A Lieutenant at Eighteen

by Oliver Optic

  CHAPTER XII

  A NEW COMPANY OF MOUNTED RIFLEMEN

  The troopers were dismissed for dinner, and all the officers of thesquadron assembled in front of the farmer's house while their horseswere fed; and it was an interesting occasion. The skirmishes were goneover again more in detail than Life had been able to give them. Deckwas required to report his affair at the house of Mr. Halliburn, and hewent over it as minutely as his father desired.

  "It was very well managed, my son," said the major, who was notespecially liberal in praise of the young man as a rule. "You capturedthe entire gang without firing a gun, though if Captain Coonly hadconducted his raid with even ordinary prudence, it would have beenotherwise; but it is the business of a commanding officer to profit bythe blunders of the enemy."

  "It was very handsomely done," suggested Captain Gordon.

  "I think it was; but Captain Coonly will not be a great militarycommander," added the major. "But what has become of the prisonerscaptured in this affair?"

  "We marched them to Millersville, and turned them over to ColonelHalliburn," answered Deck.

  "We quartered them in a disused tobacco factory; and probably in timewe shall let them go," added the colonel. "We have no use for them; andwe can use our supply of provisions and forage much better than infeeding these ruffians and their horses."

  "I believe there will soon be a change in the sentiments of the peoplein this vicinity, or at least the guerillas will find it advisable tocease preying upon their neighbors," said the major; but he did notexplain in what manner this change would be brought about. "Howhappened you to fall into the fight in the road after you had broughtyour prisoners there, Dexter?"

  "I think my answer to that question ought to come in after CaptainGordon's report of the action at Breedings," replied the lieutenant.

  The commander of the first company reported in detail his affair at thefort.

  "Captain Letcher, of the Tennessee cavalry, could not get all his meninto the fort, and he stationed a platoon on a hill on the other sideof the road. I sent Lieutenant Belthorpe to attack them on the hill,while I assaulted and carried the fort, riding the horses over thebreast-work, and upsetting the iron cannon. My lieutenant defeated theforce on the hills, and drove them across the country till the recallwas sounded for them. I understand now that the detachment followed theroad towards Millersville."

  "They came down that road just as I reached it with my prisoners fromMr. Halliburn's mansion. He is the brother of Colonel Halliburn, herepresent. The retreating force was under the command of Captain Letcher,and he attacked us as soon as we dashed into the road. We defeated him,with a loss in killed and wounded of nearly half of his command. WhenCaptain Gordon arrived at the scene of the skirmish with the secondplatoon, he paroled the prisoners. In the afternoon we marched toMillersville."

  "Who is the man that came over to the second company with SergeantKnox?" asked the major. "He was a stranger to me; and I thought I knewevery man in the squadron."

  "His name is Winfield Milton, of Miltonville," replied Captain Gordon."My authority as a recruiting-officer is still in force, and I enlistedhim on the recommendation of Lieutenant Lyon."

  "He is very useful to me as a guide, and for his knowledge of thecountry for many miles around us. He is the intended of Grace Morgan,who first informed Life of what was going on at the mansion of herguardian," added Deck.

  "You did not make any mistake when you enlisted him," said ColonelHalliburn. "I have known him for many years, and I will vouch for him.When I say that he is worthy of Grace Morgan, one of the noblest girlsever raised in Kentucky, I say more than you can understand."

  "He came into our ranks this morning; and he has done his dutyfaithfully as a guide and a soldier, and fought like a hero in theaction this morning," added the captain of the first company.

  "He ought to be an officer, for he is a very intelligent andwell-educated man; and he will be an honor to the service," continuedthe colonel.

  "I have not yet heard the particulars of the skirmish, which seems bythe looks of things about here to have swelled to something like theproportions of a battle," added Major Lyon.

  Captain Gordon referred to the colonel; and he repeated the story ofSquire Walcott, who had brought news from the other side of theCumberland, and had informed him of the intention of the company of theTennessee cavalry to move on Millersville.

  The commander of the first company then minutely related the details,beginning with his order of battle. The voluntary offer of his commandby Colonel Halliburn had proved to be of the greatest importance; forwhile the cavalrymen had fought like lions, the burden of the actionhad fallen on the riflemen acting as sharpshooters in the woods.

  "They caused the enemy to divide his force in the road, sending half ofthem into the woods. We owe a debt of gratitude to Lieutenant Ripley,the oldest man in the line, who commanded the riflemen in the forest.He can report that part of the action better than any other person."

  "I understood the captain's plan of action, and I did my best to carryit out," said Lieutenant Ripley. "I had forty-two men under my command,and every one of them could split a rifle-ball on a knife. About everyone of them dropped his man in the road. When half the Confederateswere sent into the woods dismounted to clean us out, I drew them as faraway from the road as possible. I believed I could do the best thingfor the captain's plan by leading half the enemy as far as possiblefrom any support. If I was wrong, I am willing to be forgiven, for Ihad only my general orders."

  "You did exactly the right thing, Lieutenant Ripley," added thecaptain. "I waited until you had led them at least half a mile, andthen I ordered my two platoons to advance. They charged into theremainder of the company in the road. The enemy were tangled up withthe loose horses; and when the officers had all fallen, the force outof the forest surrendered."

