Si Klegg, Book 4

by John McElroy

  CHAPTER IV. THE FOURTH DAY OF THE TULLAHOMA CAMPAIGN

  "SHELBYVILLE ONLY 10 MILES AWAY."

  AND it rained the fourth day rained as if there had been months ofdrouth, during which it had been saving up water and gathering itsenergies for an astonishing, overwhelming, make-up-for-lost-time effort.

  "Great goodness," said Si, as he and Shorty were again wringing theirblankets out to lighten the load they would start with; "seems to methey're tryin' to move Lake Superior down here, and dumping the water bytrain-loads."

  "Old Rosey ought to set us to buildin' arks," grumbled Shorty. "We'llneed 'em as bad as Noah did."

  There was an alleviation to the weather and mud in the good news thatcame from all parts of the long front of 75 miles, on which the 60,000men of the Army of the Cumberland were pressing forward against theirenemies in spite of the apparent league of the same with the powersof the air against them. Away off on the extreme right Gen. Mitchel'scavalry had driven the enemy from Triune, Eagleville, Rover, andUnionville; Gordon Granger's and Crittenden's infantry were sweepingforward through Salem, Christiana, and Bradyville; grand old Pap Thomas,in his usual place in the center, had swept forward with his accustomedexhibition of well-ordered, calmly-moving, resistless power, and pushedthe enemy out of his frowning strongholds at Hoover's Gap; McCook, whoseadvance had that splendid leader, John F. Miller, had struck successfully at Liberty Gap, and far to our left the dash ing Wilder had ledhis "Lightning Brigade" against the enemy's right and turned it. Thehigher officers were highly elated at the success of Gen. Rosecrans'sbrilliant strategy in forcing the very formidable outer line ofthe enemy without a repulse any where. Their keen satisfaction wascommunicated to the rank and file, and aroused an enthusiasm that wassuperior to the frightful weather. Every body was eager to pushforward and bring Bragg to decisive battle, no matter how strong hislaboriously-constructed works were.

  "Old Rosey may be a little slow to start," Shorty held forth oracularlyto the group crouching over the fire, "but when he does start, greatScott, but he's a goer. I'll put every cent I may have for the next 10years on him, even though he's handicapped by a Noah's deluge for 40days and 40 nights. And when it comes to playin' big checkers, witha whole State for a board, and brigades and divisions for men, he kinskunk old Bragg every time, without half tryin'. He's busted his frontrow all to pieces, and is now goin' for his king-row. We'll have Braggbefore Grant gits Pemberton, and then switch around, take Lee in therear, capture Richmond, end the war, and march up Pennsylvania Avenuebefore Old Abe, with the scalps o' the whole Southern Confederacyhangin' at our belts."

  "Wish to Heaven," sighed Si, "Old Rosey'd thought to bring along a lotof Ohio River coal scows and Wabash canal-boats to make our campaignin. What fun it'd be jest to float down to Shelbyville and fight thosefellers with 100 rough-and-ready gunboats. Then, I'd like awfully toknow once more what it feels like to have dry feet. Seems to me my feetare swelling out like the bottom of a swamp-oak."

  "Hope not, Si," said Shorty. "If they git any bigger there won't be roomenough for anybody else on the same road, and you'll have to march inthe rear o' the regiment. Tires me nearly to death now to walk around'em."

  "There goes the bugle. Fall in, Co. Q," shouted the Orderly-Sergeant.

  As the 200th Ind. had the advance, and could leave the bothersomeproblems of getting the wagons across the creeks to the unlucky regimentin the rear, the men stepped off blithely through the swishing showers,eager to find the enemy and emulate the achievements on previous days bytheir comrades on other parts of the line.

  Being as wet as they could be, they did not waste any time aboutcrossing streams. The field officers spread out and rode squarely at themost promising crossings in sight. The men watched their progress, andtook the best they found. If the water did not get above the middleof the sides of the Colonel's medium-sized horse, they took off theirhaversacks and unbuckled their cartridge-boxes, and plunged in afterhim, the shorter men pairing off with the taller men, and clinging tothem.

  So eager was their advance that by the time they halted at noon fora rest and a cup of coffee, they were miles ahead of the rest ofthe brigade, and beginning to look forward to catching glimpses ofShelbyville.

  They had encountered no opposition except long-taw shots from rebelcavalry watching them from the opposite sides of the yellow floods, andwho would scurry away as soon as they began to cross.

  The young Aid again appeared upon the scene.

  "Colonel," he said, saluting, "the General presents his compliments,and directs that you advance to that next creek, and halt there for thenight and observe it."

  "What did that young man remark?" said Shorty in an undertone; "that wewuz to advance to that crick and observe it? What in the thunder havewe bin doin' for the past four days but observe cricks, an' cross thenasty, wet things?"

