will fall." The thought kept ringing in his ears 
 again and again. 
 
 He arose and went as near the window as he 
 dared, and gazed out into the night. Dark clouds 
 were scurrying across the sky, the wind swept 
 around the house in great gusts, and the leafless 
 branches of the trees creaked and moaned as if in 
 protest. He looked at his watch; it was half-past 
 ten o'clock. Below he could hear the sentinel pac- 
 ing his beat. He turned wearily, and was going 
 back to bed when there came stealing through the 
 window the low, plaintive note of a night bird. 
 
214 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Fred started as if he were shot. Trembling in 
 every limb, he bent forward in the attitude of one 
 listening intently. 
 
 Again the plaintive note came, soft and low. A 
 look of joy came over Fred's face; he knew that 
 friends were near. He must let them know he 
 heard them. Groping his way to a bureau, he 
 struck a light. The guard in the hall opened the 
 door, and putting his head into the room, gruffly 
 asked what he was doing. 
 
 "Only getting a sleeping potion that the sur- 
 geon left," answered Fred. "I find I cannot sleep. 
 I will put the light out as soon as I take it." 
 
 "Very well; see that you do," replied the guard 
 as he closed the door. 
 
 But Fred kept the light burning long enough to 
 stand facing the window, and slowly raising his 
 hand, pressed his finger to his lips. He then 
 extinguished the light. The note of the night bird 
 was heard once more, this time a little sharper and 
 shriller. He had been seen and understood. 
 
 Noiselessly he dressed himself, then he twisted a 
 rope out of his sheets, and stealthily crept to the 
 window, using his pillows to deaden the least sound 
 that he might make. 
 
 Once at the window he lay and listened breath- 
 lessly. But the steady tramp, tramp of the sentinel 
 was all he heard. 
 
 He lay there for minutes — it seemed to him 
 hours. Could he have been mistaken? Was there 
 no help near, after all? 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 
 
 THE night grew darker, great drops of rain 
 began to patter down, and the wind howled 
 mournfully through the leafless branches and 
 around the house. 
 
 Suddenly there came to Fred's ears the faint 
 sound of a struggle, then a stifled cry, and a gur- 
 gling sound, as of some one choking. Then all 
 was still. But the tramp of the sentinel beneath 
 the window could no longer be heard. Cautiously 
 he looked out of the window. Two shadowy forms 
 were seen bending over some dark object ; then the 
 object was lifted and borne away in the darkness. 
 Soon the spectral forms came stealing back, stood 
 under the window, and a low "hist!" was heard. 
 Fred answered with a "hist!" so low it seemed a 
 part of the sighing of the wind. He had already 
 secured one end of his blanket rope, and the other 
 he dropped out of the window. As noiselessly as 
 a cat he descended, and in a moment was in the 
 arms of Smith and Darling. 
 
 "Silence!" whispered Smith in his ear, and each 
 one taking him by an arm, bore him swiftly along. 
 In this way they went some distance, but Fred's 
 
 215 
 
2l6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 faltering footsteps showed how weak he was. At 
 last they halted, and Darling said, "Now, Captain, 
 we can rest; we are out of danger." 
 
 "Hurry! hurry!" gasped Fred. "I have no 
 time to explain. Nashville will fall at three 
 o'clock if we cannot get there to give the alarm. 
 Why am I so weak? I must, I will hold out. O 
 God! O God!" he groaned as he sank on the 
 ground,"! can go no further." 
 
 "What is it?" asked both Smith and Darling 
 anxiously. 
 
 "Nashville is betrayed. Boys, leave me and 
 hasten to the city. Tell Negley that the counter- 
 sign for to-night is known to the enemy. They 
 expect to gain the city by strategy, entering on the 
 Hardin pike. The attack will be made at three 
 o'clock. Go! go quick, and tell Negley all this. 
 Leave me to my fate." 
 
 As they did ^not move, he cried, sharply, "I 
 command you to go." 
 
 Smith and Darling were taken by surprise. They 
 but partially comprehended Fred's words, but they 
 knew that in some way he had found out that Nash- 
 ville was to be attacked at three o'clock, and that 
 if not warned the city might fall. 
 
 "A moment. Captain," they replied, and then 
 they withdrew and held a short conference. Re- 
 turning, Darling said: "Captain, it is only two 
 miles to the river. Once there, we have a skiff 
 concealed with which to cross. On the other side 
 our horses are concealed in a thicket. It is only 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. , 217 
 
 seven miles from where they are to Edgefield. We 
 must get you across the river; then you can ride." 
 
 "But how can I reach the river?" moaned Fred. 
 "Give me your hand, Darling, and help me up. I 
 must walk." 
 
 For answer Darling bent down and lifted Fred in 
 his brawny arms, as if he were a child, and with 
 Smith leading, started for the river at a rapid gait. 
 
 "Oh! Darling, you cannot do this, you will kill 
 yourself," exclaimed Fred brokenly; "leave me and 
 hurry on." 
 
 "We will never leave you," replied Darling, "we 
 can and will do this; only keep still so as not to 
 make it any harder." 
 
 Soon Smith relieved Darling,and thus taking turns 
 they carried Fred to the river. To cross the river 
 and find the horses was the work of a few moments. 
 All this time a cold, drizzling rain had been falling. 
 Owing to their efforts Smith and Darling were per- 
 spiring, while Fred was not only wet to the skin, 
 but chilled to the bone. He shook as if with ague, 
 and could not stand. 
 
 "I was going to let him have my horse, and find 
 my way in on foot," said Smith, "but it will not 
 do; he is not able to ride. Darling, I am lighter 
 than you, and my horse is heavier than yours; he 
 will easily carry both for seven miles." 
 
 "Just the thing," replied Darling, and tenderly 
 lifting Fred he placed him in Smith's arms, and 
 they rode away for Edgefield, a small village on the 
 north bank of the Cumberland, opposite Nashville. 
 
2l8 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 As soon as they struck the main road the horses 
 took a swinging gallop, and kept it up until the 
 outpost at Edgefield was reached. 
 
 Here they were halted, and the commander of 
 the pickets, a dapper little lieutenant, swelling with 
 his own importance, heard their story with an air 
 which plainly showed that he thought them impos- 
 tors. 
 
 "Here," said he to a sergeant, "keep these men 
 under guard until morning, and then we will report 
 them, and have their cases investigated," and with 
 great dignity, he wheeled on his heel to go. 
 
 His words aroused Fred. "Lieutenant!" he 
 cried, so sharply that that officer turned in such 
 haste that his sword nearly tripped him. 
 
 "Do you know," continued Fred, "that I am 
 Captain Shackelford, of General Thomas's staff? I 
 am the bearer of dispatches which must be deliv- 
 ered at once. Send as strong a guard with us as 
 you please, but take us to General Negley as quick 
 as horses can carry us. Refuse, and I will have you 
 court-martialed and shot." 
 
 The lieutenant turned red, then white. His 
 dignity was insulted, but he was frightened. 
 
 "Take them. Sergeant," he said, "but take a 
 detail of three men with you. See they don't 
 give you the slip. This apparent haste may all be 
 for effect," and with this offering to his dignity, 
 the lieutenant walked proudly away. 
 
 The sergeant smiled, made the detail, and in a 
 moment more they were galloping through the 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 219 
 
 deserted streets of Edgefield, then thundering over 
 the pontoon bridge across the Cumberland, and up 
 the stone-paved streets of Nashville to General 
 Negley's headquarters. The officer in charge 
 stared as the dripping, mud-bespattered group 
 entered, especially at Fred, borne in the arms of 
 Darling. 
 
 "Let me down, Dick," said Fred. 
 
 Darling placed him on his feet, but had to sup- 
 port him. 
 
 "General Negley, quick!" gasped Fred. 
 
 "The general did not retire until after twelve," 
 replied the officer, "and left orders not to be dis- 
 turbed unless the case were imperative." 
 
 "It is imperative — quick — or the city will be in 
 the hands of the Rebels," answered Fred. 
 
 "Great heavens!" ejaculated the officer. And 
 he ran into the general's private apartments, shout- 
 ing, "General! General! get up, the Rebels are in the 
 city." 
 
 Half awake, in his night-clothes, but grasping 
 his sword. General Negley rushed into the room, 
 crying, "What is it? What is it? The enemy in 
 the city? impossible!" 
 
 "General," gasped Fred, "change your coun- 
 tersign — the enemy know it. Their troops are now 
 massed on the Hardin pike. Prepare to meet them 
 there. There is a traitor in your midst. They 
 expect to gain the city by stratagem. Three 
 o'clock is — the — time — set." It was with diffi- 
 culty Fred got the last sentence out. Outraged 
 
2 20 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 nature asserted itself, and he sank fainting to the 
 floor. 
 
 "Who is this?" asked Negley, almost petrified 
 with astonishment. 
 
 "Captain Fred Shackelford, of General Thomas's 
 staff," exclaimed Darling. "He has just escaped 
 from the Rebels, wounded, as you see. The enemy 
 have in some manner become possessed of your 
 countersign. They are now massed outside the 
 city on the Hardin pike, and expect to enter by 
 stealth. There is not a second to lose — the time 
 set is three o'clock." 
 
 Negley looked at his watch. "Two-fifteen," he 
 muttered. Just then Captain Ainsworth, the 
 ofificer of the day, came in. "Captain," cried 
 Negley, "mount every man you can, send to every 
 outpost, and have the countersign changed. The 
 new countersign is" — and he strode to Ainsworth 
 and whispered a word in his ear. "Order every one 
 arrested who tries to enter the city on the old coun- 
 tersign." 
 
 The captain turned pale, gasped, clutched at his 
 throat, and would have fallen, if it had not been for 
 the general supporting him. 
 
 "Why, Ainsworth, what is the matter?" cried 
 the astonished general. 
 
 "A — a spasm of the heart," gasped Ainsworth, 
 "it will pass away soon." 
 
 There was no time to lose. "Here, Captain Low- 
 rie," said Negley, "you take the captain's place." 
 
 "I can go now; it's over," said Ainsworth, and 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 221 
 
 in a moment, with white face and set teeth, he was 
 galloping through the night, riding like a fiend, and 
 stopping for nothing. 
 
 In five minutes couriers were riding in every 
 direction, taking the new countersign to the out- 
 posts, with orders for all the guards to turn out. 
 The whole garrison was aroused, and the tramp of 
 marching columns echoed along the pavement. 
 
 Ofificers and soldiers alike wondered what was the 
 matter. Could there be an attack? But where? 
 There was not the sound of a single gun. The driz- 
 zling rain still fell, and the soldiers shivered and 
 cursed as they marched. 
 
 Just before three o'clock, an officer, accompanied 
 by a lady, rode up to the outpost on the Hills- 
 boro pike. The officer wore a long waterproof 
 coat which effectually concealed his uniform. Being 
 challenged, the officer answered," Friends, with the 
 countersign." 
 
 "Dismount, friends, one advance and give the 
 countersign." The officer dismounted and boldly 
 advanced, and whispered in the ear of the sentinel, 
 "Trenton." 
 
 "Wrong," said the sentinel. "Corporal of the 
 guard." 
 
 The officer uttered an exclamation of surprise, 
 and made a motion as if to draw a weapon, but 
 armed men, as if by magic, arose around him, and 
 after a terrific struggle he was overpowered. 
 
 The lady, seeing the struggle, tottered and would 
 have fallen, if she had not clung to the bridle of 
 
222 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 her horse. Just then the roll of musketry came 
 from the direction of the Hardin pike. 
 
 "Betrayed!" moaned the lady, releasing her hold 
 on the bridle, and sinking to the earth. 
 
 "Heavens! she is a beauty," said the rough sol- 
 dier who had picked her up and carried her into the 
 light. 
 
 The captured oflficer heard the remark and ground 
 his teeth in impotent rage. The prisoners were 
 Lieutenant Garrard and Kate Shackelford. 
 
 The noise of fighting on the Hardin pike in- 
 creased. The cannon from the forts opened, and 
 great shells went shrieking and screaming down the 
 pike. Like monster meteors they burst in air, 
 lighting up the murky sky for an instant, and then 
 all was dark again. The sound of fighting soon 
 died away. Finding that his plans had been dis- 
 covered, and that a surprise was impossible, Forrest 
 ordered a retreat. He was furious, and raved like 
 a madman. That his plans had miscarried through 
 some traitor, he believed, and he vowed terrible 
 vengeance on the guilty one, if ever discovered. 
 
 He reached his headquarters a little after day- 
 light, wet, cold, and still furious over his failure. 
 Here he was met with the startHng intelligence that 
 his prisoner had escaped. For a moment he stood 
 speechless with anger, and then he thundered, 
 "Every one on duty shall be shot. Bring the sen- 
 ties here." 
 
 The sentinel who stood guard on the outside was 
 brought before him. He still showed signs of his 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 223 
 
 rough treatment. His mouth was cut and torn by 
 a gag which had been roughly forced into it, and 
 his neck was black and swollen from the choking he 
 had received. This is the story that he told: 
 
 The rain was falling, and as he was walking his 
 beat he pulled up the collar of his coat to protect 
 his neck. He saw nothing, neither did he hear the 
 slightest sound, but suddenly he felt himself grasped 
 from behind, as if in the arms of a giant. Before 
 he could utter a sound a gag was forced into his 
 mouth, and he was choked into insensibility. 
 When he came to he was bound hand and foot, 
 still gagged, and lying under a tree some distance 
 from the house. Here he was found by the party 
 in search of him. 
 
 "About what time were you attacked?" asked 
 Forrest. 
 
 "I should judge about eleven o'clock," answered 
 the sentinel; "I had been on guard about an 
 hour." 
 
 The guard who stood in the hall outside of the 
 door was then called. He came trembling in every 
 limb, for he expected nothing but death. 
 
 He declared he had heard nothing. Was he sure? 
 Did nothing unusual happen? Nothing, unless it 
 was that a short time before he escaped, the pris- 
 oner lit his lamp. He at once looked into the room 
 and the prisoner told him he could not sleep, and 
 was looking for a sleeping potion the surgeon had 
 left. He found it, took it, blew out the light, and 
 went back to bed. 
 
224 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Did he make any signal that any one out of 
 doors might have seen?" asked the general. 
 
 "Come to think about it," answered the guard, 
 "just before he blew out the light, he gazed intently 
 out of the window, then put his hand up to his 
 mouth as if scratching his lip, that was all." 
 
 "And you heard nothing more?" 
 
 "Not a sound. Everything was still. We knew 
 nothing of the escape until it came time to be 
 relieved at twelve o'clock, and the absence of the 
 sentinel under the window was discovered. Then 
 we found him gone, and a rope twisted out of the 
 bed clothes hanging from the window." 
 
 Forrest thought a moment, and then said: "It is 
 evident the sentinels were not to blame ; let them 
 go. The trouble lies deeper; there are traitors 
 somewhere, and they must be ferreted out. Let 
 us examine his room." 
 
 The room was carefully searched, but nothing 
 was found to let a ray of light on the mystery. As 
 Forrest was going out his eye fell on the picture on 
 the chimney ; it was hanging awry. 
 
 "Take down that picture," he ordered. 
 
 It was taken down, and the hole in the chimney 
 was revealed. Forrest stepped onto a chair so that he 
 could look into the chimney. He suddenly gave a 
 start, and placed his ear to the aperture. A look 
 of bewilderment, then of amazement, came over his 
 face. He stood and listened for a time, and then 
 stepped down. 
 
 "One thing, gentlemen," he said to his staff, "is 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 225 
 
 explained, and that is the cause of our failure this 
 morning. That chimney is a speaking tube. 
 Every word uttered below can be distinctly heard. 
 The prisoner heard our plans, escaped, carried the 
 news to Nashville, had the countersign changed, 
 and preparations made to meet us. But who aided 
 Shackelford to escape is still a mystery." And a 
 mystery it always remained to General Forrest. 
 
 "Colonel Morgan told me," continued Forrest, 
 "that Fred Shackelford was the sharpest scout in 
 the Federal army, and now I believe him. Let me 
 lay my hands on him again and I will see he don't 
 escape. And what is more," he exclaimed with an 
 oath, "I will have Nashville yet, if I have to take 
 it by assault." 
 
 General Forrest tried to make his words good. 
 On the sixth of November, hearing that the advance 
 of Buell's army was only one day's march distant, 
 he massed his forces to storm the city. But just as 
 he was moving to the assault, peremptory orders 
 came from Bragg forbidding it. General Forrest 
 never forgave Bragg for his interference. He always 
 claimed he would have taken the city, if he had 
 been allowed to make the assault. 
 
 Poor Fred knew nothing of what was taking 
 place. When he fell fainting he was at once re- 
 moved to a hospital, where he lay for some days 
 in the delirium of fever. 
 
 General Negley instituted a strict investigation 
 of the affair. The threads of evidence were not 
 hard to gather. That the countersign had been 
 
226 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 obtained by the girl, Kate Shackelford, was evi- 
 dent. Investigation showed that Captain Ains- 
 worth was her accepted lover, that he had reported 
 her as a stanch Unionist, that he had repeatedly 
 procured passes for her to go outside the lines, 
 asserting that she brought back valuable informa- 
 tion. His extreme agitation when General Negley 
 told him to change the countersign was now remem- 
 bered. He was at once placed under arrest. He 
 refused to make any explanation of his conduct, 
 neither denying nor affirming his guilt. The knowl- 
 edge that Kate had been false to him, had used him 
 simply as a tool, utterly crushed him. He was a 
 remarkably handsome man, and one who had kept 
 himself singularly free from the temptations which 
 beset an officer in the army. He worshiped his 
 mother and sisters, and judged all women by them. 
 It was remarked of him by his brother officers that 
 if, in his line of duty, he was called upon to deal 
 with the lowest denizens of the levee, he always 
 spoke to them as a gentleman would address a lady. 
 He never forgot they were women. It was such a 
 man whose love Kate Shackelford had won. Sooner 
 would he have believed an angel from heaven could 
 have been false than she. If she had only been 
 true, he could have died for her without a murmur; 
 but now — the thought of her perfidy nearly bereft 
 him of reason. 
 
 As for Kate, she believed that Ainsworth had 
 repented and deceived her at the last moment. 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 227 
 
 She had never loved him, but now she hated him 
 with all the ardor of her being. 
 
 A court-martial was instituted, and Kate was 
 brought before it. Her eyes were red with weep- 
 ing, but she bore herself with calmness and dignity. 
 Her youth, her beauty, her evident distress, 
 impressed every member of the court. 
 
 "Miss Shackelford," said General Negley, kindly, 
 "I regret to see one so young, so evidently a lady, 
 accused of so grave a crime as that of being a spy, 
 and of obtaining the countersign for the purpose of 
 leading a hostile force into the city. It may influ- 
 ence the court to be more merciful to you if you 
 will make a full confession and tell from whom you 
 received the countersign." 
 
 Kate's eyes flashed. "You should knoX^ the 
 traitor as well as I," she retorted, "for it is evi- 
 dent he has proven as false to me as to you." 
 
 "You are mistaken," replied the general, "we 
 received the information by the merest chance, and 
 from one who cannot be a traitor — Captain Frederick 
 Shackelford, of General Thomas's staff." 
 
 Kate turned faint and dizzy. "My God!" she 
 gasped, "he here? How did he know?" 
 
 Just then Ainsworth and Lieutenant Garrard 
 were brought in, heavily guarded. Garrard bore 
 himself like a soldier, but the condition of Ains- 
 worth was pitiable in the extreme. He looked like 
 an old man. His form was bent, his face drawn 
 and wrinkled, his eyes sunken, and he shook as with 
 the palsy. 
 
3 28 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Kate's eyes grew large with wonder when she saw 
 the two prisoners — the man that she had pretended 
 to love only to betray, and the man whom she really 
 did love. She had been mistaken, Ainsworth had 
 not been false, he had trusted her, been true to 
 her. Conflicting emotions tore her heart, and 
 caused her to struggle for breath. She was recalled 
 to herself by the cold voice of General Negley. 
 
 "Miss Shackelford," he said, "we had much 
 rather you had confessed, but we have no need of 
 your confession ; we know all. The culprit, the 
 ofificer who has so dishonored his uniform, stands 
 before us. Captain Ainsworth has been your 
 accepted lover, he has procured passes for you, he 
 has been reporting you as a stanch Unionist. 
 At last he broke the most sacred of military confi- 
 dences by giving you the countersign. Miss Shack- 
 elford, you have caused your lover to sign his death 
 warrant." 
 
 Kate saw it all. This man for love of her not 
 only had trusted her with his honor, but his life. 
 Could love do more? How had she repaid him? 
 With deceit — treachery. 
 
 A flood of shame, remorse, swept over her. 
 Then came a look of such high resolve that it trans- 
 figured her face like unto an angel's. She would 
 save the man who trusted her — who believed in 
 her — save him, if even her life paid the forfeit ; and 
 this, not for love of him, but from a sense of jus- 
 tice. One moment had made the girl a woman — 
 a woman with purpose as heroic as that which ani- 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 239 
 
 mated Charlotte Corday when she plunged the dag- 
 ger into the breast of Marat. 
 
 She stood before that court-martial a queen of 
 tragedy, beautiful, grand. The conflicting emo- 
 tions which she felt swept in swift succession over 
 her face. Love, hate, pity, loathing, shame, 
 remorse. 
 
 "General Negley," she cried, "I will not have 
 the innocent suffer for my acts. I thought nothing 
 could wring from me what I now say. I am a true 
 daughter of the South, every drop of blood in my 
 veins flows in sympathy for the sacred cause. I 
 hate you all. I hate that rag you call the flag of 
 the free. Day after day I saw it floating from the 
 dome of our proud capitol, and I took a solemn 
 oath it should come down. My father is in the 
 Confederate army; many a time have your troops 
 felt the fury of his charging columns; my only 
 brother lies in an unknown grave at Perryville, 
 but he fell by the side of the cannon he had cap- 
 tured. For the sake of my country, that I might 
 free my native city from the pollution of your pres- 
 ence," and as she said it, she raised her streaming 
 eyes toward heaven, "I forgot my love of truth — 
 my — my womanhood. I accepted the addresses of 
 Captain Ainsworth, I pretended to love him. In 
 return he gave me the love of a true man. I repaid 
 him with deceit, treachery. I pretended to love 
 your hateful cause; through his influence I obtained 
 passes;! carried to Forrest plans of your fortifica- 
 tions, the strength of your army. I tried to get 
 
230 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 the countersign of Captain Ainsworth, but he 
 refused." 
 
 At these words the captain leaned forward, 
 wonder and amazement in his countenance. 
 
 The girl went on. "I made it a test of his love. 
 I told him the man that I married must trust me — 
 even with his life. He still refused. I found a 
 sentinel who sold me the countersign — sold it for 
 gold — gold that you miserable Yankees love so well. 
 At first I thought it was he who had betrayed me, 
 but I find I have one of my own kin to thank for 
 that, a traitor blacker than Benedict Arnold. I 
 make this confession from a sense of justice, not 
 from any love I bear Captain Ainsworth. I hate 
 him, as I hate you all who oppress my country; I 
 had rather die than marry an oppressor of the 
 South. Do with me as you like, I am only sorry 
 my plans failed." 
 
 She stopped. For a moment there was complete 
 silence. Tears were rolling down the bronzed 
 cheeks of many a stern soldier. General Negley 
 made a motion to the guard to take Kate from the 
 room. Then the members of the court-martial 
 consulted for a short time, and General Negley 
 announced the decision. 
 
 "There is no evidence," said he, "that Lieuten- 
 ant Louis Garrard has ever entered the city as a 
 spy, and he will be held as a prisoner of war. 
 Guards, remove him." 
 
 Garrard turned toward Negley an appealing look 
 as much as to say : " I care nothing for myself. What 
 
" Do with me as you like. I am only sorry my Plans failed. 
 
CHANGE THE COUNTERSIGN. 23I 
 
 of her?" but the guards hurried him on, and he 
 went out reeling like a drunken man. 
 
 "Captain Ainsworth," continued the General, 
 "according to the testimony of Miss Shackelford, 
 and no one can doubt its truth who heard it, has 
 only been guilty of grave indiscretion. Let this be 
 a lesson to you, Captain, not to trust every pretty 
 face. You are released from arrest and can resume 
 your duties." 
 
 Ainsworth tried to stammer his thanks, but his 
 voice died in his throat; he was thinking of her who 
 had perjured herself that he might go free. 
 
 "As for Miss .Shackelford," and the general's 
 voice grew husky, "by her own confession she is a 
 spy, and according to the law of all nations, the 
 punishment of a spy is — death." 
 
 At the word "death" Captain Ainsworth sprang 
 to his feet, he stretched forth his arms, his features 
 worked convulsively, he tried to speak, but his voice 
 died away in a gurgle, and he fell forward on his 
 face, a thin stream of blood flowing from his mouth. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 "YOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE." 
 
 A SURGEON who was present bent over the 
 insensible form of the captain, and placed 
 his hand over his heart. 
 
 "He is not dead," he remarked, after a moment's 
 examination, "but he has burst a blood vessel, and 
 his life hangs on a thread." 
 
 An ambulance was ordered, and Ainsworth was 
 conveyed to the hospital, and placed in the same 
 ward where Fred lay tossing and raving with the 
 fever. 
 
 After order was restored. General Negley said, 
 "The decree of the court in regard to Miss Kate 
 Shackelford is this: Owing to her extreme youth 
 and also from the fact that she is a woman, it is 
 ordered that she be taken to Fort Lafayette, in 
 New York harbor, and there confined until the 
 close of the war." 
 
 Before Kate was removed north she was allowed 
 an interview with her mother and her betrothed, 
 Lieutenant Garrard. The poor girl bore up 
 bravely, but when the weeping, distracted mother 
 took her in her arms for the last time before she 
 was sent north, Kate broke down completely, and 
 clung sobbing to her mother's neck. 
 
 232 
 
'^rOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE." 233 
 
 Her parting with Lieutenant Garrard was more 
 composed. "Bear up, darling," he said. "Our 
 parting will not be for long. The South will soon 
 win her independence, and then you will be set at 
 liberty. Under the bonny blue flag of the South 
 our nuptials will be celebrated, and we will forget 
 all these days of agony," and as he spoke, his face 
 shone with enthusiasm, and Kate was comforted. 
 Well was it for them, at this moment, that the veil 
 of the future was not parted for them to see what 
 was beyond. They never met again. Kate was 
 conveyed to her northern prison, and Garrard was 
 soon exchanged and joined his regiment. 
 
 Fred, in the delirium of fever, knew nothing of 
 the arrest and trial of his cousin. For a week he 
 hovered betwixt life and death, and then there was 
 a change for the better; but it was nearly a month 
 before he was able to hear news of the outside world. 
 Both Smith and Darling haunted the hospital day 
 and night, and when Fred was pronounced out of 
 danger their joy knew no bounds. 
 
 The first words which Fred uttered when he came 
 to himself were to ask if the city was safe. At first 
 they did not understand, but when they did and 
 assured him that the attempted surprise was a com- 
 plete failure, a smile lit up his wan face, and drop- 
 ping into a quiet slumber he improved rapidly from 
 that time. When he was able to sit up Smith and 
 Darling told him the story of their adventures. 
 
 "Hardly had the boys left us," said Darling, 
 "when we heard the party in pursuit of us coming. 
 
234 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 We rode to one side and let them pass, the 
 darkness effectually concealing us. As soon as it 
 was light we crept as close to the Confederate camp 
 as we dared, to see if we could discover any trace 
 of you. Imagine our joy when we saw you alive, 
 although wounded. 
 
 "'Dick,' whispered Smith to me, *we will have 
 the captain before we quit, or die in the attempt.' 
 
 '"Shake, old fellow,' I whispered back, and we 
 shook hands, promising each other never to give 
 up the pursuit, except with our lives." 
 
 Fred's eyes grew moist as he heard this. "How 
 can I ever repay you for your faithfulness?" he said. 
 
