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THE UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 THE WILMER COLLECTION 
 
 OF CIVIL WAR NOVELS 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 RICHARD H. WILMER, JR. 
 
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 University of Nortii Carolina at Chapel Hill 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/onstaff01opti 
 

 " ' Company — Attention ! ' sliouted Deck."' 
 
 Pcige 404. 
 
^Y OLIVER oPTlC 
 
 ON THE STAFF 
 
The Blue ajid the Gray on Land 
 
 ON THE STAFF 
 
 OLIVER OPTIC 
 
 AUTHOR OF THE ARMY AND NAVY SERIES " ' YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD, FIRST 
 
 AND SECOND SERIES*' " THE BOAT-CLUB STORIES " " THE GREAT WESTERN 
 
 SERIES " " THE WOODVILLE STORIES " " THE ONWARD AND UPWARD 
 
 series" "the lake SHORE SERIES" " THE YACHT-CLUB SERIES" 
 
 "the RIVERDALE stories" "the BOAT-BUILDER SERIES" 
 
 "the blue AND THE GRAY — AFLOAT" "a MISSING 
 
 million" "a MILLIONAIRE AT SIXTEEN" "a YOUNG 
 
 knight-errant" "sTRANCE SIGHTS ABROAD" 
 
 "the YOUNG navigators" " UP AND DOWN 
 
 THE Nile" " Asiatic breezes" " across 
 India" "half round the world" 
 etc., etc., etc., etc., etc. 
 
 BOSTON 
 LEE AND SHEPARD PUBLISHERS 
 
 I O MILK STREET 
 1897 
 
Copyright, 1896, by Lee and Shepard 
 
 All Bights Reserved 
 
 On the Staff 
 
 Typography by C. J. Peters <fc Son, Boston. 
 
 Presswork by Berwick &, Smith. 
 
MY FRIEND AND FELLOW-MEMBER OF 
 THE BOSTON CLTJB 
 
 SAMUEL W. CREECH, Jr., Esquire 
 
 WHO, IN LOOKING OUT FOR HIMSELF, 
 ALWAYS LOOKS OUT FOB ME, 
 
 STfjts Uolume 
 
 IS RESPECTFULLY AND GRATEFULLY 
 DEDICATED. 
 
 602659 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 "'Company — Attention!' shouted Deck" Frontispiece 
 Illustrated Title 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " The Troopers pointed their Revolvers at 
 
 THEIR Heads" 58 
 
 "Deck had his Revolver in his Hand". . . . 118 
 
 " ' I AM HIT, Corporal; but stay where You are ' " 152 
 
 " ' Good-Morning, my Son,' said Major Lyon " . 200 
 
 " The Fight behind the Logs lasted hardly more 
 
 than a Minute" 289 
 
 " Captain Lyon was invited into the Tent " . . 338 
 
PREFACE 
 
 "On The Staff" is the fourth of the series 
 of "The Blue and the Gray — on Land." Like 
 its predecessors, it takes the reader back to the 
 stirring events of the War of the Rebellion, thirty- 
 five years ago, before the birth of a majority of 
 the readers of this volume. The writer was in 
 middle age then ; and though not a participant in 
 the bloody events of that time, he was one of 
 those who assisted at home in fighting the battles 
 for the preservation of the Union, and who, though 
 not entitled to the honor and glory of those who 
 fought its battles in the field, and actually won 
 the re-unification of the States, were not without 
 a mission in carrying forward the cause in which 
 the soldiers and sailors were the actual workei-s. 
 
 It is not necessary here to review the part 
 taken in the war by the "stay-at-homes," who 
 were behind the army and navy, and out of per- 
 
 7 
 
b PREFACE 
 
 sonal danger, but supported and encouraged those 
 in the field and on the sea, and to this extent 
 were engaged in the terrible struggle. The noble 
 and patriotic men in Washington and elsewhere 
 who originated and managed the financial system 
 of the nation, which made it possible to carry on 
 the war to a successful issue, though they did not 
 bare their bosoms to the bullets of the enemy, were 
 as truly elements of the happy result of the war as 
 the soldiers and sailoi-s fighting under the flag. 
 
 It was shown in the Preface of the preceding 
 volume of this series, that the age, the arm of the 
 service, and the rank of the hero of the events 
 narrated, were not even novel in the experience 
 of the time, as proved by the official records of the 
 States which sent soldiers to the front. Though 
 Deck Lyon, in the last part of this book, wears 
 the shoulder-straps of a captain, he is still " on 
 the staff." He has grown somewhat older, and 
 his character and ability have been considerably 
 developed; and he is given the lead in sundry 
 expeditions on shore and on the great river, and 
 proves himself to be as able in council as in wield- 
 ing his sabre. 
 
PREFACE y 
 
 Deck is highly appreciated by the general in 
 command of his brigade, and even by the one in 
 command of his division, which may account for 
 his rapid promotions, though they have been made 
 as much on his merits as by favor. Still his 
 latest rank, as given in this volume, was not 
 exceptional in the army of the Union. As a 
 captain on the staff of the general he was sev- 
 eral times placed in command of a company, and 
 fought in this capacity in several actions, includ- 
 ing the tremendous battle of Pittsburg Landing. 
 
 The condition of Kentucky in the early years 
 of the war has been fully described in the pre- 
 ceding volumes of the series, and it had only 
 temporarily improved when the Army of the Ohio 
 was sent from the State to re-enforce General 
 Grant on the Tennessee. Guerilla raids, and those 
 of foragers from the ranks of the enemy, were still 
 prevalent ; and the first part of the book relates to 
 some of these which the hero was employed in 
 defeating, as well as a few lively skirmishes on 
 the river. His limited experience with boats on 
 Green River and the creek that flowed through 
 his father's plantation made him more proficient 
 
10 PREFACE 
 
 in handling boats than most of the soldiers of an 
 interior State ; and he had a natural inclination in 
 that direction, as most boys have. This knowl- 
 edge, small as it was, made him very useful at 
 times, especially after a steam-launch had been 
 captured by the force to which he belonged. 
 
 His duty did not confine him to such compar- 
 atively insignificant affairs; for he marched with 
 the fourth division of the Army of the Ohio, 
 under the command of General Buell, and ren- 
 dered essential assistance in a boat at the fording 
 of Duck River, which enabled General Nelson to 
 take part in the battle of Pittsburg Landing on 
 the first day, as well as the second, of that bloody 
 engagement. He marched with his division to 
 the intrenchments around Corinth, and was in 
 a heavy skirmish even while General Beauregard 
 was sending away his munitions and supplies, and 
 from whence stole off with his army the same night. 
 
 With my hearty thanks to the readers who have 
 appreciated and encouraged me in my work for 
 over forty years, I can only hope that this book 
 will please them. 
 
 William T. Adams. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A Suspicious Steamer in Sight 15 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Suggestion of Lieutenant Lyon 28 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Harbinger Fires the First Guns , . . . . 41 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Fight on Board the Steamer 54 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 A Desperate Action in the Town 67 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 The Thorough Defeat of the Enemy 79 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 A Very Rheumatic Patient 92 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 On Board of the Captured Launch 104 
 
 11 
 
PAGE 
 
 12 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 The New Moon rises on the Hipsy 116 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 The Launch in a Tight Place 129 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 An Impending Battle on the River 141 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 Cannon-Balls flying in the Air 154 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 The Steamer Battle on the River 167 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 The Destruction of the New Moon 180 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 At the Headquarters of the General .... 193 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 Review of the Situation in Kentucky .... 206 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 An Expedition up the Cumberland 219 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 The Hipsy under Fire Again 232 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The End of the Affair with the Flat .... 245 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 In the Presence of a Great Commander . . . 257 
 
CONTENTS 13 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. p^Qj, 
 
 Another Trip up the Cumberland 269 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 Deck finds the River blockaded 282 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 The Result of the Fight on the Raft .... 295 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 The Beginning of the Great Movement . . . SOT 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 The Fight at Cuffy's Ferry 320 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Captain Dexter Lyon of the Staff 332 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 The Long Delay at Duck River Bridge . . . 345 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 An Up-River Enterprise Projected 358 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 A Successful Mission up the Stream 370 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 The General's Hurried March 383 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 The First Day at Pittsburg Landing .... 395 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 The Final Result of the Great Battle . . . 408 
 
14 CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. ^j^^^ 
 
 Captain Lyon makes a Scouting-Toub .... 421 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 A Heavy Skiemish on the Road 434 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 A Concealed Force under the Ridge .... 447 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 The Last Engagement at Corinth 460 
 
ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 A SUSPICIOUS STEAMER IN SIGHT 
 
 "What are you looking at, Deck?" asked 
 Lieutenant Frank Herndon, as both of them 
 stood on a little eminence just outside of the 
 considerable town of Barkville, on the Cumber- 
 land River, not more than a dozen miles from 
 the boundary line between Kentucky and Ten- 
 nessee. 
 
 " This river is so crooked, that in following it 
 five miles a fellow would get tied up into a hard 
 knot," replied Lieutenant Lyon, who had just 
 been promoted to the rank of first lieutenant, 
 and placed on the staff of Brigadier-General 
 Woodbine, as had also his companion on the 
 hill. "It was a great mistake on the part of 
 
 15 
 
16 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the maker of my field-glass that he did not build 
 it so that I could see around a corner with it." 
 
 " Perhaps that would have made it convenient 
 for some occasions, but it would give you a pair 
 of cross-eyes in time ; and Miss Kate Belthorpe 
 would not like the looks of you as well as she 
 did when she saw you last, and I reckon it was 
 constructed about right for you," added his com- 
 panion on the staff with a sly chuckle. 
 
 Deck Lyon wondered where his new friend 
 had learned anything about the young lady whose 
 name he mentioned, and he was not particularly 
 pleased to hear it lightly spoken in camp ; for 
 she was a sort of divinity to him, mounted on a 
 lofty pedestal, where common people might look 
 at her through a smoked glass, but should not 
 irreverently speak her name. 
 
 "Where did you ever hear of that young 
 lady ? " demanded Deck, dropping his glass, and 
 looking into the face of his fellow-officer. 
 
 " Don't pucker about it, for I have heard her 
 spoken of only with the highest respect; and the 
 troopers of the Riverlawn Cavalry worship her 
 at a distance for your sake. Deck," answered 
 
 m 
 
 HcU 
 
A SUSPICIOUS STEAMER IN SIGHT 17 
 
 Lieutenant Herndon. " I have been trying to 
 get acquainted with all the officers of the force, 
 and the men for that matter; for if we get into 
 hot water, and I have to deliver orders to them, 
 I wish them to loiow me. They all want to talk 
 to me about you; and I don't wonder at it. But 
 what were you looking at so steadily with your 
 field-glass ? and why do you wish you could see 
 around a corner with it?" continued Lieutenant 
 Herndon, changing the subject of the conversa- 
 tion before Deck had time to defend himself 
 with anything but a blush. 
 
 " Do you see that sharp bend in the river 
 about a mile below the town, Frank ? " asked 
 Deck. The two staff-officers had become well 
 enough acquainted to di'op all formal address 
 when they were not on duty. 
 
 " I see it ; and I know it as well as I know 
 my own mother. But it looks to me just as it 
 always did, and I can see it without a glass." 
 
 " So can I ; but once in a while there is some- 
 thing more than the bend to be seen," answered 
 Deck. 
 
 "What is it? The ghost of the Confederate 
 
18 ON THE STAFF 
 
 army, which our general thought might be ex- 
 pected to appear somewhere in this vicinity on 
 its way to Bowling Green, intending to replenish 
 its exhausted supplies on the march ? " 
 
 " Nothing of the sort. Inside the general's 
 tent we know that the Confederates under Crit- 
 tenden have gone to Nashville. Besides, if the 
 army were on the other side of the Cumberland, 
 they could not get across, unless they have 
 brought up steamboats for the purpose." 
 
 " But Crittenden has had time to get to 
 Nashville before now, unless his army starved to 
 death on the way, and time enough to send a 
 force up the river to this locality," argued Lieu- 
 tenant Herndon. 
 
 " They would not go to Bowling Green this 
 way. If they come here at all, it is only to pick 
 up provisions, horses and mules ; for they lost 
 about all the animals they had at Beech-Grove 
 Camp," returned Deck. 
 
 " But you don't tell me what you have seen, 
 and I don't see anything unusual about the bend," 
 said Lieutenant Herndon somewhat impatiently. 
 
 "I was looking in the direction of the bend 
 
A SUSPICIOUS STEAMER IN SIGHT 19 
 
 half an hour before you came on the hill, Frank," 
 added Deck. " Three times I have seen some- 
 thing that looked like the bow of a steamboat 
 advance just far enough for me to observe it ; 
 but it fell back in the same instant." 
 
 " The bow of a steamboat ! " exclaimed Frank. 
 "I did not suppose there was a steamer within 
 fifty miles of Barkville. But this may be some- 
 thing serious ; and don't you think we had better 
 inform General Woodbine in regard to what you 
 have seen. Deck ? " 
 
 " But I don't know that it is a steamer yet. 
 It may be nothing but a boat with fishermen on 
 board," replied Deck. 
 
 "You are something of a nautical fellow, and 
 I should think you would know a fisherman's 
 boat from the bow of a steamer," said Frank 
 with a laugh. 
 
 "I am not a nautical fellow, though I can 
 handle a boat ; but I could not see it well enough 
 to make out what it was. Where is your glass, 
 Frank ? Perhaps it is a better one than mine." 
 
 "■ I left it in my tent, for I have no occasion 
 to use it when loafing about the camp." 
 
20 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I am of the opinion that there is a steamer 
 lurking behind that bend on the Tennessee side 
 of the river, but I am not sure of it; I may 
 be mistaken. Wait till I see it again, and then 
 I think I can decide what it is," said Deck. "I 
 don't want to get up a false alarm, and turn out 
 the whole battalion for nothing." 
 
 "What should a steamer be doing there, hid- 
 ing behind that bend, unless she means mis- 
 chief?" asked Frank. 
 
 " If there is a steamer there, that is precisely 
 what she does mean. But I will wager a pint 
 of molasses against a quart of vinegar the people 
 on board of her do not know there is a Union 
 force near the town. Of course I don't know 
 what she is, or where she is bound ; but if she 
 is a Confederate craft, with a company of the 
 enemy on board. Captain Batterson, with his four 
 twelve-poundeis, can knock her all to pieces if 
 she comes this way." 
 
 " If there is any steamer there, she is cer- 
 tainly Confederate ; for the river turns to the 
 south just beyond that bend, and she must have 
 come up from Tennessee." 
 
A SUSPICIOUS STEAMER IN SIGHT 21 
 
 " There it is again ! " exclaimed Deck, some- 
 what excited, as he brought his glass to bear 
 on the bend. "She has come out farther than 
 before, and there is a man in uniform at the 
 bow looking up the river with a field-glass." 
 
 Lieutenant Herndon took the glass that Deck 
 handed him, and looked at the object of interest 
 till it backed out of sight again. 
 
 "That is all plain enough to me," said Frank 
 as he returned the glass. " I have no doubt that 
 is a steamer." 
 
 " I have no doubt now, for she showed more of 
 herself than she has done before," added Deck. 
 "IJvTow one of us must go to the general, and 
 inform him what we have seen." 
 
 " All right ; I will go, while you will stay on 
 the hill and watch her if she comes out," replied 
 Frank. 
 
 " Very well ; that is the right thing to do ; " 
 and his companion started down the hill on the 
 run. "Frank!" called Deck ; and his compan- 
 ion returned to the top of the hill. 
 
 "Excuse me, Frank, but I suggest that you 
 had better not run. If you do, the officers and 
 
22 ON THE STAFF 
 
 men will suspect there is an alarm coming, which 
 may bother the general," said Deck. 
 
 " Thank you, Deck ; I will move to the tune 
 of ' Hark ! from the tombs,' " returned the lieu- 
 tenant; and he then proceeded on his mission at 
 a moderate pace. 
 
 Deck Lyon took his handkerchief from the 
 breast of his coat, and carefully cleaned the lenses 
 of his glass, which he had not thought to do 
 before. He had put it together again before the 
 bow of the steamer appeared once more. He 
 found that he could see much better with the 
 glass than before. The man observed on the 
 bow was evidently an officer, probably the com- 
 mander of the force on board, if there was any. 
 It was about four o'clock in the afternoon, and 
 the watcher on the hill wondered if he intended 
 to engage in a night expedition. 
 
 The bow of the steamer soon advanced again ; 
 and this time Deck saw the front of her furnaces, 
 the doors of which were open, and cast a bright 
 light on the forecastle. The officer was there 
 with his field-glass, intently scrutinizing the 
 Kentucky shore of the river. This time a new 
 
A SUSPICIOUS STEAMER IN SIGHT 23 
 
 object came into view which had very nearly 
 escaped the observation of the lieutenant on the 
 hill, for it was covered with a growth of wood 
 that obstructed his vision. 
 
 The hill was about a quarter of a mile in 
 length at its summit, but was not more than two 
 hundred feet in width. It extended parallel with 
 the river, and only a few rods from it, with a 
 road between it and the stream. The elevation 
 had been a pleasure-ground for the people of 
 the town, with something like a road in the 
 middle of the height, which had either been cut 
 away, or trodden out when the young trees 
 were just coming out of the ground. 
 
 Deck had observed that the officer in the 
 bow of the steamer was directing his glass to a 
 point below the town ; and this caused him to 
 change his place, and search the banks of the 
 stream. Then he discovered a boat, containing 
 three men, two of whom were rowing, while 
 another in the stern-sheets was waving a white 
 flag. He was under the shadow of the high 
 Kentucky bank, where he could not be seen 
 from the town. This was doubtless a signal. 
 
24 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Lieutenant Herndon had been gone half an 
 hour when the watcher on the hill discovered 
 the boat, as he found by consulting his watch. 
 But the steamer fell back after her last ad- 
 vance ; and Deck concluded that it was the 
 current that governed her movements to some 
 extent, for she could only hold her position by 
 using her steam. But she soon came in sight 
 again, and the observer then discovered that 
 two field-pieces had been moved forward for 
 use. 
 
 He had hardly made this discovery before he 
 heard a noise near him ; and, looking behind him, 
 he saw the head of the light battery moving 
 very slowly up the central road. Only the dri- 
 vers were mounted, and even Captain Batterson 
 was on foot. As soon as the guns were brought 
 to the head of the road they were unlimbered, 
 and the drivers retired with the horses. Gen- 
 eral Woodbine must have accepted the report of 
 his staff-officers without question. 
 
 " Where is the enemy. Lieutenant Lyon ? " 
 asked Captain Batterson, as he went forward to 
 the position Deck had taken. 
 
A SUSPICIOUS STEAMER IN SIGHT 25 
 
 "None in sight just now, Captain; but there 
 is a steamer behind the bend of the river you 
 see about a mile distant," replied Deck as he 
 saluted the officer. " Three or four times she 
 has advanced far enough for me to see an of- 
 ficer with a field-glass examining the river on 
 this side. Just now I discovered a boat under 
 our side of the bank, in which was a person 
 making signals with a white flag to the one at 
 the bow of the steamer." 
 
 "Can you make out the object of the expedi- 
 tion? " inquired the chief of the artillery. 
 
 "I can only guess at it. I fancy it is a raid 
 to obtain provisions for the starving army on the 
 other side of the river," replied Deck. "The 
 supplies for General Woodbine's force arrived 
 here yesterday, and they may have heard about 
 them on the other side." 
 
 " I am directed not to fire a gun till I re- 
 ceive orders from the general ; but I am here 
 with my battery ready for business." 
 
 " The steamer has two field-pieces mounted 
 on her forecastle," added Deck. " Ah, here 
 comes the general himself ! " 
 
26 ON THE STAFF 
 
 The commander of the force was on foot, and 
 the artillerymen made way for him. 
 
 "Lieutenant Lyon, you have made an impor- 
 tant discovery," said the general, as Captain 
 Batterson saluted, and joined his men. " You 
 are always on the lookout." 
 
 " It was only an accident ; I have been up 
 here every day since we arrived. Yesterday I 
 saw something down the river I wished to ex- 
 amine with my glass, and I brought it up to- 
 day," replied Deck. " The steamer is in sight 
 again, General!" exclaimed Deck as the craft 
 advanced. 
 
 " Your report was entirely correct, as it al- 
 ways is when you assert anything. I have sent 
 your second company over into the woods below 
 the town; and if the enemy land here, the first 
 company with the Marion Cavalry will attack 
 them on this side, and we shall have them sur- 
 rounded, or nearly so," said the general. 
 
 " Then the enemy will all retreat to their 
 steamer, and escape," suggested Deck. " Per- 
 haps you have not been to the top of this hill 
 before, General." 
 
A SUSPICIOUS STEAJVIER IN SIGHT 27 
 
 " You have something in your head, Lieuten- 
 ant ; let it out at once ! " 
 
 " I was never in the habit of advising my 
 superior officers," replied Deck. 
 
 But General Woodbine insisted that he sug- 
 gest any improvement on his plan ; and the 
 young lieutenant led him over to the verge of 
 the hill by the side of the Cumberland. 
 
28 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 
 
 The suspicious steamer advanced once more 
 just as the general appeared on the hill. The 
 commander declared that he was confident the 
 town of Barkville would be the object of the at- 
 tack. The officer with the field-glass, and espe- 
 cially the two cannon on the forecastle, made it 
 plain enough that she brought Confederate for- 
 agers or guerillas up the river ; and her only 
 purpose could be to plunder the rich country 
 along this portion of the river. 
 
 In horses and mules Kentucky was doubt- 
 less the most plentifully supplied of any of the 
 Southern States ; for the raising of them was 
 one of its principal industries. As a rule, the 
 planters and farmers had abundant supplies of 
 grain, meat, and other domestic produce ; though 
 a portion of the region near the Cumberland 
 River had been wholly or partially depleted by 
 
THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 29 
 
 ruffian bands from both sides of it, as well as 
 by the raids of regular Confederate forces. 
 
 "Lieutenant Herndon reported a boat on this 
 side of the river to me, with a man in it who 
 was waving a white flag, evidently a signal to 
 the officer of the steamer," said the general, as 
 they walked towards the verge of the hill. 
 
 " You can see it for yourself, General," re- 
 plied Deck, as he pointed through an opening 
 in the trees. " There is the boat just under 
 the Kentucky bank, and the man in it is still 
 waving his signal." 
 
 The boat could be plainly seen without the aid 
 of the glass. It kept well under the high bank, 
 and was rowed by two negroes ; but the man with 
 the flag was white, and was plainly trying not to 
 to be seen by any person in the town, which was 
 on lower ground than the land at each side of it. 
 The curve of the bank concealed him from obser- 
 vation in the village ; but from the height where 
 the Union officers stood, it could be distinctly 
 seen. The general looked at the boat longer 
 than seemed necessary to determine that it was a 
 boat containing a white man and two negroes. 
 
30 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Did you see that boat come from the direction 
 of the steamer, Lieutenant ? " he asked, as he 
 lowered his glass. 
 
 " I did not," replied Deck. 
 
 " For the reason that it did not come from that 
 direction," added General Woodbine. 
 
 "I don't quite understand you, sir." 
 
 "All the steamers carry keel boats on their 
 poles, something more substantial than the bateau 
 in which the man waves the signal. That craft 
 belongs in the town, or near it," replied the com- 
 mander. " That man lives in Barkville, or has 
 been staying there. He is engineering the move- 
 ments of the steamer, whatever they are. That 
 is my opinion, though I may be wrong." 
 
 "Then he knows about the supplies which were 
 left here a few days ago for your trains." 
 
 " I don't believe he does ; if he did, he would 
 know there is a force of Union soldiere here, and 
 in that case he would not wave his flag so confi- 
 dently for the approach of the steamer, if that is 
 what it means," replied the general, still observ- 
 ing the bateau. 
 
 " He could not live in the town without know- 
 
THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 31 
 
 ing about the supplies and your command," sug- 
 gested Deck. "Excuse me, General, but your 
 theory is a little puzzling to me." 
 
 " I don't quite understand the matter myself. 
 The man may live in the country over by the 
 bend. Perhaps the signal does not mean what we 
 have been supposing. If the fellow in the boat 
 is aware that our force is in camp half a mile 
 from the village, the white flag must mean for 
 the steamer not to approach the town. However, 
 we cannot solve the puzzle ; and we might as well 
 prepare for action, whether we are called upon to 
 defend the town or not," said the general, as he 
 walked towards the river. 
 
 " You have already sent the second company 
 of the Riverlawns over into the woods the other 
 side of the place," continued Deck, attending the 
 commander to the verge of the hill. 
 
 " Precisely so ; and at a signal from the hill 
 north of the road on which our camp is located. 
 Captain Truman will gallop into the village, while 
 Major Lyon, commanding the first company and 
 the Marion Cavalry, will enter the town by the 
 road from the camp. The signal to move will 
 
32 ON THE STAFF 
 
 not be given till the force from the steamer have 
 all landed, and are well away from the river. 
 The first company will get to the levee as soon 
 as the enemy have landed, and thus cut off a 
 retreat, if it comes to that. But you have an idea 
 in your head, and you have proved yourself to be 
 a strategist on more than one occasion, and I 
 want to hear what you have to say." 
 
 "I am not a strategist. General Woodbine," 
 protested Deck, blushing like a maiden of sixteen. 
 " I have never studied the art of war as you have, 
 though I have read a few books on military sub- 
 jects." 
 
 "Never mind that now; though strategy, like 
 chess-playing, sometimes comes by nature. What 
 is your idea. Lieutenant?" demanded the com- 
 mander rather impatiently. 
 
 " When the enemy have landed from the 
 steamer, of couise they will hurry into the town 
 to pick up whatever they can find," replied Deck, 
 delivering himself with energy, stimulated to do 
 so by the impatient remark of the commander. 
 " As soon as they are fairly in the town, our force 
 will attack them, and ride them down ; and then 
 
THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 33 
 
 they will retreat to the steamer, and get away as 
 soon as possible." 
 
 " Quite correct ; and that is just the way the 
 affair will work. But the first company will cut 
 off the retreat to the boat," added the general. 
 
 "Then the guard left on the steamer, for I 
 suppose a guard will be on her deck, will back 
 her from the levee, and pick up their men where- 
 ever the first company have driven them," Deck 
 explained. 
 
 "I don't imagine that the boat brings more than 
 one company, and we shall outnumber them three 
 to one, and they are likely to be all captured." 
 
 " I should suppose that would be the final 
 result ; but while our men are securing the prison- 
 ers, the steamer will back away from the levee, 
 and escape down the river," suggested the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " But I have posted Captain Batterson's battery 
 on this hill to provide for that very emergency; 
 and he can knock the steamer all to pieces in 
 five minutes," replied the general with a smile ; 
 for he believed he had upset all the objections 
 of his staff-officer. 
 
34 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I am inclined to believe that steamer would 
 be a very useful plaything for you, though you 
 do not yet know what orders will come for your 
 command," replied the lieutenant, smiling with 
 his superior. "If you should be disposed to 
 make a raid into Tennessee, as you suggested on 
 the march yesterday, that boat would be very 
 convenient for you to have." 
 
 "You are right. Deck, as you are almost al- 
 ways," said the commander, coming down to fa- 
 miliar terms with his subordinate. " We must 
 not sink that steamer, or let her run away. Your 
 idea comes in now; what is it? " 
 
 " Perhaps you have not seen that there is a 
 road between this hill and the river?" 
 
 "I have not," answered the commander, as 
 he looked over the bluff of the elevation, which 
 was a sheer precipice, and Deck did the same. 
 " I have not looked over this locality, or even 
 been into the town. An officer of the Home 
 Guard here came to the camp to inform me that 
 our supplies had arrived, consigned to him, and 
 he had stored them in the building occupied by 
 the post-office. I was not feeling very well this 
 
THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 35 
 
 morning, and remained in my tent till Herndon 
 came to me with the news obtained on this hill. 
 I see the road, and it forks into the one by the 
 camp just above it. But what about the road, 
 Lieutenant ? " 
 
 "I respectfully suggest that we had better 
 make use of it, General," replied Deck, veiy 
 humble in his manner, to avoid being thought 
 " wiser than the law allows." 
 
 "Use it for what?" demanded the commander 
 rather brusquely. "Speak out just what you 
 mean, as though you were talking to Herndon, 
 and not to me." 
 
 " If I were in command, I should send a squad 
 of twenty men under Lieutenant Knox from the 
 second platoon of the first company, all mounted, 
 in single file, to the inward curve of the bluff 
 below us, where they could not be seen by the 
 steamer's people," returned Deck, speaking with 
 a sort of desperation ; for by this time the suspi- 
 cious craft had come out into the river in plain 
 sight a mile distant. 
 
 " Go on. Lieutenant ! " said the general sharply, 
 as he saw the steamer heading down the river. 
 
36 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Knox should have with him, on foot, Sam 
 Drye and Dick Beckland, both of whom have 
 been engineers on a steamer," continued the lieu- 
 tenant, hurrying his speech as the occasion seemed 
 to require. " As soon as the enemy had all 
 landed, and were well away from the levee, 
 Knox should advance with his squad by twos, 
 and dash on the deck of the steamer, taking pos- 
 session of her. The two engineers with him 
 should spring to the throttle, having cast ofE the 
 fasts on their way, and then back the boat away 
 from the shore." 
 
 " Do you expect the squad to ride from the 
 levee to the deck of the steamer?" asked the 
 commander. 
 
 " I do, sir ; these steamers have a gangway 
 about six feet wide, as I have often seen on the 
 Green River," replied Deck, without abating his 
 warmth and energy. 
 
 General Woodbine looked for a moment in si- 
 lence upon the enemy's steamer as she rounded 
 into the river, evidently considering the plan just 
 suggested by the young officer. 
 
 " Your plan does not interfere at all with mine. 
 
THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 37 
 
 and is only an addition to it. Therefore I shall 
 adopt it; but you must conduct the affair your- 
 self, or at least be present at its execution," said 
 the commander. " You shall manage it yourself, 
 Lieutenant Lyon, and choose your own time to 
 execute it ; in a word, I shall give you no 
 ordei's. You may carry my order to Lieutenant 
 Knox, and no call will be made upon you for 
 further duty till this affair is finished. I shall 
 remain on this hill during the skirmish, and you 
 will send Lieutenant Herndon to me." 
 
 " Herndon is here, General," added Deck, as 
 he pointed his field-glass to the steamer. "She 
 has some cavalry on board," said he. "There 
 is at least a full company of infantry on her hur- 
 ricane deck, and perhaps as many more in her 
 saloon." 
 
 " The more the merrier," added the commander; 
 and then Deck hastened to the camp with the 
 order for Life Knox, which he delivered at once, 
 and told him to select his force of twenty men. 
 
 He then went to Captain Gordon, and repeated 
 his orders to him. The two engineers were de- 
 tailed for duty, and Lieutenant Knox mustered 
 
38 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the men he had selected from his own platoon. 
 Deck mounted his horse after he had obtained 
 liis arms from the tent. 
 
 " What are we uns up to now, Deck ? " asked 
 Life. 
 
 " Speak English, now that you are a lieuten- 
 ant, my brave Kentuckian," replied the staff-offi- 
 cer, who had been doing what he could to improve 
 the speech of his friend and intense admirer. 
 "Don't say 'we uns' any more." 
 
 " But I forget about it," replied the stalwart 
 fellow. "What are we about now?" 
 
 " That is better ; and I will tell you all about 
 it in due time. We are going to the road on the 
 other side of the hill. March in single file, and 
 hug the precipice as it were your Kentucky 
 sweetheart. Life, all the time you remain there, 
 and it may be for an hour or more." 
 
 He rode to the place indicated, and stationed 
 the squad there. Life declared that he had no 
 sweetheart, and never had one, and he did not 
 know anything about hugging; but he would 
 keep every trooper close to the bluff, if that was 
 what the staff-officer meant. 
 
THE SUGGESTION OF LIEUTENANT LYON 39 
 
 "Lieutenant Lyon! " called Herndon from the ^ 
 top of the precipice. 
 
 " Here, Lieutenant Herndon ! " replied Deck. 
 
 " General Woodbine desires you to ride up 
 here," added the other staff-officer. " Come at 
 once ! " 
 
 Deck galloped up the road at Ceph's best 
 speed to the inclined plane that led to the top 
 of the hill. 
 
 " The steamer has stopped her paddles half a 
 mile from here," said the commander, when Deck 
 saluted him. "I may have to change all my 
 plans, and I want you here till I ascertain what 
 the steamer intends to do. Can the officer in 
 command on board of her have discovered that 
 there is a force here ? " 
 
 " I should say that was quite impossible ; for 
 there is the boat with the signalman in it just 
 where it was before," replied the lieutenant. 
 "The steamer keeps on the other side of the 
 river, and the man in the bateau seems to be 
 afraid of being seen from the town." 
 
 "The steamer starts again!" exclaimed the 
 general. " I was afraid she might land her armed 
 
40 ON THE STAFF 
 
 force below the town, and I wanted to be ready 
 for it. All right now, for she is headed directly 
 for the levee. You may return when ready to 
 the road below." 
 
 But Deck was in no hurry, as he had his force 
 in position ; and he remained on the hill a while 
 longer. 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 41 
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 
 
 The stopping of the suspicious steamer had 
 greatly disturbed General Woodbine. There was 
 a regular steamboat-landing in front of Barkville, 
 and the commander had expected that the ap- 
 proaching boat would come to it if she made a 
 landing at any point in this portion of the river. 
 But there was a creek half a mile below the 
 town ; and he had been afraid she would run 
 into the mouth of it, and would land her force 
 there. 
 
 Probably the man in the little flatboat had 
 come out of this small tributary ; for Deck, who 
 had been looking down the river for at least an 
 hour before he discovered the boat, had seen no 
 craft of any kind leave the town landing. If 
 the man lived in the village he could not have 
 helped knowing that a battalion of Union troops 
 had arrived in the vicinity the evening before. 
 
42 ON THE STAFF 
 
 The landing-place of the town was like any- 
 similar one on the Western rivers. It was a 
 sandy beach, extending rather abruptly down to 
 the water's edge at any stage of the stream, 
 which was unusually high at the present time on 
 account of the recent heavy rain-storms. When 
 a steamer made a landing at the town, she ran 
 diagonally on the beach from down stream, com- 
 ing about if she was descending the river in order 
 to do so; for the current contributed in holding 
 her in position. If she came on a landing from 
 the opposite direction, the flow of the stream 
 would swing her around, and dislodge her from 
 the bottom on which she rested her bow. 
 
 " Is everything working right. General Wood- 
 bine?" asked Deck, after he had looked over the 
 situation. 
 
 " So far as I can see, it is," replied the com- 
 mander. " I have a trusty man on the hill by 
 the camp to give the signal for the advance of 
 the second company, and I have only to send 
 Herndon with the order for Major Lyon to move. 
 I don't see how there can be any slip-up in the 
 arrangements we have made." 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 43 
 
 " Of course Captain Truman will be on the 
 lookout for your signal." 
 
 " I suggested to the captain that he had better 
 have Sergeant Yowell climb a tree where he could 
 distinctly see the camp-hill. The people of the 
 village seem to have found out that something 
 is the matter ; for they are gathering on the shore, 
 watching the steamer." 
 
 At this moment Lieutenant Herndon came up 
 to the general and saluted him, evidently with 
 a message or an inquiry. 
 
 " The artillery sentinel at the head of the in- 
 cline has just stopped a committee of three from 
 the town, all mounted; and their horses look as 
 though they had been in a hurry," said the staff- 
 officer. 
 
 "I am not a Connecticut Yankee, though my 
 father was, but I can guess what they want," 
 replied the commander, as he sent for his horse, 
 on which he had ridden up from the camp. " I 
 will meet them where they are ; for I should like 
 to have them quiet the people, and prevent them 
 from doing any foolish thing." 
 
 He mounted his horse, and rode over to the in- 
 
44 ON THE STAFF 
 
 cline, where the committee awaited him. It was 
 Sunday; and the visitors had doubtless been to 
 church, for they were all dressed in their best 
 clothes, and wore immaculate dickeys. They all 
 took off their hats to the commander, and treated 
 him with the most profound deference. 
 
 " May I ask if you are the commander of the 
 forces in this county?" asked the most dignified 
 of the three. 
 
 " I am in command of the battalion of Union 
 troops at present in this vicinity," replied the 
 general, bowing to the speaker. 
 
 " There is a steamer approaching the town, 
 which appears to have a military force on board," 
 continued the chairman. 
 
 " I am aware of the fact ; and as my time is 
 valuable just now, I must beg you to come at 
 once to the point, and state the object of your 
 visit," added the commander rather sharply. 
 
 " We have a company of Home Guards in the 
 place, and " — 
 
 " Don't call them out ! " said the general very 
 decidedly. 
 
 "We were about to ring the church bells to" — 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 45 
 
 " Don't do it ! " protested the commander. 
 "Who and what are you, gentlemen?" 
 
 "We are the town council, of which I have 
 the honor to be the chairman," said the most 
 dignified. 
 
 " I am glad to see you, but I have no time to 
 spare," said the general, who was still polite ; 
 but his manner had become rather brusque and 
 very decided, for he was afraid the civilians 
 would talk all day if he permitted them to do 
 so. " I have made all my preparations to defend 
 the town, and any movement on the part of the 
 citizens or the Home Guard will interfere with 
 them. You can see that I have a battery on 
 this hill, though that is but a small part of what 
 I have arranged for the defence of the place." 
 
 " But the steamer has cannons on her deck," 
 suggested the dignified chairman. 
 
 " They will not use them unless your Home 
 Guard should confront them on the landing ; 
 and in that case I could knock the steamer all 
 to pieces before she reached the shore if I were 
 so disposed," replied the commander, speaking 
 very hurriedly. " Now I will tell you what I 
 
46 ON THE STAFF 
 
 wish you to do ; and the safety of your people 
 depends upon their observance of my instructions, 
 and if any of them are ridden down by my cav- 
 alry, it will be your fault and theirs." 
 
 " There seems to be a large force on the 
 steamer. Have you force enough to cope with 
 them ? " 
 
 " In ten minutes after I give the signal, there 
 will be three hundred troopers in your streets 
 and at the landing. I see some of your citizens 
 are gathering on the shore. Send them and all 
 the rest of your people to their homes; and, 
 above all, let your Home Guards go to bed, or 
 at least keep out of sight. Have every man, 
 woman, and child go into the house, and stay 
 there. In the roads they will be in danger from 
 friends and enemies. That's all I have to say." 
 
 Without waiting to answer any questions, or 
 to hear any speeches of the dignified chairman, 
 General Woodbine wheeled his horse, and gal- 
 loped back to the other end of the hill. 
 
 " Anything new, Lieutenant Lyon ? " he de- 
 manded, as he dismounted, and gave his horse 
 to his orderly. 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 47 
 
 " Nothing new, General ; but the steamer is 
 still approaching the landing, and is now not 
 more than half a mile distant from it ; but she 
 is moving very slowly, or she would have been 
 there before this time," replied Deck. "Excuse 
 me, sir, but it is time for me to join my squad 
 under the hill." 
 
 "All right, Lieutenant. If you take posses- 
 sion of the steamer at the right time, and get her 
 away from the landing, make it your first business 
 to capture that man in the bateau ; for I wish 
 to know something more about him," added the 
 commander. 
 
 " What shall I do with the steamer after 
 that ? " 
 
 "Return to the landing-place when you are 
 satisfied that the fight is well over ; and I don't 
 think it will amount to much," replied the gen- 
 eral, as Deck turned his horse, and rode off in 
 the direction of the incline. 
 
 Lieutenant Knox's force of twenty men were 
 assembled on the river side of the hill, close 
 to the precipice, where they could not be seen 
 from the enemy's craft as she approached the 
 
48 ON THE STAFF 
 
 landing. On the other side of the long hill, 
 under the command of Major Lyon, were the two 
 companies of Captain Gordon and Captain Rich- 
 land, the former concealed under the long hill, 
 and the latter in the road from the camp, behind 
 the houses of the village. Lieutenant Herndon 
 sat on his horse within speaking distance of the 
 commander, ready to carry his commands to the 
 troopers below. 
 
 At the highest point on the long hill, there was 
 a flagstaff where the citizens in better times had 
 been in the habit of hoisting " Old Glory," and 
 firing a salute on the Fourth of July. The 
 general had arranged to run up the national en- 
 sign as a signal to the man on the camp-hill, 
 and for the movement of Major Lyon's command. 
 But, fearful that it might not be seen by all con- 
 cerned, he intended to send his order to the major 
 by his remaining staff-officer. 
 
 Deck found the boarding-squad in good order 
 on his arrival under the hill. He rode in ahead 
 of the lieutenant, and then hugged the cliff as 
 the rest of them were doing. Not even Knox 
 knew what his force were to do, and it was 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 49 
 
 necessary to instruct them ; for their movement 
 was to be made with a rush, like a hurricane 
 breaking upon a devoted town. 
 
 " Are we to halt here all the rest of the day, 
 Leftenant?" inquired Life, as Deck turned his 
 horse so as to face the stout Kentuckian. 
 
 " Not leftenant, for that is not the fashion in 
 modern times in this country, but lieutenant, as 
 though the first syllable were spelled 1-u," said 
 the staff-officer with a laugh. 
 
 "All right. Lieutenant," replied Life, pronoun- 
 cing it correctly this time, as he had sometimes 
 before. " But I think I had rather be an orderly- 
 sergeant than have so much grammar and dic- 
 tionary stuffed into me." 
 
 " You will soon have a commission as a lieu- 
 tenant, and you don't want to report to your 
 superior officer in backwoods English," suggested 
 Deck. 
 
 "I had a fair share of learning when I was a 
 young feller " — 
 
 " Fellow," prompted the lieutenant. 
 
 " When I was a young fellow ; but among the 
 hunters and trappers beyond the Rockies I fell 
 
50 ON THE STAFF 
 
 into their way of talking more'n I wish I had. 
 But what are we gwine to do, Lieutenant? " 
 
 " ' Gwine ' is niggerish. We are going to do 
 a big thing, Life. Where are Drye and Beck- 
 land?" 
 
 "They are both here." 
 
 " Call them up, for I want them to hear what 
 I have to say to you." 
 
 The two engineers were called, and placed 
 themselves out of sight behind Deck's horse. 
 
 " Just as soon as the force on that steamer have 
 landed, and made their way up into the town, 
 you will march your men at a rapid gallop down 
 to the steamer. They will leave the wide gang- 
 plank by which the force comes ashore. Go 
 down by twos, and dash up that plank in the 
 same order. If there are any soldiers on board 
 who make opposition, shoot them with your 
 revolvers, or cut them down with your sabres. 
 In other words, take possession of the boat in 
 spite of any force on board of her. Do you un- 
 derstand it all clearly? " 
 
 " I reckon I do, and it is as easy as the multi- 
 plication table up to ten times ten." 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 51 
 
 " That's SO, and spoken in very good Eng- 
 lish," replied Deck. " Now, Drye, I am going to 
 appoint you, by the authority of General Wood- 
 bine, the engineer of that steamer; and you will 
 go to the engine as soon as you get on board of 
 her." 
 
 "I shall be at home there," answered Drye. 
 
 "As you and Beckland go on board, you will 
 cast off the fasts of the steamer if they get any 
 out. Of course you will go behind the rest of 
 the men," continued the staff-officer. 
 
 " But what am I to do after I get on board ? " 
 asked Beckland. 
 
 " You will take charge of the darky firemen, 
 and be ready to take Drye's place in case any- 
 thing happens to him. That's all. Now, Lieu- 
 tenant Knox, you had better tell your men what 
 they are to do, and don't let one of them flinch 
 or hang back, whatever happens, for we don't 
 know our ground very well." 
 
 Both Deck and Knox instructed the men, and 
 in five minutes they were ready for action ; for in 
 the curve of the cliff they were easily out of sight 
 of those on the forecastle of the steamer. On the 
 
52 ON THE STAFF 
 
 hill, General Woodbine was eagerly watching the 
 slow approach of the Harbinger ; for with his field- 
 glass Deck had been able to read the name over 
 her lofty pilot-house. The town council, with the 
 aid of the sheriff and other officers, had passed 
 around the instructions of the general. The peo- 
 ple on the levee and on the front street had all 
 retired, and the village looked as quiet as it ought 
 to be on a Sunday afternoon. Though they could 
 not be seen, the people had probably retired to 
 their houses, as much for their own safety as not 
 to interfere with the movements of the troops. 
 
 Suddenly the report of the two guns on the 
 forecastle of the Harbinger resounded on the 
 still Sabbath air; but the shots only ploughed 
 up the sands of the beach at the landing. With 
 his glass the commander saw the artillerymen 
 on the deck reloading the pieces ; but they were 
 not fired again. Doubtless they had been dis- 
 charged only to "wake up the town," as the 
 enemy would have expressed it. 
 
 The steamer slowly approached the landing, 
 and thrust her nose into the sand. Without a mo- 
 ment's delay the wide gangway was run to the 
 
THE HARBINGER FIRES THE FIRST GUNS 53 
 
 dry land, and the troops on board began to dis- 
 embark. No force appeared to oppose them, and 
 they marched forward confidently into the town. 
 Then the American flag was run up on the sum- 
 mit of the long hill. Lieutenant Herndon gal- 
 loped his steed down the incline with the order 
 to Major Lyon. 
 
 " Left — by twos — march ! " caUed Knox when 
 ordered to do so by Deck. 
 
 Then the squad dashed down the road to the 
 landing. 
 
64 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAIVIER 
 
 Deck's horse was named after the celebrated 
 horse of Alexander the Great; though the four 
 syllables of the word had been contracted into 
 one, and was always called Ceph. He knew his 
 name as well as liis master did, and was as fond 
 of him as though he had been an affectionate span- 
 iel. He had been highly trained by his rider, 
 and had never received a blow from him ; in 
 fact, the young cavalryman would as soon have 
 thought of striking his mother as his favorite 
 steed. 
 
 As soon as Lieutenant Knox gave the order to 
 march, Deck siinply said, " Come, Ceph !" and the 
 intelligent animal started. " Come, Ceph, lively!" 
 added the rider a moment later; and the steed 
 broke into a smart gallop. Deck patted him on 
 the neck, and he increased his speed so that no 
 other horse in the squad could keep up with 
 
THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAMER 55 
 
 him. There was a sort of freemasonry between 
 them into which Ceph had been initiated, and 
 which he had practised for nearly two years. 
 The officer had never worn spurs, because he 
 never had occasion for tliem ; for a kindly word 
 would cause the noble animal to do all he could 
 in the matter of speed better than spurs would 
 have stimulated him. 
 
 Ceph was fresh from the pickets, and he went 
 at a mad gallop. The rider kept his eyes wide 
 open, as he always did when on duty. He had 
 seen the force of the enemy land from the Har- 
 binger ; and it included a squad of about a dozen 
 cavalry, wearing the gray of the Confederate 
 army, as did the infantry that preceded them. 
 The detachment hastily formed on the beach; 
 and the troopers went to the front, leading the 
 way into the town. In a few moments they 
 had disappeared, taking the principal street. 
 They all marched at the double-quick, as though 
 they were in a hurry to complete the work in 
 which they were engaged. 
 
 The steamer had made her landing at the upper 
 front of the place, and it was but a short ride 
 
66 ON THE STAFF 
 
 from the cliff to the boat. Knox was not more 
 than a minute behind the staff-officer; and the 
 dashing lieutenant did not look to the right nor 
 the left, but kept his gaze fixed upon the gang- 
 plank of the Harbinger, riding to it by the short> 
 est way. Without any hesitation he galloped up 
 to the platform, closely followed by his troopers. 
 
 If a guard had been left on board to protect 
 the steamer, they were on the after deck or in 
 the saloon ; and Deck, who had not led the way 
 up the gang-plank, soon discovered that the 
 guard were observing the movements of the 
 troops who had gone on shore, at the stern of 
 the boat. The lieutenant rode far enough to 
 enable him to obtain a glance up the street by 
 which the Confederate force had advanced. On 
 his way back at the best speed of Ceph, he was 
 fired at, and he heard the ball whizz behind his 
 head ; but " a miss was as good as a mile," and 
 he reached the gang-plank in safety. 
 
 He had seen the enemy on shore in his hasty 
 glance up the street, and they had halted in an 
 open space in the centre of the village. He con- 
 cluded that the commander of the force desired 
 
THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAMER 57 
 
 to find some person who could give him needed 
 information ; for the town council had so effectu- 
 ally carried out the instructions of General Wood- 
 bine, that not a man, woman, nor child was to he 
 seen in the streets. But the lieutenant had no 
 time to study or speculate on the situation. 
 
 Without checking the speed of his horse. Deck 
 dashed up the plank to the forecastle of the 
 boat, when he reined in to ascertain how far 
 Knox had proceeded. He found that the acting 
 lieutenant had left four men near the engines, 
 and advanced with the others to the after part 
 of the steamer, where a conflict was in progress. 
 The guard fired upon the bold boarders, and one 
 man dropped from his saddle. This was war; 
 and, dropping their sabres so that they hung by 
 the cords to their wrists, they drew their revol- 
 vers, and began to fire with great rapidity, for 
 there was not room enough on the deck to 
 manoeuvre with horses. 
 
 Deck rode aft as soon as he heard the firing 
 of the combatants at the other end of the boat. 
 On his arrival the enemy had discharged their 
 muskets ; and as they were obliged to reload before 
 
58 ON THE STAFF 
 
 they could do anything more with bullets, they 
 were trying to advance, and make a bayonet 
 charge upon the horsemen ; but the troopers were 
 used to this sort of thing, and cut down those 
 who advanced, till the^ remnant of them retreated 
 to a position where the horses could not follow 
 them. 
 
 " Do you surrender, or shall we shoot down 
 the rest of you?" demanded Lieutenant Knox, 
 prompted by the staff-officer. 
 
 "We surrender," replied a sergeant, who ap- 
 peared to be in command of the party. 
 
 "No, we don't!" exclaimed one of the num- 
 ber, as he dropped into the water at the stern 
 of the boat. 
 
 He was followed by four others ; and the 
 troopers pointed their revolvers at their heads 
 as they were seen standing up to their necks 
 in the river. 
 
 " Don't fire ! " shouted Deck with all the 
 strength of his lungs ; for he never permitted 
 an inhuman action, even in the excitement of 
 battle. 
 
 " Return pistols I " added Knox in a vigor- 
 
The troopers pointed their revolvers at their heads." 
 
 Page 5S 
 
THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAMER 59 
 
 ous tone ; for he always seconded Deck with all 
 his might. 
 
 " Let them go ; they have only jumped out 
 of the frying-pan into the fire," said the staff- 
 officer, as he saw the five men waddling with 
 all their might towards the shore. 
 
 " Those that want to surrender, bring out 
 your arms, and lay them down on deck!" con- 
 tinued Lieutenant Knox in hurried tones. 
 
 But only three men obeyed the summons ; for 
 five had escaped, two had been killed, and two 
 more appeared to be badly wounded, so that they 
 could not obey the call. Knox dismounted his 
 men, and ordered them to secure their horses 
 at a pole extended from two stanchions, where 
 the animals of the cavalrymen who had landed 
 had evidently been tied. Deck's horse was 
 taken by one of the men, and he hastened for- 
 ward to ascertain the situation there. 
 
 The skirmish on the deck of the Harbinger 
 had lasted hardly more than five minutes, for 
 at such times everything is done with a snap. 
 Drye and Beckland had come on foot from the 
 cliff; and though they ran all the way, the fight 
 
60 ON THE STAFF 
 
 was coming to an end when they reached the 
 levee. Then the heavy line with which the 
 boat was secured to a post was drawn taut by 
 the action of the current on the craft, and they 
 had not been able to cast it off. They were 
 struggling to detach it when Deck appeared on 
 the forecastle. 
 
 " Slack off that bow-line ! " shouted Drye. 
 
 "Slack it off!" repeated Deck to one of the 
 sentinels who were standing at the engines. 
 
 One of them obeyed the order, and let off 
 enough of the line from the cleat where it was 
 made fast to enable the engineers to slip it 
 over the post. The staff-officer called the other 
 sentinels, and ordered them to haul in the line ; 
 and the boat was then free from her connection 
 with the shore. But the five men who had 
 waded ashore needed a little violent exercise 
 to warm them up after their cold bath on a 
 January day; and possibly they were somewhat 
 stimulated in addition by the thought that a 
 shower of balls from the carbines of the troop- 
 ers might overtake them, and they ran with all 
 the speed they could command towards the street 
 
THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAMER 61 
 
 where the main body of the Confederate force 
 had disappeared. They made some furious ges- 
 tures, and waved everything they had to wave, 
 evidently for the purpose of attracting the at- 
 tention of their comrades in arms. 
 
 The short time that had elapsed since the 
 signal for the outlying companies to advance 
 had not been sufficient to enable the three to 
 reach the centre of the village ; but Deck saw 
 Captain Gordon's men galloping down the road 
 between the long hill and the village. But the 
 dozen Confederate troopers he had seen land 
 from the Harbinger might respond to the signals 
 of those who had escaped, and make trouble, 
 and he hastened the movements on board of 
 the steamer. 
 
 Without any orders from the lieutenant in 
 command, Drye hastened to the starboard engi- 
 neer, and Beckland ordered the firemen to stir 
 up the fuel in the furnaces. The command of 
 the latter was promptly obeyed ; for the ne- 
 groes- saw the uniform of the troopers, and had 
 seen enough to enable them to comprehend the 
 situation. 
 
62 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " I will relieve you from further duty at this 
 engine," said Drye to the starboard engineer, 
 who was a stout and fat man. 
 
 "Who are you?" demanded the engineer, with 
 an expletive which need not be repeated. 
 
 "I am appointed by the general in command 
 of the Union forces here to take charge of this 
 engine," replied Drye with entire self-posses- 
 sion. 
 
 " Well, you won't take charge of it," added 
 the engineer, with a string of oaths which shocked 
 Drye ; for he was a member of the Baptist Church 
 in good and regular standing. 
 
 At the same time the Secessionist, as his ac- 
 tions plainly proved that he was, began to pull 
 a revolver from his hip pocket. Corporal Drye 
 had his drawn sabre in his hand, held behind 
 him, in anticipation of any resistance to the 
 order of his superior; and he proved that he 
 was a member of the church militant as well 
 as the other, for he brought the flat of the blade 
 across the side of the engineer's head with a 
 force which knocked whatever sense he had in 
 it entirely out. Then he dragged his victim 
 
THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAMER 63 
 
 out of the way, and handed him over to other 
 members of the party. 
 
 " Are you all ready, Drye ? " asked Deck, as 
 he approached the engine. 
 
 " I am all ready, Lieutenant ; but I reckon 
 you didn't know it takes two engineers to run 
 this boat, for she has a separate engine on each 
 side." 
 
 " I did know it, but I did not think of it," 
 replied Deck. " Beckland ! " he called to the 
 other engineer, "take charge of the port en- 
 gine ; " and the trooper hastened to obey the 
 order. "Now, Beckland, back the port engine." 
 
 The port engineer obeyed, for he was per- 
 fectly at home in his position; and the wheel 
 on that side of the steamer began to turn. The 
 effect was not only to back the boat, but to 
 bring her about so that she was headed down 
 the river. The movement had carried her into 
 this position about a hundred feet from the 
 shore, and then Beckland was directed to stop 
 his machine. 
 
 The staff-officer was anxious to see what was 
 going on in the village, and on the levee in 
 
64 ON THE STAFF 
 
 front of it. The five men who had waded 
 ashore had disappeared in the principal street; 
 but it was plain that they had been seen, and 
 their signals interpreted; for the little squad 
 of Confederate cavalry came rushing down the 
 street at a gallop, but it was only to blunder 
 upon the first company of the Riverlawns, or to 
 be swept away by this body. 
 
 Deck could hear Captain Gordon's order to 
 charge upon the enemy in front of him ; and 
 then he ascended to the pilot-house, Knox send- 
 ing Sergeant Sluder and Corporal Milton with 
 him to insure his safety. When the trio reached 
 the hurricane deck, they halted to see the ex- 
 pected action. The current had carried the Har- 
 binger a short distance down the stream, and she 
 was then abreast of the principal street. 
 
 The first company of the Riverlawns charged 
 upon the dozen of the enemy; and it seemed to 
 the observers as though they had been suddenly 
 annihilated, for a couple of them dropped from 
 their saddles, and the rest fled up the street, as 
 they were perfectly justified in doing, and should 
 have done sooner, when they realized that they 
 
THE FIGHT ON BOARD THE STEAMER, 65 
 
 were confronting an overwhelming force of at 
 least six times their own number. 
 
 Captain Gordon's company followed them up 
 the street ; but he did not hurry his men, for he 
 knew that two other companies were hastening 
 to the same focal point in' the town. Deck saw 
 so much, and he was about to make his way up 
 to the pilot-house, when he discovered the head 
 of the second company, moving by fours, wheel 
 into the farther end of the street. He had the 
 commission of the general to execute; and he 
 could remain no longer as an observer, much as 
 he wished to do so. 
 
 In the pilot-house he found a bony Western 
 man standing at a side window, smoking a pipe, 
 and observing the action on shore. 
 
 "Are you the pilot of the Harbinger?" asked 
 Deck, as he entered the apartment. 
 
 " I am the chief pilot, and my assistants are 
 outside, watching the fun on shore," replied the 
 man good-naturedly. " But it begins to look as 
 though this boat would not be wanted much 
 longer about here. I make bold to ask who you 
 are, though I see you wear a Yankee uniform?" 
 
66 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I am on the staff of General Woodbine, in 
 command of the Union force on shore," replied 
 Deck. " I wish to use this boat immediately ; 
 and if you don't object, I shall put Sergeant 
 Sluder in your place." 
 
