CHAPTER XXVII
My report but confirmed rumors of the approach of Cornwallis which hadalready reached Governor Jefferson, and I found him wide awake toVirginia's danger, against which he was taking every precaution hisexhausted resources allowed. He received me with flattering remembranceof our former meeting, and an unaffected cordiality. Still more, hepleased me by the letter of introduction he gave me to GeneralLafayette, together with certain dispatches in which he spoke of me interms of personal friendship. Among the dispatches was my specialcommission to raise reenforcements in the valley, with which I was tojoin Lafayette's command as promptly as possible.
This was my first meeting with the gallant and elegant Frenchman, underwhom I was to serve during the remainder of our struggle. Morgan, Clark,Greene, and Lafayette were the four great leaders whom I followed duringmy eight years of military life. They were as different as four greatsouled men of war-like genius could well be--though between Morgan andClark there was the kinship of spirits cast in primitive heroic mold, alike resemblance to Achilles, Priam, Alexander and other heroes of anearlier time--yet each of the four I could honor and love sincerely,serving him with exulting sense of privilege.
For this last emergency, recruiting was not needful. I did not find itnecessary, indeed, to cross the mountain, for at its foot I met the grimmilitiamen of the valley, swarming to meet Tarleton. I had only to formthem into a company, and march them to join Lafayette before he beganhis strategical retreat toward Fredricksburg, with the double object ofprotecting the manufactory of arms near Falmouth, and effecting ajunction with the troops under General Wayne, ordered southward toreenforce us. Cornwallis followed Lafayette, taking a parallel course tothe eastward of ours. Often not more than twenty miles separated us, andwe dared not slacken our march for heat or storm while the wingedCornwallis gave chase. The junction with Wayne before a battle wasforced upon us was General Lafayette's one hope of escape. And now, oncemore, it was the privilege of the Scotch Irish to render signal serviceto the cause. To my company, and that of Captain Mercedes, fell theposts of honor and danger. We were the scouts, the pickets, thecouriers, and the rear guard on this skillfully conducted retreat.
We had nearly reached the ford on the Pamunkey we had been pushing for,when a force of the enemy overtook us and pressed upon our rear. GeneralLafayette halted and formed line of battle with the determination tomake a desperate stand. I had been sent for to reconnoiter, on the firstreport of the enemy's advance, and soon discovered that it was only apatrolling force, and that the main body of the British was yet somedistance in the rear of us. Hastening with this good news to GeneralLafayette, I found it more expeditious to travel for several miles alongthe road recently gone over by Cornwallis' reconnoitering force, andbetween that force and the British army. As was my rule when on scoutservice, my squad marched in close column, with detail of two in front,and two in rear, as special lookouts. The front lookout stoppedsuddenly, and seemed to listen; we approached quickly and heard also theconfused sounds, with screaming, and hoarse wrangling, which hadarrested their attention. Convinced that the force in front, whateverits uniform and purpose, could be but a small one, I ordered my men toadvance at double quick, and, putting spurs to my horse, I cameimmediately around the bend in the road to the scene of action.
A squad of fifteen or more British soldiers surrounded an overturnedpost chaise, from the tangled harness of which, four frightened andstruggling horses were being extricated by trembling postilions. In themidst of the group were two female figures, one dressed in black, andheavily veiled, the other in the costume of a lady's maid. It was shewho continued to utter piercing screams, throwing her hands about in themost tragic manner, and paying no heed to her mistress' low spokencommands. We were within fifty yards of the group before the thud of ourhorses hoofs upon the sandy soil was loud enough to rise above thisconfusion of clamors; and before the mounted British could turn, or thedismounted leap upon their horses, we had surrounded them.
"Stack arms: You are my prisoners!" I called, "and what means thiscowardly attack upon a lady's traveling carriage?"
"You Americans have a trick of using women as your spies and couriers,and then crying shame upon us if we arrest them, and foil you! Thispretended widow or orphan is doubtless stuffed like a pin cushionbeneath her black robes with spies' reports, and warnings to Jefferson!"replied the officer in charge of the squad, as he angrily stacked hisgun beside the rest, and cast scornful glances upon the veiled figure,who, until then, had stood haughtily erect and silent among them.