 "Repay?" replied Darling, with a hurt look, 
 "Captain, please don't talk about rewarding us. 
 We were in hopes," continued he, "that they 
 would leave you with their badly wounded, and 
 were greatly disappointed when we saw you ride 
 away with them. What to do next was the ques- 
 tion. If we only had Confederate uniforms we 
 could follow without much danger. Watching his 
 chance, Smith managed to get possession of two 
 Confederate coats belonging to the Avounded men ; 
 they had been hung out on a line to air. We put 
 them on and boldly rode after you. If we met a 
 citizen we only had to say we belonged to the de- 
 tachment ahead, and all suspicion was allayed. 
 The first night, you remember, they took you to a 
 house. It was so closely guarded, we could do 
 nothing. When you crossed the river the next 
 day we were at our wits' end. But learning from 
 
"TOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE:' 235 
 
 some negroes that Forrest's headquarters were but 
 a short distance from the river, we at once came to 
 the conclusion they had taken you there. Secret- 
 ing our horses in a thicket, we located a skiff, and 
 when night came stole it and crossed the river. 
 We suddenly ran onto some pickets, were chal- 
 lenged, and fired on. As we ran away, I heard 
 one of the pickets say, 'Some prowling niggers, 
 probably. ' There was nothing for us to do but 
 wait for daylight. We then readily located For- 
 rest's headquarters, but owing to the large force 
 present there was no getting near it. We watched 
 all that day without results. When night came 
 we recrossed the river — we had kept our skiff hid — 
 cared for our horses, and returned to our hiding- 
 place on this side. Not until the afternoon was 
 there any change. Then the troops marched away, 
 leaving the house with only a guard. Now was 
 our opportunity. As soon as it was dark we 
 approached as near the house as possible, and gave 
 the signal agreed upon in Kentucky. At first there 
 was no response, and we began to despair, when 
 suddenly a light was struck in an upper room, and 
 we saw you through the window. Then you gave 
 the sign, and we knew that we were heard and 
 understood. And then in the darkness Smith and 
 I just hugged each other like two girls. I don't 
 know but we cried." 
 
 "Now, Dick, don't be a fool," chimed in Smith, 
 but there was a suspicious tremor in his voice. 
 
 "Well, Captain," continued Darling, "you know 
 
236 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 the rest, how we got away with the sentinel, and 
 you came to us." 
 
 "I know I shall never forget your devotion," 
 answered Fred; "two more faithful friends a man 
 never had." 
 
 "Look a-here, Captain," said Smith, in an 
 aggrieved tone, "I want you to stop sayin' that. 
 Wasn't you wounded and taken prisoner savin' m" 
 wuthless carcuss?" 
 
 "Well, Smith," replied Fred, with a smile "we 
 shall have to call it quits, and say no more." 
 
 Smith shook his head as if he thought the obliga- 
 tion was still on his part. 
 
 While Fred was in the hospital an incident 
 occurred which must not be overlooked. One day 
 there came through the ward one of those angels 
 of mercy who devoted their lives to the care of the 
 sick and wounded. She was a beautiful girl, but 
 her face wore an expression of the deepest sadness. 
 As she would glide from couch to couch, speaking 
 a word of cheer here, smoothing a pillow there, the 
 eyes of the suffering would brighten, and blessings 
 followed in her train. 
 
 No sooner did Fred catch sight of her than he 
 stretched out his arms and cried, "Mabel! Mabel!" 
 
 In a moment Mabel Vaughan, whom he had once 
 rescued from a mob in Louisville, was by his side. 
 
 "Fred! Fred! is this you?" she exclaimed. 
 "You don't know how glad I am to see you — but 
 not this way — not this way," and she smoothed 
 back the hair from his temple, and pressed as pure 
 
"TOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE:' 237 
 
 and holy a kiss as ever sister gave a brother on his 
 forehead. 
 
 "The sight of you will make me well, Mabel," 
 said Fred, gayly, and it really did seem that her 
 presence was better than medicine. 
 
 When some of the officers who had witnessed the 
 meeting between Mabel and Fred rallied him over 
 the beautiful nurse, he looked distressed and said, 
 "Boys, let me tell you her history," 
 
 Then he told how he had rescued her from the 
 mob, of the miniature flag she wore on her breast, 
 and afterward how her betrothed wore it, how it 
 was returned to her all crimsoned with his heart's 
 blood, and now she was devoting her life to the 
 cause for which he had died. 
 
 They listened to the story, and after that Mabel 
 Vaughan was in their eyes more of an angel than 
 ever. There was not a soldier in that ward but 
 would gladly have laid down his life for her. 
 
 There was one in the ward who listened to the 
 story with closed eyes, and who seemed to take no 
 interest in it. This was Captain. Ainsworth, who 
 lay on his sick bed praying for death. He thought 
 he could never love or have faith in woman again, 
 yet the very woman that he condemned had per- 
 jured herself that his life and honor might be saved. 
 
 The month of November had come and gone 
 before Fred was well enough to resume his duties. 
 The army he had left in Kentucky was now 
 camped in and around Nashville, Buell had been 
 relieved of his command. When it was known that 
 
238 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Bragg was on his retreat from Kentucky, Halleck 
 planned in his office at Washington another of 
 his brilliant paper campaigns. He ordered Buell 
 to march into Eastern Tennessee. Buell showed 
 the impossibility of making the movement, and 
 absolutely refused to obey the order. He had 
 already suffered enough for Halleck's mistakes. 
 Halleck responded by removing him. In this Hal- 
 leck did wisely, for Buell had lost the confidence of 
 his army. Exceedingly unpopular before the battle 
 of Perryville, he was much more so afterwards. As 
 in the summer he had to bear the sins of Halleck 
 as well as his own, so at Perryville he was not only 
 blamed for his own blunders, but for the greater 
 ones of others. To a great degree Buell made the 
 Army of the Cumberland ; yet he left it unmourned, 
 and most cordially hated by the great majority of 
 his men and officers. 
 
 His successor was Major General William Rose- 
 crans, "Old Rosy," as the boys called him. He 
 was fresh from his great victory at Corinth, and was 
 well received by the army. But the heart of the 
 whole army was with General Thomas; he it was 
 who should have been appointed to the command ; 
 it rightfully belonged to him. Halleck made the 
 lame excuse that as he had appointed Thomas once, 
 and he had refused, he could not appoint him 
 again. But no one besides Halleck ever saw the 
 force of the excuse. 
 
 Fred did not learn what had befallen Kate until 
 after his return to duty. He was horror-stricken 
 
''YOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHEr 239 
 
 when told that she had been convicted as a spy 
 and was confined in Fort LaFayette. The whole 
 story was told him. He saw it all. To clear 
 Ainsworth she had convicted herself. 
 
 "I remember Ainsworth," said Fred; "he was in 
 the hospital with me. I never saw any one whose 
 countenance expressed such utter hopelessness. 
 He looked to me like a man who wanted to die. 
 No wonder; he should hang himself." 
 
 "Hang himself!" exclaimed the officer with 
 whom he was talking, in surprise. "Why?" 
 
 "For letting a woman — " Fred stopped; what 
 good would it do to say that Kate had told a lie, 
 and that Ainsworth was really guilty? So he added, 
 "For being a milksop, and being made a fool of by 
 a chit of a girl." 
 
 "He evidently was very much in love with her," 
 replied the officer. ' ' It was the fact that he thought 
 she had been sentenced to death that made him 
 burst a blood vessel. But, Captain, I can't blame 
 Ainsworth much. Many a man has sold his birth- 
 right in paradise for a woman less lovely. Zounds ! 
 you should have seen her before the court-martial. 
 She put me in mind of a Grecian goddess." 
 
 "She is worth a dozen of Ainsworth," said Fred, 
 bitterly, as he turned away. He went to his 
 quarters perfectly dejected. To save Nashville he 
 had imprisoned his cousin, and she a girl nurtured 
 in luxury. What should he do? Go and see her 
 at once? No, she probably knew the part he had 
 acted, and would turn from him with scorn. 
 
240 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "My beautiful, noble Cousin Kate!" he ex- 
 claimed, as he walked the floor in agony. "To partly 
 undo the wrong you did Ainsworth, you convicted 
 yourself. I will save you if I have to move heaven 
 and earth." 
 
 He at once went to General Thomas and told 
 him the whole story. The General was greatly 
 interested. 
 
 "She must be a grand girl," said the general; 
 "it can do no good to keep her in prison longer, as 
 we shall soon move on beyond Nashville, and her 
 power for harm will be gone. What do you want 
 me to do. Captain?" 
 
 "Give me a personal letter to President Lincoln, 
 recommending a pardon," answered Fred. 
 
 "I will gladly do that," replied Thomas, and the 
 general sat down and wrote the letter. Then he 
 said, "Wait a moment, Captain, I want you to 
 take another letter to the President on some private 
 matters." 
 
 It took him much longer to write this letter than 
 it did the other. After thanking General Thomas 
 for his kindness, Fred went to see General Negley. 
 That ofBcer received him with the greatest con- 
 sideration. 
 
 "Captain," he said, with evident emotion, "I 
 shall never forget that it was through you I received 
 the information that enabled me to save Nashville. 
 If the city had been captured I should have been a 
 ruined man. I owe you more than I ever can 
 repay." 
 
^'TOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE." ^^^^l 
 
 "No, you do not, General, " answered Fred; "I 
 have come to ask a favor of you, now, which, if 
 granted, will make me your debtor." 
 
 "What can it be?" asksd Negley, in surprise. 
 
 "That you give me a letter to the President, 
 asking him, as a personal favor, to grant a full par- 
 don to my cousin, Kate Shackelford." 
 
 Negley' s countenance fell. "Captain," he 
 answered slowly, "you have asked me a hard thing. 
 I admire the girl; but there is no doubt of her 
 guilt. She came near losing us Nashville. I have 
 had a great deal of trouble here with the Rebel 
 women. They must be taught they cannot act the 
 spy with impunity. Liberate this girl, and it will 
 encourage the whole brood." 
 
 "But if every woman in Nashville should turn 
 spy, they could do little harm now. General, I ask 
 this as a personal favor." 
 
 "As a personal favor I will grant your request, 
 but on no other grounds." And the general wrote 
 the letter. 
 
 Securing a leave of absence for ten days, Fred 
 started for Washington. He had no trouble in 
 securing an audience with the President. He 
 had never seen Abraham Lincoln before, and 
 looked on his ungainly figure and careworn, homely 
 face with great interest. Through his dark, sor- 
 rowful eyes, was seen the great sympathetic soul of 
 the man. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln looked at Fred in surprise when he 
 was ushered into his presence. "I was told that 
 
242 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Captain Shackelford, chief of General Thomas's 
 scouts, wished to see me," he said. 
 
 "I am Captain Shackelford," replied Fred, mod- 
 estly. 
 
 "Well, well," replied Mr. Lincoln, with a twinkle 
 in his eye, "it does beat all how quick they sprout 
 captains out West; your business, Captain." 
 
 Fred told him his mission, and handed him the 
 letters of Generals Thomas and Negley, and also 
 gave him Thomas's private letter. 
 
 Mr. Lincoln first read the letters of Thomas and 
 Negley, relative to granting the pardon. "This," 
 said he, taking up the other letter, "you say, is a 
 private communication from General Thomas?" 
 
 "Yes, Mr. President." As Mr. Lincoln read, he 
 glanced at Fred curiously. At last he said, "Cap- 
 tain, come to me at nine o'clock this evening; I shall 
 then be free from the cares of state. I want some 
 conversation with you on affairs around Nashville. 
 I will then, also, consider your request." 
 
 Fred thanked him and passed out. Going back 
 at the appointed time he found the President alone. 
 
 "Captain, "said Mr. Lincoln, "General Thomas's 
 letter tells me you have had a most wonderful career, 
 and have performed services of the utmost value to 
 the country. You look young for one who has done 
 so much. You must tell me all about yourself; I 
 have so many grave matters to attend to that a story 
 of adventure Avill cheer me up." 
 
 So Fred gave him a brief account of his life from 
 his meeting with Nelson. When h^ ?arne to tell 
 
"TOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHE." 243 
 
 Mr. Lincoln of his riding past the place of his birth 
 the President was greatly amused. 
 
 "That," said he, "confirms the Scriptures, 'A 
 prophet hath no honor in his own country.'" 
 
 When Fred had finished, the President sat a short 
 time with a look of the deepest sadness on his face ; 
 he then said : 
 
 "Yours has been a remarkable career. Captain. 
 The spirit of that sainted mother, whose dying 
 hand pointed out the path in which to walk, must 
 have protected you through all your dangers." He 
 suddenly ceased talking, and fell into a reverie. 
 His face assumed a look of the deepest melancholy, 
 and he sighed deeply. Was he thinking of that 
 lonely, neglected grave in Indiana? 
 
 Arousing himself, he continued: "Pardon me. 
 Captain, I nearly forgot your errand ; your request 
 is granted." With a few strokes of his pen he 
 wrote a full pardon for Miss Kate Shackelford, 
 convicted of being a spy, and handed it to Fred, 
 saying, "Here is what you asked; it is little to give 
 for what you have done. May you still be pro- 
 tected in the midst of dangers." 
 
 With a full heart Fred thanked him, and the in- 
 terview was over. He never saw Mr. Lincoln again. 
 
 As fast as the train could carry him, Fred 
 went to New York, and hastened to the fort where 
 Kate was confined. He found her sitting in her lonely 
 cell, the bloom of her cheek gone, but her spirit 
 still unconquered. When she saw who her visitor 
 was, she sprang to her feet, her eyes flashing. 
 
244 ON GENERAL THOM^IS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Why pollute my prison cell with your hated 
 presence?" she cried. "Out of my sight, dog, 
 traitor! You contaminate the very air I breathe." 
 
 "Kate! Kate!" exclaimed Fred, "don't; your 
 words cut like a knife. You know not what you say. ' ' 
 
 "Is it not owing to you that I am here?" she 
 answered, in tones of the utmost scorn. "You 
 betrayed me, you delivered me over to be hanged, 
 for all you cared. You have left me here to lan- 
 guish in this vile place, without one word of pity. 
 Out of my sight before I spurn you!" And she 
 turned her back on him. 
 
 "Kate, for God's sake hear me! You do me 
 wrong. I was sick — sick unto death ; I knew noth- 
 ing of your arrest, trial, and sentence. Kate, as 
 soon as I heard, I came to you. I have learned all. 
 I was confined in Forrest's headquarters and over- 
 heard your interview with Breckinridge and Forrest. 
 I escaped and gave the alarm, but had no thought 
 of betraying you. I know )'-ou received the counter- 
 sign of Ainsworth, and in the nobleness of your 
 soul you saved him — saved him because he had 
 loved and trusted you, and you had deceived him. 
 Kate, you are a heroine — I am proud of you ! But 
 see what I have brought you ; how would you like 
 a letter from home?" 
 
 In spite of herself the word "home" brought 
 tears to the eyes of the proud girl. 
 
 "Put it down," she said, brokenly; "I cannot 
 bear to receive it from your hand." 
 
 Fred put the pardon down, and stepped back a 
 
"TOU CONTAMINATE THE AIR I BREATHED 245 
 
 few feet. The girl turned and snatched the letter 
 up. So great was her eagerness she did not 
 notice it was an official document. She was hungry 
 to hear a word from those she loved. As she read, 
 her eyes dilated ; then, as she grasped the full 
 import of what she read, the paper dropped from 
 her trembling hands, and with a cry of "O Fred, 
 Fred, forgive me!" she flung herself into his arms, 
 and burst into a flood of tears. 
 
 "There, there, Kate, it's all right, don't cry! 
 it's home, mother, Bessie." And taking her by 
 the hand he led her out into the glorious sunlight 
 of heaven. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 STONE RIVER. 
 
 WHEN Fred returned to duty, he found things 
 greatly changed. Of the fine body of 
 scouts he had organized only Smith and Darling 
 remained. The others had been assigned to duty 
 elsewhere, or had been ordered to their respective 
 commands. 
 
 General Rosecrans was a stranger to him, nor 
 was General Thomas as highly esteemed by Rose- 
 crans as by Buell. Rosecrans had rapidly concen- 
 trated his army around Nashville with the intention 
 of attacking Bragg, who lay at Murfreesboro, only 
 thirty-two miles away. Skirmishes took place 
 almost daily between the outposts of the two 
 armies. 
 
 Bragg had placed his army in comfortable winter 
 quarters, thinking that Rosecrans would not ven- 
 ture to attack him. In fact, so harried was Rose- 
 crans by the Confederate cavalry in cutting his 
 communications, that Bragg confidently believed 
 he would be obliged to retreat. To bring this 
 about he sent away nearly two-thirds of his cavalry. 
 Two brigades under John H. Morgan were to oper- 
 ate against the Louisville and Nashville railway, 
 
 246 
 
STONE RIVER. 247 
 
 and two brigades under Forrest were to raid West 
 Tennessee. 
 
 Morgan had his usual good luck. He struck the 
 railroad at Bacon Creek, and swept to within twenty- 
 miles of Louisville, capturing the forces at Bacon 
 Creek, Nolen, Elizabethtown, and Muldraugh Hill. 
 At the latter place he burned two long trestles, 
 each over a thousand feet long, thus effectually 
 crippling the road. In his report Morgan says that 
 on this raid he captured and paroled 1,877 prison- 
 ers, and destroyed over two million dollars worth of 
 property, with a loss of only two killed, twenty- 
 four wounded, and sixty-four prisoners. He was, 
 surely, the scourge of the Army of the Cumberland. 
 
 Forrest, at first, was also very successful in his 
 raid, capturing several towns with over twelve hun- 
 dred prisoners. Among these prisoners was no less 
 a personage than Colonel Robert G. IngersoU, 
 afterwards the celebrated agnostic lecturer. 
 
 It is related that a Confederate trooper drew up 
 his gun to shoot IngersoU when but a few feet from 
 him. But the quick wit of the skeptic saved him. 
 
 "Hold on!" shouted IngersoU, "I have been 
 waiting for the last hour to recognize your blamed 
 old Confederacy." 
 
 The witticism pleased the soldier immensely, and 
 IngersoU was treated with the greatest consideration. 
 But Forrest came to grief on the thirty-first of 
 December at Parker's Cross-Roads, when he was 
 badly defeated with the loss of several hundred 
 men, and most of his artillery. 
 
248 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 With two-thirds of the Confederate cavalry gone, 
 Rosecrans saw his opportunity. If he intended 
 to attack Bragg at all, now was the time. While 
 Christmas bells were ringing, and children all over 
 the world were singing, "Peace on earth, good 
 will to men," Rosecrans gave orders to advance, 
 and forty-five thousand men marched forth to 
 battle. 
 
 The evening of December 30, 1862, found Rose- 
 crans 's army drawn up in battle array before the 
 Confederate hosts. For miles the long lines 
 extended through fields, tangled woods, and cedar 
 thickets. Between Rosecrans's army and Murfrees- 
 boro flowed the little stream of Stone River, whose 
 clear waters were destined to run red with the blood 
 of brave men. 
 
 As on the death of some barbaric kings hundreds 
 of their subjects were slain to accompany them to 
 the land of spirits, so did the expiring Old Year 
 1862 demand the slaughter of thousands that he 
 might not pass into the realm of shades unattended 
 and alone. 
 
 Rosecrans's plan of battle was complete. At 
 early dawn the army was to take the step forward 
 that would bring on the terrible struggle. Darkness 
 came, and nearly a hundred thousand men sank 
 down to rest, their only covering God's sky, their 
 thoughts far away with the loved ones at home. 
 But, even before a battle, weary soldiers sleep 
 peacefully. There would be no running away on 
 the part of Bragg this time ; there would be a battle. 
 
STONE RIVER. 249 
 
 The strength of the opposing armies was nearly 
 equal; the conflict would be a desperate one. 
 
 In the silence which rested over the sleeping 
 army, General Thomas and Fred sat talking. Fred 
 had just ridden up and made his last report. He 
 had been over on the right, and had told the gen- 
 eral the condition of affairs as he had found them. 
 
 After Fred had made his report. General Thomas 
 sat buried in thought for some time, then said: 
 
 "I do not like what you have told me, Captain. 
 I sincerely trust things are not as bad on the right as 
 you think." Then with a grave face, and without 
 another word, he turned and sought his quarters. 
 
 "What is it, Shackelford, that has so alarmed 
 you about the right?" asked a brother staff officer, 
 who had overheard the last remark of General 
 Thomas. 
 
 "Many things," answered Fred. "The line is 
 badly posted for one thing. I heard General Rose- 
 crans tell General McCook so, but that general said 
 it was as good as he could make it, and there has 
 been no change." 
 
 "McCook ought to know," replied the officer. 
 
 "McCook," answered Fred, "holds the post of 
 danger. You know our army is massed on the left, 
 and Rosecrans is to make his main attack there. 
 McCook is simply ordered to hold his ground. But 
 in my scout this evening I found that the Rebel left 
 extended clear beyond McCook's right. I so 
 reported, and McCook ordered Johnson's division to 
 the right." 
 
250 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "That is one of the largest and best divisions in 
 the army," said the officer, "it ought to hold its 
 own." 
 
 "So it had, but what are the facts? General 
 Johnson, the commander of the division, has made 
 his headquarters a mile and a half in the rear of his 
 division." 
 
 "What!" cried the officer, sharply, "and occupy- 
 ing the post of danger?" 
 
 "That is not the worst," continued Fred; "he 
 has halted his reserve brigade near his headquarters. 
 General Kirk, who commands one of Johnson's ad- 
 vance brigades, came to him and begged of him to 
 send the reserve brigade up to within supporting dis- 
 tance, but he peremptorily refused, and yet McCook 
 told Johnson that he would not be surprised if half 
 of the Rebel army were down on him in the morn- 
 ing. I tell you there is going to be trouble on the 
 right. How I wish General Thomas were in com- 
 mand there." 
 
 "So do I," replied the officer, with an oath; "I 
 do not see what Rosecrans is thinking of. Here is 
 Thomas, the ablest general in the army, with the 
 smallest command. Both McCook and Crittenden 
 have larger, and have the posts of danger, and of 
 honor, but I hope it will come out all right." 
 
 "God grant it," replied Fred; "but I have my 
 doubts." 
 
 Morning — the last morning of the old year — broke 
 cold, gray, and foggy. Rosecrans commenced his 
 movement on the left early. Van Cleve's division 
 
STONE RIVER. 25 1 
 
 crossed the river without opposition, Wood was 
 preparing to follow when there came the sound of 
 battle from the right. This was what Rosecrans 
 rather expected and wished for. If Bragg massed 
 his forces against McCook, it would make the task 
 of Crittenden so much easier. Surely McCook 
 could hold his ground, and that was all that Rose- 
 crans wished. As the sound of conflict on the right 
 increased, Rosecrans hurried up the movement on 
 the left. His hopes of victory were high. Already 
 he saw Murfreesboro within his grasp. 
 
 An aide to General McCook galloped up and told 
 him that the right had been attacked by an over- 
 whelming force. 
 
 "Tell McCook," replied Rosecrans, "to hold his 
 ground stubbornly, and if he must fall back, to do so 
 slowly. Tell him to hold an hour, and all will be 
 well. By that time Bragg will have enough to do 
 to attend to his own imperiled right." 
 
 The roar of battle grew fiercer, and another aide 
 came galloping furiously to Rosecrans. "The right 
 is crushed!" he gasped. 
 
 Rosecrans rode back a short distance and looked. 
 Already across the fields to the right and rear 
 fugitives had begun to drift. The roar of the bat- 
 tle was appalling. Every moment the signs of 
 demoralization and defeat became more and more 
 apparent. 
 
 Rosecrans' s hopes sank. He saw that now, 
 instead of being the aggressor, he must fight for 
 the very existence of his army. 
 
252 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 With a heavy heart, he countermanded the order 
 for the advance on the left, ordered Wood and Van 
 Cleve back from across the river, and turned his 
 horse's head toward the right, where the battle was 
 raging. 
 
 Long before day General Thomas was up. He 
 saw that every commanding officer was with his 
 command, every regiment in its place. Just as the 
 sun had begun to dispel the fog, there came from 
 the right the sound of battle. 
 
 "The expected has come," exclaimed General 
 Thomas; "McCook is heavily attacked." 
 
 "General," said Fred, "let me ride over that 
 way, I may learn something of value." 
 
 "You can go," answered Thomas, "but report 
 back as soon as possible ; the battle may strike our 
 front at any moment." 
 
 When Fred neared the scene of conflict, a ter- 
 rible sight met his view. First came a few soldiers, 
 fleeing as for their lives, then broken detachments, 
 then fragments of regiments clinging together, turn- 
 ing once in a while, like stags at bay, to fight, only 
 to be borne back again. Johnson's whole division 
 had been broken, shattered as by an earthquake 
 shock. 
 
 From the fugitives, Fred learned the whole shame- 
 ful story. Back in his headquarters, a mile and a 
 half away, Johnson had paid no attention to his divi- 
 sion. General Willich, commanding the right bri- 
 gade, became impatient to see General Johnson, and 
 leaving his brigade, rode back to his headquarters. 
 
STONE RIVER. 253 
 
 He had not reached his destination when the attack 
 came. It was in the nature of a surprise, so unex- 
 pected, so swift was it. Through the fog the Con- 
 federates had approached the Union lines. They 
 had no skirmishers out, but came on in sohd 
 line of battle. Hardly had the pickets discovered 
 their danger when, like a mighty wave, the Confed- 
 erates swept over them, and on to the line of battle. 
 In five minutes after the first alarm, the right 
 brigades were crushed and in retreat. Willich, hear- 
 ing the conflict, turned to ride back to his brigade, 
 but was met by the Confederate advance, who killed 
 his horse and captured him. General Kirk, com- 
 manding the second brigade, was mortally wounded, 
 leaving the right without a general. Thus the two 
 brigades were shattered and broken at the very first 
 onset. 
 
 This is the story Fred heard, and, sick at heart, 
 he rode back at full speed. He found General 
 Thomas cool but anxious. 
 
 "How is it?" he cried, as soon as Fred reined in 
 his horse. "How bad is it?" 
 
 "As bad as bad can be," bitterly answered Fred. 
 "Johnson's division is annihilated. Davis is being 
 attacked in front, flank, and rear; his right brigade 
 was already giving way as I left. It had to, or be 
 captured. When Davis goes it will be Sheridan's 
 turn, then ours." 
 
 "Then you think the whole right will be swept 
 back?" asked Thomas hurriedly. 
 
 "Yes," answered Fred. "Hark! Davis is 
 
254 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 being driven back now. The roar of battle is 
 sweeping down Sheridan's lines. It will reach us in 
 a moment. Ah ! there go the guns of Negley. 
 General, we are in for it." 
 
 "Go tell Negley," said Thomas, "of the situa- 
 tion; tell him to look well to his right, but to hold 
 on as long as possible." 
 
 The wave of battle now rolled on from right to 
 left, and soon the whole line was engaged. The 
 heavens grew black with smoke. The shouts of the 
 combatants, the shrieks of the wounded, the roll of 
 musketry, the thunder of cannon, all commingled 
 in one dreadful chorus. 
 
 Everywhere along the front the enemy was hurled 
 back, except on the right — there they crept around 
 on flank, and in rear, and brigade after brigade crum- 
 bled away. The cedar thickets smoked and flamed 
 like volcanoes. Trees and rocks were shattered with 
 shot and shell. At last, after fighting long and 
 hard as only tried veterans under dauntless 
 leaders can fight, out of the cedars the men 
 of Davis and Sheridan were forced. Cannon, with 
 the wheels of the carriages smashed against the 
 rocks and trees, went bounding along over the 
 ground, the horses on the full run. The open 
 fields were soon filled with the shattered regiments 
 slowly seeking safety in the rear. 
 
 Rosecrans ordered a new line to be formed on 
 rising ground along the Nashville road. But the 
 Confederates had to be stopped, or they would be 
 
STONE RIVER. 255 
 
 upon the line before it could be formed, and all 
 would be lost. 
 
 Now came the supreme moment for the heroic 
 Thomas. On him rested the salvation of the army. 
 He it was who must check that headlong pursuit. 
 Turning to Fred, he said : 
 
 "Go tell General Rousseau to change front to 
 the right, to throw his division in between the 
 retreating army and the enemy, and to hold his 
 position until ordered back. Tell him to do this 
 if every man falls." 
 
 The hero of Perryville smiled grimly when he 
 received the order. "Tell General Thomas," he 
 said, "it shall be done." 
 
