by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XXXIII
CAPTAIN ARTIE LYON IS SHOT DOWN
Life Knox was responsible for the movement which was now being made. Hehad not only aided in uncovering the true strength of the enemy opposedto the Riverlawns, but he had made a discovery that he considered ofgreat importance. Colonel Lyon had agreed with him and had acted on hisadvice.
As has been said, the timber faced the road. It was uneven ground, andto the north there was a sharp rise, running from the highway to aregular cliff ten rods to the rear. To the south, the rise sloped awayinto a hollow, at the lower end of which was a swamp having apparentlyno outlet.
The Confederate regiment had come upon the Riverlawns at a spot midwaybetween the rise of ground and the swamp. If, therefore, the Riverlawnscould gain the high ground, they would command the situation, for theenemy would either have to retreat to the swamp, or take to the highwayand the field.
Colonel Lyon well knew that success depended very largely upon quicknessof movement, and the order was passed to make the quickest time possiblein advancing as indicated. All the Riverlawns' horses were of the best,and the way they tore over the brush and up the highway was marvellousto behold.
"After 'em boys, we have 'em on the run!" shouted one of the Confederatemajors, and he started his battalion along the highway. He was given thechance to fire one volley, and received another in return, from MajorTruman's command. He would have kept on running had not his colonelordered him back. The Confederate commander knew there was no need forthe Unionists to retreat and began to "smell a mouse."
The high ground was gained, and the first battalion, under Deck,galloped into the open timber. Life Knox, who had just been over theground, rode in advance, as a guide. The ground was rough, but Life wasa thorough backwoodsman and easily pointed out the best trail. In lessthan five minutes the whole regiment was behind the shelter of thetrees, and by this time the first and second companies occupiedpositions directly in the rear of the Confederate reserves.
The reserves numbered but a company and a half, and not knowing what wastaking place, the ranking captain ordered one round to be fired, and,receiving a round in return from the whole first battalion, started on arapid retreat, to bring up against the companies from the road, whichhad just been turned in that direction.
These counter-movements in the timber, where the ground was sloping andrough, caused something of a mix-up, and before the Confederate colonelcould bring order out of chaos, Colonel Lyon was swooping down upon himfrom the higher ground. The first and the third battalions were calledinto this action, and the Confederates ran like sheep down the slopetoward the swamp.
As usual Deck was in the lead, and almost before he knew it he foundhimself face to face with the Confederate captain who had commanded thereserves. The captain was mounted like himself and fired at him with hispistol, while the two were less than five yards apart.
HE FOUND HIMSELF FACE TO FACE WITH THE CONFEDERATECAPTAIN.
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A lucky leap on Ceph's part saved Deck from serious injury, if not fromdeath, and in a flash captain and major came together, and sword metsabre in strokes which brought forth flashes of fire. The captain was aheavy-built man of twice Deck's age, and as their blades came togetherthe major realized that he had engaged an opponent worthy of his steel.
Since joining the army, Major Lyon had practised industriously upon thesabre exercise, until he could handle that blade about as well as anyofficer, with a few exceptions. The captain was skilled in the use ofthe sword, and had it not been for the more important battle aroundthem, both might have taken time to "try for points." But the presentcontest was not merely one of skill, it was one for supremacy, and Deckwent at his man with a will from the very outset.
A parry and a thrust, and Deck felt the cold steel touch him in the rib.But a rearing up by Ceph saved him from serious injury, and he went athis man again. They had circled half way around, so that neither had anadvantage, so far as the ground was concerned.
Suddenly the captain made a savage blow for Deck's neck, putting forthall his strength and quickness in the motion. Had the blow fallen asintended, the major's head might have fallen from his shoulders.
But Deck was wide awake, and warded off the blow by an upper-cut whichnicked his sabre, but did no further damage. Before the captain couldrecover, the major threw his sabre over on a side thrust, and theConfederate received the point of the blade in his shoulder.
