by Unknown
Danny slapped me on the back as Jed laughed. “We captured ten horses and five Yankees and we thought we had done well.”
“It all counts sir. Where is the colonel?”
“He is not back yet. I will now worry about him. Get Copper seen to while I get you some food.”
After we had eaten and washed it down with some fine whiskey sent by General Stuart we waited for the colonel. Danny was impressed by my success. “You did really well and you only lost one man.”
“Yes sir, I did well but I should have destroyed the other train. Even the Union will struggle to replace two trains quickly.”
“Well we have the engineers and the telegraph is down. I think that is enough.”
Just then we heard the sound of cavalry arriving. We went out of the tent and the colonel and his troop began to dismount. The numbers did not add up and I could tell there was a problem. “What happened sir?”
“We ran into an ambush. Lieutenant Spinelli and five men were captured. It was a disaster.”
The joy we had felt at our success evaporated. Dago was now a prisoner of the Yankees.
Chapter 7
We sat in stunned silence as the colonel told us what had happened. “We headed for Leesburg. I figured that we knew it well. Dago took ten men to scout it out but they must have seen us as we approached it and were waiting for us. There was a fire fight and they were surrounded. I saw at lest four men fall and then they had to surrender. We couldn’t reach them and had to escape the troop of cavalry who followed us. It took us until now to escape.”
“But Dago is alive?”
“Yes he is alive. I saw him hand over his sword.”
I stood, ready to leave immediately. “Then let’s get after him. We can be there by dawn.”
The colonel shook his head.”He is a prisoner and we have to accept it. They will have a close guard on him. it will be impossible. I am not going to send more good men to their deaths.”
I began to leave the tent. I was angry and I was not going to let my friend rot in a prison camp. The colonel had been away too long and forgotten our code. “I am going.”
The colonel stood and faced me. “You are not and that is an order.”
Danny stood. He could see how angry we both were. The colonel was not used to us speaking back to him. “Now then boys we are all a little tired. Let’s sleep on it until the morning.” Colonel Boswell’s expression told me that he would not be changing his mind.
I turned and left. If I said anything I would regret it. I was going, no matter what Colonel James Boswell said. Copper would be well rested. I would wait until they were all asleep and slip out. I spent the next hour checking my equipment. I slipped a spare knife into my boot. I loaded my guns and made sure that I had spare ammunition. I left my sword. Finally I donned my deer hide jacket and black slouch hat. I crept to the horse lines and saddled Copper. I was walking away when Copper snorted. Sergeant James and Trooper Ritchie stepped from the shadows. They both had their horses and were armed.
“What are you two doing?” For a moment I wondered if they had been sent to stop me.
“We figured you would want to rescue the lieutenant and thought you might need some help.”
I shook my head, “This might be seen as desertion.”
They both adopted an innocent look. “Not if you order us it won’t be.”
I wavered for a moment. Could I embroil them in my adventure? I knew that, if I went alone, I might not succeed. I would take them and then take the blame if we managed to return. I would not leave any man in Union hands. I had suffered that briefly, and I had not enjoyed the experience. I nodded my thanks, “I appreciate this.”
We left the camp unseen and headed north to the land around Leesburg; the land we had known so well the previous year. As we rode north I wondered what would have changed.
We passed Gainsville in the middle of the night and rested for an hour or so in some woods where we ate a frugal meal of jerky and water. Carlton made sure that the horses were well cared for. We had already given thought to the problem of acquiring horses for our comrades should we succeed in rescuing them. Sergeant James was certain that we could steal some. “There’s bound to be a livery stable or something and they will be good horses too. Those northern boys like fine horses.” He was right the Union supplied their men with the best horses that they could. We had to buy our own.
The late afternoon saw us looking at the outskirts of Leesburg. We found a deserted barn to await darkness. We could sneak around the town in the evening but we would stand out during the hours of daylight.
When we left the barn we took the smaller roads which led into the less busy parts of the town. We knew where the barracks where, we had raided them before and we knew they would be guarded. We had to rely on surprise and ingenuity to get us in. We halted and dismounted about two hundred yards from the main gate. We could see that there was a guard house with at least ten men within. After watching for half an hour we saw that four of them would be on patrol the whole time; they marched in pairs around the perimeter.
We retraced our steps and walked our horses to the other side of the barracks where there was a headquarters building adorned with flags. A half hour observation showed us that there were just two guards outside. While we were watching Trooper Ritchie suddenly pointed to another building just down from the headquarters. There were another two guards but the windows were barred, “Sir, that might be the jailhouse. Do you think?”
“It could be. The problem is that they are within shouting distance of those men in the headquarters building. We will have to do this quietly. Do you two have your coshes?” In answer they both took them out. “Right then here is the plan. You two go around the back streets with the horses. Tie them up on the far side of the jail and then walk slowly back along towards the jail. I will go to the headquarters building and then the jail. I will engage the two guards in conversation and you two knock them out.”