 Throwing his division into a depression in the open 
 field, a short distance from the cedars, Rousseau 
 formed his lines, and awaited the onset. He did 
 not have a minute to wait. Out of the cedars the 
 exulting Confederates poured, confident of an easy 
 victory. 
 
 Instead of a fleeing, panic-stricken mass as they 
 expected, they were confronted by a solid line of 
 men. Before the withering volley of Rousseau's 
 legions they reeled and staggered, and then broke 
 and fled wildly back into the cedars. But it was 
 only to rush out again more determined than ever, 
 to be driven back once more. 
 
 For twenty minutes the conflict raged ; for twenty 
 minutes the smoke arose in great clouds; for 
 twenty minutes that human torrent of Confederates 
 was held back. 
 
256 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 General Thomas sat on his horse, and without 
 changing countenance watched the dreadful conflict. 
 At the end of twenty minutes he said to Fred, 
 "Go tell Rousseau to fall back, the line is formed." 
 
 Through the smoke and iron tempest Fred rode. 
 His horse went down.* Catching a riderless one, 
 which came galloping by, he mounted and dashed 
 on. 
 
 Rousseau received the order, and with their faces 
 to the foe, his men fell back, leaving nearly half of 
 their number dead and wounded. It was the turn- 
 ing point of the battle. There was to be no more 
 retreating. Like a great door the army had swung 
 back, until the line ran at a right angle with the 
 one held in the morning. Only the extreme left 
 held its position. It was the pivot on which the 
 army had swung. This point, known as the Round 
 Forest, now became the key to the battlefield. 
 This taken, Bragg's victory would be complete. 
 Against the Round Forest Bragg now hurled his 
 legions in overwhelming numbers. They were 
 flung back only to re-form and come on again. 
 
 Rosecrans saw the danger, and rode down into 
 the thickest of the fight to encourage his men and 
 to hurry forward reinforcements. 
 
 His staff was scattered, only his chief of staff, 
 Garesche, being with him. He asked General 
 Thomas for an aide, and Fred was sent to him. 
 Through the tempest of shot and shell, accom- 
 
 *Fred never rode Prince in time of battle, if he could avoid 
 it. The horse's life was too valuable to him. 
 
STONE RIVER.] 257 
 
 panied by Garesche, Fred, and three orderlies, 
 Rosecrans rode. One after another the orderlies 
 went down in death. Suddenly Fred saw the head 
 of Garesche disappear, as if by magic, the red blood 
 spouted high, and then the headless trunk toppled 
 to the ground. Covered with the blood of his 
 beloved Garesche, with white face and compressed 
 lips Rosecrans dashed on, and the Round Forest 
 was reached. 
 
 "Hold! Hold!" he shouted, "Reinforcements 
 are on the way!" The soldiers recognized their 
 commander, and cheer after cheer rent the air. 
 
 Napoleon at Lodi was not a grander figure than 
 was Rosecrans when he took that ride to the Round 
 Forest. 
 
 It was Nelson's old division that held the Forest. 
 Fred recognized the familiar faces, and with soul on 
 fire, he rode along the line, swinging his hat, and 
 cheering like a maniac. 
 
 The powder-begrimed soldiers caught sight of 
 him, and a shout went up of "Nelson's young 
 scout! Nelson's young scout!" 
 
 A color-bearer waved his flag at him and cried, 
 "It was presented to us by Nelson; a reward for 
 valor at Shiloh. No — " The words died on his 
 lips, and he pitched forward on his face dead — a ball 
 had pierced his brain. 
 
 Before the flag which fell from his dying hands 
 had reached the ground, it was snatched by a young 
 sergeant and waved aloft. The .hands which held 
 it up were those of Hugh Raymond. He had 
 
258 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFE. 
 
 been exchanged, and was now back with his com- 
 pany. 
 
 Fred had time only to wave a salute to the young 
 soldier when the Confederates came sweeping for- 
 ward to the charge once more, and clouds of smoke 
 veiled the scenes of carnage enacted. 
 
 Along the whole line the battle now raged, but 
 firm as adamant the Federals stood, and everywhere 
 the Confederates were driven back. The short 
 winter day drew to a close, and the sound of battle 
 died away. 
 
 In the darkness. Federal and Confederate com- 
 mingled, picking up and caring for their dead and 
 wounded. It was a work of mercy in which neither 
 side was molested. 
 
 The light of the new year dawned, but the con- 
 flict was not renewed. All day the armies lay like 
 two great wounded beasts growling at each other. 
 Now and then a great gun would spit fire and 
 smoke, and a shell would go shrieking on its way, 
 as if challenging a renewal of the battle. Spiteful 
 skirmish firing would break out for a time, and then 
 die away in scattered shots. The carnage had been 
 so great the day before, both armies had to breathe.* 
 
 *The battle of Stone River, for the number of men engaged, 
 was one of the bloodiest battles of modern times. The actual 
 number of troops engaged on both sides was 85,000. Of this 
 number 20,000 were killed and wounded, or nearly twenty-five 
 per cent. Besides his killed and wounded, Rosecrans lost nearly 
 4,000 prisoners. His total loss was thirty-one per cent of his 
 entire force. In addition to this, Wheeler raided the rear, and 
 destroyed nearly 1,000 wagons and killed thousands of horses 
 and mules. The turnpike from Lavergne to Murfreesboro was 
 one scene of destruction, half-burned wagons and the car- 
 
STONE RIVER. 259 
 
 On the afternoon of the second of January Bragg 
 massed his forces for the last desperate effort. Then 
 came that magnificent charge of Breckinridge's divi- 
 sion, a charge that was as daring as Pickett's charge 
 at Gettysburg. Fifty cannon smote his ranks with 
 their iron hail, and bleeding and torn, his division 
 was hurled back. 
 
 The struggle for the possession of Murfreesboro 
 was over. On the night of the third of January 
 Bragg retreated, leaving some two thousand of his 
 wounded, but no munitions of war. Rosecrans won 
 Murfreesboro, but nothing more. But for Johnson 
 the victory might have been a great one. As for 
 General R. M. Johnson, no excuse he could give, 
 nothing he ever did afterward, can atone for his 
 criminal carelessness at Stone River. From their 
 bloody graves hundreds of heroic dead cry out to 
 accuse him. 
 
 casses of animals literally paving the way. At the close of the 
 first day's fight, Rosecrans was worse defeated than was Mc- 
 Clellan in any of his battles before Richmond, than Hooker at 
 Chancellorsville, or even than he himself was when he fled from 
 the field of Chickamauga. It was only by hanging on that he 
 won. Neither general kept any reserve. The field of Stone River 
 is one that the North and the South can point to with equal 
 pride. Here, nearly equal in numbers, the men of the North 
 and the South battled for three days before Bragg sounded the 
 retreat, and then it was with ranks unbroken, and a rear so 
 solid that it bade defiance to pursuit. It was so nearly a drawn 
 battle that neither side has cause to boast, except of the valor 
 of its soldiers. Stone River, like Chickamauga, is the common 
 heritage of the American people. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 A VALIANT HUSBAND. 
 
 FOR six months after the battle of Stone River 
 the Army of the Cumberland made no ad- 
 vance. But during this time there were several 
 minor engagements which arose to the dignity of 
 battles, to say nothing of innumerable skirmishes. 
 The Confederate cavalry, under Morgan, Wheeler, 
 and Forrest, continually harassed the outposts, and 
 made a number of important captures of isolated 
 commands. 
 
 On the third of February Wheeler and Forrest, 
 combined, made a determined assault on Dover, 
 near the site of Fort Donelson, but after several 
 hours of desperate fighting were repulsed with the 
 loss of several hundred killed and wounded. 
 
 Among the killed was Lieutenant Louis Garrard, 
 the betrothed of Kate Shackelford. During the 
 fight Lieutenant Garrard was conspicuous for his 
 bravery, and was killed by a bayonet thrust while 
 inside a line of entrenchments he had carried. 
 
 Fred was shocked when he heard of Garrard's 
 death, for he had conceived a strong attachment for 
 the gallant Confederate officer. He at once 
 repaired to Nashville, where he found Kate com- 
 pletely prostrated with the news. 
 
 260 
 
A VALIANT HUSBAND. 261 
 
 "Oh, Fred!" she wailed, "go and get his body. 
 It fell into the hands of the Federals, and you know 
 how the 'dead Rebels,' as they call them, are 
 buried." 
 
 So Fred went to Dover, procured the body, had 
 it placed in a neat metallic casket, and brought it 
 to Nashville. 
 
 Poor Kate ! How Fred pitied her as she hung 
 sobbing over the dead body of her lover! Yet she 
 was but one out of millions stricken by the war. 
 For four long years this was a land of tears and 
 agony. 
 
 Under the direction of General Thomas, Fred 
 had again organized a small company of scouts, and 
 these few men became as great a source of trouble 
 to Morgan and Wheeler as those raiders were to 
 the Union forces. At the earnest request of Fred, 
 Hugh Raymond had been detailed as one of his 
 company. As for John Smith of Kentucky, he 
 was continually chafing because Morgan was not 
 captured. 
 
 "It 'pears to me," he said to Fred one day, 
 taking a big chew of Kentucky twist, "that our 
 ginerals is a big set of mutton-heads. Here Mor- 
 gan goes scootin' and cavortin' 'round, and doin' 
 jist as he blame pleases. Blast my hide! give me 
 the command of a rigiment, an' I will catch him, 
 myself." 
 
 "Now, Smith," replied Fred, with a smile, "you 
 are reflecting on your captain." 
 
 "No, I ain't," answered Smith, with vehemence. 
 
262 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "You hev had command of no rigiment. If you 
 had, Morgan would hev bin gobbled long ago. 
 Hevn't we whipped him every little brush we hev 
 had with him?" 
 
 "We have given him a little trouble, that's so. 
 Smith." 
 
 "A little!" answered Smith, with a toss of the 
 head. "If it hadn't been fur us Morgan would 
 hev had half the army by this time. Jist look at 
 Forrest over on the right, gobbling some of our 
 men most every day, jest because we air not thar. " 
 
 "You mean the Thompson Station and Brent- 
 wood affairs, Smith, do you not?" asked Fred. 
 
 "Yes; nice affairs, wa'n't they?" 
 
 "Well, Smith, you should remember that Gen- 
 eral Gilbert, the hero of Perryville, was in com- 
 mand at Franklin at that time." 
 
 "That's so, an' he put his men in their little beds 
 to sleep, jest as they did at Corinth, and in the 
 mornin' Forrest and Van Dorn had 'em. Darn 
 such ginerels, I say!" 
 
 "Pretty well put, Smith," answered Fred, 
 laughing, "but I have news for you. We are to go 
 on a scout to-night, and try to locate Morgan." 
 
 "Hull company goin'. Captain?" 
 
 "No; I shall only take you and Darling and 
 Hugh." 
 
 "Good; I am jest dyin' fur a little excitement." 
 
 "You may get more excitement than you want, 
 Smith,." replied Fred. "We shall start about 
 dark, so be ready." 
 
A VALIANT HUSBAND. 263 
 
 A little after dark Fred, accompanied by the three 
 named above, left Murfreesboro by the Liberty pike. 
 A rapid ride of two hours took them beyond Mil- 
 ton, where they ran into a squad of Morgan's men, 
 and a few shots were exchanged. The fact that 
 neither party knew the strength of the other made 
 both wary. Morgan's men soon fell back. Fred 
 now left the pike and took a rough country road ; 
 to stay on the turnpike was too dangerous, and he 
 wanted to locate Morgan's main force if possible. 
 
 After going several miles, they came in sight of 
 camp-fires, and Fred knew that Morgan's whole 
 force was before him. Advancing cautiously they 
 came to a house from which a light was still gleam- 
 ing, late as it was. As they looked, the door of 
 the house opened, the sounds of voices and laughter 
 were heard, and soon three Confederate ofificers 
 came out, mounted their horses, and rode away 
 toward the camp-fires. 
 
 "Wouldn't that have been a fine haul!" whis- 
 pered Hugh, regretfully, as they disappeared in the 
 darkness. 
 
 "There may be more in the house," replied 
 Fred, "at least we may be able to get some infor- 
 mation. We are as close to Morgan as we can get 
 with safety." 
 
 A hurried consultation was held, and it was 
 agreed that Smith should interview the house, the 
 others holding themselves in supporting distance. 
 Riding boldly up to the door, Smith called out, 
 "Hello! in thar!" 
 
264 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 There was a sound of low whispering, of shuf- 
 fling feet, and then a voice asked, "Who is thar?" 
 
 "A Kentuckian, looking for Morgan's com- 
 mand," answered Smith. "Open the door." 
 
 There was more whispering, and then a woman's 
 sharp voice said : 
 
 "Morgan's command is in camp not over a mile 
 from here. You can't miss it." 
 
 "But I want to ask some questions; open the 
 door. A party o' Yanks is near; they will be here 
 in a few minutes," 
 
 There was an exclamation of surprise, and then 
 a man's voice was heard expostulating with the 
 woman, but she ended the argument by saying: 
 "Out of my way, Nathan! If you are afraid to 
 open the door, I am not." 
 
 There was the sound of a key turning in the lock, 
 the door was thrown open, and the form of a 
 woman darkened the doorway. Smith stared at 
 her in surprise. She was large, very large, but her 
 form was as perfect as if carved by the hand of a 
 sculptor. Her hair, which was luxuriant, shone in 
 the lamplight like burnished copper, and her com- 
 plexion would have been the delight of a city belle. 
 Despite her size she was a strikingly handsome 
 woman, and would have attracted attention any- 
 where. Behind her stood a meek-looking little 
 man who kept saying, "Now, Maggie, don't be 
 rash! don't be rash!" 
 
 "Shut up, Nathan," commanded the woman. 
 
A VALIANT HUSBAND. 265 
 
 and then to Smith, "Did you say a party of Yanks 
 were near?" 
 
 "Yes, right at my heels." 
 
 The woman sprang back in the house, snatched 
 a long dinner horn from a peg, and coming to the 
 door, commenced to blow it vigorously. 
 
 "What's that fur?" demanded Smith. 
 
 No answer, but toot! toot! toot! went the horn. 
 
 "Stop that!" commanded Smith, striking down 
 the horn. 
 
 By this time, seeing something was wrong, Fred 
 and Darling appeared on the scene, leaving Hugh 
 to care for the horses. 
 
 "Yanks!" yelled the woman, as she attempted 
 to give the horn another toot. 
 
 "Yanks!" shrieked the man, as he turned and 
 made a dive under the bed. 
 
 The horn was again struck down, and with a curse 
 the woman made a dive for a revolver which lay on 
 a bureau. But Fred's quick eye detected the 
 movement, and with a bound he caught her before 
 she reached the weapon. She fought with the fury 
 of a tiger, and it would have gone hard with Fred 
 if Darling had not pinioned her arms from behind 
 and held her as in a vice. As it was, she tried to 
 bite, and emitted yell after yell. 
 
 "Madame," said Fred, firmly, "stop that noise 
 or I will have you gagged." 
 
 "Make this ruffian let me go," she panted. 
 
 "If you promise to behave yourself and make no 
 
266 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 noise I will have him let you go. If you do not, 
 I will have you bound and gagged." 
 
 Seeing the uselessness of resistance, she promised, 
 and Darling set her free. 
 
 "Where is Nathan?" she asked, looking around. 
 
 "Those must be his feet sticking out from under 
 the bed," laughed Fred, as he pointed to the 
 offending members. 
 
 "Oh, the coward! the coward!" she ejaculated. 
 "If he had only fought like a man." 
 
 "Let's see what Nathan looks like," said Fred. 
 "Darling, pull him out." 
 
 Darling seized hold of the protruding feet, and 
 with a sudden jerk landed Nathan in the middle of 
 the floor. Then taking him by the ear, he raised 
 him to his feet and stood him before his incensed 
 spouse. 
 
 "There he is, Maggie," said Darling; "what 
 shall we do with him?" 
 
 "Look at him!" cried the woman, with the 
 utmost scorn in her voice. "See him shake! Oh, 
 the coward! the coward!" "Look at him!" she 
 continued. "Isn't he a nice specimen for a woman 
 to be tied to?" 
 
 The demon of mischief took possession of Fred, 
 and winking at his companions, he solemnly said: 
 "Boys, it is plain to be seen that Nathan here has 
 played the craven, and deserted his dear wife in the 
 hour of her extremity. What shall be his punish- 
 ment?" 
 
 ' ' Death ! ' ' said Darling, in a deep sepulchral voice. 
 
A VALIANT HUSBAND. 267 
 
 "Death," echoed Smith. 
 
 The woman started, looked earnestly at Fred, 
 then seeing by his countenance that nothing serious 
 was contemplated, she turned away as if she had no 
 further interest in the proceedings. 
 
 The man fell on his knees. "Oh! mercy, 
 mercy!" he gasped. 
 
 "A husband who so cowardly deserted his dear 
 wife as you have done," answered Fred, "deserves 
 no mercy. But she shall plead for you. It is for 
 her to say whether you shall live or not." 
 
 "Maggie, Maggie!" wailed Nathan, "you will 
 not let these men murder me ! Tell them what a 
 good husband I have been; how I love you!" 
 
 Maggie stood unmoved. 
 
 "She refuses to plead for such a cowardly 
 wretch," said Fred. "Take him out, boys, and 
 hang him." 
 
 "Maggie! Maggie!" shrieked the thoroughly 
 affrighted husband, "don't let them hang me. Oh, 
 Maggie!" and the wretch groveled at her feet, and 
 tried to kiss the skirt of her dress. 
 
 She spurned him away with her foot. 
 
 "No use, Nathan," coldly remarked Fred, "your 
 wife declines to say a word in your favor. I 
 reckon you will have to hang." 
 
 "Maggie! Maggie! speak. I will be your slave. 
 Oh! mercy! mercy!" 
 
 "Get up, Nathan Beech," said the woman, curtly. 
 "Such a coward as you don't deserve to live, but 
 I will give you one chance for your life. Promise 
 
268 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 to join Captain Mathews's company and fight for 
 your country hke a man, and I will ask these Yan- 
 kees to spare your life." 
 
 "I know what you want," whined Nathan. 
 "You want to get me killed, so you can get Cap- 
 tain Mathews. Oh! I have seen you billing and 
 cooing together." 
 
 "Take and hang him!" snapped Mrs. Beech, 
 her eyes flashing fire. 
 
 "Oh! Maggie, I didn't mean it! I will jine! I 
 will jine!" 
 
 "I don't know that I can allow Nathan to become 
 a soldier, Mrs. Beech," remarked Fred. "He will 
 make such a valiant one I am afraid we Yankees 
 will stand no chance." 
 
 "No danger," replied Mrs. Beech, with a curl of 
 the lip. 
 
 "Well, Nathan," continued Fred, "as I promised 
 your wife to do as she said, I shall have to abide 
 by her decision. But see that you do as she 
 desires, or it will be the worse for you." 
 
 "Leave him to me. Let him back out if he 
 dares," said his wife, ominously. 
 
 "By the way, Mrs. Beech," exclaimed Fred, "I 
 came nearly forgetting something. Give Captain 
 Mathews my compliments. Tell him Captain Fred 
 Shackelford sends them." 
 
 "Do you know Captain Mathews?" asked the 
 woman, turning an inquiring look on him. 
 
 "Quite well, madame; he stole my horse." 
 
 "You He. Captain Mathews is a gentleman. 
 
A VALIANT HUSBAND. 269 
 
 It's no stealing to take a horse from a thieving 
 Yankee." 
 
 "Tut! tut! Maggie, don't call names. Was 
 Captain Mathews one of those officers who rode 
 away just as we came?" 
 
 "Yes, yes," spoke up Nathan. "Blast his pic- 
 ture! He is hanging around here half of his time." 
 
 "Nathan!" said his wife, casting a withering look 
 on him. 
 
 "I didn't mean anything, Maggie — indeed I 
 didn't. I'll jine the company right away," stam- 
 mered Nathan, turning pale. 
 
 "Well, Mrs. Beech," politely remarked Fred, as 
 he took off his hat and made a low bow, "I am 
 sorry, but the time has come for us to part. Many 
 thanks for your cordial reception. As for Nathan, 
 I wish you joy of so valiant a husband." 
 
 For answer the angry woman consigned Fred to 
 a very warm place. 
 
 "Poor Nathan," laughed Fred, as they rode 
 away; "it ought to be a relief to him to be in the 
 army. 
 
 "Yes," repHed Darling, "the army should be a 
 very quiet, peaceful place for Nathan." 
 
 "I don't blame the 'oman," growled Smith. 
 "Andrew Jackson! how did she come to marry 
 such a sniveling coward? I rather like that 'oman, 
 I do." 
 
 "Hello!" cried Fred, "has Nathan another 
 rival?" 
 
 "Not if Smith knows himself," answered the 
 
270 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 old scout; "but I kinder like the sperrit of that 
 'oman, danged if I don't. She has gi'it." And 
 Smith took his accustomed chew of tobacco, and 
 relapsed into silence. 
 
 On Fred's return to Murfreesboro he made his 
 report to General Thomas, and told him where 
 Morgan was encamped. 
 
 "How I would like to catch him!" said the gen- 
 eral. "Our communications are not safe a single 
 day while he is at large. I would send a division 
 against him, but it would be no use; he would run. 
 We ought to have more cavalry. Rosecrans has 
 urged this on Halleck, but he seems deaf to all 
 entreaties. I do not see that we can do any- 
 thing." 
 
 "It's a hard case, General," answered Fred. 
 
 "Captain," suddenly said General Thomas, "I 
 am going to risk sending out a small force against 
 Morgan — one that he may be induced to attack. 
 A good infantry brigade ought to whip him. How 
 many men do you think Morgan has?" 
 
 "I should say at least three thousand; but a 
 good infantry brigade of fifteen hundred, with a 
 battery, ought to hold their own against him, 
 especially if the commander be the right kind of 
 man. I don't believe Morgan would attack a larger 
 force. He is wary." 
 
 "I will try it," answered the general. "Hold 
 yourself and scouts in readiness to accompany the 
 brigade to-morrow." 
 
 The next morning Colonel A. S. Hall's brigade 
 
A VALIANT HUSBAND. 271 
 
 of General Reynolds's division was ordered to 
 march after Morgan. If he showed any inclina- 
 tion to attack, they were to draw him as near 
 Murfreesboro as possible, select a good position, 
 and fight him to the death. Reinforcements would 
 be sent if necessary. 
 
 Marching northeast on the Liberty turnpike, 
 Colonel Hall met with no serious resistance until 
 the second day out, when he reached a point beyond 
 Statesville. Here Fred brought back word that 
 Morgan's whole force was advancing. 
 
 Morgan, through his scouts, had ascertained the 
 strength of Colonel Hall's command, and antici- 
 pated an easy victory. Colonel Hall, as soon as he 
 received the intelligence from Fred that Morgan 
 intended to fight, commenced to fall back. This 
 made Morgan more sanguine of victory, think- 
 ing the Federals were trying to avoid battle, and he 
 eagerly pressed forward. 
 
 On reaching a point near Milton, Colonel Hall 
 formed his men in a circle around a hill, posting 
 his artillery on the summit, so it could be made to 
 bear in any direction. 
 
 Hardly was the line formed before Morgan's men 
 were on them, charging with terrific yells. But 
 the charge was easily repulsed. 
 
 Morgan found that he had not as easy a task as 
 he anticipated ; so he dismounted his men, sur- 
 rounded the hill, and charged from all sides, only 
 to be driven back. Time after time did the Con- 
 federates charge with the most desperate valor, but 
 
272 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 everywhere they were met with solid ranks, and 
 were forced to fall back. 
 
 In one of these charges a young ofiRcer led his 
 company to the very muzzles of the Federal guns. 
 Suddenly the officer found himself alone. His men 
 had been shot down or had retreated. Surrender 
 he would not; to retreat was death. A hundred 
 rifles were leveled on him. He calmly folded his 
 arms and awaited the fatal volley. To his horror 
 Fred recognized his cousin, Calhoun Pennington. 
 He tried to cry out, but his voice died away. But 
 no rifles blazed. Along the Union lines ran the 
 cry, "Don't shoot ! don't shoot! He is too young 
 and brave to die!" 
 
 Not a shot was fired, and a cheer swept along 
 the line. Calhoun acknowledged it by raising his 
 hat, and turning, walked calmly back. 
 
 Fred sobbed for joy. "Boys," he cried, "the 
 age of chivalry is not past. No knights of old ever 
 did a more magnanimous deed!" 
 
 For four hours the battle raged, and then, baffled 
 at all points, Morgan sullenly withdrew with a 
 loss of nearly five hundred men. It was the most 
 crushing defeat he had ever experienced, and was 
 the beginning of the misfortunes which culminated 
 in his complete overthrow a few months later. 
 
 In this battle Fred and his scouts performed the 
 most valiant service, and received the thanks of 
 Colonel Hall, and what pleased Fred better, the 
 warmest commendation of General Thomas. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 CONWAY'S REVENGE. 
 
 THREE weeks after the battle at Milton, Gen- 
 eral David S. Stanley, in command of the 
 Federal cavalry, concluded he was strong enough to 
 attack Morgan in his stronghold at Snow Hill. 
 The battle was short and conclusive. Morgan's 
 men, disheartened by their defeat at Milton, fled at 
 almost the first fire, breaking up into small detach- 
 ments. Several of these detachments were over- 
 taken by parties of the Federals, and a number of 
 severe conflicts took place. 
 
 In one of these encounters Fred made a brilliant 
 charge at the head of his scouts, putting to utter 
 rout a company of Confederates, killing and cap- 
 turing some twenty of them. Among the prisoners 
 was Captain Mathews. He surrendered only when 
 Fred had shot his horse and had him covered with 
 his revolver. 
 
 "No use kicking, Captain," cried Fred, 'T 
 have the drop on you. Surrender!" 
 
 With a curse Mathews dropped his weapon, and 
 growled, "You have me now, Shackelford, but I 
 will have you some day," 
 
 "It looks as if it was my horse you wanted, 
 273 
 
274 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 instead of me," replied Fred, "and you must have 
 wanted him badly to send two thieves to steal him." 
 
 Mathews winced. "I will be riding that hoss of 
 yours yet, when you are in , " he blurted out. 
 
 "Be careful he doesn't throw you," answered 
 Fred, sarcastically. "Prince wants some one astride 
 of him who knows how to ride. 
 
 This touched Mathews in a tender spot, for he 
 prided himself on his horsemanship. 
 
 "Look here, boy, Jim Mathews never lets him- 
 self be insulted with impunity," he said, white 
 with rage. "I now wish Morgan had let Conway 
 hang you. But mark my word, I will be even with 
 you; see if I am not." 
 
 "Here, Smith," said Fred, turning to the old 
 scout, "I place this gentleman in your care. He 
 seems to be a little out of temper now." 
 
 "He had better keep a civil tongue in his head if 
 I have charge of him," retorted Smith, threaten- 
 ingly. 
 
 Mathews looked at the old scout, considered dis- 
 cretion the better part of valor, and relapsed into a 
 sullen silence. 
 
 "The captain feels ruther cut up," said one of 
 Mathews's soldiers who had been captured Avith 
 him. "Can't blame him much, seein' he's jest bin 
 married." 
 
 "Married?" echoed Fred. "Captain Mathews 
 just been married?" 
 
 "Yes, he and the Widder Beech spliced the other 
 day." 
 
COJVWAr'S REVENGE. 275 
 
 "What! not the wife of Nathan Beech?" asked 
 Fred, in surprise. 
 
 "Yes, Nathan Beech that war," responded the 
 soldier. 
 
 "Why, man alive, Nathan Beech was alive and 
 well not over two weeks ago." 
 
 "Deader than a herrin' now. Blown to pieces 
 by a shell." 
 
 "Tell us about it," said Fred, and the men 
 crowded around to hear the story. 
 
 "Well," replied the soldier, "it war jest this 
 way : Nathan Beech war the blamedest little coward 
 you ever see. His wife is a stunner. Hair as red 
 as a turkey's gobble; but I tell you she is a looker. 
 And grit ! she has more in her little finger than 
 Nathan had in his whole body. The captain took 
 a shine to her the first time he ever seen her. One 
 day — it war the day before the fight at Milton — 
 blast my eyes! if Mrs. Beech didn't bring Nathan 
 in camp and have him enlist. The little fellow 
 shook so he couldn't sign his name, and we all 
 cussed over having sech a coward in the company. 
 But Captain Mathews he laughed, and said it war 
 all right. The next day, when the first shell came 
 shriekin' over us, Nathan jest give an awful yell, 
 and, turnin' his boss, went for the rear as if every 
 Yank in creation war arter him. We had to laff to 
 see him go. Would you believe it, the very next 
 shell that was thrown went over our heads and took 
 Nathan, kerplunk! Thar wasn't enough left of him 
 
276 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 to make a decent corpse. A week afterwards the 
 bereaved widder married the captain." 
 