"Oh!" groaned the victim, and gave a gasp. He tried to recover, butMajor Lyon was too fast for him. He hit the sword sharply, and in atwinkling it sailed into the trees, to lodge among some small branches.The weapon had hardly left the captain's hand when a riderless horse ranagainst his own, and he went down, under the runaway's feet. Cephswerved to one side; and then Deck was carried away from the scene ofthe stirring encounter.
The combat had warmed the major's blood, and he rode to regain the frontof his battalion. It was some distance down the slope, and as he movedalong he saw Sandy Lyon having a hard time of it with two Confederatesergeants, who seemed determined to bring the acting captain of thefifth company to grief. All three combatants were on foot, and it was acase of two pistols against a sabre, for Sandy's weapon was empty.
As Deck came up at full speed, or rather, as rapidly as the nature ofthe ground permitted, he saw his cousin on one knee, he having receivedan ugly wound below the left knee. One Confederate sergeant had firedhis shot, and now his companion was about to follow it with a second,aimed at the acting captain's head.
Sandy Lyon made a stroke at the pistol with his sabre, but failed toreached it. The Confederate pulled the trigger, and it must be confessedthat the young man who had fought so bravely since joining theRiverlawns gave himself up for lost. Even to Deck it looked as if Sandywas about to join his brother Orly as another victim of the grim CivilWar.
But the pistol snapped without going off, the weapon being an old oneand out of repair. "Hang the luck!" muttered the Confederate, andreadjusted the trigger.
But Deck was too quick for him, and as the major's weapon rang out, theConfederate's arm dropped to his side and the pistol fell to the ground.The major fired again, striking the second sergeant in the shoulder, anda moment later both surrendered and were made prisoners.
"It was a good turn, Deck!" murmured Sandy Lyon, and he tried to rise.But the pain in his wounded leg was too great, and he fainted. Callingtwo privates, Deck had him carried to the rear, and he was, later on,removed to the hospital at Crawfish Springs.
As expected, the Confederate regiment had, with the exception of twocompanies, been driven down to the swampy ground, and here they tried totake a stand. Their colonel had been wounded, one major was dead, andthe several companies were hopelessly mixed up. The two missingcompanies had taken to the highway, thinking the others would follow.
"I think we have the fellows where we want them," said Colonel Lyon,riding up to his son. "Dexter, don't you think you can follow those whotook to the road?"
"Certainly, I can," was the prompt reply from Deck, although he couldnot help but wonder how bad that wound in the rib was. "How manycompanies got away?"
"Not more than two. You might take three companies with you."
"All right, Colonel," replied Deck, and started to find the companies inquestion.
Captain Abbey was busy down at the very edge of the swamp, but thesecond, third, and fourth companies were somewhat in the rear,--for thefierce hand-to-hand fighting had caused the battalion formations todisappear, although the companies were still in uneven lines. In a fewwords Deck explained to Captains Blenks and Richland, and his brother,what was expected of them, and the three companies swung around and madethrough the timber for the highway.
The Confederates had gone up the road a little beyond the rise. Heretheir leader had halted them, and sent back several messengers to tellof what he had done. The messengers were midway between the retreatingtroops and the scene of the conflict when Deck's command came upon them.There
were three Confederates, and they came to a sudden stop in deepperplexity.
"Surrender!" cried Captain Blenks, who was at the front with the major.And as the Confederates made no sign he turned to his superior. "Shall Iopen on them, Major Lyon?"
"Yes," answered Deck, as one of the trio raised his pistol. He was aboutto fire when the second company sent in a volley, and the man dropped.The others turned and sped for their company at the best speed theirlegs could command.
"Forward!" ordered Major Deck, and away went the three companies up thehighway until within two hundred yards of the Confederates. As they cameup over the rise the enemy opened upon them, and they returned the fire.Then Deck turned to his brother.
"Artie, move over into the field and to their right," he said. "Theother companies can handle them from the front."
Without delay Captain Artie Lyon switched off as commanded. The secondcompany was sent to the opposite side, where there was a slight break inthe timber.