"It is a false charge!" she now answered, spiritedly; "I bear nodispatches, convey no messages. I but go to seek my only brother, late aBritish officer, now a wounded prisoner, yet treated by the courteousenemy who harbor him, I doubt not, with more gentleness than I amreceiving from those who should be most prompt to succor and defend me!"Then, turning to me, she continued in tones less scornful: "Will you beso good as to inform me, sir, whose prisoner I have now the honor tobe?--The fortune of war may change, it seems, with such magic swiftness,that one finds it difficult to be sure of one's present or one'sprospective situation."
"You are no one's prisoner, madam," I replied, stirred suddenly byfamiliar tones in her voice; "you are under the protection, however, ofVirginia troops commanded by Colonel McElroy, and will be conveyed tosome place of safety acceptable to you as soon as possible." I haddismounted, meantime, and stood near her.
"Can it be Captain Donald McElroy, of Virginia?" she said in lowered andtremulous voice, at the same moment throwing back her veil, andrevealing the face of Nelly Buford--fairer than ever in its setting ofrich hair and banded crepe.
Does a man ever quite forget his first love? Has its remembrance alwayspower to thrill him, even though the once lively sentiment besupplanted, or outlived? That the sound of Nelly's voice, and the touchof her hand, could yet thrill me, was, just now, a disturbingrevelation. I felt myself disloyal to Ellen and so scorned myself forthis fresh evidence of weakness, that I fear my manner to her was almosthaughty.
Having dispatched a courier with my comforting news to GeneralLafayette, and sent my prisoners after him, under sufficient escort, Iordered the postilions, and some of my men, to right the carriage, andmake the harness safe. Then I joined Nelly, and relieved her mind of allanxiety about her brother by telling her of his whereabouts, and thenews I had had recently that he was convalescent, and would completelyrecover. Nelly's thanks were fervently expressed after which sheproceeded to explain her present situation, and to give me her doublereason for leaving the shelter her generous Quaker friends had for somemonths afforded her--the longing to find her brother, and the wish torelieve her host of the inconvenience and possible danger of harboringone of a family well-known to be strong Tory adherents.
The carriage having been made ready, Nelly and her maid were shutwithin, and, preceded and followed by mounted escort, Miss Buford wasconveyed in state to General Lafayette's late headquarters. We found thearmy gone, and camp deserted, and I surmised, that, upon receipt of mycourier's message, the general, seeing yet a chance to escape, hadordered an immediate advance. We followed, but did not overtake thehastily bivouacked army until past midnight.
No other accommodation than that Nelly's carriage offered wasprocurable, and so I regretfully informed her, to be cheerfully assuredthat she asked nothing better, if she might have cessation from jolting,and sense of security. The rest of the hot night I stood guard, watchingthe languid stars blink one by one to sleep, and waging lively warfarewith the swarms of greedy mosquitoes, who constituted themselves suretyfor my vigilance. As soon as the first flush of morning tinged theeastern sky, I woke one of my men, and left him to guard the carriagewhile I sought General Lafayette. He was sound asleep under a tree witha gnarled root for pillow, his face and hands covered by his blanket toprotect them from the swamp pests. Awakened by my step, he threw off hisblanket, looked up at the sky, and muttered sleepily some unintelligiblewords in his own language.
"Gener
al Lafayette?" I said, stepping in front of him, and saluting, "Iam Colonel McElroy, at present in command of a company of Virginiamilitiamen. Will you grant me a few moments of your time while the campis getting ready to march?"
"Most certainly, Colonel McElroy," then, in the precise English of thecultivated foreigner, and with agreeable accent--"when I have thankedyou for this valuable information sent me last evening. Ah, if fortunecontinues to favor us, we'll yet escape the bold Cornwallis, ColonelMcElroy! But we must march unceasingly, till we meet the reinforcementsof General Wayne. Then we'll give Cornwallis the fight he seems so muchto wish, and show him what may be done by the united gallantry ofAmerica and France! But I retard your story, sir; command, now, myattention."