 "I should think Mathews would rejoice that he 
 has been captured," said Fred. 
 
 "Don't know about that," replied the soldier. 
 "They seemed as happy as two kittens. She is a 
 powerful handsome 'oman, and she is mighty proud 
 of the captain." 
 
 On their return to Murfreesboro Fred turned over 
 his prisoners. The next day they were placed on 
 board the cars to be taken to Nashville, thence 
 North. Fred happened to be at the depot as they 
 were taking the train, and Captain Mathews, seeing 
 him, said: 
 
 "Well, Shackelford, you are on top now, but it 
 will be my turn next. Mark my word, I will ride 
 that hoss of yours yet." And mockingly touching 
 his hat, he took his place with the rest of the pris- 
 oners. 
 
 Fred thought the threat mere bravado, but he 
 was startled a few hours later on hearing that For- 
 rest had captured the train and liberated the pris- 
 oners. For the first time Fred felt a thrill of 
 superstition. What if the tables should be turned, 
 and he a prisoner in the hands of the infuriated 
 captain? Such a thing might come about by the 
 chances of war, but there was no use of borrowing 
 trouble. 
 
 In all of his numerous encounters with Morgan 
 Fred had never met or even seen Calhoun Pennington 
 except that time during the battle of Milton. But 
 
COIV WAT'S REVENGE. 277 
 
 a few days after the escape of Captain Mathews, in 
 one of his scouts he fell in with a detachment of 
 Morgan's men, and he soon discovered that they 
 were in command of Calhoun. Hoisting a white 
 handkerchief, Fred rode forward and made himself 
 known. A truce was at once declared, and the 
 cousins met in friendly embrace, instead of deadly 
 conflict. 
 
 Calhoun now wore the bars of a captain, and 
 laughingly told Fred he could not crow over him 
 any more. 
 
 "Do you know," said Calhoun, "that your old 
 friend Conway is now a major? Morgan has little 
 use for the fellow, but he was enabled to secure the 
 promotion through some outside influence. I 
 reckon I shall have to fight the fellow yet. He has 
 taken a violent dislike to me, I suppose because I 
 am your cousin. Mathews is also quite bitter 
 against you ; but he is not vindictive, though he 
 swears by all the prophets he will yet have Prince." 
 
 The cousins had to talk fast, and they were just 
 about to bid each other good-bye, when there came 
 the sound of rapid firing from the direction in which 
 Fred had left his command. 
 
 "What's that?" exclaimed Fred, as he wheeled 
 his horse to gallop back. To his surprise more than 
 a hundred Confederates were charging down on 
 him, and at their head rode Major Conway and 
 Captain Mathews. There was no escape; Fred 
 was in a trap. 
 
 When Calhoun saw them he turned slightly pale, 
 
278 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 but speaking hurriedly to Fred, he said: "Do not be 
 alarmed, I will explain. It would be an outrage 
 to hold you a. prisoner. " 
 
 No sooner did Conway see Fred than he cried: 
 "Captain Shackelford, by all that's great! Luck is 
 with me this time." 
 
 "And, Captain, you will oblige me by letting me 
 have that hoss of mine," said Mathews, with mock 
 politeness. 
 
 "Gentlemen," said Calhoun, with forced calm- 
 ness, "you are laboring under a mistake. Captain 
 Shackelford met me here under a flag of truce. As 
 honorable soldiers we can do no more than let him 
 return as free as he came." 
 
 "A very modest request," sneered Conway. 
 "This traitor and spy escaped me once through 
 your instrumentality. I will see that he does not 
 again." 
 
 "Major Conway," replied Calhoun, trembling 
 with passion, "this is an outrage. Captain Shack- 
 elford is under my protection, and if you have no 
 honor, I have. I told you I met my cousin here 
 under a flag of truce." 
 
 "Who gave you authority to meet Captain 
 Shackelford under a flag of truce?" roared Conway. 
 "Not only will I hold Shackelford a prisoner, but 
 your own conduct shall be inquired into. It looks 
 very much like treason." 
 
 Calhoun grew deadly pale, and reached for his 
 revolver. Conway's life would have ended then 
 and there if Fred had not grasped his cousin's arm. 
 
coNWAr:s revenge. 279 
 
 "Don't, Calhoun," pleaded Fred, "don't imperil 
 your standing or your life by defending me; it will 
 do no good." 
 
 "Captain Mathews," exclaimed Conway, "arrest 
 Captain Pennington. You all here are witnesses to 
 the fact he has had treasonable communications 
 with the prisoner here ; and when charged with the 
 crime attempted to kill me." 
 
 In a moment Calhoun was disarmed and placed 
 under arrest. 
 
 "Captain Mathews," said Conway, "take a 
 strong escort, and conduct Captain Pennington to 
 division headquarters. Not to Morgan, remember." 
 
 "Why not to Morgan?" asked Calhoun. 
 
 "Because this is a case for higher authority than 
 a brigade commander," answered Conway. 
 
 "It is because," retorted Calhoun, "you know 
 Morgan will not believe your black lies, and you 
 want to poison the minds of those higher in author- 
 ity before he or I can get a hearing." 
 
 Conway's face became as black as a thunder- 
 cloud. "If you were not a prisoner, I would call 
 you to an account for that language," he exclaimed. 
 "As it is, you are beneath my notice. Away with 
 him, Mathews." 
 
 "First, Major," said Mathews, "let me change 
 bosses with Captain Shackelford. You know I 
 promised myself that pleasure." 
 
 "All right. Captain; be quick about it." 
 
 Fred knew that it was of no use to protest. He 
 was also stunned with the misfortune which had 
 
2 So ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 overtaken Calhoun. Dismounting, he placed 
 Prince's bridle in Mathews's hand, and controlling 
 his feelings by a powerful effort, he said, "Captain, 
 I ask nothing for myself, but be kind to the 
 horse." 
 
 Mathews was touched. Like Fred, he loved a 
 good horse. "Don't worry. Captain," he answered 
 quietly. "I shall see the boss has good treatment. 
 Then I leave you a good mare in his place. Molly 
 is all right, as you will find. And I will loan her 
 to you to ride to McMinnville." 
 
 "Good-bye, old fellow, good-bye!" murmured 
 Fred, as he patted Prince on the forehead ; his heart 
 was too full to say more. 
 
 The rough troopers were touched by this parting 
 between master and horse. They could have seen 
 Fred shot, and laughed over his death agony, but 
 this affection between man and steed they under- 
 stood. More than one of them had left a faithful 
 horse to die, and gone on their ways, with wet eyes. 
 
 Fred watched Mathews as he rode away, and 
 waved Calhoun a last adieu. 
 
 After the party was lost to view, Conway said to 
 the senior officer of his command: "Captain, 
 march the command back to McMinnville. I will 
 detail six men and take the prisoner here to Tulla- 
 homa. I reckon General Bragg would like to inter- 
 view him." 
 
 Thus saying, he chose six of the most villainous- 
 looking soldiers in the whole command as the 
 escort. After riding with the main body for about 
 
CONWAT'S REVENGE. 281 
 
 a mile the major took a road which led directly 
 toward Tullahoma. About two miles further on 
 they came to a place where the wood came down 
 to the road and a wide-spreading tree afforded a 
 most delightful shade. Under this tree Major 
 Conway halted, and ordered his men to dismount. 
 Then for the first time he spoke to Fred. 
 
 "Do you know what I am going to do with 
 you?" he asked, abruptly and with a scowling coun- 
 tenance. 
 
 "Going to take me to Tullahoma, as you said, I 
 suppose," answered Fred. 
 
 "I am going to kill you," he replied with a fear- 
 ful oath. Fred started. For a moment every- 
 thing grew black before him, and he came nearly 
 falling. Controlling himself by a powerful effort, 
 he said: "Surely, Major Conway, you must be 
 joking. To kill a prisoner in cold blood is simply 
 murder. Honorable soldiers do not wage warfare 
 that way." 
 
 ' ' To kill a traitor and a spy is no crime, ' ' retorted 
 Conway. 
 
 "You dare not kill me!" cried Fred. "The Con- 
 federate generals are not murderers. Morgan, 
 Wheeler, Bragg, would bring you to a swift 
 account." 
 
 A look of devilish triumph came into Conway's 
 face as he answered: "Prisoners sometimes try to 
 escape. You are going to try to escape, and will 
 get shot for your trouble. Every man here will 
 swear to it, won't you, boys?" 
 
282 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Of course," replied the men, grinning from ear 
 to ear. With them it was only a huge joke. 
 
 Fred saw it all — the damnable plot, the low" cun- 
 ning of Conway. He swallowed a great lump that 
 arose in his throat ; then he stood calm and col- 
 lected. If die he must, the villain who stood gloat- 
 ing over him should not see him falter or tremble. 
 
 "Major Conway," said Fred, in a low, steady 
 •voice, "you are a disgrace to the uniform you wear. 
 Brave, honorable men wear it, but you are a sneak, 
 a coward, and a murderer," 
 
 "Bray ahead, my laddie," said Conway, chuck- 
 ling, and taking out his watch. "You have just 
 two minutes to live, and you had better say your 
 prayers — though precious little good they will do 
 you — instead of abusing me." 
 
 "To pray in sight of such a wretch as you would 
 be sacrilege," answered Fred. "Two minutes of 
 time is of little consequence to make one's peace 
 with his Creator. It is by my whole life I shall be 
 judged, and I trust in the mercy of a just God." 
 
 Never did the earth look more beautiful to Fred, 
 never did life seem more sweet. The sun was shin- 
 ing brightly; the leaves of the trees, stirred by the 
 zephyr, made low, soft music; from out of the 
 wood came the notes of feathered songsters. One 
 long, lingering look on earth and sky, and then 
 calmly folding his arms, Fred said, "/«;;/ ready ^ 
 
 Conway raised his revolver; there was no pity in 
 his relentless eyes. Like a chiseled piece of statu- 
 ary Fred stood. Even the rough, hardened 
 
Calmly folding his Arms, Fred said, " I am ready." 
 
CON WAT'S REVENGE. 283 
 
 wretches looking on uttered exclamations of admira- 
 tion. 
 
 Suddenly there came the sharp crack of carbines. 
 Major Conway gave a bound in the air, a curse died 
 away on his lips, and he fell a limp, lifeless clod of 
 earth. 
 
 At the same time two of the soldiers sank moan- 
 ing to the earth. Again the carbines rang out, and 
 three more of the soldiers fell. 
 
 There was a cheer, and Smith, Darling, and 
 Hugh came bounding on the scene. The only 
 Confederate left unharmed fell on his knees and 
 begged for mercy, but in the excitement he was not 
 noticed. 
 
 "Saved!" whispered Smith, and he threw his 
 arms around Fred, while great tears rolled down 
 his weather-beaten cheeks. 
 
 "Saved!" cried Darling, and the great-hearted 
 fellow seized Fred's hand and nearly wrung it off. 
 
 "Saved!" shouted Hugh, and he threw his hat 
 in the air, and commenced turning somersaults, 
 a way he had when he was excessively pleased. 
 He brought up face to face with the surviving Con- 
 federate. 
 
 "Hello!" he exclaimed, "who have we here? 
 Why haven't you joined your comrades?" And he 
 drew his revolver. 
 
 "Mercy! mercy!" gasped the fellow. 
 
 "And yet you would have murdered the captain 
 here in cold blood!" thundered Hugh. 
 
 "It wasn't me; it was the major, " he blubbered. 
 
284 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Hugh," said Fred sternly, "you would not 
 shoot a prisoner?" 
 
 "No, Captain; but I would like to scare the life 
 out of him, the murdering villain. What shall I 
 do with him?" 
 
 Fred looked at the fallen Confederates. Two of 
 them were not dead. "Let him stay and care for 
 his wounded comrades," he said. "We must get 
 away as soon as possible. Here, fellow, if we let 
 you go, you will tell Morgan just how this hap- 
 pened?" 
 
 * * Yes, yes — everything. 
 
 "Then let us be going, for I hear the trampling 
 of horses' feet," continued Fred. "The firing 
 must have attracted the attention of some roving 
 band of the enemy." 
 
 "I see them!" shouted Smith. "Quick, Cap- 
 tain; mount one of the horses and follow us." 
 
 Jumping onto the horse he had ridden, Fred fol- 
 lowed the three scouts, who had plunged into the 
 woods and were running at the top of their speed. 
 A race of two hundred yards brought them to where 
 their horses were hitched. In a trice they were 
 mounted, and all four were away; but as they rode 
 there were borne to their ears the cries of horror 
 which the Confederates uttered when they discov- 
 ered the bodies of their slain comrades. 
 
 A swift ride of a couple of miles took Fred and 
 his companions out of danger. They now took the 
 main road, and had not gone far when they met a 
 regiment of Federal cavalry galloping to the front. 
 
COJVWAr'S REVENGE. 2S5 
 
 The news of Fred's capture had been brought 
 back by the excited scouts who had escaped. The 
 colonel commanding the regiment had ordered a 
 swift pursuit, hoping to effect a rescue. 
 
 When Fred and his companions were discovered, 
 the column halted, and three cheers were given. 
 The story of the fight and Fred's almost miraculous 
 escape from death was told, and then the enthusi- 
 asm of the soldiers knew no bounds. They crowded 
 around Smith, Darling, and Hugh, and nearly shook 
 their hands off, and would have carried them on 
 their shoulders if permitted. 
 
 When Murfreesboro was reached, and supper 
 eaten, Fred said, "Now, boys, tell me how you 
 came to rescue me." 
 
 "Thar is not much to tell," replied Smith. 
 "What thar is, let Dick tell." 
 
 "As Smith says, ' answered Darling, "the story 
 is not a long one. When you rode forward to meet 
 your cousin of course we expected no attack, and 
 so were kind of careless. But Hugh, there, you 
 know, is always gaping around to see what he can 
 discover. We were suddenly startled by hearing 
 Hugh yell, 'Thunder! there come the Rebs!' 
 Looking up we saw, not three hundred yards away, 
 at least two hundred Rebs charging down on us. 
 They were in between us and you, and the only 
 thing for us to do was to cut and run. They fired 
 on us, but did us no particular damage. One or 
 two of the men were scratched, I think. They did 
 not follow us far, and we halted to hold a council 
 
286 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 of war. To say we were mad over your capture 
 puts it mildly ; we were wild. I never saw Smith 
 so excited. He struck his carbine on the ground 
 so hard that he broke it, and shouted, 'It's all a 
 damnable plot on the part of that cousin of his.' 
 
 "No, no," broke in Fred, "that is a mistake. 
 Calhoun would sooner die than be a party to such 
 treachery. He is now under arrest, and in danger 
 of being court-martialed for trying to protect me. 
 It was all the work of Conway." 
 
 "I am glad to hear that," answered Darling, "for 
 every man of us swore eternal vengeance against 
 young Pennington. After consultation it was 
 decided that Smith, Hugh, and myself should fol- 
 low the Rebels up, and try and keep track of you, 
 while the others should go back for help. Fortu- 
 nately the cleared fields did not extend more than 
 three hundred yards back from the road, and by 
 riding rapidly through the woods we soon came in 
 sight of the party that captured you. When we 
 saw the party separate, and that Major Conway 
 with an escort of only six men turned off with you 
 into a crossroad, we fairly shouted for joy. Put- 
 ting spurs to our horses, we dashed through the 
 woods at breakneck speed in order to get ahead of 
 the major and his party. After riding about two 
 miles, we came to a place where the woods came 
 down to the road, and at once planned an ambus- 
 cade. Leaving our horses back in the woods, we 
 crept close to the side of the road and awaited the 
 coming of Conway. We did not have long to wait, 
 
COATWAr'S REVENGE. 287 
 
 but to our surprise Conway halted just before he 
 reached us, and you all dismounted. We soon saw 
 something unusual was going on; so we crept back, 
 and got within about fifty yards of you undiscov- 
 ered. Then, to our horror, we saw that Conway 
 was going to murder you. We had no time to 
 lose; each of us selected a man. Smith taking Con- 
 way, for he is the best shot. Just as Conway was 
 raising his revolver to shoot you, we fired. You 
 know the rest." 
 
 "I know," said Fred, with the glad tears stand- 
 ing in his eyes, "that you saved my life, and I can 
 never repay you." 
 
 " 'No more of that, Hal, an thou lovest us,' " 
 exclaimed Hugh, in a theatrical tone. Hugh had 
 become the possessor of a dilapidated copy of 
 Shakespeare, and had put in his spare hours 
 around camp reading it, and he was very fond of 
 quoting the great dramatist. 
 
 "You will have to get more girth, Hugh, before 
 you can personate Falstaff, " laughed Fred; but 
 the incident served to dispel the somber clouds, and 
 soon it was forgotten how near to death one of 
 their number had been. 
 
 But there was one thing Fred could not forget — 
 Prince was gone. It was a terrible blow to him. 
 That night he could not sleep. Once in a while, 
 he would start up trembling with excitement, 
 thinking he heard the well-known whinny. Then 
 the fact that Prince was gone would force itself 
 upon him, and the burning tears would course 
 
288 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 down his cheeks. Who is there that will call him 
 weak? 
 
 Two days afterwards there came a great surprise. 
 A courier from General W. B. Hazen, who com- 
 manded the Federal outpost at Readyville, came 
 riding up to General Thomas's headquarters, leading 
 a splendid horse. Dismounting, he inquired for 
 Captain Fred Shackelford. Fred was summoned, 
 and when he saw the horse he stopped as if turned 
 to stone. Then he shouted, "Prince! Prince!" 
 and in a moment his arms were around the horse's 
 neck, and he was talking to him as a lover would 
 talk to his beloved. As for Prince, he fairly trem- 
 bled with excitement, and fondled his master like a 
 dog. 
 
 The surprise over, Fred thanked the courier, and 
 asked him how he had secured the horse. For answer 
 the man handed Fred a letter. He opened it, and 
 to his astonishment read : 
 
 McMiNNviLLE, Tenn., May 5, 1863. 
 Captain Fred Shackelford, Federal Army. 
 
 My Dear Captain : I have heard from Captain Pennington 
 the story of your unlawful capture. No officer of mine ever 
 shall, by my consent, violate his word of honor, or cause another 
 officer to do so. 
 
 I have also heard from the lips of the soldier whose life and 
 liberty you spared of Major Conway's treachery, and how he 
 would have murdered you in cold blood. I blush that I had 
 such an officer in my command. He deserved the fate he met. 
 It may please you to learn that your cousin, Captain Penning- 
 ton, has been released from arrest, and commended for his 
 honorable conduct. 
 
 I have great pleasure in returning to you your horse. He is 
 a noble steed, worthy of his gallant owner. If you can see 
 
CON WAT'S REVENGE. 289 
 
 your way clear, although you are under no obligations to do so, 
 to return Captain Mathews's mare, the act will be greatly 
 appreciated, as the captain feels considerably cut up, in being 
 obliged to return your horse. 
 
 Respectfully yours, 
 
 John H. Morgan, 
 
 Brigadier-General, C. S. A. 
 
 "Hurrah for Morgan!" shouted Hugh, who had 
 joined the crowd around the horse and listened to 
 the reading of the letter, and in his joy he turned 
 no less than six somersaults. 
 
 "I forgive him for cutting our cracker line so 
 often," laughed Dick Darling. 
 
 "I would forgive him half the crimes in the deca- 
 logue," said Fred. 
 
 It is needless to say that when the courier 
 returned to Ready ville he took Captain Mathews's 
 horse with him, and not only that, but a warm let- 
 ter of thanks to General John H. Morgan. 
 
CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA. 
 
 THE recovery of Prince was one of the most 
 pleasing of Fred's army experiences. It also 
 gave him a new insight into the character of the 
 great raider. It showed that Morgan was as chival- 
 rous as he was daring. Henceforth Morgan had 
 no warmer friend than Fred. 
 
 Army affairs being a little quiet, Fred asked and 
 received permission for himself and Hugh to visit 
 Nashville. It was some time since he had heard 
 from his aunt, and he was very anxious to learn 
 how Kate was getting along. 
 
 He received a warm welcome, both from his aunt 
 and Kate; but he noticed with pain that Kate was 
 not the merry, light-hearted girl that she had been. 
 The death of her brother and her lover, and the 
 terrible experience through which she herself had 
 passed, had made her a woman. Her whole heart 
 was bound up in the cause of the South, and every 
 evening she would turn her face toward the Capitol 
 and shake her little fist at the flag floating from the 
 dome, with the words "One day less to float." 
 Yet her extreme bitterness toward the North was 
 not so pronounced as it had been. Hugh she toler- 
 
 290 
 
THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA. 291 
 
 ated, because he had saved Fred's life, and the two 
 became great friends. 
 
 Fred learned from his aunt that but a few days 
 before she had heard in an indirect way from her 
 husband, as well as from General Shackelford. 
 
 Both were well, and both full of hope that the 
 cause of the South would yet triumph. 
 
 Fred and Hugh stayed a week at the hospitable 
 home of Mrs. Shackelford, and Fred noticed that 
 Kate had become much livelier and more like her 
 old self. The company of the light-hearted, merry 
 Hugh was well calculated to arouse her from her 
 despondency. 
 
 The day before Fred must return, he asked Kate 
 if she knew anything of Captain Ainsworth. 
 
 Kate colored, and replied that she had not 
 heard of him since that eventful day before the 
 court-martial. 
 
 "Let me tell you of him," said Fred. "Captain 
 Ainsworth is here in the hospital. He was wounded 
 near unto death at the battle of Stone River, and 
 for weeks his life was despaired of, but he is now 
 convalescent." 
 
 "I did him a great wrong," said Kate, in a low, 
 trembling voice, "and to partly right it I perjured 
 my soul." 
 
 "No, no, Kate; that lie will be forgiven. It was 
 one of the noblest acts of your life, for I well know 
 the heart agony it has caused you. Kate, let me 
 tell you more of Ainsworth. He is really a grand 
 fellow, and comes of a fine family. No doubt he 
 
292 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 loved you to distraction, for which I don't blame 
 him, for, cousin mine, you are very beautiful." 
 
 "There, there, Mr. Fred, no flattery. You 
 ought to be ashamed of yourself;" but she ended 
 her protest by kissing him, 
 
 "The knowledge of your deceit nearly killed 
 him," continued Fred, "but full as keen was the 
 knowledge that he had been so weak as to forget his 
 duty as a soldier. That you considered his honor 
 or his life worth saving was to him a matter of sur- 
 prise. When the Stone River campaign began 
 he arose from his sick-bed and insisted on accom- 
 panying his regiment, against the earnest protests 
 of the surgeon. 
 
 " 'It will kill you,' said the surgeon. 
 
 " 'So much the better,' answered Ainsworth. 
 
 "During the battle, his men tell me, he acted as 
 a man determined to die. He refused all shelter, 
 and was among the foremost in the fiercest charges. 
 It is said he saved the regiment at a critical time. 
 A major's commission awaits him when he returns 
 to his regiment." 
 
 "Fred," said Kate, looking her cousin full in the 
 face, "why do you tell me all this? If Captain 
 Ainsworth still cherishes any affection for me, I am 
 sincerely sorry. How can he after what has hap- 
 pened? I know I wronged him deeply, and I want 
 you to take me to him to ask his forgiveness. This 
 done, I never want to see him again. My heart lies 
 buried in the grave with Louis Garrard. Even if 
 
THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA. 293 
 
 this were not so, I would rather die than marry an 
 enemy of my country, and I would rather suffer ten 
 thousand deaths than marry Philip Ainsworth. But 
 I can and should ask his forgiveness." 
 
 "Kate," said Fred, "you are not only a heroine, 
 but what is better, a Christian. I will gladly go 
 with you to the hospital. There is a young lady 
 there, a nurse, I should like to have you meet. 
 You may have heard me speak of her — Miss Mabel 
 Vaughn, the one I rescued from the mob at Louis- 
 ville." 
 
 Kate's lip curled in scorn. "Thank you," she 
 replied coldly, "I do not think my Christianity 
 makes it incumbent on me to become acquainted 
 with Yankee nurse girls." 
 
 Fred flushed. "Mabel Vaughn," said he, "is 
 neither a nurse girl in the way that you mean, nor 
 is she a Yankee. She is a native Kentuckian, fully 
 your equal in birth, and far more than your equal 
 in wealth. She is in the hospital because she loves 
 the cause of the North fully as much as you love 
 the cause of the South, Like you, Kate, she is in 
 mourning; her betrothed fell at Shiloh." 
 
 Kate's eyes softened. "I will see her," she 
 said simply. 
 
 So they went together to the hospital. Captain 
 Ainsworth' s eyes opened wide with astonishment 
 when he saw Kate; but when she gave him her lit- 
 tle hand, and asked his forgiveness, he broke down 
 completely. Fred withdrew, and what passed be- 
 
294 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 tween them he never knew; but Kate afterwards 
 told him a great burden had been rolled from her 
 heart. 
 
 Mabel Vaughn coming into the ward, Fred intro- 
 duced her to Kate. 
 
 "A relative of Fred," said Mabel, with one of 
 her sweet smiles, "will always find a warm place 
 in my heart. You know Fred is my adopted 
 brother." 
 
 When the two girls parted it was with a warm 
 invitation from Kate for Mabel to visit her. 
 
 "Oh, Fred," said Kate, as they were on their 
 way home, "how can you call me beautiful, after 
 seeing her? But, Fred, you are a fool; boys are 
 fools about some things. My vanity has also 
 received a severe shock." 
 
 "Why, how is that, Kate? I don't understand." 
 
 "Captain Ainsworth is not eating his heart out for 
 love of me. He is in love with Mabel Vaughn. 
 Oh ! you boys are blind. Did you not see his eyes 
 follow her wherever she went?" 
 
 "You surprise me," exclaimed Fred. "If what 
 you say is true, I am sorry." 
 
 "Sorry, Fred? Surely you — why you are nothing 
 but a boy." 
 
 Fred broke into a merry laugh. "Just what she 
 said, Kate, and it cured ' my boyish fancy. Then 
 you know she was the afifianced of another when I 
 first knew her. But it beats all, coz, what assurance 
 you girls have. I am as old as you are. I said I 
 was sorry, because I am afraid Ainsworth is again 
 
THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA. 295 
 
 doomed to disappointment. Mabel's grief is too 
 fresh to be so soon forgotten." 
 
 "Mabel is young," answered Kate. "It is not 
 natural for one to grieve always." 
 
 "I am glad to hear you say so, Kate. If one 
 truly loves, he cannot wish the being he loves to 
 go through a long life forever grieving. Kate, you 
 are too young, of too joyous a nature, to grieve 
 forever. I trust there is yet a happy future before 
 you." 
 
 Kate looked at him with swimming eyes. "Don't, 
 don't," she whispered. "I can never, never be 
 happy again." 
 
 A short time afterwards Fred heard her merry 
 laugh ring out at some witticism of Hugh's. He 
 smiled, and said to himself, "Kate will forget one 
 of these days; but Mabel — " He thought it would 
 be different with Mabel. 
 
 On their way back to Murfreesboro, Hugh sud- 
 denly broke out with: "I say, Fred, that cousin of 
 yours is a stunner. She is the prettiest girl I ever*^ 
 saw. But, my! what a little Rebel she is! Fred, 
 she told me that she never saw a Yankee but that 
 she despised him. And she actually told me that 
 if I didn't go home and mind my business she 
 hoped I would get killed." And Hugh fetched a 
 deep sigh. 
 
 "Why that sigh, my lord?" asked Fred, solemnly. 
 
 "I — I — wish she thought more of Yankees," 
 innocently replied Hugh. 
 
 Fred laughed heartily. "Better let that fire- 
 
296 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 brand alone, my boy, or you may get your fingers 
 burned." 
 
 Again Hugh sighed, but did not answer. 
 
