The Young Sharpshooter at Antietam

by Percy F. Westerman

  CHAPTER XXIII

  THE GUARD-HOUSE

  The subject concerning which the little sutler and the captain wereconversing soon became manifest to Noel. The officer turned sharply tohim, and as he did so the young soldier was no longer able to discoverthe presence of Levi in the band.

  "There's no use in your trying to get away now," exclaimed the officer.

  "'Get away!'" responded Noel, astounded by the suggestion. "That's thelast thing in the world I want to do! I have been looking for you orsome of the boys in blue for more than--"

  "That's a likely story!" interrupted the young captain. "You can explainthat to the colonel after we are back in the lines."

  "I'm perfectly willing to explain it to the colonel," declared Noel."And I'll explain it to you now."

  "There's no use in that. I'm afraid your explanations won't do you anygood."

  "What do you think I am?" demanded Noel angrily.

  All the men in the band now were listening intently, and Noel was awarethat he was under a cloud that might not easily be dispelled.

  "I know what you are. You are a deserter."

  In spite of the charge Noel laughed, but he was sobered instantly whenhe saw that every man before him firmly believed him to be what theofficer had charged.

  "I'm no deserter!" declared Noel hotly. "I happened to be outside thelines at Harper's Ferry and the Rebels took me. I have been doing mybest to get to the army ever since."

  "You look as if you had been trying," sneered the officer. "Come on.There's no use in talking any more. You come with us and we will turnyou over to the colonel."

  "Is that man a deserter, too?" inquired Noel as he pointed to Dennis.

  "He is. 'Birds of a feather flock together,' I guess that's why we foundtwo of you to-day. There must be a baker's dozen of them altogether. Idon't know what will be done with you, but I can tell you one thing, youaren't going to lie on any bed of roses to-night after we get back."

  "What makes you think I'm a deserter?" said Noel persistently.

  "I don't 'think'; I know. We have absolute proof. Your name is NoelCurtis, isn't it?"

  "Yes," replied the young soldier in surprise.

  Instantly, however, he concluded that Levi must have revealed his nameand the source of the officer's knowledge, therefore, was not unknown.

  "We cannot stay here any longer," continued the officer emphatically."Take your place in the ranks with your friend. Do you know who he is?"

  "Indeed, I do!" said Noel, somewhat defiantly. "He and I both belong tothe sharpshooters of the --th. You ask Colonel Crawford about us andhe'll tell you all you want to know. 'Deserters'! Why, man, we 're nomore deserters than you are. We have been trying ever since we leftHarper's Ferry--"

  "You don't seem to have made very good time even if you did try,"sneered the officer again. "Your story sounds fine, but when the colonellistens to what you have to say and then compares your story with theone Levi has to tell, he may have something to say about it himself."

  Apparently it was useless longer to try to persuade the captain. WhenNoel saw the expression on the face of Dennis and was aware that theyoung Irishman also had failed to plead his cause successfully, he wassomewhat heavy-hearted.

  "I'll go with you," he said quietly.

  "That's mighty good of you," laughed the officer. "You might take yourplace in there with the other deserter and we'll try to see to it thatyou don't get very far away again. My advice to you is not to try anymore of your tricks."

  For a moment Noel looked steadily into the eyes of the sneering youngofficer. He was furiously angry, and withal was more seriously troubledthan he was willing to acknowledge even to himself. Because the menunder whom he had served were not now in the vicinity it would bedifficult for him to find any one who could recognize him. His fatherhad once met General Hooker, a fact which Mr. Curtis frequently enlargedupon in talks with his boys, but even if admittance could be had intothe presence of the general, which was not at all probable, it would notidentify the young soldier who was charged with deserting.

  Obediently Noel advanced to take the place which had been assigned tohim, and as he did so he glanced back at the house, and saw Eliza Janestanding in the doorway and watching with manifest interest theactivities of the soldiers whom she professed to hate.

  Noel was quite certain that he had a momentary glimpse of Levi standingbehind the woman, but of this he could not be positive, as the facespeedily vanished and did not again appear. At all events, thetreacherous little sutler was not to accompany the men on their way backto camp and, fearful alike of his absence and presence, Noel was in direstraits when at last the command to advance was given and by the side ofDennis he obediently fell into step and marched with the men.