I related briefly the capture of the British stragglers, the rescue ofthe young lady, and added an account of my previous acquaintance withMiss Buford, and the debt of gratitude I felt myself under to herfamily. He listened with courteous attention, and responded with trueFrench understanding of such obligation:
"You can do nothing less, Colonel McElroy, than escort the young womanin safety to her brother. Later I shall gladly detail such force toguard you as you may think necessary, but for the present it is saferthat she remain with the army."
"Then you have no objection, General Lafayette, to her carriage and itsescort traveling between the main army and my company--at present thevan guard?"
"None, sir--under the circumstances."
"I have still another favor to ask, General"--somewhat embarrassed by myown boldness--"that you will grant Miss Buford the honor of anintroduction. Such attention from you as a brief visit to her carriagewould avoid all danger of familiar acts, words, or surmise from any ofthe troops while she must be with us; she would become your guest, andbe under your personal protection."
"A shrewd thought, Colonel, worthy of your Scotch name," GeneralLafayette gayly replied, "and for gallantry of conception not unworthyone of my own countrymen! I consent, with pleasure, and while awaitingyour orderly shall make such toilet as my very limited facilitiespermit."
Nelly had managed in some mysterious way to remove all traces of hertiresome journey and broken rest, and stood ready to receive thegeneral, under the canopy of a blooming magnolia, meeting him with theease of a society queen, and responding to his gallant speeches withgrace and vivacity. The susceptible young Frenchman at once proclaimedhimself her captive, lingering to talk with her until the troops infront were moving, and the rear guard falling into line of march.
Twice during the day he rode back to exchange a few words with her, andto assure himself of her comfort. He was so attentive, indeed, and sosolicitous for her, that I think I felt almost a pang of jealousy atbeing deprived of the full credit of being the fair Nelly's rescuer andprotector.
Our junction with Wayne was effected near the ford of the Rapidan a fewdays later. Already Cornwallis had given over the pursuit, and turnedback to rejoin Tarleton. It was now possible for me to accept GeneralLafayette's offer of a furlough and escort, with fair prospect of safejourney to the valley by circuitous northeastern route. It seemed myfate, by some claim upon my private sentiments or some untowardaccident, again and again to be withdrawn from active service atcritical periods of our struggle. As willingly as I now rendered thisservice to one to whom I owed perhaps my life, I sighed inwardly toleave General Lafayette at a time when we might speedily expect somechance to strike a telling blow. To the General I expressed my regret,and was gratified by the warmth with which he assured me he wouldwelcome my return as soon as I should have placed my fair charge insafety.
Not many hours before we reached home, when indeed we were entering thevalley, I told Nelly of an amusing conceit that had been running in myhead, namely--that I was destined for a rescuer of fair damsels, usingthis as an introduction to the story, I had been casting about for anexcuse to relate, of Ellen O'Neil, and her journey to the west withClark. But the presence of the maid kept back a full confession, andNelly's suspicions did not seem to be aroused by my warm championship.Evidently she thought I but framed elaborate apologies for a kinswoman.
Miss Nelly's bearing, in truth, had been a source of disturbance to mefor several days. She was so confiding, so almost affectionate in hermanner, and seemed to appropriate me with such joyous confidence, thatit was difficult not to meet her in like spirit. Not unto this day haveI been able to determine the true meaning of her conduct during thatjourney. Did she believe that I was yet a captive to her charms? or, wasit but the natural overflowing of grateful, friendly affection? Or--buteven as it came I reproached myself for such thought--did she wish tomake me again her slave, that she might have revenge for my singledefiance of her power? Such reflections and uncertainties disturbed memore and more as we neared home; and mixed with the gratification ofuniting Nelly and her brother, and the happiness I could but feel in thenear prospect of seeing Ellen, was a sense of vague uneasiness, ofshadowy foreboding.
Donald McElroy, Scotch Irishman Page 27