 For the next month Fred's Hfe was very quiet. 
 The Confederates kept well within their lines, and 
 there were but few skirmishes between the scouting 
 parties of the two armies. Grant was thundering 
 at the gates of Vicksburg, and Rosecrans was urged 
 to make a forward movement in order to prevent 
 reinforcements being sent to General Joseph E. 
 Johnston, who was gathering an army to attack 
 Grant in the rear. But Rosecrans refused, believing 
 it the part of wisdom to hold Bragg where he was. 
 
 So May and the most of June slipped by. At 
 length, on the 23d of June, Rosecrans advanced to 
 attack Bragg in his stronghold at Tullahoma. He 
 had waited for weeks for dry weather, but the very 
 day he started it commenced raining, and for two 
 weeks the floodgates of heaven were opened, and 
 the rain descended in a perfect deluge. The roads 
 became quagmires, but the army struggled on 
 through mud and water. At one place Fred saw a 
 hundred men, in mud up to their knees, tugging 
 on a rope, hauling a piece of artillery up a hill. 
 Thus all the artillery and wagons of a great army 
 corps were dragged by human muscle. 
 
 The movement on Tullahoma by Rosecrans was, 
 from a military standpoint, a: masterly one, and to 
 his surprise Bragg found his left flank turned and 
 his communications in danger. He saved himself 
 only by a precipitate retreat, and the stronghold of 
 
THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA. 297 
 
 Tullahoma fell, almost without a struggle. Only 
 the mud and water saved Bragg from a most disas- 
 trous defeat. 
 
 The middle of July found the whole of Bragg's 
 army across the Tennessee River, with headquarters 
 at Chattanooga. The two armies now occupied the 
 same relative positions that they did the summer 
 before. It had taken the Federal armies just a 
 year to recover the ground lost in the Bragg-Buell 
 campaign. After the fall of Tullahoma Rosecrans 
 waited for six weeks before he commenced his- cam- 
 paign for the possession of Chattanooga. 
 
 It was during this interim that General John H. 
 Morgan made his famous raid into Indiana and 
 Ohio. The most intense excitement was caused 
 by this raid. The panic-stricken people did not 
 recover from their fright until Morgan was captured. 
 
 Fred read the account of this raid with the great- 
 est interest, and eagerly scanned the lists of the 
 killed and captured for the name of his cousin. 
 To his rehef it was in neither list, and Fred was 
 hopeful that Calhoun had escaped. Yet so eager was 
 he to find out the truth that he obtained a short 
 leave of absence and went to see Morgan and his 
 officers, who had been confined in the Ohio State 
 prison at Columbus. 
 
 General Morgan met Fred as cordially as if in his 
 own parlor, instead of a prison cell. When asked 
 about Calhoun, he said: 
 
 "Captain Pennington was one of my best and 
 bravest officers. His only fault was rashness. It 
 
298 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 is a wonder he was not killed long ago. The last 
 known of him was that he, with his company, 
 attempted to cut their way through a body of Fed- 
 eral cavalry which had surrounded them. His com- 
 pany were all killed or captured, but he succeeded 
 in breaking through, though he was seen to reel in 
 his saddle, and it was thought he was desperately 
 wounded. From that day to this he has not been 
 seen or heard from. I fear he fell from his horse in 
 some out-of-the-way place and died." 
 
 Fred was deeply moved over what Morgan told 
 him. 
 
 "You and your cousin seemed to think a great 
 deal of each other," said Morgan. 
 
 "We were like brothers," answered Fred, "and 
 we did not let the feelings engendered by the war 
 come between us. We respected each other's opin- 
 ion, knowing that both were equally honest." 
 
 "In that you showed more sense than a great 
 many," replied Morgan. 
 
 Before he left, Fred thanked Morgan for returning 
 his horse, and said: "General, it pains me to see 
 you confined here like a felon, instead of being 
 treated like a prisoner of war. It's a shame. The 
 Government never captured a braver or more gallant 
 foe, and it should treat you as a soldier." 
 
 For a moment Morgan's eyes flamed, and then 
 he quietly answered: "I thank you, Captain, for 
 what you have said. The way the Federal author- 
 ities treat me shows how much they fear me." 
 
 Fred returned with a heavy heart, yet he hoped 
 
THE CAPTURE OF CHATTANOOGA. 299 
 
 that in some way Calhoun had managed to escape. 
 General Rosecrans had already begun his forward 
 movement when Fred joined his command. The 
 campaign was managed with the same skill that 
 the Tullahoma campaign had been. In fact, the 
 campaign that gave Rosecrans Chattanooga stands 
 out as one of the greatest pieces of strategy of the 
 war. In conception it was worthy of Napoleon. 
 The obstacles to be overcome were great. Rivers 
 had to be crossed, mountain ranges scaled, but 
 Rosecrans overcame every obstacle. 
 
 He led Bragg to believe he would cross the 
 mountains into East Tennessee, and try to gain 
 Chattanooga by turning his right flank. But 
 instead, his troops crossed the Tennessee River 
 below Chattanooga, near Bridgeport, and before 
 Bragg knew it the Federals had Lookout Mountain 
 in their possession, and the left flank of the Con- 
 federate army was completely turned. The result 
 was that Chattanooga was evacuated, and the prize 
 for which the Federal armies had so long contended 
 was theirs. 
 
 But now it was Rosecrans's time to be outgener- 
 aled, Vicksburg had fallen, the battle of Gettys- 
 burg had been fought and won, and the armies both 
 in Virginia and Mississippi were comparatively idle. 
 The Confederate government resolved to concentrate 
 before Chattanooga and crush Rosecrans. To this 
 end Longstreet was hurried from Virginia with his 
 corps, and fifteen thousand men were brought from 
 Mississippi. When Chattanooga was evacuated the 
 
300 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 wily Bragg gave out that he was in full retreat for 
 Rome. 
 
 Numerous deserters came into the Union lines, 
 and all told the same story — that Bragg' s army was 
 totally demoralized and in headlong retreat. 
 
 Elated by his success, Rosecrans ordered a swift 
 pursuit. McCook was to press forward and occupy 
 Alpine and Summerville; Thomas was to advance 
 at once and capture Lafayette, while Crittenden 
 was to seize Ringgold and then march on Dalton or 
 Lafayette, as circumstances demanded. 
 
 The tenth of September found Rosecrans's army 
 extended over a front of nearly fifty miles. The 
 corps were widely separated and not within sup- 
 porting distance of each other. Bragg lay with his 
 army massed near Lafayette. He could attack and 
 defeat the Federal army in detail. That is what he 
 intended to do. It seemed as if only a miracle 
 could save the Federal army from annihilation. 
 
 And all the time Rosecrans, not dreaming of his 
 danger, kept sending orders to his generals to hurry 
 up, or Bragg would escape. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 
 
 THOMAS'S corps held the center of the Federal 
 army. They had climbed the rugged side of 
 Lookout, and from its lofty summit they saw the 
 country spread out like a map. Before them lay 
 valleys, mountain ranges, and thick woods. In 
 these woods, and behind these mountains, half a 
 million men could be concealed, and Thomas be 
 none the wiser. Away to the east, toward Lafay- 
 ette, clouds of dust could be seen rising, as if a 
 great army were on the move. Thomas had 
 received word from Rosecrans that Bragg was 
 retreating, and that he must occupy Lafayette at 
 the earliest possible moment. 
 
 Negley's division had already moved down the 
 mountain, across the valley, and the roar of his 
 guns could be heard in front of Dug Gap in the 
 Pigeon range. 
 
 Fred had just come back from the front, and 
 reported to Thomas that Negley was meeting with 
 stubborn resistance, and that he was satisfied there 
 was a large force in his front. 
 
 The general listened to Fred's report, and then 
 said: "I have already ordered Baird's division to 
 the support of Negley." 
 
 301 
 
302 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Then with his glass Thomas surveyed the country 
 in front long and carefully. At last he closed his 
 glass with a sigh. "I am afraid," he said, "there 
 are more men behind that mountain range than we 
 are aware of." 
 
 "That is what I have been thinking," replied 
 Fred. 
 
 Just then two deserters were brought to Thomas. 
 They were sharp-looking fellows, and answered 
 all questions readily. They told the same story 
 that all the deserters had been telling, that Bragg's 
 army was totally demoralized and in full retreat for 
 Rome. 
 
 "What do you think, Captain?" asked Thomas 
 of Fred, after all the information possible had been 
 gained from them and they had been sent away. 
 
 "I think they are lying," promptly answered 
 Fred. "Have you not noticed. General, that all 
 the deserters who come into our lines tell exactly 
 the same story, as if they had been coached?" 
 
 "I have," answered Thomas. "My impression is 
 that they are sent in on purpose to deceive. Instead 
 of being retreating, Bragg's whole army may be 
 before us. But what can I do? I have positive 
 orders to occupy Lafayette at once. If I obey, I 
 am afraid I go to my destruction. But it is no 
 light thing to disobey the orders of a commanding 
 general, especially when I have no positive proof 
 that there is a large force in my front." 
 
 "General," answered Fred, "you shall have 
 proof if it is possible for human agency to get it. 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMT'S CAMP. 303 
 
 I shall go on a scout to-night, and hope to bring 
 you information by to-morrow." 
 
 "Very well, Captain; but do not be too rash. 
 Remember that much depends on your success." 
 
 "I shall not forget it. General." 
 
 Hastily calling Smith, Darling, and Hugh, Fred 
 explained to them what he was expected to do. 
 Each one was eager for the adventure. 
 
 "Smith," said Fred, "for this one time, I must 
 insist that you put on a soldier's uniform. If we 
 are captured, it must be, if possible, as scouts, not 
 as spies." 
 
 After a little grumbling Smith procured a uniform 
 and donned it. 
 
 "Quite a respectable-looking soldier," laughed 
 Darling, as he surveyed the old scout in his regi- 
 mentals. "Now don't forget what company and 
 regiment you belong to." 
 
 It was nearly dark when they reached Negley's 
 line. A sharp skirmish was in progress in front, 
 and they found the general anxious and full of 
 grave apprehensions. 
 
 "I cannot move them a foot," he said. "How 
 I wish I knew what is behind that mountain!" 
 
 "That is what I am here for," said Fred. "I am 
 going to try to find out to-night, if possible." 
 
 Fred then unfolded his plans to Negley and to 
 his adjutant-general. Captain James A. Lowrie, who 
 listened attentively. 
 
 "The plan may work, Captain," replied the gen- 
 eral, "but you are taking your life in your hands." 
 
304 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "That is what all soldiers do," answered Fred. 
 "General, will you send a detail of cavalry with us 
 for a short distance? I wish to send back our 
 horses with them." 
 
 The request was readily granted. As they rode 
 away, Negley wrung Fred's hand and exclaimed, 
 with emotion: "God grant, Captain, that I may see 
 you again." 
 
 Going to the rear for some distance, Fred turned 
 to the north and rode rapidly for about three miles. 
 Here he came to a place where a spur of the Pigeon 
 range encroached upon the valley, making it quite 
 narrow. Dismounting, Fred said to the non-com- 
 missioned ofificer in charge of the cavalry: "Ser- 
 geant, you can take our horses and get back as 
 soon as possible. What we do now must be done 
 on foot." 
 
 As they rode away, Fred heard the sergeant say 
 to one of his comrades: "Blamed fools! All four 
 of them will get their necks stretched." 
 
 "Not a cheerful parting," said Fred, with a 
 smile. 
 
 Smith shrugged his shoulders, while Darling and 
 Hugh made light of it; yet all four fully realized 
 the desperate nature of their enterprise. Fred laid 
 before his companions the full details of his plans. 
 
 "A little to the north of us," said he, "is Cat- 
 lett's Gap. No doubt it is as heavily guarded by 
 the enemy as Dug Gap is. I have carefully exam- 
 ined the mountain before us through my glass, and 
 it is exceedingly steep and rugged. I doubt if it is 
 
I 
 
 TREED IN THE ENEMT'S CAMP. 305 
 
 guarded at all. We shall find pickets on the road 
 that runs along the base a short distance in our 
 front. If we can run these pickets successfully, I 
 believe we can gain the top of the mountain unde- 
 tected, and learn if there is a heavy force on the 
 other side." 
 
 "I reckon the plan is all right," said Smith. 
 "Captain, I am kinder used to this work. Let me 
 take the lead, an' I will crawl right under the 
 nose of them pickets, an' they will be none the 
 wiser." 
 
 Cautiously making their way through the wood, 
 they approached the road that ran along the base 
 of the mountains. Through the shadows of night 
 which had now begun to gather they saw that the 
 road was heavily picketed by Confederate cavalry. 
 
 "We must wait," whispered Smith, "until dark. 
 An' then we will try and creep through." 
 
 Soon everj'-thing was shrouded in the mantle of 
 night. Wood, plain, and mountain were blotted 
 out. "Now," said Smith, "follow me as silently 
 as ghosts." 
 
 It was wonderful how noiselessly the old scout 
 glided through the forest. Do the best they could, 
 Fred and Hugh would make some noise. Soon 
 the road was reached. The Confederate pickets 
 could be heard talking. Throwing themselves on 
 the ground, they wormed themselves across the 
 road like huge reptiles. Just as they were across, a 
 cavalry officer came riding along. The horse shied 
 and nearly threw its rider. The officer cursed and 
 
3o6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 rode on. ''That horse is wiser than his rider," 
 thought Fred. 
 
 When beyond the hearing of the pickets they 
 arose to their feet and began to ascend the moun- 
 tain. It was a terrible undertaking in the thick 
 darkness, for they had to feel their way. Slowly 
 they toiled onward and upward, getting many a fall 
 and bruise. It was nearly eleven o'clock when 
 the summit of the mountain was reached, and the 
 mystery that was behind it lay unfolded before them. 
 
 To the east, north, and south, innumerable 
 camp-fires blazed. A mighty host was before them. 
 The night was still, and away to the left were heard 
 the sound of chopping, the rumbling of artillery 
 and the confused murmur of many voices. 
 
 "They are removing the obstructions from Cat- 
 lett's Gap," whispered Fred, "and are preparing to 
 flank Negley. He and Thomas must be warned at 
 once. Smith, you and Darling must go back 
 immediately. I send both, for fear one may be 
 captured. Negley' s only hope is to fall back at 
 once. Go! go as quick as you can, and if you 
 scent danger, do not keep together; you will stand 
 a better chance of getting through." 
 
 "What are you goin' to do, Captain?" whispered 
 Smith. 
 
 "Hugh and I must stay and see if we can find 
 out more," answered Fred. 
 
 Both Smith and Darling demurred to leaving 
 them, but they were told that everything depended 
 on their getting back. So with a whispered good- 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 307 
 
 bye and a warm pressure of the hand they disap- 
 peared in the darkness. Fred and Hugh were 
 alone — alone in the midst of enemies. 
 
 "What next, Captain?" asked Hugh, a little 
 shaky in the voice. The silence and unknown 
 dangerwhich they were facing told on Hugh. He was 
 more at home amid the fierce excitement of battle. 
 
 "I shall descend the mountain, and try to find 
 out more of the designs and strength of the enemy. ' ' 
 
 "All right. Captain ; anything is better than lying 
 still in this awful silence." 
 
 Cautiously they made their way down the eastern 
 slope of the mountain, without any serious mishap, 
 although they both had several severe falls. Once 
 down the mountain, they came to a cleared field, 
 then to a road, by the side of which stood a tree 
 with very thick foliage. The night, which had been 
 somewhat cloudy, now became clear, and the stars 
 shone out, so that objects could be discerned at 
 quite a distance. 
 
 Suddenly there came the sound of the heavy 
 tramp of soldiers, the sharp command of officers. 
 The Confederate army was moving. 
 
 "Quick, Hugh, up the tree!" whispered Fred, 
 and the two boys were soon ensconced among the 
 branches. 
 
 A general officer rode his horse under the tree, 
 and halted. 
 
 "A good place to camp," he remarked to an aide 
 by his side; "give the necessary order." 
 
 Other officers rode up, and Fred learned that the 
 
3oS ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 general was none other than D. H. Hill, one of 
 Bragg's corps commanders. The column was halted, 
 and presently the night glowed with innumerable 
 camp-fires. 
 
 General Hill was joined by General Hindman, 
 and, to the consternation of the boys, they made 
 their headquarters under the tree. The scouts were 
 treed in the camp of the enemy. 
 
 Placing his mouth close to Hugh's ear, Fred 
 whispered: "We are in for it; the slightest noise 
 will betray us." 
 
 In a short time several other officers rode up, and 
 Fred nearly dropped from his perch when he recog- 
 nized the voice of his father. General Buckner 
 was also one of the party. The boys now became 
 aware that they were to listen to a council of war. 
 
 Bragg's orders were that Negley was to be 
 crushed that day; but Dug and Catlett's gaps had 
 been so obstructed that the Confederate troops 
 could not get through in time. Hindman also 
 found fault with his orders, and wanted them modi- 
 fied. Cleburne, who was to have moved through 
 Dug Gap, was sick, and his troops were slow. The 
 generals present were afraid they might feel the 
 weight of Bragg's wrath, and there was a great 
 diversity of opinion, 
 
 "Negley," said Hill, "should have been crushed 
 to-day. He may take fright and draw back." 
 
 "I found it impossible to remove the obstructions 
 so as to get my artillery through," replied Hind- 
 man. "Bragg should not ask the impossible. 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMT'S CAMP. 309 
 
 Neither did Cleburne come up to support me, as 
 promised." 
 
 "How many men, now that Buckner's corps is 
 here, can we bring against Thomas in the morn- 
 ing?" asked Fred's father. 
 
 "At least thirty thousand," was the answer. 
 "Oh, we have Thomas." 
 
 "Not if he takes fright," replied General Shack- 
 elford, "and draws Negley back to Lookout Moun- 
 tain, covering Stevens's and Cooper's gaps. The 
 position is a strong one, and I doubt if our thirty 
 thousand men could take him out of it. He has 
 four divisions." 
 
 "Oh," answered Hill, "Negley will not with- 
 draw. The Yanks are completely fooled ; they 
 think we are in full retreat." 
 
 "Thomas is as usual evidently showing a great 
 deal of caution," answered General Shackelford. 
 "I doubt if we can fool him." 
 
 Hill now spoke to Buckner, and asked if he knew 
 when Longstreet would arrive. 
 
 "In about a week," was the answer, "and he 
 will bring twenty thousand of the flower of Lee's 
 army with him." 
 
 Fred fairly gasped for breath. Longstreet com- 
 ing with twenty thousand men ! The Army of the 
 Cumberland was indeed in peril. 
 
 "We have already received about fifteen thousand 
 reinforcements from Mississippi," continued Buck- 
 ner. "When Longstreet gets here we shall be able 
 to eat the Yankees up." 
 
3IO ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "We ought to have Rosecrans's army annihilated 
 before Longstreet gets here," answered General 
 Shackelford, with considerable feeling. "Nothing 
 but stupidity on our part can prevent it. Rose- 
 crans's army is divided into three nearly equal parts, 
 and these parts are separated from each other by 
 distances of over twenty miles. It is impossible for 
 his corps to reinforce each other. They can and 
 should be crushed in detail. Gentlemen, I believe 
 the fate of the Confederacy will be decided in the 
 next few days. With Rosecrans's army gone, and 
 ours reinforced by Longstreet, there is nothing 
 to prevent us sweeping forward to the Ohio 
 River." 
 
 Here there was an interruption occasioned by an 
 aide from General Bragg galloping up. "Gentle- 
 men," he exclaimed, "General Bragg is greatly 
 disappointed over the fact that Negley was not 
 crushed to-day. He refuses to modify his orders 
 in any respect, and will brook no delay. He will 
 be here in the morning to direct the movement 
 personally." 
 
 Fred listened to this conversation with an anx- 
 ious heart. His own perilous situation was forgot- 
 ten in the thought of the danger which threatened 
 Thomas. Would Smith or Darling be able to get 
 through the enemy's lines in time to warn Negley? 
 The thought that they might fail was agony. So 
 wrought up did he become that he was on the point 
 of descending the tree and trying to run the gaunt- 
 let of the enemy's camp, when his better judgment 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 311 
 
 prevailed. To make such an attempt would be sui- 
 cidal. 
 
 The night was chilly, and the boys shivered with 
 the cold, while their cramped limbs ached as if they 
 would come off. But as the rebel camp sank to rest 
 they were enabled to move slightly, and so relieve 
 the strain. Then they took turns resting in each 
 other's arms, and thus each was enabled to get a 
 little sleep, while the other watched. 
 
 At length morning came, and with it Bragg. He 
 had given orders for Hindman's division to move 
 through Catlett's Gap and attack at six o'clock. 
 But the morning slipped away, and Bragg waited 
 impatiently for the sound of Hindman's guns, which 
 was to be the signal for Cleburne to advance. Not 
 hearing any sound of battle, he sent order after 
 order to Hindman to hurry, but it was noon before 
 his cannon were heard, and the sound was far in 
 advance of where Bragg expected it. 
 
 At the first sound of battle Cleburne advanced, 
 but to Fred's and Hugh's despair the headquarters 
 were not moved, and they saw no chance of escape. 
 
 "Great Scott! Captain," whispered Hugh, 
 "must we stay here all day?" 
 
 "It looks like it," Fred whispered back. 
 
 "I shall tumble off, I know I shall," replied 
 Hugh, with a stifled groan. 
 
 It was some time before they heard Cleburne's 
 guns, and then the sound of fighting was so far 
 away Fred knew that Negley must have fallen back. 
 He breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
312 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Let us now return to Negley. A little after day- 
 light rapid firing broke out on the Confederate 
 picket line, and a soldier was seen running toward 
 the Federal outposts. Once he fell, but he was up 
 again, though it was noticed that he did not run as 
 fast as before. The Federal pickets rushed forward, 
 drove the Confederates back, and soon the fugitive 
 was safe in the Union lines. 
 
 It was Darling. He was hatless, his clothing was 
 torn to shreds, and he was bleeding from three 
 wounds. 
 
 "Take me to General Negley!" he gasped. 
 
 The brave fellow kept up long enough to tell the 
 general his story, and then fell fainting. Negley 
 saw his danger, and in connection with General Baird 
 a most masterly retreat was made, and before night 
 the two divisions were safe at the foot of Lookout. 
 Here they were joined by the other two divisions of 
 the corps, and in the strong position chosen 
 General Thomas could bid defiance to the whole 
 Confederate army. 
 
 The rage of Bragg when he saw that his expected 
 prey had escaped was terrible. Fred, miserable as 
 he was, saw with exultation the Confederates come 
 marching back, and rejoiced when he heard their 
 expressions of bafified rage. It was long after dark 
 before the headquarters were moved and all the army 
 had passed by. From expressions dropped by the 
 different ofificers, Fred learned that quite a large 
 force had been left in front of Thomas, and knew 
 he would have hard work to get through the lines. 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 31 3 
 
 Fortunately for the boys, they had their haver- 
 sacks and canteens with them, and thus had not 
 suffered from hunger or thirst during their enforced 
 stay in the tree. At last they deemed the coast 
 clear enough to descend with safety. They had 
 been in the tree for nearly twenty-four hours. 
 
 To their surprise, their limbs refused to carry 
 them. A brisk rubbing soon enabled them to walk, 
 but they reeled and staggered like drunken men. 
 It was some time before the blood circulated freely 
 and they could walk with their accustomed vigor. 
 Slowly and painfully the boys made their way back 
 over the mountain, and at last reached the valley. 
 Now commenced their real danger. The smolder- 
 ing camp-fires showed there was a large force 
 between them and Thomas. 
 
 "There is no other way," whispered Fred to 
 Hugh, "we must pass through. Fortunately they 
 cannot see the color of our uniforms in the dark- 
 ness." 
 
 Creeping, crawling, and many times walking 
 boldly along, after half a dozen hairbreadth escapes, 
 they worked their way through the camp. 
 
 "Now," said Fred, "if we can only get past the 
 pickets we are all right. That will be the hardest 
 job." 
 
 Cautiously making their way along, stopping to 
 listen every few steps, they were fortunate enough 
 to get close enough to the picket line to hear when 
 the sentinels were changed. 
 
 "Now, Hugh," whispered Fred, "keep close 
 
314 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 behind me. It makes no difference what happens, 
 don't speak. If the worst comes, make a break for 
 the Union lines." 
 
 Creeping along on their hands and knees, Fred 
 in advance, they slowly made their way along. In 
 this way they advanced some distance, and Fred 
 began to hope they had passed through the line, 
 when his quick ear caught the sound of footsteps. 
 He listened intently. The pacing of a sentinel to 
 and fro on his beat could be distinctly heard. 
 
 Fred turned, thinking that by passing a little to 
 one side they might miss the sentinel. As he was 
 feeling his way along, for it was in the woods and 
 pitch dark, he placed his hand on the body of a 
 sleeping soldier. He drew back his hand, shudder- 
 ing as if he had touched a poisonous reptile. The 
 soldier muttered something about it not being time 
 for him to go on guard, turned over, and went to 
 sleep. They had come on the sleeping reserve 
 pickets. 
 
 Stealthily making their way around the sleeping 
 men, they again attempted to pass through the 
 line. 
 
 Unfortunately Hugh placed his knee on a dry 
 twig, and it snapped. 
 
 "Who comes there?" 
 
 The challenge came quick and sharp, and only a 
 few paces in advance. Fred knew at once they 
 would have to fight for it. 
 
 "The officer of the guard," he answered clearly, 
 rising to his feet. 
 
" Who comes there ? " 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 315 
 
 "Advance, officer of the guard, and give the 
 countersign." 
 
 Fred advanced boldly until his breast almost 
 touched the bayonet of the sentinel's gun. Then 
 there was a flash, a report, and the soldier, with a 
 sharp cry of agony, dropped his gun. As quick as 
 thought Fred hurled himself on him and struck him 
 reeling to the earth. 
 
 "Come!" he shouted to Hugh, as he dashed 
 through the woods. 
 
 Along the Confederate picket line all was confu- 
 sion. They opened fire, and the balls cut the limbs 
 and twigs around the boys, but fortunately neither 
 was hit. Back in camp they could hear the long 
 roll beating, and all the noise and uproar which fol- 
 lows a night alarm. 
 
 "I think we are out of danger now," panted 
 Fred, as he brought up against a tree, nearly 
 knocking his brains out. 
 
 "I am a mass of bruises, " groaned Hugh. "My 
 face is scratched up, and one eye nearly gouged 
 out." 
 
 "Be thankful it is no worse. As for me, I am 
 sorry I had to shoot that sentinel. I hope I didn't 
 kill him." 
 
 "Don't mourn over that now. Captain; let us 
 get into the Union lines, or the Johnnies will have 
 us yet." 
 
 Just as day was breaking they entered the Union 
 lines. General Thomas received them as from the 
 dead. Fred briefly and succinctly told the general 
 
3l6 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 all he had learned. Thomas, without a word of 
 reply, rapidly wrote a letter to Rosecrans. Send- 
 ing for one of his most trustworthy couriers, he 
 said: "Take this to General Rosecrans at Chat- 
 tanooga. Here is an order to seize any horse that 
 you may want, even if it belongs to a general of 
 division. Don't spare horseflesh; kill a dozen horses, 
 if need be. Ride! ride for your life!" 
 
 In less than a minute the courier was riding furi- 
 ously toward Chattanooga, and as he rode he mut- 
 tered: "Something's up. I never knew Pap Thomas 
 to be in such a hurry before." 
 
 After the courier had departed, Thomas said to 
 Fred: "This is heavy news that you bring. Captain. 
 That Bragg is before us with his whole army is no 
 surprise, but that Longstreet is coming is news 
 indeed. But without the coming of Longstreet, 
 never was the Army of the Cumberland in as des- 
 perate a situation as it is now. And the trouble is. 
 General Rosecrans is blind to the situation. I have 
 just received the sharpest kind of a reprimand from 
 him because I am not in Lafayette. He thinks 
 Negley's falling back was over-cautiousness. Your 
 father, Captain, was right. Nothing but the most 
 stupendous blunders on the part of Bragg can save 
 the Army of the Cumberland from total defeat. 
 My corps is safe for the present ; but there can be 
 but little doubt he will strike one of the other 
 corps." 
 
 "Will the blow fall on McCook, or Crittenden?" 
 asked Fred. 
 