 "And I reckon you will if I do object," 
 chuckled the pilot. "I am a Dutch German, 
 and I don't care a pin which side gets the best 
 of it in this fight. I am right willing to act as 
 pilot for you. My name is Kleineniederlandische. 
 If you want me, you have only to call me by 
 name," chuckled the man. 
 
 " Is that all ? Well, then, start the boat ahead, 
 Mr. Klootspreechnschenopenstein," laughed Deck, 
 using a composite name he had learned in school. 
 
 He concluded that the pilot was fooling him ; 
 but the boat went ahead, and that was all he 
 wanted. 
 
A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOWN 67 
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOWN 
 
 The pilot of the Harbinger was evidently a 
 humorist in his own way. The staff-officer was 
 well aware himself that he was a young man ; and 
 the engineer seemed to regard him as nothing but 
 a boy, and was disposed to treat him as such, and 
 especially to be very jolly with him. But he rang 
 the bells at the engine, and when the steamer 
 began to move he headed her out into the stream. 
 
 Deck had no coniidence in the man, and 
 would not trust him. He placed the sergeant 
 and the corporal who had come up with him, at 
 the doors of the pilot-house, both of which were 
 open, and both men had their hands on their 
 revolvers. He did not believe that he was a 
 German, although he appeared to have some 
 knowledge of the language ; but his English was 
 quite as good as that of ordinary Americans. 
 
 "How much water does this boat draw, Mr. 
 
68 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Pilot?" asked the lieutenant, without attempting 
 to speak the name given him. 
 
 " Three feet and a half when she is not loaded 
 any heavier than she is now," replied the humor- 
 ist ; " but I reckon she will want four or four and 
 a half when she has taken on board the stores 
 she came here for." 
 
 " Yery likely she will, Herr Kloots ; but I am 
 decidedly of the opinion that she will remain as 
 light as she is now," answered Deck. "I don't 
 think you need go any farther out into the river." 
 
 " You haven't told me where to take the boat, 
 Little One." 
 
 " Do you see that bateau, j^unt, flatboat, or 
 whatever you call her here, near the Kentucky 
 shore ? " asked the officer. 
 
 " No, I don't see it. I am a little deef in one 
 eye; but if you will lend me your squinter, I 
 may make it out," replied the pilot, pointing to 
 the case in which Deck carried his field-glass 
 suspended from his shoulder. 
 
 "If you are as blind as that, you are not fit 
 for a pilot; and I think I will call in Sergeant 
 Sluder, and have him take your place," said 
 
A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOWN 69 
 
 the lieutenant in sharper tones than he had 
 spoken before, 
 
 " I reckon you won't do nothing of the sort, 
 Little Joker," answered Mv. Kleineniederlan- 
 dische. 
 
 " I might as well remark at this stage, in the 
 mildest and sweetest manner possible, that if you 
 don't obey my orders I shall invite my men at 
 the doors to put one or more bullets through 
 that head of youi-s," added Deck. 
 
 " I won't bother you to do that, for while you 
 are in command of the Harbinger I will obey 
 your orders," replied the pilot, with a broad 
 grin playing around the stem of his pipe, wliich 
 he still held by his teeth. " I am willing to say 
 that I can see the flatboat now, for I was look- 
 ing the wrong way before." 
 
 " All right, Mr. Kloots. Head her for it, 
 and go ahead at full speed," added Deck. 
 
 The pilot used his bell-pulls ; and the Harbin- 
 ger increased her speed, so that she was within 
 hail of the little boat in a few minutes. The 
 lieutenant sent Corporal Milton down to the main 
 deck with an order to Knox to pick up the white 
 
70 ON THE STAFF 
 
 man, and leave the negroes in the bateau. But 
 the signalman had discovered, as the steamer 
 approached, that some change had taken place 
 on board of her, and his oarsmen were now 
 pulling with all their might for the shore. The 
 Harbinger was too quick for them, and she soon 
 came up with the craft. 
 
 " Stop your boat, or we will fire into you ! " 
 shouted Knox from the forecastle. 
 
 "Stop her, Mr. Kloots ! " said Deck; and the 
 pilot promptly obeyed him. 
 
 Both Sergeant Sluder and Corporal Milton 
 were trustworthy men ; and after the lieutenant 
 had instructed them to watch the pilot, and tell- 
 ing them what to do if he should prove to be 
 refractory, he descended to the main deck. He 
 found Lieutenant Knox with half his men on 
 the forecastle. Life had ordered the boat to 
 stop ; and the negroes, in mortal terror of their 
 lives, had ceased to row, and the signalman was 
 storming at them in the most violent manner, 
 trying to make them renew their efforts to escape. 
 
 " Take your oars, you black rascals ! " shouted 
 the fellow. " We shall get into shallow water 
 
A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOWN 71 
 
 in three minutes, where the steamer cannot follow 
 us!" 
 
 " But de bullets catch up wid us shore," re- 
 plied one of them; and they refused to use an 
 oar. 
 
 Standing near the bow. Deck could see the 
 pilot, and gave him the order to back her when 
 he saw that the headway of the steamer would 
 run the bateau down. 
 
 " Stop her I " he shouted when the signalman 
 was within reach of the long arms of the tall 
 Kentuckian. " One turn ahead ! " he called, as 
 the current carried the boat a little farther from 
 the steamer. 
 
 This movement brought the Harbinger bunt 
 against the bateau. Knox lay down by the stem 
 of the steamer, and, reaching down, grasped the 
 signalman, who was standing up in the stern of 
 the little craft, and dragged him on board as 
 though he had been nothing but a small boy. 
 He flung him upon the deck as though he had 
 been an unclean beast. He looked like a well- 
 to-do farmer, and was dressed well, though in 
 the costume of his class of people. 
 
72 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "What are you about?" demanded the farmer, 
 springing to his feet, and gazing earnestly at 
 Deck and Knox. 
 
 " We are about to put you in some safe place," 
 replied Deck, after he had given the pilot an 
 order to bring the steamer about, and run up to 
 the town. "Are you a loyal citizen of Ken- 
 tucky ? for I judge that you live on that side of 
 the river." 
 
 " I am not what you call a loyal citizen, wear- 
 ing the blue uniform, but I am a loyal citizen 
 of my country," answered the farmer sullenly. 
 
 " What is your country ? " 
 
 " The Confederate States of America." 
 
 " So I supposed," added Deck. " What were 
 you doing in that flatboat ? " 
 
 " I was doing my duty to my country by in- 
 forming our brave troops that the coast was clear 
 for them to make a landing at the levee of 
 Barkville." 
 
 " What is your name, if you please ? " inquired 
 the lieutenant on the staff. 
 
 " Ethan Thornfield ; and I'm not ashamed of 
 it. But I don't understand this business," replied 
 
A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOWN 73 
 
 the farmer. " It looks just as though you had 
 captured the Harbinger, or run away with her 
 from the landing. If you please, I should like 
 to know something about what you have been 
 doing," Mr. Thornfield proceeded in a tone which 
 proved that he could be a gentleman even while 
 he was a Secessionist. 
 
 "I shall be happy to inform jon what we 
 have been doing, and what we are still doing, 
 after you have given me full information in regard 
 to what you have been doing," Deck returned. 
 
 " As I can't harm my countrymen by doing so, 
 I don't object," said Thornfield, seating himself 
 on a barrel with the remark that he was very 
 tired. " I live over on the Marrow Bone Road, 
 near the creek that comes into the Cumberland 
 just below here. I am not as poor as you may 
 think I am ; and I own a steam-launch, which I 
 keep on the creek, and often go to town by water. 
 Well, I haven't been there for a week; but a 
 friend of mine there came over to see me the 
 other day, and told me that a train of wagons 
 was to bring a large supply of stores for a Yankee 
 force that was coming this way." 
 
74 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Slow her down, Pilot ! " called Deck to the 
 Dutch-German. 
 
 " Besides," resumed the signalman, " I know 
 of a lot of Kentucky farmers who are Yankees at 
 heart; and they have plenty of grain, meat, 
 horses, mules, and niggers ; and this sort of goods 
 would help out our army in Tennessee, where 
 Crittenden took all the supplies of the farmers, 
 and gave them receipts for them. I started down 
 the creek in my steam-launch with three niggers, 
 towing that punt, and went down to Martinsville, 
 where 1 had business of my own. 
 
 "I found the Harbinger there, bound up the 
 river looking for supplies. I went on board of 
 her, and met Captain Altamont, in command of 
 the force she carried, and I gave him my news. 
 I started for home, and steamed all night in 
 the launch, and got to the mouth of the creek 
 at noon to-da}^ I promised Captain Altamont 
 that I would signal him with a white cloth on a 
 boathook if the way was clear for him to make 
 a landing at Barkville. He was slow about com- 
 ing up the river after I made the signals ; why I 
 don't Ivnow. That's all I know about the affair." 
 
A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOAVN 75 
 
 Mr. Thornfield seemed to be a fairly well- 
 educated man, judging from his speech, and 
 Lieutenant Lyon believed he had told the whole 
 truth ; for he was plainly a square man, in spite 
 of his pontics. By this time the Harbinger was 
 off the levee ; and the staff-officer ordered the 
 pilot to stop her, and keep her where she was, 
 at a distance of about three hundi'ed feet from 
 the beach. 
 
 " I am sorry to have to inform you, Mr. Thorn- 
 field, after you have told me such a straight 
 story, that you have led your military friends 
 into a very ugly trap," said Deck, when the 
 farmer had finished his narrative. "But what 
 has become of your steam-launch ? " 
 
 " I sent it up the creek by the nigger engineer, 
 and the two other niggers pulled me up the 
 river where you saw me. But what do you 
 mean by an ugly trap. Lieutenant ? " 
 
 " General Woodbine, with three full companies 
 pf cavalry and a battery, arrived at this place 
 last night, and the supplies are for his command. 
 I discovered the bow of the steamer when she 
 came half a dozen times out from behind the 
 
76 ON THE STAFF 
 
 bank ou the other side of the river. Later I 
 saw your punt, and the signals you made. The 
 general was mystified by your actions, and he 
 will be glad to have your movements explained 
 to him. We captured the steamer to prevent 
 the Confederates from escaping in her. Captain 
 Altamont's command is surrounded long before 
 this time ; and he must surrrender, or his men 
 will be cut to pieces." 
 
 " And I led him into this trap ! " exclaimed 
 Thornfield, with a heavy groan. 
 
 " You did ; but of course you did not intend 
 to do anything of the kind," replied Deck, who 
 could not help thinking how he would have felt 
 himself if he had done such a thing, even in- 
 nocently. 
 
 " Them Seceshers is fighting for all they are 
 wuth," said Life, who had been near enough to 
 hear the farmer's story. 
 
 "Those Secessionists are fighting for all they 
 are worth," corrected Deck; and the acting lieu- 
 tenant repeated his remark in more correct form. 
 
 "What does it look like, Life?" 
 
 " It looks as though the enemy were about used 
 
A DESPERATE ACTION IN THE TOWN 77 
 
 up," replied he, careful about his grammar and 
 punctuation. 
 
 "As nearly as I can make it out, the enemy 
 marched to the square in the middle of the vil- 
 lage, where our three companies fell upon them," 
 said the staff-officer, as he ascended to the hur- 
 ricane deck, followed by Knox ; for here they 
 could obtain a better view of the battle than 
 from the main deck. 
 
 They had hardly obtained a good position to 
 witness the struggle, before the action appeared 
 to have suddenly come to an end ; and Deck had 
 no doubt that Captain Altamont had surrendered. 
 He had fought desperately, and the square was 
 strewn with his own dead and wounded and 
 those of the Union cavalry ; and it was simply 
 madness to continue to fight when he was sur- 
 rounded by four times the number of his force. 
 
 " The affair seems to have been finished," said 
 Deck to the pilot. 
 
 " It looks so ; and the boat is not likely to 
 get a cargo down the river from this town," re- 
 plied the Dutch-German, who was nothing more 
 than a Tennesseean, as he afterwards admitted. 
 
T8 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " You may rim the boat up to the levee again, 
 Mr. Kloots," added Deck; and the pilot went to 
 his quarters, and rang the bells to go ahead. 
 " Your boat is safe ; and you may thank your 
 stars, if you have any stars, that she is so. On 
 that long hill is a battery of artillery that could 
 have knocked her into kindling-wood in five min- 
 utes. Your crowd had no kind of a chance here, 
 and you had better have stayed at home." 
 
 "What am I now?" asked the pilot more seri- 
 ously than before. 
 
 "A Dutch-German, and a prisoner of war; for 
 you were captured with the Harbinger in the ser- 
 vice of the enemy. Where is the captain of the 
 steamer ?" asked Deck, who had seen no such 
 personage so far as he knew. 
 
 The military prisoners on board who were not 
 disabled had been ordered to take care of their 
 wounded companions; and one of them reported 
 that the commander of the boat was among the 
 number. The gang-plank had been extended to 
 the beach ; and Lieutenant Herndon soon rode 
 upon the deck, presumably with orders from the 
 general. 
 
THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 79 
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENElVfY 
 
 " Well, Deck, what sort of a time have you 
 had?" asked Lieutenant Herndon, as he galloped 
 his horse up the steep gangway as his brother 
 staff-officer came down from the hurricane deck. 
 
 " We have done all we were ordered to do ; 
 but perhaps we should have done more if there 
 had been any new field for us to enter upon," 
 replied Deck. " Is the general still perched upon 
 that long hill?" 
 
 " No ; he came down some time ago. In fact, 
 he rode over into the village as soon as the 
 three companies broke into the place. He saw 
 and directed the action from the time the men 
 became engaged, and he has just received the 
 surrender of the enemy," answered Lieutenant 
 Herndon. 
 
 " That was a foregone conclusion from the be- 
 ginning," added Deck. 
 
80 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " It was ; but the enemy fought as though 
 they had all been tigers." 
 
 " I don't believe our men skulked," suggested 
 the steamboat operator. " I wish I had been 
 there." 
 
 " Perhaps you are inside of a whole skin be- 
 cause you did not happen to be there," said 
 Herndon with a smile. 
 
 " This is the first action in which the River- 
 lawns ever were engaged when I was not with 
 them, and I am sorry I was left out on one side. 
 But we had a pretty sharp fight in the stern of 
 the steamer ; for the guard left on board, with the 
 captain of her, fought like a stack of wildcats, 
 till they could not fight any more, and the ser- 
 geant in command was ready to surrender ; but 
 one of them would not, and jumped into the river, 
 followed by four others," Deck explained. 
 
 " Then, it don't appear that you were on one 
 side, Deck," added Herndon. " If you had not 
 captured the steamer, some of the enemy might 
 have escaped." 
 
 "If our men had let them do so," said Deck, 
 with a smile. "But I did not see much of the 
 
THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 81 
 
 fight. Were you sent on board with any mes- 
 sage from General Woodbine ? " 
 
 " Not exactly with a message, but simply to 
 ascertain the condition of things on board the 
 steamer," replied the active staff -officer. - 
 
 " Well, we have captured the Harbinger, and 
 the small boat in which the signalman was oper- 
 ating ; and we owe our good fortune in this affair 
 to him, for he led the enemy into this trap." 
 
 "How was that?" 
 
 " You must excuse me, Frank ; it is a long 
 story, and I shall have to recite the whole of it 
 to General Woodbine, when you will be likely to 
 hear it," replied Deck. "I want to ask you how 
 the Marion Cavalry behaved on the field." 
 
 " That's my old company, and I hope you 
 haven't any doubt as to how they behaved; but 
 I can truly say that they stood up to the work, 
 and behaved as though they wanted to make 
 martyrs of themselves in a holy cause. I ob- 
 served them, and I can truly say they were as 
 brave and plucky as the Riverlawns ; and perhaps 
 they were inspired to do so well by the brilliant 
 fighting of Major Lyon's two companies." 
 
82 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Thank you, Frank, for the compliment to the 
 original Riverlawns," returned Deck. " I have 
 never seen the Marions in a fight, and I had some 
 curiosity to know how they bore themselves." 
 
 "I refer you to the general and the major 
 for further information, for you may think I am 
 prejudiced in favor of my old company. When 
 the thing began to look very blue for the enemy, 
 and they had been really whipped if they had 
 only known it, the squad of cavalry they brought 
 up from the boat suddenly attempted to escape 
 by galloping down a side street. Captain Rich- 
 land sent a platoon around by another street, 
 and turned them back after a sharp little brush. 
 They were bound for the steamer, and did not 
 appear to be aware that she had been captured. 
 But they might have recaptured the Harbinger 
 if they had got on board of her." 
 
 "Doubted ! " exclaimed Deck. "I had a 
 squad of twenty on the deck, who could have 
 taken care of them ; but I should not have asked 
 them to spill their blood. I should have simply 
 hauled in the gang-plank, and backed the boat 
 away from the beach." 
 
THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 83 
 
 "Plenty of expedients in your busy head, 
 Deck," laughed Herndon, as he began to wheel 
 his horse towards the shore. 
 
 "Where is the general now, Frank?" 
 
 " I left him in the square in the centre of the 
 village, receiving the thanks and congratulations 
 of the town council." 
 
 " I don't know that I have anything more to 
 do on board of this steamer, and Lieutenant Knox 
 is abundantly able to take care of himself and 
 the boat," said Deck, who regarded his mission 
 on the river as finished, and was disposed to 
 report to the general. " Good-evening, Artie," 
 he continued, as his brother, the orderly of his 
 father, rode up the gang-plank with his left arm 
 in a sling. 
 
 " I am sorry you are wounded, Artie," said 
 Lieutenant Herndon, as he rode down to the 
 beach on the way to the commander of the force. 
 
 " So am I," added Deck, with abundant sym- 
 pathy and sorrow in his face. "Is it a bad 
 wound, Artie ? " 
 
 " Not very bad, though it is rather painful. It 
 was done with a bayonet; but Dr. Farnwright 
 
84 ON THE STAFF 
 
 says it is not serious, and will be well in a 
 week." 
 
 "Why don't you go to your tent, and take it 
 easy, Artie ? There will be no more fighting here 
 to-night, for it is almost dark," suggested Deck. 
 
 " I don't want to go on the sick-list as long as 
 I can hold my head up. Father told me to go 
 to my tent; but I begged off, and the general 
 wanted me in the absence of his staff. He orders 
 you to march your prisoners up to the square, 
 those that are able to march, and to send the 
 others up on boards or litters." 
 
 "I will give the order to Lieutenant Knox," 
 added Deck, as his brother rode down the plank. 
 
 He sent a man for Life Knox, who was walk- 
 ing the whole length of the boat in his vigil over 
 her and the prisoners. He delivered the order of 
 General Woodbine to him, and directed him to 
 carry it out at once. Four sentinels were sta- 
 tioned on the forecastle, and four more in the 
 after part of the steamer, nominally as a guard 
 over the wounded ; but they were kind-hearted 
 fellows, and were really taking care of them, 
 giving them water, and whatever else they wanted. 
 
THE THOKOUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 85 
 
 Captain Hixton and the mate were both among 
 them, and neither of them was likely to recover. 
 
 The rest of the troopers were scattered about at 
 their leisure ; and their lieutenant summoned them 
 to the forcastle, and directed them to conduct the 
 uninjured prisoners forward. There were only- 
 three of them, and as many cavalrymen brought 
 them to the place indicated. The dozen men 
 were then directed by Knox to bring some ma- 
 terials for stretchers, such as they could find in 
 the cabin or elsewhere. 
 
 The men then tore out seven berths from the 
 staterooms on the saloon-deck, and carried them 
 to the sick-bay, which had been made out of the 
 berth-sacks of the crew. The wounded were 
 then placed on these stretchers, and two of them 
 were carried by the four men who had been 
 nurses rather than guards. Men were detailed 
 to be the bearers of the other five ; and the pro- 
 cession was started for the square, with the three 
 able prisoners, who needed no guards, for they 
 could not run away if they tried. 
 
 " Is the pilot a prisoner, Lieutenant Lyon ? " 
 asked Life when he had sent away the others. 
 
86 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Certainly ; without him the enemy could 
 have done nothing," replied Deck, as Knox hailed 
 Milton and Sluder on the hurricane deck, and 
 told them to send down the pilot; and he and 
 the assistant pilot came down, attended by the 
 two non-commissioned officers. 
 
 " What is to become of me, Cap'n ? " asked 
 Thornfield, who had been seated on a barrel, 
 doubtless ruminating upon the mischief he had 
 done that day and the day and night before. 
 " I reckon I may as well go home now." 
 
 "I reckon not," replied Deck, whom he had 
 addressed. 
 
 " I am not a military man ; I have not borne 
 arms on either side," protested the farmer. 
 
 " The more shame for you, an able-bodied man 
 as you are ! " said Deck, who could be as severe 
 when occasion required as he was polite at other 
 times. 
 
 "I have had to take care of my farm." 
 
 "And raise grain, meat, horses, and mules for 
 the Confederate army." 
 
 " I haven't raised any for them." 
 
 " You preferred that they should help them- 
 
THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 87 
 
 selves at the barns and cribs of what you call 
 your Yankee neighbors." 
 
 " But just look at it, Cap'n ; I am a peace- 
 able man, and you have no right to make a 
 prisoner of war of me," argued the farmer. 
 
 " I won't argue the matter ; Lieutenant Knox 
 will send you to General Woodbine, and refer 
 the case to him. If he chooses to let you go 
 home he will ; but he won't do it. And when 
 I tell him what a serviceable steam-launch you 
 have in the creek, I am sure he will want that, 
 and any grain, meat, horses, and mules you have 
 also. We need mules, for the roads are very bad 
 at this season of the year." 
 
 " If you mean to persecute me, I suppose I 
 can't help myself ; but we shall have an army 
 along here some time that will drive every one 
 of you Yankees out of the State of Kentucky." 
 Thornfield concluded with a bigger expletive 
 than was at all necessary to meet even his con- 
 dition. 
 
 " Well, Leftenant, what do you want of me ? " 
 demanded the pilot, presenting himself before 
 Knox. 
 
88 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Nothing at all, only to give you a little walk 
 for exercise as far as the square of the town," 
 replied Life. 
 
 "I don't think I need a walk after standing 
 all night at the wheel of this boat," replied 
 Mr. Kloots. 
 
 " I think you do, and I want you to join a 
 little procession to the square ; and I believe 
 there is a jail there for your accommodation in 
 case you make a row on the way," returned 
 Knox. 
 
 " But I am not a soldier." 
 
 " You don't look like one. No talk here, 
 Pilot ; if you have got anything to say, get it 
 off before General Woodbine. You fetched this 
 boat up here, and I reckon you are as deep in 
 the mud as the rest on 'em are in the mire. 
 Form a line with the rest of the prisoners ; you, 
 too, t'other pilot." 
 
 A corporal and four men marched on the 
 flanks of the party with drawn sabres in their 
 hands, and the prisoners were not tempted to 
 escape. 
 
 Leaving Lieutenant Knox and ten men on 
 
THE THOEOUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 89 
 
 board, including the two engineei-s and Sergeant 
 Sluder, who knew sometliing about a steamboat, 
 for he had worked upon one on the Green River, 
 Deck rode down the gang-plank, and made his 
 wa}' to the principal street of the town. It was 
 beginning to be dark; and as he approached the 
 square, where he had never been before, he saw 
 a company of the Riverlawns on the flanks of 
 a body of prisoners marching up towards the 
 road to the camp. 
 
 Nearly or quite the whole of the population 
 of Barkville were assembled in the square, which 
 lay on both sides of the main street. He found 
 General Woodbine with Herndon, and two com- 
 panies of cavalry near them. As the young lieu- 
 tenant rode into the square, the crowd cheered 
 him vigorously, saying he was the officer who 
 had captured the steamer; and he had become a 
 hero without knowing it. He saluted the people, 
 and moved on, blushing like a maiden at this 
 mark of approbation ; but it did not turn his 
 head, nor even inflate his vanity. 
 
 " Good-evening, Lieutenant Lyon ; you seem 
 to be as good as new, and you do not appear 
 
90 ON THE STAFF 
 
 to be wounded," said the general as he came 
 up to him. 
 
 "Not a scratch, General Woodbine." 
 
 " You have done your duty, as you always do ; 
 and I suppose Lieutenant Knox is in charge of 
 the steamer." 
 
 "He is, sir. Her name is the Harbinger." 
 
 " The harbinger of defeat to the company 
 she brought to this town. Is all well on board 
 of her?" 
 
 " All is well ; but I suppose Lieutenant Knox 
 will need some instructions for the night," re- 
 plied Deck. 
 
 " You may return to the camp that way, and 
 give him my order to move the Harbinger out 
 about three hundred feet, and anchor her there; 
 I suppose she has an anchor," said the comman- 
 der. 
 
 "I saw one on her forecastle, and Sergeant 
 Sluder knows how to handle the craft," an- 
 swered the staff-officer. 
 
 " Tell him to wait till I have provisions sent 
 to him from the camp," added the general. " By 
 the way, I have committed the engineer and the 
 
THE THOROUGH DEFEAT OF THE ENEMY 91 
 
 other civilian to the jail. I know about the 
 
 pilot, but who is the other man? " 
 
 "He is the signalman who was in the small 
 
 boat. I have a long story he told me, to relate 
 
 to you," replied Deck. 
 
 " I will hear that this evening in camp." 
 
 The staff-officer rode down to the Harbinger 
 
 with the order of the general, delivered it, and 
 
 then went to the camp. 
 
92 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 A VERY RHEUMATIC PATIENT 
 
 Why General Woodbine ordered the Harbinger 
 to be anchored in the stream he did not explain, 
 though doubtless he had his reasons for doing 
 so. Lieutenant Knox's men who had been sent 
 on shore with the wounded and the prisoners 
 had returned. One of his force had been killed 
 and another wounded, the latter of whom had 
 been sent to the square, where' the general had 
 estabHshed a hospital. The dead on both sides 
 had been buried in the cemetery of the town. 
 
 No doubt there were Secessionists, perhaps 
 many of them ; but they did not flaunt their 
 politics on the present occasion, for it was not 
 a pleasant time to do so. The people of the 
 town, including as many women as men, volun- 
 teered as nurses, and all the doctors assisted in 
 the care of the wounded ; and nothing at all was 
 said in either hospital about the burning question 
 that divided the people. 
 
A VERY EHEUMATIC PATIENT 93 
 
 " You have comfortable quarters in the saloon 
 of the steamer," said Lieutenant Lyon after he 
 had delivered his ordere. 
 
 " I reckon some of us will have to keep awake 
 if we have beds to sleep in," replied Knox. 
 
 " You will have to have two sentinels on duty 
 all night, and they ought to keep their eyes wide 
 open," added Deck. 
 
 "I shall put one on the forecastle, and one 
 at the stern on the main deck." 
 
 " I am confident there are plenty of disloyal 
 people in this vicinity, and they may make an 
 attempt in the night to recapture the Harbinger," 
 suggested Deck. 
 
 " If they do, I reckon we can make it warm 
 for them ; but I wish I had a squad of them 
 artillerymen here, for I have found a caisson 
 of ammunition that belongs with the two guns 
 on the forecastle." 
 
 " I will suggest the idea to General Woodbine, 
 and perhaps he will send some of those artiller- 
 ists on board," replied Deck, as he wheeled his 
 horse ready to leave. 
 
 Ceph felt his way down the gang-plank to the 
 
94 ON THE STAFF 
 
 beach, and then started off at a gallop up the 
 narrow road under the long hill. Just as he 
 reached the cliff he heard the sharp crack of a 
 firearm, and felt a sharp tug at his cap. He did 
 not like that way of doing things, and grasped 
 his revolver. It was quite dark, and he could 
 see no one near. But he turned his horse, and 
 ran him around the corner of the hill. As he 
 came to the road leading up to the one on which 
 the camp was located, he discovered a man hasten- 
 ing into the village, which was only across the 
 way. A light from a window enabled him to 
 see that he had what appeared to be a rifle in 
 his hand. 
 
 Deck fired off every shot in his revolver just 
 as the man was dodging into a house, though 
 with what effect he could not tell. This was 
 not war; it was assassination, and it made the 
 young man angry. The deed was unworthy of a 
 soldier, and not one in a hundred thousand of 
 the Southern army would have been guilty of 
 such a treacherous act. The lieutenant care- 
 fully noted the appearance and locality of the 
 house in which the ruffian had disappeared, and 
 
A VERY RHEFMATIC PATIENT 95 
 
 then rode on towards the camp. But he had 
 hardly started before he discovered a body of 
 men with a wagon moving down the road. It 
 was evidently the provisions, under convoy of a 
 guard of troopers. 
 
 "Can you tell me, Sergeant Yowell, where 
 General Woodbine happens to be just now?" 
 asked Deck of the non-commissioned officer in 
 charge of the guard. 
 
 "He is behind us with a guard on his way 
 to the steamer," replied Yowell, saluting when 
 he recognized the voice of the staff-officer. 
 
 Deck acknowledged the salute, and rode on. 
 
 " Who comes there ? " demanded the leader of 
 a squad of cavalry he next encountered in the 
 road. 
 
 "Friend," replied Deck. 
 
 "Advance, friend, and give the countersign." 
 
 " Harbinger," added the staff-officer, who was 
 the first one to receive it from the general as 
 the darkness was gathering upon them. 
 
 " Pass, friend. Oh, it is Lieutenant Lyon ! " 
 exclaimed Blenks, who was in command of about 
 half of his platoon, as he saluted him. " The 
 
96 ON THE STAFF 
 
 general will be glad to see you, for he has been 
 inquiring for you." 
 
 Deck rode on till he came to the commander, 
 who recognized him promptly in the darkness. 
 
 " What are you about, Lieutenant, riding 
 around the town in the darkness ? Are you 
 alone ? " demanded the general rather brusquely. 
 
 " I am alone ; I have just come from the 
 Harbinger, and I was fired at down at the foot 
 of the hill," replied Deck lightly; for he was 
 disposed now to make the best of the affair. 
 
 " I was going to say it served you right, but 
 I won't say that ; and it ought to be a warning 
 to you. We can't afford to have good officers 
 expose themselves unnecessarily," continued the 
 commander. "Were you hit?" 
 
 "Not in the flesh and blood, but in my cap; 
 there is a hole in it." 
 
 "It might have been a hole in your head! " 
 exclaimed General Woodbine. 
 
 " But it was not ; " and Deck proceeded to 
 relate in what manner and where the hole had 
 been made in his cap. 
 
 " Forward, Blenks ! and stop at the foot of the 
 
A VERY RHEUMATIC PATIENT 97 
 
 hill," said the commander ; and there was that 
 in his tones which indicated that he meant some- 
 thing to those within hearing. " There is here, 
 as in every town on the border, a nest of dis- 
 loyal ruffians ; and if they want to shoot they 
 had better go into the Confederate army. It is 
 not safe for a soldier in uniform to ride about 
 this town after dark, especially when it is as 
 dark as it is to-night." 
 
 " It did not occur to me that there was any 
 danger. I have a request to make from Lieu- 
 tenant Knox, and I was thinking of that when 
 I heard the crack of the rifle," added Deck. 
 
 " I have five and twenty men in my guard, 
 and you might have had a dozen if you had 
 asked Knox for them. What is his request?" 
 asked the commander. 
 
 " As you are aware, the enemy left two field- 
 pieces on the forecastle of the Harbinger, and 
 he has found a caisson of ammunition for them. 
 He requests that some artillerists may be sent 
 to him." 
 
 "He shall have half the battery and two of 
 the guns. They may as well be on the steamer 
 
98 ON THE STAFF 
 
 as in the camp, to which I ordered them when 
 I went there. Lieutenant Herndon, request Cap- 
 tain Batterson to send two of his guns and half 
 of his company to the steamer, and let his officer 
 report to Lieutenant Knox, who is in command 
 of the boat." 
 
 Tills officer saluted, and dashed back to the 
 camp, where he and the general had been long 
 enough to eat their supper; and Deck felt an 
 aching void at his stomach, which reminded him 
 that he had eaten nothing since dinner, and that 
 his supper would not be unwelcome. At the 
 foot of the hill Lieutenant Blenks halted his 
 force, as he had been ordered. The rattling of 
 the sabres and the tramp of the horses' feet had 
 drawn a small crowd, principally negroes, mostly 
 of the juvenile order, from the levee, where they 
 had been watching the steamer. 
 
 Deck conducted the commander to the house 
 in which the rifleman had disappeared. It was 
 a wooden building, and looked as though it 
 might be inhabited by respectable people. 
 
 " Who lives in that house, my boy ? " asked 
 the general of a little darky near him. 
 
A VERY RHEUMATIC PATIENT 99 
 
 "Mars'r Sexton, sar," replied, the boy. 
 
 " Sexton ? Is he the sexton of the town, who 
 buries people after they are dead ? " 
 
 "No, sir; his name is Sexton," replied, a white 
 man who had just come on the ground. 
 
 " What is he ? What sort of a man is he ? " 
 inquired General Woodbine. 
 
 "He keeps a store up in the square, and he 
 is Secesh way up to the handle," answered the 
 villager. 
 
 " And you are not Secesh ? " 
 
 " No, sir ! I belong to the Home Guard, not 
 the State Guard ; and my name is Limber. If I 
 can do anything to assist you, sir, I am right 
 ready to do it," replied the villager. " I am a 
 tailor, and ni}^ shop is next to the jail. Just 
 about dark Sexton came to the jail when I was 
 standing there, and wanted to see Ethan Thorn- 
 field; and the jailer let him in. The two senti- 
 nels interfered ; but the man in charge said he had 
 an order, and they wanted to see it, but it was 
 too dark -to read it. Sexton stayed there about a 
 quarter of an hour, and then he left the square. 
 That's all I know about it." 
 
100 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Thank you, Mr. Limber," said the general. 
 
 While this conversation was in progress. Lieu- 
 tenant Blenks had surrounded Sexton's house 
 with troopers. The commander and his staff- 
 officer then rode to the front of the dwelling, 
 followed by the tailor. The chief of the escort 
 had already pounded on the front door with the 
 handle of his sabre, but no one opened it. He 
 repeated the summons several times with no dif- 
 ferent result. 
 
 "Break in the door! " ordered the commander. 
 
 Blenks dismounted four of his men to execute 
 this order. Limber assisted them, and procured 
 a round stick six inches in diameter from where a 
 piece of bad road had been corduroyed; and the 
 soldiers carried it to the house. With one blow 
 of this battering-ram the door gave way ; and the 
 lieutenant, followed by his four dismounted men, 
 entered the house. 
 
 " Is Mr. Sexton at home ? " asked the officer 
 of a woman who came rushing towards the door 
 when the crash came. 
 
 "He is; but he can't be seen now, for he is 
 sick abed," she replied, very much agitated. 
 
A VERY RHEUMATIC PATIENT 101 
 
 " What is the matter with hira ? " demanded 
 Blenks. 
 
 "He's got the rheumatis' so he can hardly 
 move on his bed," answered the woman, who 
 was probably his wife. 
 
 " How long has he been sick ? " 
 
 " Taken tliis afternoon, and could hardly get 
 into the house," said the woman, who presented 
 a very respectable appearance. 
 
 " Perhaps I can do something for him, and 
 I want to see him." 
 
 " You can't see him ! " protested the wife of 
 the sufferer. " Whoever heard the like ? You 
 break into a man's house, and you want to see 
 one who is in the most intense pain." 
 
 " That's just the situation, ma'am," replied the 
 lieutenant as coolly as he always discharged his 
 duty. 
 
 " But I say you can't see him ! " persisted Mrs. 
 Sexton. 
 
 " And I say I can and I will see him," added 
 Blenks. "If you don't step out of the way, I 
 shall be reluctantly compelled to order my men 
 to remove you." 
 
102 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Are you a Christian man to do such a deed 
 as this ? " demanded the wife of the invalid. 
 
 " I am a Christian man, but not a Secesh 
 Christian. I have no time to argue the ques- 
 tion on theological grounds," continued the lieu- 
 tenant, as he pushed her aside, and placed one 
 of his men near her. " Come with me, Peter- 
 son ! " 
 
 The' man indicated followed him, both with 
 drawn sabres, into a room leading out of the rear 
 of the hall, without the ceremony of knocking. 
 On the bed lay a man, apparently about forty 
 years old, writhing and groaning as though every 
 bone in his body had been recently broken. 
 
 "Well, Mr. Sexton, how do you find your- 
 self?" asked Blenks. 
 
 " Very bad ; very bad indeed — oh, oh, oh ! " 
 groaned the sufferer. "Do you Avant to see me? 
 Oh, oh, oh ! " 
 
 "I wanted to inquire how your rheumatism 
 was," replied the lieutenant. 
 
 " It's awful ! Oh, oh, oh ! I'm afraid it's go- 
 ing to kill me this time," yelled the patient ; and 
 he might have been heard by the troopers outside. 
 
A VERY RHEUMATIC PATIENT 103 
 
 "But you have got too many bed-clothes on 
 you, man. Pull them off, Peterson," said the 
 officer. 
 
 The cavalryman obeyed the order to the letter, 
 assisted by the lieutenant ; and Sexton lay on the 
 bed clothed in nothing but his shirt. He ceased 
 to howl then, and Blenks proceeded to examine 
 his body. On the right thigh he found a ban- 
 dage soaked in blood, and the sheet in the same 
 condition. 
 
 " I thought you would feel better if we took 
 off the bed-clothes," said Blenks. " But where 
 did you get that wound on your leg, Mr. Sexton ? 
 Rheumatism don't break out in just that way." 
 
 But the wounded man made no reply. Pe- 
 terson had taken a rifle from a couple of pegs 
 in the room, and with the ramrod found that it 
 was not loaded. He had not had time to reload 
 it after he had fired at Deck. 
 
 " I suppose you did it with that rifle ? " sug- 
 gested the lieutenant. 
 
 But Sexton made no reply ; and leaving Peter- 
 son, Blenks sent the wife back to her charge, 
 and went out to report to the general. 
 
104 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 ON BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 
 
 General Woodbine was becoming somewhat 
 impatient at the prolonged absence of Lieutenant 
 Blenks, and was on the point of sending one of 
 the dismounted men to ascertain what he was 
 doing, when he appeared at the door. But he 
 was always disposed to be reasonable, and he 
 found no fault. 
 
 " Have you court-martialled the man. Lieuten- 
 ant? " asked the commander, when he came to the 
 door, where he could be seen by the light of a 
 fire the little darkies had kindled in front of the 
 house. 
 
 " I have not ; but the man's wife would not let 
 me into the room, and I had to force a passage," 
 replied Blenks. "Then Sexton had the rheuma- 
 tism the worst kind, and I think you could hear 
 him yell with the pain out here ; and I had to 
 cure him before I could do anything more." 
 
ON BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 105 
 
 " Cure him ! Do you mean to say you cured 
 him of rheumatism in the time you have been in 
 the house ? " demanded the general. 
 
 " That is what I did ; at least, the patient did 
 not complain any more of rheumatism after I had 
 treated him," replied the lieutenant as seriously 
 as though he had been at a funeral. 
 
 " How did you treat him, to work such a won- 
 derful cure ? " 
 
 " I simply ordered Peterson to pull all the 
 clothes from the bed ; and when he lay there 
 with nothing on but his shirt, I discovered a 
 wound on the back of his right thigh, his gar- 
 ment and the sheet covered with fresh blood." 
 
 " That was certainly a wonderful cure," added 
 the commander, laughing heartily, in which he 
 was joined by all within hearing. " You say. 
 Lieutenant Lyon, that you emptied your revolver 
 upon him in the pursuit you made of him?" 
 
 " I did, sir ; and though it was very dark, I 
 thought I must have hit him in firing so many 
 times," replied Deck. 
 
 " I found the rifle in the room, and the barrel 
 was empty," said Lieutenant Blenks. 
 
106 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I did not give him time to load it again; 
 and if it had been ten rods farther, I should 
 have run him down with my horse," added Deck. 
 
 " Put two reliable men in the house. Lieuten- 
 ant Blenks, to prevent the escape of the assassin, 
 for we shall want him in the morning," said the 
 commander. 
 
 " Corporal Kinnell and Peterson, now in the 
 house, may attend to this duty," said the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 Blenks formed his men again ; and they marched 
 down to the levee, where the wagon and its 
 guard had already arrived, and the men were 
 eating their supper by the light of a fire in one 
 of those iron baskets used on Western steam- 
 boats in the night to enable the hands to do 
 their work at the landings. Lieutenant Knox 
 presented himself promptly before the general 
 as he rode upon the forecastle attended by his 
 aid. 
 
 The military commander of the boat received 
 his instructions after he had reported that noth- 
 ing had transpired. 
 
 " Lieutenant Lyon, I think I should feel better 
 
ON BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 107 
 
 if you remained on board of the Harbinger to- 
 night," said the general, after he had been silent 
 for some time, as though he was engaged in re- 
 flection over the situation. 
 
 " I am perfectly willing to remain on board, 
 sir. I should be as comfortable here as in the 
 tent, and I am willing to admit that I am very 
 tired," replied Deck. 
 
 " You can take a stateroom " — 
 
 " Boat coming alongside ! " called the sentinel 
 in the after part of the steamer. 
 
 " Where from ? " demanded Knox. 
 
 "From down the river," replied the sentinel. 
 " It is a steam-launch." 
 
 " Send the launch forward," added the lieu- 
 tenant in command. 
 
 " I don't believe there is more than one steam- 
 launch in this part of the country," said General 
 Woodbine. " It must be Thornfield's craft." 
 
 Deck had told the commander the substance 
 of the farmer's story, though not in detail, for 
 the want of time. Presently the little steamer 
 appeared abreast of the forecastle. It contained 
 three negroes, one of Avhom was nearly white, 
 
108 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and he seemed to be the engineer. Knox went 
 to the side as soon as the craft appeared. 
 
 " What do you want ? " demanded the lieuten- 
 ant. 
 
 " Missus sent the boat down for Mars'r Thorn- 
 field," replied the engineer. 
 
 " Missus will have to get along without him 
 for a wliile," interposed the general. " Thorn- 
 field is shut up in the jail." 
 
 "Lord o' massy! What's that for, Mars'r?" 
 exclaimed the man with a nearly white face. 
 
 " You needn't ask any questions, for you were 
 with him on his trip down the river when he 
 went for the steamer to attack this place. If 
 you were not a servant who had to obey your 
 master's orders, I should have you taken on the 
 same charge," replied the commander. 
 
 " In that case I have to go back and tell missus 
 about it," added the engineer, apparently con- 
 founded by the situation. 
 
 " You will not go back in that boat," said the 
 commander. " Take possession of it, Lieutenant 
 Knox." 
 
 The sentinel who had taken the painter when 
 
ON" BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 109 
 
 it was thrown on deck by one of the other two 
 men hauled it taut, and made it fast. Knox 
 ordered the three men on deck, and they promptly 
 obeyed his order. 
 
 "Wot we gwine to do now, Mars'r?" asked 
 one of the men, who was more nearly a pure 
 African ; and the lieutenant looked to the gen- 
 eral to answer this question. 
 
 " We take possession of the boat because it 
 was used yesterday in a treasonable enterprise ; 
 and we shall make a better use of it than the 
 owner did," said the commander. " You three 
 can go where you please ; we don't want any- 
 thing of you." 
 
 General Woodbine, who had left his escort 
 on the levee, then descended the gang-plank, 
 and returned to the camp, leaving Deck on the 
 boat ; and his first business was to get his supper, 
 for he was about as hungry as a lieutenant at 
 eighteen could be. Life had not finished his 
 supper when the general arrived, and the staff- 
 officer joined him. The cooks in the camp had 
 given the soldiers a feast ; for the commissary 
 officer had bought several calves at the slaughter- 
 
110 ON THE STAFF 
 
 house near the village, and the troopers had fried 
 veal for supper ; and a quantity of this viand 
 had been sent down to the Harbinger. 
 
 The cook and a few waiters had been left on 
 the steamer; and the supper had been kept hot 
 in the kitchen by the former, while the latter 
 had been pressed into the service of the force on 
 board. The negroes were all Union men, even 
 those who were too much attached to the families 
 to leave them. Life called his waiter, and re- 
 quired him to bring his supper from the kitchen. 
 They ate their fill, and talked themselves empty 
 over the meal ; but Deck was himself again when 
 it was finished. 
 
 Then they went up into the saloon, and se- 
 lected a couple of staterooms ; and the waiter in 
 charge there gave Deck the bridal chamber. 
 From the servants, who were disposed to concili- 
 ate their new masters, they learned all about the 
 steamer, and the condition of things down the 
 river. General Crittenden had gone to Nashville ; 
 but two of the steamers which had been sent to 
 Gainsboro for the use of his army had not been 
 needed, and the saloon steward said they had been 
 
ON BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 111 
 
 sent up the river with a force on board of each 
 for a f oraging-expeclition ; for supplies were very 
 scarce after the army had passed through the 
 country. 
 
 " Two steamers ! " exclaimed Deck. 
 
 " Yes, sir," replied the steward, who appeared 
 to be a very intelligent man, and willing to tell 
 all he knew about the army of the enemy. " The 
 other is the New Moon ; but she had to wait 
 till they could get provisions enough for the sol- 
 diers and crew up the river." 
 
 "Then, she has not got into Kentucky yet?" 
 
 "Not yet, sir." 
 
 This was valuable information to the officers ; 
 and Deck immediately wrote a note to General 
 Woodbine, in which it was embodied. The artil- 
 lery had not yet arrived ; but the writer was con- 
 fident that the force on board could defend the 
 Harbinger if she was attacked in the night after 
 it came. This note was sent by a couple of 
 troopers ; and then Deck and Life walked all over 
 the steamer, to see that everything was in order. 
 
 They found nothing to vex their spirits till 
 they came to the steam-launch made fast at the 
 
112 ON THE STAFF 
 
 forecastle. The iron basket had been replenished 
 with light wood, and the forward part of the 
 boat was well illuminated. On the stern was 
 painted the name of Hephzibah, which was prob- 
 ably the name of the owner's wife or daughter. 
 It was certainly Scriptural ; and Deck wondered 
 if they pronounced it " Hipsy," as he had heard 
 it called in New Hampshire. 
 
 " What has become of those three darkies ? " 
 asked Deck. 
 
 " I reckon they went on shore, for I heard one 
 of them say they would have to huf it home," 
 replied Life. 
 
 " I am afraid they will not ' huf ' it home to- 
 night," added Deck, as he let himself down into 
 the launch, and was followed by the tall Kentuck- 
 ian." The engineer is a bright fellow; and I am 
 inclined to believe he don't mean to go home 
 without this boat, and we must contrive to dis- 
 appoint him." 
 
 " If I was in his place I shouldn't want any 
 better job than to get possession of this craft some 
 time in the night in spite of sentinels and sabres," 
 said Life. 
 
ON BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 113 
 
 "No more should I," answered Deck. "Fronk- 
 lyn and I did a job of the same khid not long ago 
 at the Beech Grove camp of the enemy. There is 
 something forward that does duty as a cabin, and 
 I suppose Thornfield slept in it on liis trips up 
 and down the river. I will sleep in that cabin 
 to-night, Life." 
 
 " You, Deck ! " exclaimed Knox, as the for- 
 mer went forward to look into the apartment. 
 " Alone ? " 
 
 "No; I will take Drye with me," replied 
 Deck, as he opened the door of the cabin. 
 
 It was a snug little apartment with two berths, 
 one on each side. He struck his cap against a 
 lantern suspended from the ceiling. Life lighted 
 the lamp in it, and they had a good view of the 
 cabin. The beds were good, and were made up 
 with all the appliances used in a chamber. It 
 looked like very comfortable quarters to those 
 who had been accustomed to sleeping on the 
 ground, sometimes with plenty of straw, and 
 sometimes without anything but a blanket. 
 There was even a table turned up against the 
 forward end of the cabin. 
 
114 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " I can sleep like a bug in a rug in here," said 
 Deck when he had completed his survey. 
 
 "I should think you might," added Life. 
 " But there is no need of a member of the 
 general's staff doing this kind of duty when we 
 have plenty of men on board of the steamer." 
 
 " It pleases my fancy to do so, and I am tired 
 enough to sleep like a coon at noonday," replied 
 Deck; and that settled it. 
 
 A thundering racket, with the shouts of officers 
 on shore, caused them to hasten to the deck of 
 the Harbinger. They found the entire battery 
 of Captain Battereon on the beach, ready to 
 march on board. The men were dismounted ; 
 and each of the four guns was drawn by only 
 two horses, instead of six, which the bad con- 
 dition of the roads required. A conference of 
 all the officers was now the first thing to be had. 
 The captain of the company of artillery was now 
 the ranking-officer, though a staff-officer could 
 take the command if he decided that it was neces- 
 sary for him to do so ; but they had no difficulty 
 about this matter, though a note from the general, 
 delivered by Captain Batterson, required him to 
 
ON BOARD OF THE CAPTURED LAUNCH 115 
 
 assume command of the steamer and her forces 
 if the occasion demanded it. 
 
 The guns were disposed upon the main deck 
 by the captain of the battery ; and except a guard, 
 the troop were sent to the cabin to sleep. 
 
 Deck decided to move the Hipsy to the 
 stern of the steamer, and he went on board of 
 her with Drye. They talked a while, and then 
 turned in, each taking a berth in the cabin. Both 
 of them were tired enough to drop asleep in- 
 stantly. The night was cool, and Deck closed 
 the cabin-door without disturbing himself at all 
 in regard to the subject of ventilation. It would 
 have been wise for him to ask Knox for a 
 sentinel to be placed in the stern of the boat ; 
 but he did not think of it, for he did not con- 
 sider that he was engaged in a dangerous en- 
 terprise. He slept like a tired young fellow, and 
 Drye like one a little older. 
 
 They had slept till nearly daylight when the 
 engineer spoke to Deck, and declared that the 
 launch was underway. 
 
116 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 
 
 Lieutenant Lyon awoke at once when Cor- 
 poral Drye spoke to him, and immediately real- 
 ized that the Hipsy was in motion ; for he 
 could not only feel the vibration of the boat, 
 but he could hear the thump of the propeller. 
 He jumped out of bed, and proceeded to dress 
 himself, for he had retired for the night just as 
 though he had been in his own chamber at River- 
 lawn; while his companion was not obliged to 
 perform this ceremony, for he had turned in just 
 as he did when he slept on the ground. 
 
 The light had gone out, and the cabin was as 
 dark as " a stack of black cats." But Deck was 
 not a dude, and he had no difficulty in dressing 
 himself in the gloom of the morning. He had no 
 idea what time it was, whether it was last night 
 or this morning. In two minutes he was ready 
 for business, and there seemed to be some on hand 
 
THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 117 
 
 to be done. Of course the conclusion of the 
 lieutenant was that the negro engineer of the 
 farmer had taken the boat, though some other 
 person might have captured her. 
 
 Deck could tell precisely how it had been done, 
 though he had slept like a log through the whole 
 of the operation. The negro had swum out to 
 the craft, cast off the fast that held her to the 
 Harbinger, and permitted the current to float her 
 down the river till it was safe for him to climb 
 on board of her. It was easy enough, and Deck 
 had depended upon the sentinel at the stern of 
 the steamer to watch the boat. 
 
 " We will have her back to her berth very 
 soon, Drye," said he, as he took hold of the 
 handle of the door. "Don't speak till we find 
 who is in possession of the craft." 
 
 He spoke in a whisper; but the cabin was in 
 the forward part of the launch, the engine was 
 a little abaft the middle, and the wheel was at 
 the stern instead of in the bow, where it is usu- 
 ally placed. Deck stooped and crept out of the 
 cabin. The day was just breaking in the east, 
 and it was not so dark as it had been. A man 
 
118 , ON THE STAFF 
 
 was at work on the furnace, and appeared to be 
 on his knees, cleaning out the grate. 
 
 At the wheel stood a man dressed in a blue 
 blouse or jumper; and this was the dress of 
 Thornfield's engineer, so that he had no difficulty 
 in recognizing him, even in the dim light of the 
 morning. Deck had his revolver in his hand ; and 
 the first intimation he gave of his presence was 
 by firing a shot at the engineer, who was now at 
 the wheel. But he fired over the man's head ; 
 for he did not intend to kill or even wound him, 
 unless he showed fight. 
 
 " Gorra mighty ! " yelled the one at the fur- 
 nace. " Don't shoot, Mars'r ! " 
 
 Deck walked aft as far as the wheel, taking 
 no notice of the frightened fellow at the engine. 
 He pointed his weapon at the engineer, who was 
 the active spirit of the enterprise. 
 
 " It is not necessary to shoot me, Mars'r," said 
 the present helmsman, who was as near a white 
 man as he could be and still be a negro. "I 
 give it up. I wanted the boat, and I took her 
 because she will be a great loss to Mars'r Thorn- 
 field; but I give her up now. I did not know 
 
Deck had his revolver in his hand.' 
 
 Paqe 118. 
 
THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 119 
 
 anybody was on board of her. I only do my 
 duty to mars'r." 
 
 "I don't blame you, for I should have done 
 the same if I had been in your place," replied 
 Deck, taking a just view of the situation. " But 
 you are bound to have the launch ; and as I am 
 not in your place, I shall take care that you don't 
 get hold of her again. I will take the wheel my- 
 self." 
 
 "I will steer her for you, Mars'r," added the 
 engineer. 
 
 " I will not trouble you to do so," replied the 
 lieutenant, taking hold of the spokes. 
 
 Corporal Drye had gone to the engine, and sent 
 the African there to the bow of the boat, where 
 he could not get up any conspiracy with his 
 companion. He went to work first at the fur- 
 nace, and did his work more thoroughly than the 
 negro ; for the coal did not burn at all freely, and 
 the craft was not making more than four miles 
 an hour. Drye had banked the fire the night be- 
 fore, and the man had not properly opened it. 
 
 "More steam. Corporal!" called Deck to his 
 cabin-mate. " We are moving at a snail's pace." 
 
120 OJSr THE STAFF 
 
 "I am trying to get a little more warmth in 
 the boiler, for the steam is very low ; I've got 
 the clinkers out, and she will steam better in a 
 few minutes," replied the white engineer. 
 
 " What is your name ? " asked Deck, turning 
 to the man he had displaced at the wheel. 
 
 " My name is Cephas, sir ; but they all call me 
 ' Seef,' " answered the man. 
 
 " Well, Seef, you have nothing more to do, 
 and you may sit down and make youreelf com- 
 fortable," added the lieutenant. 
 
 " I can't make myself very comfortable now 
 I've lost the boat again," answered Seef, as he 
 seated himself on the cushioned transom that ex- 
 tended around the stern of the craft. 
 
 "Are you a slave?" 
 
 "I am, Mars'r." 
 
 " Then, I shouldn't suppose you would care 
 much for the property of your master." 
 
 "I take care of it just as if it were my own, 
 sir. I would like my freedom ; but mars'r and 
 all the family treat me kindly, and I would not 
 leave them, even to be free," replied Seef. 
 
 "You seem to be a very intelligent fellow; 
 
THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 121 
 
 can you read and write ? " asked Deck, much in- 
 terested in the man. 
 
 " I can, sir ; and my mars'r winked at it. He 
 always trusted me. He has sent me down to 
 New Orleans before the war with fourteen horses 
 to sell ; and I sold them all, and brought back 
 the draft for the money," ^ said Seef proudly. 
 
 "You have been a useful man to your mas- 
 ter?" 
 
 " I tried to be, sir. What are you going to do 
 with me, Mars'r?" 
 
 This question was doubtless called forth by the 
 course of the Hipsy ; for Deck had thrown the 
 wheel over, and headed her for the Tennessee 
 shore. He did not choose to answer the ques- 
 tion, and he simply evaded it. 
 
 The speed of the launch rapidly increased 
 under the experienced management of Corporal 
 Drye ; and by the time she was approaching the 
 other side of the stream. Deck estimated that she 
 was making eight knots an hour ; and Seef 
 
 1 The author met this man, or one on the same errand, at 
 the mouth of the Cumberland River, some forty years ago ; 
 and he was a slave. 
 
122 ON" THE STAFF 
 
 claimed that lie had made nine in her between 
 two points that distance apart. 
 
 " Where did you learn to run a steam-engine, 
 Seef?" asked the lieutenant, in order to change 
 the subject of the conversation. 
 
 " The engineer that brought the boat up from 
 where she was built taught me to run her, and to 
 take the machine all to pieces. Mars'r brought 
 me a book from Nashville about engines, and I 
 have studied it a great deal." 
 
 " Do you see any landing-place, Corporal ? " 
 asked Deck, as they approached the high bank on 
 the Tennessee side. 
 
 " A cat could not climb up that bank," replied 
 the acting engineer. 
 
 " You are going to land me and Jake over here, 
 Mars'r? " asked Seef, with a very lugubrious face. 
 
 "I don't like to leave you on the other side, 
 where you can get at this boat again. You are 
 altogether too smart to lie around loose in these 
 times," replied Deck. "I dare say you will find 
 a chance to get across the river ; but I advise you 
 not to meddle with the Hipsy, for we shall not 
 let you off so easy next time you take her." 
 
THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 123 
 
 "No ferry here now, Mars'r, and I don't know 
 how we can get across," said Seef. 
 
 "You will find a wa}^," added Deck lightly. 
 
 " We shall both starve to death over here," 
 suggested the engineer. 
 
 " Have you no provisions on board ? " 
 
 " Plenty of bacon and crackers." 
 
 "Take all you want, Seef." 
 
 " Thank you, sir," replied Seef, his face bright- 
 ening up at once ; and he admitted that he had 
 eaten nothing since his dinner the day before, for 
 the crew of the boat had not had their supper 
 when the craft was captured. 
 
 " I don't want to starve you ; and you can take 
 the provision, leaving enough for our breakfast." 
 
 " You are very kind, Mars'r. If you go down 
 the river about half a mile you will come to a 
 creek, with a landing-place a little way up," added 
 Seef. "I will steer the boat to it if you wish." 
 
