by Unknown
I waited for the barkeep to serve the soldiers and then caught his attention. “A beer and a whisky chaser.”I tossed a Yankee silver dollar on the bar. The barman showed no interest in me now that he saw I had money. When I had my change I leaned into the corner so that no one could approach me from my rear. I nursed both drinks. I wanted to wait a while before I tried to leave. I had my stick but a firearm would be a more comforting. There were many armed men in the bar but they were in groups and it would be difficult to acquire one easily. It was not a priority and I was still evading capture; my escape had not yet begun.
The bar began to thin out and I tossed off my whiskey and then drank half of the beer. I wanted to follow a small group out and see if any of them had horses. I had no idea where the livery stable was and I did not want to risk asking for one. I needed to find a small enough group to give me a chance of getting a horse. The less I spoke the better. I saw three men, all of them armed, leave the bar. One of them was a little unsteady on his feet. They looked to be wagon drivers from their attire. They would have a source of horses and they were not soldiers. They would have to do. I left a heartbeat after they did. They walked down the street, thankfully, away from my place of incarceration. Two of them staggered a little. When they reached the corner the one who appeared to be the least steady on his feet staggered left down an alley and his two comrades went right waving a goodbye as they did so. I followed the unsteady one. He had a gun and that was what I needed. He paused halfway down the alley and relieved himself. I waited for him to finish and then I saw that he was not moving. I wandered behind him and heard him snoring. His head was resting against the wall. He was asleep! I quickly took his pistol which I discovered was a Navy Colt. I checked that it was loaded. I was going to leave when I realised that his hat would be useful too. I snatched it from his head and retraced my steps. At the end I crossed over. His two companions had gone in this direction and hopefully it would bear fruit. I put the battered slouch hat upon my head.
I had not gone more than twenty yards when the unmistakeable smell of horse dung hit me. There was a stable nearby. I saw a thin light emanating from within. I walked across the entrance, just glancing inside. The two men I had seen in the tavern were in there and it looked as though they were settling down for the night. I could see their wagons in the back of the building. That created a problem. To give me thinking time and to give me a better picture of the area I walked around the whole block. I saw, at the end of the second street I traversed, the building they had taken me to. I could still see the armed guards. I would avoid that road. It enabled me to get a clearer idea of where I had come from. The road out would be beyond that street. When I did manage to get a horse I would head back the way I had just travelled.
When I reached the stables I looked above the door. It said,’Liberty Livery Stables, Jeff Davis, Proprietor.’ I decided to be bold and I walked in. The two men had not settled down for the night yet and they both looked at me suspiciously. “Which of you two men would be Jeff Davis, the owner.” Now that I had a closer look at them I could see that there were definitely drivers. They dressed the same way as the men we had ambushed near Manassas. One was tall and spindly while the other looked as wide as he was tall. They were an incongruous couple.
Rather than answering me the short dumpy one said, “Why?”
“I need to rent a horse. Mine went lame up on the Stafford road and I need to go back and collect my bags and such.”
I saw the greedy look they exchanged. “It isn’t cheap. Not at this time of night.”
I grabbed a handful of dollars from my pocket and shook them so that they jingled. “I’m not a beggar. I’ll pay a fair price for a horse. I only need it for a couple of hours anyway. I could be back by midnight.”
I could almost see the wheels and cogs of their mind working. They would rent me a horse and then tell the owner that when they came in they had seen me riding out with the horse. I would be hanged as a horse thief and they would have made drinking money. “It would be five dollars and if you weren’t back by midnight then it would double.”
“Fair enough.”
“And another dollar for the rent of a saddle.” I cocked my head to one side and the talkative one said, “Of course you’ll get that back when you return it.”
“That seems reasonable. Of course I get to pick the horse.”
The tall spindly one shook his head. “That ain’t fair. We pick you one out.”
I needed a good horse for I would be pursued. “Why? You aren’t going to rent another one out tonight are you? It will be back before midnight.” I put the coins back in my pocket. “I guess I will find another stable and another horse.”
As I started to turn and leave the talkative one said, “Don’t be hasty mister. You are right and you seem like a respectable sort of man. It isn’t as though you came in here and held a gun to our head. You pick the horse.”
“Thank you.” I counted out the dollars and the dumpy man grabbed them greedily. While they were trying to divide the coins up without me seeing I looked in the stalls. Most of them were draught horses rather than riding horses and I would not have much choice. I found the Appaloosa in the last stall and she was the best one by far. I led her out.
“Hey that one…”
The talkative one nudged the spindly one in the ribs. “Yeah that is a fine horse.” He pointed to the saddle on the saw horse. “There’s your saddle. By the way mister what is your name?”
“Bill Bailey of Cork in Ireland.”
“Well Bill Bailey I’d watch it out on the road. Word is those Partisan Rangers are about as well as a bunch of cavalry led by Jeb Stuart himself. It’s why we are watching these wagons tonight. We wouldn’t want this cargo stealing. The cavalry can escort them to Warrenton tomorrow.”
I pretended I wasn’t interested but, as I mounted the horse, I glanced in the back and saw boxes with ‘Sharps’ stencilled on them. They were rifles.