TREED IN THE ENEMY'S CAMP. 317 
 
 "I should say Crittenden," replied the general. 
 "To attack McCook would take him too far from 
 Chattanooga. Then McCook has the mountain to 
 fall back on, the same as I. Crittenden is on com- 
 paratively open ground. With him defeated, Chatta- 
 nooga would be in Bragg's grasp, and McCook and 
 I would be cut off from our base of supplies. If 
 Bragg is any general, he will attack Crittenden, and 
 that without delay. The next few days, if not 
 hours, will be eventful ones. But, Captain, you 
 must need rest. I can do nothing until I hear from 
 General Rosecrans; therefore try to get some 
 sleep." 
 
 "First," said Fred, and his voice trembled, "tell 
 me about Smith and Darling. Did they get in all 
 right?" 
 
 "It was Darling," replied Thomas, "that saved 
 Negley. The poor fellow was severely but not 
 dangerously wounded. I shall remember him when 
 he gets well. Smith has not been heard from ; he 
 was either killed or captured." 
 
 This was sad news to Fred. The grizzled old 
 scout was very dear to him. It was many a day 
 before Fred knew what had become of Smith, and 
 then it was to learn that he was suffering the hor- 
 rors of Andersonville. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 CARRYING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 
 
 GENERAL Rosecrans sat in his headquarters at 
 Chattanooga. There was a deep frown on his 
 face, and it was plain to be seen that he was greatly 
 displeased. He had made one of the most brilliant 
 moves of the war; Chattanooga was his, but he 
 saw, as he thought, the Confederate army slipping 
 away from him, and this through the incompetency 
 or timidity of his generals. Turning to Garfield, 
 his chief of staff, he said : 
 
 "General, what do you think of that story that 
 Thomas sends in that the whole of the rebel army 
 is before him, and that Bragg has never retreated 
 farther than Lafayette?" 
 
 "I think it very improbable," replied Garfield, 
 "although it conforms to the story of the contra- 
 band we all laughed at. I see you have acted on 
 that so far as to order Crittenden to concentrate his 
 corps at Lee and Gordon's Mill." 
 
 Yes ; but I do not know but it was a mistake, and 
 that it would have been better to order Critten- 
 den to march on Lafayette at once. I am out of 
 all patience with both Thomas and McCook. 
 
 318 
 
CARRTING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 319 
 
 Thomas should have been in Lafayette three days 
 ago, I think Negley was more scared than hurt ; 
 the Confederates always put on a bold front when 
 retreating. As for McCook, he should have struck 
 a telling blow on Bragg's flank before this; but as 
 far as I can make out, he is hugging Alpine yet." 
 
 "If Bragg is at Lafayette with his whole army, 
 we are in a desperate fix," replied Garfield; "and 
 it is fortunate that neither Thomas nor McCook has 
 attempted to carry out their orders." 
 
 "I cannot believe it," said Rosecrans, pettishly. 
 "Everything points to the fact that Bragg is in full 
 retreat." 
 
 Before Garfield could answer, a courier, riding a 
 foaming horse, dashed up, dismounted, brushed 
 past the guards without ceremony, and handed 
 General Rosecrans a dispatch. The general hastily 
 broke it open, and as he read he grew pale, his 
 hands trembled, and great beads of perspiration 
 gathered on his forehead. Garfield looked on his 
 chief with amazement. Never had he seen him so 
 moved. 
 
 When Rosecrans finished reading the dispatch, 
 he handed it without a word to Garfield. That 
 officer read it with scarcely less emotion than his 
 chief. 
 
 "Great God!" burst from his lips, as he gathered 
 its import. 
 
 "Garfield," exclaimed Rosecrans, "we have 
 made a terrible mistake. Our only salvation lies in 
 uniting the army, and then falling back on Chatta- 
 
320 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 nooga. McCook is in great danger; so is Critten- 
 den. Neither Thomas nor Crittenden can be 
 moved until McCook is drawn in. Will Bragg lie 
 still, waiting for Longstreet, until I can unite my 
 army? I am afraid not." 
 
 "It is a wonder he has not struck before this," 
 answered Garfield. "He did try to strike Thomas, 
 but that officer eluded him. General, instead of 
 reprimanding Thomas, as you have done, you 
 should have given him the highest praise. His 
 backward movement saved his corps." 
 
 ' * I know it, I know it, ' ' hastily said Rosecrans. ' ' I 
 should have had more confidence in Thomas. He 
 is my right arm in this extremity. Bragg's next 
 blow will fall on Crittenden or McCook." 
 
 Orders were sent to McCook to join Thomas; to 
 Thomas to hold his position until joined by 
 McCook; to Crittenden to defend the roads to 
 Chattanooga to the last man. This done, there 
 was nothing for Rosecrans to do but to wait. 
 
 Swift as horses could carry him, the courier rode 
 back to Thomas, who, on reading his orders, said to 
 Fred: "Rosecrans is now fully alive to the situation. 
 I must remain here until joined by McCook. Cap- 
 tain, you have the swiftest horse in the army. 
 Take these dispatches to McCook. You also know 
 the situation, and can give the general full infor- 
 mation. Tell him the safety of the whole army 
 depends on the celerity of his movement." 
 
 Fred, on his way to McCook, had to cross Look- 
 out Mountain, then ride up Wills Valley to Win- 
 
CARRYING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 32 1 
 
 ston's Gap, then recross the mountain to Alpine. It 
 was a long, hard, and rugged ride. Nobly did 
 Prince do his part of the work, and mile after mile 
 was swiftly passed. 
 
 As Fred rode along, his thoughts were busy. 
 How much had passed since he took that ride from 
 Danville to Nicholasville over two years before. It 
 seemed to him his bright, joyous boyhood had fled 
 with that ride. How old he had grown; he was 
 almost nineteen ! What! only nineteen! Surely 
 a generation had passed since he and his cousin 
 stood under the spreading oak, and with clasped 
 hands took that solemn oath. Where was Calhoun 
 now? With the capture of Morgan, he had disap- 
 peared as completely as if the earth had opened and 
 swallowed him. He must be dead, and a great sob 
 arose in Fred's throat. And his father — once more 
 they were confronting each other in opposing 
 armies. Oh! how cruel it all was! Why should 
 the North and the South fight? Would the conflict 
 never end? 
 
 But youth is buoyant, and these gloomy reflec- 
 tions gave way to thoughts of the present, of his 
 mission, and he gave Prince free rein. McCook 
 was still at Alpine when Fred placed the dispatches 
 in his hand. 
 
 The general read them, and then asked abruptly: 
 "When did you leave General Thomas?" 
 
 Fred told him. McCook looked astonished. 
 
 "Do you mean to tell me you have ridden from 
 General Thomas in such a short time?" 
 
32 2 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Your dispatches are urgent, General." 
 
 "Ah! then you know what they are? Can you 
 give any additional information, Captain?" 
 
 "All there is. General." Fred then gave McCook 
 an account of his scout and the information learned. 
 
 "I was confident all the time," said McCook, 
 "that Bragg was not retreating on Rome. If I had 
 thought so, you would not have found me here. 
 But Longstreet's coming — that is news indeed." 
 
 McCook had already given the necessary orders 
 for the withdrawal of his corps. 
 
 "Fortunately," said he, "I have not moved my 
 train down from the mountain ; this will expedite 
 matters." 
 
 "Then you are not going to move down the val- 
 ley?" asked Fred, in some surprise, for by the 
 valley road he knew McCook could join Thomas in 
 one day. ^ -- 
 
 "I dare not," answered McCook. "It would 
 expose me to the attack of the whole of Bragg's 
 army." 
 
 "But suppose Bragg has concentrated on Crit- 
 tenden?" 
 
 "In that case I could march down the valley; 
 but that is something I do not know. The only 
 safe plan is to move back over the mountain. It 
 will take three days, but it will insure the safety of 
 my corps." 
 
 "And time is so precious, " thought Fred to him- 
 self. "But the general may be right; it would be 
 awkward for him to run into Bragg's army." 
 
CARRTING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 323 
 
 Fred rested until morning; then told McCook he 
 was going to return by the valley. McCook looked 
 at him in amazement. 
 
 "Captain, I must remonstrate," he said. "It is 
 madness on your part." 
 
 "General," replied Fred, "you forget that I am 
 a scout ; that it is of the utmost importance for 
 General Thomas and General Rosecrans to know 
 whether Bragg is concentrating on you, or whether 
 Crittenden must expect the blow. Perhaps I alone 
 can get through easier than you could with your 
 corps. If it come to the worst, I can take to the 
 mountain. I believe it is my duty to gain this 
 information, if I can." 
 
 "It is certainly important," answered McCook, 
 "but the undertaking is a desperate one." 
 
 With a gay farewell, and "I will meet you at 
 General Thomas's headquarters," Fred rode away; 
 but in his heart he knew that his chances of ever 
 seeing those headquarters again were none of the 
 best. 
 
 But his plans were well matured. Instead of tak- 
 ing the road, he clung to the base of the mountain. 
 If an open place was to be crossed, he carefully 
 scanned his front before venturing over. He thus 
 advanced nearly ten miles without adventure. He 
 saw several parties of cavalry at a distance, but no 
 infantry. It was plain that no large body of the 
 enemy was threatening McCook. At last, coming 
 to a place where the road ran quite close to the 
 mountain, and seeing none of the enemy, Fred 
 
324 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 resolved to take the road and make better progress. 
 He rode for about a mile at a rapid rate, and was 
 congratulating himself on his progress, when Prince 
 began to show uneasiness. 
 
 "Why, old fellow, what is it?" asked Fred. 
 
 He soon found out. Around a bend in the road 
 swept a squadron of Confederate cavalry. They 
 were right upon him. Fred speedily wheeled Prince, 
 scaled a fence which ran along the side of the road, 
 then like the wind sped across the open field, lying 
 close to his horse's neck. A scattering volley was 
 fired, but none of the balls took effect. The field 
 crossed, another fence was jumped, and the base 
 of the mountain reached. 
 
 In their futile rage the Confederates continued 
 firing, some of them throwing down the fences and 
 pursuing Fred to the base of the mountain. 
 
 "No use, boys," said the colonel in command, 
 "you might as well cease firing; the fellow has 
 escaped, curse him." 
 
 "No, he hasn't," spoke up a young lieutenant. 
 "There are palisades at the top, and he can't scale 
 them, at least his horse can't, and I had rather 
 have the horse than the Yank. Zounds! didn't he 
 take those fences beautifully ! There is not a horse 
 in our regiment that could do it." 
 
 The colonel smiled. "You always did like a fine 
 horse. Chambers," he said. "What do you want 
 to do?" 
 
 "Catch that fellow, or what is better, his horse. 
 By Jupiter! he has dismounted, and the horse is 
 
CARRTING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 325 
 
 following him like a dog. Colonel, I must have 
 him." 
 
 It was true. Fred, finding the mountain very 
 steep, had dismounted, and Prince was following 
 him, picking his way as carefully as a mountain 
 goat. 
 
 "Go ahead and get him, if you can. Chambers," 
 said the colonel. 
 
 The lieutenant quickly made his plans. Four 
 men were sent up the mountain directly after Fred. 
 A sergeant and four men were ordered to ride rap- 
 idly to the rear about a mile ; the horses were to be 
 left in charge of one of the men, while the sergeant 
 and three men were to ascend the mountain and 
 cut off Fred's retreat if he turned back. The lieu- 
 tenant with four men rode to the front some dis- 
 tance; then leaving the horses with one of their 
 number, the lieutenant and three of his men com- 
 menced the ascent of the mountain, thus effectually 
 cutting Fred off. Unless the palisades could be 
 scaled, Fred seemed doomed to be captured. He 
 saw the four men climbing the mountain behind him, 
 but knew nothing of those in rear and front. 
 
 After a hard climb Fred reached the top of the 
 slope, and to his dismay found a perpendicular wall 
 of rock from thirty to fifty feet high. It might 
 be scaled in places by a man, but never by a horse, 
 and Fred had no thoughts of leaving Prince. 
 
 "I may find a place where it is possible for Prince 
 to get up," he said, "and I believe we can travel 
 as fast as those fellows behind. ' ' 
 
326 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 But he had not gone far when he caught sight of 
 the lieutenant and his three men. Do the best he 
 could, they would reach the palisades before he 
 could pass them. His heart sank. He glanced 
 upward. A tree grew so that by climbing it he 
 could reach a footing where he could reach the 
 top. But could he leave Prince? He shud- 
 dered. 
 
 When Fred stopped, the horse seemed to divine 
 his thoughts, for he came to him and touched his 
 cheeks with his nose and looked at him with soft, 
 pleading eyes, as if to say, "Don't leave me, my 
 master. ' ' 
 
 "No, no," cried Fred; "I will not leave you. 
 I will die with you first. As for those who would 
 tear you from me, their blood be on their own 
 heads." 
 
 Seeing a large bowlder, large enough to conceal 
 Prince if lying down, he led the horse to it, and at 
 the word of command Prince stretched himself out 
 behind it. Then concealing himself, with revolver 
 in hand, Fred awaited the issue. It was four 
 against one, but Fred had the advantage. 
 
 By this time the lieutenant and his men had 
 reached the palisades, not more than fifty yards 
 from where Fred lay concealed. They looked 
 around confounded. 
 
 "Where in the world could he have gone?" asked 
 the lieutenant. "The man could conceal himself, but 
 not the horse. He must have seen us, and turned 
 back. Come on, men. We will have him now, 
 
CARRTING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 327 
 
 sure; he will run right into Sergeant Gilson and his 
 men. The horse is mine. As for the Yank, if he 
 shows fight — bah ! what does it matter if we leave 
 his body to rot?" 
 
 When Fred heard these words, all pity died from 
 his heart; he took no more thought of human life. 
 He was a soldier, his mission to kill. 
 
 Suddenly the sharp report of a revolver rang out, 
 and the lieutenant threw up his hands and sank 
 down in a heap. Another report, and one of the 
 men pitched heavily forward to the earth. The 
 remaining two, bewildered, terror-stricken, fired 
 their carbines at random and turned to flee. A ball 
 caught one in the leg, and the other losing his foot- 
 ing went rolling down the mountain, and brought 
 up against a bowlder with a broken arm. The fight 
 was over; it had lasted scarcely ten seconds. 
 
 "Come, Prince," said Fred, "the way is open." 
 
 The lieutenant, who had been shot through the 
 right breast, had partly raised himself, and was 
 reclining against a rock. As Fred passed him he 
 murmured "Water," and looked at Fred with wist- 
 ful eyes. 
 
 Fred unslung his canteen and held it to the lips 
 of the wounded oflficer. He drank eagerly, and then 
 whispered, "Thank you." 
 
 He was a fine-looking fellow, and Fred's heart 
 grew pitiful as he saw him lying there so helpless. 
 
 "May God grant your wound may not prove 
 fatal," said Fred, as he took his hand. "I am 
 sorry I had to shoot you." 
 
328 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "You did no more than I would have done to 
 you," gasped the officer. "It was the horse I was 
 after." 
 
 "And it was for the horse I fought," replied 
 Fred, "If it had not been for the horse, I could 
 have escaped without hurting any of you." 
 
 But Fred had to hasten, as the sound of the fir- 
 ing had alarmed the four men, who were coming up 
 the mountain, and he could hear them shouting. 
 
 After going about half a mile, Fred found a 
 break in the palisades, and he and Prince were soon 
 safe on top of the mountain. To reach General 
 Thomas was now an easy matter. 
 
 "There is no infantry," reported Fred, "con- 
 fronting McCook. He could have come down the 
 valley, but it is now too late for him to profit by 
 the knowledge." 
 
 "Would he had known it," said Thomas. 
 "Even minutes are precious. I should not be sur- 
 prised to hear at any moment that Crittenden has 
 been crushed." 
 
 And it was only through Bragg's blunders and the 
 disobedience of orders by General Polk that Crit- 
 tenden was not crushed. When the attempt against 
 Negley failed, Bragg concluded to leave Thomas 
 and attack Crittenden. He gave strict orders to 
 Polk to attack the force at Lee and Gordon's Mill, 
 telling him there was but one division there. In 
 this the Confederate commander was mistaken ; 
 Crittenden's whole corps was there. But Bragg 
 told Polk that if he found a heavier force than ex- 
 
CARRYING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 329 
 
 pected, he would support him, if necessary, with 
 the whole army. 
 
 Crittenden, in ignorance of the danger menacing 
 him, and still under the impression that the force in 
 his front was only Forrest's cavalry, ordered Gen- 
 eral Beatty to make a reconnoissance with his 
 brigade. This brigade advanced about three miles, 
 and to avoid being flanked by Forrest threw out a 
 very strong and long skirmish line. This skirmish 
 line met the advance of Polk's corps, and drove it 
 back on the main body. Polk, frightened, drew 
 back, selected a strong position, commenced to 
 fortify, and sent back word to Bragg to hurry for- 
 ward reinforcements, as he was about to be attacked 
 by a vastly superior force. Thus was Crittenden 
 saved as by a miracle. 
 
 Bragg stormed and raved over the second miscar- 
 riage of his plans, but his own course now became 
 extremely vacillating. He thought he would attack 
 Crittenden again, then Thomas, but at last concluded 
 to await the arrival of Longstreet. 
 
 It took McCook three days to reach Thomas, days 
 of anxiety and uncertain waiting. During these 
 three days Rosecrans did not sleep a moment, and 
 hardly tasted a mouthful of food. He was pale, 
 haggard, and exceedingly nervous. Not a courier 
 would ride up to his headquarters but he would 
 start and turn pale, expecting to hear tidings of dis- 
 aster. These days of suspense and anxious waiting 
 made General Rosecrans almost a nervous wreck. 
 The Rosecrans who fought the battle of Chicka- 
 
33^ ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 mauga was not the Rosecrans who fought the battle 
 of Stone River, and was far from being the Rose- 
 crans who had planned this campaign, which thus 
 far had been masterly. 
 
 It was the 17th of September when McCook 
 joined Thomas, and to that general's surprise he 
 found that McCook had left three brigades back at 
 Valley Head under the command of General Lytle. 
 
 For a moment General Thomas was speechless. 
 Then giving McCook a look which he never forgot, 
 he said: "And you did this, knowing that it was a 
 matter of life and death that the army be united as 
 soon as possible!" General McCook flushed, and 
 then explained that the safety of his trains depended 
 on Lytle being left behind. 
 
 "And yet you knew," continued Thomas, coldly, 
 "that Longstreet was coming, that Bragg was in 
 our front and might strike at any moment. This 
 means three more days of waiting. The battle will 
 be lost or won before that time." 
 
 Never had Fred seen Thomas so moved, or so 
 near showing anger. 
 
 "Pardon me, gentlemen," said Fred, stepping 
 modestly forward, "but I believe I can bring General 
 Lytle's command here by to-morrow evening." 
 
 Both Thomas and McCook looked inquiringly, 
 but at the same time incredulously, at him. 
 
 "There is a road," began Fred, hurriedly, 
 "along the top of the mountain. In returning 
 from carrying the dispatches to General McCook I 
 followed it after I took to the mountain and gained 
 
CARRYING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 331 
 
 the summit. I have inquired about it and have 
 good reasons to believe that this road extends clear 
 to Valley Head, though it has long been abandoned. 
 If it does, it is but one day's march for General 
 Lytle to join us. Give me an escort, and I will 
 follow this road to Valley Head and guide General 
 Lytle back over it." 
 
 General McCook caught at the idea. "I believe 
 Captain Shackelford is right," he said to General 
 Thomas. "I heard of this road, and thought of 
 taking it, but I dared not trust my corps to an un- 
 certainty." 
 
 "It is worth trying," replied General Thomas. 
 
 "Captain, I will send my mounted escort with 
 you, for the way may be dangerous, and you 
 must not be allowed to fail for want of proper 
 protection." 
 
 But to General Thomas' dismay, it was found that 
 his escort was away guarding a forage train. Only 
 seven mounted men could be found available for 
 the undertaking. 
 
 "I will make the attempt with them," said Fred. 
 "A small party can travel faster than a large 
 one." 
 
 "Very well. Captain," said General Thomas 
 eagerly, "I would not order you to undertake this 
 dangerous mission, but if you volunteer to do it I 
 shall be delighted." 
 
 It was late in the afternoon when the little party 
 started. At first they traveled rapidly, for Fred 
 knew the road. A few small scouting parties of the 
 
332 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 enemy were sighted, but they hastily fled at the 
 sight of the Federals. Night soon fell. The road 
 was much obscured and hardly more than a trail. 
 It would be easy to wander from it in the dark- 
 ness. 
 
 "I must trust my horse," thought Fred. And 
 all through the night Prince, with more than 
 human instinct, picked the way. 
 
 Morning had not yet dawned when Fred reached 
 the outposts of General Lytle near Valley Head. 
 The general was aroused, and as soon as it was 
 light he put his command in motion. But, much to 
 Fred's chagrin, he expressed himself as very doubt- 
 ful of the practicability of the route. Quite a fog 
 covered the mountain, and after marching three or 
 four miles, the way became uncertain, and the road 
 was hardly discernible. 
 
 General Lytle halted his command, and turning 
 to Fred, said: "Pardon me, Captain, but I dare 
 not follow you farther. I am responsible for the 
 safety of my command. You never could have 
 come over this road in the dark. You must have 
 missed the way. I must return to my camp." 
 
 Fred's heart sank at these words. He knew the 
 momentous issue at stake. He felt sure he was 
 right, but how could he convince General Lytle? 
 It was dark when he had passed over the road ; there 
 were no landmarks he could recognize. He grew 
 faint and giddy and reeled in his saddle. Suddenly 
 there flashed in his mind a recollection of just 
 where he was. 
 
CARRYING THE NEWS TO McCOOK. 333 
 
 "General," he answered, striving to keep his 
 voice from betraying his feelings, "I am almost 
 positive this is the way I came. If it is, less than 
 a mile in advance there is a dip in the ridge through 
 which flows a small stream, and the margins of the 
 stream are sandy. The tracks of our horses must 
 show plainly in this sand. Send one of your staff 
 forward with me to see if it is not as I say." 
 
 Turning to one of his staff. General Lytle said, 
 coldly: "You can go with the captain, but I have 
 little faith. If you are not back in fifteen minutes, 
 I shall give the order to countermarch." 
 
 Fred rode away, his breast torn with conflicting 
 emotions. What if he was mistaken? He could 
 never look General Thomas in the face again. 
 They had ridden scarcely more than half a mile 
 when Fred's heart gave a great bound. Before 
 them lay the ravine; through it flowed the little 
 stream. In its sandy banks were the prints of the 
 horses' hoofs — eight, just the number in Fred's 
 party. 
 
 The staff officer was convinced, and riding back 
 so reported to General Lytle, and the march was 
 resumed with alacrity. Before night General Lytle 
 had joined his corps at McLemore's Cove. 
 
 Never did Fred receive a warmer grasp of the 
 hand than General Thomas gave him when he 
 reported the success of his mission. 
 
 "You have rendered the country valuable serv- 
 ices," said the general, "but never have you 
 done a greater service than this. We now have 
 
334 OIV GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 a reunited army. The battle will open to-mor- 
 row. * 
 
 All day long during the i8th of September the 
 Federal army had seen in their front vast clouds of 
 dust moving northward, arising above the treetops. 
 Bragg was trying to cut Rosecrans off from Chatta- 
 nooga. Night came, and all that separated the two 
 armies was the sluggish current of the Chickamauga. 
 
 ♦This account of a young staff officer volunteering to reach 
 General Lytle by a road which he believed to exist along the 
 mountain top, and to conduct him to join Thomas by this short 
 route, is an actual fact. The officer is still alive, and is one 
 of the best known and most honored citizens of Chicago, 111. 
 It is a sad fact that General Lytle, a very gallant and brilliant 
 officer, reached the field only to be killed in the next morning's 
 battle. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 CHICKAMAUGA. 
 
 THE coming of darkness brought little rest to 
 the weary soldiers. All through the night the 
 tramp of marching columns and the rumbling of 
 artillery could be heard. General Thomas moved 
 his corps by the rear of Crittenden to the left 
 flank of the army. It was the post of danger, for 
 it guarded the roads to Chattanooga, and Rose- 
 crans had learned that where the danger was greatest 
 there Thomas should be. 
 
 Morning came. The rising sun kissed the hills, 
 and then the valleys. Throughout the woods and 
 hid in the tangled thickets along the banks of the 
 Chickamauga lay one hundred and twenty thousand 
 men, ready to grapple in a death struggle. Like 
 beasts hid in the jungle, they lay crouched ready 
 for a spring. Higher and higher rose the sun, yet 
 all peaceful lay the field of Chickamauga. The 
 silence was appalling, harder to bear than the roar 
 of battle. 
 
 Nine o'clock came, and General Thomas said: "I 
 do not believe Bragg has yet crossed the river with 
 the bulk of his army, or he would have been upon 
 us before this." 
 
 335 
 
33^ ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 But the fact was, Bragg did not know that 
 Thomas was where he was. He had no knowledge 
 of the midnight movement that placed Thomas 
 on the left. He thought that the left of the Fed- 
 eral army still rested at Lee and Gordon's Mill, 
 and he was massing his forces to crush it, just as he 
 had crushed the right at Stone River. 
 
 As General Thomas was speaking, an of^cer rode 
 up and said: "General, I have it on good authority 
 that there are only two brigades of the enemy across 
 the river. I believe by a rapid movement they can 
 be captured. Shall I make the trial?" 
 
 "By all means, if you think the information cor- 
 rect," answered Thomas. 
 
 Soon, away off in front came the sound of a few 
 irregular shots, and then the crash of volleys of 
 musketry. The battle of Chickamauga had opened. 
 
 This movement of Thomas took Bragg by sur- 
 prise. Instead of crushing the Federal left, he 
 found his own right being turned. Troops that 
 were marching toward Lee and Gordon's Mill were 
 hurried back and hurled on Thomas. For two 
 hours Thomas bore the burden; the remainder of 
 the army lay and listened. All that could be seen 
 of the battle was the smoke of the conflict which 
 arose above the tree-tops, as if a city were burn- 
 ing. Then the pressure became so great that 
 Thomas called for reinforcements. It was after- 
 noon before the battle became general along the 
 whole line. 
 
 Only once during the day was the Federal army 
 
CHICKAMAUGA. 337 
 
 in grave danger. About three o'clock Bragg made 
 a desperate charge with two divisions and pierced 
 the left center of the army, gaining the coveted 
 Chattanooga road. Hugh Raymond had gone to 
 Rosecrans to ask for reinforcements, and was com- 
 ing back just as the break occurred, and was 
 caught in the mad rush backward. 
 
 There was but one brigade in hand to check the 
 charge until the fleeing soldiers could be halted and 
 reformed, Hugh's regiment belonged to this 
 brigade, and when he saw it flung into the breach, 
 he forgot he was an orderly for General Thomas, 
 and spurring his horse forward, he waved his hat and 
 cheered the men on. His horse fell dead, but on 
 foot he pressed his way to the foremost rank. 
 When nearly surrounded, the regiment broke, 
 Hugh seized the colors, and succeeded in rallying 
 it and checking for a time the advance of the 
 enemy. In the precious minutes thus gained a line 
 was formed in the rear, and twenty frowning can- 
 non now stood in a row. Between these guns the 
 regiment passed, and then they belched forth their 
 contents of shell and canister. So rapid was the 
 firing that the reports seemed to blend into one. 
 The smoke settled down over the field, hiding 
 everything from view. For five minutes the can- 
 non thundered. 
 
 "Cease firing!" 
 
 The hot-throated cannon became silent ; the smoke 
 slowly ascended from the field — and what a sight ! 
 
 The charging columns had disappeared back 
 
338 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 across the road into the woods; but on the field lay 
 the dead and dying — mounds of gray that a mo- 
 ment before had been men. 
 
 The colonel of Hugh's regiment came to him, 
 and warmly grasping his hand, said: "Hugh, Gen- 
 eral Thomas must not have you any longer. Your 
 company has need of you. All of its commissioned 
 officers are killed or wounded. You are now Lieu- 
 tenant Raymond." 
 
 So Hugh came to command his company. 
 