 "No; you and Jake may get your breakfast 
 now, and I shall get along very well at the 
 wheel," replied Deck. 
 
 Seef went to the cabin, and took from a locker 
 a ham from which not more than a couple of slices 
 
124 ON THE STAFF 
 
 had been cut. It had been boiled, and was all 
 ready for use. On the cabin table he took off 
 three large slices, and put them on a plate. Then 
 he filled a dish with crackers, and placed both on 
 a tray, flanking them with mustard and pickles. 
 Carrying it to the standing-room where the wheel 
 stood, he exhibited it to the lieutenant, wishing 
 to know if that was enough for himself and the 
 engineer. 
 
 " Plenty, plenty, Seef ; more than we need," 
 replied Deck, pleased with the good will of the 
 man, and almost sorry that he had decided to ban- 
 ish him from his own side of the river. " Leave 
 the tray on the table in the cabin, and you and 
 Jake can take your breakfast now." 
 
 " Thank you, sir." 
 
 Seef was a slave then, though his nominal free- 
 dom came to him within another year, under the 
 President's Proclamation ; but he was a gentleman 
 in spite of his condition. When Deck saw the 
 man carrying the ham and crackers to the bow to 
 which Jake had been banished, he shouted to him 
 that they might eat their breakfast in the cabin. 
 
 " Mars'r Thornfield don't allow his niggers to 
 
THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 125 
 
 eat in the cabin," said Seef, after he had returned 
 the provisions to the cabin, and called Jake. 
 
 " Thornfield is not in command here just now," 
 replied Deck. 
 
 " You are very good, Mars'r, to us niggers." 
 
 " You are no more a nigger than I am, Seef ; 
 you would pass for a white man," protested the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "Nigger all the same, Mai-s'r, though I passed 
 for a white man in New Orleans," answered the 
 intelligent contraband. " I could make some cof- 
 fee for you and the engineer, Mare'r, if you wish." 
 
 "It would be the right thing to have at this 
 time in the morning." 
 
 " Then I will make it," said Seef, as he joined 
 Jake at the cabin-door. 
 
 Even before he ministered to his hunger, he 
 brought out an iron furnace, Avhich he placed on 
 the sheet-iron stand by the side of the boiler, and 
 made a charcoal fire in it. Then he placed a tea- 
 kettle of water on it, and went back to the cabin, 
 where he and his dusky companion had no excuse 
 for not eating all they wanted. The good beha- 
 vior of Seef produced no little relenting on the 
 
126 ON THE STAFF 
 
 part of the lieutenant in his purpose to leave him 
 in Tennessee ; for it might be a long time before 
 he found an opportunity to cross the river. 
 
 Before the two finished their meal, Deck dis- 
 covered the mouth of the creek ; but at about 
 the same moment he saw a steamer, on the front 
 of whose pilot-house he could just make out the 
 name, " New Moon." This was rather an appall- 
 ing sight to him, and he concluded that there 
 would be " music " off the town of Barkville by 
 breakfast-time, or sooner ; and he was sorry that 
 he was not on board of the Harbinger, to take 
 part in the conflict, if there should be one. 
 
 But the mouth of the creek was at hand, and 
 the New Moon could not follow the Hipsy up a 
 small stream. Deck felt a very considerable dif- 
 fidence in having the boat revealed to the people 
 on board of that steamer ; and he threw over the 
 wheel, and ran behind the bend, beyond which 
 he had made her out. A new moon is a very 
 pleasant sight to see, especially to those who like 
 to look at it over the right shoulder; but this 
 particular New Moon was regarded as a danger- 
 ous nuisance to Deck and the corporal, for she 
 
THE NEW MOON RISES ON THE HIPSY 127 
 
 would not hesitate to capture the little Hipsy, 
 and to make prisoners of both the white men on 
 board of her. The colored people being in the 
 cabin could not see her yet. 
 
 Before she passed around the bend, Deck had 
 hurried the launch into the creek ; and fortu- 
 nately there was a change in its direction not 
 a quarter of a mile from the river. Behind this 
 Deck rang the bell to stop the engine. As soon 
 as he could find a good place he started her 
 again, and ran her into a clump of bushes till 
 her keel grounded forward. 
 
 " I suppose you saw that steamer. Lieutenant 
 Lyon?" said Corporal Drye, going aft from the 
 engine. 
 
 " I did ; but I said nothing, for I did not care 
 to inform that bright white darky of her pres- 
 ence so near us. They are practically fighting 
 on the other side, and they may be guilty of 
 some treachery, though I have treated Seef like 
 a gentleman and a white man," replied Deck. 
 " I expected that steamer some time ; but I would 
 rather not have seen her at just this time, for 
 she would be an ugly customer for us." 
 
128 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " That's a fact, Lieutenant. We are in an 
 ugly scrape, and the next thing is to get out of 
 it," said Diye, as Seef made the coffee at the 
 furnace. 
 
 Whether they got out of it or not. Deck was 
 determined to have his breakfast ; and he led the 
 way to the cabin. 
 
THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 129 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 
 
 Seef and Jake had set the table in the cabin, 
 and placed everything the limited larder of the 
 boat afforded, including a pot of hot coffee, which 
 they were obliged to take without milk; though 
 this was no hardship to soldiers, who are accus- 
 tomed to get along without it. Though they 
 had taken a rather late supper, they were hun- 
 gry enough to make a hearty meal. 
 
 " There were three of you in the boat when 
 you came alongside the Harbinger last night," 
 said Deck to Seef, who waited on the table, 
 doubtless just as he had upon his master at 
 other times. 
 
 " Buck can't swim, and he was afraid to come 
 with us. I reckon he is over on the shore, wait- 
 ing for the boat to come along," replied Seef. 
 " He can huf it home when he gets tired of 
 waiting." 
 
130 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " All right ; we won't worry about him. I 
 didn't know but he was drowned ; for I suppose 
 you two had to swim out to the launch when 
 you took her," added Deck. 
 
 " Yes, sir ; we swam out to the boat, let go 
 the fast, and hung on to her till she was out of 
 hearing of the steamer, carried down the river 
 by the current." 
 
 The two soldiers made a hearty meal ; and the 
 boys cleared away the dishes, and put the cabin 
 in order. Deck and Drye went aft, and seated 
 themselves on the divan around the wheel. They 
 felt like a couple of mice caught in a box-trap. 
 To go out into the river was to court capture. 
 Everything depended upon the movements of the 
 New Moon. If she discovered that the Harbin- 
 ger was a prize to the military force, she would 
 probably attempt to recapture her, Deck stated. 
 
 " No fellow can find out what she will do," 
 added Corporal Drye. 
 
 " We are shut in here, and we can see nothing 
 on the river," said Deck. " If we leave the 
 launch, Seef is smart enough to run away with 
 her." 
 
THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 131 
 
 " That is so ; but why can't we divide the 
 question? " 
 
 "What do you mean by dividing the ques- 
 tion ? " asked the lieutenant. 
 
 " One of us can go on shore, get to the top of 
 that hill at the bend, and from there he can see 
 up the river as far as the town," replied Drye. 
 "The other will stay in the launch, and a revol- 
 ver will insure her safety." 
 
 " That's the idea, Corporal ! Which of us 
 shall land?" 
 
 "That is for you to decide. Lieutenant Lyon," 
 answered Drye. 
 
 "As you suggested the idea, I will leave you 
 to do the scouting," said Deck. " Seef and Jake 
 know nothing about the New Moon ; they did 
 not see her, for both of them were in the cabin. 
 They will not make any trouble while you are 
 gone." 
 
 "I don't think they will. Lieutenant. They 
 are both asleep now, Seef in the cabin, and Jake 
 in the bow. You can see the hill very plainly 
 from here," said Drye, pointing to it. 
 
 "It is quite a sightly place, and I wonder 
 
132 ON THE STAFF 
 
 some Tennesseean of taste has not built a house 
 on it," suggested Deck. 
 
 " I can see the town from it, and that is all I 
 want of it," replied Drye. " 1 was going to say- 
 that when I get on that hill, you can see me, 
 and I will make a signal to you." 
 
 "What for?" 
 
 " I have an idea that the New Moon will see 
 the Harbinger anchored off the levee, and she 
 will go on to Creelsboro before she does any 
 business. The two steamers are on the same 
 mission up the river, and one will not care to 
 meddle with the other. If I find the New Moon 
 has gone by the town, I will make a signal to 
 you by waving my handkerchief over ray head ; 
 and you can wake Seef, and run the launch 
 down to a point near the river and pick me up." 
 
 " All right ; and I will do so. But suppose 
 she has stopped near the town to look into the 
 situation?" asked Deck. 
 
 " Then, I will not make any signal at all, but 
 come back as I went," answered the corporal. 
 
 " All understood," added the lieutenant. 
 
 Drye went forward. The shore looked like a 
 
THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 133 
 
 quagmire ; but the branch of a large tree grow- 
 ing in the water that flooded the low ground at 
 its present high stage of the river extended over 
 the forward part of the boat. Taking hold of 
 this limb, he deftly climbed into the tree, and 
 made his way to the higher ground. Then he 
 disappeared in the grove that lay beyond it. Deck 
 permitted the negroes to sleep, for Seef said 
 they had been up all night. 
 
 The lieutenant had been listening for the last 
 hour, in the expectation of hearing the sound of 
 guns from the direction of Barkville ; but as none 
 were heard, he concluded that the New Moon 
 had gone on her way up the river. Seef had be- 
 haved so well that he had concluded to land 
 him and his companion on the Kentucky side of 
 the river, and that the Hipsy should be more 
 carefully guarded another night. 
 
 In about half an hour after the departure of 
 the corporal, Deck saw him on the summit of the 
 hill. Without his field-glass he could see him 
 distinctly ; for the morning was clear and bright, 
 and the sun was half an hour high. Drye walked 
 about for a few minutes after he was seen, evi- 
 
134 ON THE STAFF 
 
 dently making his observations from different 
 points of view. There was no part of the river 
 within five miles up the stream that the scout 
 ^ould not see except at a bend directly opposite 
 the lower end of the long hill. 
 
 It was only a gentle curve ; but the New 
 Moon might have crawled in close to the Ten- 
 nessee side, where she would have been out of 
 sight. This was the only point where the cor- 
 poral could not see her ; but even if she were 
 there, the observer reasoned that the Hipsy would 
 have time to get out of the creek, and run over 
 to Marrow Creek, on which Thornfield lived, be- 
 fore the enemy's steamer could overtake her ; and 
 he made the signal agreed upon. 
 
 The town was about a mile above the mouth 
 of the streaiu where the launch had taken ref- 
 uge. The possibility that the New Moon had 
 put in at the cove opposite the town was a vex- 
 atious problem to the lieutenant, who had studied 
 the contour of the shores of the river; and he 
 knew that the corporal could not see her if she 
 hauled up there. But it was the time for ac- 
 tion ; for if there was to be a fight, either on 
 
THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 135 
 
 shore or between the steamers, his services would 
 be needed, there ; and he went to the cabin and 
 called Seef. 
 
 "Anything the matter, INIars'r?" asked the 
 white negro, springing to his feet, and staring 
 earnestly into the face of the officer. 
 
 " Nothing the matter, Seef ; but I think we 
 will get out of this creek, and I want you to stir 
 up the fire in the furnace, and put on all the 
 steam she will bear," replied Deck. 
 
 The engineer had no toilet to make ; and he 
 hastened to the engine at once, without pausing 
 to ask any questions. There appeared to be no 
 indication of treachery on the part of the con- 
 traband, and he went to work at the furnace with 
 as much zeal as though he had been a free man. 
 When he had cleaned out the grate, and put 
 fresh coal on the fire, he had nothing more to 
 do; and he looked about him, glancing in at the 
 door of the cabin. Then he went forward, and 
 finding Jake alone there, he did not disturb him. 
 
 "Where is Mars'r Corporal, Mars'r?" he in- 
 quired, approaching the lieutenant, who had 
 seated himself near the wheel. 
 
136 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " He has gone on shore, and I saw him on the 
 top of that hill just before I called you," replied 
 Deck. " He has gone to take a look at the river, 
 to see that all is clear." 
 
 " The river is all there, and of course it is all 
 clear, Mars'r," said Seef. 
 
 " You don't know ; you are a Secessionist, 
 and " — 
 
 " No, sir ! " exclaimed Seef, with more vigor 
 than his companion had before heard him speak. 
 "I am not a Secesher. I stick by my mars'r 
 and the family ; but I don't have anything to do 
 with the war, and I'm no Secesher any more'n 
 you be, Mars'r." 
 
 " Wouldn't you hand the corporal and me 
 over to the enemy if you had the chance?" 
 asked Deck. 
 
 "No, sir; I would not!" protested the con- 
 traband warmly. 
 
 "Not to save yourself by getting away from 
 us?" 
 
 " No, sir ! My mai-s'r knows I'm a Union 
 man." 
 
 " A Union man working on the side of the 
 
THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 137 
 
 enemies of the United States ! " exclaimed Deck, 
 laughing at the oddity of the idea. 
 
 "I don't fight on the Secesh side, Mars'r." 
 
 " None of your people do any fighting on either 
 side in this part of the country. I said work- 
 ing on the side of the Secessionists, not fighting ; 
 and that is about the same thing. You ran the 
 engine of this boat for your master to go down 
 the river in order to bring up a force to sack 
 the town of Barkville," Deck explained. 
 
 " I couldn't help doing that, Mars'r Lieutenant. 
 I am a slave, and I have to do what Mars'r 
 Thornfield tells me ; and he is very kind to 
 me." 
 
 "I suppose you are a creature of circumstances 
 just now; but we will not argue that matter. 
 Then, you would not hand me and the corporal 
 over to our enemies ? ' 
 
 "No, sir! " 
 
 "But you would to recover possession of your 
 master's steam-launch?" suggested Deck. 
 
 " I would get the boat if I could, but I would 
 not fight with you for it, Mars'r," replied Seef, 
 with some hesitation. " You have treated me 
 
138 ON THE STAFF 
 
 very kindly, Mars'r Lieutenant, and though I 
 want to save my mars'r's property, I wouldn't do 
 anything to harm you, sir ; I would not as I hope 
 to go to heaven when I die ! " 
 
 " I understand you now, Seef, and I know you 
 are between two wheels turning in opposite di- 
 rections," said Deck sagely. "• Your affections 
 make you cling to your master, though you 
 would work on the Union side if you could." 
 
 "That's it, Mars'r; but we have plenty of 
 steam, sir," said the engineer ; and he moved for- 
 ward to the machine, and tried the gauge-cocks. 
 
 " I may want to run her at her best speed, 
 Seef, and you need all the steam you can get," 
 added Deck, who had entire confidence in the 
 engineer by this time, within the limits he had 
 indicated. 
 
 "She shall go nine miles an hour; and that 
 is her best, Mars'r." 
 
 " How fast can the steamers that come up the 
 river go, Seef ? " asked Deck. 
 
 "Some eight miles an hour, some twelve or 
 more," replied the engineer. 
 
 " Do you know the New Moon ? " 
 
THE LAUNCH IN A TIGHT PLACE 139 
 
 "Yes, Mars'r, very well; and she makes ten 
 miles, and more if they hurry her." 
 
 She was too fast for the Hipsy if she should 
 happen to encounter her ; but Deck went forward, 
 and cast off the line by which the boat was 
 secured, ordering Seef to back her. Putting the 
 helm to port, she was backed up the stream till 
 she was headed for the river, when the crank 
 was reversed, and she went ahead. Not a great 
 distance down the creek she picked up the cor- 
 poral ; and then Seef was instructed to let her 
 do her best. In a few minutes she was in sight 
 of the Cumberland. 
 
 " Seef seems to be doing very well at the 
 engine," said Drye, as he seated himself on the 
 divan. 
 
 " I am confident that he will not go back on 
 us," replied Deck. " I have had some talk with 
 him; and though he means to stick to his mas- 
 ter, he declared that he would not give us up to 
 the enemy, even if he had a chance, which lie 
 has not." 
 
 "I would not trust him out of sight," added 
 the corporal. 
 
140 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I don't intend to do so," said the lieutenant. 
 " By the great horn spoon I " he suddenly ex- 
 claimed, as he gave the wheel a sharp turn, 
 " we are in for it now ! " 
 
 " That's so ! " ejaculated the corporal, as he 
 whipped out his revolver from the case at his 
 belt. 
 
 " You won't need that," interposed the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " There is a ball in it for Seef if he don't be- 
 have himself." 
 
 " He will behave himself. How deep is the 
 water on the port side, Seef ? " asked Deck. 
 
 " Steep bank, sir ; go within six feet of the 
 shore," replied the engineer. 
 
 All these exclamations and movements had 
 been called forth by the appearance of the New 
 Moon, which was slowly working her way into 
 the creek where the Hipsy had been concealed. 
 She was close to the right bank, while the launch 
 hugged the left; and it was hardly supposable 
 that the latter would be allowed to pass her 
 without a challenge, and Deck was working his 
 wits for all they were worth. 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE RIVER 141 
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE RIVER 
 
 The mouth of the Tennessee creek was quite 
 wide for such a small stream, perhaps two hun- 
 dred feet ; and the steamer and the launch had 
 plenty of room to pass each other if the New 
 Moon did not object. She had kept as close to 
 the shore as the depth of water would permit, 
 and was going very slowly, in order not to stick 
 too hard if she took the ground. 
 
 " Have you got all the steam you can make, 
 Seef ? " asked Deck, while the steamer was still 
 three hundred feet from the launch. 
 
 " Yes, Mars'r ; she is doing all she can now," 
 replied the engineer. 
 
 " Did you see the New Moon after you went 
 on the hill. Corporal ? " the skipper inquired. 
 
 " I did not see her at all ; I don't understand 
 it," replied Drye, evidently very much mortified 
 to find that his journey to the top of the eleva- 
 
142 ON THE STAFF 
 
 tion amounted to nothing at all, and that he had 
 given the signal when he ought not to have done 
 so. "I had a good view of all the river from 
 the bend below where the Harbinger was con- 
 cealed to a point above the town, except a small 
 space right opposite the village." 
 
 " And that small space is plainly the portion 
 where she was lying," replied the lieutenant. " I 
 was thinking with all my might about that ; and 
 if she escaped your observation, I was sure she 
 must be in that curve. Of course you are not in 
 fault, for it was not possible to see her under that 
 high bank." 
 
 " I could have seen her if there had not been 
 another hill on the right bank of this creek." 
 
 "Well, here we are, and it is useless to cry 
 about it ; we are in the scrape, and all we have 
 to do is to get out of it," added Deck, bringing 
 all the philosophy in his composition to bear upon 
 the situation. 
 
 " Don't you think I had better take the engine, 
 Lieutenant Lyon ? " asked the corporal in a very 
 low tone. 
 
 "I don't think so. Seef knows the machine 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE RIVER 143 
 
 better than you do, and he is making the launch 
 do her best," answered Deck. "You may keep 
 your eye upon him; and if you see him doing 
 anything out of the way, tell me of it. Corporal, 
 but don't say anything to him." 
 
 "All right. Lieutenant; just as you say; " 
 but it was evident that he had no confidence in 
 the engineer, and believed he could do the work 
 better himself. 
 
 "We will not talk any more, but we must 
 keep our eyes wide open. The New Moon has 
 stopped her wheels, and there is a crowd of sol- 
 diers in gray on her forward deck," continued 
 Deck, with his gaze fixed on the space between 
 the launch and the left bank of the creek, with 
 an occasional glance at the craft of the enemy. 
 " She is not more than a hundred feet from us, 
 and the time for action has come. The soldiers 
 are watching us with all their eyes." 
 
 On the forecastle the lieutenant saw two field- 
 pieces ; and probably she and the Harbinger had 
 divided a light battery between them. Both of 
 them were pointed directly ahead ; but the Hipsy 
 had passed out of range of them while they re- 
 
144 ON THE STAFF 
 
 mained in their present position. Of course they 
 could be swung around so as to bear on the 
 launch ; but in a minute or two more she would 
 be abreast of the enemy, where she could do 
 nothing with her guns without changing her 
 position. 
 
 Seef was silent ; but he kept a sharp lookout 
 at the New Moon, though he did not withdraw 
 his attention from the engine. The machine was 
 hissing with the pressure of steam upon her, 
 shaking and rattling, so that Deck was satisfied 
 that the boat was doing her best. 
 
 "Launch, ahoy! " shouted an ofiicer on the 
 boiler-deck of the enemy. 
 
 " On board the steamer ! " replied Deck, who 
 had leapned a little nautical phraseology from the 
 books he had read. 
 
 "What boat is that?" demanded the soldier. 
 
 "The Hipsy of Marrow Creek," replied the 
 lieutenant at a venture. 
 
 " Come alongside, and give an account of your- 
 selves ! " shouted the officer. 
 
 " Excuse me ; but the owner, Mr. Ethan Thorn- 
 field, who has just come up from down the river, 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE RIVER 145 
 
 is in a hiiriy for his launch," replied Deck in as 
 loud tones as he could muster. 
 
 "Come alongside, or we will fire into you! " 
 yelled another man, who looked as though he 
 might be the captain of the force. 
 
 " Can't stop ! " returned Deck. 
 
 " Does the owner of that launch employ hands 
 that wear a Federal uniform ? " demanded the 
 military officer in tones that were intended to be 
 decidedly cutting. 
 
 Deck was assured that it was useless to equiv- 
 ocate, though it is the business of the commander 
 on sea or land to deceive the enemy ; and his 
 conscience would not have troubled him if there 
 had been any chance of success in his attempt 
 to escape by stratagem, though in his ordinary 
 relations with his fellow-beings he was high- 
 toned and entirely truthful. His own and the 
 corporal's uniform had betrayed them ; and strat- 
 egy was " played out," so far as the present 
 adventure was concerned. 
 
 Though the officer on the New Moon continued 
 to shout after him, he took no further notice of 
 him in his individual capacity, especially as the 
 
146 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Hipsy had secured a position where the field- 
 pieces could not be brought to bear upon her. 
 Seef kept the boat moving at her highest speed, 
 and even the corporal had begun to unbend 
 towards the bondman who ran the machine. 
 
 " Can you make out what that officer says, 
 Corporal ? " asked Deck, when the boat was out 
 of the reach of the guns, for the speaker stood 
 on the forecastle. 
 
 " He is threatening to fire on the Hipsy ; that 
 is all I can understand," replied Drye. " But 
 we are getting out of the way, for this craft is 
 making not less than nine miles an hour." 
 
 " That is what Seef says she can do, and I 
 am glad she is doing it," returned the lieutenant. 
 "It looks to me just as though we were getting 
 out of the scrape. I suppose General Woodbine 
 has been informed before this time that the New 
 Moon has been in front of the town." 
 
 " Perhaps not," suggested the corporal. 
 
 " I have no doubt he is aware of her presence 
 in these waters. Sentinels have been posted on 
 the Harbinger all night, and some of them must 
 have seen her," answered the lieutenant. " I 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE EIVER 147 
 
 shouldn't wonder if Lieutenant Knox had been 
 prowling about the boat most of the night, for 
 he doesn't leave anything to chance." 
 
 " His sentinel at the stern of the steamer al- 
 lowed these niggers to take the launch, anyhow," 
 said Drye with a smile. 
 
 "Seef managed that business very well, for 
 he and Jake remained in the water till they were 
 out of hearing. But the general expected the 
 New Moon, and doubled the force of artillery on 
 board when he received my note that she was 
 coming," the lieutenant explained, seeing that 
 for the present the Hipsy was in a safe position. 
 
 " But how could General Woodbine have ex- 
 pected her?" inquired the corporal, rather bewil- 
 dered by the statement of the officer. 
 
 " Because I informed him in a note I sent to 
 him in the evening." 
 
 "How did you know it? " 
 
 "Lieutenant Knox and I went into the cabin 
 of the Harbinger to select our staterooms, and 
 the steward who showed us about told me she 
 was coming." 
 
 " That accounts for it," added Drye, who was 
 
148 ON THE STAFF 
 
 fully satisfied by tliis time. " But I wonder she 
 does not come out and attack the New Moon ; 
 and I have no doubt she could make a full moon 
 of her, or at least a fooled moon of her, for the 
 Harbinger is very heavily armed, having six 
 twelve-pounders on her main deck." 
 
 " The general knows what he is about, and I 
 never worry about what he is going to do. We 
 are about a hundred feet astern of the Moon now ; 
 and if we don't run against a fixed star, we 
 shall soon be out of her reach," said Deck. 
 
 He had hardly uttered his hopeful words before 
 a musket was discharged from the stern of the 
 steamer, and the bullet whizzed through the air 
 just above the skipper's head. This was not 
 expected, though it was a wonder to him when 
 he thought of it that the soldiers had not opened 
 fire upon the launch from the forecastle ; but 
 he concluded that the enemy were in doubt as 
 to the character of the boat until the officer 
 had discovered their blue uniforms. 
 
 By this time the»Hipsy had got so far down 
 into the wide mouth of the creek that those on 
 board of her could see the front of the town and 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE RIVER 149 
 
 the Harbinger. But a second shot from the 
 New Moon reminded Deck that they had no time 
 to look' about them ; and the bullet struck the 
 side of the cabin, and shattered a board in the 
 casing, rousing Jake from his deep slumber. 
 
 " Gorra mighty ! " yelled the contraband as 
 he rushed out into the waist. " I done get 
 killed ! " 
 
 " No, you didn't ! Lie down ! " shouted the 
 lieutenant. " Keep behind the boiler, Seef ! Lie 
 down, Corporal ! It's no use to be shot for noth- 
 ing. Those fellows shoot wildly, but a chance 
 shot may knock one of us over." 
 
 " Let me take the wheel. Lieutenant," sug- 
 gested Drye. "My life is not worth so much 
 as yours." 
 
 " It is worth as much to you as mine is to me," 
 replied Deck, as he dropped down on the floor 
 of the standing-room, where he could not be seen 
 from the steamer. 
 
 " I will stay behind the boiler with Seef," 
 added the corporal ; and he joined the engineer 
 at his post. 
 
 "I can't see to steer in this position," said 
 
150 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Deck from his humble posture. "-You can see 
 ahead, Corporal, where you are, and you must 
 direct me." 
 
 "All right, Lieutenant." 
 
 The infantry on board of the New Moon con- 
 tinued to fire in single shots ; but the officers 
 could not help seeing that the men were doing 
 no execution. Deck had lain down flat on his 
 back in the standing-room, with the back of his 
 head against the after stanchion in which the 
 wheel was set, reaching up with both arms to 
 the spokes. In fact, he had nearly reversed the 
 position he had occupied before. Possibly the 
 enemy in the stern of the steamer could see 
 the wheel ; but they could not see him, though 
 his arms were exposed. 
 
 Over the stern of the launch the helmsman 
 could see the two tall smoke-stacks of the New- 
 Moon, while the fire of the infantry still con- 
 tinued, and several balls had struck the cabin 
 and sides of the boat. 
 
 " You are heading her down the river. Lieu- 
 tenant," called the corporal. 
 
 " That's right," replied the skipper. 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE RIVER 151 
 
 " Aren't you going over to the front of the 
 town ? " 
 
 " No ; I am going up Marrow Creek, for the 
 Moon cannot shine on us for any great distance 
 up that stream," answered the lieutenant. "I 
 made up my mind before we saw the steamer 
 in the creek to land Seef and Jake near their 
 home." 
 
 "All right. Lieutenant; you give orders, and 
 I obey them," replied the corporal, though he 
 looked as though he was disgusted with the 
 course of his superior officer. 
 
 "Thank you, Mars'r, very much," said Seef, 
 with a grateful smile on his face. 
 
 " Great Csesar and Alexander the Great ! " 
 suddenly exclaimed Deck, as he looked over the 
 stern of the launch, and saw the lofty smoke- 
 stacks of the New Moon swinging out into the 
 creek ; and, hearing the splash of one of her 
 paddle-wheels, he concluded that it was that on 
 the port side, next to the bank, for the starboard 
 one was not in motion. " The steamer is coming 
 about ; and that means that she is going to chase 
 us! " 
 
162 ON THE STAFF 
 
 It also meant that she was bringing her two 
 field-pieces into a position where they would 
 cover the launch. Drye and Seef both turned 
 their attention to the steamer, and fully realized 
 what the helmsman had announced. Just then 
 the lieutenant uttered a suppressed groan; for 
 the men in the stern of the New Moon were still 
 in position to use their muskets, and a bullet 
 had struck the left arm of Deck between the 
 elbow and the wrist. But he did not let go 
 the wheel ; though he had to use his right hand 
 only, for the other was numb, and the strength 
 had gone out of it. 
 
 " I am hit. Corporal ; but stay where you 
 are," said the helmsman, though tlie pain of the 
 wound began to make itself felt. 
 
 " Let me take the wheel. Lieutenant Lyon." 
 
 " No ; watch the enemy, for I cannot see her 
 where I am. Can you see the Harbinger ? " 
 asked Deck. 
 
 " I can ; and I have just made out that she 
 has moved up to the landing-place, and the smoke 
 is pouring in a big volume out of her smoke- 
 stacks," answered Drye. "We are more than 
 
"'I am hit, Corporal; but stay where you are.'" 
 
 Puyc 152. 
 
AN IMPENDING BATTLE ON THE KIVER 153 
 
 three hundred feet ahead of the enemy, and we 
 
 shall soon get into the creek. Does your wound 
 
 pain you, Lieutenant ? " 
 
 "Somewhat; but I can stand it." 
 
 " The Harbinger is backing out from the levee, 
 
 and I am sure now that she has got an idea of 
 
 the situation ! " shouted the corporal in a loud 
 
 and excited tone. 
 
 In a few minutes more she had come about, 
 
 and headed for the New Moon. 
 
154 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE ALB 
 
 The New Moon was now headed directly for 
 the Hipsy, and as soon as she had come about, 
 the soldiers on the forecastle resumed firing with 
 their muskets ; but she had taken some time in 
 turning, for her port wheel appeared to work 
 badly, and perhaps she had not water enough on 
 the shelving bottom of the creek to permit it to 
 work freely. This delay had enabled the launch 
 to gain another hundred feet or so ; and it was 
 only occasionally that a bullet reached her, for 
 doubtless the soldiers on board were armed with 
 old flint-lock weapons. 
 
 The Harbinger had apparently expected to be 
 attacked where she lay in the stream, if at all ; for 
 she had been very slow in getting up steam. She 
 burned wood, and she could not bank her fires 
 as steamers using coal did. She moved very 
 leisurely when she had come about, though 
 
CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE AIR 155 
 
 her smoke-stacks poured out a heavy volume of 
 smoke, indicating that her furnaces were well 
 supplied with fuel, and the effect would very- 
 soon be apparent. 
 
 " I suppose our men have been watching the 
 New Moon ever since she first appeared this 
 morning," said Corporal Drye from his position, 
 which he had changed from the side to the front 
 of the boiler; "but I wonder they did not get 
 up steam early in the morning." 
 
 "Captain Batterson is now the ranking-officer 
 on board, but General Woodbine sent an order 
 for Lieutenant Knox to retain the command of 
 the steamer," replied Deck, still in his awkward 
 position on the floor of the standing-room. 
 
 With his wounded arm, it was very difficult for 
 him to steer the boat, for he could use only his 
 right arm. His white companion had been an 
 engineer on a steamer on the Green River, and 
 he had had plenty of experience on such vessels, 
 though not in the pilot-house ; but Deck Lyon 
 had been obliged to learn how to handle the 
 little wheel of the Hipsy after he took hold of 
 it, for he had steered a boat only with a tiller. 
 
156 ON THE STAFF 
 
 He was something of a philosopher, and readily 
 understood a machine of any kind when he was 
 called upon to use it. 
 
 " Corporal, I think I must change places with 
 you, for I find it very difficult to steer with one 
 arm in this uncomfortable position," said Deck. 
 
 " All right. Lieutenant ; I shall be glad to 
 take your place," answered Drye. 
 
 "Don't show yourself; for they are still firing 
 at us, and I hope you won't get hit," added 
 Deck. "Lie down on the floor, and crawl over 
 here." 
 
 The corporal did as he was directed, and with 
 some difficulty they exchanged places without per- 
 mitting the launch to fall off her course. Deck 
 crav/led to the boiler, and stood up in front of it. 
 Seef looked at him with interest, and his expres- 
 sion indicated that he sympathized with him on 
 account of the pain he was enduring. 
 
 "You look pale, Mars'r," said he. 
 
 "I think I have lost considerable blood," re- 
 plied the sufferer; "and I suppose that would 
 make me a bit chalky in the face, and I feel a 
 little weak." 
 
CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE AIR 157 
 
 " Sit down on my stool, Mars'r," said the engi- 
 neer, placing it behind the engine, which was still 
 shaking and rattling under the pressure upon it. 
 
 "Thank you, Seef," answered Deck, as he 
 seated himself near the machine, and looked about 
 him to get a better idea of the situation than 
 he had been able to obtain when on the floor 
 under the wheel. 
 
 The Hipsy appeared to be absolutely gaining 
 on her pursuer, but the smoke from her funnels 
 proved that her firemen had stuffed the furnaces 
 with wood. 
 
 "She can steam faster than the Hipsy," said 
 the engineer ; " and she will soon gain what she 
 has lost again." 
 
 It was not a comforting remark from one who 
 understood his machine, and it did not afford the 
 lieutenant any consolation. He continued his 
 study of the situation, and saw that the Harbin- 
 ger was increasing her speed every moment. 
 Beckland was at one of the engines, and he had 
 no doubt some one among the cavalrymen or 
 artillerists had been found to take Drye's place 
 at the other. He obtained a good view of the 
 
158 ON THE STAFF 
 
 bow of the New Moon, and saw that they were 
 placing the two field-pieces in position for use. 
 
 Deck felt rather shaky when he discovered 
 these preparations, for a cannon-ball from a twelve- 
 pounder might wreck the launch. His hope was 
 that the enemy's artillerists were not skilful and 
 experienced in the use of the pieces. 
 
 " Can't I do something for your wound, Mars'r 
 Lyon ? " asked Seef, who did not seem to be at 
 all terrified by the prospect of a cannon-ball 
 crashing through the sides of the Hipsy. " Let 
 me make some lint, and tie your handkerchief 
 around your arm." 
 
 " Thank you, Seef ; I will in a few minutes," 
 answered Deck, still looking, or " peeking " as 
 little children say, around the boiler. 
 
 He had scarcely spoken before the boom of one 
 of the field-pieces reverberated among the hills 
 astern of the enemy's steamer. 
 
 " There you are ! " exclaimed the corporal. 
 "But we are not hit." 
 
 " No ; not by a long chalk," replied Deck, 
 revived and somewhat excited by the prospect 
 of a little sharp work. " The ball did not come 
 
CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE AIE 159 
 
 within two rods of the launch, and was liigh 
 enough to have gone over our smoke-stack. I 
 doubt if they have any good gunners on board 
 of the New Moon." 
 
 "So much the better," replied the corporal. 
 
 The shot was followed a minute later by 
 another; but it was no better aimed than the 
 first, for it passed a long way overhead, though 
 its whizzing noise was distinctly heard. Jake, 
 who had hid himself on the floor of the cabin, 
 rushed out into the waist, screaming with terror. 
 
 " Gorra mighty ! " he yelled. " We all git 
 killed ! " 
 
 " Hold your tongue, you fool ! " said Seef. 
 
 But Jake was terrified out of his wits, and 
 incapable of uttering an intelligible sentence be- 
 yond his wild exclamations. 
 
 " Get back into the cabin, and lie down on the 
 floor, or you will get hit where you are ! " shouted 
 the engineer at him ; and he retreated to his 
 former lair, crawling under the transom on which 
 the bed was made. 
 
 " There's another ! " exclaimed the corporal ; 
 " but we are not hit yet." 
 
160 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " That gun did not come from the New Moon, 
 but from the Harbinger ; and it fell short of the 
 mark, for the distance is nearly if not quite a 
 mile. She is flying the American flag above her 
 hurricane deck, and there is no doubt that she 
 means business," said Deck, speaking for the 
 benefit of the helmsman, who could see nothing 
 but the smoke-stacks of the enemy's craft. 
 
 " If the Moon doesn't fire any better than she 
 has done so far, we are in no great danger," added 
 Drye. 
 
 " The Harbinger is getting her speed on, and 
 she will soon do the Moon some damage," said 
 Deck. 
 
 "Can you see her plainly, Lieutenant? " asked 
 the corporal. 
 
 " I can see her plainly enough, but I cannot 
 make out what is going on upon her main deck 
 where the guns are," answered the lieutenant. 
 "I will use my glass, and let you know." 
 
 The helmsman appeared to be considerably 
 excited, more so than his officer ; though neither 
 of them could help being stirred up by the trian- 
 gular contest in the matter of speed, and espe- 
 
CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE AIR 161 
 
 cially at the prospect of the events of the next ten 
 or fifteen minutes. The Harbinger was headed 
 directly for the New Moon, which still kept on 
 her course in pursuit of the Hipsy. Deck brought 
 his field-glass to bear on the Harbinger ; for he 
 always carried it, as well as his sabre and revol- 
 ver, suspended by a strap passing over his 
 shoulder. 
 
 " I make out four of the twelve-pounders 
 ranged across her forecastle, with the gunners 
 standing by them," reported the lieutenant. " Of 
 course they are all loaded, and she will knock off 
 the horns of the New Moon as soon as she gets 
 a fair chance at her." 
 
 " Good for the Harbinger ! " exclaimed the 
 corporal. 
 
 Another shot came from each of the guns of 
 the enemy's steamer ; and this time the shot from 
 one of them struck the top of the cabin, and 
 scattered a shower of pine splinters inside and on 
 the floor outside. 
 
 ••' Gorra mighty ! " yelled Jake, rushing out 
 into the waist again. 
 
 " Go back, you fool ! You are not hit or 
 
162 ON THE STAFF 
 
 hurt! " shouted the engineer, who did not seem 
 to be much disturbed by the flying woodwork. 
 
 " I'll be killed, Seef ! " groaned the poor fellow, 
 who had perhaps never heard the report of a 
 cannon before, and certainly had never had one 
 strike so near him. 
 
 The New Moon held her course for the mouth 
 of Marrow Creek, while the Harbinger was keep- 
 ing abreast of the Kentucky shore as near as it 
 was prudent to go in the absence of a skilled 
 pilot. In other words, the Union craft for the 
 time being was approaching the enemy at an 
 angle of about forty-five degrees, so that the fire 
 of her guns would partially rake the decks of the 
 Moon. 
 
 Seef had shovelled the coal into the furnace, 
 and the Hipsy had not for a moment abated her 
 best speed. The situation began to look very 
 hopeful to the fugitives, for she was now within 
 three hundred feet of the mouth of the creek. 
 As soon as she entered it, a bend in the stream 
 would afford them shelter from the shots of both 
 infantry and artillery. 
 
 But the New Moon still kept on her course, 
 
CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE AIR 163 
 
 a circumstance which perplexed the corporal as 
 he saw her funnels over the tafferel of the 
 boat. 
 
 "I can't understand what the Moon is about," 
 said he. "Why don't she come about, and get 
 out of the way by running down the river? If 
 you can see the four field-pieces on the fore- 
 castle of the Harbinger, of course the enemy's 
 officers can see them." 
 
 "I don't know what she is driving at, unless 
 she means to run up Marrow Creek, and keep 
 out of the way in that manner," suggested the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 " That's it, Mars'r Lyon. The Harbinger 
 draws two feet more water than the New Moon, 
 and the Moon can go a mile farther up the 
 creek than the other. There goes the Union 
 guns, Mars'r ! " exclaimed Seef . 
 
 One shot followed another till four had been 
 sent into the enemy ; and they hit her this 
 time, every one of them, for Deck could see the 
 wreck of the boards as they were shattered, and 
 flew in every direction. But she evidently had 
 a worse hit than those that merely splintered her 
 
164 ON THE STAFF 
 
 paddle-boxes; for she suddenly began to come 
 about, and to whirl till she was headed in the 
 direction from which she had just come. Deck 
 explained the effect of the shots to the corporal. 
 
 " Which way did she come about, Lieuten- 
 ant?" asked Drye. 
 
 "She turned to the right, to the starboard," 
 replied Deck. 
 
 " Then her port engine was disabled." 
 
 "So I should say. But you need not crouch 
 down under the wheel any longer. Corporal. The 
 New Moon has set for the present, and she can't 
 follow us any farther just now. She has stopped 
 her starboard engine," said the lieutenant. "I 
 think we are out of all danger now." 
 
 Seef blew off some of the steam that was 
 crowding the boiler, as it was no longer neces- 
 sary to hurry the launch, for the New Moon had 
 found a foe worthy of all her attention. But the 
 Confederate flag was still flying over her hurri- 
 cane deck. She lay helpless on the current of 
 the river, which was carrying her down stream; 
 and she was likely to be hurled against the Ken- 
 tucky shore at the bend of the stream behind 
 
CANNON-BALLS FLYING IN THE AIR 165 
 
 which the Harbinger had concealed herself the 
 day before. 
 
 Seef had found a white rag in the cabin ; and 
 he was scraping lint while he observed the es- 
 caping steam, though he soon closed the safety- 
 valve, and opened the furnace door. The cor- 
 poral had resumed his perpendicular attitude, and 
 was steering the launch as before, though he kept 
 one eye fixed on the Harbinger and the foe all 
 the time. The Hipsy entered the creek, and the 
 engineer indicated a good landing-place not far 
 from the mouth. He had scraped lint enough 
 for his purpose by the time the boat came to the 
 shore, and was made fast to a tree by Jake, who 
 had come to his senses again. 
 
 The corporal examined the wound of the lieu- 
 tenant as Seef removed the clothing. The ball 
 had passed diagonally through the arm, just be- 
 low the elbow, it was found ; and the wound had 
 bled profusely. Drye had some skill in surgery ; 
 and, with the sticking-plaster Deck always carried, 
 he dressed the injury, bandaging it quite skil- 
 fully. The patient declared that the arm felt 
 more comfortable as soon as it was bound up, 
 and placed in a sling. 
 
166 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Now, Seef, I suppose you know where you 
 are, and you may huf it home from here," said 
 Deck to the engineer. 
 
 "I hoped you would give me back the launch, 
 Mars'r," added Seef with a winning smile. 
 
 "I would if I could; but I cannot return the 
 Hipsy to your master, for he would use it, as he 
 did before, against the Union forces. Good-by, 
 Seef. You have behaved like a Union man," re- 
 plied Deck, shaking hands with him, the corporal 
 following his example, and granting that he had 
 misjudged the engineer. 
 
 The two bondmen disappeared in the woods 
 just as another volley of cannon-shot awoke the 
 echoes in the hills. Drye went to the engine. 
 Deck took the wheel, and the boat ran for the 
 river. 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE EIVEE, 167 
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE RIVER 
 
 Lleutenant Lyon found it more difficult to 
 steer with one hand at the wheel than with two ; 
 but compared with his position when lying on 
 his back, it was vastly more agreeable. Besides, 
 he was not wounded in the stomach, in which 
 the vacuum reminded him that it was breakfast- 
 time. 
 
 " Mars'r Lyon ! " called Seef, emerging from 
 the woods, and running with all his might to 
 the creek. 
 
 "What's the matter now?" demanded Deck, 
 as the corporal stopped the engine at a word 
 from the lieutenant. 
 
 " I left some of my clothes in a locker in the 
 boat. Won't you let me have them ? " asked 
 the engineer. 
 
 " Yes, Seef ; you can have anything that be- 
 longs to you, but nothing that belongs to the 
 
168 ON THE STAFF 
 
 launch," rsplied Deck. "Back her up to the 
 shore, Corporal." 
 
 Drye ran the boat back till she was alongside 
 the bank of the stream. 
 
 " Perhaps mars'r will let us have a bite to 
 eat for breakfast before we go, for we have to 
 walk seven miles before we can get anything 
 at all. We had no time for a meal before," said 
 Seef, as he leaped into the launch followed by 
 Jake. 
 
 "We all want some breakfast; and you may 
 get some for us, and have all you want your- 
 selves," replied the lieutenant. 
 
 " Then, I will make some coffee, Mars'r," said 
 Seef, as he told Jake to get out the furnace, 
 and make a fire in it. 
 
 " While you are getting ready for breakfast, 
 we will run down the creek, and see what the 
 steamers are doing ; but we will land you on 
 the stseam so that you can go home," added the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "Thank you, Mars'r; all right," replied the 
 engineer. " Now, go ahead, Corporal." 
 
 " They don't seem to be firing now," said 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE EIVER 169 
 
 Drye. " Those last shots were a broadside from 
 the Harbinger, I suppose ; for the New Moon 
 could not fire more than two guns so near to- 
 gether. The enemy may be able to fix up the 
 port engine of their boat; if they don't, the other 
 will knock her all to pieces." 
 
 "Do you suppose they will be able to repair 
 the damage to the engine ? " asked Deck. 
 
 "Of course I don't know what damage has 
 been done to it ; but it may be only a slight 
 injury, which the engineer can put to rights in 
 a short time. If they can't mend the machine, 
 she is in a bad fix," replied the corporal. 
 
 In a few minutes the Hipsy reached a point 
 where they could see both steamers. The New 
 Moon lay just as she was when her engineer 
 stopped the starboard wheel; and the Harbinger 
 had stopped her wheels at a distance of about 
 three hundred feet, but was still making an occa- 
 sional turn with them to avoid being carried any 
 farther down the river by the current. Neither 
 boat was firing her cannon or muskets at the 
 other. Each of them was still floating its flag. 
 
 " They seem to be taking it easy just now," 
 
170 ON THE STAFF 
 
 said Drye, after he had observed the beUigerents 
 for a few minutes. " I should think the Har- 
 binger would pour the shot into her while she 
 has such a good chance at her." 
 
 "I suppose Captain Batterson is in command 
 now, at least of the artillery ; and he under- 
 stands his business well enough," answered Deck. 
 " There goes the Moon again, and her soldiers 
 have not gone to sleep yet." 
 
 This remark was called forth by a volley of 
 musketry from the enemy ; for the steamer had 
 whirled about so far while the port wheel was 
 not working, that the field-pieces could not be 
 brought to bear upon the Harbinger. But the 
 volley did not appear to have any effect upon 
 her. Perhaps Captain Batterson had been wait- 
 ing for the enemy to haul down the Confederate 
 flag, which still waved defiance above the hurri- 
 cane deck ; for the volley from the muskets was 
 immediately followed by the rapid discharge of 
 the four pieces on the forecastle of the Union 
 craft, as she had now become. 
 
 The shot crashed into the main deck, and ap- 
 peared to have been aimed at the part of the 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE RIVER 171 
 
 boat where the engines were located. What 
 damage had been done to her beyond the tear- 
 ing off of the pine boards about her port paddle- 
 box could not be seen by the observers. But as 
 the main deck was crowded with men, some of 
 them must have been killed and wounded. The 
 two broadsides, if the cannon volley was entitled 
 to this designation, brought about a change in 
 the disposition of the force on board of her; 
 for with the aid of his glass Deck could see that 
 the soldiers were hurrying to the saloon deck. 
 Outside of the cabin on a Western steamer is 
 a gallery; and from each stateroom a door leads 
 out to this balcony, and another into the saloon. 
 
 " That's a wise move," the lieutenant remarked 
 as soon as he comprehended it. 
 
 " What is, Lieutenant Lyon ? " asked the cor- 
 poral. 
 
 " All the infantry on the Moon has been sent 
 to the saloon deck," replied Deck. " The sol- 
 diers are taking possession of the staterooms, 
 where they cannot be readily seen, and they will 
 open fire with their muskets upon the Harbinger 
 very soon; though they might as well save their 
 
172 ON THE STAFF 
 
 powder and ball as waste them in their old flint- 
 locks. They are opening all the gallery doors, 
 and the men intend to stand in the staterooms 
 and fire from the outer doors ; but I don't believe 
 they can do much mischief at their present dis- 
 tance from our men." 
 
 " Breakfast is ready, Mars'r Lyon and Mars'r 
 Corporal," called Seef from the cabin. 
 
 The launch had been made fast to a tree ; and 
 both of them hastened forward to the meal, in 
 order to be ready for the exciting events which 
 were yet to come. Seef had ham and eggs for 
 breakfast, and it was a very acceptable meal, with 
 the excellent coffee ; and the two white men could 
 not have satisfied their appetites any better at 
 Delmonico's. They could hear the reports of the 
 muskets fired by the enemy at will ; but they 
 had the feeling that the Union men were not 
 suffering much, if at all, from the fire ; and they 
 finished their meal with hearty relish in spite of 
 the musketry. 
 
 Both of them went to the standing-room, for 
 the current of the creek had swung the boat 
 around so that this was the most desirable part of 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE RIVER 173 
 
 it to enable them to see the action. They had 
 hardly seated themselves in the stern before 
 another cannon-peal was heard, followed by three 
 more ; and the observers saw the gallery rail and 
 the doors of the staterooms, as well as the sides 
 of the cabin, flying in every direction. Captain 
 Batterson had changed his tactics, and was now 
 firing into the upper works of the New Moon, in 
 order to meet the change the enemy had made in 
 the stationing of their men. 
 
 But the Confederates were still "game;" for 
 the musketry appeared to rattle from every part 
 of the gallery, and the men had come out of the 
 rooms, and stood in plain sight when they fired, 
 taking advantage of the moment when the artiller- 
 ists were loading their pieces again. They did 
 not remain long in this exposed position ; and it 
 was well for them that they did not, for another 
 discharge of the four guns followed the last in a 
 very short time. 
 
 " The Moon is swinging around, and they must 
 have repaired the port engine ! " exclaimed the 
 corporal. 
 
 " In that case this affair will soon be over : and 
 
174 ON THE STAFF 
 
 it will be hot work, for the enemy are as full of 
 pluck as gamecoclvs," added Deck, though he had 
 never even seen one of the birds he mentioned. 
 
 The eyes of both were directed to the New 
 Moon with the most intense interest ; for it was 
 evident to them that the action must soon cul- 
 minate in the destruction of the enemy's vessel, 
 though her two guns might disable one or both 
 of the Harbinger's engines. Neither of the 
 craft was suitable for fighting-boats, for their 
 machinery was all exposed. Commodore Foote's 
 steamers on the Mississippi, and up the Cum- 
 berland and Tennessee, were ironclads ; and their 
 machinery was protected, though some of them 
 had their boilers and engines rent by shot at a 
 later date. 
 
 As soon as she recovered the use of her port 
 wheel, the New Moon advanced boldly into the 
 teeth of the Harbinger, discharging her two field- 
 pieces with considerable rapidity. But she was 
 coming into close quarters under very great dis- 
 advantage, for the Union craft carried six guns 
 to her four. But the military commander of the 
 enemy appeared, as Deck interpreted the present 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE EIVER 175 
 
 situation, to be satisfied that he had many more 
 men than his foe, and intended to hurl them on 
 the main deck of the Harbinger, or, nautically 
 speaking, board her. 
 
 The lieutenant directed his glass at the Union 
 boat, and saw that some kind of a movement 
 was in progress there, though he could not 
 make it out; but it soon developed itself. The 
 forward deck of a Western steamer is not usu- 
 ally surrounded by a railing or any other ob- 
 struction. While the movement on this deck 
 was in progress, the engines worked backward 
 to counteract as far as possible the forward run 
 of the enemy. Deck's glass enabled him to see 
 that the six guns had been arranged in the form 
 of a horseshoe, corresponding to the shape of 
 the forecastle. Two guns nearest to the bow 
 were abreast of each other, while the other four 
 in the rear of them were so placed that there 
 was space enough for them to fire directly ahead. 
 
 Deck explained the arrangement of the guns 
 so that the corporal could understand it. At 
 this moment Seef and his companion came out 
 of the cabin, where they had not only eaten their 
 
176 ON THE STAFF 
 
 breakfast, but had washed the dishes, and put 
 the apartment in good order. 
 
 " You may as well land here as in any other 
 j)lace," said the lieutenant. 
 
 " Just as mars'r says," replied the engineer. 
 " I'm sorry I can't take the Hipsy back, but 
 I'm much obliged to you, Mars'r Lyon, for your 
 kindess." 
 
 The two contrabands went ashore ; but as 
 they were inclined to see the result of the fight 
 on the river, they climbed a tree where they 
 could obtain a good view of it, and Drye re- 
 plenished the fire and started the boat. Deck 
 kept the launch as near the Kentucky shore as 
 it was prudent to go. The corporal put on all 
 the steam he had, for the lieutenant wished to 
 get as near the town as possible. 
 
 " The enemy will not take it into their heads 
 to fire a cannon-shot at the Hipsy, will they ? " 
 asked the corporal. 
 
 " I think they have their hands full, for they 
 have bigger game than we are ; but they may, 
 and we must take our chances," replied Deck, 
 who was not any more disposed to run away 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE RIVER 177 
 
 from the fire of the enemy than he was to un- 
 necessarily expose himself to it. 
 
 The enemy continued the fire of musketry 
 from the saloon deck, and was using artillery as 
 rapidly as they could load and fire. The small 
 arms appeared to fall short of the mark, for 
 Deck could not see any men fall on the Har- 
 binger's forecastle ; but several shots from the 
 field-pieces had torn away the forward part of 
 the saloon. 
 
 " The Harbinger has stopped her wheels, and 
 she is no longer backing up the stream," said 
 Deck; and the launch had now reached a po- 
 sition where he could see without a glass. 
 " Something will happen very soon now." 
 
 And something did happen before the words 
 were fairly out of his mouth. One of the bow 
 guns was discharged with a report which seemed 
 to be twice as heavy as any which had preceded 
 it, perhaps because the observer was much nearer 
 than ever; and a shell went shrieking from its 
 muzzle, and whizzing through the air with a 
 curve that dropped it on the forecastle of the 
 New Moon, where it exploded. 
 
178 ON THE STAFF 
 
 A moment later the other bow gun sent an- 
 other, which fell upon the hurricane deck, knock- 
 ing away one of her smoke-stacks, and tearing 
 up the hurricane deck. The other four guns 
 in quick succession sent as many shells into or 
 upon the devoted steamer. A dense smoke was 
 seen rising from the after part of the boat, in- 
 dicating that she was on fire. By the time the 
 six shells had been delivered, the forward guns 
 were reloaded, and were immediately discharged. 
 
 The gun this time was loaded with solid shot, 
 as though Captain Batterson wished to exhibit 
 the variety of missiles he had in store for them. 
 The shot struck the New Moon on her cutwater, 
 or where it would have been if she had had one, 
 and tore open the bow of the steamer. The 
 Harbinger was completely enveloped in smoke, 
 so that those on board of her could hardly, if 
 at all, see the boat of the enemy. Deck had 
 noticed that the explosion of the shell on the 
 hurricane deck had not demolished the flag-staff 
 on which floated the Confederate flag; but, being 
 out of the smoke, he discovered a sergeant low- 
 ering the "stars and bars" from its lofty perch; 
 
THE STEAMER BATTLE ON THE RIVER 179 
 
 and his thought was that those who had fought 
 under it had not dishonored the Southern sym- 
 bol. 
 
 Turning the head of the Hipsy, he ran the 
 boat up to the bow of the Harbinger, shouting 
 with all his might that she had struck her jQag. 
 
180 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NEW MOON 
 
 The Harbinger had fired another gun, and 
 sent a second solid shot into the hull of the 
 New Moon before the little Hipsy could reach 
 her. Deck could no longer see the enemy's 
 steamer, and could not observe the effect of the 
 shot; but the gunners had obtained the range of 
 her hull, as indicated by the first of the same 
 kind she had discharged. 
 
 The Union craft was at rest, the artillerists 
 were all in their stations, and there was no noise 
 on her deck, the silence enforced on board of a 
 man-of-war being required by Captain Batterson. 
 He was in the midst of his men, for the duty 
 they were performing was somewhat different 
 from that in which they had been drilled on the 
 field. 
 
 The shout that the enemy had struck her flag, 
 which Lieutenant Lyon uttered when he came 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NEW MOON 181 
 
 near enough to be heard, was noticed by some 
 of the gunners, and reported to Captain Batter- 
 son, and the launch pointed out to him as it 
 came alongside the steamer. He hastened to her, 
 and he promptly recognized the officer at the 
 wheel. 
 
 " Lieutenant Lyon ! " he exclaimed ; for in 
 common with all on board the Harbinger, he 
 had been wondering what had become of the 
 little steamer with the lieutenant and the corpo- 
 ral on board of her. 
 
 " The New Moon has hauled down her colors, 
 Captain Batterson," repeated Deck. 
 
 " Are you sure of it. Lieutenant ? " inquired 
 the chief of the artillery. 
 
 "Very sure of it, sir; for I saw a man haul 
 the flag down myself," replied Deck. " I was 
 over near the shore in this launch, where I could 
 see the enemy very plainly. More than that, 
 Captain, she appeared to be on fire at her stern." 
 
 The smoke was blowing away from the New 
 Moon, and in a few moments more she could be 
 distinctly seen from the deck of the Union boat. 
 Deck had observed the effect produced by the 
 
182 ON THE STAFF 
 
 first solid shot fired, when it tore open the bow 
 of the enemy ; and now he saw that the second 
 one had ripped away her planking on the port 
 side. The captain could see for himself that the 
 colors had been hauled down; and he announced 
 the fact in a loud voice to his men, whereat they 
 gave three cheers. 
 
 Deck discovered Lieutenant Knox on the 
 boiler deck, which was an open space forward of 
 the saloon, through which the two funnels passed. 
 If his men had not used their carbines from the 
 stateroom gallery, they were in readiness to do 
 so. Life heard the announcement that the en- 
 emy had struck her flag; and he hastened to the 
 main deck, for he had been one of the first to 
 observe the launch as she came alongside. 
 
 "God bless you, Deck! " he exclaimed, as he 
 came within speaking distance. " I was afraid 
 you were killed or a prisoner. And you have 
 your left arm in a sling. Not a bad wound, I 
 hope." 
 