  "What were our losses, Captain?" asked the major.

  "Three men killed, and seven wounded; only one of the riflemen had awound of any consequence."

  "We fought behind the trees, and at long range," interposed LieutenantRipley. "I was ordered to do so."

  "Do you know the enemy's loss, Captain Gordon?" inquired his superiorofficer.

  "Fifteen killed, or reported as missing, with no doubt that most ofthem were killed in the woods, and twenty-one wounded. They fought at avery great disadvantage, and the sharp-shooters probably caused thegreater portion of their loss."

  "I think I understand what the first company have been doing since weparted company at Columbia," said the major. "As soon as you are readywe shall march back to Jamestown. I left Harrison very early thismorning. As I did not find you there, as I expected, day beforeyesterday, and you did not arrive the following day, I becameconsiderably concerned, for your company had the shortest route fromColumbia to Harrison, Captain Gordon. The enemy were foraging in alldirections west of the hills, and I was afraid you had been overmatchedby some of them, and I concluded to march in search of you.

  "When I reached Jamestown about eight, I learned that a company ofTennessee cavalry had camped there over night, and had left at an earlyhour this morning; but I have found you, and your delay is fullyexplained."

  "Have you met the enemy on your way, Major Lyon?" asked the seniorcaptain.

  "The company was compelled, about half a mile from Columbia, to dealwith a horde of about thirty guerillas; but their officer was not sostupid as the one with whom my son had to deal, and they ran away assoon as they saw us. We pursued and killed about a dozen of them; butthey escaped by fording a swift-running stream, and some of them weredrowned there. It was not prudent to lose any of my men by drowning;for that was not a proper death for a soldier to die, though it may bejust as creditable to his conduct as to fall from his horse on thefield."

  As usual, the commander of the squadron kept his own counsel, and hedid not say what he intended to do when he reached Jamestown. He hadcome down from Liberty to Harrison, which was on the road to Somerset,where he had expected to j
oin the other company, and wait for orders.He was in possession of the current news, so far as it had beendivulged by those to whom the army operations had been intrusted; andhis orders were to halt somewhere in the vicinity of Somerset. He wasaware that General Thomas had been sent down with a considerable force,and a portion of it was in the vicinity; but it had not yet beenconcentrated for the attack upon the intrenched camps of GeneralCrittenden and General Zollicoffer.

  The Union general was waiting for the rest of the force detailed totake part in the campaign; and had also been detained by the conditionof the roads, which rendered it almost impossible to move thebaggage-wagons and the artillery. Friday and Saturday it rainedincessantly in torrents, and raised Fishing Creek and other streams sothat it was impracticable to cross them. The general had with him theFourth Kentucky Infantry, and a portion of the First Kentucky Cavalry,to which the two companies of the Riverlawn force nominally belonged,though they had been on detached duty thus far since they were musteredin.

  Thomas had also with him, or within call, regiments from Ohio, Indiana,and Minnesota. Major Lyon informed his audience of officers that theirregiment was somewhere in the vicinity, though he did not know where;but his officers had never seen this force, and were not greatlyinterested. The regiment had not yet been filled up, though othersenlisted later had their full complement of men and companies.

  "Don't you think we had better enlist another company?" asked CaptainGordon, who evidently had in his head a big idea.

  "I don't know about that; but I am inclined to think we had betterleave that to the proper authorities, or to local leaders where men areavailable, for we are away from Riverlawn and Bar Creek. I doubt if wecould find men enough in that vicinity to form another company."

  "That was not my idea," interposed the captain. "How many men have youin your company of Home Guards, Colonel Halliburn?" he asked ratherabruptly, as he proceeded to develop his purpose.

  "I have sixty-two here, and there are about fifty more from variousparts of three counties, many of whom seldom meet with us," replied thecolonel, wondering what the captain was driving at.

  "We have forty-two riflemen here; are there any more of them?"

  "As many more, I should say."

  "Don't you think it is a great pity that your company, or a portion ofit, are not in actual service in the army, where they are so muchneeded?"

  "Well, it is rather necessary to have some at home to look out for thewomen and children, and to raise food for the army and the people,"replied the colonel with a smile, as he began to fathom the idea of thequestioner.

  "It seems to me that Colonel Halliburn is right in the main, though hemight be able to spare a portion of his men," added the major.

  "I might as well let it all out at once as do it in driblets," saidCaptain Gordon. "I should like to enlist your forty-two sharpshootersas the nucleus of a company of mounted riflemen, to be armed ascavalry, except that the rifle shall take the place of the carbine, themen to serve mounted or dismounted, as occasion may require; not a veryradical idea, for cavalry are not infrequently called upon to serve onfoot, as we have an instance this very day."

  "I like the idea very much," returned the colonel.

  "I will talk about the matter with my riflemen, and let you know whatthey think of it at once," said Ripley; and he hastened to his command,who were still eating their dinner.

  The plan was talked over by the riflemen, and Lieutenant Ripleyheartily approved the scheme, but thought that he might be too old toenlist, though he was still a healthy and vigorous citizen. The planwas not entirely new; for steps had been taken, and perhapssuccessfully, to organize "mounted infantry" in various places, and thecommand of Lieutenant Ripley did not essentially differ from such aforce.