“Thank you kindly, Mr Davis. I shook the fat one’s hand. They almost giggled like school girls as I rode out. I knew that I had perhaps ten minutes before they ran to tell the owner I had stolen his best horse. I trotted purposefully away from the stable. I knew the direction I wanted to go but I would have to avoid the main roads as I was sure they would have men guarding them. I went through small streets and alleys. There was an icy blast blowing in from the Atlantic and people were safe in their homes. The only ones who were out and about were soldiers and they were looking for me.
Suddenly the alley I was travelling along ended and there were fields before me. I backed the horse back into the alley, dismounted and looked out. To the left was a checkpoint with a brazier and soldiers. A mile to the right was another one. I was in the middle but the minute they heard me galloping they would be alerted. I grabbed the reins and led the Appaloosa and began to walk across the frosty ground heading for the distant hills. I realized the colouring of my horse made her difficult to see against the patches of snow and frost. Perhaps I would escape detection. I was about half a mile from the town, crossing another field when I heard a commotion. I glanced around saw some horsemen at one of the checkpoints. The missing horse had been detected. I kept walking hoping that my movements would not arouse interest and it worked until I came to the next field which rose a little and made me stand out against the moon which was just rising. I heard a yell and saw the horsemen galloping towards me. They were cavalry.
I leapt on to the back of the horse and kicked her hard. She took off and began galloping freely. I had chosen wisely. I turned her head slightly to make for the road I could see up ahead. Riding across fields was, potentially, dangerous as I didn’t know what obstacles lay in my way. I had no choice for I was now being pursued. I knew that the road to my right led to Stafford and Aquia. I had told the drivers I was going there and I wanted the cavalry to think that was my destination. I remembered a road which left the main road and head west over the hills, towards Culpeper. If I could lose them t
hen I would take that road. It was with a great sense of relief that I found the road and began to make better time. To my dismay I saw that a second party had come directly along the road and they were less than half a mile away. I would struggle to lose them. “Come on girl. We can do this.” I looked over my shoulder. There were just four of them. The other pursuers were further away but there were ten of them. I would need to deal with the four before the turn off.
The road rose up a little and then dropped down on the other side. As I reached the small rise I saw a lone oak next to it. I reined in behind it and took out the Navy Colt. It was not the time to learn the qualities of the gun but I had no choice. I lay over the neck of the Appaloosa and listened to the hoof beats. I had checked the revolver was fully loaded but this had been loaded, not by me, but a drunken driver, a civilian. I prayed that I would get at least one shot off. The riders had spread out and I allowed the first rider to close with me before I fired. The crack of the pistol told me it worked and his scream as he fell told me that I had hit him. I fired at the second man. He did not fall but clutched his arm. The third man tried to turn his horse and he gave me an easier target; I hit him in the middle of the back and he pitched from his horse. The wounded man and the survivor rode back down the road and I raced to the first dead man. He was a sergeant and I took his Army Colt and his ammunition. Leaping on to the back of the Appaloosa I smacked the dead man’s horse so that it raced along the road. As I passed it I grabbed the reins. I want to disguise where I left the road. Glancing behind me I saw that the two parties had joined and were a mile back. The road began to curve slightly around a small hill and I urged the two horses on. I saw the track leading off into the hills some two hundred yards ahead. I stopped and tied the reins of the spare horse around the pommel of its saddle. I smacked its rump and it galloped up the road. I headed down the track. There was a hedge row running along both sides and I kept in the shadow for a hundred yards and then I halted. Soon I heard the thunder of hooves as my pursuers hurtled past my track. As soon as the last one had gone I continued up the trail towards the hills. They would soon catch the horse and then try to find where I had left the road. I was under no illusions, they would find it but I hoped that I would lose them in the hills and forests to the west of Stafford.
I slowed my horse down to a walk. I needed to conserve her energy. The road below was hidden from my sight. I could hear the riders on the road but could not see them. I knew that they would be looking for hoof prints. The ground was frozen but a trained man could see where a horse had stood. I figured they would have at least one such man. When I reached the top of the hill I was climbing I halted. I took out the Army Colt and loaded it with fresh ammunition from my own supply still on my belt. I tucked the Navy in my belt and holstered my new weapon. I could now defend myself. As I the road turned north I knew that I had to leave it and cross the small rise towards the lake and the old Mill Road. It meant exposing myself to view but I had no choice. I felt naked as I left the cover of the hedges and trees and rode the six hundred yards over the rise. I risked a backwards glance as I reached the top. They were now on the road which I had taken and they had seen me. I had less than a three mile lead but I would be on the downhill section and they would have to climb the rise.
Once I was on the road I made much better time. I kept the Appaloosa going at a steady rather than a fast pace. Once I struck the Warrenton road I was back on more familiar roads. We had ridden down it a couple of days earlier. I had no idea where the regiment would be but it would be somewhere along this road. If they were close to Fredericksburg then I would have to keep going until I met Stuart and the Corps. I was aware that my horse was not moving as well as it had been. I was contemplating halting and examining it when I heard the crack of a pistol. My pursuers were less than two hundred paces behind me. I took out my Colt and waited. Their shots were ineffective; they were bouncing up and down and moving too quickly. More importantly they were wasting balls. I aimed at the lead horse and fired. It collapsed in a heap bring down two other riders. I fired again and saw a rider flung from his saddle. My third shot missed and I whipped my mount’s head around and trotted down the road. I had only bought myself a short breathing space and next time they would be warier but I had no option.