 "No, I think not; I am all right. Life." 
 
 By this time the New Moon was not only on 
 fire, but she appeared to be settling in the water, 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OP THE NEW MOON 183 
 
 as though the time was not far off when she 
 would seek a resting-place at the bottom of 
 the river. Captain Batterson gave the order to 
 the engineers to go ahead, and the Harbinger 
 started her wheels; for an engineer had evi- 
 dently been found to take the place of Corporal 
 Drye. 
 
 At this order, the engineer of the Hipsy 
 backed away from the steamer ; and coming 
 about. Deck headed her down the river towards 
 the crippled enemy. He kept the launch abreast 
 of the Harbinger, which had been considerably 
 battered by the shots from her foe, but her en- 
 gines were still in good working order. If the 
 lieutenant at the wheel had any doubts before in 
 regard to the fire on board of the New Moon, 
 he could now see that the flames were ascending 
 in an angry volume from her stern. 
 
 One of the bursting shells had done this mis- 
 chief to her, and he heard a waiter on board say 
 afterwards that a number of straw beds had been 
 placed on the deck to dry. All was confusion 
 and dismay on the deck of the enemy; for the 
 report that the steamer was on fire, and that her 
 
184 ON THE STAFF 
 
 bows had been stove in, had no doubt circulated 
 among all hands. 
 
 " There is no more fighting to be done to- 
 day," said Corporal Drye at the engine. 
 
 " Certainly not," replied Deck. " Our busi- 
 ness now is to save the poor men on board of 
 the New Moon from death by fire or water. 
 We must forget that war is raging between the 
 North and the South, and that the men on board 
 the New Moon were enemies of ours half an 
 hour ago." 
 
 " Those are my sentiments exactly ! " ex- 
 claimed the corporal heartily. "We don't war 
 on men who are drowning or burning up, and I 
 trust our people will save them all." 
 
 " Amen ! " added the lieutenant. " Hurry her 
 up as much as you can. Corporal." 
 
 " I have just put more coal in the furnace, 
 and I think she is making as good speed as she 
 has any time to-day," replied the engineer. 
 " There is a flatboat pulling towards us, and she 
 looks as though she had just come out of Marrow 
 Creek." 
 
 But he did not do anything more than glance 
 
I 
 
 THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NEW MOON 185 
 
 at it, for he was busy observing the progress of 
 the flames on the doomed steamer. The wind 
 was blowing tolerably fresh from the westward, 
 or down the river at this stretch of it; and that 
 was in favor of the ]\Ioon, though the fire was 
 working forward against it. The blaze was now 
 issuing from the side of the after part of the 
 saloon, and the hurricane deck nearly as far for- 
 ward as the smoke-stacks was falling in as the 
 deck beams were burned off. 
 
 Of course the blazing timbers set fire to the 
 floor of the saloon ; and the woodwork in the 
 intense heat burned like tinder, and there was no 
 such thing as checking the conflagration. The 
 engines, or one of them, had again been disabled, 
 so that the officers could not run her ashore. The 
 Harbinger was making all the speed she could, 
 and the negro firemen were assisted by the sol- 
 diers in throwing fuel into the furnaces. 
 
 " They are jumping overboard at the stern ! " 
 exclaimed the corporal. "It must be terribly 
 warm in that part of the boat, and I don't blame 
 the poor fellows for taking to the river. But I 
 hope they can swim." 
 
186 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Some of them have boards, boxes, or something 
 else to support them in the water," added Deck, 
 whose kindly feelings were as deeply moved as 
 though the sufferers had fought on his own side. 
 
 " That flatboat has begun to pick them up," 
 said the corporal. " I am afraid they will swamp 
 her as they crowd into her." 
 
 " We are abreast of the Moon's bow now, 
 and we shall soon get at them," replied Deck. 
 " There are not many of them in the water." 
 
 "Not more than twenty, I should say," added 
 Drye. " Of course the most of the men hastened 
 to the bow of the steamer when they saw how 
 fast the flames were travelling." 
 
 On board of the Harbinger the six field-pieces 
 had been moved into a compact mass, and most of 
 the artillerists had been sent to the saloon to 
 make room for the imperilled Confederates. Deck 
 saw that Lieutenant Knox was again in command, 
 and had sent part of his men to the forecastle. 
 Sergeant Sluder was at the wheel, assisted by 
 Corporal Milton. The wheels of the boat had 
 been stopped, and the lieutenant was giving or- 
 ders to the engineers which soon brought the 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NEW MOON 187 
 
 forward part of the boat alongside that of the 
 burning craft. 
 
 The fasts of the Harbinger were thrown on 
 the deck of the other boat, and the men secured 
 them. The military commander of the force on 
 the deck was tall enough to have been a Ken- 
 tuckian, though he was not ; but he was a fine- 
 looking man. He stood near the plank-sheer ; 
 and as the space was ample, he formed his men by 
 fours, and marched them on board of the Har- 
 binger in as good order as though they had been 
 on parade. The company appeared to be vastly 
 better drilled than many the Unionists had seen. 
 
 Lieutenant Knox received them as they came 
 on the deck, and directed the officer who was 
 leading them to proceed to the after part of the 
 deck. There was not room enough for all of 
 them there ; and half of them were marched up 
 the flight of steps to the boiler deck, and into 
 the saloon. 
 
 The tall captain was the last to leave the deck 
 of the New Moon ; and as he came on board. Lieu- 
 tenant Knox saluted him with more than his 
 usual deference, and the Confederate captain re- 
 
188 ON THE STAFF 
 
 turned it with quite as much respect and a good 
 deal more grace. 
 
 " Lieutenant Knox, of the Riverlawn Cavalry, 
 in command of this boat," said Life, still holding 
 the hand of his late enemy. 
 
 " Captain Singer, of the Twenty-Eighth Ten- 
 nessee Infantry," added the officer. 
 
 " I am really sorry to meet you. Captain, under 
 such unfortunate circumstances for you; but you 
 have fought bravely, and done all that man could 
 do, and I respect you for it," replied Lieutenant 
 Knox, in the best English he could command. 
 
 " Thank you, Lieutenant ; and since the battle 
 has gone against the Confederates, and we have 
 fallen into the hands of the Federalists, I am glad 
 that my men are in the power of a considerate 
 and generous enemy," replied Captain Singer. 
 "Now, Lieutenant -Knox, will you allow me to 
 have my dead and wounded brought on board 
 of your steamer?" 
 
 " Certainly, Captain ; and my men shall assist 
 you in moving them," answered Life, who had a 
 kind heart in his rough exterior, and had taken 
 some lessons, both by precept and example, in 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF THE NEW MOON 189 
 
 humanity to a fallen enemy, from Deck and from 
 Major Lyon. 
 
 The captain ordered his men to attend to this 
 duty, and every cavalryman on board was or- 
 dered to assist in the work. There were ten 
 men killed, and over twenty wounded. The lat- 
 ter were borne to the saloon, and placed in the 
 berths of the staterooms. The dead were laid 
 out at the stern, and covered with sailcloth. As 
 soon as it was certain that no one had been left 
 on board, the Harbinger backed away. 
 
 The Hipsy proceeded on her way to the re- 
 lief of those in the water, with Deck still at the 
 wheel. The flatboat, with as many of the sol- 
 diers in it as it could carry, came to the launch 
 as soon as she arrived at the locality ; and Deck 
 and Drye found that it was in charge of Seef 
 and Jake. They had found the boat near where 
 they had landed, and came off to see the conclu- 
 sion of the battle, which was a sight that no one 
 had ever seen on the river before. 
 
 But there was no time for talk ; and the saved 
 were taken into the launch, and both craft pro- 
 ceeded to rescue the remainder of the sufferei"s, 
 
190 ON THE STAFF 
 
 only a few of whom could swim, and were in 
 danger of drowning in spite of their frail sup- 
 ports. The corporal shut off the steam from 
 the cylinder, stopping the screw, and opened the 
 safety-valve, permitting the launch to drift with 
 the current. Some of those who had been saved 
 took a pair of oars they found slung under the 
 rail, and a boathook, and extended them to those 
 still in the water. 
 
 The corporal labored like a Trojan in hauling 
 in the soldiere and others who had escaped from 
 the burning vessel. The flatboat picked up those 
 who did not come within reach of the launch, 
 and in a very short time all of those who had 
 been in peril were safe on board of the Hipsy. 
 One of them wore the uniform of an officer, 
 and seated himself on the divan near the 
 wheel. 
 
 " This has been a bad day for us," said he. 
 
 "You have fought bravely, defended your boat 
 like men, and you have nothing to regret but 
 the loss of the fight ; for you come out of it with 
 honor," replied Deck. 
 
 " Thank you. Lieutenant, for your kind words," 
 
THE DESTRUCTIOlSr OF THE NEW MOON 191 
 
 replied the officer. " You appear to be a staff- 
 officer." 
 
 "I am on the staff of General Woodbine." 
 
 "I am Lieutenant Hewson of the Twenty- 
 Eighth Tennessee." 
 
 "I am glad to know you, Lieutenant, and I 
 sympathize with you in your misfortune ; but of 
 course I rejoice in the victory we have won, 
 though I was not engaged." 
 
 Some more pleasant words passed between Deck 
 and Seef, and the Hipsy proceeded towards the 
 town, the skiff pulling for the creek. The Har- 
 binger ran her bow on the shore, ready to land 
 the prisoners. The whole of the Union force left 
 in the town was drawn up on the beach, the 
 three companies of cavalry mounted, and General 
 Woodbine, with his remaining staff-officer, on the 
 right of the line. 
 
 Lieutenant Lyon steered the launch to the 
 point nearest to the commander, and ran her bow 
 on the shore. Leaving the corporal to land the 
 saved when the order to that effect should be 
 given, he went on shore, and hastened to the head 
 of the line. Knox saw that the general was on 
 
192 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the shore ; and he permitted no one to land, for 
 both he and Captain Batterson agreed that they 
 should wait for orders before anything was done. 
 Deck saluted General Woodbine, who returned 
 the courtesy, and then extended his hand to him. 
 
AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE GENERAL 193 
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE GENERAL 
 
 "I HAVE been very much concerned about 
 you, Lieutenant Lyon," said General Woodbine, 
 as he grasped the hand of the young officer. 
 "It was reported to me at the camp this morn- 
 ing that the steam-launch in which you slept 
 last night, with Corporal Drye, had disappeared 
 during the night. The boat was nowhere to be 
 seen when her absence was discovered. I was 
 afraid you had been killed or made a prisoner." 
 
 " I suppose you will believe me. General, if 
 I tell you that I have not been killed, and I 
 assure you that I have not been made a prisoner 
 at any time," replied Deck. 
 
 " The evidence that you were not killed is 
 excellent, and I am willing to accept your state- 
 ment that you were not a prisoner; but you 
 are wounded," added the commander. 
 
 " I have a flesh-wound in the arm, and I shall 
 
lOtt ON THE STAFF 
 
 have it dressed by Dr. Farnwright as soon as he 
 has attended to the wounded on board of the 
 Harbinger," replied Deck. 
 
 "But where have you been ? What pos- 
 sessed you to sleep on board of the steam- 
 yacht ? " 
 
 " I thought the craft would be very useful 
 while we remained here; and I was afraid it 
 would be taken by the servants of Mr. Thorn- 
 field, for they came down in her to convey him 
 home," the lieutenant explained. " She was 
 made fast at the stern of the Harbinger, with 
 sentinels on the deck; and it never occurred to 
 me that it was not as prudent to sleep in the 
 cabin of the Hipsy as in the saloon of the large 
 steamer." 
 
 " Hipsy ? " repeated the general with a smile. 
 
 " The name painted on the stern and bow of 
 the boat is Hephzibah, which comes from the 
 Bible ; but Seef called her the Hipsy, as people 
 in the country in New Hampshire generally do, 
 and Corporal Drye and I did the same." 
 
 " And who is Seef ? " 
 
 " He was the engineer of the craft, and though 
 
AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE GENERAL 195 
 
 a slave, he is whiter than many white men. 
 Drye waked me in the morning by telling me 
 that the Hipsy was underway. We took posses- 
 sion of the launch, and also the two men who 
 had swum out to her, cut her fast, and stayed 
 in the water till she had drifted some distance in 
 the darkness, and who did not know there was 
 anybody on board of her. I think we saved the 
 boat by sleeping on board of her. I was afraid 
 the two men would steal her again, and I de- 
 cided to land them on the other side of the 
 river; but the appearance of the New Moon 
 drove us into a creek over there." 
 
 " Did the moon alarm you ? " 
 
 " The moon in the sky did not, for she was 
 not in sight; but the steamer New Moon did, 
 for that is the name of the boat that was 
 burned, with which the Harbinger had her 
 fight." 
 
 " I must hear the rest of the story another 
 time, for here is Lieutenant Knox," interposed 
 the commander. 
 
 Life approached the general, and saluted him. 
 He was on foot, for all the horses had been 
 
196 ON THE STAFB* 
 
 sent back to the camp. He reported all that 
 had occurred on board of the Harbinger since 
 he had anchored her in the stream off the shore, 
 according to his orders. The absence of the 
 Hipsy had not been noticed till sunrise; for the 
 sentinels had reported the appearance of a steamer 
 on the other side of the river at daylight, and 
 she had occupied the attention of all on deck. 
 
 He reported that three had been killed and 
 nine wounded in the action on the river, and 
 that all the soldiers remaining on board of the 
 New Moon had been saved. The steamer had 
 burned to the water's edge, and had floated down 
 the river with the current. The battle had been 
 fought mainly by Captain Batterson's artillery. 
 
 " It seems to have been a fortunate event that 
 I sent the whole of his company on board before 
 you hauled the Harbinger out into the stream," 
 suggested the commander. 
 
 "It was indeed very fortunate, General Wood- 
 bine," replied Life. " Captain Batterson handled 
 his guns very efficiently, and he was in the midst 
 of his company all the time. He fought the 
 battle, and he deserves all the credit of it; for 
 
AT THE HEADQUARTEES OF THE GENERAL 197 
 
 on our side most of the fighting was done by 
 tlie artillery, and our six guns against the two 
 of the enemy carried the day in our favor. I 
 wait for further orders, General Woodbine." 
 
 He was directed to send the wounded to the 
 hospital ; and Lieutenant Herndon was ordered to 
 carry an order to Major Lyon, requiring him to 
 have the rest of Lieutenant Knox's platoon sent 
 to the steamer to assist in bearing the wounded 
 to the hospital. 
 
 '^ I am glad to see you again. Deck," said 
 Herndon, as he grasped the hand of the absentee ; 
 "but I am sorry to see that you are wounded; " 
 and he rode off to execute his order. 
 
 The wounded of both sides were conveyed on 
 the sacking and beds from the berths of the 
 steamer by the uninjured prisoners and the men 
 of Life's platoon. Dr. Farnwright, who had been 
 sent on board the night before, had attended to 
 the Union sufferers, and was ministering to those 
 of the other side when the order for their removal 
 came. The surgeon superintended this work ; and 
 on his way to the square he passed the general, 
 and saw Deck, with his arm in a sling, at his side. 
 
198 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "How is this, Lieutenant Lyon? You have 
 been wounded, and you have not been near me 
 yet," said the doctor, as he saluted the com- 
 mander. 
 
 " I thought you had enough to do in looking 
 out for those who needed you more than I did," 
 replied Deck. 
 
 "Always considerate," added the commander. 
 " This morning while you were all away, I took 
 possession of Sexton's house, and had him sent 
 to the hospital. I have established my head- 
 quarters there ; and when you are ready to attend 
 to Lieutenant Lyon, you will find him there." 
 
 " I am ready now, and I will go with him 
 there," replied the doctor. 
 
 The horses of those who were on board of 
 the steamer had been brought from the camp, 
 and those of Deck and the surgeon were brought 
 to them. They mounted, and, attended by four 
 cavalrymen, rode to the house. Two mounted 
 men were on duty before it as sentinels. They 
 entered, and found that the general had taken 
 the parlor for his office, and a room up-stairs 
 for his chamber. Finch, his colored servant, was 
 
AT THE HEADQUAETERS OP THE GENERAL 199 
 
 in possession, and two mulatto women were called 
 from the kitchen in the rear. The man directed 
 them to prepare the room in the rear where 
 Sexton had suffered so terribly with rheumatism, 
 for the use of the wounded staff-officer. 
 
 But the doctor could not wait for the room 
 to be made ready, and he attended to Deck's 
 wound in the office. He found that the bullet 
 of the soldier who had hit him had passed diago- 
 nally through the fleshy part of the arm, just be- 
 low the elbow. He made it out to be much worse 
 than Deck had supposed it was, for it had stirred 
 up the nest of muscles and sinews there. It was 
 not a dangerous wound, but it was likely to af- 
 fect the use of the arm for a long time if not 
 well cared for. 
 
 Dr. Farnwright dressed the wound, and then 
 put a splint on the opposite side of the member 
 to prevent the patient from twisting his arm, 
 and then ordered him to keep quiet. Before he 
 had finished his task, his father and his brother 
 Artie rode up to the house, and were admitted, 
 the general having informed them that the lieu- 
 tenant had been wounded. 
 
200 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Good-morning, my son," said Major Lyon, 
 when the surgeon had saluted him. "You have 
 been unfortunate. Dexter," for he never abbre- 
 viated his name, as everybody else did. 
 
 " On the contrary, father, I think I have been 
 very fortunate ; for I have returned without a 
 bullet through my head or heart, and I have 
 brought back the steam-launch," replied Deck, 
 taking the offered hand, and speaking very cheer- 
 fully, though he was still suffering considerable 
 pain from his wound. 
 
 " Sorry to see you with your arm in a sling, 
 Deck," said Artie, taking the patient's right hand 
 when his father released it. " I ought to have 
 been with you when you went off boating." 
 
 "If you had, perhaps you would have come 
 back worse off than I am, if you had come at all," 
 added Deck. 
 
 The surgeon hastened out of the house, 
 mounted his horse, and rode to the square where 
 the hospital was located. The wounded had all 
 been removed, and the prisoners had all been 
 marched up to the buildings which the town coun- 
 cil had set apart for a hospital. There were over 
 
Good-morning, my son,' said Major Lyon." 
 
 Payv 200. 
 
AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE GENERAL 201 
 
 two hundred prisoners of war confined in these 
 buildings. Though the town was hardly more 
 than ten miles from the Tennessee line, it was a 
 strong Union locality ; but there was a considera- 
 ble number of Secessionists in the village and its 
 vicinity. 
 
 The surgeon had explained the nature of 
 Deck's wound to his father, and insisted that he 
 should not use the arm, and the quieter he kept, 
 the better it would be for him. The doctor had 
 hardly departed before General Woodbine and his 
 remaining aid came to the house. The cavalry, 
 except such guards as were required in the town, 
 had been sent back to the camp. There was 
 nothing to do but wait for ordere from General 
 Thomas, who had established his headquarters at 
 Somerset. The orders which had brought Gen- 
 eral Woodbine's force as far as it had advanced 
 to the westward had been countermanded, and he 
 was ordered to wait for further orders where he 
 was. 
 
 " Well, how do you feel. Lieutenant ? " asked 
 the commander as he entered the room. 
 
 " Quite comfortable. General ; though the doc- 
 
202 ON THE STAFF 
 
 tor makes out my wound to be rather worse than 
 I supposed it was," replied Deck. 
 
 "We are likely to have a quiet time for some 
 days, if not weeks ; and we may all take a rest, 
 unless more steamers should be sent up the Cum- 
 berland to forage the country for supplies, or the 
 guerillas break loose in this part of the State," 
 said the general, as he seated himself at his desk. 
 "But I want to hear the rest of your story. 
 Lieutenant. You told me you were driven into a 
 creek to avoid the New Moon." 
 
 "I could not find any landing where I could 
 put Seef and Jake on shore," replied Deck, in- 
 forming his father and brother who these persons 
 were. " It was Seef who told me where this creek 
 was;" and the lieutenant gave all the details of 
 his visit up the stream. 
 
 He stated in what manner Corporal Drye had 
 given him wrong information, because the Confed- 
 erate steamer was concealed in the curve of the 
 river. Seef had behaved so well that he had de- 
 cided to take him and his companion over to Mar- 
 row Creek, and land them there. As the Hipsy 
 came to the mouth of the Tennessee Creek, she 
 
AT THE HEADQTJAKTERS OF THE GENERAL 203 
 
 had encountered the New Moon entering the 
 stream for the evident purpose of concealing her 
 presence from the people of the town. 
 
 " What do you mean by the New Moon, Dex- 
 ter ? " asked Major Lyon, perplexed by the name. 
 " Excuse me for interrupting the narrative, 
 General." 
 
 " You are very excusable, for the name both- 
 ered me when your son mentioned it. The New 
 Moon was the name of the steamer that was 
 burned," replied the commander. 
 
 Deck continued his story. He had attempted 
 to escape in the Hipsy by running by the steamer ; 
 but after some delay, which had afforded him a 
 good turn, she came about and pursued the 
 launch. She opened with musketry upon the 
 little steamer, and followed it later with her field- 
 pieces, one shot from which had nearly wrecked 
 the cabin of his boat. 
 
 He then described the position he had been 
 obliged to take on his back in steering the boat, 
 and stated that he had been wounded while 
 reaching up in holding the spokes of the 
 wheel. He had landed the colored men in the 
 
204 ON THE STAFF 
 
 creek, and came out where he could see tho 
 fight, for he heard the noise of the artillery be- 
 fore. 
 
 " You saw the fight from the levee, and it is 
 not necessary for me to go over that ; hut I hear- 
 tily commend Corporal Drye for his coolness in 
 danger, for his skill as an engineer, and for his 
 readiness and zeal in the discharge of his duty," 
 continued Deck, concluding his narrative, though 
 he was called upon to answer a great many 
 questions. 
 
 " Have you been to breakfast. Lieutenant ? " 
 asked the commander, as though he had just 
 thought of it. 
 
 "I have, sir. We took the meal up Marrow 
 Creek ; and it was cooked by Seef, who is a good 
 cook, as well as engineer, pilot, and jack-at-all- 
 trades," replied Deck. 
 
 " Finch says your room is ready ; and I think 
 you had better take a nap before dinner-time, 
 for you got up very early this morning," said 
 General Woodbine, as he arranged some paper 
 on his desk, and took his pen in hand as though 
 he intended to write. 
 
AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE GENERAL 205 
 
 The lieutenant's father and brother went with 
 him to see his room ; and he concluded to take 
 the commander's advice, for he felt sleepy and 
 tired after the excitement and fatigue of the 
 morning. 
 
206 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 REVIEW OF THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 
 
 After the battle of Mill Springs, Jan. 19, 
 1862, a short season of inactivity followed in 
 Kentucky ; though there were skirmishes, gue- 
 rilla raids, and acts of violence, on the part of 
 angry and overheated partisans. But the State 
 had cast in her lot with the Federal government. 
 The Confederate forces had attempted to make 
 the Ohio River their principal line of defence in 
 this part the country, but had failed. 
 
 No decided demonstration had been made 
 against Louisville, which the enemy desired to 
 possess, not only as a strategetic point, but for 
 the moral effect of holding the principal city of 
 the State. What we have called the Home 
 Guards organizations, designating them as Union 
 or Confederate, received different names ; and the 
 State Guards, though growing out of their posi- 
 tion in the neutral period, had been more prop- 
 
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 207 
 
 erly called the Secession Guards, for almost 
 generally they joined the armies of the South. 
 
 In September, 1861, the military authorities of 
 the State obtained power to require all arms in 
 the hands of associations suspected of disloyalty 
 to the Union, and still remaining in the State, 
 to be surrendered. This was a plan for the de- 
 struction of the State Guards, and to remove the 
 influence which had so far been active in draw- 
 ing the people into the ranks of the enemy. The 
 legislature had appropriated one million dollars 
 for the purpose of raising and arming loyal troops, 
 and the military board was empowered to use the 
 credit of the State to the extent of two millions 
 more for the same object. 
 
 In September the State also called from the 
 people forty-two thousand troops, or about one- 
 half of those remaining within her territory who 
 were of the military age and able-bodied. The 
 legislature required the public offices to be 
 moved out of the reach of the enemy whenever 
 the State was invaded by the Southern army, and 
 prohibited the sale of liquor within five miles of 
 any military camp. 
 
208 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Governor Magoffin, if not an active Secessionist, 
 was in full sympathy with the desire to carry the 
 State out of the Union ; but the people as a rule 
 had a profound respect for the Constitution and 
 the laws, and were disposed to proceed legally, 
 even when self-protection rendered it necessary 
 to disregard the forms, and even the substance, 
 of the law. While foes from without and foes 
 within the State were trampling on the statutes, 
 it was an extremely difficult matter to keep within 
 legal bounds ; the better class of people, the rul- 
 ing influences of the Commonwealth, were still 
 in favor of order. 
 
 The legislature passed many bills for the pro- 
 tection of the State, and the governor vetoed 
 them as fast as they came to him. But the 
 executive was still treated with all the formal re- 
 spect his office demanded. The measures were 
 passed over his veto. He had the right to nul- 
 lify any bill adopted in this manner, and it was 
 very singular that he was permitted to do so with- 
 out insult or interference with his prerogative. 
 But no effort to impeach him, or drive him from 
 his office in any manner, was made. He was 
 
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 209 
 
 closely watched by the loyal men that surrounded 
 him, but he appeared to be guilty of no overt act 
 of disloyalty. 
 
 Governor Magoffin was no doubt an honest and 
 conscientious man, and entirely sincere in his be- 
 lief that the best interests of the State required 
 that it should become a part of the Southern Con- 
 federacy. Though he was confronted by a vast 
 majority of the representatives of the people who 
 passed their measures for the security of Ken- 
 tucky over his vetoes, yet it is an evidence of his 
 honesty that, as the executive of the State, he 
 enforced the laws that were legally enacted in 
 spite of him. 
 
 It was a wonderful manifestation of respect for 
 law, that this curious relation between the gover- 
 nor and the legislature that existed for a year and 
 a half without any attempt of the latter to re- 
 move the former from his office, because the law 
 was so highly respected on both sides. The ex- 
 ecutive retained his office till his tardy conviction 
 of his anomalous position induced him to resign. 
 
 The representatives of the people were also 
 honest, and acted upon their convictions of duty. 
 
210 ON THE STAFF 
 
 To strengthen the hands of the Federal com- 
 manders in the State, the legislature passed a bill 
 requiring information, surveys, maps, and draw- 
 ings, to be handed over to these officers. The 
 governor promptly vetoed this measure, giving as 
 his reason that private property could not be 
 taken without due process of law. His reasoning 
 was convincing to the members, and they receded 
 from their former expression, and there was only 
 a single vote in favor of passing the bill over the 
 veto ; and this was the only veto of the governor 
 that was sustained by the legislature. 
 
 The regular troops of the State were rapidly 
 enlisted and organized, and the discipline and 
 drill of the forces were greatly improved. The 
 Home Guards, now that the State Guards had 
 been eliminated by their retirement into the Con- 
 federate armies, were difficult to control. They 
 were detached local bodies, and were not as con- 
 scientious as the governor and legislature, and 
 had not the same respect for law; for they raided, 
 robbed, and even murdered in some cases, those 
 who sympathized with the South, though the lat- 
 ter were peaceable citizens. 
 
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 211 
 
 " The local disturbances these bodies bred were 
 of more permanent damage to the State than all 
 the large operations of war that were ever carried 
 on within her borders." ^ The first and most im- 
 portant lesson the young people of our country 
 should learn is an earnest and sincere respect for 
 law; and the "Majesty of the Law" should be 
 bowed down to, and held in the highest regard, 
 even when the citizen believes himself individ- 
 ually subjected to injustice. 
 
 Before the end of September twenty-thousand 
 Kentuckians were enlisted, and the troops from 
 the Northern States carried the Federal force in 
 the State up to forty-thousand men. The Con- 
 federates were alive to the importance to their 
 cause of the possession of the State, and they 
 were trying to obtain footholds before the gov- 
 ernment could mass troops enough in the State 
 to resist their advance. The greater portion of 
 Kentucky south of the Green River was held by 
 the enemy, who were pushing out forces towards 
 the more central sections. 
 
 In October General Zollicoffer, with seven 
 
 1 Shaler : "History of Kentucky." 
 
212 ON THE STAFF 
 
 thousand troops, pushed forward towards the 
 central part of the State with the same object in 
 view. In Laurel County he was confronted by 
 the regiment under command of Colonel Garrard, 
 and was held in check till General Schoepff, with 
 six regiments of Ohio, Indiana, and Tennessee 
 troops, and Wolford's cavahy, arrived, and the 
 enemy retired with the loss of thirty killed and 
 about one hundred wounded, while the Federal 
 force liad only four killed and twenty-one 
 wounded ; but the latter held a strong defensive 
 position. 
 
 While the State was the theatre of what Shaler 
 calls " endless skirmishes and cross-roads battles," 
 such as those in which the Riverlawn cavalry 
 were frequently engaged, the Secessionists held 
 a convention, the members of which appointed 
 themselves, or were elected by Kentucky regi- 
 ments in the Confederate army. An ordinance of 
 Secession was passed, and State officers elected. 
 
 The object of this movement was to give the 
 Secession element an apparent show of authority, 
 believing it would stimulate the disloyal in the 
 State, and induce them to make a demonstration 
 
REVIEW OP THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 213 
 
 in favor of the Confederacy. Another object was 
 to persuade the Kentucky regiments in the South 
 that they were actually acting with the State gov- 
 ernment, and fighting for their beloved Common- 
 wealth. But this bogus government soon went 
 over the line into the South, and remained there, 
 waiting two years for the time to come when they 
 could take possession of the government within 
 the borders of the State. It never came. 
 
 The Confederates had hoped to make the Ohio 
 River their line of defence, and of operations 
 against the loyal States on the other side of it. 
 Failing to accomplish this purpose, they adopted 
 another line, including Columbus on the Missis- 
 sippi, Bowling Green on the Big Barren, a branch 
 of Green River, and Mill Springs on the Cumber- 
 land. The movements of the Union army were 
 then directed against this line. Mill Springs had 
 been lost to the enemy by the battle which takes 
 one of its names from this place, but is more prop- 
 erly called the battle of Logan's Cross Roads. 
 
 For nearly three weeks after the battle of Mill 
 Springs, the work of organizing and drilling the 
 Federal troops proceeded in Kentucky. About 
 
214 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the first of February a movement against the 
 western portion of the Confederate line of defence 
 began at Cairo under the direction of General 
 Grant, with Commodore Foote's squadron of 
 Western gunboats. General Buell was engaged 
 in organizing the Army of the Ohio. General 
 Thomas was still at Somerset. General Wood- 
 bine had moved his force along the Cumberland 
 with the belief that he would be ordered to 
 advance from Barkville to support General 
 Mitchell ; but the order had been countermanded. 
 
 This was the situation when the steamer fight 
 occurred on the Cumberland in which Deck Lyon 
 was wounded in the arm. He showed his father 
 and brother the room in the house where General 
 Woodbine had established his headquarters, and 
 they realized with satisfaction that he was in a 
 comfortable apartment. He looked quite pale, 
 for he had lost considerable blood before the 
 wound had been dressed by his companions in the 
 Hipsy. As soon as they had gone, he went to 
 bed in proper form, and did not wake till Finch 
 called him to dinner at one o'clock. 
 
 He dressed liimself, and felt better than in the 
 
REVIEW OP THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 215 
 
 morning, and received a hearty greeting from the 
 commander and Lieutenant Herndon. For some 
 reason the General was not in a talking mood, 
 and seemed to be engaged in deep thought. As 
 soon as the meal was over, he sent Herndon with 
 an order to the camp, and then went to work at 
 his desk. Several sheets he had covered with 
 writing lay at his side ; and it was evident that he 
 was writing a report, doubtless of the capture of 
 the Harbinger and the destruction of the New 
 Moon. 
 
 Deck did not wish to disturb him, and he went 
 to his own room. He found his valise had been 
 brought from the tent at the camp ; and he occu- 
 pied himself in writing a letter to his mother, not 
 very confident when it could be sent, for the mails 
 were irregular. Then he mended some of his 
 clothes that needed repairing, and thus used up 
 most of the afternoon. Then there was a knock 
 at his door, and Finch came in at his call to 
 enter. 
 
 "General Woodbine wishes to see you, Lieuten- 
 ant ; " and he promptly obeyed the summons. 
 
 " How much water does the Hipsy draw. 
 
216 ON TBE STAFF 
 
 Lieutenant Lyon ? " asked the commander as he 
 entered the office. 
 
 "About two feet, General," replied Deck. 
 
 " Not more than that ? " 
 
 " That is what Seef gave me as her draught, 
 and I have no doubt from my own experience 
 on board of her that the statement was correct." 
 
 " What is her present condition ? for I believe 
 you said she had been hit by a cannon-shot from 
 the New Moon," inquired the commander, who 
 evidently desired to make use of her for some 
 purpose. 
 
 " She was hit more than once, and her cabin 
 in the forward part of the launch was consider- 
 ably smashed ; but she is otherwise in good con- 
 dition, and Corporal Drye told me the engine 
 was in first-rate order," answered Deck. 
 
 " Did Dr. Farnwright order you to stay in the 
 house ? " 
 
 "No, sir; on the contrar}^ he directed me to 
 stay out-doore as much as I could, but to take 
 no violent exercise," said Deck. 
 
 " Can you ride your horse ? " 
 
 "The doctor told me I might ride horseback 
 
REVIEW OF THE SITUATION IN KENTUCKY 217 
 
 every day, but I must walk my horse so that the 
 jar might not injure my arm." 
 
 The general called Finch, and sent him to 
 order the lieutenant's horse. 
 
 " You appear to know more about boats than 
 most of our men ; and I want you to go to the 
 chairman of the town council, and ask him to 
 send a force of carpenters to the Hipsy to re- 
 pair the cabin, and do whatever you think she 
 may need. The work must be done to-night. 
 Wait a few minutes till your horse comes. I 
 have written my report of recent events, and I 
 have other matter of greater importance to sub- 
 mit to General Thomas. It seems to me the 
 easiest and safest way to send the documents is 
 by the river, in the Hipsy, and I shall employ 
 Lieutenant Herndon as the messenger. I desire 
 to have you see that the boat is properly coaled, 
 provisioned, and fitted out for the trip this after- 
 noon." 
 
 " I beg your pardon. General, but why do 
 you select Lieutenant Herndon ? " 
 
 " Because you are wounded," replied the com- 
 mander with a laugh. " I should much prefer 
 
218 ON THE STAFF 
 
 to have you go, because you are somewhat ac- 
 quainted with the locality of Somerset." 
 
 " My wound does not disable me for such 
 duty," protested Deck. 
 
 " Go to the hospital, and ask the doctor what 
 he has to say about it, while you are out ; and 
 if he does not object, you shall be the mes- 
 senger." 
 
 Deck mounted Ceph after the steed had 
 greeted his master, and departed on his mission. 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 219 
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 
 
 Ceph received his master with a long and 
 delighted neigh, and Deck patted his neck and 
 rubbed his nose ; but it was not an easy thing 
 for him to mount his steed without disturbing 
 his arm. A horse-block was not an uncommon 
 thing in the South any more than it was in New 
 England, and one of the sentinels led the steed to 
 one at the corner. In cavalry tactics every move- 
 ment in mounting is given, and it is practised till 
 the trooper is thoroughly proficient. 
 
 One point is to grasp a tuft of the animal's 
 mane with the left hand, and this was the part 
 which Deck did not dare to undertake after the 
 instructions of the doctor. He was permitted to 
 ride horseback, but he was advised to mount on 
 the right-hand side of the steed. He was not 
 left-handed ; and mounting on the wrong side was 
 too awkward and heretical for him, and he pre- 
 
220 ON THE STAFF 
 
 ferrecl the horse-block. His left arm in a sling 
 excused him for resorting to this method in the 
 eyes of the reasonable critic, and he was very soon 
 in his seat on the saddle. 
 
 The sentinel wanted to hold the horse ; but 
 Ceph made a row immediately when the trooper 
 took him by the bit, for he did not easily permit 
 it when his master was present, and he would 
 stand still all day when he understood that his 
 master wished him to do so. He appeared to 
 comprehend that his rider was wounded, for he 
 took a long snuff at the injured member. He 
 started at a walk, as though he thought this was 
 the proper thing to do under the circumstances, 
 though he usually went off at a gallop; but this 
 depended upon the word or the signal given 
 him. 
 
 The lieutenant proceeded to the square, where 
 he found the town council in session; and the 
 messenger at the door announced his desire to see 
 the chairman. As an officer on the staff of the 
 general, he was received with proper respect ; and 
 four carpenters soon appeared at the door, armed 
 with their tools. The chairman hoped the lieu- 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 221 
 
 tenant was not badly wounded, to which Deck 
 replied in his usual gentlemanly manner. 
 
 The mechanics were directed to follow the 
 officer to the levee, where the Hipsy was made 
 fast to the Harbinger ; and Life Knox was still in 
 charge of her, with twenty men of his platoon. 
 Sentinels were stationed in different parts of the 
 vessel. Sergeant Sluder had become the pilot, 
 though he knew little about the river, and had 
 been instructed to keep a sharp lookout on the 
 bend of the river for any other steamer that might 
 wish to have a bout with Captain Batterson's 
 artillery. 
 
 The four guns of his company had been taken 
 to the camp and parked there ; but the two that 
 came up the river on the Harbinger still remained 
 on her deck. Life wanted to know what Deck 
 was doing, after he had inquired about his arm ; 
 but he could only tell him that he was ordered to 
 have the steam-launch repaired, for he did not 
 feel at liberty to say anything about the mission 
 on which she was to be sent. 
 
 He had pointed out to the chief carpenter what 
 was to be done to the Hipsy, and the men were 
 
222 ON THE STAFF 
 
 engaged in removing the wreck made by the can- 
 non-shot. The lumber for the work had been 
 ordered on the way down, and it came immedi- 
 ately. A bench was set up on the forecastle of 
 the Harbinger. Deck had not dismounted ; and as 
 soon as the men were at work he went to a coal- 
 yard, and ordered the fuel for the furnace and a 
 quantity of charcoal for cooking purposes. 
 
 The orders for provisions and stores were 
 placed. Deck stood by to see that the carpenters 
 did their work properly. The beds in the cabin 
 of the Hipsy were not first/-class, and the lieuten- 
 ant ordered four berth-sacks and the bedding for 
 as many berths to be put on board from the Har- 
 binger. He had two of them placed in the bow, 
 where there was room enough for them. The 
 carpenters had finished their work by sundown ; 
 and then the coal, provisions, and supplies were 
 stowed away by troopers under the direction of 
 Deck. 
 
 The young officer thought he had done his 
 work, and done it well ; for the Hipsy was ready 
 for her trip up the river. He started to walk his 
 horse back to headquarters, but he had gone but 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 223 
 
 a short distance before he met Seef coming down 
 from the square. He could not help wondering 
 what he was doing in the town among so many 
 soldiers; for he had taken his master down the 
 river when Thornfield gave his information for 
 the benefit of the plundering steamers, for which 
 he was now confined in the county jail. 
 
 " Good-evening, Mars'r Lieutenant Lyon ! " ex- 
 claimed Seef, though he did not presume to offer 
 his hand to the officer. 
 
 " Good-evening, Seef ; I am glad to see you," 
 replied Deck, offering his hand to the contraband; 
 for the man's honesty and fidelity under difficult 
 circumstances had won his regard. " But what 
 are you doing in the town at this time of 
 day?" 
 
 " Missus sent me over to inquire about Mars'r 
 Thornfield ; and I tried to see him, but the guards 
 would not let me go in," answered Seef. " I 
 hope you will let me go into the jail." 
 
 " I cannot let you go in ; no one but General 
 Woodbine can give you a permit to see your mas- 
 ter," added Deck. " I was going up to the hos- 
 pital to see the doctor ; but if you will come 
 
224 ON THE STAFF 
 
 with me to headquarters, I will see what can be 
 done for you." 
 
 " Thank you, Mars'r Lieutenant ; you have 
 been very kind to me, and I will go with you," 
 replied Seef; and he followed the horse of the 
 officer. 
 
 They found the general walking in front of 
 the house, taking his exercise after his long con- 
 finement in his office. Deck stated the errand 
 of his companion in the town, and asked if 
 Seef could be admitted to the jail to see his 
 master. 
 
 "Have you any message for Thornfield?" 
 asked the commander, turning to the servant. 
 
 " No message, Mars'r General, except to tell 
 him that the family are all well, and missus wants 
 to know if he is well and comfortable." 
 
 " Are you sure that is all ? " demanded the gen- 
 eral sternly. 
 
 " Very sure, Mars'r ; that is all I have to say 
 to him." 
 
 " I will allow you to see him, but not alone. 
 Wait a minute. Lieutenant," said the commander 
 as he entered the house. 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 225 
 
 Presently he returned with a paper in his hand, 
 which he gave to Deck. 
 
 " You will go in with him, Lieutenant, and you 
 will not lose sight of them for a moment while 
 they are together," added the commander ; and 
 Deck rode off attended by Seef. 
 
 The permit obtained for them ready permission 
 to see the prisoner ; and as a staff-ofificer the lieu- 
 tenant might have obtained admission for the 
 messenger, but he was very careful not to tran- 
 scend his powers. The Secessionist was very glad 
 to see his servant, who entered first ; but he did 
 not look pleased when Deck entered the cell. 
 Seef delivered his message from the prisoner's 
 wife, and said nothing more than he had stated 
 to the commander. 
 
 "What has become of the launch, Seef?" 
 asked Thornfield. 
 
 " We have taken possession of her," interposed 
 Deck. 
 
 "She is my private property," added the pris- 
 oner indignantly. 
 
 "If you use your private property to carry in- 
 formation to the enemy, we shall confiscate it, as 
 
226 ON THE STAFF 
 
 we have the Hipsy," replied the officer. "If you 
 have any message to send to your family, deliver 
 it to your servant at once." 
 
 " I am a Kentuckian ; and it is an outrage to 
 take my property without any legal process, and 
 I protest against it, for " — 
 
 " You may protest as much as you please, but 
 I have no time or inclination to hear you. You 
 may consider yourself fortunate that you have not 
 been shot as a spy before this time, carrying in- 
 formation to the enemy ; and it may come to that 
 yet, though you led the enemy into a trap." 
 
 " But I " — 
 
 " Not another but, Mr. Thornfield ; and if you 
 have anything to say to your servant, say it 
 quick," said the lieutenant very decidedly. 
 
 He told Seef that he was a close prisoner, but 
 was very well, was fed as well as an inmate of 
 a jail could expect to be, and his bed was good 
 enough. Deck gently pushed the messenger out 
 of the cell and followed him. 
 
 "What do you have to do at your master's 
 house, Seef ? " asked Deck, as he rode back to 
 headquarters with the servant at his side. 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 227 
 
 " Almost nothing, Mars'r ; I'm the overseer on 
 the plantation, and we can't do anything on the 
 fields at this season, it is so wet," replied the in- 
 telligent fellow. 
 
 " Can you get away for two or three days in 
 case I should want you?" Deck inquired. 
 
 "I think so, Mars'r; missus has plenty of ser- 
 vants at home. What to do, Mars'r?" 
 
 "I can't tell you, Seef, yet." 
 
 "When you want me, Mars'r?" 
 
 " To-night." 
 
 " But I must go home, and tell missus that 
 mars'r is all right if he don't get shot," replied 
 Seef, as Deck halted before the hospital, and sent 
 in for Dr. Farnwright to come out. 
 
 Getting out of hearing of the contraband, 
 Deck stated the case to the surgeon in a low 
 tone, warning him not to repeat anything he 
 said. The doctor questioned his patient till he 
 fully understood the duty in which he was to be 
 engaged, and then assented to his going in the 
 Hipsy, but warned him to use the utmost care 
 with his arm. Then he returned to headquarters 
 with the servant at his side. 
 
228 ON THE STAFF 
 
 In front of the house he dismounted, as he 
 had last mounted, on the wrong side, without ex- 
 posing his disabled member to injury. He re- 
 ported to the general that he had obeyed his 
 orders. He had before informed the commander 
 that the Hipsy was all ready for the trip, — 
 coaled and provisioned. 
 
 " I am afraid there is some danger attending 
 this excursion to Somerset, as I judge that you 
 are inclined to regard it, and you must take 
 soldiers enough with you to protect you from 
 an assault," said the general. 
 
 "I don't need many, and the launch will not 
 accommodate much of a force ; half a dozen of 
 us will be enough," replied Deck. 
 
 " Very well ; you can select your own men." 
 
 " They are all on board the Harbinger except 
 one," added Deck. 
 
 "Who is that one?" 
 
 " Seef . He knows the boat, and I suppose he 
 knows the river. I want Corporal Milton, for he 
 is familiar with Fishing Creek." 
 
 " All right ; take whom you please." 
 
 " Seef will be the cook and steward, engineer 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 229 
 
 and pilot also if needed. Now I wish to take 
 the man to his plantation in order to make sure 
 that I have him here in the morning," continued 
 the lieutenant. " The doctor says I am all right ; 
 and I never felt better in my life, except that 
 I must look out for my arm." 
 
 " Manage the matter as you please, Lieuten- 
 ant," added the commander. 
 
 Deck left the house, and Seef was waiting for 
 him outside. He walked to the river with him ; 
 and they went on board of the Harbinger, and 
 the lieutenant called upon Life for Milton and 
 Drye, and stated that he should want Sandy 
 Lyon and Tilford the next morning very early. 
 He then sent Seef to fire up in the Hipsy, tell- 
 ing him that he would take him home. 
 
 By the time the steam was up, Milton and 
 Drye came on board of the launch fully armed. 
 Deck took his supper with Knox, and Seef was 
 provided for, leaving Drye to attend to the en- 
 gine. By half-past seven the boat got underway, 
 and Seef ran her at her best speed. At the 
 usual landing-place for the plantation, the con- 
 traband overseer went to the house. He reported 
 
230 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the condition of the prisoner, but he said nothing 
 of the possibility that he might yet be shot as a 
 
 spy- 
 He did not explain in what manner he had 
 induced his mistress to give him leave of ab- 
 sence for three days, but he said he had it. He 
 wanted to go with Deck, even though he did not 
 know where he was going ; for his kindness had 
 made him a strong friend to the lieutenant. 
 The launch returned to the town, and Corporals 
 Drye and Milton slept on board of her that night. 
 Finch called both the general and the lieuten- 
 ant at five o'clock the next morning; and the 
 former delivered a package wrapped in oilcloth 
 to the messenger, and said some pleasant words 
 to him at his departure. 
 
 When Deck reached the river he found that 
 Seef was getting up steam, though Milton and 
 Drye had not yet turned out. They were called, 
 and Tilford and Sandy Lyon soon came on board. 
 It was still quite dark, but Deck decided that 
 the boat should start as soon as she had steam 
 enough. Corporal Drye was to be the regular en- 
 gineer, and Seef was relieved from duty in that 
 
AN EXPEDITION UP THE CUMBERLAND 231 
 
 capacity, and directed to get breakfast for all 
 hands. As the daylight began to appear in the 
 east, the Hipsy backed out from the levee, and 
 headed up the river. It was just the kind of 
 an expedition which pleased Deck ; for he had 
 all the ordinary boy's fancy for exploits on the 
 water, and he was in his element. 
 
232 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 THE HIPSY UNDER FIRE AGAIN 
 
 Deck Lyon was still only eighteen years old, 
 and there yet remained in him a great deal of 
 the genuine boy. He was past driving hoop and 
 playing marbles ; but he could not conceal from 
 himself that he was fond of boating and riding 
 horseback, and that if the opportunity had pre- 
 sented itself before him, he would have enjoyed 
 a game of base-ball, or to have kicked football 
 in the old-fashioned way as it was played in the 
 country, where barked shins and broken heads 
 were not a necessary part of the sport. 
 
 Bar Creek and Green River, on which River- 
 lawn was located, had been the scene of his prin- 
 cipal pleasures ; for with the other property Major 
 Lyon had received with the plantation were two 
 or three boats. The Magnolia was a large sail- 
 boat, but the boys were not allowed to use that; 
 for the father regarded it as a dangerous play- 
 
THE HIPSY UNDER FIRE AGAIN 233 
 
 thins: for those who were not skilled in the man- 
 agement of such craft ; and when it was used, it 
 was rowed by six stout negroes, who had been 
 trained to the use of the oars by Colonel Duncan 
 Lyon, the original owner of the place. 
 
 But the boys used a small keel-boat called the 
 canoe ; and they had explored the creek and the 
 river with it, and were always delighted with this 
 occupation. In this manner Deck had acquired 
 some skill and experience in the handling of 
 boats. When his duty called him as an officer 
 to use the confiscated steam-launch, he felt quite 
 at home in her, though her motive-power was en- 
 tirely new to him; and his most pleasing occu- 
 pation was his service on the river and creeks, 
 and flying bullets and cannon-balls about his head 
 did not cure him of his propensity for boating. 
 He was not an engineer, though he was theoreti- 
 cally acquainted with the steam-engine in a gen- 
 eral way; and doubtless further sailing in the 
 launch would have made him competent to run 
 the machine. 
 
 It was not altogether because he was fond of 
 boats, and especially of the steam-launch, that he, 
 
234 ON THE STAFF 
 
 rather than Lieutenant Herndon, should be sent 
 on the expedition up the river, but because he 
 was disabled from active duty, and his companion 
 on the staff could be serviceable in the camp. 
 His object was to make himself as useful as pos- 
 sible in his injured condition, and to have a more 
 active person near the commander. 
 
 When he took his place in the standing-room 
 of the Hipsy, Deck Lyon felt that he had re- 
 turned to his element, though he never considered 
 himself out of it when he was at the head of his 
 platoon, or carrying the orders of the general. 
 He went to the wheel, which he could handle 
 very well with liis right hand alone. 
 
 Corporal Drye was the engineer, to be relieved 
 by Seef when not engaged in his active duties 
 as cook and steward. The staff-officer had four 
 corporals in his small command, not chosen be- 
 cause they were non-commissioned officers, but 
 because they were the men he wanted, and with 
 whom he had served in the field. One of the 
 first he had selected was Corporal Winfield Mil- 
 ton, whom he had met when the attack on Mr. 
 Halliburn's mansion had been made by guerillas. 
 
THE HIPSY UNDER FIRE AGAIN 235 
 
 He had lived all his life as boy and man within 
 a few miles of the battlefield of Mill Springs. 
 He was a fisherman for sport, and was familiar 
 with all the creeks and small streams of the coun- 
 try; and for this knowledge, as well as because 
 he was a very intelligent and reUable man. Deck 
 had made him his first choice. 
 
 " I suppose you feel as though you were go- 
 ing home, Corporal Milton," said Deck after the 
 Hipsy was out in the middle of the river. 
 
 "I haven't the least idea where we are going, 
 Lieutenant, and therefore it did not occur to me 
 that I was going in the direction of home," replied 
 the corporal ; and the four of this grade were 
 seated on the divan that surrounded the wheel. 
 
 "Did you ever steer a boat, Milton?" asked 
 the lieutenant, without informing him of the 
 destination of the launch. 
 
 " I have steered the flatboats on the creeks 
 when I have been out fishing. I used to know a 
 fellow who was assistant pilot on a steamboat, 
 and I went down to Nashville on his boat once. 
 I spent a good deal of the time when he was on 
 duty with him, and I saw how the steering was 
 
236 ON THE STAFF 
 
 done ; but that is all I know about it," replied 
 the corporal. 
 
 " The first thing for you to learn on this trip 
 is to steer the launch," added Deck. 
 
 "It looks easy enough." 
 
 "It is easy enough when you know how. I 
 never steered with a wheel till I tried it in this 
 boat day before yesterday ; so I am not much 
 ahead of you, though I am used to keel-boats," 
 continued the lieutenant. 
 
 " I got some idea of the thing when I was on 
 the trip with Gookill ; but he would not let me 
 steer the boat," Milton explained. " I think I 
 could do it after a little practice." 
 
 " I am sure you could." 
 
 " When you pull the top of the wheel towards 
 you, it turns the boat to the left," said the cor- 
 poral. 
 
 "You can see the tiller, and the tiller-ropes 
 that lead from the drum of the wheel to the end 
 of it. When I pull the wheel over towards me, it 
 winds up the rope on the drum from the opposite 
 side, and that draws the tiller towards the port 
 side, and that is putting the helm to port. When 
 
THE HIPSY UNDER FIRE AGAIN 237 
 
 I turn the wheel from me, it winds up on the 
 other side, and puts the tiller over to the star- 
 board side," Deck demonstrated, illustrating his 
 remarks with the movements of the wheel. 
 
 " I see what you mean. When you want to go 
 to the left, you put the wheel to port." 
 
 " No, you don't ! " exclaimed the lieutenant. 
 " You put the tiller in the opposite direction from 
 that you wish to go. Starboard the helm sends 
 the boat to port." 
 
 "I see; I have got it now," said Milton, quite 
 delighted with his proficiency. 
 
 " If you do, you may take the wheel," added 
 Deck. 
 
 It was fairly daylight by this time, and the 
 Hipsy was in the middle of the river. The cor- 
 poral rose from his seat, and took his place on the 
 starboard, or right-hand side, of the wheel, laying 
 hold of the spokes. " Though you could steer 
 the boat standing on that side, I believe it is the 
 rule to stand on the port side," Deck interposed. 
 "I always sat on the port side when I steered a 
 boat on Bar Creek, and it comes handy to me to 
 be on that side." 
 
238 ON THE STAFF 
 
 The corporal took his place on the left ; and for 
 an hour Deck instructed him in all he knew about 
 steering with a wheel, which was not much. By 
 this time he had got the hang of the wheel, and 
 steered very well. He was pleased with the occu- 
 pation, and had given his whole mind to it. He 
 was not only intelligent, but he was ingenious, 
 and could readily see into what was perplexing 
 to most men. 
 
 "Breakfast on the table, Mars'r," said Seef, 
 coming aft. " Shall I take the wheel, Mars'r 
 Lieutenant? " 
 
 "I will stay here while you eat your breakfast," 
 interposed the corporal. 
 
 "I am not quite willing to leave you at the 
 helm alone, Milton, till you have had a little more 
 experience," Deck objected. " Seef will steer 
 while the rest of us are at the table." 
 
 "All right. Lieutenant," replied the corporal as 
 he yielded the wheel to the steward. 
 
 "After a while we shall come to water where 
 you will be the only man on board who is com- 
 petent to pilot the boat," added Deck, as they 
 went forward to the cabin. 
 
THE HIPSY UNDER FIRE AGAIN 239 
 
 Seef had evidently " laid himself out " on the 
 breakfast, for the table would not have disgraced 
 any decent hotel. His facilities for cooking were 
 on a limited scale ; but his ham and eggs looked 
 as nice as though they had been cooked by 
 Diana, — not Dinah, as she insisted upon adding 
 when she gave her name, — the housekeeper at the 
 Riverlawn mansion. The coffee, with its color 
 changed by the addition of milk this time, was 
 also as nice as though the coffee-pot had been 
 presided over by the same immaculate Diana, not 
 by Dinah, who was Deck Lyon's belle-ideal of 
 a cook. 
 
 The ship's company, including those who were 
 simply marines, praised the principal dish and 
 the coffee, both in their speech and by the quan- 
 tity they consumed. Corporal Sandy Lyon, a 
 cousin of Deck, who had followed his father into 
 the Confederate forces, but had run away with 
 his brother in disgust before the enemy's supplies 
 arrived at Bowling Green, hinted that he should 
 like to know where the expedition was bound. 
 He had done his duty faithfully, and had fought 
 bravely on the field, and had earned his promo- 
 
,240 ON THE STAFF 
 
 tion in the Union service ; but Deck did not 
 open his mouth. 
 
 " Boat coming out from the Tennessee shore ! " 
 shouted Corporal Drye from the engine, as he 
 walked towards the cabin-door. 
 
 " What does she look like ? " asked the lieu- 
 tenant, who was seated next to the door at the 
 head of the table. 
 
 " There are not less than six men in it, and 
 perhaps more," replied the engineer. "It is a 
 large flatboat, and it came out of a creek some 
 distance ahead of us. I reckon some of the peo- 
 ple that live along the river here would like to 
 get hold of this boat, for she would be very use- 
 ful to them." 
 
 " Are they soldiers ? " asked Deck. 
 
 " I reckon they are ; but I'm not sure of it. 
 For the last half-hour they could see only Seef 
 and me in the boat, and I reckon they think it 
 is a good chance for them to get her," replied 
 Drye, as he took another look at the flatboat. 
 " They are pulling their boat to a point just 
 ahead of the Hipsy." 
 
 By this time all at the table had finished 
 
THE HIPSY UNDER FIRE AGAIN 241 
 
 their breakfast, and rose from their seats on the 
 transom, where the beds were made up at night. 
 
 " Sit down again ! " exclaimed the lieutenant 
 ver}'- decidedly. " Not a man must show himself 
 without orders." 
 
 The men were curious to see the approaching 
 boat, but they promptly obeyed the order. Deck 
 did not claim to be a strategist ; but others, includ- 
 ing General Woodbine, gave him the credit of 
 considerable skill in that direction. He seemed 
 always to know what to do when an emergency 
 came, and the three corporals with him saw he 
 had a plan in his fertile brain. Drye went back 
 to the engine, and continued to observe the flat- 
 boat. 
 
 After shovelling more coal into the furnace, 
 he went to the cabin and borrowed Deck's field- 
 glass, which he brought to bear upon the craft. 
 He looked at her attentively for some minutes. 
 He made out two things, — that the men wore 
 the gray uniform, and that they were provided 
 with muskets, which he reported to the lieuten- 
 ant. A little later he discovered three more 
 men in the flatboat, who had perhaps been asleep 
 
242 ON THE STAFF 
 
 on the bottom before, of which he also informed 
 his officer. 
 