  "He means, Shorty," said Capt. McGillicuddy, "that we are to go as nearas we can to the bank, and watch, that the rebels do not come across,and wait there until the rest of the division get in supportingdistance."

  "I guessed that was what his West Point lingo meant, if he has brainsenough to mean anything. Why didn't he say in plain United States: 'Gitdown to the edge o' that there crick, watch for a chance to jump therebels, and keep your eye peeled that the rebels don't jump you?' That'dbe plain Methodist-Episcopal, that everybody could under stand.".

  "I'll see that you are appointed Professor of Military Language andOrders at West Point when you are discharged," said the Captain,laughing.

  The regiment advanced to the edge of the swollen flood and madethemselves as comfortable as possible under shelters improvised fromrails, cedar boughs, pieces of driftwood, etc. A considerable force ofrebels appeared on the opposite bank, whose business seemed to be to"observe" the Yankees.

  The restless Si and Shorty started out on a private reconnoissance. Theydiscovered that the shore opposite the left of the regiment was reallyan island, separated by some hundreds of yards of rushing water fromthem, but the main current ran on the other side of the island.

  "We can't observe the crick through that mass o' willers andcottonwoods," said Shorty. "That's certain. No tellin' what devilmentthe rebels are up to on the bank over there. They may be gittin' upa flank movement over there, with pontoons and flatboats, to bust thewhole army wide open."

  "That's so," assented Si. "The orders are to observe this crick, and wecan't do it if we can't see the other bank. We ought to git over to thatisland."

  They went back and reported to Capt. McGillicuddy, and told him whatthey thought. He at once agreed with them, and sanctioned their proposalto go over to the island, if they could find means of crossing.

  After a diligent search they came across an old canoe hollowed out of atulip-tree log. It was a cranky affair, and likely to turn over if theirhair was not parted exactly in the middle; but both of the boys wereused to canoe management, and they decided to risk the thing.

  It was ticklish business crossing the current, but they succeeded inreaching the island, which extended a foot or more above the level ofthe flood, and was covered with a thicket of willows and cottonwoodsabout the size of hoe-handles. They pushed their way through these andcame in sight of the opposite banks. There was apparently some thingimportant going on over there. Quite a number of rebels could be seenmoving about through the rain and mud, there was great deal of choppinggoing on, several flatboats, canoes and rafts were lying at the bank,wagons were passing, and the boys thought they could make out a cannonor two.

  "I can't make out what in the world they're up to," said Si. "ButI'm certain the Colonel ought to know it. Suppose you take the canoe,Shorty, and paddle over and report, and I'll stay here and watch."

  "All right," answered Shorty, starting back for the canoe.

  He reported to Capt. McGillicuddy, who took him up to the Colonel.

  "It don't seem possible that they can be doing anything to threaten us,"said the Colonel; "though they may know of some practicable crossinghigher
up the stream, which will let them in on our flank. Still, theyought to be watched. I'll inform the General at once. You had betterstation a picket on the island, Captain, if you can do so safely."

  "Me and my pardner 'll look out for them, Colonel, if you thinknecessary," said Shorty, proud to be of service under the Colonel'sdirection.

  "Very good," said the Colonel briefly. "I'll entrust the lookout to youboys. Let me know at once if anything important develops."

  The young Aid had been standing nigh during this conversation.

  "Your men, Colonel," he said patronizingly, "are excellent soldiers, intheir way, but they lack the intelligence necessary to comprehend themovements of the enemy on the opposite bank. I think I shall go overthere myself, take a personal observation, and determine precisely whatthe meaning of the movements may be."

  "As you like," said the Colonel stiffly. "As for myself, I don't thinkit is necessary for me to go. I'd trust those boys' eyes as quick as Iwould my own. They are as good soldiers as ever breathed; they are askeen as a brier, with not a particle of nonsense about them. They are astruthful as the day. When they tell me anything that they have seen withtheir own eyes I can trust it as absolutely as if I had seen it myself;and their judgment can not be beat."

  "No enlisted man can possibly see anything so well as an officer who hasbeen educated," said the Aid.

  "That is a matter of opinion," said the Colonel dryly.

  "Anyway, I'm going over to see for myself," said the Aid. And he calledafter Shorty:

  "Here, my man, I'm going along with you."

  Shorty muttered some very warm words under his breath, but disciplineasserted itself, and he answered respectfully:

  "Very good, sir."

  He halted until the Aid came alongside, and then started to walk besidehim as he would have done with one of his own officers when out alonewith him.