The Confederate ranking captain, seeing this new move, and realizingthat his command was not more than three-quarters as strong as theenemy, resolved to continue his retreat. But the road curved and thisbrought him closer and closer to the position Artie Lyon's company wasriding for, a split in the road where there was a wide open field backedby some rocks impossible to travel across. Before the Confederate hadtime to think twice, Artie gave him two volleys, and, maddened beyondendurance, the Confederate ordered a charge in the hope of breakingthrough the Union line and rejoining the balance of the regiment of theSouth.
The rush was such as only certain Southern commands were in the habit ofmaking, a wild, delirious oncoming, with but one purpose,--to crush allthat was in front, regardless of consequences. These rushes were trulysoul-inspiring and worthy of a better cause. In many cases they broughtvictory, but the victory was literally drowned out by the blood whichflowed.
It was so in the present case. Captain Artie's company met the shocklike true soldiers fighting for a cause they knew was both lofty andjust. The clash of steel, the crack of musketry, the din, confusion, andsmoke, the yelling and cheering, were beyond description. It was ahand-to-hand encounter, in which every man had to do for himself,leaving his nearest neighbor to do as he saw fit.
The shock came before Major Lyon could do anything to prevent it; butwithout waiting an instant he ordered the other companies to this partof the field, and both commands fired as they ran, aiming at the rearlines of the Confederates, which were not yet mixed up in the melee. Thecompanies then went into close action, Captain Richland's men actuallyriding over the last line of the enemy.
Deck saw that Artie was being hard pressed personally, having gonedirectly to the front to urge his command to stand firm. The youngcaptain was daring to the last degree. "Don't give them an inch!" heshouted. "Down with them! Drive them back, boys!" And the "boys" diddrive them back, twenty yards or more. Artie was waving his sabre onhigh and continued in the front, when suddenly Deck was horrified to seehim throw up both arms, reel from the saddle, and disappear from view inthe surging mass of cavalrymen and infantry around him.
"Artie!" he cried, but the tumult drowned Deck's voice. Forgetting aughtelse, he urged Ceph into the lines and straight for that fatal spot,fully expecting to find poor Artie a corpse. He had yet a dozen yards togo when he saw Second Lieutenant Milton falling back bearing the youngcaptain in his arms. Artie's eyes were closed, and the clothing abouthis left side was saturated with blood.
"Dead?" asked the major, hoarsely. He could scarcely speak.
"I'm afraid so, Major; but I'm not certain," was the answer. "Shall Itake him to the rear?"
"Yes, Lieutenant, and see that he gets the best of care if he stilllives," said Deck. "I will come myself, as soon as I can."
By this time the other companies had rushed in, and now the major foundit absolutely necessary to re-form his battalion of three companies.This was done inside of five minutes, and by this time the force of thefirst shock was over; but the Confederates had lost nearly one-third oftheir command, while Captain Artie's company had fared little better.
Finding the rush of no avail, so far as breaking through was concerned,the Confederate leader thought once again of retreating. But Deck hadhemmed him in, and a galling fire from the front and the left broughthim to his wit's end. The fire was about to be repeated, when the secondcaptain of the Confederates interfered, and after a few words had passedbetween him and his superior, a flag of truce was hoisted. The prisonerstaken numbered exactly thirty-seven, all the other Confederates beingeither wounded or dead.
The fight had hardly drawn to a close when Colonel Lyon's orderly dashedup, to learn from Deck how things were going.
"They have surrendered," answered the major. "Their loss is very heavyand ours is likewise considerable--due entirely to their pig-headedleader, who kept on fighting when he should have saved his men andsurrendered," he added, with perhaps more bitterness than was necessary.He was thinking of poor Artie.
"We have taken about half of the men in the swamp, and the battle isover there, also," said the orderly. "The remaining troops escaped intothe timber, and Captain Knox's company has gone after them."
"Tell Colonel Lyon that Captain Artie Lyon is either dead or badlywounded," said Deck, and rode off, to learn the truth concerning hiscousin and foster-brother's condition.