 " Corporal Milton, do you think it probable 
 that the news of our fights with the steamers has 
 travelled up the river as far as this? " asked Deck 
 in the cabin. 
 
 " How far up the river have we come. Lieu- 
 tenant?" asked the corporal. 
 
 " The current is against us, but I should say 
 about fifteen miles," replied Deck after consult- 
 ing his watch. 
 
 " I would wager two catfish against a doodle- 
 bug that people on both sides know about our 
 two fights with the steamers," replied Milton, tak- 
 ing from his pocket half a sheet of a newspaper, 
 and pointing out a full account of the affairs to 
 the lieutenant. 
 
 " When was this issued ? " 
 
 "I got it yesterday morning, and probably it 
 has gone all over the county by this time," an- 
 swered the corporal. 
 
 Deck looked over the article. It was an extra 
 of a Union paper ; and near the end of it, the 
 Hipsy was mentioned by her full name in stating 
 
THE HIPSY UNDEK FIRE AGAIN 243 
 
 how the fight with the New Moon had begun. 
 It reported, that the steam-launch had been taken 
 by the Union forces. 
 
 " If we are only fifteen miles from Barkville, 
 that paper has been read in nearly every white 
 man's house in this vicinity," said Milton, as 
 Deck returned the paper to him. 
 
 "What boat's that?" demanded a voice from 
 outside, just as the lieutenant finished his hasty 
 examination of the extra. " Tell him she is the 
 Hipsy of Marrow Creek," he added, opening the 
 door he had closed before just wide enough to 
 permit him to speak to the engineer, who had 
 deemed it wise to shelter liis body behind the 
 engine. 
 
 " We want that boat ! " yelled the same voice. 
 
 " You can't have her ! " replied Corporal Drye 
 in the same vigorous tone. 
 
 There were two square windows on each side 
 of the cabin, and one in the forward end. The 
 lieutenant had forbidden his men to look out at 
 these openings when they attempted to do so. 
 Seated on the transom, their heads could not be 
 seen ; and Deck would not exhibit his force till 
 
244 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the occasion required. Seef had imitated the ex- 
 ample of "mars'r" at the wheel by lying down 
 on the floor of the standing-room, and steered 
 with the wheel over his head. 
 
 Drye hurried the boat all he could ; and as 
 she was passing the flat a volley of musketry 
 was fired into her, but no one was hit. Milton 
 was ordered to fire from the window over his 
 head, and the man who was steering with an 
 oar dropped into the bottom of his boat. 
 
END OF THE AFFAIR WITH THE FLAT 245 
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 
 THE END OF THE AFFAIR WITH THE FLAT 
 
 Though the volley fired from the flatboat had 
 harmed no one on board of the Hipsy, the enemy, 
 as the nine men had by this time proved them- 
 selves to be, brought their boat about, and pur- 
 sued the launch astern of her. They had done 
 no injury before for the simple reason that they 
 could see no one on board ; four of the party being 
 in the cabin with the door closed, the engineer 
 concealing himself behind the upright engine, and 
 the helmsman lying on his back under the wheel. 
 
 " This won't do ! " exclaimed Lieutenant Lyon, 
 as he realized the situation of his little force, with 
 the flat astern of the Hipsy in such a position 
 that the enemy could rake her fore and aft ; and 
 they were now firing as fast as their flint>locks 
 could be loaded. " Tell Seef to come about, and 
 head the launch for the Kentucky shore, Cor- 
 poral Drye." 
 
246 ON THE STAFF 
 
 He opened the door just enough to permit him 
 to speak to the engineer ; but the glance enabled 
 him to see the craft astern more clearly than he 
 had observed it before through the open window, 
 which was not more than nine inches square. 
 
 "Did you see the boat, Lieutenant?" asked 
 Milton. 
 
 " Very distinctly," replied Deck. " She is very 
 long, and sits lightly on the water. She has six 
 men at the oars ; and they are sending her ahead 
 at great speed for such a craft, and I should say 
 they were making six miles an hour." 
 
 " There are not many of that kind of boats on 
 this part of the river, but I have seen one of them 
 catch up with a steamer," added Milton. 
 
 " It must have been a very slow steamer," re- 
 plied the lieutenant. " We are not making more 
 than eight miles an hour against the current, 
 though Drye is hurrying her now." 
 
 As he spoke, two bullets came through the door 
 of the cabin, one of them smashing the lantern 
 that was suspended over the table, and scattering 
 the glass on the heads of the men. 
 
 '•'• That looks like business," said Corporal Til- 
 
END OF THE AFFAIR WITH THE FLAT 247 
 
 ford — who was a man of forty, and was regarded 
 as a sort of veteran, for he had seen more service 
 than most of the party — with a smile, for he 
 seemed to have no idea of the sensation of fear. 
 
 " Very like business, Tilford ; and at this rate 
 we shall be picked off in time, though none of us 
 have yet been hit," added Deck, as he opened the 
 door a little so that he could observe the present 
 situation ; for Seef had brought the boat about, 
 and she was now moving towards the north shore. 
 
 But the long boat had followed suit, and was 
 still pursuing the launch, the oarsmen straining 
 themselves to the utmost. The enemy had not 
 come about as readily as the Hipsy had done, 
 and they had lost some of the distance that sepa- 
 rated the two combatants, and Deck saw the flat 
 over the starboard quarter of the launch. The 
 ruffians were too busy with their oars just then 
 to make a good use of their muskets ; though two 
 of the extra men who had been counted, one of 
 whom had fallen before the shot of Milton from 
 the window in the stern, were still using their 
 weapons, though with no effect, for they could see 
 no one on the little steamer. 
 
248 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Don't go out, Lieutenant Lyon ! " exclaimed 
 Milton, as Deck opened the door enough to per- 
 mit his passage into the waist; you will cer- 
 tainly be shot if you show yourself ! " 
 
 "I can't help it if I am ; I can't stand this any 
 longer. We shall be shot if something is not 
 done," replied Deck, as he stooped low, and went 
 into the waist. 
 
 He placed the engine between liimself and the 
 enemy, and advanced to the side of the engineer. 
 
 " Have you got on all the steam she will bear, 
 Corporal ? " he asked. 
 
 " I think so ; at any rate, I will not risk any 
 more, for I had rather be shot than blowed up, as 
 the less of two evils," replied Drye, keeping him- 
 self behind the boiler as the long boat changed 
 her relative position. " Seef knows this machine 
 better than I do; if you will let me steer the 
 boat, and call him to the engine, I think we shall 
 do better." 
 
 " We are moving at more than eight miles an 
 hour across the current, and you are going fast 
 enough," added Deck, as^ an idea seemed to take 
 sudden possession of his active brain. 
 
END OF THE AEFAIR WITH THE FLAT 249 
 
 Stooping as low as he could and move, he 
 crawled mto the standing-room, and placed him- 
 self at the side of Seef. The flat, as the craft is 
 generally called, sat low in the water, so that the 
 enemy while seated could not see over the rail of 
 the launch. Deck cautiously raised his head to 
 obtain another sight at the flat, for he was intent 
 upon the execution of the plan he had in his head. 
 It was moving diagonally with the course of the 
 river towards the Hipsy, and not more than a 
 hundred feet distant from her. 
 
 " Come about as short as you can, Seef, and 
 head her for the Tennessee shore," said the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " I can't see anything outside from here, Mars'r," 
 replied Seef, as he tlirew the wheel over. 
 
 " That's all right, Seef ; you steer as I tell you, 
 and don't raise your head where it can be seen by 
 the enemy," added Deck, as he saw the boat com- 
 ing about. 
 
 Then he crawled forward, as the launch was 
 still swinging, as far as the engine, where he 
 stopped to take another view of the flat from the 
 friendly shelter of the boiler. 
 
250 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " We are coming about, Lieutenant," said Cor- 
 poral Drye wlien the officer was at his side. 
 
 " Exactly so, and I intend to make an end of 
 that fiat before she is ten minutes older than she 
 is now," answered Deck, with his teeth set firmly, 
 as though he was bent on some desperate purpose. 
 
 But he was not in a talking mood just then ; 
 and he gave his whole attention to the enemy, 
 who seemed to be very much perplexed by the 
 movements of the Hipsy, and just then they 
 seemed to be jawing with each other angrily, as 
 though there was a decided difference of opinion 
 among them. In the wrangle they were neglect- 
 ing their own boat, and even the two men in the 
 bow had ceased to fire in their interest in the dis- 
 cussion ; but they were loading their muskets, and 
 presently resumed the work for which they had 
 been stationed forward. 
 
 " The ruffians are disputing about what they 
 had better do," said Deck. 
 
 " We have not lost a man yet, and I hope we 
 shall not," replied the engineer. "Those fellows 
 might as well shoot with a gridiron as with those 
 old flint-locks." 
 
END OF THE AFFAIR WITH THE FLAT 251 
 
 "I don't intend to lose a man," answered Deck, 
 as he lay down, and crawled forward to the door 
 of the cabin. 
 
 The launch had now come about far enough 
 to be headed directly towards the flat, and was 
 still a hundred feet from it after the circuit she 
 had taken in coming about. But the eight men 
 in the other boat were evidently beginning to 
 realize that they were swallowing their own heads 
 in abandoning both their oars and their muskets. 
 
 They appeared to conclude that as the Hipsy 
 was headed directly towards them, it was useless 
 for them to row ; and they suddenly grasped their 
 muskets, and opened a brisk fire upon her. The 
 flat was now in the current ; and though the rob- 
 bers attempted to stand when they fired, the boat 
 was evidently too unsteady for them to do so, as 
 the flow created something like small rollers on 
 the surface. 
 
 The lieutenant opened the door of the cabin, 
 and left it so, as the enemy's craft was not di- 
 rectly ahead, and there was no danger to the 
 party inside. In the waist, on the flooring at the 
 bottom of the launch, was the furnace on which 
 
252 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Seef did the cooking. It was a cast-iron affair, 
 not much larger than an ordinary bucket (there 
 are no pails in the West), lined with fire-brick, 
 in which a charcoal fire was made. It rested on 
 a stand of wood about four feet square, covered 
 with sheet-iron to prevent the boat from being 
 set on fire. 
 
 Deck's attention was directed to this stand, as 
 he had no use for the furnace ; and he called 
 out Milton and Tilford just as a bullet passed 
 through the forward part of the cabin, and lodged 
 in one of the small beams overhead. He di- 
 rected the two men to remove the furnace, and 
 set the stand up edgewise. 
 
 "Corporal Drye," called the lieutenant. 
 
 "Here, sir." 
 
 " Tell Seef to come about again." 
 
 The launch began to turn once more ; and Deck 
 at the right time directed the two corporals for- 
 ward to move the stand to the bow, where it was 
 placed with the sheet-iron outside, against the 
 front of the cabin. Remaining on the bottom of 
 the boat, where they could not be seen by the 
 enemy, they adjusted and secured this screen. 
 
END OF THE AFFAIR WITH THE FLAT 253 
 
 Then they crawled back to the cabin-door, and 
 went in. 
 
 "Corporal Drye, tell Seef to come about again, 
 and head the launch directly for the flat; and I 
 will tell him how to steer." 
 
 Deck heard the engineer deliver his order to 
 the helmsman, and then closed the cabin-door. 
 Moving aft, he joined the engineer when the boat 
 had come about, keeping the boiler between him- 
 self and the enemy, who were industriously load- 
 ing and firing their muskets. They could see 
 no one on board of the Hipsy ; for Deck had in- 
 sisted from the beginning that not a man should 
 show his head above the rail, which non-nauti- 
 cal readers should understand means the upper 
 part of the sides of the boat; and the firing had 
 thus far hurt no one. 
 
 " Now give her all the speed you can. Cor- 
 poral Drye," said Deck ; and the engineer threw 
 more coal into the furnace. 
 
 " Starboard a little ! " called the lieutenant to 
 the pilot. " Steady ! " 
 
 The last word meant " Keep her as she is ; " 
 and Seef was familiar with these technical words. 
 
254 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I see what you are driving at, Lieutenant," 
 said the engineer with a smile. 
 
 " All right, then keep her moving ; but keep 
 your hand near the safety-valve, for she may 
 come to a sudden halt," added Deck. 
 
 " I don't believe she will," answered Drye de- 
 cidedly ; and he was much more familiar with 
 steamboats than the officer in command. 
 
 All the ruffians in the flat had boated their 
 oars, and were using their muskets diligently; 
 and, as the Hipsy came nearer the enemy, the 
 bullets rattled against the iron screen in front 
 of the cabin, and not a few struck the boiler, 
 but fortunately the iron of both was strong 
 enough to resist them. Without the precautions 
 the lieutenant had taken to protect them, cer- 
 tainly one-half of the party, if not the whole of 
 them, would have been killed or wounded. 
 
 Neither Deck nor Drye was disposed to talk 
 any more ; though they were not dismayed by the 
 rattle of the bullets, but were in a lively state of 
 expectancy. When it was too late, the ruffians 
 seemed to come to a realizing sense of what the 
 officer in command of the boat intended to do ; 
 
END OF THE AFFAIR WITH THE FLAT 255 
 
 and they seized their oars in desperation. But 
 some of them pulled one way, and some the other, 
 in their confusion and terror; and their efforts 
 tended to keep the flat where she was, rather than 
 take her out of the impending peril. 
 
 The engineer had all the steam he could use, 
 and he used it all. The screw flew around as 
 though it had a fit, and the launch darted ahead 
 with the active current as though it was in full 
 sympathy with Deck's movement. 
 
 " Hold on ! " shouted the ruffian in the stern 
 of the boat who had been using a steering-oar. 
 " You will run us down ! " 
 
 The lieutenant vouchsafed no reply to this cry, 
 and a moment later the Hipsy struck the flat with 
 her sharp bow ; but the collision did not stop her, 
 as Deck supposed it would, but cut her in halves 
 as neatly as a big knife could have done it, and 
 passed over her, leaving the parts on each side 
 of her. 
 
 One man climbed into the launch over the bow, 
 but the others were all thrown into the water. 
 The Hipsy continued on her course as though 
 nothing had happened, while the escaping steam 
 
256 ON THE STAFF 
 
 hissed and roared so that the cries of the ruf- 
 fians in the river could scarcely be heard. 
 
 "Come about, Seef ! " called the lieutenant. 
 " You can stand up now, for there is no danger ; " 
 and the contraband stood up like " a man and 
 a brother." 
 
 The three corporals came out of the cabin, 
 and moved aft. Of course they were delighted 
 with the result of the affair. 
 
 "Excuse me for saying so. Lieutenant, but 
 you managed this thing mighty well ! " exclaimed 
 Tilford. 
 
 " That's so ! " added Milton. 
 
 " So say we all of us ! " Corporal Sandy Lyon 
 chimed in. 
 
 " Thank you ; but this is no time for compli- 
 ments," replied Deck. 
 
IN THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT COMMANDER 257 
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 
 IN THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT COMMANDER 
 
 The soldiers on board of the Hipsy, with the 
 exception of Corporal Drye at the engine, had no 
 idea of what was coming till the launch struck 
 the long boat; and even Seef, who was steer- 
 ing the boat, did not suspect the design of the 
 lieutenant, for he was lying on his back, with his 
 head against the after stanchion of the wheel. 
 When he could see anything outside of the boat, 
 it was over the stern. 
 
 In obedience to the order of Deck, the helms- 
 man had brought the launch about. The engi- 
 neer had let off steam till the boat ceased to 
 shake and tremble as though she were going to 
 pieces. Those who had come out of the cabin 
 were looking at the seven ruffians in the water; 
 for Deck applied this term to them because they 
 seemed so much like the villains who had at- 
 tempted to mob and burn the mansion of his 
 
258 ON THE STAFF 
 
 father, and with whom the battle of Riverlawn 
 had been fought. 
 
 They were clinging to the wreck of the flat. 
 Their oars were floating about them, and doubt- 
 less their muskets had gone to the bottom of the 
 river. They were evidently alarmed at their sit- 
 uation, for some of them were shouting for help. 
 One of them had lost his hold upon the wreck, 
 and was struggling in the water at a little dis- 
 tance from the others as though he could not 
 swim. The rest of them did not go to his assist- 
 ance, and possibly none of them could swim. 
 
 "Head her for the wreck, Seef," said the lieu- 
 tenant as soon as the launch had been brought 
 about ; for after it had passed over the flat the 
 Hipsy had gone some two- hundred feet while 
 those on board of her were coming to a realizing 
 sense of what had occurred. 
 
 " Some of those fellows will drown if we don't 
 pick them up soon," said Deck as he stood near 
 the engineer. 
 
 " Are you going to pick them up. Lieutenant ? " 
 asked Corporal Drye, apparently surprised at the 
 remark of the commander of the expedition. 
 
IN THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT COMMANDER 259 
 
 " Certainly I am ; do you think I would let 
 them drown before my face and eyes ? " replied 
 Deck. 
 
 " They are all Confederates, and ruffians at 
 that," added the engineer. 
 
 " No matter what they are ; they are human 
 beings." 
 
 " They got into the scrape, and I should let 
 them get out of it as they can," growled Drye. 
 
 " Were you in favor of letting those on board 
 of the New Moon burn to death or drown?" 
 
 " Well, no ; that was different." 
 
 " I don't see that it was. The soldiers on 
 board of her got into the scrape themselves, and 
 Captain Batterson might as well have said that 
 they might get out of it as they could," argued 
 the lieutenant. " He did not say so, but did the 
 utmost he could to save every man in peril ; and 
 we did the same in the Hipsy." 
 
 "These fellows are ruffians and villains, and 
 they came off to steal the launch from you." 
 
 "Precisely as we stole the Harbinger from the 
 enemy." 
 
 " I suppose you are right. Lieutenant Lyon ; 
 
260 ON THE STAFF 
 
 but somehow I can't look at these ruffians as 
 regular soldiers, carrying on war upon Christian 
 principles," added the corporal, evidently ashamed 
 of the position he had taken. 
 
 " They are not regular soldiers ; but I cannot 
 stand by and see seven men drown before my 
 eyes. I am afraid I should have bad dreams if I 
 did such a thing," said Deck, as the boat was 
 approaching the scene of the disaster. 
 
 " It is lucky for them that you are in command. 
 Lieutenant," replied Drye, relapsing from a growl 
 to a smile. 
 
 " Go forward, all of you," continued Deck, ad- 
 dressing the three corporals who stood in the 
 waist. "Haul in those men as fast as you can, 
 for we have lost time enough in this business." 
 
 The trio of corporals obeyed the order, and in 
 a few minutes the ruffians were dragged into the 
 launch. There were eight of them now, includ- 
 ing the one who had climbed into the launch at 
 the time of the collision. 
 
 " They are in the majority now on board, and 
 they may try again to capture the launch," sug- 
 gested the engineer while the others were forward. 
 
IN THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT COMMANDER 261 
 
 "They have lost their muskets in the smash, 
 and they are hardly in fighting condition," replied 
 Deck, though the idea made an impression upon 
 him. 
 
 He was disabled himself, though he could use 
 his revolver, and Seef was a non-combatant: the 
 remaining four left the ruffians two to their one ; 
 and even without arms they could make a great 
 deal of trouble. But all the corporals were 
 fully armed, and brought their usual weapons 
 on board. 
 
 " All in ! " shouted Tilford, when they had 
 rescued all the party from their moist situation. 
 
 " Keep them where they are ! " returned the 
 lieutenant. " Now, Seef, head the boat for the 
 Tennessee shore ; for we won't spill them out in 
 Kentucky. Do you know a good landing-place? " 
 
 "I can see the mouth of the creek where that 
 flat came out," replied the helmsman ; and he 
 threw the wheel over, and directed the Hipsy to 
 the point he indicated. 
 
 " Excuse me, Seef, but it just occurs to me that 
 you have not been to breakfast yet! " exclaimed 
 Deck. 
 
262 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I'm not starving, Mars'r," replied the pilot 
 with a cheerful grin. 
 
 " But go and get your breakfast at once, and I 
 will steer while you are getting it. You can fire 
 up the furnace again, and cook something for 
 yourself. As you go forward, ask Tilford to help 
 you return the furnace stand where it belongs, 
 and tell the corporal I wish to speak to him." 
 
 The lieutenant took the wheel with his right 
 hand, and fixed his eyes upon the opening the 
 contraband had pointed out to him. The three 
 men forward assisted in moving the screen, and 
 Tilford presented himself at the wheel. 
 
 " Those ruffians number two to our one, Cor- 
 poral, and three of you must watch them closely. 
 Have your revolvers ready for instant use," said 
 Deck. 
 
 " I noticed some of them whispering together," 
 replied the veteran, as he was often called in 
 his company ; not that he had been longer in the 
 service than some of them, but because he was 
 an older man. 
 
 " Put your revolver where you can place your 
 hand on it at once, and tell the other of our 
 
IN THE PRESENCE OE A GEEAT COMMANDEE, 263 
 
 men to do the same. Now go back, and keep 
 your eyes wide open tight all the time." 
 
 The corporal hastened forward, having thrust 
 his revolver into his belt. His companions fol- 
 lowed liis example at a sign he gave them ; but 
 he called them back into the space between the 
 rail and the cabin, for he perceived that the 
 weapons were in a convenient position to be 
 seized by the prisoners if they wished to attempt 
 a demonstration. 
 
 Seef did not delay to cook bacon and eggs 
 for his breakfast, or even to heat up the coffee- 
 pot, but returned to the wheel with part of his 
 breakfast in his hand. He took the. helm, con- 
 tinuing to eat till he had finished the meal. It 
 was not a great distance to the south side of 
 the river, and the wheelman soon brought her 
 to a landing-place in the creek. Deck went for- 
 ward where he could see the ruffians leave the 
 boat. 
 
 But they did not appear to be willing to go 
 on shore. Milton advanced nearer to them, tell- 
 ing them to jump ashore. Suddenly the leader 
 of the gang sprang upon him, and, as the vet- 
 
264 ON THE STAFF 
 
 eran had suggested, attempted to get hold of the 
 revolver in his belt. He found he had tackled 
 the wrong man ; for Milton was a stalwart fellow, 
 and hit the ruffian a blow on the head with his 
 fist which knocked him back into the fore-sheets. 
 The rest of them sprang to his assistance as he 
 advanced again ; and then a ball from Deck's 
 revolver dropped him, and he did not move 
 again. Milton fired at the next man, and he 
 joined his leader in the bottom of the launch. 
 
 The rest of them were intimidated by this 
 quick work, and fell back. 
 
 " On shore, or we will shoot the rest of you ! " 
 shouted Tilford. 
 
 At this point Seef rushed forward with the 
 spare tiller in his hand, and wanted to take part 
 in the affray ; but he was too late to be of any 
 service, and Milton took the tiller from him, and 
 with it hastened the movements of the conspir- 
 atore, knocking them on the head or the shins 
 as was most convenient to him. 
 
 But the ruffians were in a hurry by this time, 
 and they soon tumbled out of the boat. Milton 
 and the others lifted the two who had fallen 
 
IN THE PRESENCE OF A GREAT COMMANDER 265 
 
 over the rail without knowing whether they were 
 dead or only wounded. Seef had hastened to 
 the wheel as soon as he saw that he was not 
 needed; but he had proved that he was a Union 
 man at heart, and was willing to assist the loyal 
 soldiers. 
 
 " Back her, Drye ! " called Deck to him as 
 soon as he had grasped the spokes ; and the 
 engineer started the screw. 
 
 The launch backed away from the shore, and 
 then went ahead into the river again. The course 
 up-stream was renewed, and the former routine 
 was restored. Long as it has taken to relate the 
 occurrences, not more than half an hour had been 
 consumed in the struggle. Of course the party 
 felt happy in the fact that they had beaten the 
 enemy without the loss of a man, and without a 
 wound on the person of any one of them. Til- 
 ford seemed to like the bow of the launch ; and 
 he placed himself there as though he desired to 
 view the scenery, consisting most of the time of 
 high banks ; but Deck instructed him to keep a 
 sharp lookout for enemies. 
 
 The others gathered in the standing-room, and 
 
266 ON THE STAPF 
 
 talked over the exciting events of the morning. 
 Doubtless the Hipsy was coveted hy many who 
 saw her from the shores as she went up the river, 
 but no other attempt was made to capture her. 
 At noon Milton was directed to take the wheel, 
 and Seef went forward to get dinner. 
 
 The distance in a straight line from Barkville 
 to the point on the river which Deck wished to 
 reach was not more than thirty-five miles ; but 
 the bends in the stream increased it to over fifty, 
 and the objective point of the lieutenant was 
 nearly reached at noon. The locality was more 
 familiar to Deck than lower down ; and when he 
 passed the great bend, where he had seen four 
 deserters from the Confederate army drowned, 
 and where Knox and himself had crossed the 
 stream when they set out on their spy trip into 
 Tennessee, he looked for old Cuffy the ferryman, 
 but he was not to be seen. 
 
 "I suppose you know where we are, Lieuten- 
 ant Lyon," said Milton. 
 
 "I think I do," replied Deck. 
 
 " Yonder is the mouth of Fishing Creek, and 
 Mill Springs is on our right," continued Milton. 
 
IN THE PEESENCE OF A GREAT COMMANDER 267 
 
 " Dinner is all ready, gentlemen ! " called Seef 
 from the waist, where he did the cooking. 
 
 " Keep it hot for fifteen minutes, Seef," re- 
 turned the lieutenant. 
 
 " Now you can see the mouth of Fishing Creek 
 very plainly," said the wheelman. 
 
 " Perhaps I have not mentioned it before, but 
 we are bound up that creek," said Deck. 
 
 " Up Fisliing Creek ! " exclaimed Milton. 
 
 " We will tie up at the mouth of it for dinner," 
 added the lieutenant. 
 
 At the place indicated, the helmsman ran the 
 bow up to a tree, where Tilford made fast the 
 painter to it. All hands then went into the cabin 
 for dinner. Beefsteak was the principal dish, 
 and it was very tough ; but soldiers were trained 
 to use their jaws, and they were glad enough 
 to get beef at all, and they did not complain. 
 'With potatoes, coffee, and bread, and a few con- 
 diments, it was a better dinner than had been 
 set before them for a long time. 
 
 "How deep is Fishing Creek, Corporal Mil- 
 ton ? " asked Deck when the party had taken the 
 rough edge off their hunger. 
 
268 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "It varies from four feet down to one." 
 
 "How far up can you take the Hipsy?" 
 
 " To the Hudson Road. But you have not 
 told me where you wish to go, and I cannot 
 tell you where it is best for you to land," rephed 
 Milton. 
 
 "I wish to go to Somerset," replied the lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 " Then we need not go up Fishing Creek at all. 
 If you go up that stream, you will have to walk 
 about twice as far as you will if you follow the 
 river to the ford on the Monticello Road, only a 
 mile from Somerset." 
 
 "Then we will go to the ford ; " and when Til- 
 ford had cast off the painter from the tree, the 
 launch continued a mile and a half farther up the 
 stream. 
 
 At the ford the lieutenant had Seef brush his 
 uniform, and hooked on his sabre at the belt. 
 Corporal Milton was appointed to go with him, 
 and they walked up the road together. In half 
 an hour the staff-officer stood in the presence of 
 General Thomas. 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 269 
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 
 ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUIMBERLAND 
 
 Lieutenant Lyon's staff uniform procured 
 him prompt admission to the presence of Gen- 
 eral Thomas, who had just gained the battle of 
 Mill Springs, the first decided victory in the 
 West ; he was then a brigadier-general, and he 
 had won but a tithe of the distinction which 
 awaited him. He was a Virginian by birth ; but 
 he belonged to the whole nation, and when others 
 forgot it, and remembered only the State in 
 which they were born or resided, he was a man of 
 broader views, and remained faithful in the ser- 
 vice for which his country had prepared him. 
 
 He was a noble-looking man, tall, and with a 
 heavy frame, but with a mild and pleasant ex- 
 pression on his face which won the hearts of 
 those with whom he came in contact, as it did 
 the writer's when he had the honor to be pre- 
 sented to him upon the platform on which Gen- 
 
270 ON THE STAFF 
 
 eral Grant had just been inaugurated President 
 of the United States. At the same time he was 
 introduced to half a dozen others of the most dis- 
 tinguished commanders of the War of the Rebel- 
 lion. 
 
 Thomas was the beau-ideal of a soldier, and 
 he was as large and noble in his soul as he was 
 in his splendid physique ; and not a few regarded 
 him as the ablest military commander of the war, 
 though he was never placed in the position to di- 
 rect the movements of the entire army, as were 
 Grant and McClellan. 
 
 He received Lieutenant Lyon pleasantly, but 
 with his native dignity ; and his winning smile 
 was on his face when he took the papers from 
 General Woodbine, and looked in the eye of the 
 young man who delivered them. In fact, he re- 
 garded him with no little attention; but Deck 
 had schooled himself for this occasion, and was 
 careful that he displayed his form at his full 
 height, and kept his head erect as a soldier should. 
 But he was modest while he did not depreciate 
 himself, and he could not have made himself look 
 otherwise if he had tried. 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 271 
 
 " Lieutenant Lyon, I think was the name an- 
 nounced to me," said the general, after he had 
 looked over the bearer of despatches. 
 
 " Lieutenant Lyon, General, a messenger from 
 General Woodbine, whose despatches I have just 
 delivered," replied Deck, with liis most graceful 
 bow. 
 
 " He is down the river now. I suppose you 
 found the roads still very muddy on your ride 
 here. Lieutenant," added the commander, as he 
 pointed to a camp-stool for the messenger, and 
 seated himself upon another. 
 
 " I did not come by the roads, but by the 
 river," replied Deck, as he seated himself after 
 the commander had done so. 
 
 "By the river?" repeated the general inter- 
 rogatively, and not with an exclamation. " Have 
 you steamers at your camp on the river?" 
 
 " We have one, a rather large one, and we de- 
 stroyed one the other day ; but I made my trip 
 in a steam-launch, which is now at the ford on 
 the Monticello Road." 
 
 " But where did you get your steam-launch ? " 
 
 " It was taken from a spy who was using it 
 
272 ON THE STAFF 
 
 to convey information to the enemy," answered 
 the messenger. 
 
 " Had you any difficulty in making your way 
 up the river ? " 
 
 " A little ; a gang of nine ruffians from the 
 Tennessee side attacked us not far from Baker's 
 Town," replied Deck; and he related the result 
 of the affair. 
 
 " You made short work with them," added the 
 general with a smile. " How many men had 
 you, Lieutenant ? " 
 
 "I had four corporals, and a colored man who 
 is the servant of the spy now in the jail." 
 
 " They were two to your one, then." 
 
 " Yes, sir ; but I could not stop to bother with 
 them, and made an end of the business in a hurry. 
 We picked up the men when their boat was cut 
 in halves, and landed them in their own State. 
 They made another fight when we landed them, 
 and we were obliged to shoot a couple of them." 
 
 " I have heard of you before. Lieutenant Lyon ; 
 and Woodbine told me about your affair with a 
 company of Confederate cavalry who wanted one 
 of our trains. I am glad to see you. You be- 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 273 
 
 long to the Riverlawn Cavalry, who have rendered 
 important service in suppressing guerillas and 
 other foragers. Now, if you will amuse yourself 
 for half an hour, I will look at your despatches, 
 and write a letter to Woodbine." 
 
 Deck bowed ; and the commander called a lieu- 
 tenant on his staff, and introduced the messenger 
 to hira. They left the tent together, and were 
 soon well acquainted. Lieutenant Blood pointed 
 out to him some of the localities of the late battle 
 that were in sight ; but he did it mechanically, 
 as though it were an old story to him. 
 
 " Didn't I hear you say something about a 
 steam-launch to the general, in which you came 
 up the river. Lieutenant ? " asked the officer. 
 
 " I spoke of such a boat ; and I came up the 
 river in the Hipsy, as she is called." 
 
 " Where is the Hipsy now ? " he inquired with 
 more interest than he had spoken before. 
 
 Deck told him where she was ; and Lieutenant 
 Blood pointed to half a dozen horses saddled and 
 bridled, and picketed near the headquarters for 
 use as needed. He proposed to ride down to the 
 river, for he desired very much to see the launch. 
 
274 ON THE STAFF 
 
 They galloped down the road, and in a few 
 minutes reached the river. The four corporals 
 were on shore ; and, giving the reins to them, they 
 boarded the boat, and Deck showed the officer 
 over her. 
 
 " I have a steam-launch of about that size at 
 Louisville where I live ; and that accounts for 
 my interest in the Hipsy. But it is time for us 
 to return," said Lieutenant Blood ; and they were 
 soon at the headquarters. 
 
 When they went to the general's tent they 
 found him walking up and down in deep thought. 
 But he had finished his letter, and handed it to 
 the messenger. 
 
 " I want to see General Woodbine more than 
 I can explain to you, Lieutenant Lyon, and you 
 must bring him to headquarters in your steam- 
 launch ; for that is a good way to get about in this 
 country while the roads are in such bad condi- 
 tion," said General Thomas. 
 
 "I am at General Woodbine's orders," replied 
 Deck. " I will take my leave now, if you have 
 no further instructions to give me." 
 
 " None ; I am very glad to have seen you, and 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 275 
 
 we may meet again," added the commander, bow- 
 ing him out. 
 
 Lieutenant Blood put him and Corporal Milton 
 on a couple of horses, and rode with them to the 
 river, though the latter modestly kept behind 
 them. Deck shook hands with the officer, and 
 they embarked at once, their horses let loose to 
 find the way back to the camp. Tilford hauled 
 in the painter, the Hipsy backed away from the 
 shore, came about, and began her voyage down 
 the river with Milton at the wheel. It was half- 
 past two by Deck's watch; and if the trip was 
 not interrupted as it was in coming up, he ex- 
 pected to make the distance in about six hours. 
 
 Fortunately no ruffians appeared to intercept 
 them ; Seef was in charge of the engine, and 
 was instructed to make his best time. He did 
 so, and the Hipsy came alongside the Harbinger 
 a few minutes past eight. Deck hastened to the 
 general's headquarters without the loss of a 
 moment, and delivered the letter of which he 
 was the bearer. 
 
 " You made a quick trip. Lieutenant," said 
 the general, after he had read the letter. 
 
276 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Not so quick as it would have been by half 
 an hour if we had not been attacked on the river," 
 replied Deck; and he was obliged to repeat the 
 story of the encounter with the ruffians, to which 
 the commander listened with the deepest interest. 
 
 "You were very prompt and decided with 
 them, Lieutenant, as you always are; and served 
 them right, for they were nothing but bush- 
 whackers, and wanted the launch for guerilla 
 raids on this side of the river. You have done 
 good service, and I thank you for it," said Gen- 
 eral Woodbine, inviting him to be seated. " Now, 
 Lieutenant Lyon, I want you to repeat the trip 
 at once, with me as your passenger." 
 
 "I obey your orders, whatever they are, Gen- 
 eral," replied Deck. " When do we start ? " 
 
 " About one o'clock in the morning ; and you 
 had better go to bed now, and get all the sleep 
 you can. The doctor is coming this evening to 
 see your arm. Who shall go with you this 
 time ? " 
 
 "Seef and the same four corporals," replied 
 Deck; and he retired to his room, and put him- 
 self between the sheets. 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 277 
 
 The commander then sent Finch to the door 
 to call in two of the mounted sentinels there, 
 who presently came into the office. He directed 
 one of them to ride to the Harbinger, and order 
 Lieutenant Knox to retain Seef and the four cor- 
 porals on board of the steamer, send them to bed 
 at once, and have them in readiness for service 
 at one in the morning. 
 
 Then he sent the other to the hospital to in- 
 form Dr. Farnwright that Deck was ready to see 
 him, and then to find the man who kept the tin- 
 and-stove shop, and require his presence at head- 
 quarters immediately. Deck was tired after his 
 day's work, for he was not as tough as he would 
 be when fully grown ; and he dropped asleep as 
 soon as he struck the bed, but Finch awoke him 
 when the doctor came. After a little chat, the 
 surgeon examined his arm, and dressed the wound 
 again. He said it was doing finely, and evidently 
 had not been disturbed during the day. 
 
 " I have not used my left arm at all, and 
 steered the launch with the right alone," said 
 Deck. 
 
 " Very well ; and if you are as careful as you 
 
278 ON THE STAFF 
 
 have been, your arm will be all right in less than 
 a week," added Dr. Farnwright, taking leave of 
 his patient, who turned over and went to sleep 
 again. 
 
 Then the surgeon looked in at the office, and 
 saw Pottle, the tin and sheet-iron worker, there. 
 He had just come; and the general was describ- 
 ing the furnace stand of the launch to him, used 
 as a screen to keep the bullets of the enemy 
 from penetrating the woodwork of the cabin. 
 
 " I want three of them, made of the thickest 
 sheet-iron you have," added the commander. 
 
 "I have the thickest there is made," replied 
 Pottle. 
 
 " Have you any workmen in your employ ? " 
 
 "I have three men that I call in when I need 
 them ; but there is not business enough for me 
 to keep them all the time," replied the tinman. 
 
 "Drum them up immediately, and as many 
 carpenters to make the frames," said the com- 
 mander rather impatiently. "• I must have these 
 screens by midnight." 
 
 Pottle promised that they should be ready and 
 on board of the Harbinger at the time designated. 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 279 
 
 He hurried away, wondering what great enter- 
 prise was now engaging the attention of the 
 commander, who went to his chamber as soon 
 as the man left. 
 
 Probably he did not sleep as soundly as the 
 lieutenant on the lower floor of the house. 
 Whether he did or not. Finch called both of the 
 sleepers at half-past twelve. Horses and a guard 
 were at the door waiting for them, and in fifteen 
 minutes they were on the deck of the Harbinger. 
 The screens were there, and so were Seef and the 
 four corporals. Knox had caused the Hipsy to 
 be hauled alongside the forecastle ; and the three 
 screens, which were larger than that for the fur- 
 nace, were placed around the cabin, though they 
 could be moved to more exposed points if needed. 
 
 Seef had procured the provisions and supplies 
 for the trip, as Knox had directed him. The 
 general asked Lieutenant Lyon if they had not 
 better take more men, but Deck thought they 
 would only be in the way. The commander 
 delivered a letter to Lieutenant Knox for Major 
 Lyon, in which the command of the force was 
 passed over to him during his absence. 
 
280 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Promptly at the appointed time, the launch 
 backed away from the steamer, and then pointed 
 her bow up the river, with Seef at the engine, and 
 Milton at the wheel, the latter being better ac- 
 quainted with the river than any other person on 
 board. The general went into the cabin, which 
 Seef had lighted, and lay down in one of the 
 berths; and the lieutenant did the same in the 
 other. They had six hours before them in which 
 they could do nothing better than sleep. 
 
 " I telegraphed to the general that I should be 
 at the ford at seven o'clock to-morrow morning," 
 said the commander. " They are keeping the 
 wires in order, and I think he will get the mes- 
 sage." 
 
 They went to sleep to the music of the thump- 
 ing screw. The three corporals not employed 
 stretched themselves on the cushions of the divan 
 in the standing-room, covered themselves with 
 the blankets brought from the state-rooms of the 
 Harbinger, and went to sleep. The pilot had 
 nothing to do but keep the Hipsy in the middle 
 of the river. 
 
 Seef, as he had been instructed, kept the boat 
 
ANOTHER TRIP UP THE CUMBERLAND 281 
 
 going at her usual rate till daylight in the morn- 
 ing, occasionally talking with the pilot. A little 
 later, Seef declared that there were a lot of men 
 and horses at the ford, which he could see half a 
 mile ahead. Milton called the sleepers near him, 
 and asked Tilford to wake those in the cabin. 
 Deck looked at his watch, and saw that it was 
 quarter of seven, and an escort was waiting for 
 the general at the landing-place. 
 
282 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 
 DECK FINDS THE RIVER BLOCKADED 
 
 General Woodbine was received at the ford 
 by the officer commanding the escort, and con- 
 ducted to the headquartei'S of General Thomas; 
 and of course Lieutenant Lyon accompanied him. 
 After breakfast came the conference between the 
 superior officers, and Lieutenant Blood took Deck 
 in charge again. He was on the staff of the com- 
 manding general, and probably he knew more 
 about the intended movements of the army than 
 Deck ; but he was quite as discreet as that young 
 officer, and he had no news to tell beyond what 
 was current in the army. 
 
 But it was no secret that an attempt would 
 be made to break the line of defence the Confed- 
 erates had established through the length of Ken- 
 tucky. The iron-clad gunboats of Commodore 
 Foote were at Cairo ; and some of them had made 
 a reconnaissance up the Tennessee River, and had 
 
DECK FINDS THE EIVER BLOCKADED 283 
 
 obtained the bearings of Fort Henry, which was 
 the first of the enemy's works east of Columbus 
 and Hickman on the Mississippi River. The 
 next was Fort Donelson on the Cumberland, and 
 then Bowling Green. The fortifications in the 
 vicinity of Mill Springs had been rendered useless 
 by the defeat and dispersion of General George 
 B. Crittenden, who should not be confounded 
 with Thomas L., the Union general. 
 
 It was understood that this line of defence 
 should be still further broken at the two strong 
 forts upon which the enemy relied to hold the 
 West, and there was floating in the air of the 
 various camps a rumor of stirring military events 
 in the near future. Deck Lyon had the impres- 
 sion that the visit of General Woodbine to Somer- 
 set had something to do with a general moving 
 of the Army of the Ohio, though he had no idea 
 of its nature. 
 
 After breakfast the two generals were alone 
 at the headquarters of General Thomas, and they 
 talked about matters that were not understood 
 outside of the tent of the commander. They 
 were friends of long standing, and had been stu- 
 
284 ON THE STAFF 
 
 dents at West Point together; but Thomas had 
 remained in the army, while Woodbine, after 
 creditable service in Mexico, had resigned, and 
 made a considerable fortune in New York, and 
 then settled in Eastern Kentucky, where he had 
 become one of the influential men of the section. 
 
 " Woodbine, I can't stand it any longer to 
 leave you in command of such an inadequate 
 force as you have at present," said General 
 Thomas, with the pleasant smile playing about 
 his mouth. " You are competent for bigger 
 things ; and I cannot forget your good work in 
 the battles at Monterey and Buena Vista, and 
 you must have your sphere enlarged." 
 
 " I obey orders, as I • always did," replied 
 Woodbine. 
 
 " You accepted your commission at the eleventh 
 hour; but it is absurd for a brigadier-general to 
 remain in command of three companies of cav- 
 alry and a battery," added Thomas ; and as in- 
 timate friends they dropped their titles when 
 alone. 
 
 "But I respectfully submit that my small 
 command has rendered good service since its or- 
 
DECK FINDS THE EIVER BLOCKADED 285 
 
 ganization. The fact is that I am not ambitious 
 for military distinction ; and nothing but a war 
 for the preservation of the Union, which I be- 
 lieve in with all my mind, heart, and soul, would 
 have drawn me away from my mountain home." 
 " I know you are a patriot of the highest 
 order, Woodbine ; and the service you have ren- 
 dered on the river, as well as at Mill Springs, 
 is important, and I have commended you prop- 
 erly in my reports," replied Thomas. " But I 
 must give you a full brigade; for my conscience 
 will not permit me to allow you to waste your 
 talent in petty affairs. We are on the eve of 
 important operations, and you must not hide your 
 light beneath a bushel." 
 
 " A farthing candle ! " exclaimed Woodbine. 
 "You may depreciate yourself, but I cannot." 
 "I am very well satisfied with my command." 
 " Perhaps you are, but I am not. I shall not 
 be satisfied till you are in the position to which 
 your present rank, concealed for months before 
 you accepted your commission, entitles you. Gen- 
 eral Buell is still engaged in organizing the Army 
 of the Ohio; and I am not yet prepared to state 
 
286 ON THE STAFF 
 
 what your command will be, though I think I 
 know where you are most needed. By the way, 
 you have made a pet of that squadron of Ken- 
 tucky cavalry which came into the service with 
 "a local name." 
 
 " The Riverlawn Cavalry, after the name of 
 the plantation owned by the major in command," 
 replied Woodbine, manifesting more interest than 
 he had before displayed. " That squadron has 
 been busily employed since the command was 
 mustered in. They have nearly cleaned out the 
 guerillas and foragers in this part of the State, 
 and saved a vast amount of property from being 
 carried over to the enemy." 
 
 " I know something about this squadron," 
 added Thomas. " A portion of it under the com- 
 mand of a smart young fellow saved a long train 
 of supplies the enemy needed even more than 
 we did." 
 
 "That young fellow came up to see you yes- 
 terday as my messenger." 
 
 "Lieutenant Lyons ! Was he the one?" 
 
 " He was ; I have frequently commended him 
 in my reports. Though he did not make him- 
 
DECK FINDS THE RIVER BLOCKADED 287 
 
 self conspicuous in the fights with the steamers, 
 he did more than any other single person to bring 
 about the capture and destruction of the enemy's 
 river craft. He is only eighteen, but he is a vet- 
 eran in his judgment." 
 
 " He must be promoted," added Thomas. 
 
 " He was made a first lieutenant when he came 
 upon my staff, and he had better not be promoted 
 again so soon." 
 
 " Just as you say. Woodbine ; but I will try to 
 remember him." 
 
 " I have no doubt you will be reminded of him 
 as soon as active operations are resumed. " 
 
 " You may return to your command, but you 
 must be prepared for a better position than you 
 have now. I am in communication with General 
 Buell, and I shall send j^ou orders as soon as 
 possible. It is now the first of February, and 
 something will be done very soon." 
 
 "If I am to have a brigade, I only hope, 
 though I do not ask it, that the Riverlawn Cav- 
 alry will be attached to it; and Batterson's bat- 
 tery is a very efficient one," added Woodbine 
 with a smile. 
 
288 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " I shall do the best I can for you." 
 
 Then the subject of the two hundred prisoners 
 that General Woodbine held at Barkville was con- 
 sidered. General Buell had already ordered them 
 to be sent to the prison camp near Chicago as soon 
 as it could be ascertained that the Louisville and 
 Nashville Railroad was open to the Ohio. 
 
 " I mentioned Thornfield in my report ; what 
 shall be done with him?" asked General Wood- 
 bine. 
 
 " I should hardly regard him as a spy, and you 
 may send him off with the other prisoners of 
 war," replied the superior. 
 
 They talked all the forenoon, and then dined 
 together, while Deck was cared for in the mess 
 of the staff. General Thomas rode down to the 
 river with his guest after the meal, and saw him 
 embark for the return. 
 
 " I hope you will not be fired into by the 
 guerillas who want that launch, " said General 
 Thomas, as the boat shoved off. 
 
 " The craft is an ironclad," replied General 
 Woodbine, pointing to the screens that sheltered 
 the cabin, 
 
DECK FINDS THE RIVER BLOCKADED 289 
 
 " They may have seen the launch coming up 
 the river, and may be on the lookout for its re- 
 turn." 
 
 " We came up in the night, and they would 
 not have been likely to see her." 
 
 " They are birds of the night, and I advise 
 you to keep a sharp lookout," added General 
 Thomas, as he waved his adieus to his friend. 
 
 "Have you been to dinner, all hands?" asked 
 the general as the Hipsy moved down the river. 
 
 " We have. General, and are in good condi- 
 tion for anything," replied Milton, who had 
 known the commander before he joined the 
 RiverlaAvns. 
 
 It was about two o'clock in the afternoon 
 when the launch got under way at the ford. 
 For four hours she continued on her course 
 without interruption ; but just as it was begin- 
 ning to grow dark. Corporal Tilford, who smoked 
 his pipe in the bow most of the time, shouted 
 that there was something like a boat in the 
 middle of the stream. 
 
 Deck hastened forward to ascertain what the 
 object was, taking his field-glass from its case 
 
290 ON THE STAFF 
 
 as he did so. He brought the instrument to 
 bear upon the boat, if it was one, though it did 
 not look like one to him as seen with the naked 
 eye. 
 
 "Where are we now. Lieutenant?" inquired 
 the general, joining him in the bow. 
 
 " Off Rock House, Seef said it was yester- 
 day ; just where we had the fight," replied 
 Deck. 
 
 " Probably the same ruffians that wanted the 
 launch yesterday want it to-day," added the 
 commander. " Can you make out what the craft 
 is?" 
 
 "It looks more like a large raft than a boat 
 of any kind," replied the lieutenant after he had 
 examined the object with the glass. " It is an- 
 chored in the middle of the river; and there is a 
 flat alongside of it, with which it was probably 
 towed out from the Tennessee shore. There is 
 something on this end of the raft which I can- 
 not make out yet. In the middle of the thing 
 there is a breastwork of logs, and whatever men 
 there may be on the raft are behind this wall of 
 wood." 
 
DECK FINDS THE EIYER BLOCKADED 291 
 
 The Hipsy continued on her course, with the 
 eyes of all hands fixed upon this obstruction to 
 the passage of the boat, for which it had evi- 
 dently been moored in its present position. But 
 it was still half a mile distant; and the affair 
 could not yet be clearly defined, though there was 
 light enough for that purpose. 
 
 "I hardly expected any interruption to our 
 voyage ; though I know that the woods on the 
 south side of the river are full of men, looking 
 more for plunder than to serve the Confederacy," 
 said the general after the lapse of several min- 
 utes. 
 
 "Now I make out the black thing I saw be- 
 fore, and I am satisfied it is an iron cannon, 
 which the blockheads have placed on this end of 
 the raft instead of behind the breastwork ; but 
 their stupidity makes it all the better for us," 
 added Deck when he had made out the gun. 
 
 "We are hardly in condition to face artillery," 
 suggested the commander. " But I leave you to 
 manage the affair. Lieutenant Lyon. Perhaps 
 you had better run back a mile or two, and wait 
 till it is dark enough to pass it." 
 
292 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " I don't like the idea of running away from 
 these bushwhackers," replied Deck, with a good 
 deal of contempt in his tones. "If you leave 
 the matter to me, I shall go ahead till I know 
 more about the situation. We have no idea how 
 many men there are behind that breastwork." 
 
 The Hipsy went ahead a few minutes longer, 
 when the stillness of the evening hour was 
 interrupted by a peal from the gun on the 
 raft. 
 
 " Good ! " exclaimed Deck, as the ball struck 
 the water at least an eighth of a mile from the 
 launch. " If that's the sort of gunners they 
 have we may go on our way without minding 
 them." 
 
 " They may do better next time," added the 
 general quietly. " They have some way to dis- 
 charge the gun from behind the logs. Besides, 
 they did not aim the piece at all." 
 
 Possibly the ruffians were ashamed of their 
 bad practice with the big gun, and they opened 
 upon the launch with muskets ; but with these 
 they did no better, and not more than half a 
 dozen shots were fired, all of which fell short of 
 
DECK FINDS THE EIVER BLOCKADED 293 
 
 the boat. They soon fired again, and this time 
 only six discharges could be counted. 
 
 "It is the same gang that attacked the launch 
 yesterday, or rather what there are left of them," 
 was the deduction Deck drew from the facts. 
 " Now, General Woodbine, if you will oblige me 
 by taking a seat in the cabin, I will soon make 
 an end of this business." 
 
 " Take a seat in the cabin ! " exclaimed the 
 commander, laughing. " In the iron-clad cabin I 
 Do you think. I am a poltroon to run away in 
 the face of the enemy ? You ought to know me 
 better, Lieutenant ! " 
 
 "A general officer is not expected to expose 
 himself unnecessarily in a battle, General ; be- 
 sides, your life is of more importance than those 
 of all the rest us," replied Deck very deci- 
 dedly ; but he could not induce the commander 
 to accept his advice. 
 
 The lieutenant called all hands except Seef to 
 the bow of the boat, with their carbines and re- 
 volvers. 
 
 " Hurry her up, Corporal Drye ! Head her for 
 the raft, Seef ! " excitedly shouted Deck ; and he 
 
294 ON THE STAFF 
 
 saw that liis men in the bow were safely crouch- 
 ing on the bottom of the boat. 
 
 The enemy continued to fire their muskets, 
 but they could not come out from their shelter 
 to load the cannon again, Seef was protected 
 from the bullets by the boiler, as was the en- 
 gineer. The result of the ordei-s given was to 
 drive the bow of the Hipsy into the raft, where 
 she penetrated far enough to hold her in posi- 
 tion. 
 
RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE RAFT 295 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII 
 
 THE RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE RAFT 
 
 The ruffians behind the breastwork on the raft 
 could not be seen from the Hipsy, where the men 
 were concealing themselves below the gunwale ; 
 and even General Woodbine had been reasonable 
 enough to go into the cabin, which was protected 
 by the screens he had caused to be made for the 
 purpose. It was useless for the troopers to fire 
 their carbines, and Lieutenant Lyon did not order 
 them to do so. 
 
 "Have your sabres in hand, and your revol- 
 vers ready to use with the left hand," said Deck, 
 as the launch approached the raft. " Leap on the 
 raft, and then over the breastwork ! " 
 
 "We will be there! " replied Milton. 
 
 Corporal Drye, who had the engine, had placed 
 his sabre within reach, and his revolver in the 
 left of his belt; for he heard the order of the 
 lieutenant. Deck had looked over the gunwale, 
 
296 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and had obtained some idea of the construction 
 of the raft. It consisted of several logs placed 
 lengthwise upon a number of shorter ones. The 
 ruffians had evidently depended upon the iron 
 cannon to do their work for them, and had not 
 taken into account the frailty of the craft upon 
 which they made the venture. 
 
 If the raft had been well constructed and the 
 defence well managed, it would have been a for- 
 midable adversary for the Hipsy; but the lieu- 
 tenant could not help wondering at the amazing 
 stupidity of the ruffians in placing the gun where 
 they could not use it after the first shot without 
 exposing themselves to the carbines of the cav- 
 alrymen. They probably relied upon the iron 
 cannon to do all the work for them at a single 
 discharge, without considering that they were not 
 gunners. If the shot from the ancient piece had 
 struck the hull of the launch, it might have ac- 
 complished all they expected of it; but it had 
 come nowhere near the boat. 
 
 Corporal Drye had driven the Hipsy at full 
 speed ; and she had inserted her sharp bow be- 
 tween a couple of the long logs, and spread them 
 
RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE RAFT 297 
 
 far apart, so that she went a third of her length 
 into the frail structure. The engineer stopped 
 the engine, and opened the safety-valve when 
 she had gone as far as she could, and then seized 
 his sabre. 
 
 " Now board her ! " cried Deck, as he con- 
 trived by stepping from a box upon the rail, and 
 then upon the deranged logs, to be the first one 
 on the raft. 
 
 The ruffians had just discharged their mus- 
 kets as the Hipsy came within twenty feet of the 
 breastwork; but the men were not seen, and the 
 shots were wasted, as all the others had been. 
 The ruffians were reloading their muskets when 
 the launch struck the raft. With his injured 
 arm Deck could not climb over the breast of logs 
 as his men did ; but he heard the clash of the 
 sabres and the reports of the revolvers. 
 
 Looking for a way to place himself on the 
 other side of the log fence, he sheathed his 
 sabre, and found a point at the end of the de- 
 fence to work his body around it, though liis 
 disabled arm had nearly caused him to fall over- 
 board. But the fight was nearly finished when 
 
298 ON THE STAFF 
 
 he reached the scene of the encounter. He had 
 an opportunity to strike a single blow at one of 
 the ruffians that came at him with a clubbed 
 musket, and dropped him on a couple of others 
 who had fallen. 
 
 General Woodbine left the cabin as soon as he 
 heard the order to board, and appeared on the 
 raft with his revolver in his hand, while Deck 
 was working around the end of the breastwork ; 
 but he was too late to use his weapon, and did 
 not understand the plan of the lieutenant. The 
 fight behind the logs had lasted hardly more 
 than a minute after the combatants came to close 
 quarters ; for the ruffians were practically power- 
 less asfainst the sabres in the hands of the well- 
 trained troopers. 
 
 As soon as Deck had disposed of the only one 
 of them that confronted him, he looked about 
 him. Not one of the enemy was on his feet. 
 In the faces of the dead and wounded he recog- 
 nized some of the men whom they had seen the 
 day before, and found that he had correctly es- 
 timated the number from the shots they had 
 fired. He was just beginning to work his way 
 
The fight behind the logs lasted hardly more than a 
 
 minute." 
 
 Page 298. 
 
RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE EAFT 299 
 
 back around the breastwork when Corporal Mil- 
 ton, calling for the assistance of his companions, 
 tumbled the logs down ; and he walked over a 
 cleared space made for him, for half the mate- 
 rial had been thrown into the river. 
 
 " You have done your work with desperate 
 haste, Lieutenant," said the commander, as they 
 met at the side of the iron gun. 
 
 " We had no time to dawdle over the matter," 
 replied Deck, as he wiped liis sabre with a 
 paper which had doubtless been brought off for 
 wadding for the gun. " In a case like this dis- 
 cipline wins the day, and enables us to do our 
 work quickly." 
 
 " I had no idea that the affair would be so 
 soon over," added the general. " What is the 
 condition of the enemy ? " 
 
 " They are in no condition at all ; for two of 
 them, I judge, are dead, and the other four are 
 wounded and disabled," replied Deck. "Milton, 
 just bouse that iron gun into the river," he 
 added, as he saw the men gathered near him. 
 " That piece shall not be used again against the 
 soldiers of the Union." 
 
300 ON THE STAFF 
 
 The troopers rolled the naval carriage on 
 which the gun was mounted to the edge of the 
 raft, and dumped it into the water with a tre- 
 mendous splash. The lieutenant then directed 
 the men to shove the Hipsy out of the aper- 
 ture she had made in the logs, which was not 
 very easily done, for she had wedged herself very 
 tightly into her position. But with some poles 
 they found on the raft, it was pried out, and 
 brought alongside. 
 
 "What next?" queried the general, with a 
 smile that could hardly be discerned in the gath- 
 ering gloom of the hour, for he seemed to be 
 pleased with something. 
 