 After the charge was repulsed, the Federal lines 
 swept forward, and at nightfall the two armies 
 occupied nearly the same positions they had in the 
 morning. The fight was kept up on the left long 
 into the night; but at last the firing sullenly died 
 away, and the weary soldiers sank on the ground 
 to sleep, unmindful of the dead around them. 
 
 Rosecrans called a council of his generals, but to 
 all questions Thomas had but one answer: "Look 
 well to the left." 
 
 General Rosecrans gave orders that at daylight 
 Negley's division should move from the center to 
 the extreme left, thus giving Thomas the strength 
 that he asked. Wood's division of Crittenden's 
 corps was ordered to take the place of Negley in 
 the center. 
 
 Thomas spent the night in rearranging his lines, 
 and preparing for the dreadful struggle which he 
 knew was coming. He did not close his eyes. 
 
 "What of the prospect in the morning?" asked 
 Fred of a brother staff officer. 
 
CHICK AM A UGA. 339 
 
 The officer looked grave. "To-morrow," he 
 answered, "we shall have to struggle for our exist- 
 ence. Twice to-day we have narrowly escaped 
 disaster. The army is loosely thrown together; 
 the corps, in a great measure, are broken up. In 
 Thomas's command are divisions from all three 
 corps. Rosecrans — " The officer stopped. He 
 was too true a soldier to utter a word of criticism 
 against his commanding general. 
 
 But Fred knew well what was in his mind. 
 Rosecrans had not his army well in hand. The 
 strain of the past week had left its effects. He was 
 nervous, and disposed to listen to every rumor. 
 
 Morning came. A heavy fog hung over the 
 earth, and for a time the sun refused to give its 
 light. The minutes passed, and the field remained 
 as strangely quiet as it had been the morning before. 
 In vain Thomas looked for Negley. Every moment 
 he expected to hear the yell of the advancing foe. 
 Time passed ; still no Negley. 
 
 "Ride to the right, Captain," said General 
 Thomas to Fred, ' ' and see why Negley is not here. ' * 
 And then he added, "It's strange that Bragg does 
 not attack." 
 
 Prince had been slightly wounded the night 
 before, and Fred had sent him back to Chatta- 
 nooga. This wound saved Prince's life, for during 
 the battle of the 20th Fred had two horses shot 
 under him. 
 
 As Rosecrans had given orders for Negley to be 
 on the left by daylight, so had Bragg given orders 
 
34^ ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 to Polk to attack the left at daylight. Both com- 
 manders were disobeyed. Polk did not advance 
 until half past eight, and his charge did not come 
 until nine. This delay was of inestimable value to 
 Thomas. 
 
 When Fred reached the center he found that 
 Negley had not moved, Wood not having relieved 
 him. Rosecrans at once ordered Wood to relieve 
 Negley, and sent the reserve brigade of that general 
 to the left under the guidance of Fred. It arrived 
 none too soon. At nine o'clock a tremendous 
 assault was made on the left flank, and it was 
 repulsed only after the most terrific fighting. The 
 battle now rolled to the south, and soon the whole 
 of Thomas's line was engaged. Assault after assault 
 was repulsed; Thomas's lines were immovable. 
 
 But in vain he looked for Negley's two remain- 
 ing brigades. Every moment he expected another 
 assault on his extreme left flank. 
 
 Speaking to Fred, he said: "Go once more, and 
 see what has become of Negley." 
 
 Away galloped Fred on his mission. All along 
 the front the battle roared and thundered. Great 
 clouds of smoke arose above the tree-tops and 
 drifted away. Hundreds of wounded men were 
 seeking the rear. Many of these men were still full 
 of fight, and were cheering and urging on the regi- 
 ments they met going into the battle. Cannon 
 balls were ricochetting over the ground, as if giants 
 were playing at ten-pins. Batteries were dashing 
 
 4 
 
CHICK AMA UGA. 34 1 
 
 along at full speed, heeding neither the living nor 
 the dead. 
 
 Fred soon passed beyond the battle ; the right of 
 the army was not yet engaged. Longstreet's ter- 
 rific blow had not yet fallen. To his surprise, Fred 
 found that Negley had not yet been relieved from 
 the front line. 
 
 When he reported the fact to Rosecrans, that 
 general rode to Wood and reprimanded him in the 
 severest terms for not obeying orders. Wood 
 turned pale with suppressed anger, but without a 
 word relieved Negley; and Fred, supposing that 
 that general would at once move to the left with 
 his command, galloped back and reported to 
 Thomas that the needed reinforcements were 
 coming. 
 
 But Negley never reached Thomas. Why, has 
 never been clearly shown. 
 
 Now occurred a mistake which lost the battle of 
 Chickamauga to the Federals. Some officer went 
 to Rosecrans and told him there was a gap in the 
 line between Wood and Reynolds. There was no 
 gap. Brannon's division, one of the finest in the 
 army, was between Wood and Reynolds. This 
 Rosecrans should have known, but it seemed he had 
 lost track of the positions of divisions. Without 
 investigating whether the report was true or not, he 
 at once wrote an order and dispatched it to Wood 
 to close up on Reynolds and support him. 
 
 When Wood received the order, he smiled 
 
342 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 grimly, folded it up, placed it in his pocketbook, 
 and remarked that he was glad it was in writing. 
 
 "What is it?" asked one of his brigade com- 
 manders, to whom the remark was addressed, 
 
 "To close up on Reynolds, and support him," 
 was the answer. 
 
 "You can't do it; Brannon is between us." 
 
 "I shall move in the rear of Brannon," coolly 
 replied Wood. 
 
 "Great Heavens! General, that will leave a gap 
 in the line; the enemy is forming in the woods in 
 front to attack." 
 
 "Nevertheless, I shall obey the order," replied 
 Wood, as a dark scowl passed over his face. "Gen- 
 eral Rosecrans will never have another opportunity 
 to talk to me as he did a short time ago. I have 
 the order, here it is — " and he tapped his breast 
 pocket — "and it shall be obeyed." 
 
 "But the gap, General, the gap!" 
 
 "I shall send an aide to both McCook and Davis 
 with word that I am about to move out of the line, 
 and let them fill it as best they can." 
 
 So Wood withdrew from the line, leaving a great 
 gap, nearly half a mile long. 
 
 Up to this time the right of the Federal army 
 had not been engaged. But Longstreet was mass- 
 ing twenty-five thousand men for a tremendous 
 onslaught. His quick eye caught the great gap 
 which Wood had left, and through it his legions 
 poured. They caught Jefferson C. Davis's division, 
 consisting of only two small brigades, as it was 
 
CHIC KAMA UGA . 343 
 
 moving to the left, vainly trying to fill the gap, 
 and scattered it like chaff. 
 
 They then wheeled, and struck Sheridan's divi- 
 sion in flank and rear. In vain the gallant Sheridan 
 tried to stem the tide; his division was hurled back, 
 but not broken and disorganized as was Davis's. In 
 less than half an hour after Longstreet's first attack 
 the whole right wing was fleeing in rout and panic 
 for Rossville or Chattanooga. 
 
 Rosecrans, McCook, and Crittenden were caught 
 in the rush, and swept back to Rossville. The 
 whole of Crittenden's corps, with the exception of 
 two brigades, was with Thomas, and he was virtu- 
 ally without a command. 
 
 At Rossville Rosecrans met a large number of 
 Negley's division. Thinking that the division had 
 gone to the left as ordered, he asked them of news 
 from Thomas. It was a woeful tale the cowards 
 told him: Thomas was killed, Crittenden was 
 killed, the whole left was broken worse than the 
 right. 
 
 Then, in utter despair, Rosecrans turned to Gar- 
 field and asked him what he should do. His advice 
 was the undoing of Rosecrans, although it was 
 good on the supposition that the story of Negley's 
 men was true. It was to go to Chattanooga and 
 try to save the remnant of the army, while Garfield 
 himself would try to reach the left. 
 
 Rosecrans accepted the advice ; his heart was 
 broken, his courage gone. Those who saw him on 
 his ride from Rossville to Chattanooga will never 
 
344 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 forget him. His face was like marble; all expres- 
 sion of life had left it. He looked neither to the 
 right nor the left, but rode like a man in a dream. 
 When he reached his headquarters in Chattanooga 
 he sank into a chair and buried his face in his hands. 
 McCook and Crittenden came in, but not a word 
 was spoken. Like their chief, they sat silent and 
 in despair. 
 
 An ofificer, on a foaming steed, came dashing up 
 to the door. Throwing himself from the horse, he 
 rushed up to Rosecrans, and thrust a dispatch into 
 his hands, exclaiming, "It's from General Garfield." 
 
 Trembling with eagerness, Rosecrans tore the 
 dispatch open and read : 
 
 ^^ Thomas standing like a rock. Has seven divi- 
 sions intact. ' ' 
 
 The general became as one awakened from the 
 dead. Color came to his face, fire to his eye. 
 Springing to his feet, he waved the dispatch above 
 his head and shouted: "All is not lost! All is not 
 lost! Thomas holds!" 
 
 Then as if noticing McCook and Crittenden for 
 the first time, he said: "This is no place for you, 
 gentlemen. To your commands!" 
 
 It was no place for him, either. If when at 
 Rossville the spirit of Stone River had animated 
 Rosecrans, he could have collected ten thousand 
 men and hurled them on the flank and in the rear of 
 Longstreet, and gained the greatest victory of the 
 war. But it was not to be; the star of Rosecrans 
 had set. 
 
CHICK AM A UGA. 345 
 
 When Longstreet broke the right he did not pur- 
 sue the shattered regiments, but allowed them to 
 make their retreat unmolested. Instead, he made 
 a wheel to the right and fell upon Thomas. 
 
 When Fred returned and reported that Negley 
 was at last on the way, Thomas said: "With Neg- 
 ley the left is safe." 
 
 But time passed, and no Negley. The sound of 
 fighting on the right rolled on toward Chattanooga, 
 and Thomas became anxious. Then came the 
 news that Polk was gathering his forces for another 
 desperate effort to turn the left flank. Taking his 
 three reserve brigades, Thomas rushed to the point 
 of danger. Like a torrent the Confederate force 
 poured around the flank and in the rear of Baird. 
 
 In the tangled woods this torrent met the three 
 brigades of Thomas. It was the most dreadful 
 conflict Fred ever witnessed. The two lines met 
 face to face, and for a time poured their volleys into 
 each other's breasts. Once, through the swirling 
 smoke, Fred thought he caught a glimpse of his 
 father, cheering on his men, but just then Fred's 
 horse fell, the smoke settled down, and all was lost 
 from view. 
 
 "O Father in Heaven!" whispered Fred, with 
 white lips, "protect him." 
 
 At last the Confederate torrent was rolled back; 
 the left was again saved. 
 
 Now from the right there came drifting broken 
 fragments of regiments, and the story of the great 
 disaster was known. With the broken regiments 
 
34^ ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 came the divisions of Brannon and Wood, only four 
 small brigades strong. On Snodgrass Hill Thomas 
 formed his slender line — a hill that is to remain as 
 memorable as the field of Marathon. Wood formed 
 on the left of Brannon, and as if to atone for what he 
 had done, he held his division like a wall of adamant. 
 Throughout that dreadful afternoon his lines were 
 not shaken. The divisions of Wood and Brannon, 
 with the fragments of regiments which joined them, 
 met and hurled back the veterans of Longstreet 
 time after time. 
 
 At length seeing how weak and short Thomas's 
 line was, Longstreet massed his forces to turn his 
 right flank, Thomas looked anxiously to his right. 
 At the point threatened Thomas had not a single man. 
 
 "Captain," he said to Fred, "ride over to the 
 right and see what you can discover." 
 
 Fred rode clear beyond the fighting, and then 
 ascended the hill. Just as he reached the summit 
 he was met with a volley, and glancing down the 
 gorge toward the Videto house he saw the legions 
 of Longstreet coming. He turned, and putting spurs 
 to his horse, bore to Thomas the fateful tidings. 
 
 The chieftain heard, and his great heart grew 
 faint. He looked up and down his slender line, 
 enveloped in a cloud of smoke. From out the 
 sulphurous canopy there came yells of triumph, 
 shouts of victory. His men had once more hurled 
 back the charging columns of the enemy. Not a 
 regiment, not a company, could be spared from 
 that line. 
 
CHICK AM A UGA. 347 
 
 "Twenty minutes," he said, as if to himself, 
 "and all will be over. Twenty minutes — " The 
 voice broke. 
 
 Fred sat on his horse as if stunned. There was 
 a roaring in his ears, he heard the sound of battle 
 as afar off. Could it be that in twenty minutes 
 the Army of the Cumberland would be no more? 
 He tried to speak, but his voice died away. 
 
 He turned and looked to the rear. A great 
 cloud of dust was arising above the tree-tops, and 
 from out the leafy coverts, there sprang out, as if 
 by magic, an army of men. Their waving banners 
 and glistening bayonets flashed in the sunlight like 
 rainbows of hope. 
 
 "Look! look!" cried Fred. 
 
 General Thomas turned and saw. "It's Granger, ' ' 
 he cried, "Granger coming without orders. We 
 are saved!" 
 
 Three miles away, guarding the road which led to 
 Rossville, had lain the Reserve corps. All through 
 the day they had listened to the sound of battle. 
 Their orders were strict, to guard the road and 
 keep the enemy from Rossville. Forrest's cavalry 
 hovered around them, and that was all. As the 
 roar of battle grew louder General Gordon Granger 
 turned to the fiery Steadman and said: "They 
 have need of us over there." 
 
 ' ' Yes, ' ' said Steadman ; "we are not needed here ; 
 one brigade can hold Forrest. Let's go." 
 
 "It's a dreadful thing to disobey orders in time 
 of battle," replied Granger. 
 
34S ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "I will take the responsibility," cried Stead- 
 man. And so the order was given. 
 
 Forrest's cavalry hovered around them like flies, 
 and like flies were brushed aside. He opened on 
 them with two batteries, and shot and shell went 
 crashing through their ranks. 
 
 "It is only Forrest," cried General Granger. 
 "Don't mind him, boys; he is only trying to stop 
 us. It is not here we are needed; it is where the 
 battle is roaring." And heedless of the shot and 
 shell, they rushed on. Was the hand of God 
 leading them? 
 
 Granger, his swarthy face aflame and his eyes 
 flashing fire, rode up to General Thomas and 
 asked, "Where will you have us. General?" 
 
 Thomas pointed to the right, where the skirmish- 
 ers of Longstreet were just breaking cover. Then 
 turning to Fred, he said: "Captain, you have been 
 over there, and know the lay of the ground. Go 
 and point out the position." 
 
 The lines were quickly formed, and at the word 
 of command the men of the West rushed upon the 
 veterans of Longstreet. It was like the meeting 
 of two great storm clouds — broken, shattered, flung 
 back, then reeling to and fro like two giant wrestlers. 
 
 For twenty minutes the hill flamed and smoked ; 
 for twenty minutes the earth trembled as if rent 
 with infernal thunder. 
 
 All at once the Union line faltered, broke, and 
 commenced to fall back. Fred was close to Gen- 
 eral Steadman when the crisis came. There was 
 
CHICK AM A UGA. 349 
 
 a crashing volley, and both of their horses fell. 
 Springing from his dying steed, Steadman snatched 
 a flag from the hands of a color-bearer and shouted, 
 "Follow me, my men." 
 
 As the snow-white plume of Henry of Navarre 
 floated where the battle was fiercest, so did Stead- 
 man bear the banner into the thickest of the conflict. 
 
 His men saw, and with a mighty shout they 
 sprang forward and the victory was won. Back 
 over the hill the Confederates fled, and the Army 
 of the Cumberland was saved. 
 
 With the excitement of battle thrilling every 
 nerve, Fred found his way back to General Thomas. 
 He saw victory still in the grasp of the Federal 
 army, and his heart beat high. But his hopes were 
 dashed to the earth when he found Thomas in con- 
 sultation with Garfield, and heard that General 
 Rosecrans had ordered a retreat. There was a 
 tremor in Thomas's voice as he turned to his chief 
 of staff and said: "The army is saved from anni- 
 hilation, but not from defeat; I have orders to fall 
 back to Rossville." 
 
 So in the gathering gloom of night the army fell 
 back, leaving the field to the exultant foe. But 
 Bragg could well exclaim as did Pyrrhus when he 
 defeated the Romans, "One more such victory, and 
 I am undone."* 
 
 * According to the Confederate reports there were more 
 Confederate soldiers killed and wounded at the battle of Chick- 
 amauga than in any other one battle fought during the war, 
 Gettysburg not excepted. Bragg acknowledged a loss of forty 
 per cent of his whole arnny. On the field of Chickamauga 
 between 30,000 and 40,000 men lay dead and wounded. 
 
CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 THE BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS. 
 
 THE Army of the Cumberland had fallen back 
 and lay around the little city of Chattanooga, 
 its ranks thinned by the battle of Chickamauga, 
 but its spirit still unbroken. 
 
 From the lofty summit of Lookout, thousands of 
 feet above them, floated the flag of the Confeder- 
 acy, and from its crest cannon hurled their iron 
 messengers into the heart of the city. 
 
 As Moses, from the top of Pisgah, viewed the 
 Promised Land, so could the Confederates from 
 Lookout see what they had lost and hoped to win 
 back. The State of Tennessee lay like a map spread 
 out before them ; while the river, glistening like a 
 great silver ribbon, could be traced for miles in its 
 winding course. Far across the State, in Ken- 
 tucky, the dim, misty peaks of the Cumberlands 
 could be seen. To the eastward, across plain, 
 mountain ranges, fruitful valleys, and swift-flowing 
 rivers, the lofty summits of the Great Smoky range 
 in North Carolina hung like floating clouds in the 
 horizon. To the west, with its rocky feet bathed 
 in the Tennessee, lay Raccoon Mountain, and 
 across its wooded heights, Alabama, fair as the 
 
 35° 
 
THE BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS. 35 1 
 
 fabled Garden of the Gods, lay smiling in the 
 autumn sun. In all the world there is no more 
 beautiful, no grander view than from Lookout 
 Mountain. 
 
 All this the Confederates could see but could 
 not possess; for around Chattanooga, with banners 
 proudly waving, was Rosecrans's army. In front 
 of that army Missionary Ridge stretched for miles, 
 and all along its crest camp-fires gleamed and the 
 bayonets of Bragg's army shone. One hundred 
 cannon frowned down on the beleaguered city, ready 
 to vomit forth flame and death on the slightest 
 provocation. 
 
 The Army of the Cumberland was besieged. 
 Only from over the mountains across the river, 
 could supplies be brought. This mountain road 
 was lined with dead mules and broken wagons. 
 Here and there smoking piles of twisted iron told 
 where a train had been destroyed by the omnipres- 
 ent Wheeler or Forrest. And these trains had 
 contained food — food for a famishing army — food 
 more precious than gold. 
 
 In Chattanooga the Army of the Cumberland 
 lay starving, yet clinging to the place with despera- 
 tion. The authorities at Washington had at last 
 waked up to the gravity of the situation, and were 
 doing what they should have done weeks before — 
 hurrying forward reinforcements to save Chatta- 
 nooga. Hooker was on his way from the Army of 
 the Potomac, with two corps; Sherman was hurry- 
 ing from Mississippi with two more corps. 
 
352 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Great changes had taken place in the Army of 
 the Cumberland. Rosecrans, McCook, Crittenden, 
 and Negley had been relieved of their commands. 
 Thomas had come into his own ; he was in com- 
 mand of the army. Grant had been placed in 
 supreme command. 
 
 "Hold on until I come," he telegraphed to 
 Thomas. 
 
 "We will hold on until we starve," was the 
 reply. 
 
 And starving the army was. Horses perished 
 by the hundreds, until at last there were not enough 
 left to handle one battery of artillery. The men 
 grew pinched and weak. Soldiers, faint with 
 hunger, would stagger out to the picket line, and 
 when taunted by the Confederate pickets over their 
 condition, and told that they would soon be forced 
 to surrender from starvation, they would reply 
 that they were living like lords, and had food to 
 throw away, and would pitch a cracker out of their 
 scanty hoard over to the Confederates to prove it. 
 
 At last so great was the famine that to some 
 regiments raw corn was issued — one ear per day 
 to a man. It was no uncommon sight to see sol- 
 diers picking undigested grains of corn from the 
 offal of animals, washing, parching, and then eating 
 it. But during all this distress if a soldier had 
 hinted that they ought to give up, he would have 
 suffered violence at the hands of his indignant 
 comrades. 
 
 Hooker came, crossed the river at Bridgeport, 
 
THE BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS. 353 
 
 and marched through the mountains to Lookout 
 Valley. Here, at Wauhatchie, in the darkness of 
 the night, Longstreet threw his forces on him, 
 but Hooker paid back old scores, and Longstreet 
 was badly defeated. 
 
 A few days before, under cover of night, a brigade 
 from Chattanooga had silently floated down the 
 river past Lookout, and effected a landing at 
 Brown's Ferry. A junction was made with 
 Hooker, communications were established with 
 Bridgeport, and the famine days were over. The 
 army had food, clothes, shoes. What rejoicing 
 there was! 
 
 Grant now only waited for Sherman to come up 
 to drive the Confederate army from its rocky fast- 
 nesses. Sherman came; the Army of the Cumber- 
 land and the Army of the Tennessee, divorced 
 after the siege of Corinth, were reunited, never 
 more to be severed. Together they were to sweep 
 forward to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to the sea. 
 
 Their deeds were to be the common heritage of 
 both — deeds which were to cover them with imper- 
 ishable glory. 
 
 On the twenty-third of November the Federal 
 Army assembled outside their intrenchments as for 
 a grand review. The Confederates saw, and think- 
 ing they were about to look upon a grand military 
 pageant, let the army form undisturbed. 
 
 Suddenly the Federal lines swept forward; the 
 review had been turned into the stern reality of 
 war. The Confederate outposts were captured, 
 
354 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 and the commanding position of Orchard Knob 
 was won. 
 
 In the evening General Thomas gave Fred a dis- 
 patch to take to Hooker. It was an order for him 
 to storm Lookout Mountain in the morning. 
 
 "And, Captain," said General Thomas, "you 
 can stay and witness the battle; I do not loojc for 
 much fighting in our front to-morrow." 
 
 To join Hooker Fred had to cross the river, ride 
 over Moccasin Point, and then recross the river at 
 Brown's Ferry. When General Hooker read the 
 order his face lighted up with joy, and turning to 
 his staff he said: "There will be rare sport to- 
 morrow, gentlemen. We are to storm the moun- 
 tain." 
 
 The staff looked up at the rocky heights and 
 shook their heads. It did, indeed, look like an act 
 of madness to attempt to capture those heights. 
 
 In the gray of the morning General Hooker 
 formed his lines. A thick mist covered the valley 
 and hid his movements from the enemy. The 
 Confederate pickets were surprised and captured; 
 then up the mountain side clambered the men, 
 dragging themselves upward by tree and shrub. 
 
 At last the lines were formed, the mists arose, 
 and the army moved forward. The rugged sides of 
 Lookout soon became aflame with flashing muskets 
 and resounded with the shouts of the combatants. 
 Behind every tree and rock death lurked. Down 
 the mountain side great stones came crashing. The 
 lines would open, and they would go thundering on. 
 
THE BATTLE ABOVE THE CLOUDS. 355 
 
 Nothing could stop the onward sweep of the 
 Union lines. The roar of battle could be heard in 
 Chattanooga and along the heights of Missionary 
 Ridge. At length the Confederates were pressed 
 around the point of the mountain, and the battle 
 came into full view of those gazing from the plain 
 below. On the plateau half way up the mountain 
 side, around the Craven house, the conflict raged 
 in all its fury. A hundred thousand men stood and 
 gazed in awe. The two armies forgetting that 
 they were enemies, became spectators, and watched 
 unmolested the sublime spectacle. 
 
 Suddenly the mists closed down, as if Lookout 
 would veil his face from the bloody scene enacted 
 on his rugged side. 
 
 When Jehovah met Moses face to face on Mount 
 Sinai, the children of Israel, on bended knees, 
 raised their affrighted eyes, but saw only a thick 
 cloud, out of which came terrible thundering and 
 vivid flashes of light; so now was the battle hid 
 from those who gazed, but from out the cloud there 
 came thunderings, fitful flashes of light, and the 
 shouting of the combatants. 
 
 Darkness came, but it was midnight before the 
 lights ceased to leap and dance, and Lookout sank 
 to rest. With the first gleam of dawn a hundred 
 thousand men once more turned their eyes toward 
 Lookout. At first its giant outlines were faintly 
 traced, then stood out in bolder relief. While the 
 valley still lay in somber shadows, the first rays of 
 the rising sun touched his regal brow, and there, 
 
356 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 proudly floating in the morning breeze, waved the f 
 banner of freedom, t 
 
 Then there went up from the Federal lines such ', 
 a shout that its volume filled the valley, echoed and 
 reechoed along the jagged sides of Lookout, and 
 rolled like a great wave along the crest of Mission- 
 ary Ridge. 
 
 The Confederates saw that flag, all glorious with 
 its shining stars and broad stripes, and turned 
 away with dim eyes and sinking hearts. To them 
 it was the signal of defeat. 
 
CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 THE STORMING OF MISSIONARY RIDGE. 
 
 THROUGHOUT the battle of Lookout Moun- 
 tain Fred bore a most honorable part, and was 
 warmly complimented by General Hooker. Once, 
 at least, death was very near him. He was intensely 
 interested in watching the movements of a regiment 
 when he was startled by a soldier near him crying, 
 "Lookout, Captain!" 
 
 He glanced upward, and saw a great stone rush- 
 ing down the mountain side, directly upon him. 
 He sprang to one side, just in time to escape it; 
 yet so close did it pass that it brushed his leg as it 
 went bounding on its way, crushing rocks and 
 splintering trees in its course. 
 
 "A close call that, Captain," laughed the sol- 
 dier, but the laugh died away on his lips. He 
 threw up his arms, and plunged headlong down 
 the mountain. A ball had pierced his brain. 
 
 So sudden was it that Fred could scarcely realize 
 that his preserver was slain. 
 
 "A moment ago," he cried, with quivering lip, 
 "he saved my life, and now he is gone." 
 
 A short time afterwards Fred witnessed one of the 
 most distressing incidents he ever saw in a battle. 
 
 357 
 
35S ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 A Confederate soldier had clung to a rock until the 
 Federals were almost on him. He then started 
 to run, paying no attention to the command to 
 halt. A member of a Kentucky regiment raised 
 his rifle and fired, and the man fell. Going up to 
 him, the soldier found, to his horror, that he had 
 shot his own brother. 
 
 Falling on his knees, he raised his brother in his 
 arms, crying: "George! George! Speak to me! 
 Forgive me! O God! What have I done?" 
 
 The dying man opened his eyes, smiled, and 
 whispered : 
 
 "Is that you, Joe? You didn't mean to do it. 
 It's all right — all right," and he was gone. 
 
 "Heaven has been more kind to the dead than 
 the living," thought Fred, as he passed on, leav- 
 ing the living brother holding the dead one in his 
 arms and sobbing as if his heart would break. 
 
 In the early morning, the way now being open, 
 Fred rode down the mountain into Chattanooga 
 and made his report to General Thomas. 
 
 "It was a most gallant affair," said the general. 
 "You will never regret you were with General 
 Hooker in his battle among the clouds. It was a 
 conflict that will live in song and story." 
 
 "If we could only gain Missionary Ridge as 
 easily," responded Fred, "it would be glorious." 
 
 "That we cannot expect to do," answered 
 Thomas. "Sherman had some hot fighting yester- 
 day. We shall see warm work to-day. But, God 
 
THE STORMING OF MISSIONART RIDGE. 359 
 
 willing, I hope to see the old flag waving over Mis- 
 sionary Ridge before night." 
 
 "What is the plan of battle to-day?" asked Fred. 
 
 "Sherman is to turn the right of the Confeder- 
 ate army, while Hooker is to cross over the valley 
 from Lookout and attack the left." And then he 
 added, with a smile, "When these generals get the 
 Rebels on the run, the Army of the Cumberland is 
 to be allowed to do a little fighting." 
 
 General Grant evidently did not understand the 
 Army of the Cumberland. In his plan of battle it 
 was Sherman who was to do most of the fighting 
 and win the glory. 
 