It was a rough and ready plan but I trusted my two men. The question was could I pull it off? I hoped that my Union slouch hat and deer hide jacket would fool them. I wore a pair of the Yankee pants we had liberated but beneath my jacket I was dressed in grey. They led Copper around the back streets and I crossed the street to the headquarters building. I had learned, when serving as a Ranger, that confidence often succeeded when dealing with sentries. I strode confidently up to them.
“Is Captain Hargreaves of the 5th Maryland Cavalry inside? I have a message for him from our colonel.”
They looked at each other blankly. The older looking soldier said, “There are no Maryland Cavalry officers inside and certainly no captains.”
The younger one nodded. “Yup, Major Blake and Sergeant Davis will be finishing soon anyway.”
I shook my head wearily. “Ain’t that the way though. I hoped he would be here and now I will have to go through every bar in Leesburg looking for him.” I leaned in and spoke confidentially, “He likes a drink. Between the three of us I didn’t really think he would be in here but he is a nice guy and I was hoping.”
They nodded sympathetically. “Sorry we couldn’t help you.”
“Thank you anyway. I’ll try down the next street.” I walked slowly the one hundred yards to the jailhouse. Half way down I leaned against the wooden building and lifted my boot as though I had something stuck on it. I looked under my arm and saw that the two men had gone back to their conversation and had forgotten me. I strode on.
The two guards at the jail looked at me curiously. Behind them I saw Sergeant James and Trooper Ritchie striding towards us. “The two sentries at headquarters asked me to ask you two if you have seen Major Blake. There is a message for him.”
They shook their heads. “No, he isn’t here. I thought he was in the headquarters building.”
“So did they. He must have slipped out. He isn’t inside there is he?” I gestured towards the jail.
“No, there’s just Sergeant McNeil and two guards with tho
se Rebs we caught the other day.”
I nodded and smiled, “Yeah I heard about that. How many were there again?”
The corporal seemed happy to chat and I could see that my two men were almost upon them. “Six of them. They will be taken away tomorrow.”
The private said, “What a sorry bunch they were too. They had no uniform to speak of. They looked like scarecrows.”
I laughed and it distracted them long enough for Trooper Ritchie and Sergeant James to hit them on the back of their heads. I caught the two rifles and they caught the men. They laid them on the floor. While Sergeant James tied them up Trooper Ritchie and I picked up their guns and stood where they had stood. If the other two guards looked down they would just see two sentries in the gloom of dusk. I tried the door; it was open. We had to move quickly. We dragged the two unconscious sentries inside and then went to the next door. I tried the handle and it was locked. I rapped on the door.
“Who is it?”
“I have a message for Sergeant McNeil from Major Blake. It is about the Rebs.” We all had our pistols out ready. I held up three fingers and the other two nodded. I heard the key turning. As the door began to open I hit it with my shoulder and heard the thud as someone hit the ground. I saw a sergeant struggling to reach his pistol. I stamped on his hand and he yelped. The private who was with him was cold cocked by Trooper Ritchie. I held my Colt to the sergeant’s head and said, “Ssh.”
I pointed at the other door and Sergeant James nodded. He and Trooper Ritchie slipped through. I gestured for the sergeant to rise, I waved for him to turn around and as he did so I struck him on the back of his head with my gun. I heard the sound of noise and shouting down the corridor. I looked at the wall behind the sergeant’s desk and saw some keys. I grabbed them and hurried down the corridor. Time was of the essence. Eventually someone would notice the lack of guards on the door and investigate.
Ritchie and James had overcome the guard and were disarming him.
I shouted, “Dago! You here?”
I heard Dago’s voice shout. “The cell on the end.”
I ran down and tried the keys until one worked and it swung open. “Where are the others?”
“They should be in the other cells.”
I threw the keys to the sergeant and grabbed Dago’s hand. “Good to see you. Tie this one up and grab his gun.”
We stripped the bodies of their guns and their hats. It wasn’t much of a disguise but it was all we had. “As we stood in the guardroom Dago asked, “Where is the rest of the troop?”
“Back in camp. There are just the three of us and we aren’t supposed to be here.”
Dago shook his head. “That is dumb, Jack. But thank you.”
“And we have no horses for you yet either. This could be the shortest jailbreak in history unless we find some soon.”
I peered out of the door to make sure that the coast was clear and then strode casually towards our three horses. We had guns for all six of them. We could fight if we had to but if we did then the odds were we would all die. Sergeant James pointed towards the end of the street. “I think that is a livery stable. Let’s just walk down there and see if it is. If not then we might just as well head out of town and see if we can find some horses on a farm.”
The smell soon told us that it was a livery stable. The sergeant held up his hand to halt us and then he led his horse into the stable. There was silence. I peered down the street. It was still quiet but every minute increased the chances that someone would spot the lack of sentries outside the jail. I heard a muted cry and then Sergeant James appeared and waved us in. The stable boy was lying unconscious on the floor. “There are just four horses so two of you will have to ride double.”
Dago grinned, “Just so long as we get out of this town then I don’t care.”