 " I think I have completed the work you gave 
 me to do when you directed me to manage this 
 affair, and I am ready for further orders," an- 
 swered Deck, saluting the commander from the 
 force of habit. 
 
 " You may keep on managing till we are 
 alongside the Harbinger," returned the general. 
 
 His first order was for his men to convey 
 the four wounded ruffians to the waist of the 
 launch ; but the commander declared that he 
 
RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE RAFT 301 
 
 should not use the cabin any more, and that 
 he put them in it, which was done. Deck then 
 found a couple of rocks which had been used to 
 block a log on the raft behind the gun-carriage, 
 and then ordered Corporal Drye, who was more 
 of a sailor than any of the rest of them, to 
 make them fast to the bodies of the dead, and 
 cast them into the river. 
 
 "We can't spend the time to take them on 
 shore and bury them," he said to the commander, 
 as he gave the order. 
 
 "In ordinary times it would not be allowable 
 to throw the dead into the river; but you will 
 moor them on the bottom, where they can do 
 no harm," replied the general, as he went on 
 board of the launch, and seated himself in the 
 standing-room. 
 
 "Have you a hatchet, Seef?" asked Deck, as 
 he followed the general officer. 
 
 "I have a shingling-hatchet, Mars'r," replied 
 the contraband, as he brought it from the waist. 
 
 The boat was then swung round till it was 
 beside the forward end of the raft, when Deck 
 handed the hatchet to Milton, and told him to 
 
302 ON THE STAFF 
 
 chop off the cable of the floating fort. It was 
 done, and the current started it down the river. 
 
 " What's that for, Lieutenant ? " asked the 
 commander. 
 
 " So that we need not run over the raft if 
 we should happen to come up the river again 
 in the Harbinger or the Hipsy," replied Deck, 
 as he seated himself by the side of the general. 
 
 " You are very thoughtful for a young man," 
 added the commander. 
 
 By eight o'clock the launch was alongside the 
 Harbinger, on whose forecastle a lantern was 
 hung up, while the general's escort was on the 
 beach ; for since the lieutenant's cap had received 
 a bullet through it, it was not considered pru- 
 dent for officers to go about the town in the 
 evening unattended. 
 
 Lieutenant Knox saluted the general as the 
 boat came alongside the steamer, and was or- 
 dered to send eight of his men on board of the 
 Hipsy. When they came, the four wounded ruf- 
 fians were moved to the deck of the steamer, 
 and Knox was directed to send them to the 
 prisoners' hospital. 
 
RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE EAFT 303 
 
 " You have had a scrimmage, Lieutenant ? " 
 said Life, as he assisted Deck to mount to the 
 deck. 
 
 "A little skirmish," replied the lieutenant, still 
 careful, about the Kentuckian's English. " But 
 I have not time to tell you about it now." 
 
 ,The general directed Knox to send a sergeant 
 with the wounded ruffians, with an explanation to 
 Dr. Farnwright that the men had been wounded 
 in an attack upon the Hipsy up the river. The 
 horses of the commander and the lieutenant were 
 on the beach, and they mounted at once ; and 
 by this time Deck had practised enough to be 
 able to mount his steed readily on the wrong 
 side, and Ceph was not disposed to do as a 
 cow will sometimes when milked on what would 
 be the proper side to mount a horse, — kick the 
 milker over. 
 
 They were expected at headquarters ; and sup- 
 per was all ready for them, though they were 
 rather late. The negro cook gave them very 
 nice fried chicken and white corncake, and they 
 were in excellent condition to enjoy the meal. 
 Lieutenant Herndon was at the table ; and Deck 
 
304 ON THE STAFF 
 
 told him about the encounter with the raft, and 
 the result of the affair. Later in the evening 
 the surgeon called to see his patient, afraid that 
 he might have been injured in the affair the 
 sergeant reported to him. 
 
 " One of those wounded fellows died before 
 he reached the hospital, and another is not likely 
 to live till morning, for both of them were dis- 
 abled by sabre-thrusts in the chest," reported 
 the doctor. "Let me see your arm, Lieutenant 
 Lyon." 
 
 "It is all right. Doctor; for I have been as 
 careful of it as though I had been in my room 
 all day," replied Deck, as he led the way to his 
 chamber in the rear of the office. 
 
 The splint had prevented the officer from bend- 
 ing his arm or twisting it; and the surgeon de- 
 clared that it was a lovely wound, healthy, and 
 progressing rapidly. He was anxious about some 
 of his worst cases, and hastened back to the hos- 
 pital. Deck slept soundly that night after the 
 excitement of the day. The next morning he 
 felt that his strength had been entirely restored ; 
 and he was better than he had been before since 
 
RESULT OF THE FIGHT ON THE RAFT 305 
 
 he received his wound, which had weakened him 
 by the loss of so much of his young blood. 
 
 No more foraging steamei"S came up the river, 
 for the fate of the Harbinger and the New Moon 
 had been made known as far down the river as 
 Nashville. It was therefore a quiet time for the 
 four companies stationed at Barkville ; and the 
 farmers and planters in the country around were 
 glad to have them there, for guerillas and fora- 
 gers from both sides of the river deemed it pru- 
 dent to keep their distance from the counties 
 nearest to the camp. 
 
 A few days after the return of General Wood- 
 bine from his visit to General Thomas, events 
 began to move more rapidly. The railroads and 
 the telegraphs, which are among the mightiest 
 engines of modern warfare, had been repaired, 
 and restored to the use of the army in all por- 
 tions of the State not actually occupied by the 
 enemy, which comprised not more than one-tenth 
 of its territory at that time. 
 
 " We are on the eve of important events," 
 said the general, seated in his office with his two 
 aids. " You will not be compelled to rust in 
 inactivity much longer." 
 
306 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Speed the time!" exclaimed Herndon, who 
 was more impatient than his fellow-officer on the 
 staff ; but he had taken no part in the steamer 
 work which had occupied the attention of the 
 latter a small portion of the time, and he was 
 not nursing a wound. 
 
 " I have the idea, from what little I can see 
 in the horizon, that the situation in this part 
 of the country will be essentially changed within 
 a month," added the general. " I have been ex- 
 pecting that we should be ordered to join an 
 army for the conquest of East Tennessee, where 
 the people are loyal to a considerable extent, if 
 the Union sentiment is not in the majority." 
 
 "Telegram, sir!" said Finch, entering the office 
 before the commander could finish what he had 
 to say. 
 
 It was an order from General Thomas to send 
 the two hundred prisoners, more or less, to Glas- 
 gow, under proper escort, and ship them there for 
 Louisville. Orders were sent at once to Major 
 Lyon to have his squadron in the town square, 
 at seven the next morning, ready for a long 
 march and two days' absence from the camp. 
 
BEGINNING OF THE GEEAT MOVEMENT 307 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV 
 
 THE BEGINNING OF THE GREAT MOVEMENT 
 
 A BRANCH of the Louisville and Nashville 
 Railroad had been extended into Barren County 
 as far as Glasgow, thirty miles from Barkville ; 
 and this was the route by wliich the prisoners 
 were to be sent. The Riverlawn squadron were 
 in the square at the appointed hour, and the 
 horses were in excellent condition after the vaca- 
 tion. Perhaps the Confederates were glad of a 
 change ; though probably they were not, for they 
 had been well fed, and lodged in some disused 
 tobacco factories. 
 
 They were formed in the square, and with 
 about two hundred mounted - troopers around 
 them they were entirely tractable, and made no 
 complaint ; but the writer has heard Confederate 
 soldiers who had been confined at the prison- 
 camp to which these men were to be sent, com- 
 plain bitterly of the food served out to them. 
 
308 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Upon inquiry the objectionable articles of diet 
 proved to be salt fish and baked beans. 
 
 Southerners were not accustomed to such food, 
 which are staple articles in the bill of fare of 
 prison-camps and all large gatherings in the 
 North; but the prisoners of Andersonville would 
 have fared royally on an abundant diet of this 
 description. General Woodbine was present to 
 witness the departure. Thornfield and other 
 civilians who had been engaged in the raid were 
 brought out, and placed in the ranks. The 
 planter hailed the general as he rode near him, 
 and without leaving his place began to voice 
 his complaint in a loud tone. 
 
 " General Woodbine, I protest against being 
 sent North as a prisoner of war ! " shouted he. 
 
 "That's all right; you can protest as much as 
 you please if that does you any good, but don't 
 make too much noise about it, or the sergeant 
 will feel obliged to put a gag in your mouth," 
 replied the commander very pleasantly. 
 
 " I am not a soldier, but a civilian ! " contin- 
 ued the planter, stepping out of the ranks, and 
 approaching the general. 
 
BEGINNING OF THE GREAT MOVEMENT 309 
 
 " The government has a crowd of civilians in 
 Fort Lafayette near New York. Mr. Thornfield, 
 I am disposed to extend to you any consideration 
 within the line of my duty," the commander con- 
 tinued more seriously. " In your steam-launch 
 you conveyed information to the enemy down the 
 river that a considerable quantity of supplies had 
 arrived, and had been stored in this place for 
 the use of my command, in consequence of which 
 a steamer was sent here armed and manned for 
 the purpose of capturing them. Not only this, 
 but you made signals to assist the Harbinger in 
 approaching the town. I was disposed to regard 
 you as spy, but my superior officer took a differ- 
 ent view of the matter; and you may thank him 
 that you escaped a drum-head court-martial, which 
 would doubtless have condemned you to be hung 
 or shot. I don't care to hear anything more from 
 you, for the facts are patent to us all. If you 
 think as a citizen of Kentucky you have the right 
 to assist the enemy in fighting the battles of the 
 Confederacy, I can only add that you are very 
 much mistaken," said the general, as he rode 
 away from the spot ; and a sergeant drove Thorn- 
 field back to his place. 
 
310 ON THE STAFF 
 
 The column started on the march with a file of 
 Riverlawns on each side of the prisoners, the 
 great body of them being in the front and rear. 
 Seef, who had been absent over two days from 
 the plantation of his master, had slept on board 
 of the Hipsy, and came up to the square in the 
 morning after he had been waked from his slum- 
 bers by the movements of the troop ; but when 
 he saw the prisoners paraded in the square, he 
 was careful to keep out of sight of his master. 
 
 " What are they going to do with Mars'r 
 Thornfield, Mars'r Lieutenant?" he asked when 
 he discovered Deck, who had come rather late 
 to witness the leaving of the prisoners. 
 
 " He is to be sent away with the rest of them," 
 replied the officer. 
 
 "Where are they going, Mars'r?" inquired 
 the contraband, looking very sad ; for there could 
 be no doubt that he was very much attached to 
 his owner. 
 
 " They will be sent to a prison-camp near 
 Chicago." 
 
 "May I speak to him before he goes, Mars'r?" 
 he asked. 
 
BEGINNING OP THE GREAT MOVEMENT 311 
 
 *' Yes ; " and Deck rode with him to the col- 
 umn, and the sergeant permitted the prisoner to 
 walk between the platoons of the company with 
 his servant. 
 
 Mr. Thornfield could not contain the indig- 
 nation he felt at what he insisted upon calling 
 the unjust treatment to which he was subjected ; 
 and he vented it very earnestly to his servant, 
 till the sergeant advised him to speak in a lower 
 tone. Seef's master was not aware that his over- 
 seer had been in the service of the Federals for 
 two days, or it might have changed the course 
 of his remarks. 
 
 The procession departed ; and Seef walked all 
 the way with it to Paces, on the Marrow Bone 
 Road. The planter tried to obtain permission to 
 visit his family under guard before he was hur- 
 ried away, but it could not be granted without 
 halting the column and delaying the march ; 
 but the faithful Seef ran ahead for more than 
 a mile, as the planter's house was near the road, 
 and had the family at a point where they could 
 see liim. 
 
 Major Lyon saw the wife and children as he 
 
312 ON THE STAFF 
 
 rode by them, and understood that they were 
 the family of the prisoner; and a few minutes 
 later he ordered a halt for rest, which enabled 
 the last adieus to be spoken. It was an affect- 
 ing scene, and the soldiers of both armies looked 
 on in respectful silence. Fifteen minutes were 
 given to them, and then the column resumed 
 the march. Seef went home with his mistress 
 and the children ; and they had so much to 
 think of that he was not asked where he had 
 been the last two days. 
 
 The Riverlawns marched to Glasgow the first 
 day, though it was a long march for the prison- 
 ers, and returned the next day. The surgeon 
 reported that day that the patient who had been 
 wounded on the raft had died, and that all the 
 rest of the occupants of the hospital were doing 
 well. Only three days later a telegram came 
 from General Thomas, then in command of the 
 first division of the Army of the Ohio: "Move 
 your entire force to Somerset, by road or river." 
 
 General Woodbine had expected an order to 
 move very soon; but he believed it would be to 
 Munfordville, or some other point to the north. 
 
BEGINNING OP THE GREAT MOVEMENT 313 
 
 It was evident that the army was concentrating 
 for a movement, though in what direction he 
 could form no idea ; but he did not lose a mo- 
 ment in preparing to obey the order. All the 
 steamboat men in the force were in demand ; and 
 Deck was required to see that the Harbinger 
 was put in order for the trip, and that the sup- 
 plies in store in the town were loaded into her. 
 
 The service of the men who had been em- 
 ployed on Green River made them valuable 
 assistants at this time. Drye and Beckland were 
 appointed engineers, and were required to put 
 the engines in good order. The people of the 
 town assisted all they could, but they could not 
 find a pilot for the river up to the Monticello 
 Ford ; for those who had been employed on the 
 Harbinger and New Moon were believed to be 
 Secessionists, and had been sent North with the 
 other prisoners. 
 
 General Woodbine gave the order for the 
 movement to begin the next morning at nine 
 o'clock. The cavalry companies had been kept 
 full, and there were always applicants for en- 
 listment waiting to get into these commands. 
 
314 ON THE STAFF 
 
 There were about four hundred men, besides the 
 usual number of camp retainers ; and this num- 
 ber with their horses, the light battery with its 
 guns and caissons, required a large amount of 
 space ; and Lieutenant Lyon decided, as soon as 
 he considered the matter, that the Harbinger 
 could not carry them all at a single trip, and 
 he reported accordingly to the commander. 
 
 " Make two trips of it, then. Lieutenant," 
 promptly replied the general. " Let the River- 
 lawn Cavalry be sent up by the first boat, and 
 the Marions and the battery by the second." 
 
 " This will make some delay," suggested Deck. 
 
 "I was not ordered to make any special haste, 
 though I make it a business to execute all my 
 orders promptly," replied the general. " But I 
 do not see that the delay can be prevented." 
 
 "• Perhaps it can. General," suggested the staff- 
 officer. 
 
 " In what manner ? " asked the commander 
 curiously, as he looked with interest into the 
 face of his young companion, who had often 
 proved himself to be fertile in expedients. 
 
 " It is now hardly ten o'clock in the fore- 
 
BEGINNING OF THE GREAT MOVEMENT 315 
 
 noon," said Deck, consulting his watch. " If you 
 give Major Lyon the order to break camp at 
 once, and march to the levee, the first boat can 
 leave by one o'clock, if not sooner, and reach 
 the ford early in the evening. The Harbinger 
 can return in the night, and be ready for the 
 next trip to-morrow morning." 
 
 " Lieutenant Herndon ! " called the commander. 
 
 " He is in his room. General," replied Finch, 
 who was in the hall. 
 
 "Call him." 
 
 He appeared a minute later. 
 
 "Carry my order to Major Lyon at the camp 
 to break camp immediately, move the wagon-train 
 to the levee, and march there with his squadron 
 of Riverlawns. The Marions and the battery- 
 will remain where they are," said the general 
 hastily ; and the staff-officer saw that he was 
 in a hurry. 
 
 Herndon went out of the house, mounted his 
 horse, which was at the door, and galloped up 
 the road outside of the long hill. The squadron 
 had been trained to celerity in its movements, 
 and the assembly was vigorously sounded a mo- 
 
316 ON THE STAFF 
 
 ment after the arrival of the lieutenant. The 
 major did not pause to ask any questions — he 
 never did; and Herndon could not have answered 
 them if he had, for he had been wondering him- 
 self what was going on. 
 
 Deck mounted his horse, and hastened to the 
 steamer to see that she was ready for immediate 
 service. The engineers were on board ; and Ser- 
 geant Sluder had been appointed pilot, with the 
 assistance of Seef, who was familiar with tho 
 river, though he had sailed only the launch upon 
 its waters, and she was of much lighter draft 
 than the Harbinger. 
 
 Not an hour had elapsed before the wagon- 
 train was on the levee, each drawn by eight 
 mules ; for these animals had been exceedingly 
 abundant after General Crittenden had abandoned 
 hundreds of them at Beechwood Camp. Lieu- 
 tenant Knox superintended the embarkation of 
 the wagons, and had extended lines where the 
 troopers' horses were to be picketed on the deck. 
 He had hardly disposed of them before the squad- 
 ron arrived. 
 
 The commander came with them, to satisfy 
 
BEGINNING OF THE GREAT MOVEMENT 317 
 
 himself that his orders had been faithfully exe- 
 cuted. As soon as it was noised over the town 
 that a movement of the troops was in progress, 
 about all the inhabitants gathered on the levee. 
 Of course they asked a great many questions 
 of the cavalrymen as they were waiting to go 
 on board of the steamer ; but they were as 
 little informed as the people themselves. The 
 men marched up the gang-plank by fours, picketed 
 their horses, and were then sent up to the 
 saloon. 
 
 Deck had directed Knox to have dinner cooked 
 for the men on board, to avoid delay. The negro 
 cooks, waiters, and firemen had remained on duty ; 
 for they had nowhere to go, and were far away 
 from their homes, — those who had them " down 
 in Tennessee." The troops had saved the town 
 from being looted by the enemy, and they had 
 the kindliest feeling towards them. They brought 
 a great quantity of cake, and such other eatables 
 as they happened to have on hand ; and the 
 men were likely to live in clover on their short 
 voyage. 
 
 "You must go with them. Lieutenant Lyon," 
 
318 ON THE STAFF 
 
 said the commander, when all was ready for the 
 departure of the Plarbinger, and a hundred things 
 had been done which could not be mentioned. 
 
 Deck was ready to obey the order, and only 
 asked if he should return in the boat, which he 
 was required to do, and was told that he could 
 sleep all the afternoon and all night if he was 
 so minded. 
 
 "Then you are all going to leave us. General 
 Woodbine," said the chairman of the town coun- 
 cil, putting in a late appearance. 
 
 " Not all to-day, but the rest will leave to- 
 morrow," answered the commander. " We are 
 under orders to march; but I am glad we have 
 been able to save your town and its vicinity from 
 what might have been a very ugly raid." 
 
 " We are sorry to have you go, for you have 
 been the strong arm of the nation to us," added 
 the chairman, as the general made a signal to 
 Deck, who was on the hurricane deck near the 
 pilot-house. 
 
 " Let her slide, Sergeant Sluder ! " called the 
 lieutenant. " Back out from the levee, and head 
 her up the river ! " 
 
BEGINNING OF THE GREAT MOVEMENT 319 
 
 Seef came to the town every day to learn the 
 news for his mistress ; and Deck had pressed him 
 into the service again, though he was willing 
 enough to go with the steamer. Lieutenant 
 Lyon was in command of the Harbinger; and 
 before the boat had backed five rods there was 
 a cry on shore, and he saw the general waving 
 his cap energetically at him. 
 
 " Stop her, Sluder ! " shouted Deck to the 
 pilot. 
 
320 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXV 
 
 THE FIGHT AT CUFFY'S FERKY 
 
 " What is the matter, Sergeant Sluder ? " 
 asked Lieutenant Lyon, as he entered the pilot- 
 house. 
 
 " I saw a stir in the crowd on shore, but I 
 could not make out what it meant," replied the 
 sergeant. " I see there is a jflat coming off from 
 the shore." 
 
 Deck went to the edge of the deck, and dis- 
 covered the boat, which contained no less a per- 
 sonage than the chairman of the town council, 
 and which was paddled by a negro. He hastened 
 to the lower deck to receive the distinguished 
 gentleman, who came alongside a moment later. 
 
 " General Woodbine requested me to send this 
 telegram off to you, and I have brought it my- 
 self," said the chairman, handing up an envelope. 
 "It was addressed to me, and you can see that 
 it is important," 
 
THE FIGHT AT CUFFY'S FERRY 321 
 
 Deck took the despatch from its cover, and 
 read it. It was very brief, like most messages 
 that went by wire : " Enemy crossing river at 
 Cuffy's Ferry." It was signed " Hickman." 
 Deck knew Colonel Hickman of Grove Hill, and 
 concluded at once that it was not a trick of the 
 enemy. If it had been, the writer would have 
 been likely to send the force in the other di- 
 rection. 
 
 " This was plainly intended to be given to the 
 general," suggested the lieutenant, when he had 
 read the message. 
 
 "I have shown it to him, as I said, and he 
 asked me to send it off to you ; and he added 
 that you would know what to do with it," an- 
 swered the chairman. 
 
 "All right; tell him, if you please, that I 
 consider that last remark from him equivalent 
 to an order," added Deck. 
 
 He looked towards the shore, and discovered 
 the commander seated upon his horee on the 
 levee. He had drawn his sword, not for action, 
 but simply to use as a pointer; and he flourished 
 it vigorously in the direction of up the river. 
 
322 ON THE STAFF 
 
 This was enough for the young officer; and he 
 interpreted the signal as a command to hurry up 
 the stream on his way to Cuffy's Ferry, for the 
 old negro's occupation had given this name to 
 the locality. 
 
 " Back her, Sergeant Sluder ! " shouted Deck 
 at the top of his lungs ; for he was at a consid- 
 erahle distance from the pilot-house. 
 
 The engine-bells struck, the wheels began to 
 turn back in obedience to the order, and Deck 
 felt very much like the captain of a steamboat 
 just then. The officers of the Riverlawn battal- 
 ion were all on board of the Harbinger. The 
 major and the two captains, and even the two 
 first lieutenants, ranked him, or were his su- 
 periors ; but Deck was a staff-officer, with direct 
 orders from the general in command, and there- 
 fore could assume the superiority if necessary. 
 
 For the first time since he entered the service, 
 he was the acting superior of his father and his 
 former captain; but he did not feel at home in 
 this position, and he promptly decided not to as- 
 sume command over his father, for it was abso- 
 lutely repugnant for him to give an order to him. 
 
THE FIGHT AT CUFFY'S FERRY 323 
 
 " Head her up the river, Sergeant 'Sluder ! " 
 he shouted to the pilot. 
 
 The steamer came about, and proceeded in the 
 direction indicated ; and Deck felt then just as 
 though his occupation was gone, for he desired 
 to give up the command to his superior in rank. 
 Lieutenant Knox was on the forecastle, and had 
 observed the movements of Deck with interest. 
 He did not know the contents of the envelope 
 which had been delivered to him ; and, according 
 to his habit, he asked no questions. 
 
 " Lieutenant Lyon, on the staff, I am in 
 doubt," said he, saluting the young officer. 
 
 " What's the matter now. Life ? " inquired 
 Deck. 
 
 " The general placed me in command of this 
 boat while she was lying at the levee ; but I am 
 in doubt whether I have anything more to do 
 with her or not," said the tall Kentuckian, as 
 he looked down upon his military superior, who 
 was greatly his physical inferior. 
 
 " You are in the same box with me. Life ; 
 but don't cry about it," replied Deck, treating 
 him with his usual familiarity when they were 
 
324 ON THE STAFF 
 
 off duty. " I should say that, like mine, your 
 occupation is gone ; and I advise you to report 
 to Captain Gordon for duty, with the men who 
 were under your command. I shall do the same 
 to my father. I did not look for any trouble dur- 
 ing the trip before we left the levee, or I should 
 have asked the general for more explicit or- 
 ders ; " and Deck led the way up the stairs to 
 the saloon, where his father and the rest of the 
 officei-s had gone. He found the commander of 
 the battalion near the stern, and saluted him pre- 
 cisely as though they had not been father and 
 son. 
 
 " Why was the boat stopped just now. Lieu- 
 tenant ? " inquired the major ; and on duty he 
 treated his son just as though he had been some 
 other person's son. 
 
 " I have come up to see you on account of 
 that stoppage, which was to enable the chairman 
 of the town council to deliver a message to me," 
 answered Deck. 
 
 " And what was the message ? " 
 
 "Here it is," replied the son, handing his 
 father the envelope. 
 
THE FIGHT AT CUFEY'S FEEEY 325 
 
 Major Lyon read the despatch, and handed it 
 back to the lieutenant. 
 
 "It was plainly intended for you, Major," re- 
 turned Deck, declining to receive it. " It ap- 
 pears that there is to be a fight up the river ; and 
 as you are in command of the squadron, it was 
 evidently intended for you." 
 
 " Are you sure of that, Lieutenant ? " asked 
 the major. 
 
 "As you are in command of all the troops on 
 board, of course it was intended for you," re- 
 plied the lieutenant in a matter-of-fact tone and 
 manner. " The message indicates that a raid 
 from the Tennessee side of the river is crossing 
 at the point mentioned. I think the general, 
 whom I saw on the levee, and who made signals 
 when he saw me on the forecastle, meant that the 
 boat was to proceed up the river ; and I repeated 
 the order to Sergeant Sluder, who is acting as 
 pilot." 
 
 " The signal was made to you ? " queried the 
 nmjor. 
 
 "I took it as made to the boat, or at least 
 for her to start up the river. — Is this your state- 
 
326 ON THE STAFF 
 
 room, father ? " indicating the one at the door 
 of which the major stood. 
 
 " The waiter assigned it to me." 
 
 Deck went into it, and his father followed 
 him ; for the young man did not care to have 
 others hear what passed between them. 
 
 " The general has employed you, Dexter, in 
 some important positions, and I have been very 
 glad to find that he regarded you as competent 
 to fill them," said the major, as he seated him- 
 self on a stool. " The question with me now 
 is whether he did not intend that you, as his 
 staff-officer and representative present, should 
 command on this steamer. I am entirely will- 
 ing that you should do so." 
 
 . " I have no order to do so ; I see no neces- 
 sity for me to do so, and I shall not do so," 
 replied Deck firmly. 
 
 " Of course, if you had any orders to give, 
 you would give them to me," added the father. 
 
 " It does not seem to me that I could give 
 my father an order, unless in an extreme emer- 
 gency," said Deck, shaking his head to empha- 
 size his remark. 
 
THE FIGHT AT CUFFY's FERRY 327 
 
 "General Woodbine told me himself that you 
 commanded the little force on the Hipsy, and 
 that he did not interfere with you in the fight 
 with the raft. If you could command in the 
 presence of the general, you can do so in mine," 
 said the major with a smile. 
 
 " That was a picayune affair, and it was be- 
 neath the dignity of a general officer to command 
 a party of half a dozen men," said Deck lightly. 
 " But, father, without meddling with the com- 
 mand of the battalion, I will take charge of the 
 steamer." 
 
 " Very well, my son ; arrange it to suit your- 
 self. If the enemy were crossing the river when 
 the message was sent, probably they are gone 
 inland long before we can get to the ferry ; and 
 if there is any fight, it is to be on shore." 
 
 " We shall not get to the ferry for three hours 
 yet. I think our friend Colonel Halliburn, who 
 is in command of the Home Guard at Millers- 
 ville, with the riflemen who did such good ser- 
 vice at the Battle of Mill Springs, will be there, 
 and I doubt if we have much to do." 
 
 The question was settled to the satisfaction 
 
328 ON THE STAFF 
 
 of both father and son, and there was nothing 
 more to do about it. The question of rank is 
 a delicate matter with military officers, and Deck 
 was especially sensitive in regard to his rela- 
 tions with his father ; and he would have yielded 
 to him if his right to command had been even 
 more clear than it was. 
 
 He went to the pilot-house, and found Seef 
 at the wheel with Sergeant Sluder; and the Har- 
 binger was going along as well, and apparently 
 as safely, as though she had a licensed pilot 
 at the wheel. Dinner was served as soon as it 
 was ready, and the officers had the table in the 
 ladies' cabin. The cooks did not seem to have 
 minded the change of masters, and had done 
 their duty faithfully. It was a plain meal, but 
 better than the soldiers usually had in camp. 
 
 For about three hours the steamer went along 
 without impediment, when a boat containing a 
 single person was discovered ahead. As it came 
 nearer. Deck, who had returned to the pilot- 
 house, recognized it as the one in which he and 
 Sergeant Fronklyn had escaped from the works 
 at Beech Grove, and which he had given to 
 
THE FIGHT AT CUFFY'S FERRY 329 
 
 Cuffy the ferryman ; and he had no doubt the 
 old negro was in it. Many of the men had 
 gone to the forecastle to smoke their pipes, and 
 among them he saw his companion in the events 
 at the ferry and Grove Hill. 
 
 Deck ordered the pilot to slow down, and 
 then called to Fronklyn to hail the boat, and 
 take the ferryman and his boat on board, which 
 was all done with the assistance of the troopers 
 on the main deck. The sergeant was directed 
 to bring the old negro to the hurricane deck, 
 and presently he appeared at the door of the 
 pilot-house. 
 
 " Bress de Lo'd, Mars' r Lef tenant ! is that 
 you?" exclaimed Cuffy, as Deck took his hand. 
 " You war made a gin'al on de field out here, 
 and I done tink " — 
 
 "Not a general, Cuffy; but never mind all 
 that," interposed the lieutenant. " Have the 
 enemy come across the river at your ferry ? " 
 
 " Yes, Mars'r ; they done brung six flats down 
 to de ribber, and den com'd ober. Den dey 
 done march up de Jamestown road, and turn up 
 de hill to Cun'l Hickman's place. Cuffy was 
 
330 ON THE STAFF 
 
 skeered out of his nineteen senses. He take to 
 his boat, and 'scape down de ribber. I hear de 
 big guns up dar, and don't know notin' more. 
 But hear 'em firin' halb an hour ago ; and I 
 reckon de Hum G'ads is after 'em," 
 
 From this imperfect account, Deck, who was 
 familiar with the locality, understood the situa- 
 tion better than the negro. Colonel Hickman 
 had two field-pieces on his place ; and doubtless 
 he had used them with good effect, and driven 
 off the marauders. Probably his sons had fol- 
 lowed them, and called out Colonel Halliburn's 
 Home Guard, who had engaged the guerillas, 
 as Deck judged that they must be. 
 
 The Harbinger continued on her course, and 
 soon came in sight of the great bend where the 
 ferry was located. Deck found his father and 
 Lieutenant Knox on the forecastle when he went 
 down. They had already smelled fight in the 
 distance, and Life found a man who had served 
 in an artillery company in the militia. The two 
 field-pieces brought up on the steamer were still 
 on board, with the caisson of ammunition. Both 
 of them had been loaded, and placed in position. 
 
THE FIGHT AT CUFFY's FERRY 331 
 
 Major Lyon had ordered his command to re- 
 sume their arms, and they were all ready. Every- 
 thing had been arranged so that the horses could 
 be conveniently landed if it should be necessary 
 to pursue the enemy. At the landing they saw 
 the six flats, each of which could carry eight 
 persons or more, huddled together in a heap. 
 As the boat rounded the bend, the combatants, 
 whose firing had been heard for some minutes, 
 came in sight. The Home Guard were seen on 
 one side of the road through the grove, and 
 the ruffians on the other; and the battle in this 
 position appeared to have just begun. 
 
 "Now is our time. Major," said Deck to his 
 father. "They are placed just right for us." 
 
 The point was instantly perceived by the 
 commander; and he ordered Knox to fire the 
 big guns, which had been loaded with canister. 
 One of the guns was discharged ; and it made 
 a tremendous racket, as though the amateur gun- 
 ner had used more powder than was necessary. 
 
332 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI 
 
 CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 
 
 The second field-piece was discharged as soon 
 as the smoke of the fii^st had cleared away enough 
 to enable the major to see the effect of the first. 
 The canister overtook the retreating foe, more 
 of them fell, and the rest fled to the shelter of 
 a knoll at the side of the Jamestown road. The 
 Home Guards came out from their concealment 
 at the grove avenue. The men seemed to have 
 some fear that they might be fired upon ; and 
 a man ran with all his might towards the Har- 
 binger, which was holding her own against the 
 current. 
 
 " That affair seems to be over so far as we 
 are concerned," said the major, as he viewed the 
 shore. " The defenders of the place appear to 
 have as many men as the enemy, and can take 
 care of themselves." 
 
CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 333 
 
 " But the enemy may double on them, and 
 reach their boats," suggested Captain Gordon. 
 
 "Destroy the boats, then," added Major Lyon. 
 
 The captain spoke to Knox ; and the two guns 
 were loaded with solid shot, and fired into the 
 nest of flats. They made crashing work with 
 them, but they did not sufficiently break them 
 up to satisfy the major, and he sent Cuffy's boat 
 with four men in it, armed with axes ; and they 
 were smashing them with all the haste they could 
 command when the enemy, who had led the guards 
 on a wild goose-chase, appeared running with all 
 their speed towards the landing-place. 
 
 Captain Gordon's company were on the fore- 
 castle, while Captain Truman's were on the boiler- 
 deck and near it in the saloon. Both of them 
 were ordered to use their carbines, and they 
 were promptly discharged in two volleys. The 
 effect was to check the guerillas, and cause 
 them to retreat again. But the guards were 
 coming by the shortest way, and at once gave 
 chase to them. 
 
 By this time there was nothing but the wreck 
 of the flats left; and they were pushed out into 
 
334 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the stream, and were carried away by the cur- 
 rent. The man who was running to the shore 
 was taken into the boat used by the axemen. 
 He was an old man with white hair, and Deck 
 recognized in him Colonel Hickman when he 
 came nearer. He was not as old as he might 
 have been, and he leaped upon the deck like 
 an able-bodied Kentuckian. He saw Deck, and 
 rushed to him with both hands extended. 
 
 " I am very glad to see you again, my young 
 friend ! " exclaimed the colonel, as he seized both 
 of the lieutenant's hands. " You have come to 
 us again in our time of need, though the situa- 
 tion is not so bad as it was when you were 
 here last. I ran to the shore to beg you not 
 to fire upon our men." 
 
 "We understood the situation, and should not 
 have done so without any warning," replied 
 Deck. 
 
 "I think we could have beaten them off if 
 you had not come to our assistance," added the 
 colonel, "though we are none the less obliged 
 to you for your good service." 
 
 "Do you think you can handle the enemy 
 
CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 335 
 
 now, Colonel Hickman ? " asked Major Lyon, as 
 he presented his hand to the planter. " We are 
 ordered up the river, and I do not wish to delay 
 any longer than is necessary." 
 
 "I am sure we can take care of the guerillas 
 now, and we will have them under guard as pris- 
 oners very soon," answered the colonel. "I dis- 
 covered the approach of the enemy before they 
 were half across the river, for I was walking 
 down the avenue at the time. I sent two of my 
 negroes over to Millersville, and the Home Guards 
 came over at once. We need not detain you any 
 longer. Cuffy will set me ashore in his boat; 
 and I am very grateful to you for what you have 
 done. I read all about your affairs with the 
 steamers down below, and it was fortunate you 
 were at Barkville." 
 
 The colonel shook hands with all the officers 
 whose acquaintance he had made after the gue- 
 rilla attack upon his mansion, when the enemy 
 were finally defeated and captured by the River- 
 lawns. Cuffy rowed him ashore, and Deck gave 
 the order for the boat to proceed on her way up 
 the river. Long as it has taken to report the 
 
336 ON THE STAFF 
 
 brief action, the Harbinger had not been detained 
 over half an hour. 
 
 It was quite dark when the boat arrived at 
 the Monticello Ford, though it was only half- 
 past seven. The general had telegraphed when 
 the squadron would probably arrive ; and Lieu- 
 tenant Blood was at the landing to receive them, 
 and conduct them to the camp. He gave Deck 
 a warm welcome, and evidently liked him. The 
 major gave orders for the debarkation of the 
 horses, and the men soon followed them. It re- 
 quired a longer time to get the wagon-train on 
 shore, and it was half-past nine when the Har- 
 binger was ready to start on her return. The 
 water was rather shoal near the ford, and the 
 steamer had to back down stream some distance 
 before she could come about. 
 
 The officers and men had taken their supper 
 at six o'clock ; and as soon as the steamer was 
 fairly on her course. Deck felt very much like 
 a steamboat captain. Then he made a visit to 
 the pilot-house. He found the two pilots wide 
 awake ; but the lieutenant thought they were 
 having the worst of it, with the engineers. 
 
CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 337 
 
 Wishing to be in good condition for the next 
 morning, Deck " turned in " then, and slept like 
 a log till the waiter called him, and said they 
 were within a mile of Barkville. 
 
 It was half-past three in the morning ; and a 
 guard of twenty men belonging to Captain Bat- 
 terson's battery were waiting for the Harbinger, 
 to take charge of her the rest of the night. 
 Deck left his bed, and saw that sentinels were 
 posted in several places about the boat; for pos- 
 sibly there were Secessionists enough in the town 
 and its vicinity to run away with her. 
 
 Three men from the battery were in posses- 
 sion of the Hipsy, and one of them was on guard 
 all night. As soon as he had satisfied himself 
 that everytliing was safe about the steamer, Deck 
 went to bed again ; and he was not called till 
 nine in the morning, when he found General 
 Woodbine standing at the side of his berth. 
 
 "Safely back?" said the commander. "The 
 waiters say there was not much of an engage- 
 ment at the Ferry, and none of our men were 
 killed or wounded." 
 
 " We were not even fired into, and none of 
 
338 ON THE STAFF 
 
 US had a chance to get hurt," replied the lieu- 
 tenant, rubbing his eyes, and then looking at 
 his watch. " After nine o'clock ! Why didn't 
 somebody call me?" 
 
 "Because I ordered the waiters not to call 
 you before," answered the general with a smile. 
 "You are still a young man, and you need all 
 the sleep you can get. You may get up now, 
 and have your breakfast, for we are about ready 
 to start." 
 
 "Are the Marions and the battery on board 
 with their guns ? " asked Deck, amazed to find 
 he had slept so long, and had not been dis- 
 turbed by the moving of the guns. 
 
 " All on board ; and, as you are the commander 
 of the steamer, we are waiting for you to start 
 her," laughed the general. 
 
 Deck hastily dressed himself, and then went 
 down to the forecastle. He found some of the 
 town's people there, who were anxious to have a 
 parting shake of the hand with all the commis- 
 sioned officei-s. This ceremony was soon dis- 
 posed of ; the lieutenant went to the pilot-house, 
 and gave the order to back the boat, and then 
 
CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 339 
 
 to come about. It was but a few minutes be- 
 fore she was again on her way to the Monticello 
 Ford, and Deck went to the cabin for his break- 
 fast. 
 
 The head waiter was exceedingly deferential 
 to him, and brought him everything the kitchen 
 afforded. He ate a very hearty meal, and then 
 there was nothing more for him to do till the 
 boat arrived at her destination. It was a beau- 
 tiful day for the month of February ; and he 
 went on the hurricane deck to enjoy the mild 
 air, which was unusually warm for the season, 
 even in that latitude. He found General Wood- 
 bine there, who was disposed to walk with him ; 
 and they promenaded the deck for some time, 
 talking over the war news of the East and the 
 West. 
 
 " The North has been very much depressed 
 since the battle of Bull Run, though it was 
 nearly seven months ago," said the general. 
 
 "But the North has raised immense hosts of 
 troops since ; and the people seem as determined 
 as ever to put down the rebellion, whatever it 
 may cost in men and money," added Deck, who 
 
340 ON THE STAFF 
 
 had read a great deal more about the war than 
 most young men of his age. 
 
 " Of course I don't know anything about it, 
 and there are no seers who can foretell what is 
 going to happen ; but my judgment is that all the 
 loyal people of the country will have something 
 to cheer and encourage them before many more 
 weeks pass by," added the commander. 
 
 The lieutenant thought the general knew more 
 about what was coming than he was willing to 
 admit; but he was afraid to ask any questions, 
 and probably his companion would not have 
 answered them if he had. The conversation 
 was interrupted by the appearance of several 
 other officers on the upper deck ; but Deck 
 kept up a heavy thinking all the time. It was 
 evident enough that a general of the commander's 
 ability, and especially one who was an intimate 
 friend of a commander of division, would not re- 
 main long as the chief of a force consisting of 
 three companies of cavalry and a battery of 
 light artillery. 
 
 Deck continued to walk for the want of some- 
 thing better to do ; and he wondered if he should 
 
CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 341 
 
 retain his present position near the general, who 
 had certainly appreciated him in the past, and 
 had always been very kind to him. It was an 
 interesting question to him, though he would 
 not have been sorely afflicted if he had been 
 sent back to his former company. In his pre- 
 vious trips up the river, he had had something 
 to stir his blood ; and he almost wished for some- 
 thing of the kind at the present time, for he 
 wanted something to do to turn his thoughts 
 into another direction. 
 
 Nothing came to disturb the quiet of the trip. 
 Dinner was served at the usual time, and at about 
 four in the afternoon the Harbinger arrived at 
 the ford. Before dark the force had been landed, 
 and conducted to the camp. For the next four 
 days nothing was done which relieved the anx- 
 iety of Deck in regard to the immediate future. 
 At that time came the news that Fort Henry, 
 on the Tennessee River, had been captured, and 
 that General Grant was moving on Fort Donel- 
 son on the Cumberland. 
 
 It was evident enough to Deck that if Fort 
 Donelson was taken, the Confederate line of de- 
 
342 ON THE STAFF 
 
 fence must be moved farther south, for nothing 
 would remain of it but Bowling Green. Com- 
 modore Foote's gunboats were pounding at the 
 fort, but not with the same success as at Fort 
 Henry. While news was coming occasionally. 
 General Buell was organizing his army, and had 
 already created six divisions, the first of which 
 was under the command of Brigadier-General 
 Thomas. General Woodbine had been unable 
 to have a brigade in the division of his friend ; 
 but he was placed in command of three Kentucky 
 regiments, and his brigade was completed by 
 the addition of the three companies of cavalry 
 and Batterson's light battery. This brigade was 
 placed in the division of Brigadier-General Wil- 
 liam Nelson. 
 
 It was in General Woodbine's tent that this 
 information was conveyed to Lieutenant Lyon. 
 The latter had heard the name of General Nel- 
 son, but he knew next to nothing about him. 
 He was to be in the division of this commander, 
 and it was natural for him to desire to know 
 something more about him. 
 
 "Who is our division commander, General? " 
 
CAPTAIN DEXTER LYON OF THE STAFF 3-13 
 
 he asked. "I have read somethmg about him 
 in connection with affairs in the eastern part of 
 the State, but I have about forgotten what little 
 I did know." 
 
 "In the first place he is a Kentuckian, and I 
 think he is about thirty-seven years old. He 
 was in the navy formerly, and commanded a 
 naval battery in the siege of Vera Cruz at the 
 beginning of the Mexican War, and was after- 
 wards on duty in the Mediterranean. He was 
 several times promoted, and as a lieutenant-com- 
 mander was sent West to command a gunboat 
 on the Western rivers, especially on the Ohio." 
 
 " How does he happen to be in the army if 
 he is a naval officer?" asked Deck, puzzled with 
 his present position as a general officer in com- 
 mand of a division. 
 
 " He was detached from naval duty, and placed 
 under the authority of the Secretary of War, who 
 sent him to his native State to raise and organ- 
 ize troops, in which he was very successful. 
 He organized Camp Dick-Robinson, and another 
 in Mason County. He had several fights with 
 the enemy in the eastern part of the State, and 
 
344 ON THE STAFF 
 
 has always been considered an able and brave 
 officer." 
 
 " I shall probably never have anything to do 
 with him, but I should like to know what sort 
 of a man he is," added Deck. 
 
 " I am sorry to be obliged to say, in order to 
 speak the truth, that he is a harsh and over- 
 bearing man. Perhaps I had better not say any- 
 thing more about him ; and I think that all you 
 had better remember about him is that he is a 
 brave and very able officer. But I have some- 
 thing more to say to you. Captain Lyon," added 
 the general, as he took from his table a ponder- 
 ous envelope, and presented it to him. 
 
 "You called me Captain Lyon! " exclaimed 
 Deck in utter amazement. 
 
 "I meant it; read the paper in the envelope." 
 
LONG DELAY AT DUCK EIVER BRIDGE 345 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII 
 
 THE LONG DELAY AT DUCK RIVER BRIDGE 
 
 Like his father, Deck thought he had advanced 
 very rapidly for his age, and he had no more idea 
 of becoming a captain than he had of being a 
 major-general. He could scarcely believe the evi- 
 dence of his own senses as he saw his name 
 plainly written in the commission handed to him. 
 He could not quite understand it. It was not 
 more than a couple of months before that he 
 had been promoted from second to first lieu- 
 tenant. 
 
 He had thought that he might become a cap- 
 tain when he was twenty-one years old if the 
 war lasted long enough ; but he had looked for 
 no advancement sooner than that, though he had 
 heard of captains in the army who were no older 
 than he was, and of some who had been pro- 
 moted to this rank who had seen less service 
 than he had. The general left the tent while 
 
346 ON THE STAFF 
 
 he was reading his commission, and he had the 
 time to tliink about it. 
 
 He could not help asking himself what he had 
 done to merit this preferment. He had been in 
 no regular battle recently. He had accidentally 
 discovered the approach of the Harbinger; but he 
 had not fought at all in the fight in the town, 
 though he was willing to take upon himself some 
 of the credit of the capture of the steamer. He 
 had beaten off the ruffians when they attacked 
 the Hipsy, and he had managed the affair with 
 the raft. Perhaps he was in a degree indebted 
 to the presence of the general on that occasion. 
 He had been active in the launch at the engage- 
 ment resulting in the destruction of the New 
 Moon, and he had been able to make some rather 
 important suggestions to General Woodbine at 
 times. 
 
 But he was not quite willing to admit to 
 himself that he had done enough to merit the 
 promotion that had come to him. " Captain 
 Lyon ! " His name with this handle to it seemed 
 to him to be bigger than Bunker Hill Monu- 
 ment, which he had seen on his way from New 
 
LONG DELAY AT DUCK RIVER BRIDGE 347 
 
 Hampshire to Kentucky. So far as he knew, no 
 other officer or j)rivate had been promoted ; and 
 of course he ascribed his good fortune solely to 
 General Woodbine, who had made a favorite of 
 him. 
 
 He was not disposed to quarrel with the honor 
 that had been thrust upon him ; for no such 
 thought as being promoted had come to him 
 since his advancement to the rank of first lieu- 
 tenant. After all, it seemed to him only an 
 honor; for he was to remain on the staff of the 
 general, and his duties would be essentially the 
 same as before. It was not as though he was 
 to be placed at the head of a company in the 
 field. The general believed that the nation was 
 on the eve of great events, which to the new 
 captain meant hard fighting; for the enemy were 
 brave even to desperation. 
 
 If this prediction were realized, he would have 
 the opportunity to win his promotion after he 
 had obtained it, as he could hardly believe he 
 had already done. He walked up and down in 
 the tent, not a little nervous and excited in his 
 new and novel situation. The army had had a 
 
348 ON THE STAFF 
 
 long rest, or at least that portion of it to which 
 he belonged had, though the Riverlawn Cavalry 
 had been kept busy most of the time since it 
 had been mustered into the service. 
 
 The news of the surrender of Fort Donelson 
 had come to Somerset, and it had been soon 
 followed by the evacuation of Bowling Green 
 by the enemy. General Mitchell had been ad- 
 vancing upon the place, and it was now in pos- 
 session of his command. The Confederate army 
 under General A. S. Johnston had been concen- 
 trated at Corinth, just over the boundary of Ten- 
 nessee in Mississippi; and General Halleck, who 
 was now in command of the armies of the Ohio 
 and Tennessee, was preparing for a movement 
 in this direction. 
 
 General Woodbine conjectured that the divis- 
 ions lately organized would take part in this 
 advance into the enemy's country, and he proved 
 to be correct in his surmise. His brigade was 
 organized on paper, and early in March it was 
 gathered on the field. He had three regiments 
 of Kentucky infantry, with the battery and the 
 three companies of cavalry that served under 
 
LONG DELAY AT DUCK RIVER BRIDGE 349 
 
 him at Barkville and elsewhere ; and he believed 
 he had as fine a body of troops as there was in 
 the field. 
 
 When the brigade was fully organized, and 
 had been drilled for a week in brigade evolu- 
 tions, it was inspected by General Nelson. On 
 this occasion the officers and privates of the 
 cavalry and battery obtained their first sight 
 of the division commander. He was certainly a 
 good-looking man, and was pleasant and affable 
 in his manner. Captain Lyon and Lieutenant 
 Herndon were introduced to him; and in spite 
 of what he had heard of him. Deck could not 
 help liking him, and General Woodbine seemed 
 to be on excellent terms with him. 
 
 " He is not such a terrible fellow as some of 
 the boys think, Frank," said Deck to Herndon. 
 
 " Not a bit of it, Captain " — 
 
 "Don't do that!" interposed the newly pro- 
 moted warmly. 
 
 "Do what?" demanded the lieutenant. 
 
 " If you call me captain, I shall feel obliged 
 to address you as Lieutenant Herndon every 
 time," replied Deck. 
 
350 ON THE STAFF 
 
 " Upon my word and sacred honor, I like the 
 sound of the word, and I am happy that you 
 were promoted instead of this Kentuckian," re- 
 plied the lieutenant; "but if you object so badly, 
 I will not call you by your new title, except on 
 duty, or when we have company, and then I 
 must, of course, put the proper handle to your 
 name." 
 
 " All right, Frank. But what were you going 
 to say about the division general?" asked Cap- 
 tain Lyon. 
 
 " I was about to say that General Nelson is a 
 tremendous fellow. He has been a naval officer 
 most of his active life, and when we come into 
 the presence of an enemy he will be in favor of 
 boarding him at once. He is a fighting charac- 
 ter, not at all squeamish about going in where 
 some of us will get hurt." 
 
 " That is the kind of an officer for me," added 
 Deck. 
 
 After the inspection, and a stirring speech 
 by the general of the fourth division. General 
 Woodbine spoke some pleasant words complimen- 
 tary to his superior, hoping and expecting that 
 
LOKG DELAY AT DUCK IIIVEK, BRIDGE 351 
 
 the brigade would stand by the colors in any 
 scene of peril into which the able and brave 
 general would be likely to lead them, and then 
 announced that Lieutenant Lyon had been pro- 
 moted to the rank of captain, but would con- 
 tinue to serve on his staff, and that he was to 
 be obeyed and respected as such. 
 
 The Riverlawns, the Marions, and the battery 
 cheered these remarks very vigorously, and the 
 hands of General Nelson went together with 
 the others ; and the young captain bowed to him 
 with a martial salute. The parade was dis- 
 missed, and in the camp nothing was talked 
 about but the new general and the new captain. 
 
 General Buell was at Nashville, which had 
 been occupied by Federal troojDS since the middle 
 of February. Six divisions were under the com- 
 mand of this officer, consisting of tliirty-seven 
 thousand effective men ; and nearly as manj^ more 
 were disposed so as to protect his communica- 
 tions, and preserve order in Kentucky and Ten- 
 nessee. It was the plan of General Halleck to 
 concentrate the armies, and attack the enemy at 
 Corinth. He sent a column up the Tennessee 
 
352 ON THE STAFF 
 
 under General C. F. Smith, to break up the rail- 
 road communications between Corinth, Jackson, 
 the capital of Mississippi, and Humboldt, Ten- 
 nessee. 
 
 This expedition was a failure on account of 
 the great strength of the enemy at the points 
 named. General Smith returned down the river, 
 and debarked his force at Pittsburg Landing, not 
 intending this place for the concentration of the 
 army for the movement upon Corinth ; for he 
 knew nothing at all about it. General Halleck 
 had already designated Savannah for this pur- 
 pose. This town is on the east bank of the 
 Tennessee, less than ten miles below Pittsburg 
 Landing. 
 
 At Nashville, General Buell sent forward a de- 
 tachment of cavalry from that city to Columbia, 
 about forty miles south-south-west of the capi- 
 tal of Tennessee, to protect the bridges if it 
 were still possible ; for this town was on the 
 direct road to Savannah, where the armies were 
 to come together for the great movement upon 
 Corinth. The Riverlawns and Marions were a 
 part of this force. 
 
LONG DELAY AT DUCK KIYER BRIDGE 353 
 
 Without orders from General Halleck, which 
 came later, General Buell started the second 
 division of his army under McCook, with his 
 infantry column immediately after the cavalry. 
 Within five days from the 15th of March, the 
 fourth, fifth, sixth, and first divisions were on 
 the march for Savannah in the order they are 
 mentioned. This placed General Nelson's com- 
 mand in the advance, while General Thomas's was 
 the last to move. 
 
 The cavalry saved all the bridges on the road 
 except two. The one over Rutherford's Creek was 
 no impediment; but that over Duck River, which 
 is an affluent of the Tennessee, rising near the 
 centre of the State, and about two hundred miles 
 long, was a serious obstruction to the progress 
 of the armies. The bridge was gone, and the 
 water was forty feet deep. McCook's division 
 was obliged to halt there. 
 
 General Buell's army was not provided with 
 pontoons, as every considerable force was farther 
 along in the war, and the stream was not forda- 
 ble ; the second division was compelled to halt 
 there, and the fourth division, under the impa- 
 
354 ON THE STAFF 
 
 tient Nelson, soon came up to join in the tedious 
 waiting. 
 
 General McCook was not a patient waiter ; and 
 having an Indiana regiment, composed largely of 
 mechanics, he immediately began the construction 
 of a bridge, for they might have to wait till 
 summer for the water to be reduced to a fordable 
 condition. Though a whole brigade worked dili- 
 gently and energetically, the work was not fin- 
 ished till the end of the month. 
 
 The officers of the Riverlawns were not over 
 patient at this delay, and many of the men were 
 employed under their supervision in the work. 
 Before the bridge was completed, it was known 
 at the camp that General Grant and his army 
 were on the west side of the Tennessee, in fact, 
 at the point where General Smith had disem- 
 barked his force. The praises of the whole na- 
 tion for the hero of Fort Donelson were ringing 
 through the land, and General Nelson was in full 
 sympathy with the people in their estimate of 
 the generalship of Grant. 
 
 Corinth, at that time the stronghold of the 
 Confederates, was not more than twenty miles 
 
LONG DELAY AT DFCK EIVER BRIDGE 355 
 
 from Pittsburg Landing, and General Nelson was 
 troubled lest Grant should be confronted by an 
 overwhelming force at a time when he needed 
 re-enforcements. But the bridge was not done, 
 and the thirty-seven thousand soldiers on the 
 west side of Duck River could not move for- 
 ward to his support. Nelson was more impatient 
 at the delay than the commander of the army, 
 who did not share the fears of his subordinate. 
 
 " Woodbine, I am afraid Grant is in peril. 
 With the whole Confederate army in this section 
 within twenty miles of him, it may swoop down 
 upon him and wipe him out," said General Nel- 
 son, as he and the brigadier were observing the 
 slow progress of the work on the bridge. " I 
 have applied for permission to move forward." 
 
 " Do you think of swimming your division 
 across the river?" asked General Woodbine, with 
 his cheerful smile. 
 
 " My wagons can't swim," replied General Nel- 
 son ; " but I am satisfied that there is a ford 
 somewhere on this river by which we can cross ; 
 and the next thing is to find it. General Buell 
 replied to me that if I could get my men safely 
 
356 ON THE STAFF 
 
 over the river, with my trains, artillery, and bag- 
 gage, I should have the advance of the army 
 afterwards to the Tennessee River. That would 
 just suit me. You have cavalry in your brigade, 
 Woodbine, and I wish you to find this ford. 
 Send one company up the river, and the other 
 down. Who is that smart officer you have 
 spoken to me about ? " 
 
 " Do you mean Captain Lyon ? " 
 
 " That is the man. Send him with one of the 
 companies up the river." 
 
 " I am sure that Captain Lyon will find a ford 
 if there is one," added General Woodbine, as 
 he returned to his tent, where he found Deck 
 studying a map of the State. 
 
 He explained what the general of the division 
 wished to find, and said he had mentioned "the 
 smart officer " on his staff in connection for the 
 search for the ford. 
 
 " What is the use of sending a whole com- 
 pany on such a hunt. General ? " asked Deck. 
 
 " That is what the general suggested, and I 
 did not feel like asking any hard questions," 
 said General Woodbine, who had already learned 
 
LONG DELAY AT DUCK KIVER BRIDGE 357 
 
 to treat his immediate superior with the utmost 
 deference. " But I think he is right ; for we are 
 in the enemy's country, and any small squad 
 might be shot down while they were exploring 
 the river. You know what is wanted, and you 
 may give me your plan for doing what is re- 
 quired in an hour from now. Captain." 
 
 The commander left the tent, and Deck re- 
 turned to his map. 
 
358 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII 
 
 AN UP-RIVER ENTERPRISE PROJECTED 
 
 The problem that had been submitted for solu- 
 tion to Captain Lyon he regarded as a very easy 
 one, and he could have given his reply before the 
 general left the tent as well as an hour later. 
 But he looked over his map, and followed the 
 course of Duck River near Columbia for twenty 
 miles in either direction. He had had occasion 
 to study rivers on the Green and Cumberland; 
 and he made up his mind where he should find 
 a ford, if he found one at all at the present high 
 stage of the streams. 
 
 He had settled the question in his own mind 
 in ten minutes ; and he left the tent to find the 
 general and report to him. Lieutenant Herndon 
 was at the outside of the entrance, but Captain 
 Lyon did not feel at liberty to mention the mis- 
 sion to which he had been appointed. 
 
AN UP EIVER ENTERPRISE PROJECTED 359 
 
 " Which way did General Woodbine go, 
 Frank ? " he asked. 
 