  A sound like distant thunder caused Noel to look up hastily. He hadheard the sound several times, but as the sky was clear and there wereno thunder clouds anywhere to be seen, he had been somewhat puzzled bythe rumbling in the distance.

  "I guess the boys are up and at it ag'in," suggested Dennis in one ofhis hoarse whispers.

  Startled by the suggestion, Noel glanced sharply at his companion andsaid, "Fighting?"

  "That's what it sounds like."

  "Silence in the ranks!" ordered the captain sharply, and both youngsoldiers became silent as the little band marched forward.

  The threatening sound was occasionally repeated, and then after ahalf-hour or more had elapsed it died away and was not heard again.Ignorant of its cause, Noel's fears were not relieved. The suggestion ofDennis that the sounds came from cannon was undoubtedly correct, and inthat event an engagement not far away was even now taking place.

  Puzzled as well as alarmed, it was not difficult for the young soldierto decide that the two armies now must be near each other. He had noknowledge of the region through which he was moving, the only place ofwhich he had heard in the vicinity being Frederick City. Just where thiswas situated, and what the sympathies of its inhabitants were, he didnot know.

  Noel was aware also that his companion was manifestly in very lowspirits. Never before had he seen Dennis so cast down. The sight wasdepressing, and in spite of his efforts to convince himself that hisfears were groundless Noel's confidence was rapidly vanishing as the menadvanced.

  How far away the main body was lying was another matter of which he wasin ignorance.

  Refreshed by the food that Eliza Jane had served him he was in bettercondition to endure a long march, if such a demand should be made uponhim, than he had been at any time since he had escaped the attack atHarper's Ferry. It was the unconcealed depression of Dennis thatinfluenced him now.

  When he had first been charged with being a deserter he had looked uponthe matter as a joke. He was fearful by this time, however, as has beensaid, that with his friends all in another division of the army orprisoners of the Confederates, it might be impossible for him to provehis identity, at least for a time.

  That he was then a regularly enrolled sharpshooter, and in his small wayhad done faithful service in the Peninsula campaign, was true. But couldhe convince the captain that his record was clean?

  There was no delay in the march. When two hours had elapsed, Noel wassurprised to find that they were approaching a camp. This camp, however,was so manifestly only a temporary affair that he easily conjecturedthat the men practically were under marching orders. Perhaps they hadcome a considerable distance that very day.

  Without waiting for any instructions the young captain directed thatNoel and Dennis should be sent to the guard-tent, into which both weresomewhat roughly thrust.

  To Noel's surprise he found within the tent a half-dozen unfortunatemen, and in a brief time, from the confessions which followed, he wasaware that every one there was facing a charge of desertion. Indeed, oneof the men was describing the treatment which was measured out to thosewho had deserted from the ranks.

  "Most generally," he was saying, "if a man deserts, and is caught again,they make him serve out all the original time
of his enlistment withoutany pay or allowance."

  "For instance," suggested another man, "if a soldier has enlisted forfour years and deserts at the end of six months, if they should catchhim they would bring him back and make him serve three years and sixmonths more without pay, would they?"

  "That's it," said the first prisoner. "Sometimes they send the desertersoff to Dry Tortugas."

  "They might as well banish them from everywhere as to send them there."

  "That's right."

  "Where is this Dry Tortugas you're talking about?" inquired another.

  "It's a group of islands that belong to the United States down near theentrance to the Gulf of Mexico. It's about one hundred and twenty milessouthwest of Cape Sable."

  "And where is Cape Sable?"

  "That's the southern part of Florida. Where is your geography, man?These islands of the Dry Tortugas are very low and swampy, and they arecovered with mangrove bushes."

  "What are they?"

  "Oh, they are something like the banana. Sometimes the deserters thereare made to serve a term of years with ball and chain."

  "What do you think is going to happen to us?"

  "That's not easy to tell. There have been so many men trying to get awaythat I'm afraid that it will go hard with us."

  Noel was listening intently to the conversation, but its effect upon himwas not so marked as it was upon Dennis. The fear in the heart of theyoung Irishman was great, if it could be estimated by the expressionwhich appeared upon his face.