 "The Army of the Cumberland," said Grant to 
 Sherman, "are so demoralized by their defeat at 
 Chickamauga, and have been lying here in the 
 trenches so long, I am afraid there is not much 
 fight in them. I want you to assume the offensive, 
 and when they see you fight, no doubt they will do 
 very well." 
 
 Little did General Grant think when he uttered 
 these disparaging and cruel words that after Sher- 
 man had failed it would be these demoralized 
 soldiers who would sweep up Missionary Ridge, 
 make one of the most brilliant charges in hislo y, 
 and place a laurel wreath on his brow as green and 
 everlasting as the one he won at Vicksburg. 
 
 General Grant's plan of battle miscarried. Sher- 
 man met with a most stubborn and unexpected 
 resistance. From early morning until the afternoon 
 
360 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 the battle raged, but Sherman was unable to 
 advance. 
 
 General Grant grew impatient, and about three 
 o'clock in the afternoon, to create a diversion in 
 Sherman's favor, and if possible make Bragg with- 
 draw some of his troops in Sherman's front, he gave 
 orders for the Army of the Cumberland to charge 
 and take the line of earthworks at the foot of Mis- 
 sionary Ridge, and there await further orders. 
 
 Fred bore to Wood and Sheridan the order to 
 charge. 
 
 "Tell them," said Thomas, "the signal will be 
 six guns fired in rapid succession from Orchard 
 Knob." 
 
 Other aides bore the same orders to Baird and 
 Johnson. 
 
 When Sheridan received the order he seemed to 
 grow six inches taller. His face glowed with 
 excitement, and his eyes fairly blazed. Sheridan 
 in battle was the very incarnation of war. 
 
 It was just half-past three when the six cannon 
 thundered in swift succession from Orchard Knob. 
 Hardly had the last report died away when twenty 
 thousand men sprang to their feet, and with wild 
 cheers dashed forward. Met with storms of shot 
 and shell, they never faltered, but swept the ene- 
 my's line as by a whirlwind. The foot of the 
 Ridge was gained. 
 
 But what then? 
 
 From the heights above thousands of rifles blazed 
 and fifty cannon bellowed. From both flanks shot 
 
Then, as if by common Consent, Officers and Soldiers 
 started up the Ridge. 
 
THE STORMING OF MISSIONARY RIDGE. 361 
 
 and shell came plowing through the ranks. To 
 stay was death ; to retreat was dishonor. The sol- 
 diers looked into each other's faces inquiringly. 
 Officers grew pale, but had no word of command ; 
 they had done all they had been ordered to do. 
 
 Then, as if by common consent, without com- 
 mand, officers and soldiers started up the Ridge. 
 
 To his astonishment, General Grant saw that 
 the four divisions were charging up the ridge, and 
 turning angrily to Thomas, asked him by whose 
 order it was done. 
 
 "I gave no such order," replied Thomas; "did 
 you?" he asked, turning to Granger, the com- 
 mander of the Fourth corps. 
 
 "It was by no order of mine," answered Granger. 
 
 "Then by whose order is it?" growled Grant. 
 
 "I think," quietly replied Thomas, "it is by no 
 one's order. The men are doing it on their own 
 volition. They found they could not stay where 
 they were, and they would not retreat." 
 
 "Well," snapped Grant, "it's all right if it 
 comes out all right. If not, some one will suffer." 
 
 And then Grant stood and watched the men 
 who, he thought, would not fight taking Missionary 
 Ridge. 
 
 Those of our readers who look upon a charge as 
 a headlong rush of solid columns of men will form 
 a wrong impression of the charge up Missionary 
 Ridge. It was not a rush, but an advance foot by 
 foot, and by an irregular line of men. 
 
 Around the standards of the different regiments 
 
362 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 the bravest rallied and carried the colors to the 
 front. The line would gradually creep up to them, 
 and then the flags would again be advanced. It 
 took nearly an hour to ascend Missionary Ridge, 
 and all this time it was swept by an iron tempest 
 from fifty cannon and the leaden hail from twenty 
 thousand muskets. Over three thousand of the 
 brave men who started up the Ridge, facing that 
 storm of death, never reached the crest. Their blood 
 dyed the earth and rocks with a deeper crimson 
 than that which colored the leaves of autumn that 
 lay thickly strewn around. 
 
 Where was Fred during this time? In the fore- 
 most rank, among the heroes who were carrying 
 the flags forward. Fired by the enthusiasm of the 
 moment, he had left his horse and joined in the 
 rush up the Ridge. He soon found himself close to 
 one of the foremost flags. Bearer after bearer had 
 fallen, and Fred, seizing the drooping colors, 
 shouted to the men to come on. They responded 
 with a cheer, and soon they had gained a point 
 just beneath the crest. Other flags came up to the 
 right and left. Fred waited until the little com- 
 pany of men around his flag had grown to a small- 
 sized regiment. 
 
 "Now," he cried, and sprang to the front. The 
 men flung themselves forward as if thrown from a 
 catapult. 
 
 Cannon bellowed, rifles flashed, bayonet clashed 
 on bayonet ; horrid curses, cries, and groans 
 mingled with the thunder of the combat, and then 
 
THE STORMING OF MISSIONARY RIDGE. 363 
 
 from the ramparts waved the blood-stained stand- 
 ards of the charging hosts. 
 
 In that mad rush Fred was hurled on to the very- 
 mouth of a cannon. A gunner was just in the act 
 of discharging it. Fred's revolver spoke, and he 
 sank down a lifeless heap. Stout hands seized the 
 cannon, whirled it around, and a soldier firing his 
 rifle over the vent, sent its contents into the ranks 
 of the fleeing enemy. Fred sprang on the gun, 
 even as it was recoiling, and waved his flag in tri- 
 umph. 
 
 A Confederate officer in front was trying to rally 
 his panic-stricken men. A soldier drew up his gun 
 to shoot him, when Fred, to his horror, discovered 
 that it was his father. 
 
 "Not him! not him!" he cried, as he struck the 
 gun down. 
 
 Then suddenly his right leg grew numb; at the 
 same time he felt a sharp sting in the shoulder, and 
 he fell backward into the arms of a soldier. But 
 as he fell, he heard the victorious shouts of his 
 comrades above the roar of battle. Missionary 
 Ridge was won.* 
 
 *The account of Fred's going up Missionary Ridge is an 
 almost exact statement of the charge of the First Ohio Volun- 
 teer Infiintry regiment, under the leadership of Colonel Bassett 
 Langdon. The colors of that regiment were among the first, 
 and in all i)ro;)ahility the very first, to be planted on the crest 
 01 Missionary Kidge. During the charge the colors were borne 
 by six different standard bearers, one of them a Captain, and 
 one a Major. 
 
 Corpora! Kraemer of the regiment discharged a captured 
 cannon in the way narrated in the story. Colonel Langdon, the 
 gallant leader of the regiment, died of wound." leceived in the 
 moment of victory. 
 
CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 CUPID VERSUS MARS. 
 
 A MONTH had come and gone since the charge 
 on Missionary Ridge. The storm of battle 
 which had raged for so many days on the moun- 
 tains and through the valleys around Chattanooga 
 had passed away, and the two armies lay in winter 
 quarters. Both were preparing for the deadly 
 grapple which must come with spring. 
 
 In a room in a private house in Chattanooga 
 Fred lay, comfortably reclining in an invalid chair. 
 
 He looked pale and wan, but his smile was bright 
 and his laugh merry, and it was evident he was on 
 the high road to recovery. The wounds he had 
 received, though severe, did not prove mortal. 
 
 The surgeon who attended him was just taking 
 his leave, and saying: "You will be walking around 
 in a few days. Captain. It is no wonder you are 
 recovering so rapidly, with two such nurses," and 
 he glanced pleasantly at Kate Shackelford and 
 Mabel Vaughn, who sat in the room engaged with 
 some fancy needlework. 
 
 These two young ladies, although so different in 
 temperament and belief, had become bosom friends. 
 The cruel fate which had taken from them their 
 
 364 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 365 
 
 lovers was a common tie which bound them to- 
 gether. When they heard of Fred being grievously 
 wounded, both came to his bedside, and his rapid 
 recovery was greatly due to their skillful nursing. 
 
 "I think," continued the surgeon, "that in a few 
 days I can send you North on a furlough. You 
 will find yourself a hero up there. The papers are 
 filled with your praise. It is asserted that you 
 planted the first flag on the enemy's works, and 
 that it was greatly owing to your valor that the 
 charge on Missionary Ridge was a success." 
 
 Fred made a gesture of impatience. "There, 
 Doctor," he exclaimed, "that is enough. I am no 
 more entitled to honor than thousands of others 
 who made that charge. As to the flag I carried 
 being planted on the works first, I think those 
 borne by Colonel Ainsworth and Hugh Raymond 
 were planted fully as quickly as mine; at least there 
 was such a little difference in time it is not worth 
 mentioning." 
 
 "Have it your own way, Captain," laughed the 
 surgeon, as he went out, "but the world will have 
 it different." 
 
 Here visitors were announced, and Colonel Ains- 
 worth and Hugh Raymond were ushered into the 
 room. Hugh shone resplendent in a new uniform, 
 and a captain's bars glistened on his shoulders. 
 
 "Hello!" shouted Fred. "A captain, as sure 
 as I am born ! Allow me to congratulate you, my 
 boy." 
 
 Hugh took a military position, saluted, and 
 
366 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 gravely replied: "Captain Hugh Raymond, at your 
 service; and allow me to say, Captain Frederick 
 Shackelford, as I am of equal rank with you, there 
 is now to be no more bossing on your part." 
 
 "Just hear him crow!" said Fred, laughing. 
 
 "Captain Raymond is shouting before he is out 
 of the woods," spoke up Colonel Ainsworth. "He 
 should remember that your commission antedates 
 his nearly two years. He may be obliged to obey 
 you yet." 
 
 "In that case," replied Hugh, seating himself, 
 with a mock sigh, "I suppose I must be resigned, 
 but it's tough." 
 
 Just then an orderly came in with mail, and 
 Kate, receiving a good, fat letter, said: "It's from 
 home. Please excuse me while I retire and read it. ' ' 
 
 In a few minutes she came rushing into the room 
 crying: "Oh, Fred, Fred! I have good news for 
 you. Your Cousin Calhoun has been heard from. 
 He is alive." 
 
 "Alive!" echoed Fred, his face lighting up with 
 joy. "Thank God! Tell us about it, Kate." 
 
 "Why, it's just like a romance. It seems that 
 he was desperately wounded in that last fight that 
 Morgan had in Ohio. He was found in what was 
 supposed to be a dying condition and taken to a 
 farmhouse. Here he was nursed back to life by 
 the farmer's daughter, a beautiful girl of seventeen. 
 The result is the old story; they loved each other. 
 It seems that the father is quite a prominent man, 
 and a rabid abolitionist. When he found out how 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 367 
 
 things stood he forbade his daughter to see Cal- 
 houn, and made preparations to turn him over to 
 the Federal authorities. By pretending to be worse 
 than he was, Calhoun managed to stay until he 
 was able to travel, and then the girl aided him to 
 escape." 
 
 "Hurrah for the girl!" shouted Hugh. 
 
 "Just think of Calhoun falling in love with the 
 daughter of an abolitionist!" exclaimed Fred. 
 "Why, he is as big a fire-eater as Cousin Kate 
 there." 
 
 "No, he isn't," exclaimed Kate, with a toss of 
 her pretty head, "or he wouldn't fall in love with 
 the daughter of an abolitionist. I wouldn't marry 
 the best Yankee alive." 
 
 Colonel Ainsworth turned white, and looked as 
 if he would sink through the floor, while poor Mabel 
 was white and red by turns. As for Fred, he gave 
 his cousin a look which plainly said, "You are 
 heartless." 
 
 Poor Kate realized too late what she had said, 
 and bit her lip in vexation. Hugh came to the 
 rescue cleverly. 
 
 "Why, Miss Shackelford," he exclaimed, with 
 an injured air, "that's too bad. I have been 
 thinking the last two minutes about proposing to 
 you." 
 
 "Precious little good it would do you," replied 
 Kate, with a dangerous glitter in her eyes. Kate 
 was in no mood for banter. She was angry with 
 herself and everybody else. 
 
$68 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 Colonel Ainsworth soon excused himself, and 
 as Hugh could find no excuse for staying, he went 
 also. 
 
 After they had gone Mabel turned to Kate and 
 said, "Oh, Kate, how could you?" 
 
 Kate burst into tears, and sobbed: "Why don't 
 
 you take him yourself? He is dead in love with 
 
 » » 
 you. 
 
 "Kate!" The voice was one, not of anger, but 
 of sorrow. 
 
 For answer Kate flung herself out of the room. 
 Mabel, who had become very pale, soon excused 
 herself, and Fred was left alone. 
 
 It was with a sore heart that Mabel sought Kate. 
 
 "Oh! Kate, what made you say it?" sobbed she. 
 
 The impulsive girl threw her arms around Mabel's 
 neck, "Mabel! Mabel!" she cried, "forgive me. 
 I did not mean to hurt your feelings. But he 
 adores you; you ought to see it." 
 
 "I never suspected it, Kate. All the soldiers 
 are so kind, so gentle to me, as if I were a superior 
 being." 
 
 "So you are, Mabel — an angel. You won my 
 heart when you were so kind to the Confederate 
 wounded at Stone River. You showed no differ- 
 ence between them and the Yankees." 
 
 "Why should I?" answered Mabel, opening her 
 eyes. "Were they not men? Had they not wives, 
 mothers, and sisters?" 
 
 "Oh, Mabel, you are so much better than I! I 
 hate — hate the Northern soldier; I can't help it. 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 369 
 
 I do not wonder Colonel Ainsworth loves you, you 
 are so good." 
 
 "Kate, I never did anything to make Colonel 
 Ainsworth love me. He has never told me he loves 
 me." 
 
 "I know that, you dear girl; yet he loves you, 
 and is afraid to speak." 
 
 "Please, Kate, do not mention this again," asked 
 Mabel, looking greatly distressed. And Kate 
 promised. 
 
 When alone Mabel sat in deep thought. Was 
 Kate right? She now remembered many things 
 she had not thought of before, — his looks, how his 
 eyes followed her as she moved about the ward; 
 how he colored when she spoke to him. She re- 
 membered all now, and knew that Kate was right. 
 
 She had been told of Ainsworth' s love for Kate; 
 how he had intrusted her with his honor, and how 
 it had been betrayed. For this she pitied him, but 
 never thought of loving him. Her heart was true 
 to the memory of her dead lover. Yet, to her 
 surprise, the knowledge that Ainsworth loved her 
 caused her no pain. For this she blamed herself; 
 it was wronging the dead. 
 
 On the morrow General Thomas paid a visit to 
 Fred, and was greatly pleased to find him improv- 
 ing so rapidly. 
 
 "The surgeon was speaking to me this morning," 
 said the general, "and he thinks he will send you 
 North in a few days. I have made out a ninety- 
 days' furlough for you. There will be no general 
 
370 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 movement of the army until spring, and your ser- 
 vices will not be needed until then. I want to see 
 you come back well and strong." 
 
 Fred thanked the general, and then said, "Gen- 
 eral, I have a favor to ask of you before I go." 
 
 "What is it, Captain? Anything in my power 
 will be cheerfully granted," 
 
 "You know my Cousin Kate Shackelford is here. 
 She came to me as soon as she heard I was 
 wounded," 
 
 "Ah, yes," said the general, smiling, "I remem- 
 ber; the one who nearly delivered Nashville into the 
 hands of Forrest, and whom you got pardoned. Is 
 she in trouble again?" 
 
 "No, General; she has been very quiet since that 
 affair, though I must say she hates the Yankees 
 as much as ever. But I am told she has been very 
 kind to our sick and wounded soldiers in Nashville, 
 and she has certainly proved a faithful nurse to me. 
 What I want to ask is this: Her father is a colonel 
 in the Confederate army. She has not seen him 
 for nearly two years. Can you not arrange to have 
 them meet under a flag of truce? I will see that 
 no army secrets are given away." 
 
 "It shall be done," said the general, "It is very 
 little to grant to one who has done as much as 
 you." 
 
 A couple of days afterwards Colonel Charles 
 Shackelford of the Confederate army was much sur- 
 prised to receive a notice from General Joseph E. 
 Johnston that he was wanted at headquarters. 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 37 1 
 
 He was more surprised upon his arrival there to 
 have a letter placed in his hands which had been 
 received under a flag of truce. The letter was from 
 General Thomas, and stated that his daughter, Miss 
 Kate Shackelford, was in Chattanooga, and that, 
 if he desired, he could meet her under a flag of truce 
 between the hours of one and two the next day. 
 
 "You would like to meet her?" said General 
 Johnston, looking at him kindly. 
 
 "Meet her!" cried the father, his voice trembling. 
 "Next to meeting my wife, it would be the great- 
 est happiness that could be bestowed on me." 
 
 So it was arranged that Colonel Shackelford 
 should meet his daughter. 
 
 When Kate was told what was in store for her 
 she nearly went wild. She danced and shouted, 
 and nearly smothered Fred with kisses, saying he 
 was the dearest, dearest, and best cousin in the 
 world. 
 
 "How about General Thomas?" asked Fred. "I 
 could have done nothing without him." 
 
 "Oh! thank him, thank him," she cried. "Tell 
 him how grateful I am for his kindness." 
 
 "You will think better of Yankees now, won't 
 you, Kate?" asked Fred, a little mischievously. 
 
 Kate was taken aback a little, but soon raUied. 
 "No," she repHed; "the Yankees area beggarly 
 set. You are no Yankee; you are a Kentuckian. 
 General Thomas is no Yankee ; he is a Virginian. 
 All the gentlemen in the Northern army are South- 
 erners." 
 
372 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 "Oh, Kate, Kate," laughed Fred, "you are 
 incorrigible; there is no taming you." 
 
 The meeting between father and daughter was a 
 most affectionate one. Colonel Shackelford folded 
 Kate in his arms, and she wept tears of joy on his 
 bosom. When the happiness of the first meeting 
 was over, how Kate's tongue did run! She had so 
 much to tell him of life in Nashville, what had hap- 
 pened since he left, that all he had to do was to 
 listen, and that is what he wanted. He was hungry 
 to hear from home, and he hung on every word 
 Kate said. Of her playing the spy, her arrest and 
 pardon, she said very little. But her father trem- 
 bled as he heard, and whispered, "Oh, my daugh- 
 ter, how much you have dared and suffered for the 
 South!" 
 
 "Nevermind, father," Kate replied, with flash- 
 ing eyes; "that hated flag will yet come down from 
 the Capitol, see if it don't." 
 
 The hour was all too short, and when the moment 
 for parting came Kate threw herself into her father's 
 arms and sobbed: "Oh, father, when are you com- 
 ing home? Mother's heart is breaking, and Bessie 
 asks continually for you." 
 
 The eyes of the stern warrior grew moist. 
 "My daughter surely," he said, "would not have 
 me come until the South is free?" 
 
 "No, no, father," she cried, with vehemence, 
 "but it is so hard — so hard!" 
 
 A few days afterwards Kate and Mabel returned 
 to Nashville, and Fred accompanied them. But 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 373 
 
 before they left there was an important interview 
 of which Fred knew nothing. The parties to the 
 interview were Mabel Vaughn and Colonel Ains- 
 worth. He had asked Mabel for a private meet- 
 ing, and after many misgivings she had granted it. 
 Kate's declaration that Ainsworth loved her was a 
 surprise. She admired the gallant officer, knew 
 how grievously he had been deceived by Kate, and 
 pitied him. And pity, the poets say, "is akin to 
 love." But Mabel thought her heart was buried 
 in the grave with Marsden, and never could be 
 resurrected. Yet, if what Kate said was true, it 
 was her duty to undeceive Ainsworth and tell him 
 there was no hope. 
 
 It was with a fluttering heart and flushed cheeks 
 that Mabel met him. 
 
 "Miss Vaughn," Colonel Ainsworth began, hesi- 
 tatingly, "before you return to Nashville there is 
 something I want to say to you. You must have 
 seen — know, that I love you." 
 
 Mabel held out her hands deprecatingly. "Don't, 
 don't," she whispered. "I am so sorry. I never 
 suspected it until a few days ago." 
 
 "Mabel — Miss Vaughn, I mean — I must speak," 
 he replied. "I do not ask for your love; I am 
 not worthy of it. When you know all you will 
 despise me, but I want you to know." 
 
 ' ' I will not listen to such talk, ' ' cried Mabel. * ' It 
 is unworthy of you." 
 
 "Unworthy of me!" bitterly replied Ainsworth, 
 "no it is not. I have been a traitor; I sold my 
 
374 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 birthright. Before I met you I met and loved 
 Kate Shackelford." 
 
 "Spare yourself that pitiful story, Colonel," 
 broke in Mabel in a low voice. "I know all." 
 
 "What! of my infatuation and my dishonor?" 
 he asked in a surprised tone. 
 
 "If infatuation you call it." 
 
 "But you cannot know," he cried, with vehe- 
 mence, "how I betrayed my trust as a soldier." 
 
 "I know you trusted your honor, even your life, 
 to the woman you loved. Could a man do more? 
 I know that trust was betrayed." 
 
 "God knows," continued Ainsworth, "what I 
 suffered when I knew I had been betrayed. I 
 looked upon my idol as a beautiful demon." 
 
 "No, no; she is not that," said Mabel; "but her 
 whole soul is bound up in the cause of the South. 
 Do not judge her too harshly." 
 
 "I will not. I soon beheld a new phase of her 
 character. When this girl, beautiful as an angel, 
 with the face and many of the attributes of one, 
 lied — lied to save my worthless life — I was dum- 
 founded. I knew not what to think." 
 
 "It was her nobler self speaking," said Mabel. 
 
 "Then came what I thought to be a cruel sen- 
 tence of death. I tried to speak; I tried to save 
 her, but they tell me I burst a blood vessel and fell 
 fainting." 
 
 "No wonder." Mabel's voice was full of sym- 
 pathy. 
 
 "The agony of the awakening I can never tell. 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 375 
 
 I tried to tear her image from my heart. Even if 
 she had relented, I could never marry a woman who 
 had so deceived me. I prayed for death. The 
 campaign of Stone River came. I arose from my 
 bed against the earnest protest of my surgeon, and 
 in the front of battle sought death. It fled from me. 
 They called me brave; it was desperation. At last 
 a bullet cruelly wounded, but did not kill. I was 
 once more in a hospital, and Heaven sent you as 
 nurse. My poor, wounded heart turned to you. 
 I had to love — trust — or lose all confidence in wom- 
 ankind. In you I saw all that I had loved in Kate 
 Shackelford — truth, purity, modesty, beauty, every 
 attribute that makes woman lovable." 
 
 Mabel's head was bowed, and she was silently 
 weeping. A great respect had crept into her heart 
 for the man who had so opened his soul to her. 
 
 "Mabel — will you not let me call you that?" 
 continued Ainsworth, pleadingly, "you have heard 
 my miserable story. You know now why I cannot 
 ask you to love me. I know your lover fell at 
 Shiloh. But happy days may be in store for you. 
 Captain Shackelford is worthy — " 
 
 "Stop!" swiftly cried Mabel. "There is noth- 
 ing between Captain Shackelford and myself — never 
 has been. When he rescued me from the mob he 
 was a mere boy. I looked upon him as such. I was 
 betrothed to another; this he knew. If he had 
 been a little older — if I had not been betrothed to 
 another — perhaps — perhaps it might have been dif- 
 erent. As it is, our love for each other is as the 
 
37^ ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 love of a brother and sister. It will never be more; 
 I feel it — know it." 
 
 Such a look of joy, of hope, came into Ains- 
 worth's face that Mabel noticed it. 
 
 "Do not be deceived, Colonel Ainsworth," she 
 said. "Until now I have thought my heart would 
 never love again — that it was buried with him who 
 fell at Shiloh. I confess your words have strangely 
 moved me; but it is to pity, not to love." 
 
 "To be pitied by you is more than I deserve," 
 replied Ainsworth. "Mabel, you have given me 
 hope. We both have our work to do now. If, 
 when the war is over, our lives are spared, may I 
 not come to you and tell you that I still love you? 
 You may feel differently then." 
 
 "Do not hope. Colonel Ainsworth; but if that 
 time ever comes, you may return — not before. My 
 answer, if my feelings do not change, will be 'No.' 
 But I hardly know my own heart. Promise that 
 you will not speak of this again until — until that 
 time." 
 
 "I promise," solemnly said Ainsworth. "You 
 have given me more happiness than I dared hope 
 for. Until then, farewell," and raising her hand 
 gently to his lips, he pressed upon the trembling 
 little fingers a kiss, and was gone. 
 
 And with him, almost unknown to her, went the 
 heart of Mabel Vaughn. 
 
 The next day the little party took the cars for 
 Nashville. Just as they were going Hugh drew 
 Kate a little to one side and said, "Kate, you 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 377 
 
 don't hate Yankees as much as you pretend, do 
 you?" 
 
 "Worse! worse!" answered Kate. "I shall hate 
 them as long as I live." 
 
 "I don't care a snap," replied Hugh, "what you 
 think of Yankees in general, but please omit one 
 from your catalogue of enemies." 
 
 "Pray, what one should have that distinguished 
 honor?" mockingly asked Kate. 
 ' "Your humble servant. Kate, you don't know 
 how much I adore — " 
 
 For answer Hugh received a rousing slap on the 
 cheek. "There, you saucy boy, don't you ever 
 dare to speak so to me again. If you do, I shall 
 never speak to you," and with flaming cheeks Kate 
 walked back to her friends. 
 
 "What kind of a farewell do you call that?" 
 asked Fred. 
 
 "Oh, it was one of Kate's love taps," ruefully 
 answered Hugh, 
 
 "Love taps, indeed!" cried Kate. "It seems 
 Captain Raymond is slow to comprehend." 
 
 "Well, good-bye, Kate; I forgive you this time, 
 but I shall have my pay for that yet," said Hugh. 
 "You know the old saying." 
 
 " Precious little good the old saying will do you." 
 And Kate fled into the car. 
 
 At his aunt's home in Nashville Fred found a 
 haven of rest, and rapidly recovered his health and 
 strength. When the weather became warmer he 
 visited his sister at school in Cincinnati. 
 
378 ON GENERAL THOMAS'S STAFF. 
 
 He scarcely recognized the tall slight girl who 
 threw herself in his arms, sobbing. 
 
 "Oh, Fred, Fred!" she said as she brushed away 
 her tears; "why don't you and papa come home? 
 When will this awful war be over? I am so un- 
 happy." 
 
 Fred comforted her, and told her he hoped that 
 they would soon be at home. "And until then, 
 Belle," he said, "be a good girl, and study hard, 
 so papa will be pleased when he gets home." 
 
 This Belle promised to do, and went back to her 
 studies, comforted. 
 
 Fred then went to his old Kentucky home. John 
 Stimson had performed wonders, and repaired much 
 of the damage done by the armies under Bragg and 
 Buell, but a great deal of the country still showed 
 the desolation wrought by war. Soldiers were 
 everywhere, and the inhabitants were more bitterly 
 divided than ever. To make matters worse, guer- 
 rilla bands infested the State, and preyed on friend 
 and foe alike. It was with a sore heart that Fred 
 viewed his once happy Kentucky. 
 
 Before he left, Fred visited his mother's grave, 
 and, with head pillowed on the sod which covered 
 her, he poured out his tears and his prayers. 
 
 "Mother, mother," he sobbed, "I have kept my 
 promise. I have been true to the old flag. But I 
 am no longer the innocent boy you loved. My 
 heart is hardened; my hands have been baptized 
 in blood. Oh, mother! pity me, pity the nation! 
 
CUPID VERSUS MARS. 379 
 
 How much longer must we tread the wine-press of 
 God's wrath?" 
 
 Then there came to his heart a great calm, as if 
 his mother had whispered in his ear: "My son, be 
 comforted ; the end draweth near. The time will 
 soon come when the war clouds will be rolled away, 
 and the North and South reunited in bonds of love 
 stronger than ever before. 
 
 Fred arose, a great peace filling his heart, and he 
 went back to his duty, strong, hopeful. In that 
 mighty campaign in which Sherman swept from 
 Chattanooga to Atlanta, and from Atlanta to the 
 sea, he performed his part well. 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 381