  "Fall two paces behind," commanded the Aid sternly

  Shorty said to himself some very hotly-disparaging things aboutpretentious young snips of Regular officers. They reached the canoe,and the Lieutenant calmly seated himself in the stern. This was anotheraggravation. If Shorty had gone out with one of his own officers, eventhe Colonel, he would have shown a deep interest in everything andwanted to do his share toward getting the canoe safely over. This youngfellow calmly seated himself, and threw all the responsibility and workon Shorty.

  "Now, you set right in the center, there," said Shorty, as he picked upthe paddle and loosened the rope, "and keep mighty still."

  "My man," said the Lieutenant, frowning, "when I want your advice I'llask it. It is for me to give you directions, not you me. You paddle out,now, and head straight for that island. Paddle briskly, and get me overthere as quick as possible."

  Shorty was tempted to tip the canoe over then and there, but herestrained himself, and bent his strong arms to the hard task ofpropelling the canoe across the strong current, avoiding the driftwood,maintaining his balance, and keeping the bow pointed toward the placewhere he wanted to land.

  The Lieutenant had sense enough to sit very still, and as he naturallyhad been drilled into bolt-up-rightness, Shorty had little trouble withhim until they were nearing the shore. Then the canoe ran into aswirl which threw its bow around. Forgetting his dignified pose, theLieutenant made a grab for some overhanging willows.

  "Let them alone, blast you; I'll bring her around all right," Shortystarted to yell, but too late. Before the words were out of his mouththe cranky canoe went over. Shorty with the quickness of a cat jumpedclear, caught some branches with one hand, and made a grab for the canoewith the other. But he saw the Lieutenant go down head foremost, withfancy boots disappearing last. He let the canoe go, to make a grab forthe boots. He missed them, but presently the Lieutenant's head appeared,and he gasped and sputtered:

  "Save me, my good man. I can't swim a stroke."

  Shorty plunged out, succeeded in catching the Lieutenant by the collar,and after a vicious struggle with the current, grabbed with his righthand a pole that Si thrust out to him, while with his left he draggedthe Lieutenant ashore, "wetter'n a blamed drowned West Point muskrat,"as he after ward expressed it.

  "My good man, you saved my life, and I thank you for it," said theLieutenant when he recovered his breath. "I shall mention you in myreport."

  "If you don't stop calling me your 'good man' I'll chuck you into thedrink again, you wasp-waisted, stiff-backed, half-baked West Pointbrevet Second Lieutenant," said Shorty wrathfully. "If you'd had thesense of a six-months'-old goslin' you'd 'a' set still, as I told you,and let me manage that canoe. But you never kin learn a West Pointernothin'. He'd try to give God Almighty points if he got a chance.Now we've lost our canoe, and we're in a devil of a fix. I feel likethrowin' you back in the crick."

  "Take care, my good" and then the Lieutenant caught the glare ofShorty's eye. "Take care, sir. You're on the verge of mutiny. I may haveyou court-martialed and shot, if you're not careful."

  "Court-martial and be blamed," said Si, who was as angry as Shorty."You've lost our canoe, and we may be drowned before we can git off thisisland. It's got so dark they can't see us from the shore, the water'ssteadily rising, these trees are too small to climb, and the Lord knowshow we're goin' to git off."

  "Corporal, I'll see that you're reduced to the ranks for disrespect tome. I had intended to recommend this man for promotion on account of hisgreat service to the army in saving my life. Now I shall see that youare both punished for insubordination."

  "Insubordination be damned, and you with it," said Shorty. "You'd betterbe thinking how we're to git off this island. The water's bin raisin'about a foot a minute. I've bin watchin' while we wuz talkin'."

  The Lieutenant stood, dazed, while the boys were canvassing plans forsaving themselves.

  "I'll tell you, Shorty," said Si suddenly. "Le's ketch one o' them bigsaw-logs that's comin' down, straddle it, and let it carry us somewhere.It may take us into our own lines. Anything's better than drowndin'.Here comes one in the eddy now."

  Shorty caught the log with a long pole, and dexterously steered it upclose to the shore in comparatively still water. Si threw a grapevineover it and held it.

  "Now, all git on," said Shorty. "Be careful not to push it away."

  "Let me get on ahead," said the Lieutenant, still mindful of his rank,"and you two get on behind, the Corporal next to me."

  "Not much, Mary Ann," jeered Shorty. "We want a man of sense ahead, tosteer. I'll git on first, then you, and then Si, to bring up the rearand manage the hind end of the log."

  The Lieutenant had to comply. They all got safely on, and Shorty pushedoff, saying:

  "Here, sit straight, both of you. Here goes mebbe for New Orleans, mebbefor Libby Prison, mebbe for the camp of the 200th Ind.

  "We're out on the ocean sailin'."

  HERE GOES, MEBBE TO LIBBEY PRISON. 55]