 " He seemed to be walking about here for 
 exercise," replied his companion on the staff. 
 "Here he comes." 
 
 " What are you doing out here, Captain Lyon, 
 when I gave you something to do at the desk ? " 
 asked the general, with something like a frown 
 on his brow, though the young officer had very 
 rarely seen such a thing there. 
 
 "I have done it, and I am ready to report, 
 General," answered Deck. 
 
 " But I left you not ten minutes ago to do 
 the work." 
 
 " The conundrum you gave me was not a hard 
 one to guess ; and if you had not left the tent so 
 suddenly, I could have guessed it at sight." 
 
 "I suppose you have condemned the company 
 of cavalry which General Nelson indicated to 
 accompany you," added the general. 
 
 " On the contrary, I have not, but have ap- 
 proved it, as I did when you suggested that we 
 were in the enemy's country ; and there are Se- 
 cessionists enough within twenty miles of Colum- 
 
360 ON THE STAFF 
 
 bia who would take pleasure in shooting any 
 officer wearing a blue uniform, or private either, 
 for that matter," answered Deck. 
 
 " What have you to report, then, since you fall 
 in with General Nelson's idea ? " inquired the 
 brigadier. 
 
 " I don't think a company of cavalry, or if 
 there are a dozen of them, could find the ford. 
 It seems to me like setting an elephant to catch 
 a mosquito," replied Deck, who could not help 
 expressing his own opinion when he had one, but 
 always with proper respect for that of others. 
 
 " Why so ? " 
 
 " Because the troopers would not be able to 
 follow the river. Probably there are steep banks 
 in places on the stream to prevent them from 
 getting near it." 
 
 "But a ford would be useless in such a local- 
 ity, for the wagons could not get at it," the 
 general objected. 
 
 " Perhaps they could ; but I will not stop to 
 argue that question. In other places there would 
 be forests and soft ground where the horses could 
 not pass," continued the captain. 
 
AN UP RIVER ENTERPRISE PROJECTED 361 
 
 "But a ford would be useless to us in such 
 a place. I don't think you make out a case this 
 time, Captain," replied the general, with a look 
 of disappointment on his face. 
 
 " I think we shall want the company just the 
 same ; but I have not mentioned my plan yet," 
 added Deck, who could not fail to see that the 
 general was not as well pleased with him as he 
 had often been. 
 
 " Then, what is your plan ? " demanded Gen- 
 eral Woodbine, more impatient than he had ever 
 seen him before. 
 
 "As I was walking along the river yesterday, 
 I noticed, in the rear of a very fine residence, a 
 handsome keel boat; and all I have to say, in 
 addition to what I have said before, is that this 
 boat is just the thing with which to find a ford 
 in the river," replied Deck very quietly, and 
 with nothing of the exultation he felt apparent 
 in his manner, for he realized that he had solved 
 the question effectually, and there could be no 
 possible doubt of it in the minds of the two 
 generals. 
 
 " Good ! " exclaimed the general, as he sprang 
 
362 ON THE STAFF 
 
 forward, and grasped the hand of the captain. 
 " It is as plain as daylight in a clear morning. 
 Why didn't either of us generals think of 
 that?" 
 
 " The simplest things are sometimes hidden 
 the deepest," added Deck. 
 
 " Then, you will go up the river in the boat. 
 And you will not want the cavalry company to 
 go with you ? " 
 
 "Not with me. General, for I could not get 
 them into a boat of that size, especially not with 
 their horses. But I want the troopers near the 
 boat all the time, half of them on each side of 
 the stream. If the river is not guarded, I shall 
 come back dead or wounded; and that would 
 not be pleasant for my father and mother, how- 
 ever it might be to me." •-. 
 
 " You shall have the company ; but how will 
 you get half of it over the river in the absence 
 of a bridge ? " 
 
 " Every one of our horses can swim like an 
 eel ; for we used to take them across Green 
 River and Bar Creek for the practice." 
 
 " Very well, you can arrange the matter to 
 
AN UP mVER ENTEliPHISE PKOJECTED 363 
 
 suit yourself ; and I should be sorry to have you 
 shot, for we want to use you in the future, the 
 near future General Nelson believes," added the 
 general, as he went to the curtain of the tent, 
 and called Lieutenant Herndon. 
 
 The staff-officer came at once, and looked cu- 
 riously at both occupants of the tent. 
 
 "Now, Captain Lyon, tell the lieutenant where 
 that boat is to be found." 
 
 " I have not been on the other side of the 
 river for a very good reason," replied Deck ; 
 "but the house is the second one from where 
 they are building the new bridge. If you walk 
 ten rods or less along the river, you will see the 
 boat on the other side. It is painted white, and 
 is made fast by the painter to a sort of pier, 
 extending out into the stream. You cannot very 
 easily miss it." 
 
 "Is the painter on the wharf now? If he is, 
 I should think he would get tired of standing 
 there," inquired Herndon. " Perhaps he will 
 bring the boat across the river, if I point my 
 revolver at his head." 
 
 "I don't believe he will," answered Deck, 
 
364 ON THE STAFF 
 
 laughing heartily, in which the general joined 
 him, for he knew what the painter was. 
 
 " Why do you laugh, Deck ? " demanded 
 Herndon, not conscious of his blunder. 
 
 " The painter is the rope by which the boat 
 is made fast to the pier," added Deck. 
 
 "It is a queer painter," said the lieutenant. 
 " I don't know that I ever was in a boat in my 
 life ; for I came from a hilly^ county, where boats 
 are not of much account. But if the live painter 
 is not there, how am I to get the boat ; for the 
 river just here is wider than it is deep ? " 
 
 " I do not expect you to get it, Lieuten- 
 ant," interposed the commander of the brigade. 
 " Which company will you have. Captain ? " 
 
 " Captain Gordon's, for Lieutenant Knox com- 
 mands the second platoon, and he will bring 
 over the boat." 
 
 "Lieutenant, ask Major Lyon to have Captain 
 Gordon march his company to brigade head- 
 quarters as soon as possible, and to send Lieu- 
 tenant Knox with " — 
 
 " Sergeant Fronklyn and Corporal Milton," 
 added Deck, supplying the omission. 
 
AN UP RIVER ENTERPRISE PROJECTED 365 
 
 Herndon rushed out of the tent as though he 
 was in a hurry. He found the three companies 
 of cavalry driUing in a field in the rear of the 
 brigade camp, and delivered his order to Major 
 Lyon, who repeated it to Captain Gordon, and 
 the officers whose names were given were sent 
 on the instant. Herndon's horse had been at the 
 picket near the tent, and he had not been ob- 
 liged to walk the distance. Knox led the way 
 at a mad gallop, but the staff-officer kept at his 
 side all the way. Life did not even ask if there 
 was an attack upon any of the camps, and sa- 
 luted the general, who was standing with Deck 
 in front of the tent. 
 
 " Go with the lieutenant. Captain Lyon, and 
 point out the boat to him ; and be sure to have 
 him bring over the oars and the rudder," said 
 the general. 
 
 Deck mounted Herndon's horse, and led the 
 way up the road by the side of the river. 
 
 " Do you see that boat in the river on the 
 other side, made fast to the pier, Life ? " said 
 Deck, pointing in the direction he indicated. 
 
 " Certainly I do ; I am not blind. Captain 
 
366 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Lyon," replied the Kentuckian, who took great 
 delight in repeating the young officer's name and 
 title as often as he could. 
 
 " I want that boat," added Deck. 
 
 " That's easy enough," answered Life. 
 
 "But there is no bridge here now," suggested 
 the captain. 
 
 "If there had been, we should have been 
 nearer the Tennessee River than we are now, 
 Captain Lyon. But we don't want no bridges 
 for this business. Captain Lyon." 
 
 " Any bridges, Life ? " laughed Deck. 
 
 " Any bridges," repeated Life. " Do you 
 want that boat now. Captain Lyon ? " 
 
 " As soon as we can get it." 
 
 Lieutenant Knox looked up the river, and saw 
 a place where there was a steep descent to the 
 stream, which was used as a watering-place for 
 horses and cattle. Then calling the two non- 
 commissioned officers to follow him, he galloped 
 to the spot, and hardly checking the speed of 
 his powerful steed, he plunged into the river. 
 His horse was accustomed to swimming, and to 
 swimming with the stalwart cavalryman on his 
 
AN UP RIVER ENTERPRISE PROJECTED 367 
 
 back. He swam rapidly, and his neigh in the 
 water was answered by the other two horses. 
 In a few minutes he was at the other side of 
 the river. He found a sandy shore there, which 
 seemed to be used for a bathing-place for the 
 occupants of the handsome house. 
 
 The three troopers rode up the slope, and 
 landed in a road leading to a garden. Corporal 
 Milton was used to handling a fiat, and the lieu- 
 tenant selected him to take the boat to the other 
 side. The latter dismounted, and started for 
 the pier just as four negroes rushed down the 
 road from an outbuilding. 
 
 " You gwine to steal Mars'r's boat. He don't 
 let you do that," one of them belched out. 
 
 " We are going to take the boat ; but you can 
 have it after we have done with it," replied the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "No, sar! can't hab de boat! " protested the 
 negro who seemed to be the boss. 
 
 " Now go back to your shop. Pinkeye, and 
 don't make any more noise," said Life, as he 
 pointed his revolver at the group, Fronklyn 
 doing the same, while Milton was detaching the 
 
368 ON THE STAFF 
 
 painter from the pier. He did not wait to see 
 the result of the affair on the shore, but jumped 
 into the boat, and shoved off. Fronklyn had 
 taken the corporal's horse by the bridle-rein, 
 with the intention of swimming him over the 
 river. The negroes did not like the looks of the 
 revolvers, and they retired to the outbuilding. 
 
 " We needn't wait any longer," said Life, as 
 he started for the sloping beach. 
 
 Just then an old gentleman came out of the 
 house with a gun in his hand. Without waiting 
 to challenge the couple in the water, he fired 
 his piece. Fortunately he did not hit either of 
 them ; but each of them returned the fire, and 
 the old man dropped upon the ground. The 
 horses swam to the other side, and reached it 
 before Milton came with the boat. 
 
 They had the satisfaction of seeing the old 
 gentleman, who was probably the owner of the 
 house and the boat, rise from the ground, rub- 
 bing his right thigh, for the soldiers did not 
 intend to kill him, and Knox had told his com- 
 panion to aim at his legs. Doubtless it was the 
 shock of the wound that had caused him to fall. 
 
AN UP RIVER ENTERPRISE PROJECTED 369 
 
 Life hastened to headquarters as soon as he 
 came out of the water, leaving Fronklyn and 
 Milton in charge of the craft, and reported that 
 the boat was at the watering-place, ready for use. 
 It contained four oars and a rudder. 
 
 Captain Gordon's company had halted in front 
 of the tent, and General Woodbine had explained 
 to the commander of it what he was to do. It 
 was arranged that one platoon should follow the 
 river on each side, looking out for enemies ; and 
 they were to keep as near the stream as the 
 roads or the condition of the country would 
 permit. 
 
 A call was then made upon the members of 
 the body for all men who had had any experi- 
 ence in rowing a boat to manifest it; and about 
 a dozen signified that they could row, and had 
 done so. Half the number were selected by Deck, 
 after questioning them briefly. Their horses were 
 sent back to the camp, and they were required 
 to go up to the boat. Captain Lyon was under- 
 stood to be the leader of the enterprise, and the 
 officers were directed to take their orders from 
 him. 
 
370 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX 
 
 A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STREAM 
 
 Another expedition, precisely like that or- 
 ganized by Captain Lyon, and guarded by the 
 second company of Riverlawns, was sent down 
 the river. A long flat was obtained after some 
 search; and Corporal Milton, as the person the 
 most familiar with boating, was appointed to 
 make the exploration in it, at the suggestion of 
 the leader of the other searching-party. 
 
 Deck and the six oarsmen for the up-river 
 trip went to the watering-place, followed by- 
 Captain Gordon's company. Lieutenant Knox 
 was given the opposite side of the stream; and 
 without any hesitation the platoon plunged into 
 the water, and went across as readily as though 
 it had been a level piece of ground. The cap- 
 tain wished he had the six negroes who pulled 
 the Magnolia on Green River and Bar Creek, 
 for they were well trained to their work. 
 
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STREAM 371 
 
 He placed the men on the thwarts, with one 
 of the six in the bow, having a pole to sound 
 the depth of water from time to time, and an- 
 other similarly armed near himself in the stern. 
 When he told them to give way they made bad 
 work of their rowing, for they had never pulled 
 together, and he was obliged to train them be- 
 fore they started ; but in a few minutes they 
 did better. 
 
 The captain took the tiller-ropes, and steered 
 the boat himself. He kept the two^'men sound- 
 ing with their poles all the time ; and, as the im- 
 plements were only six feet long, they reported 
 " no bottom," as they were instructed to do, for 
 the first two miles. Deck put into use all the 
 river craft he had acquired; and he was sorry 
 he had not brought his brother with him, but 
 he was the orderly of the major, practically his 
 aid-de-camp, and he did not like to call him 
 away from his ordinary duties. 
 
 " Nothing but ' no bottom ' so far," said the 
 captain, as the boat reached a widening of the 
 river making quite a large pond. 
 
 " It won't be so deep here, Captain," replied 
 
372 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Walker, the trooper in the stern-sheets with 
 him. 
 
 " There appears to be no mud on the shore, 
 and it looks like a sandy region," added Deck, 
 looking over the banks of the stream. 
 
 As he did so he saw the platoons on each 
 side; and they were keeping near the river, as 
 they had been ordered to do. 
 
 " Under water six feet," reported Beckland 
 in the bow ; and he appeared to have picked up 
 some of the lingo of the regular pilots, for he 
 had served as an engineer. 
 
 " What does that mean, Captain ? " asked 
 Walker, who had never been a steamboat man. 
 
 "It means that the water is a little over six 
 feet deep, and that Beckland finds bottom by 
 reaching his arm down below the surface," re- 
 plied the captain. "The river is shoaling, and 
 we may find here the place we are looking 
 for." 
 
 " What are you looking for. Captain Lyon ? " 
 asked Walker, for the object of the expedition 
 had not been explained to the men. 
 
 " We are looking for shoal water," returned the 
 
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STKEAM 373 
 
 leader, without giving any further information in 
 regard to the object of the expedition. 
 
 Looking ahead some distance, Deck saw the 
 platoon of Lieutenant Belthorpe coming down to 
 the shore. There was a forest extending down 
 nearly to the water, where the horses were drink- 
 ing ; for they had not swum the river, as the other 
 platoon had. They stood on a sandy beach ; and 
 advancing a little farther, he discovered an open- 
 ing in the woods which looked like a road. 
 
 " Five feet ! " called Beckland from the bow. 
 
 " Six feet ! " added Walker. 
 
 " There is a sharp pitch on the bottom here," 
 Deck remarked. 
 
 "Four feet," said the bowman. 
 
 "Five feet," Walker followed. 
 
 " It is shoaling rapidly," said the captain. 
 
 "Three and a half feet," continued Beckland. 
 
 The oarsmen continued to pull at the oars in 
 the regular time Deck had given them, and they 
 were doing very well now. The bowman gave 
 the same figures for nearly a quarter of a mile, 
 and Walker reported the same. But then the 
 depth increased till it came back to no bottom. 
 
374 ON THE STAFF 
 
 The captain began to come about, with the 
 head of the boat inclined towards the shore, 
 where the platoon was moving along near the 
 water. He continued to descend the river, till 
 Beckland again reported three feet and a half. 
 Then he headed the boat directly for the shore. 
 The cavalry retraced their steps on the sandy 
 beach, and Captain Gordon halted them at the 
 point towards which the boat was headed. In a 
 few minutes the bottom of the keel grated in 
 the sand. 
 
 "How do you get on, Captain Lyon?" asked 
 the commander of the company, as he drove his 
 horse into the water till he was alongside the 
 stern-sheets. 
 
 " Very well ; but it has been ' no bottom ' all 
 the way up till we came to this pond," replied 
 Deck. " I want about twenty sticks, say an inch 
 in diameter and four feet long, dry, if they can 
 be found." 
 
 " All right ; you shall have them in a few 
 minutes," replied the captain, as he called Ser- 
 geant Yowell from the company, ordering him 
 to take half a dozen men, and find the sticks 
 
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STREAM 375 
 
 required. " It looks as though the water was not 
 as deep as it was below." 
 
 "It is spread out here, and the broader the 
 stream, the less the depth," replied Deck, as he 
 resumed his seat in the boat. " Captain Gor- 
 don, I shall want your men, or as many of them 
 as you choose to send, to take to the water, if 
 we are so fortunate as to find anything that will 
 pass for a ford." 
 
 " Very well ; and, as it is a soft, warm day, I 
 think we will all take a swim," replied the com- 
 mander of the company. 
 
 "I hope you will not have to swim your 
 horses," replied Deck, as he took several fish- 
 lines from under the seat, and began to unreel 
 them. 
 
 " Are you going fishing. Captain Lyon ? " asked 
 the commander of the company, with a laugh. 
 
 "Not much." 
 
 " I was going to say that if you intend to 
 fish, you will do better in deeper water than it 
 is up here," added Captain Gordon. 
 
 " I have other fish to fry than those caught in 
 Duck River," replied Deck, as he measured off 
 
376 ON THE STAFF 
 
 about three feet from one of the lines after he 
 had cut off the hooks and sinker. 
 
 " What do you want of the sticks, Captain ? " 
 
 "If we are so fortunate as to find a ford here, 
 I shall buoy it off so that you can find your 
 way over to the other side," replied Deck, as 
 he handed another of the lines to Walker, and 
 required him to treat it as he had the firet one. 
 
 "I think I can find my way over to the other 
 side, after I have observed the course of your 
 boat, without any buoys," added Captain Gordon. 
 
 "Then they are for another use," said Deck, 
 laughing. 
 
 " Here are a couple of men with some of the 
 sticks." 
 
 The two men had dismounted in order to do 
 what was required of them ; and one of the 
 mounted men brought off the buoys, as they 
 were intended to be. Deck fastened one end of 
 a line to the end of a stick, and then set the 
 men in the boat to doing the same thing. 
 
 "I shall want as many stones as sticks, weigh- 
 ing about three pounds apiece, Captain Gordon," 
 continued Deck ; and men were sent to look 
 
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STREAM 377 
 
 them up, and one of them had noticed a ledge 
 on the edge of the woods where there were 
 plenty of them. 
 
 As soon as some of the stones came, Deck at- 
 tached a few to the ends of the Imes, so as to 
 form an anchor for the buoys, to keep them 
 standing upright in the water. When the men 
 saw how it was done, they did the rest of them 
 as fast as the stones came, and the job was 
 soon completed. 
 
 " I will signal you by waving my cap in the 
 air, Captain Gordon, when I am ready for your 
 men to come over," said Deck, as he called to 
 his crew to take their oars. 
 
 " All right, Captain ; we will be on the look- 
 out for the signal." 
 
 By this time a couple of farmers and some 
 boys had gathered on the shore to see what was 
 going on; but the troopers drove them away, 
 though the captain had some doubts as to 
 whether he had not better put them under 
 guard, to prevent them from bringing a force of 
 the enemy if there were any of them near 
 enough. Deck ordered his crew to give way, 
 
378 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and the two men to sound as they had done 
 before. 
 
 " Three feet and a half," Beckland reported. 
 
 Deck adjusted the line, and threw one of the 
 stones, with its buoy, over it into the water. 
 
 The stick stood up " like a little man," and 
 could be plainly seen from the shore. The boat 
 proceeded, and the buoys were anchored at suit- 
 able distances from each other till the boat 
 reached the middle of the river. 
 
 "Four feet," Beckland reported; and the 
 depth increased till " No bottom " again became 
 the legend. This was deep enough to drown the 
 infantry of the brigade. 
 
 "It is useless to go any farther in this direc- 
 tion," said Deck, disappointed at the result he 
 had just obtained; and he put the boat about, 
 steering for the last buoy he had anchored. 
 "Sound all the time," he added to those who 
 were attending to this duty. 
 
 "Three feet and a half," said Beckland, as 
 they approached the first buoy. 
 
 Captain Lyon then began to move the boat 
 up stream, and sounded in a circle till he ob- 
 
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STREAM 379 
 
 tained the width of the shoal at the bottom, 
 and set a buoy on each side of it. Then get- 
 ting over to the middle of it, he held a course 
 up the river till six feet was given again. 
 Backing the boat to the shoal, he described an- 
 other circle, which brought him to three feet 
 and a half again, nearer to Lieutenant Knox's 
 side of the river; and he had halted his pla- 
 toon on a sandy beach like that the boat had 
 just left. 
 
 The shoal now extended towards Life's side ; 
 and Deck followed it till three feet were re- 
 ported, and then a depth that could be waded 
 by a boy of ten years. He had planted the 
 buoys all the way along the tortuous ford, and 
 now he was within hailing distance of the tall 
 Kentuckian. 
 
 " Lieutenant Knox ! " shouted Deck, as the 
 boat approached the shore. 
 
 " Captain Lyon ! " Life responded, with the 
 usual emphasis on the title. 
 
 " Be ready to ford the river ! " added Deck. 
 
 "All ready! " was the reply that came back. 
 
 " March ! " shouted the captain, as he anchored 
 
380 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the last buoy about a hundred feet from the 
 shore. " Oars ! " he added, and his crew stopped 
 pulling; and if they had been in the navy they 
 would have stood their oars on end. 
 
 The platoon on the shore marched by fours 
 into the river, and directed their course towards 
 the boat, which came about as they advanced, 
 and led the way, keeping the buoys on the right, 
 as Deck gave the order to Knox. The way 
 was as plain as a lighted street in the evening. 
 In twenty minutes the procession had crossed 
 the flood, and not a horse had been obliged to 
 swim a yard, unless he did it for the fun of 
 it. 
 
 The company was united on the strand; and 
 though no one had been told the object of all 
 these proceedings, they all understood by this 
 time the meaning of them, and the men gave 
 three cheers as Deck got out of the boat. If 
 he felt particularly happy at this time, with his 
 completed mission a decided success, he could 
 not be blamed for it. But he was in a hurry 
 to report to his general the result of the expe- 
 dition ; and he did not stop to indulge in any 
 
A SUCCESSFUL MISSION UP THE STREAM 381 
 
 fine words, but simply saluted the company when 
 they cheered. 
 
 As he had found Life's company on the other 
 side, he had not made the signal agreed upon 
 with Captain Gordon, and Life's platoon had 
 tested the ford. 
 
 " This ford must not be left unguarded. Cap- 
 tain Gordon," said Deck, saluting the commander. 
 "The enemy, or even some of the farmers, who 
 are probably Secessionists, may remove the buoys 
 in our absence." 
 
 " I was just thinking of that, and intended 
 to leave a guard on both sides of the river," re- 
 plied the captain. 
 
 "Then excuse me for mentioning it," added 
 Deck. 
 
 "You are the representative of General Wood- 
 bine, and no excuse is necessary," replied the 
 captain of the company with a smile. 
 
 " If you will designate the officer to be in 
 charge of the guard, I shall be glad to ride his 
 horse back to the camp, and he can take my 
 place in the boat, where he will be quite com- 
 fortable," continued Deck. 
 
6qz on the staff 
 
 "Lieutenant Belthorpe," said the captain. 
 
 "I am glad to see you, Tom," said Captain 
 Lyon, as he took the hand of his friend and 
 neighbor at Riverlawn. "We don't meet as 
 often as formerly;" and he proceeded to mount 
 his steed. " You can keep yourself comfortable 
 in the boat, and see everything that is going on 
 upon both sides of the river." 
 
 Twenty men were detailed to guard the ford, 
 and Sergeant Fronklyn was sent across the stream 
 with half of them. The rest of the company 
 rode at full speed back to the headquarters, at 
 the entrance of which both Generals Nelson and 
 Woodbine were seated. 
 
Captain Lyon was invited into the tent." 
 
 Page 383. 
 
THE general's HURRIED MARCH 383 
 
 CHAPTER XXX 
 
 THE general's HURRIED MARCH 
 
 The expedition had been absent not more 
 than three hours, and it was only three o'clock 
 in the afternoon. Both the division and the 
 brigade commanders rose from their stools, and 
 seemed to be greatly astonished at the early re- 
 turn of the company from their mission. The 
 command was sent back to the camp, and Cap- 
 tain Lyon was invited into the tent with the 
 general of division. 
 
 "Well, Captain Lyon, what success have you 
 had?" inquired General Nelson, who was an 
 impetuous man, and whose mind was fixed upon 
 the march he had in view. 
 
 "Perfect success. General," replied Deck. 
 
 "You have found a ford?" demanded the gen- 
 eral, and his browned face had been clouded 
 with anxiety. 
 
 "I have found a ford, but it is a crooked one." 
 
384 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Six feet of water on it all the way?" 
 
 "Not more than three feet and a half in any 
 place." 
 
 " That is a very reasonable depth ; and you say 
 it is crooked," added General Nelson. " But I 
 suppose you can pilot the division across." 
 
 " You will have no occasion for a pilot, Gen- 
 eral," answered Deck, inclined to be excited, but 
 controlling himself with a strong effort, and re- 
 plying as quietly as though he had been on a pic- 
 nic with less distinguished persons. 
 
 "But you say the ford is very crooked." 
 
 " It is about like a man's leg, bent at the knee, 
 and again at the turning of the foot," added 
 Deck, as he went to the table, and made a hasty 
 diagram of the shape of the shoal at the bottom 
 of the river, which he presented to the superior 
 general, who took it, and looked at it with de- 
 cided interest. " The water above and below 
 the shoal is six feet and more in depth. The 
 report of the man sounding on the way up the 
 river was ' no bottom,' using a pole six feet long." 
 
 " Are you a sailor, Captain Lyon ? " asked the 
 general abruptly. ! 
 
THE general's HURRIED MARCH 385 
 
 "I am not, General; I never even saw the 
 sea but once, and never sailed upon it, though I 
 am somewhat accustomed to the use of boats." 
 
 " You use some nautical terms, I have ob- 
 served," continued the general, as he gave his 
 attention to the diagram again. " But how are 
 we to find our way along this crooked ford, as 
 shown in this drawing, without a pilot ? " 
 
 "I have buoyed the ford all the way across," 
 answered the young captain as quietly as before. 
 
 " Buoyed the ford ! You are a jewel ! I can 
 understand now what General Woodbine has said 
 about you, when I thought he was overdoing 
 the thing. How did you buoy the ford ? " 
 
 Deck explained how he had done it, and added 
 that he should have put a little flag on the sticks 
 if he had had the material for them. 
 
 " Captain Gordon left a guard at the ford of 
 ten men on each side of the river, to prevent the 
 buoys from being removed by the enemy," added 
 Deck. 
 
 "How far is the ford from the camp?" 
 
 "I judged that it was about three miles." 
 
 "And the approaches to it?" 
 
386 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "Excellent on this side, and L.eutenant Knox 
 reports a road witliin three miles of the shore, 
 leading in one direction to the Tennessee and 
 Alabama Railroad, projected, but not built, on the 
 other side," replied Deck. 
 
 " That makes a very clear case of it ; and I 
 thank you. Captain Lyon, for your meritorious 
 service," said the general, as he rose from his 
 stool, which had been dancing on the ground 
 under the excitement of the occupant some of 
 the time, for his project was a cherished one 
 to him. 
 
 Deck bowed low to the division commander, 
 who hastened out of the tent, though he returned 
 from the curtain to the table for the diagram of 
 the ford. Doubtless he intended to put himself 
 in communication with General Buell as soon 
 as possible. At supper-time Major Lyon ordered 
 the guard at the ford to be relieved, and twenty 
 men departed under command of Lieutenant Gad- 
 bury to relieve the watchers at the ford. 
 
 The second company had returned from their 
 expedition down the river; and they had found 
 what they called a ford, though there were over 
 
THE general's HURRIED MARCH 387 
 
 four feet upon it, and the approaches to it 
 ■were very unsatisfactory for the trains. The 
 general was already decided, and before dark 
 orders came for the brigade to march for the 
 ford at six the next morning. 
 
 "Things are getting lively again. Deck," said 
 Lieutenant Herndon in the evening. 
 
 "It looks so," replied the other. "We begin 
 on an eighty-mile march to-morrow morning ; and 
 what comes after that we don't know." 
 
 "Even the staff-officers don't know what is 
 going on most of the time," added Herndon. 
 " We don't know what will come next ; and we 
 are not likely to know before we get into the 
 midst of a big battle, for I am persuaded there 
 is to be one down here somewhere." 
 
 " I don't know that it makes any great differ- 
 ence to us, anyway ; all we have to do is to dis- 
 charge the duty assigned to us, and we shall 
 find out soon enough ' where we are at.' " 
 
 Deck was tired after the exertion of the day, 
 and the excitement had passed off ; and he 
 stretched himself on his bed of straw, with his 
 blanket spread over him, and was soon asleep. 
 
388 ON THE STAFF 
 
 At midnight the guard at the river was re- 
 lieved by Lieutenant Knox, and the ten men 
 sent across the stream in the darkness, though 
 they had light enough to enable them to make 
 out the buoys. 
 
 At four o'clock in the morning the bugles 
 began to sound through the brigade camp, and 
 the " Assemblies " of the different arms were all 
 mixed together. The men had filled their hav- 
 ersacks the night before with the food to be 
 used on the march, but breakfast was served 
 before the start. At six o'clock the entire divis- 
 ion was in column, ready for the march to the 
 ford. The trains were in the rear of each com- 
 mand. The cavalry of General Woodbine's bri- 
 gade went first, and reached the ford in advance 
 of the infantry. Agreeably to his orders. Ma- 
 jor Lyon stretched a line of troopers across the 
 river on the lower side of the shoal, so that 
 the road for the infantry lay between them and 
 the buoys. The passage of this arm of the ser- 
 vice was more difficult than for mounted men ; 
 for it was not an easy thing for men to march 
 in three and a half feet of water on foot. 
 
THE general's HUEKIED MARCH 389 
 
 However brave men may be on the field of 
 battle, some may become timid in the midst of 
 a running river. They are up to or above their 
 middle in the treacherous element ; and on this 
 occasion two privates lost their presence of mind, 
 or stumbled over rocks on the bottom, and were 
 swept to the cavalry line by the current, though 
 it was not very swift at the present high stage 
 of the stream. They were promptly picked up, 
 and set on their feet by the troopers, and con- 
 tinued on their way. 
 
 All the infantry passed safely over, and the 
 trains were equally fortunate. Ammen's brigade 
 was the first to cross the stream ; and, coming 
 out of the water, followed the road to Columbia, 
 and then continued on the railroad to Mount 
 Pleasant, which was as far as it was built. The 
 details of the march need not be given. From 
 the town, or hamlet, it was continued over the 
 narrow road, in poor condition, to Waynesboro, 
 from which an ordinary road led to Savannah, 
 where the various divisions were to concentrate. 
 General Nelson, impetuous and impatient, hur- 
 ried his march ; for he, if no other general, be- 
 
390 ON THE STAFF 
 
 lieved his division would be needed to re-enforce 
 the divisions under General Grant. 
 
 General Buell received no word from General 
 Grant to the effect that he needed additional 
 troops from the army of the former; and he 
 had obtained permission from General Halleck 
 to halt at Waynesboro to rest his army and to 
 "brush up," so that his forces should be in good 
 condition to meet the other divisions of the 
 Union army at Savannah. General Nelson had 
 not been informed of this purpose to rest ; and 
 he hurried on at his break-neck gait, intent only 
 upon rendering the needed aid to General Grant. 
 
 Some twenty miles below Savannah, on the 
 Tennessee, was Hamburg Landing, and General 
 Buell was considering the propriety of sending 
 a portion of his force to this place ; but the 
 rapid movements of General Nelson defeated this 
 project, as well as the rest at Waynesboro. It 
 required six miles of road to enable a division 
 to move freely. The hurry of the general of the 
 fourth division had been communicated to the 
 other commands in the rear, and they had passed 
 the point for rest before any orders reached them. 
 
THE general's HTJKEIED MARCH 391 
 
 At Columbia, General Buell received his first 
 information that General Grant was on the west 
 side of the Tennessee. The fourth division had 
 the head of the marching columns, and had left 
 Columbia on the morning of March 29. The 
 bridge over Duck River was finished that day ; 
 and two days later the Army of the Ohio be- 
 gan to move, with sufficient interval between the 
 divisions to prevent confusion on the narrow and 
 inadequate roads. The rapid movement of the 
 fourth division, leading the van of the great 
 Lost, though the repose and brushing up at 
 Waynesboro was defeated by it, stimulated the 
 speed of the forces behind him ; and they were 
 too late to receive the orders of the general-in- 
 chief to halt. 
 
 Telegraphic communication between General 
 Grant and General Nelson was opened April 3, 
 and the commander of the fourth division sent 
 a message that his force could be in Savannah 
 on the 5th ; but the former replied that he need 
 not hurry his march, for the transport steamers 
 to convey his command across the river would 
 not be ready till the 8th. But the general seems 
 
392 ON THE STAFF 
 
 to have been wrought up to such a pitch as to 
 be incapable of reducing the speed of his bat- 
 talions, and he hurried on with as much vigor 
 as before. 
 
 It is not to be believed that the impetuous 
 general had any special inspiration or miracu- 
 lous foreknowledge of events ; but General John- 
 ston was at that time marching his entire army 
 from Corinth, with the intention of wiping out 
 the army of General Grant before General Buell 
 could re-enforce him. General Nelson seems to 
 have been the " right man in the right place," 
 whether it was by the accident of his impetu- 
 osity, or a special Providence, in the salvation 
 of the Union. 
 
 On the 4th and 5th of April it rained in 
 torrents about all the time, and the roads, never 
 good, were out up and broken up so as to be 
 almost impassable ; but the resolute commander 
 kept on his course as though the ground were 
 frozen, and the weather were that of a dry 
 June, and reached Savannah on the 5 th, the 
 day before the battle of Pittsburg Landing, or 
 Sliiloh, had begun. 
 
THE general's HURRIED MARCH 393 
 
 In the face of General Nelson's apparently 
 prophetic vision, it seems to be an established 
 fact that General Halleck, the superior officer 
 of all the generals present or absent, General 
 Grant, and the able commanders on the field 
 where the great battle was fought, had not the 
 most distant idea that the enemy would advance 
 in force from Corinth. General Halleck was still 
 in St. Louis, though he intended to command 
 the concentrated armies of the Union in the 
 attack upon Corinth. 
 
 General Sherman, the right-hand man of Gen- 
 eral Grant, informed him that the enemy had 
 cavalry in front of the lines, and he thought 
 there were two regiments and a battery six miles 
 distant, but he did not apprehend any attack. 
 The battle came off several days before it was 
 expected to occur, if at all ; and General Halleck 
 had appointed his day to leave St. Louis the day 
 after the burden of the battle had been fought. 
 
 General Nelson was at Savannah on the 5th 
 of April ; and the fifth division under General 
 Crittenden arrived the same night, and encamped 
 several miles distant. But no one expected that 
 
394 ON THE STAFF 
 
 one of the bloodiest battles of the war was to be 
 fought the next day. The troops were wet, and 
 the country was partially flooded from the heavy 
 rains. It was not a good preparation for a ter- 
 rible combat, and thousands who thought of 
 happy homes far distant from the awful scene 
 of carnage slept their last sleep on the bloody 
 field before another night closed upon them. 
 
 "This is not exactly comfortable, Frank," said 
 Deck, as they met in the tent of General Wood- 
 bine after the duties of the day were done. 
 
 "I don't think it is, and I almost wish I was 
 at home in my father's house by a good light 
 wood-fire," replied Frank. 
 
 " I feel as much like grumbling as I ever did 
 in my life ; but we are here in the cause of the 
 blessed Union, and if we fail to do our duty 
 the United States will cease to exist ; and I 
 often feel as though the whole work of the war 
 rested on my shoulders, and I will not growl at 
 anything," added Deck, more serious than usual. 
 
 The general came in, and they all went to 
 their uncomfortable beds. 
 
THE FlUST DAY AT PITTSBUEG LANDING 395 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI 
 
 THE FIRST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 
 
 General Buell arrived at Savannah on the 
 same day that the fourth division did, and he 
 had an appointment to meet General Grant on 
 the following day. On the morning of April 
 6th, both generals were at this town, nine or 
 ten miles below the scene of the battle. The 
 commander of the army on the other side of the 
 river was taking an early breakfast with his staff, 
 in readiness for his meeting with General Buell. 
 The sound of booming guns was heard while 
 they were so engaged ; and, instead of going to 
 meet him, he wrote a hurried note to him, and 
 hastened up the river to join his command. 
 
 On the Friday before, the horse of the com- 
 manding general had fallen in the roughness and 
 among the pitfalls of the region ; and his rider 
 had been thrown under him, and was severely 
 injured, or what would have been severely at any 
 
396 ON THE STAFF 
 
 other time. He was in great pain for a few days, 
 and was partially disabled for a week ; but he 
 did not intermit his labors in the cause in which 
 he was engaged. 
 
 Hastening to the river, he went on board of a 
 steamer, and started for the field, ready for any 
 emergency that might be presented to him. On 
 the way he stopped at Crump's Landing, sent a 
 message to General Lew Wallace, who was there 
 with his division of five thousand men, and later 
 another to General Nelson, to hasten forward 
 with their commands. On his arrival at Pitts- 
 burg Landing, he rushed to the front as rapidly 
 as his horse could bear him. He found the sit- 
 uation not as hopeful as he could desire. It has 
 been said that he was surprised by the enemy; 
 and in one sense this was true. Neither he nor 
 any of the other generals, including General Hal- 
 leck at St. Louis, who intended to lead the com- 
 bined armies in an attack upon the enemy at 
 Corinth, anticipated a pitched battle where it 
 occurred, or anywhere else except at Corinth. 
 General Grant was surprised to find the whole 
 Confederate army in that section under General 
 
THE FIRST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 397 
 
 Johnston in front of him ; but he was not sur- 
 prised in the ordinary and technical sense of the 
 word, for there had been skirmishing with tlie 
 enemy's pickets for several days. 
 
 On that bright and quiet Sunday morning the 
 battle began, and the commander of the force 
 was at the front. In his note to General Buell, 
 with his apology for not meeting him as ar- 
 ranged, he ordered General Nelson's division to 
 be moved to a point "opposite Pittsburg Land- 
 ing." No other division was mentioned in the 
 note, indicating that General Grant did not ex- 
 pect such an engagement as that which followed. 
 General Nelson was eager to obey the order ; 
 and he sought to find a guide for his command 
 to the point indicated, but none could be ob- 
 tained. He sent Captain Kendrick of his staff 
 to explore the region, and find a practicable route 
 to the battlefield. During the absence of this 
 officer, the sound of booming guns had become 
 more distinct and significant, and indicated a 
 general battle. The impatience of the fiery com- 
 mander of the fourth division may be imagined 
 when Captain Kendrick did not return till noon. 
 
398 ON THE STAFF 
 
 He reported that the road near the river had 
 been overflowed by the recent heavy rain, and 
 was not in condition for use. 
 
 The captain also reported another road which 
 was practicable for infantry and cavalry, but not 
 for artillery and trains. By this time a guide 
 had been found, and the division was put in rapid 
 motion. The roar of the heavy guns became 
 more distinct, and all the evidences of a great 
 battle were clear enough. The gunboats were 
 firing at the flanks of the enemy ; and the din 
 from the distance was fearful to the impatient 
 soldiers, anxious to take a hand in the conflict. 
 
 Unhappily, all in that terrible fight were not 
 so anxious to be in the thickest of it. At the 
 beginning of the battle the Union army consisted 
 of thirty-three thousand men, with General Wal- 
 lace's five thousand at Crump's Landing. The 
 Confederate army under General Johnston were 
 reported by General Beauregard at forty thou- 
 sand. Vast numbers of the Union troops were 
 direct from their shops and farms, and were not 
 sufficiently drilled and seasoned to war to be 
 steady and reliable in such a fierce conflict. 
 
\ 
 
 THE FIRST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 399 
 
 The onslaught and slaughter had been terri- 
 ble ; and it was estimated that six to eight thou- 
 sand of them were demoralized, and fled from 
 the field, crouching for safety under the banks 
 of the river, or in the creeks that flowed across 
 the battlefield. But, in spite of the fact that 
 nearly or quite a fourth part of the army had 
 fled in terror from the bloody onslaught of the 
 enemy, the lines were only temporarily broken, 
 and the gaps were speedily filled by troops who 
 had been hardened to such terrific scenes. 
 
 It was five o'clock in the afternoon when 
 General Nelson succeeded in sending Ammen's 
 brigade over the river with a portion of the cav- 
 alry of the division. Later in the day the rest of 
 the fourth were ferried over to the battlefield. 
 The sight that greeted them as they approached 
 the west shore of the river was appalling beyond 
 description, with thousands of demoralized and 
 trembling soldiers in such shelter from shot, shell, 
 and bullets as they could find, while the roar of 
 the conflict still sounded not far from them. 
 
 " This is horrible ! " exclaimed Lieutenant 
 Herndon, as the steamer approached the shore. 
 
400 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I am sorry to know that these men have de- 
 serted the field," replied Captain Lyon. 
 
 " You can hardly wonder at it, Deck ; for I 
 suppose they are like so many who have been 
 brought into the field in face of the enemy, with 
 little or no drill or training, and it is a terrible 
 thing for a green soldier to stand up before a 
 volley from the enemy, with artillery blazing at 
 them, as we can judge that it was from the sounds 
 that have reached our ears." 
 
 " I can pity without blaming them, for it was 
 a fearful ordeal for men such as you describe," 
 replied Deck. "As I heard my father say in a 
 speech to the men, it requires a moral force be- 
 hind the physical to enable a soldier to stand up 
 before the enemy, facing death and mangling 
 wounds, without flinching. We have always 
 found that the most ignorant and rufiianly men 
 make the most unreliable soldiers. As father 
 said, it is the soul rather than the body that 
 makes the true soldier." 
 
 " You are quite correct, and Major Lyon is one 
 of the best specimens of the well-informed officer; 
 but we are close to the shore, and I think we 
 
THE FIRST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 401 
 
 have a chance to apply the philosophy of your 
 worthy father," added, the lieutenant, as they pre- 
 pared to land in advance of the infantry, being on 
 their horses on the forecastle of the steamer. 
 
 The battle-ground lay between Lick Creek on 
 the north and Snake Creek on the south, and 
 was nearly surrounded by them. The brigade 
 landed, and moved with all speed to the heat of 
 the action ; and if it had ceased there, the vic- 
 tory would have been theirs ; but it did not cease 
 there, as the Confederates evidently believed it 
 would ; for the night was coming on, and they 
 certainly had the advantage at this time. In the 
 hope and expectation of finishing the hard-fought 
 battle of the day, the right of their line under 
 General Bragg had been hurled against the left 
 of General Grant's line ; and the crisis of the fight 
 seemed to be at this point. 
 
 With ringing cheers Ammen's brigade marched 
 up the Corinth road, proving that the sickening 
 sight of the stragglers by the river had not de- 
 moralized them, but appeared rather to have 
 increased their courage and resolution. General 
 Bragg's assault had become a partial success ; and 
 
402 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the fortune of the day was wavering at this point, 
 for it was only necessary to push back the Union 
 left the eighth of a mile for the enemy to reach 
 Pittsburg Landing, and then the Federal army 
 could no longer hold its position. 
 
 The Riverlawn Cavalry led the march; and the 
 Marions had been left on the opposite side of 
 the river, for the boat had not space enough on 
 its deck for them. An unsupported battery was 
 in sight, and General Woodbine ordered his bri- 
 gade in that direction. Major Lyon was at the 
 head of his column, with Captain Gordon near 
 him. The general of brigade was on the left 
 flank, near the ravine, which had flooded its 
 bank, and was a broad sheet of water. 
 
 As the head of the column approached the 
 battery, which was playing on the thickest of 
 the assaulting command. Captain Gordon sud- 
 denly dropped from his horse ; but he was not 
 killed, for he tried to stand up after he struck 
 the ground. He was borne by a couple of 
 troopers to the brink of the ravine, and placed 
 in the shadow of a solitary tree. 
 
 " Captain Lyon ! " shouted the general. 
 
I 
 
 THE FIRST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 403 
 
 " Here, General," replied Deck, riding up to 
 him, for he was some distance in advance of 
 him, and saluting him as though they were still 
 in camp. 
 
 "Take the command of the first company of 
 your cavalry ! " added the brigadier decidedly 
 and earnestly, for he was fully in the spirit of 
 the occasion. 
 
 Deck saluted him in reply; and pressing his 
 heels against the flanks of liis steed, for he wore 
 only dummy spurs, Ceph galloped forward at his 
 best speed in spite of the soft ground beneath 
 him, and the rider was soon in the presence of 
 his father. 
 
 "I am ordered by the general to take com- 
 mand of the firet company," said he, when he 
 had saluted the major. 
 
 " Very well ; do your duty, Dexter," replied 
 the major, speaking this time rather as the father 
 than as the military superior. "A company of 
 cavalry is hastening towards the battery." 
 
 The enemy had seen that this battery was not 
 supported, and the cavalry had evidently been 
 sent to capture it. Probably the force that had 
 
404 ON THE STAFF 
 
 been posted with it for its protection had fled 
 in terror, as so many thousands did that day. 
 The foe wanted those guns for a trophy, if 
 nothing more, and the opportunity was favorable 
 for them. 
 
 "Company — attention ! " shouted Deck at the 
 top of his lungs. "Gallop — march! To the 
 charge ! " 
 
 This command was received by the members 
 of the first company with a volley of vigorous 
 cheers, and the captain felt that the men had not 
 been demoralized or disheartened by the pitiable 
 sights they had seen on the march. No doubt 
 they were all grieved at the fall of their cap- 
 tain, but they had no time to think of this. 
 They knew the temporary captain, and they had 
 seen him in some desperate encounters with 
 mounted men. 
 
 The Confederate cavalry were galloping madly 
 down a slope, stimulated by the hope of imme- 
 diate victory. Ammen's brigade opened a steady 
 and deadly fire upon the infantry in front of 
 them, but gave no attention to the cavalry. The 
 battery kept up its fire of shells ; and one passed 
 
I 
 
 THE FIEST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 405 
 
 through the approaching company of mounted 
 men, and not a few of them dropped from their 
 horses. But they did not seem to be appalled 
 by this misfortune, and dashed forward with 
 even more vigor than before, evidently with 
 the intention of stilling the guns by capturing 
 them. 
 
 Deck led his company forward past the guns, 
 meeting the enemy at the foot of the slope. Gen- 
 eral Woodbine rode forward at the same time, 
 and ordered Major Lyon to send the second com- 
 pany to the left of the first, where there was space 
 enough to enable them to fall upon the right 
 of the company, thus outnumbering them two 
 to one. Captain Truman moved forward in 
 obedience to this order just as the first struck 
 the enemy. 
 
 Deck saw that the captain of the company rode 
 at the left of his command, and quite up to the 
 front of it. He felt, with a captain's commis- 
 sion in his pocket, he could not do less than take 
 a similar position on the right of the first River- 
 lawn. He scrutinized very closely the face and 
 form of the officer on the other side. He thought 
 
406 ON THE STAFF 
 
 from his uniform that he might be a Texan 
 Ranger, but he had never seen him before. 
 
 He was a young man, hardly more than 
 twenty, with a handsome face ; but he was 
 rather under than over medium size, and he 
 rode a small horse, like some other Texans 
 he had met. His face was rather pale, and it 
 was evident to Deck that he was hardly equal 
 to the hardships of campaign life. His company 
 were using the Confederate yell for all it was 
 worth, which the Union troopers had heard 
 before, and they were not intimidated by it. 
 The young captain was yelling with them, and 
 Deck realized that he was a brave fellow. 
 
 " Cheer, my men ! " shouted Deck, as they 
 approached the enemy, and his troopers drowned 
 the yell of the enemy. 
 
 As they scraped their throats with the vigor 
 of their cry, they fell upon their opponents, who 
 had doubtless been fighting all day, while they 
 were fresh from the camp. It was a tremendous 
 onslaught they made, and the foe shook before 
 it The captain shouted furiously at his com- 
 mand as the men wavered before the shock. He 
 
THE FIRST DAY AT PITTSBURG LANDING 407 
 
 seemed, to be a favorite with them; for they 
 heeded his appeals, aud defended themselves with 
 renewed energy. 
 
 Men fell to the ground on both sides, sabres 
 clashed, and revolvers snapped in the fight. The 
 Confederate captain seemed to be mad, and he 
 had a great deal of vim in his composition. Sud- 
 denly, as though he desired to give his men a 
 specimen of what they ought to do, he galloped 
 his horse to the spot where Deck was watching 
 the conflict, and struck a fierce blow at him with 
 his sabre. 
 
408 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII 
 
 THE FINAL RESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 
 
 Captain Lyon was almost sorry that this 
 brave young officer had determined to have a 
 personal encounter with him ; for several affairs 
 of this kind had given him a confidence in him- 
 self, and quite as much in his horse, which made 
 him feel in the beginning that the young Confed- 
 erate captain would get the worst of it. He 
 had seen that Deck was giving orders to his 
 men, and stimulating them to renewed exertions; 
 and very likely, if he were out of the way, the 
 path to victory would be clearer to his command. 
 
 Deck readily parried the sabre-stroke of the 
 captain, and with several strokes with his wea- 
 pon compelled the brave fellow to back away a 
 little from him. But he immediately recovered 
 his vim, and made another bold dash at his op- 
 ponent, who quickened his cuts, and was deter- 
 mined to bring down his foe. The Riverlawn 
 
FINAL RESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 409 
 
 found that he had his hands full, and he decided 
 to depend a little more upon the energies of 
 Ceph. 
 
 Under the criticisms of his superior officers, 
 he had before decided not to resort to his pecu- 
 liar tactics unless in a case of emergency, as he 
 deemed the present moment to be. He manipu- 
 lated his rein with his left hand, and pressed 
 his horse's flanks with the dummy spurs, as he 
 did when he wanted him to leap over any object. 
 Ceph understood him as plainly as though he 
 had the use of language, and the word had been 
 spoken to him. The signal was given at a 
 favorable moment, just as he had parried a vig- 
 orous cut of his opponent ; and Ceph mounted on 
 his hind feet, and came down on the captain as 
 his rider gave him a terrible blow with his sabre 
 on the head. Man and horse went down to- 
 gether ; and the officer did not move again, though 
 his steed scrambled to his feet, and darted off 
 with his rider's left foot entangled in the stirrup. 
 
 Just as Captain Lyon was achieving this feat. 
 Captain Truman's company struck the flank of 
 the enemy, and began to cut their way through 
 
410 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the force as the men were turned aside by the 
 tremendous onslaught of the fresh troopers. The 
 acting second Heutenant, Life Knox, with his 
 great strength, brought a man down every time 
 he struck with his sabre. His long arms kept 
 his enemy at a distance till the foe was tumbled 
 from his horse. It was plain enough to the 
 first lieutenant of the Confederate company, who 
 succeeded to the command, that all his men 
 would be cut down if he did not retreat, and 
 he gave the order to do so. 
 
 General Bragg was laboring under a great 
 disadvantage in his attack upon the Federal left ; 
 for on his right was the ravine, flooded by the 
 recent rains and the back water from the river. 
 It was deep and not fordable, and he could not 
 attack the extremity of the line. The gunboats 
 Tyler and Lexington were sending enormous 
 shells into the midst of his force whenever it 
 could be done without detriment to the Union 
 army. The fresh troops in this part of the field 
 fought like heroes ; and Hurlbut's division held 
 their own, though the men had been fighting all 
 day. 
 
FINAL RESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 411 
 
 All these forces combined defeated General 
 Bragg, and left the Union army on the field, 
 though not on the ground they had occupied in 
 the morning, for they had been driven a consid- 
 erable distance toward Pittsburg Landing. As 
 the sun went down upon the bloody battlefield, 
 and the darkness concealed the carnage of one 
 of the most desperate fights of the war, the field 
 had been won by neither of the combatants, 
 though the advantage was with the Confeder- 
 ates, who believed that they would complete the 
 victory for their side on the following day. 
 
 All night long the gunboats threw their heavy 
 shells into the camps of the enemy; and the roar 
 of the guns, with another drenching rain, pre- 
 vented the exhausted soldiers from obtaining the 
 repose they so much needed. General Grant 
 was anxious, to say the least, in regard to the 
 situation ; though he had a reasonable confidence 
 in the result of the battle the next day, and he 
 had good reason to do so, for General Buell's 
 army was with him. 
 
 The enemy were not yet aware that the Army 
 of the Ohio had arrived, though some of their 
 
412 ON THE STAFF 
 
 ofificers suspected that fresh troops had been 
 brought into the first day's battle. General 
 Grant, though somewhat disabled, went to the 
 headquarters of every general on the field, and 
 gave his orders personally for the next day ; 
 and it was midnight before he had completed 
 his round of visits, and returned to the Land- 
 ing, where he lay down on the wet ground, 
 with his head on a stump for a pillow, and 
 slept soundly till morning, not disturbed by the 
 roar from the gunboats. 
 
 Deck camped with the first company that 
 night, though they had no tents, nor anything 
 to eat except what they carried in their haver- 
 sacks. He had received several slight wounds 
 in his encounter with the Confederate captain, 
 which had been dressed by Dr. Farnwright. 
 Captain Gordon had been brought to the camp 
 of his company, if a mere resting-place deserved 
 that name. 
 
 " How is the captain. Doctor? " asked Deck, 
 when he obtained his first sight of the surgeon. 
 
 " He is badly wounded ; but I think he will 
 recover with proper care, which is almost im- 
 
FINAL RESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 413 
 
 possible to give him in such a place as this, where 
 he has not even a bed of straw to rest upon," 
 replied the doctor. " But his men have done 
 the best they could for him. They have made 
 a tent on poles for him with their blankets, and 
 gathered moss and dried grass for his bed." 
 
 " I saw him fall, and felt as though a ball 
 had gone through my own heart ; for Captain 
 Gordon was my best friend outside of the fam- 
 ily. I learned about everything I know of mil- 
 itary affairs from him, and he has always been 
 kind to me. Where is he wounded. Dr. Farn- 
 wright?" asked Deck. 
 
 " On the head ; and the ball must have struck 
 him on the skull over the left eye, and come 
 diagonally from some point below him. But I 
 think he will recover if he gets out of this 
 place." 
 
 " Have you many other patients. Doctor ? " 
 
 " I have had more than I could well care for ; 
 and some of them are in a very bad condition, 
 and will die before morning." 
 
 " I suppose nothing is known yet who were 
 killed, or left on the field," added Deck. 
 
414 OIT THE STAFF 
 
 " You were present when the roll of the first 
 company was called, Captain Lyon." 
 
 " Twenty-two were missing in the first," added 
 Deck. 
 
 " And I have more than twice that number 
 on the hospital list, though I don't think the 
 count is correct. The second company have 
 eighteen missing, but only twenty-six wounded, 
 if the count is correct; for I have not had time 
 to attend to these matters," replied the surgeon. 
 
 " Do you know anything about my father and 
 brother ? " Deck inquired. 
 
 " Neither of them is hurt, I think, for I have 
 not been called to either ; but Sandy Lyon, your 
 cousin I believe, has a sabre-cut on his left 
 shoulder. All the men are talking about you, 
 Captain," added the surgeon with a smile. " They 
 say you finished a captain of cavalry by leaping 
 your horse upon him, as you did in the fight at 
 the cross-roads." 
 
 " I was sorry for the captain, for he was a 
 bright fellow; but he compelled me to kill him, 
 for he did not move after he went down with 
 his horse, and was dragged away by the animal, 
 
FINAL KESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 415 
 
 with his foot caught in the stirrup," replied 
 Deck. 
 
 " I think you need not apologize for it, Cap- 
 tain." 
 
 " I don't apologize for doing my duty, but I 
 was sorry for the young man." 
 
 The surgeon had to return to his patients ; and 
 Deck was tired enough to think of his bed at 
 Riverlawn, and even to wish for his couch of 
 straw on the ground ; but he did the best he 
 could, and the blanket kept him warm. He slept 
 as soundly as the chief of the army, for he 
 did not wake till the trumpets were sounding 
 in the morning. 
 
 Both armies were confident of victory on the 
 second day. General A. S. Johnston, one of 
 the bravest and most accomplished generals in 
 the Confederate army, had fallen on the first day 
 at about two o'clock in the afternoon ; and he 
 had been succeeded in the command by General 
 Beauregard, who was so much elated by the 
 advantage gained by his forces, that he felt sure 
 of the victory the following day ; and he tele- 
 graphed such messages to Richmond that Mr. 
 
416 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Davis issued a congratulatory message to the 
 Confederate Congress, announcing the total de- 
 feat and rout of the army of General Grant. 
 
 Late in the evening General Nelson succeeded 
 in bringing over the river the rest of his divis- 
 ion. During the night Crittenden's and Mc- 
 Cook's divisions were added to the force. By 
 a series of misunderstandings, General Lew Wal- 
 lace's division, which had been prevented from 
 being present at the battle, came down from 
 Crump's Landing ; and he has been very unjustly 
 blamed for his absence, when the fault was with 
 his superiors. 
 
 General Buell placed the fourth division very 
 near the spot where the Riverlawns had defeated 
 the enemy's cavalry ; though Major Lyon did not 
 pride himself on this success, for he had fought 
 the Confederates with two men to their one. At 
 five o'clock on Monday morning Nelson's divis- 
 ion was formed in line of battle nearest to the 
 Tennessee, though the flooded ravine was be- 
 tween the troops and the river. All the artillery 
 had been left at Savannah with the trains, on ac- 
 count of the impassable roads. On the right of 
 
FINAL RESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 417 
 
 it was Crittenden's division, and a place was left 
 for McCook's when it should arrive. 
 