I patted the Appaloosa’s head. “Come on old girl. You are doing well.” She snorted and gamely carried on. I glanced over my shoulder. There were still five men pursuing me but now they were showing more caution. They were catching me but slowly now. They had also spread out so that I would not be able to bring down two riders with one shot. Dawn was just breaking behind them and I felt weary myself. The shot of whisky had long worn off. Every time I looked around they appeared to be closer. I knew that they would catch me eventually. I would have to judge the moment when I whirled around and charged them. They would not be expecting that and I would be making the decision. I would control how the fight ended. The brave Appaloosa stumbled a little and that determined my next action. I drew my gun with one had as I whipped the game mount’s head around. I kicked hard and levelled my gun at the lead rider. He panicked and fired too soon. I felt the shot as it flew over my head. I fired at the huge target of his chest and then turned the gun to the man next to him. I just kept firing. The smoke from our pistols obscured my view. I clicked on an empty chamber and I holstered my gun and drew the Navy Colt which had three rounds left.
I turned the weary horse around and then heard a familiar voice. “Good to see you are still the luckiest bugger in the land Jack Hogan.”
The smoke cleared and there were four Yankees with their arms in the air and Harry and Dago with two sections of A Troop grinning at me.
Dago shook his head. “When you hear shots fired in the early hours of the morning, you know who it will be, Lucky Jack.” He pointed to the hillside. “We are camped over yonder.”
Harry seemed to see the horse for the first time, “Nice horse. I take it you won’t need Copper any more.”
“Copper? She’s safe?”
“Yeah. When you were dumb enough to get blown up she had the sense to follow us. She won’t let anyone ride her but Carlton’s been taking real good care of her. Come on the captain will be glad to see you and Danny will want the full story!”
Chapter 10
While the men held their guns on the prisoners Harry told me what had happened. “Until I saw you just them we all thought you were dead. The captain was real upset; you saving his life and all. We saw the shell explode and pieces of horse and men flew in the air. We were sure no one could survive.” He looked at me as though I might be a ghost. “How the hell did you survive?”
“Luck I guess. The shell exploded on the other side of the bugler and the horse. I was kneeling down to help him up and they must have taken the full force. The doctor who examined me said that I was lucky.”
“And he was right. The colonel had us make a camp up there. He planned on heading back to the general today. He’ll be happy to see you too.”
“How many did we lose then?”
“Just four. It could have been worse. But what happened to you?”
I told him of my incarceration and my flight. “These boys were getting mighty close.” I turned to one of them. “How come you were so all fired anxious to catch one prisoner?”
The corporal said, “A deserter came in from your side and told us that you were the one who hung those boys up at Manassas.”
I looked at Harry, “A deserter?”
“Yup. One of the 1st Virginia Scouts. That’s you boys ain’t it? Tell me, were you the ones who hung them boys up at Manassas?”
Harry snarled, “You mean the spies sent amongst us? Yeah we hung one. He betrayed us and a lot of good men died. What would you have done corporal?”
He nodded, “Probably the same.” He pointed down the road. “And it seems to me that a lot of my friends died because of them today.” He gave me a rueful smile. “Sergeant you got balls the size of mountains. We never expec
ted you to charge all of us! Are you all crazy?”
I shrugged, “Why do you think they called us Wildcats?”
We reached the camp and as word of my return spread men rushed from their tents. Captain Boswell was in the middle of shaving and he erupted from his tent as though fired from a cannon. There was shaving foam all around his mouth and he stared at me, just laughing. “I never would have believed it! Lucky Jack back from the dead.”
Dago was standing close by and he said, “Were you too ornery for the devil then?”
I dismounted and laughed as I embraced Dago. “Something like that!”
The captain wiped his face and then clasped my hand in his two. He pumped it yup and down as though he was drawing water. “Jack! You don’t know how good this is! We thought you were dead!”
“Not my time sir.”
The colonel came out of his tent. He had taken the time to finish dressing as had the Sergeant Major who nodded approvingly at me. “Well, First Sergeant Hogan, you are a man of surprises. Not only do you return from the dead but you bring back prisoners. Well done son.”
I saluted. “Thank you sir.” I waited until the prisoners had been led away by Harry and then I said. “I also have some news sir. There is a wagon load of guns leaving Fredericksburg today with a cavalry escort. They are heading for Warrenton.”
“Are they indeed? Well done. I think that we will head there on our way back to the general.”
“There’s one more thing colonel. The deserter, Pickles, has joined the Union side. That is why they were so keen to get me. He told them that the Wildcats are here. There is still a price on our head.”
“Ah! Our sins have come back to haunt us. He will get his just desserts, trust me. For now forget him. He has done all the damage he can.” He turned to the Sergeant Major. “Strike the camp. Send a rider back to the general I will have a short report for him by the time he is mounted.”