We put the four smallest men on the two biggest horses. Trooper Ritchie waved us out and we rode slowly out and into the street. Dago and I led with Sergeant James and Trooper Ritchie at the rear. When we passed the last house I breathed a sigh of relief. We had cleared one hurdle. Now we just had fifty miles of hostile territory to navigate and we would be home free.
We were less than a mile out of the town when we heard the bugles. It was our signal that we had been spotted. I pointed to the empty barn we had used before, “Let’s hide in there.”
Thankfully they obeyed my orders. They must have seemed stupid orders but I wanted them scouring the country further ahead and not look so close to home. We half closed the doors and kept watch on the road. It seemed an age but eventually I heard the thunder of hooves as a troop of cavalry thundered down the road. They galloped on without even pausing at the barn. We just had to be patient and wait. We spent the time filling each other in on what had happened on our patrols.
Dago shook his head, “I knew I should have been with you. The colonel just isn’t as lucky as you.” He lowered his voice. “He didn’t scout out the town enough. He thought we could just charge in like the old days and the Yankees would give up. They are getting better. We were surrounded. I lost some good boys back there.”
I nodded, “I reckon that is one reason why he didn’t want me to come looking for you. I suspect he felt guilty.”
Just then we heard the sound of hooves as another group rode along the turnpike. “Sir, I reckon if we leave in the next ten minutes or so we might be able to lose them.”
Sergeant James was correct. They would soon turn around and begin to look for where we might have turned off the road. “Mount up then and let’s go.”
It was now pitch black outside and we had our best chance to escape. My plan was simple; we would follow the riders until we came to a side road. Even if we had to head west to the Blue Ridge we would have a better chance of escaping. Sergeant James led the way; he knew the country around here better than any and he had an uncanny knack of finding the easiest route for horses.
He suddenly waved his hand right and we wheeled through a gap in the fence. It looked to be a track leading to a farm of some description. We could see the lights in the farm and smell the smoke from the wood fire as we trotted through the farm’s outbuildings. Even if they saw us they would not be able to get word to the Union soldiers quickly.
I wondered where he was leading us as we left the track and crossed a field of corn. Our horses made a trail which would be easy to follow. We traversed a small stream and then Copper whinnied. There were horses nearby. I drew my gun in anticipation of a fire fight but Sergeant James restrained me, “It’s just a couple of horses I spied. The boys will have to ride bareback but it will mean we can travel faster.”
I had no idea how he had seen them but I was grateful. He and a couple of the boys roped them and we made rough reins from rope. It felt better to be mounted and able to flee at will. We carried on across the field and we came to a road. “This leads to Upperville sir. We can then head south.”
“That seems a good idea. It will take longer and there are Union soldiers there but we might lose these cavalry boys.”
We halted south of Upperville on the road to Marshall. We needed to rest. The only place we could find was a small copse a mile or so from the road. We posted guards and then lay down for a sleep. Dago and I were too much on edge to sleep.
“You know you will be in trouble Jack.”
“I know. When we were Rangers we might have got away with it but we are now part of the army. This is desertion in the face of the enemy.”
“You mean you know you could be shot for this?”
I shrugged, “I knew it was a possibility but I couldn’t stand by while you and the others were carted off to a Union prison. Most of them are death camps.” I pointed to Trooper Ritchie who was sleeping. “I told them I would say I ordered them to come with me. They might get away with it.”
“I would have said that you would have been let off if it wasn’t for the fact that Colonel Boswell appears to have come back a changed man.”
“I don’t know about that. I
t might be that he has been brought up to live by the rules. His disgrace was not his fault and I think he has been trying to become accepted again ever since we met him. He wouldn’t want to jeopardise that by overlooking something as serious as this.”
“You seem very calm about the prospect of a firing squad.”
“I am not. Inside I am wound tighter than a clock spring but if I have learned one thing in life it is that you never know what is around the corner. Take each minute as it comes.”
We waited until late afternoon to begin the last part of the journey. We were still wary. We had to pass through Marshall and Warrenton and both were in Union hands still. Marshall looked to be a one horse town as we spied it from the small hill overlooking the Virginian town. We decided to avoid the road and travel cross country.
As we dropped down on to the road we heard the sound we had been dreading; it was the sound of a bugle. I looked behind us and saw a patrol of Union cavalry a mile away.
“Right boys, head for the road. It looks like it will be a race to Brandy Station.” In the back of my mind was the worry that there would be more soldiers waiting for us at Warrenton. That bridge would have to be crossed eventually.
Dago and I dropped to the back while Trooper Ritchie rode at the front with the sergeant. We were the best armed. I had given one of my spare Colts to Dago and it would be up to us to slow down the pursuit. The Northern cavalry appeared to be gaining. Sergeant James was conserving our horses while the blue coated horsemen were thrashing their mounts. It was a test of nerve.
We heard the crack as they fired from their horses. It was a waste of lead. Their horses were moving too quickly and they had no control over their aim. When we eventually fired it would be from a stationery position. I risked a glance and saw that they had closed to within a couple of hundred yards but I could see the sweat on their horses and the wild eyes of their mounts. We were still riding within our horse’s comfort zone.