 Nelson's division was ordered forward, and 
 began the advance. The enemy's pickets were 
 driven a mile by his skirmishers, evidently par- 
 taking in some degree of the impetuosity of the 
 commander. General Buell ordered the fourth 
 division to halt; for it was running away from 
 Crittenden's, which came up with it after a little 
 delay, and they went forward together. 
 
 The march of the two divisions soon brought 
 the enemy down upon them, so that they were 
 checked in their advance. Nelson sorely needed 
 his artillery, which had been left on the other 
 side of the river. For the want of this impor- 
 tant arm. Nelson's command was compelled dog' 
 gedly to fall back ; but Crittenden had his 
 artillery, and was better able to take care of 
 his force. A battery from his division was sent 
 to Nelson's assistance, when the forward move- 
 ment of the enemy was checked. 
 
 The onslaught of Nelson's division soon as- 
 sured General Beauregard that the junction of 
 the Army of the Ohio with the Army of the 
 
418 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Tennessee had been effected, and he reported 
 that he was satisfied that he was attacked by a 
 largely superior force. When the line of bat- 
 tle of the Army of the Ohio, with the portion 
 of McCook's division which had arrived, was 
 formed, it was a mile and a half in length. 
 Portions of this line advanced and retreated by 
 turns, and the battle lasted till early in the 
 afternoon. 
 
 The enemy had finally been forced back ; but 
 at two o'clock in the afternoon the repulse of 
 the Confederates was complete, and before dark 
 they were five miles south of the locality of Gen- 
 eral Grant's line on Sunday morning. What had 
 been lost of ground on that day was much more 
 than recovered on Monday. It has been quite 
 impossible in the space available to give the de- 
 tails of all the movements in such a great battle 
 as that of Pittsburg Landing. 
 
 At the close of the day the troops were too 
 much exhausted by the two days' fighting of a 
 large portion, or the one day's fighting of the 
 rest with their long march previously, to pursue 
 the retreating foe. In the morning Generals 
 
FINAL RESULT OF THE GREAT BATTLE 419 
 
 Sherman and Wood, each with two brigades, 
 and the Riverlawn Cavalry with the latter, were 
 sent by General Grant to ascertain the position 
 of the enemy if in camp, or to pursue them if 
 in retreat. 
 
 It was discovered that General Beauregard 
 had withdrawn his infantry and artillery beyond 
 Lick Creek, leaving a large force of cavalry in 
 his rear. General Sherman attacked this force, 
 and for a while the Riverlawn battalion was in 
 its element. The enemy was driven a considera- 
 ble distance ; but the pursuit was useless, and the 
 generals returned with the foces to the camps. 
 
 Thus ended the great battle of Pittsburg Land- 
 ing, or Shiloh as it is called in the South, in the 
 defeat of the Confederates, even after their vic- 
 tory on this bloody field had been proclaimed in 
 Richmond. After the loss of Mill Springs, Forts 
 Henry and Donelson, the immense dehght of the 
 Secessionists there and elsewhere can readily be 
 imagined. And so can the revulsion of feeling 
 when the result of the second day's battle was 
 carried on the wires to their rejoicing hearts. 
 
 In this severe battle the total loss of the com- 
 
420 ON THE STAFF 
 
 bined Union armies was twelve thousand one hun- 
 dred and ninety. The loss of the Confederates 
 was ten thousand six hundred and ninety-seven. 
 The difference was not quite fifteen hundred 
 against the loyal force. The stragglers were 
 quite as numerous on one side as the other, and 
 during the night those of the enemy plundered 
 the deserted camps. " Cowardly citizens and 
 rapacious soldiers were engaged alike in the 
 wretched work," says a Southern history of the 
 war, in venting its indignation at the outrages. 
 
CAPTAIN LYON MAKES A SCOUTLNG-TOUR 421 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII 
 
 CAPTAIN LYON JVLAKES A SCOUTINGf-TOUR 
 
 The State of Kentucky had distinguished it- 
 self in this great battle ; and General Sherman, 
 who was not only General Grant's "right-hand 
 man," but one of the ablest officers the war pro- 
 duced, spoke in the highest terms of them : " Here 
 I saw for the first time the well-ordered and 
 compact Kentucky forces of General Buell, whose 
 soldierly movement at once gave confidence to 
 our newer and less disciplined forces." There 
 were no stragglers from the Army of the Ohio. 
 
 In spite of the fact that a comparatively vast 
 number of stragglers swarmed in the shelter 
 of such places as they could find, most of the 
 Army of the Tennessee fought bravely, and did 
 not give way to panic on the field. A great 
 deal of credit was a<varded to the divisions of 
 Nelson and Crittenden, not more deserved than 
 belonged to the other divisions; but they de- 
 
422 ON THE STAFF 
 
 feated and routed the entire right of the Con- 
 federate force under General Bragg when he 
 made his final effort to break the line. 
 
 Perhaps no battle of the war was projected 
 with more substantial and far-reaching objective 
 ends than the battle of Pittsburg Landing on 
 the part of the Confederate generals. Its pri- 
 mary object was to crush Grant and the com- 
 bined armies of the Tennessee and the Ohio ; 
 for this purpose attained, it was possible for 
 the enemy to obtain a foothold in Kentucky, 
 and the lead, for a time at least, in all the 
 military movements in the great West. And the 
 valiant troops of that vast region were fighting 
 for their own firesides, like those from Kentucky ; 
 for the coveted line of Ohio, once obtained and 
 fortified by the enemy, would have opened the 
 prosperous States at the north of it, as far as 
 the Canadian boundary, to the march and pillage 
 of the Southern armies. It would have reduced 
 them to the condition of the States to which 
 the war was happily confined for four years. 
 
 There was a vast population in these States 
 from which to draw soldiers for such an emer- 
 
CAPTAIN LYON MAKES A SCOUTING-TOUE, 423 
 
 gency; but armies are not gathered and disci- 
 plined in a week or a month, as the experience 
 at Pittsburg Landing, with nearly a fourth part 
 of the army of the fu'st day crouching as strag- 
 glers under the banks of the river amply de- 
 monstrates. It was the disciplined soldiers that 
 saved the first day from being utterly a rout. 
 The great enterprise of the Southern leadei-s was 
 a failure, however rosy an appearance they tried 
 to put upon the result. 
 
 General Halleck arrived at Pittsburg Landing 
 April 11, and proceeded at once to concentrate 
 the armies for the attack upon Corinth. Exten- 
 sive fortifications were thrown up by both armies. 
 The Union forces were greatly superior in num- 
 bers to the Confederates ; and the soldiere were 
 impatient to be led to the attack, and none 
 more so than Nelson's division, now in better 
 condition than at the battle farther down the 
 river, for the artillery, which had been left at 
 Savannah, was with the command. 
 
 The gaze of the whole nation was fixed upon 
 the movements of the two great armies of the 
 East and the West, one in the vicinity of Rich- 
 
424 ON THE STAFF 
 
 mond, and the other around Corinth. Both the 
 Union and the Confederate armies had been largely 
 re-enforced ; and the result of the expected battles 
 would be important, if not decisive. The crisis 
 of the war was believed to be approaching by 
 many, but it did not come till a year later. 
 
 General Beauregard sent forward large detach- 
 ments towards Pittsburg to prevent the advance 
 of any reconnoitring bodies, either large or small, 
 and to retard the progress of the army on its 
 march ; and the cavalry of General Nelson's di- 
 vision found abundant occupation on the road. 
 Captain Gordon was still in the hospital, though 
 in a fair way to recover. After the battle every- 
 tliing possible was done for the wounded, and 
 they were made tolerably comfortable. 
 
 Captain Lyon was still retained in command 
 of the first company of the Riverlawns, though 
 he protested to General Woodbine that the com- 
 mand ought to be given to Tom Belthorpe. He 
 and the first lieutenant were fast friends, and on 
 excellent terms with each other ; and Tom in- 
 sisted that he should be happier to have Deck 
 at the head of the company, rather than be in 
 
CAPTAIN TA'ON MAKES A SCOUTING-TOUR 425 
 
 this position himself. But it was hoped and 
 expected that Captain Gordon would soon be in 
 condition to resume the command. 
 
 The enemy were well provided with cavalry ; 
 and when General Woodbine was moving his 
 brigade to the south, his three companies were 
 very useful to him. The horses as well as the 
 riders had suffered a great deal in the terrible 
 experience of the battle-days, especially when it 
 had not been possible to bring forage for them 
 across the river, though this had only been a 
 temporary matter. Deck gave his pei-sonal atten- 
 tion to Ceph in such straits as this, and some- 
 times gave him " hardtack " from his own haver- 
 sack. 
 
 General Halleck, who certainly had more tact 
 at organizing an army than he had for fighting, 
 had divided his vast army of one hundred and 
 forty thousand men into five grand divisions, — 
 the right wing, the left wing, the centre, the cav- 
 alry, and the reserves. The fourth division, of 
 which General Woodbine's brigade was still a 
 portion, belonged to the centre. The main body 
 of the cavalry formed a grand division by itself ; 
 
426 ON THE STAFF 
 
 but those brigades which had detachments less 
 than a regiment retained them. 
 
 These grand divisions were sent by different 
 routes, and roads where there were any, though 
 they were not worth mentioning. General Nelson 
 proceded first to Hamburg, about ten miles south 
 of Pittsburg, and on the river. From this point 
 he turned to the south-west, and later to the 
 south, passing an unsurveyed region, where the 
 brigade of General Woodbine halted to fill their 
 canteens at Waldron's Creek. This was on the 
 second day of the march ; for there was no emer- 
 gency, and even the impetuous general did not 
 hurry the troops over the muddy route. 
 
 " It seems to me that I can hear the sound of 
 hoi'ses' feet ahead," said Lieutenant Herndon, 
 who had carried forward the order to halt, and 
 there met Captain Lyon. "Did you hear any- 
 thing. Deck?" 
 
 "I have not noticed any unusual sounds," re- 
 plied the captain, as he started his horse forward 
 to investigate the matter, and Herndon went with 
 him. 
 
 " I should say that Beauregard had a nice time 
 
CAPTAIN LYON MAKES A SCOUTING-TOUR 427 
 
 in sending his detachments forward through all 
 these by-roads ; for I doubt if there is a regular 
 highway anywhere in this region," said the lieu- 
 tenant, when they halted about ten rods beyond 
 the main body. 
 
 " I hear something now," added Deck. " Hurry 
 up, Frank, and we will see if we can find it;" and 
 he started his steed at full gallop. 
 
 But they had not gone fifty rods when Deck 
 called for a halt near a bend in the road which 
 shut off their view beyond it. 
 
 "I am sure now that I heard the sound of a 
 horse's feet, and something like the rattle of 
 equipments," said Deck, as he started Ceph at a 
 walk to obtain a sight of the horseman, if there 
 was any, at the turn of the route. 
 
 " That's plain enough now," added Frank. " I 
 see them now ! There are two cavalrymen, hur- 
 rying their hoi-ses to the utmost. There is some- 
 thing up along this miserable road." 
 
 Deck obtained a sight of the cavalrymen almost 
 at the same moment, and then they disappeared 
 behind another bend. 
 
 " There is a force ahead of us somewhere, and 
 
428 ON THE STAFF 
 
 those two men are scouts looking for an enemy in 
 this direction," said he, starting Ceph again at a 
 gallop, and riding till he came to the next bend, 
 halting just before he reached it. 
 
 The scouts disappeared again just before they 
 came to it. Scouts had been sent out ahead of 
 the brigade ; but they had halted at the creek to 
 fill their canteens, for the day was very warm for 
 the season to those with Northern blood in their 
 veins, and they were very thirsty. Their halt 
 had suggested the same idea to the troops behind 
 them. But the captain thought they were get- 
 ting too far away from the brigade for their own 
 safety ; though it seemed to be his duty to inform 
 himself of the nature of the force ahead, if there 
 was one. 
 
 Again he rode forward at full speed to the next 
 bend, and took an observation as before. This 
 time he discovered nearly half a mile ahead, on 
 a piece of straight road, a cavalry force approach- 
 ing him. It extended a considerable distance; 
 but he could not determine the number, though 
 it looked like a whole company. 
 
 " There they are ! " exclaimed Deck, as he 
 
CAPTAIN LYON MAKES A SCOUTING-TOUR 429 
 
 pointed down the road. " I think you had bet- 
 ter return to the head of the column, Frank, and 
 inform the general that there is a force in front 
 of us." 
 
 " Just as you say. Captain Lyon ; but I might 
 help you in looking this thing up," replied the 
 lieutenant. 
 
 "I don't need any help, Frank; and the gen- 
 eral will be wondering what has become of us. 
 I wish you would go back, and explain to him 
 why we came so far," added Deck. 
 
 " All right ; I will do so," and he rode off at 
 an easy pace ; but he turned back at the bend, 
 and joined the captain. 
 
 " Six scouts are coming, but they are not 
 hurrying," said he. 
 
 " Order them to walk their horses, and halt 
 when they come to the next bend," said Captain 
 Lyon. 
 
 "I will hang my handkerchief on a bush at 
 the point where they are to halt," replied Frank, 
 as he rode off again. 
 
 The captain dismounted, and left his steed at 
 the bend, knowing that Ceph would stand there 
 
430 ON THE STAFF 
 
 all day if he did not come to him. Then he 
 walked cautiously to the turn of the road, and 
 waited till the two scouts came to the head 
 of the column, when it halted. The force had 
 come considerably nearer to him while the scouts 
 were approaching. He was satisfied now that it 
 consisted of a full company. It halted while 
 the scouts made their report. - 
 
 As stated before, the brigade was moving 
 along an unsurveyed tract of country. The road 
 was bordered by a piece of woods, extending 
 into the " desert," as some of the officers called 
 it ; though it was not a proper name for it, for 
 Chambers' and Waldron's Creeks extended nearly 
 across it, and then united to form a larger 
 stream. From the views obtained of it through 
 the woods, it looked like a soft place, especially 
 near the water-courses. 
 
 Beyond the "desert," on the main road, there 
 was a hamlet of half a dozen houses, though 
 shanties would have been a better name for 
 them ; and beyond this was a cross-road turning 
 to the south-east and the opposite point, with a 
 cotton-press at the farther corner. The whole 
 
 I 
 
CAPTAIN LYON MAKES A SCOUTING-TOUK 431 
 
 region was mostly covered with forests, or with 
 scattered trees, having a considerable number of 
 small or large tracts where the wood had been 
 cut off, and the land cultivated in cotton, the 
 dry stalks of which were still standing in many 
 of them. 
 
 The bend at which Deck was standing after 
 the departure of the lieutenant commanded a 
 full view of the locality just described, the 
 cotton-press being the boundary of his vision. 
 He was watching to see what the company in- 
 tended to do at this place ; for they need not 
 have halted on the report of the scouts, as 
 they could attack the column as well in one 
 locality as another. 
 
 But he was not required to halt long before 
 a movement engaged his attention. The force 
 was moving towards him; and he was all ready 
 to retreat to his horse, and ride to the head of 
 the brigade column. But the company did not 
 come far before a part of it turned around and 
 marched back. He saw the head of it turn to 
 the left into the road to the south-east, but only 
 one-half of it went this way ; the second platoon 
 
432 ON THE STAFF 
 
 turned to the right, for the road mentioned ex- 
 tended across the one on which the brigade was 
 moving. 
 
 It was clear enough to the captain that a 
 surprise had been planned by the captain of the 
 company; and that he intended to take the head 
 of the approaching column on both flanks, and 
 cut the men down, or make prisoners of them. 
 He was in no hurry ; for he was confident the 
 enemy would wait for the brigade in the posi- 
 tions they had chosen, and he rode slowly. He 
 recalled an opening he had noticed before ; and 
 when he came to it he halted, and looked at a 
 map of the country he carried with him. It was 
 not a topographical map, and the path in the 
 woods was not laid down on it; but he decided 
 to see to what the road would lead him. It 
 was not more than a quarter of a mile to the 
 open country, and he halted there. 
 
 The road to the south-east appeared on the 
 map, and he could see it from the place where 
 he stopped. The path bore to the right; and 
 there were ruts and the footprints of horses in 
 it, showing that vehicles of some kind passed 
 
CAPTAIN LYON MAKES A SCOUTING-TOTJR 433 
 
 this way. On the road to the south of him, 
 where the first platoon had turned in, he dis- 
 covered a hamlet ; and he concluded that the 
 path was only a short cut from one road to the 
 other. He had made up his mind what to do 
 with his company if permitted, and he rode 
 back at full speed to the head of the column. 
 
434 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV 
 
 A HEAVY SKIKMISH ON THE ROAD 
 
 Captain Lyon had left the scouts on the 
 road to watch the enemy, ordering the sergeant 
 in command of them not to go any nearer to 
 the cross-roads, at which was the hamlet digni- 
 fied on the map by the name of " Roland," 
 though this was the name of a person living 
 there, and to hasten back to the column if 
 there was any movement to advance. 
 
 " I was afraid you had fallen into the hands 
 of the enemy," said General Woodbine, who was 
 one of the group of officers gathered in front 
 of the first company. 
 
 " I don't do that sort of think as a rule. Gen- 
 eral," replied Deck, as he took his map from 
 his cap, where he carried it. "I felt obliged 
 to remain long enough to ascertain what the 
 enemy were doing, for their movements were a 
 little suspicious." 
 
A HEAVY SKIRMISH ON THE ROAD 435 
 
 " Well, what were they doing ? " asked the 
 commander. 
 
 " The force consists of only one company of 
 cavalry ; but the captain of it appears to have 
 a vein of strategy in his brain, and he has set a 
 very comfortable trap for us to fall into if we 
 are so obliging as to accommodate him in this 
 way," replied Deck, as he spread out his map. 
 
 He proceeded to explain the situation of the 
 enemy near the cross-roads into which they had 
 turned. 
 
 " You have looked the ground over. Captain ; 
 and, as it is to be a cavalry affair, I will turn 
 the matter over to Major Lyon, and you may 
 consult with him about it," said the general, as 
 he turned his horse, and rode back to the in- 
 fantry column, perhaps to prepare that arm of 
 the service to support the cavalry if needed. 
 
 " Well, Captain Lyon, you seem to be in com- 
 mand here, and I suppose I am of no use," said 
 Major Lyon, as his son approached him. 
 
 " No, father ! " protested Deck. " Have I 
 been too presumptuous ? " asked Deck, rather 
 taken aback by the implied rebuke of the major. 
 
436 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "I did. not .say that, or hint it, Dexter," replied 
 the parent. " You are too sensitive, my son." 
 
 "I have simply reported the facts as I found 
 them; and I did not make a suggestion of any 
 kind to the general," answered Deck. 
 
 " But he sent you to me for consultation," 
 added the major, with a smile. 
 
 " You command the three companies of cavalry, 
 and he intimated that this affair was to be settled 
 by your arm." 
 
 " We must not stop to discuss it, or the enemy 
 may be upon us. What do you advise, Captain 
 Lyon ? " asked the major. 
 
 " I don't advise anything, Major Lyon," re- 
 plied Deck, with a smile, for he was not angry ; 
 but he had always been very careful not to offer 
 any advice to a superior officer unless he was 
 asked for it. 
 
 " You need not be so sensitive. Dexter. I 
 asked your advice, as I should have asked Cap- 
 tain Truman's. You have looked the ground 
 over, and you know better than anybody else 
 what is best to be done," added the major. "Let 
 me see your plan. Dexter." 
 
A HEAVY SKIRMISH ON THJ: ROAD 437 
 
 Deck took the map from his cap, and briefly 
 explained the situation. 
 
 " I am not in command of the battalion, Major 
 Lyon ; but if I were, I should send the first com- 
 pany in at this road through the woods, and 
 direct them to march over to the south-east road 
 to Patterson's, as it is called on the map, where 
 I think they cannot be seen by the enemy 
 through the woods. But this should not be the 
 first movement." 
 
 " What would be your first movement ? " 
 asked the major, evidently interested in his 
 son's strategy. 
 
 " I should send the Marions forward by the 
 road we are on, the second platoon in two parts, 
 one-half on each side of the road; for the woods 
 are not dense, and the horses can readily pass 
 between the trees." 
 
 "Is the second company to remain out of the 
 fight ? " 
 
 " Not at all ; the second company should fol- 
 low the Marions, for they will form a thin line, 
 and be a reserve to act where they happen to 
 be the most needed." 
 
438 ON THE STAFF 
 
 "But you have not told me what the fii*st 
 company is to do on the cross-road or at Patter- 
 son's," suggested the commander of the battalion. 
 
 " The first comjDany is not to do anything at 
 Patterson's, but are to hasten up the south-east 
 road, and fall upon the enemy in the rear or on 
 the flank, as the case may be. I have given you 
 all my ideas. Major ; and now I will obey your 
 orders, whatever they may be," Deck concluded, 
 saluting his superior officer. 
 
 Major Lyon looked upon the ground, then 
 pursed up his lips, as he was in the habit of 
 doing when he was thinking ; and he spoke, hav- 
 ing evidently reached a conclusion. He had 
 judged the plan by its own merits, as he always 
 did, for his mind and his judgment were of a 
 judicial cast. 
 
 "I have no better plan than yours. Captain 
 Lyon, and therefore I shall adopt it ; indeed, I 
 think it is better than anything I could bring for- 
 ward at present. The Marions are to march first, 
 I understand you ? " added the chief of battalion. 
 
 "Yes, sir; and the sooner the better," replied 
 Deck. 
 
A HEAVY SKIRMISH ON THE ROAD 439 
 
 Artie had been standing near his father through 
 all his conversation, and had been greatly inter- 
 ested in it. Major Lyon was proceeding to detail 
 the orders for Captain Richland, the captain of 
 the third company, when the young man inter- 
 posed. 
 
 "I have heard all that Captain Lyon has said, 
 and I undei-stand the orders perfectly; " and he 
 repeated them correctly. 
 
 " Right, Artie ; now carry them to Captain 
 Richland as fast as you can go," added the 
 major. 
 
 He went off like a rocket ; and in a few minutes 
 the company had passed the others, and reached 
 the front. The captain then arranged his men in 
 conformity with the order, and had about twenty- 
 five men on each flank. The troopers were to use 
 their carbines first, and then the sabres for the 
 charge. They were told to move at a walk till 
 they could see the hamlet, and then to march at a 
 gallop, in order to give the first company time to 
 reach the south-east road. 
 
 " Attention — company ! " shouted Deck, pla- 
 cing himself at the front. " Gallop — march ! " 
 
440 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and he gave the rein to Ceph, with his signal 
 to go. 
 
 He did go with a vengeance, and he seemed to 
 be perfectly aware that there was business at hand. 
 The captain soon came up with the Marions, and 
 saw that they were making good progress, on the 
 flanks as well as in the road. The trees were at 
 least six feet apart, and often more distant. As 
 soon as he saw the cross-path or road, he turned 
 into it. The trees were about as sparsely scat- 
 tered as at the side of the road ; but a breadth of 
 a quarter of a mile of them was enough to conceal 
 his force from those who were posted on the south- 
 east road. As he approached Patterson's, he di- 
 minished his own speed, and ordered the command 
 to trot. 
 
 Around the hamlet, for it was nothing more, 
 some of the land was under cultivation ; and he 
 halted the company, fearful that his force might 
 be revealed to the enemy, for he desired that the 
 Confederate company should engage the Marions 
 before his presence was known. 
 
 "Lieutenant Knox ! " Deck called, when he saw 
 the tall Kentuckian on the left of his platoon. 
 
A HEAVY SKIRMISH ON THE ROAD 441 
 
 Life dashed forward as though he had been 
 struck by the sabre of his friend and favorite. 
 He rode up to the acting captain, and saluted him 
 without a word. 
 
 "I want you to scout in the direction of the 
 road that passes through that little collection of 
 houses," said Deck, pointing with liis sabre in the 
 direction of the highway. 
 
 Life saluted again, and then dashed off. 
 
 " Halt ! " cried Deck. " Don't let them see 
 you; and if you find any person moving up that 
 road, stop him, if you have to do it with your 
 carbine ! " 
 
 Life was the best scout in the squadron, 
 which was the reason the captain had called him. 
 He took all the precautions that were necessary, 
 and seemed to do so by instinct; for he had 
 been a trapper and hunter over much of the ter- 
 ritory between the Mississippi and the Pacific 
 Ocean, fighting wild Indians, and incurring all 
 the perils of the wilderness, and his optic and 
 auditory nerves had been cultivated to their 
 highest powers. 
 
 He obtained a sight of the company, or platoon, 
 
442 ON THE STAFF 
 
 posted there ; but it was not necessary for him 
 to exercise any of his woodcraft further, for he 
 had scarcely discovered the force before the Con- 
 federate yell rang out on the still air. This was 
 their war-cry, and it meant that they were rush- 
 ing forward to battle ; and Life galloped back 
 with all the speed of his powerful steed. 
 
 Before he was seen, Deck gave the order to 
 march at a gallop, and dashed by the shortest 
 cut to the road. In two minutes or less he 
 reached the cotton-press, where he could see the 
 combat going on in front of him. The first 
 platoon of the enemy struck the head of Cap- 
 tain Richland's column, but not till at least a 
 dozen of the enemy had fallen, or fled to the 
 woods, where they were confronted by the two 
 flanking parties. The second platoon of the 
 enemy had moved forward on the west side of 
 the road ; but when they came forward they 
 were confronted by the twenty-five men on that 
 side of the road. Major Lyon saw this, and 
 ordered Captain Truman of the reserve in the 
 rear to hasten to the west side of the road. The 
 platoon of the enemy in that locality were then 
 
A HEAVY SKIRMISH ON THE ROAD 443 
 
 outnumbered, and realized almost at the begin- 
 ning of the fight that they were beaten. They 
 fled farther into the forest, unwilling to throw 
 away their lives in a useless struggle. 
 
 But the main body of the enemy in the road 
 continued to conduct themselves with the bra- 
 very of desperation, even when they saw that they 
 had fallen into an ugly trap. Deck's company 
 cheered lustily when they discovered them, as 
 they had on the field of Pittsburg Landing ; and, 
 after firing their carbines, they charged with the 
 fury of madmen ; and the enemy began to fall 
 from their horses, dead or wounded, to the 
 ground, where they were trampled upon by the 
 horses. 
 
 The struggle lasted but two or three minutes, 
 and it looked then as though the Confederates 
 had lost half their men. The captain had been 
 cheering on his men when first seen, and fought 
 hke a hero himself ; but when he saw a whole 
 company of blue uniforms in his rear, charging 
 furiously into his command, he shouted " Quar- 
 ter! " at the top of his lungs. Stufton, the bu- 
 gler, was near the captain of the first company ; 
 
444 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and he was ordered to sound the recall. Not 
 another shot was fired, not another blow was 
 struck ; and Deck moved forward to meet the 
 valiant commander of the company. He thought 
 he had seen him before ; and when he came 
 nearer to him he recognized the gallant lieuten- 
 ant wounded at the battle of the Cross-Roads in 
 Kentucky when he was in the Texan cavalry. 
 
 "How do you do, Captain Makepeace," said 
 Captain Lyon, extending his hand to him. 
 
 " I have seen you before, but I cannot quite 
 make out who you are," said the Confederate, 
 gazing intently into his brown face. 
 
 " You were badly wounded at what we call 
 the Battle of the Cross-Roads," Deck explained. 
 
 " I was badly wounded, and I have hardly 
 got over it yet. Are you the young officer that 
 did it?" the captain inquired, as his memory 
 seemed to come back to him. 
 
 " I am," replied Deck. 
 
 " Then, I can only say that you are an awful 
 fellow in a fight, and your horse is another," 
 added Captain Makepeace, with a smile, as he 
 grasped Deck's hand again. " I was a prisoner 
 
A HEAVY SKIRMISH ON THE ROAD 445 
 
 ill the hospital, and I was moved down to River- 
 lawn when your squadron went away from the 
 cross-roads. I can only say that I was treated 
 as though I had been a good friend, and not an 
 enemy. I am glad to see you. Deck, for that 
 is what they called you then." 
 
 " And do now when not on duty ; but I am 
 no longer a lieutenant, for I was a second then. 
 I am now a captain on the staff of the general 
 of my brigade," added Deck. 
 
 " And you will be a major-general if this 
 cruel war lasts much longer." 
 
 "Thank you. Captain Makepeace; I am higher 
 in rank now than I ought to be. Here comes 
 my father." 
 
 Major Lyon had already given the order for 
 the men to take care of the wounded, and 
 Dr. Farnwright was at work upon them. The 
 slaughter in the ranks of the enemy had been 
 terrible, and six had been killed and twice as 
 many wounded in the Union force. He recog- 
 nized the captain of the Confederate company, 
 but he had not much to say to him at this time. 
 He had sent Artie Lyon back to report the re- 
 
446 ON THE STAFF 
 
 suit of the fight to General Woodbine, requesting 
 to know what should be done with the prisoners. 
 
 The order came back to parole the prisoners, 
 wounded or not, and establish a hospital for the 
 wounded. This was done, the Union wounded 
 were put on the wagons when they came up, and 
 the march was resumed. 
 
A COJSfCEALED FORCE UNDER THE RIDGE 447 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV 
 
 A CONCEALED FORCE UNDER THE RHJGE 
 
 The right and left wings and the centre of 
 General Halleck's grand army came to the front 
 of Corinth at the several positions, or very near 
 them, which they were to occupy. General Beau- 
 regard had been re-enforced by the troops of 
 Van Dorn and Price from farther west ; and on 
 a slight elevation, in the shape of one side of a 
 long ellipse, extensive intrenchments had been 
 constructed. On similar elevations, overlapping 
 the works of the enemy, and reaching farther 
 to the north. General Halleck caused his fortifi- 
 cations to be erected. Between them flowed 
 Phillips Creek and Bridge Creek. 
 
 Outside of the works on both sides, batteries 
 were planted on convenient elevations, which 
 either enemy could use to annoy or repulse the 
 other in case of attack. Most of the country 
 was covered with woods or solitary trees, with 
 
448 ON THE STAFF 
 
 portions of the ground cleared off and under 
 cultivation. General Halleck carefully avoided 
 a general battle, either on provocation or invita- 
 tion, but began his operations by regular ap- 
 proaches with parallels ; in fact, as he would 
 have besieged a strongly built fortress upon 
 which he was to bestow weeks and months of 
 the most laborious effort. 
 
 Step by step, and by slow advances, he moved 
 his works forward, securing each new position 
 by fortifying it. The grand army seemed to 
 consist of so many " pick and shovel " brigades. 
 General Grant was second in command, but 
 ignored, and practically in disgrace, so that he 
 had no hand in the operations in progress. It 
 may be interesting to contemplate what he would 
 have done if he had been in command of this 
 grand army ; but one may be confident that the 
 approach to the other grand army would have 
 been entirely different, and that a whole month 
 would not have been spent in the use of the pick 
 and shovel, though it is possible that he might 
 have been checked, as he was in the advance 
 upon Richmond, 
 
A CONCEALED FORCE UNDER THE RIDGE 449 
 
 General Beauregard resisted these advances 
 with stubborn resolution and with augmented 
 forces, but he was as careful to avoid a general 
 battle as the prudent commander on the other 
 side. General Halleck advanced his entire line 
 five times during the month. All these move- 
 ments involved heavy skirmishing, but both gen- 
 erals still avoided anything like a pitched battle. 
 
 General Nelson's division was posted near 
 Bridge Creek, which was an insignificant stream, 
 whose especial mission seemed to be to pro- 
 duce mud in some localities. At times there 
 were some very sharp encounters, sometimes ini- 
 tiated by one side, an'd sometimes by the other. 
 Between the two creeks, flowing through the 
 lower ground, there was a considerable elevation 
 for that region ; though there is nothing that 
 can be called a mountain in the entire State of 
 Mississippi, or even that could be called a hill 
 in the more northern or eastern parts of the 
 country. 
 
 Early one morning, near the last of the month 
 of May, as the daylight began to bring the 
 elevation into view, the sentinels of General Nel- 
 
450 ON THE STAFF 
 
 son's division discovered evidences that assured 
 them a force was advancing behind the elevation. 
 The fact was reported at headquarters in the 
 centre of the line, and the cavalry battalion was 
 ordered out, as well as the entire division ; and 
 both arms were soon ready for the conflict, which 
 was supposed to be such as had frequently oc- 
 curred before during several weeks. 
 
 The order to reconnoitre in front of the works 
 was carried to Major Lyon by Lieutenant Hern- 
 don, and Captain Lyon bore one to Captain 
 Batterson. Deck still attended to his duties on 
 the staff, and was quartered with the brigadier. 
 Captain Gordon was still an invalid in the hos- 
 pital established at Savannah. In the engage- 
 ments that had occurred thus far, Captain Lyon 
 had been placed in command of the first com- 
 pany, but he had never taken this position unless 
 specially assigned to it on each occasion ; but 
 no order had been given him for this recon- 
 naissance. 
 
 " Why are you here. Captain Lyon ? " de- 
 manded the general when he returned from the 
 camp of the battery. 
 
A CONCEALED FOKCE UNDER THE E.IDGE 451 
 
 "I have delivered your order to Captain Bat- 
 terson, General," replied Deck. 
 
 "But why are you not at the head of the 
 first company of the Riverlawns ? " continued 
 the commander of the brigade, looking at the 
 young officer as though he was surprised to find 
 him where he was. 
 
 " Because I have not been ordered to the com- 
 mand of it, in the first place, and in the second, 
 because Lieutenant Belthorpe, the first in the 
 company, is a very competent officer," replied 
 Deck. 
 
 " I admit the competency of Lieutenant Bel- 
 thorpe ; but at the present, after taking a long 
 look at the line, I especially wish you to com- 
 mand the first company," added the commander. 
 
 "I have nothing more to say," answered the 
 captain, as he rode off on the road to Corinth, 
 which passed through the camp, 
 
 '• If your father were not in command of the 
 battalion, I should place Captain Lyon in that 
 position," added the general ; but Deck was too 
 far off to hear it, and it was well that he did 
 not. 
 
452 ON THE STAFF 
 
 It is more than possible that the commander 
 of the brigade had formed an extravagant opin- 
 ion of the ability of the young officer; though 
 he generally had some basis for his view, for he 
 had employed him in several important enter- 
 prises. Deck went on his way to the road where 
 the battalion was forming, wishing that the gen- 
 eral had permitted Tom Belthorpe to command 
 the company instead of himself. 
 
 It was a time for hurry, and though Deck was 
 not exactly pleased with what had just happened, 
 he could not be remiss in the discharge of his 
 duty, whatever it was ; and if he had been called 
 upon to use a pick and shovel, he would not 
 have grumbled. He had looked out upon the 
 elevation behind which the enemy were reported 
 to be concealed, and his active brain had taken 
 in the situation almost at a glance. He had 
 made up his mind what ought to be done ; but 
 his father was in command of the force, and he 
 did not presume to advise him. 
 
 As Captain Lyon came to the head of the 
 column, he could see his welcome in the faces of 
 the men turned towards him. The third com- 
 
A CONCEALED FORCE UNDER THE RIDGE 453 
 
 pany was just getting into line, and there was 
 a momentary pause in the movement. Deck 
 went to the place at the head of the column 
 where his father was waiting, and saluted him. 
 
 " I am ordered by General Woodbine to take 
 command of the first company, though I was 
 very sorry to receive the order," said Deck. 
 
 "Why were you sorry. Dexter?" asked his 
 father, whose surprise was apparent upon his face, 
 as the son's regret was upon his own. 
 
 " Because I would rather see Lieutenant Bel- 
 thorpe in that position." 
 
 " We must not bring our likes and dislikes 
 into the service ; and every officer should do his 
 duty faithfully wherever he is placed by his 
 superior," replied the major. 
 
 " I am ready to do mine. Major," added Deck, 
 as he looked again down the road. 
 
 " Then you will cross your company by the 
 bridge, and lead them over to the hill ; while the 
 second company will ford the creek at the left, 
 and the third at the right," continued the chief 
 of battalion, repeating the orders he had already 
 given to the captains. " Forward — march ! " 
 
454 ON THE STAFF 
 
 Deck obeyed the order at a gallop, while the 
 major passed to the side of the road till the second 
 company came up. But he had no more than 
 reached the bridge when the major on his blood 
 horse overtook him, and directed him to halt 
 when he reached the ascent of the hill, in order 
 to enable the other companies to get into posi- 
 tion. The ridge, as the elevation was generally 
 called, was a mile in length; and the entire field 
 of operations extended nearly twelve miles north 
 and south, and more than half that from east to 
 west. 
 
 "You have chosen just the plan I had in my 
 head when I had taken in the situation, Major," 
 said Deck, when he halted his command. 
 
 " It does not seem to me that there is any 
 other way to arrange it," replied the father. 
 "A part of General Thomas W. Sherman's in- 
 trenchments command the ridge; but I don't 
 think his guns can be brought to bear upon 
 the enemy, though that bastion is in his line on 
 the height." 
 
 "But even from its salient angle, unless the 
 gun can send a ball around a corner, the enemy 
 
A CONCEALED FOKCE UNDEK THE EIDGE 455 
 
 could not be disturbed if they keep close to the 
 hill," replied Deck with a smile. 
 
 " It is hardly prudent to mount the hill." 
 
 "Not at this moment, but we must know 
 what there is on the other side of it. With 
 your permission I will send Lieutenant Knox to 
 the top of it, for he is a very skilful scout." 
 
 " I assent to that," added the major ; and Life 
 was summoned by Artie. 
 
 " We want to know what there is on the 
 other side of this ridge, Lieutenant," said Deck, 
 as soon as he came forward. 
 
 "I will scout it on foot, then," he replied, as 
 he dismounted, and handed the bridle-rein to the 
 orderly. 
 
 "Call for any assistance you want," added the 
 captain. 
 
 He asked for Sergeant Fronklyu and Corporal 
 Milton, and the three ascended the ridge to- 
 gether on foot. As they reached the top of it, 
 they lay down, and crawled forward like so many 
 snakes, till they could see down the steep slope 
 on the farther side. Close to the succession of 
 knolls that formed the ridge, they discovered the 
 
456 ON THE STAFF 
 
 enemy, consisting of two batteries, two compa^ 
 nies of cavalry, and a regiment of infantry, at 
 least fourteen hundred men. 
 
 The lieutenant sent Milton down to report, as 
 hastily as possible, to the major, the information 
 already obtained ; while he remained with Fronk- 
 lyn to watch the enemy, for it was evident . to 
 the Kentuckian that some unusually large move- 
 ment was in progress. The major, on the receipt 
 of this report, immediately sent a note in pencil 
 by his orderly to General Woodbine, and two 
 men, one to each end of the ridge, to delay the 
 two companies he had sent out before. 
 
 The pencilled note brought the commander of 
 the brigade to the front at once, and behind him 
 thundered Captain Batterson's battery ; and be- 
 hind it came two regiments of infantry on the 
 double-quick. The general had hardly reached 
 the position of the major at the head of the first 
 company before Sergeant Fronklyn came leaping 
 down the declivity like a gazelle or a mountain 
 goat, with the report that a large force of the 
 enemy had just issued from the intrenchments 
 opposite, near the line of the Railroad. 
 
A CONCEALED FORCE UNDER THE RIDGE 457 
 
 Life Knox had crawled about a mile on the 
 ground, with nearly the speed of the fastest snake 
 in the world, to the highest point on the ridge 
 at its northern extremity, and the head of the 
 force could be seen from his first position. It 
 was more than ever evident that an operation of 
 more than usual magnitude had been begun by 
 the Confederates. The force sent in the dark- 
 ness of the early morning must have come out of 
 the intrenchments on the Corinth road, and had 
 probably waded Phillips Creek, which had high 
 banks that would conceal the men, and had left 
 it when the troops reached the shelter of the 
 ridge. 
 
 It could not be understood how the heavy force 
 burrowing behind the ridge could have reached 
 this locality in any other way, without attracting 
 the attention of the watchful sentinels in front of 
 the intrenchments of Nelson and Crittenden. But 
 the approaching enemy had a march of nearly two 
 miles before them before they could unite with 
 the force under the ridge. The general had not 
 fairly considered the situation, when Lieutenant 
 Knox came like the rapid serpent down the steep, 
 
458 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and rushed to the commander of brigade as soon 
 as he discovered him. 
 
 " I hope you will excuse me, General, if I speak 
 right out," were the first words that gushed from 
 the stalwart lieutenant's mouth. 
 
 " Speak, man ! No compliments or excuses ! " 
 replied the commander, more excited than Deck 
 had ever seen him before. 
 
 " The artillery on this ridge can rake the enemy 
 under the hill, and use up every mother's son of 
 them ! " Life belched forth in a loud and gushing 
 tone. " The force on the other side of the ridge 
 must be beaten before the enemy in the distance 
 can get here ! " 
 
 "Captain Lyon, march your first company up 
 this hill. Lieutenant Herndon, order up Captain 
 Batterson's battery ! You have halted the sec- 
 ond and third companies at the ends of the 
 ridge. Major Lyon ; send orders to them to en- 
 gage the enemy at once," said General Woodbine, 
 so decidedly that all who heard him realized 
 that he knew what he was about. 
 
 As soon as the messengers had departed, he 
 rode up the ridge himself, attended by the major 
 
A CONCEALED FOKCE UNDER THE EIDGE 459 
 
 and the remaining staff-officer of the former. 
 Lieutenant Herndon had returned, closely fol- 
 lowed by the artillery. The general had selected 
 the most available path for the battery, and then 
 sent Herndon to be its guide up the steep. It 
 was a hard passage, and the horses had all they 
 could do to haul the guns and caissons up the 
 slope. 
 
 The commander had also, as soon as he 
 reached the summit of the hill, selected a path 
 for the descent of a company of cavalry ; and he 
 ordered the captain of the first company to go 
 down, and to engage the enemy there without 
 a moment's delay, as he saw the approach of 
 the heavy force in the distance. 
 
460 ON THE STAFF 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI 
 
 THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 
 
 Captain Lyon spoke a few inspiring words 
 to the company, and then dashed down the slope ; 
 but he looked before he leaped. The elevation 
 was a series of low hills ; and the side next to 
 Phillips Creek was not a precipice, not a head- 
 long steep, but a very rough descent of great 
 height. It was nothing like the Horseneck, 
 which Putnam went down in the Revolution, 
 though there was one place with an abrupt fall 
 of about three feet. 
 
 Deck had carefully observed and studied the 
 force below. The two companies of cavalry were 
 at the right and left of the lane ; the batteries 
 were next to them ; and the infantry were in 
 the centre of the line, and directly below the path 
 of descent which the general had indicated. It 
 was therefore this arm of the service that the 
 young officer was to encounter. 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 461 
 
 As they kept well back, the enemy below could 
 not see the force on the ridge. General Wood- 
 bine had been more alive and active than the 
 officers had ever seen him before. The space 
 available for the manoeuvres of the troops on the 
 elevation was generally nearly a quarter of a mile 
 in width, with a full half-mile in one place. He 
 had stationed the guns in four different places, 
 at as many indentations of the slope, where pro- 
 jecting angles served as so many bastions. The 
 guns were pointed at a sharp angle with the 
 length of the ridge. 
 
 Major Lyon had signalled the second and third 
 companies of his force to engage the enemy at 
 either end of the ridge ; but Captain Batterson 
 had fired all his guns, loaded with canister, into 
 the mounted force, and many men were seen to 
 drop from their horses, the discharge producing 
 no little confusion in their ranks. The two com- 
 panies of cavalry then charged upon the enemy, 
 and the fight was as severe as had ever been seen 
 by the observers. 
 
 Four shells from the guns followed the canis- 
 ter, sent fairly into the midst of the infantry; 
 
462 ON THE STAFF 
 
 and in this moment of confusion and terror, 
 Captain Lyon led the advance of the first com- 
 pany down the slope. The abrupt fall was at 
 the foot of the descent ; and Ceph, at the head 
 of the column, made a long leap into a section 
 of the infantry crouching under the hill to 
 escape the destructive shells. The engagement 
 then raged all along the line. 
 
 The horses of Deck's command had all been 
 trained to the kind of work now required of 
 them; and most of them came from the fine 
 stock of Major Lyon, whose plantation was 
 largely devoted to the raising of valuable ani- 
 mals. They were intelligent creatures; and when 
 Ceph led the way they did not hesitate to follow 
 him. The men had no opportunity to use their 
 carbines to advantage in the descent, as their 
 horses and the safety of their persons demanded 
 all their attention ; but as soon as they plunged 
 into the midst of the infantry they drew their 
 revolvers, and used them rapidly as the soldiers 
 scattered from the effect of the shell that had 
 exploded among them. 
 
 The enemy's officers were brave men, and they 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 463 
 
 did their best to rally the men, and with suc- 
 cess in some instances ; but most of the force 
 ran away in the direction of the creek. But for 
 them this was "out of the frying-pan into the 
 fire," for a fire from the bastion in the line of 
 General T. W. Sherman was opened upon them. 
 It was not more than forty rods to the stream, 
 and they leaped into it in hot haste. 
 
 But the officers of the two companies on the 
 left, which had been out of reach of the terrible 
 shell, rallied their men, and placed them in posi- 
 tion to resist cavalry, when they had fired a 
 volley, before which several of the Riverlawns 
 went down. Deck then manceuvred his men, 
 and moved them out into the open space be- 
 tween the ridge and the creek. Two shells 
 from the battery on the elevation were dropped 
 into the midst of the infantry, and threw them 
 into another panic. 
 
 While they were in this condition Deck 
 charged upon them. The horses had been espe- 
 cially trained in this manoeuvre, for bayonets 
 are an ugly weapon to confront: but the captain 
 wielded his sabre with tremendous power ; and 
 
464 ON THE STAFF 
 
 the infantry could not stand up against the 
 leaping, rearing, and plunging horses, and they 
 were cut down and overridden till they were 
 forced back. 
 
 Deck managed to keep inside of them, near 
 the ridge ; and when the enemy retreated by 
 command of their officers, the guns from Sher- 
 man's bastion raked them, and they were com- 
 pelled to retire into or over the creek. The 
 heavy force that came out of the Confederate 
 intrenchments near the railroad advanced with 
 all the speed they could command ; and a tre- 
 mendous roar of cannon came from the Union 
 line of works, before which it presently began 
 to wither. At the same time the enemy's fire 
 opened all along their line, over the heads of 
 the infantry, apparently directed at the bastion 
 at the angle of the Federal works; for it was 
 doing a great deal of mischief when the gunners 
 could discharge the pieces without endangering 
 the cavalry. 
 
 Deck had worked his command as close as 
 he could to the ridge, to afford the heavier ar- 
 tillery of the bastion an opportunity to do its 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 465 
 
 work. This raking was too much for the in- 
 fantry or the cavalry of the enemy; for Captains 
 Truman and Richland had kept their commands 
 as near the ridge as possible, so that Batterson's 
 battery on the elevation could work the guns, 
 as well as the main line of the intrenchments. 
 
 For some reason which the observers on the 
 Union side could not then comprehend, though 
 they understood it later, the advancing force be- 
 yond the creek suddenly wheeled about, and 
 retreated to the point from which they left the 
 intrenchments, disappearing from the view of 
 the anxious watchers. When this was done, 
 the force near the ridge followed their example, 
 retreating to the Corinth road, and passing into 
 the town. 
 
 The cavalry companies pursued them till they 
 were exposed to the fire of the Confederate 
 works, when they retired. In half an hour all 
 was quiet along both lines. General Woodbine 
 had sent for a battalion of infantry, and set 
 them at work in bearing the wounded from the 
 field to the hospital in the rear; and the enemy 
 were magnanimous enough not to fire upon 
 
466 ON THE STAFF 
 
 them, as they descended to the field without 
 arms. 
 
 This was on the 28 th of May, and the two 
 armies had been facing each other the entire 
 month. The engagement that occurred this day 
 was the most severe that had occurred near 
 Corinth. The Federal lines had been pushed 
 forward till General Halleck was nearly ready 
 to surround the enemy ; and it had become neces- 
 sary for General Beauregard to bring on a general 
 battle, or retreat from his position. 
 
 He chose the latter alternative ; and while he 
 was making this demonstration, though the larger 
 force that came out of his line was intending to 
 recapture a position on the right wing, he was 
 actually sending away his provisions and military 
 stores by the roads to the south and west of Cor- 
 inth, in preparation for the abandonment of his 
 position. He regretted the necessity of leaving 
 Corinth, for it was a strong place as fortified ; but 
 he was unwilling to stand a regular siege there, 
 and hoped to compensate himself for the loss of 
 it by other advantages he saw for the future. 
 
 Early on the morning of May 30, repeated ex- 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 467 
 
 plosions in Corinth revealed the fact that the 
 commander of the Confederate army had already- 
 left his intrenchments, or was then doing so. A 
 reconnaisance verified the truth of the supposi- 
 tions that the enemy had withdrawn. The left 
 wing of the Union army, forty thousand in num- 
 ber, moved in pursuit; and four divisions of the 
 centre followed to render such support as might 
 be needed. Though the railroad had been seri- 
 ously damaged, General Beauregard followed it 
 south till he came to Okolona, seventy miles dis- 
 tant from Corinth, where he halted, almost sur- 
 rounded by swamps and lagoons. Though the 
 national cavalry under General Granger pursued 
 him about thirty miles, they were unable to come 
 up with the rear guard of the retreating army. 
 Thus the campaign of Corinth ended without a 
 completed siege or a general engagement. 
 
 It would be quite impossible to trace the army 
 movements in Tennessee during the season that 
 followed. General Halleck had no single object 
 upon which to employ his grand army, and it 
 was resolved into its former elements. The 
 force, either as armies or divisions, were sent 
 
468 ON THE STAFF 
 
 where they were most needed. General Beaure- 
 gard was succeeded by General Bragg, and the 
 Federal commanders were somewhat divided in 
 opinion as to what the latter intended to do. 
 The Confederate army was also cut up in like 
 manner. 
 
 Chattanooga was a very important point, and 
 this and East Tennessee engaged the attention 
 of the generals on both sides. The division of 
 General Nelson remained a fortnight longer in 
 the vicinity of Corinth, and was then set at 
 work in repairing the railroad. The cavalry 
 had employment in protecting the bridge-builders, 
 and a false rumor that the fourth division was 
 attacked caused a delay in forward movements. 
 
 The advance was resumed ; and the army 
 crossed at Florence and Decatur, and proceeded 
 to Athens, Tennessee. Supplies fell short; and 
 the cavalry was employed to collect food, so far 
 as the poverty of the country would permit. 
 This town became a depot for supplies, and Gen- 
 eral Nelson Avas ordered to assist in repairing the 
 Nashville and Chattanooga Railroad. He was 
 then sent to MacMinnville, seventy miles from 
 
 I 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 469 
 
 Athens. Thus the division was moved about 
 until the middle of August, when General Nelson 
 was superseded by General Wright. 
 
 The extensive raid of Morgan had greatly 
 alarmed the citizens of Kentucky ; and the fiery 
 general was sent back to his native State, to 
 organize fresh troops for its defence. Later the 
 situation in Kentucky became critical. The Con- 
 federate raider had gone through the State, de- 
 stroying vast amounts of United States property, 
 and capturing towns ; and it was believed that 
 both General Bragg and Kirby Smith were mov- 
 ing towards it. 
 
 In this emergency Major Lyon was made a 
 lieutenant-colonel, and placed in command of 
 the three companies of cavalry and the battery, 
 and marched to Kentucky. General Woodbine's 
 brigade was increased by the addition of other 
 companies of infantry, and he was ordered to 
 remain at MacMinnville. Captain Lyon regretted 
 greatly to part with Lieutenant Herndon, for 
 they had become fast friends. 
 
 Colonel Lyon and all his command regretted 
 to leave the brigade of General Woodbine, who 
 
470 ON THE STAFF 
 
 had always been their strong friend ; and they 
 only hoped they should fall into his command 
 again. The colonel's force marched by the most 
 direct route to Bowling Green, keeping to the 
 eastward of Nashville, and going by the way of 
 Gallatin. The command was to report their ar- 
 rival at Munfordville. It left Bowling Green in 
 the forenoon, and towards night it came to the 
 bridge over the Green River. 
 
 Colonel Lyon decided to encamp for the night 
 on the lawn by the stream. He was at his 
 home at Riverlawn, and he might as well spend 
 the night there as elsewhere. After the camp 
 had been laid out, and the tents pitched, the 
 people of the vicinity gathered around it ; but 
 the sentinels would not permit them to pass. 
 The companies looked soiled and tattered com- 
 pared with their former appearance in their new 
 uniforms, and the horses were rather thin in 
 flesh. 
 
 " Whose command is this ? " asked a stout 
 man of fifty or more, who was confronted by the 
 sentinel. 
 
 "Colonel Lyon's, from Corinth and Athens." 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMEMT AT CORINTH 471 
 
 " Colonel Lyon ! " exclaimed the visitor. " I 
 know a Major Lyon, who owns this plantation." 
 
 " He was lately promoted to the rank of lieu- 
 tenant-colonel, and two companies are called the 
 Riverlawn Cavalry," added the trooper. 
 
 " By all that is great and mighty, it is the 
 major ! " exclaimed the man. " I must see 
 him!" 
 
 " No one can pass without permission ; but 
 here comes the colonel, and you can see him 
 here." 
 
 The commander of the force hurried his steps. 
 
 " Levi Bedford ! " cried Colonel Lyon, as he 
 rushed forward, and grasped the hand of the 
 overseer. " How are they all at the mansion ? " 
 asked the soldier, who had not heard from his 
 family for a considerable length of time. 
 
 "All well and hearty, and not one of them 
 has been sick a day since you went away," re- 
 plied Levi Bedford, still holding the hand of 
 his employer. 
 
 "And the boys?" 
 
 " All hearty ; but I am sorry to say that old 
 Dummy the preacher passed away two weeks 
 
472 ON THE STAFF 
 
 ago yesterday. We didn't know what this force 
 was, and I reckon the folks don't know you are 
 here. But how is Deck ? " 
 
 " In excellent health, and Captain Lyon will 
 be glad to see his mother and sisters." 
 
 "Who's Captain Lyon?" asked the overseer 
 blankly, 
 
 " Dexter," replied his father. 
 
 " Good gracious ! Deck a captain ! What's 
 Artie?" 
 
 " Nothing but a private ; but he is my or- 
 derly, and has behaved quite as well as his 
 brother." 
 
 Deck and Artie and Corporal Sandy Lyon 
 came along then, and they all went to the 
 mansion together. There was no end of hug- 
 ging, kissing, and hand-shaking, which lasted 
 quite half an hour. They were all amazed that 
 the father was a lieutenant-colonel, and the son a 
 captain. They took their supper in the man- 
 sion, and Diana (not Dinah) and the two quad- 
 roon girls were as glad to see them as the 
 members of the family. 
 
 After supper the fifty negroes, men and wo- 
 
THE LAST ENGAGEMENT AT CORINTH 473 
 
 men and children, gathered in front of the house 
 by the light of a bonfire, and welcomed the re- 
 turn of Mars'r and his two sons. The colonel 
 and the captain both took them all by the hand, 
 and they were blessed up to the seventh heaven 
 by the dusky crowd. While this ceremony was 
 in progress. Lieutenant Tom Belthorpe presented 
 himself on the lawn, and wanted Deck to go 
 home with him. There was a mighty attraction 
 at Colonel Belthorpe's mansion for him ; and 
 Frank, the coachman, drove them over in the 
 road-wagon. 
 
 Of course the family were all delighted to 
 see the returned son, and Kate blushed like a 
 June rose when she took Deck's hand ; and after 
 her sister Margie had kissed the young captain, 
 she ventured to follow her example. A couple 
 of hours were passed very pleasantly, in an ecs- 
 tasy by Deck ; but then they had to return to 
 the camp. 
 
 The next morning the march was resumed to 
 their destination ; and here we must leave them 
 for a time, for there were stirring times for the 
 command. Their experience will be related in 
 
474 ON THE STAFF 
 
 another volume; and those who are interested in 
 Deck, his father, his brother, and others who 
 have been introduced, will find a continuation 
 of their patriotic work in the succeeding book, 
 the fifth, and last but one, of the series, entitled 
 "At The Front." 
 
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 Or, Young America in Italy and Austria. 
 
 5. VINE AND OLIVE; 
 
 Or, Young America in Spain and Portugal. 
 
 6. ISLES OF THE SEA; 
 
 Or, Youug America Homeward Bound. 
 
 " Oliver Optic " is a worn de plume that is known and loved 
 by £>imost every boy of intelligence in the land. "We have 
 seen a highly intellectual and world-weary man, a cynic whose 
 heart was somewhat imbittered by its large experience of 
 human nature, take up one of Oliver Optic's books and read 
 it at a sitting, neglecting his work in yielding to the fascina- 
 tion of the pages. "When a mature and exceedingly well- 
 informed mind, long despoiled of all its freshness, can thua 
 find pleasure in a book for boys, no additional words of rea- 
 ommendatioii are needed. — Sundav Times, 
 
The Blue and The Gray— Afloat 
 
 Two colors cloth Emblematic Dies Illustrated 
 Price per volume $1.50 
 
 TAKEN BY THE ENEMY 
 WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES 
 ON THE BLOCKADE 
 STAND BY THE UNION 
 FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT 
 A VICTORIOUS UNION 
 
 The Blue and The Gray— On Land 
 
 Two colors cloth Emblematic Dies Illustrated 
 Price per volume f 1.50 
 
 BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER 
 IN THE SADDLE ,. 
 A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN 
 ON THE STAFF 
 
 (Other volumes in preparation) 
 
 Any Volume Sold Separately. 
 
 Lee. AND Shepard Publishers Boston 
 
RARE BOOK 
 COLLECTION 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF THE 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 NORTH CAROLINA 
 
 AT 
 
 CHAPEL HILL 
 
 Wilmer 
 17 
 
 I 
 

 M'^^^. 
 
 p^.-a