by Charles King
CHAPTER XVI.
"On to Richmond," said the Northern papers. "Sweep the flag of rebellionto the Gulf!" And obedient to popular clamor, and in defiance of commonsense, the Government ordered its little army--a handful of regulars andmarines, three dozen regiments of State militia, or of half-drilled,unseasoned volunteers--to advance and attack an army of equal size, madeup of enthusiastic Southerners as undrilled as the Northern volunteers,but the flower of their manhood, defending their own soil, in theirchosen position. The July sun beat hotly down on the long column,plodding south-westward through Fairfax. Many a poor fellow fell by thewayside, unable to keep up the pace and carry his heavy burden. Many aregiment broke ranks at sight of a farm well or at mention of a spring,and scores of stragglers stopped to pick blackberries by the way,defiant of the pleadings of their officers. Some Pennsylvaniamilitiamen, at the last moment, refused to go farther than Centreville,and, with a New York militia battery, demanded their discharge on theplea that their time had expired. Some others succeeded in persuadingthe authorities in individual cases, and, to the scandal of those whotried and did not succeed, turned back to Washington. Those jaunty redjackets of the drum-boys in Shorty's old regiment looked worn and tawdryby this time, and the youngster whose wrists protruded far beyond thelimit of the sleeves designed for the "little un" had more than oncewished the original occupant back in his old place and his successor outof it. But that drum corps had seen the last of their smallest member,and he of them, for many a day. Billy Archer, he who was to tell Shortywhen he came where to find Snipe, had been sent home sick at the end ofthe first month, and only seven of the biggest and strongest remained tobeat the old "six-eights" and "two-fours" when the regiment marched forManassas. There had come a letter from Shorty to Billy Archer with anenclosure to Snipe, but Snipe and his regiment disappeared the nightbefore, and Archer didn't know enough to have it forwarded. He thoughtthey would meet again within a day or two, when, in point of fact, theydid not meet at all. Shorty's old regiment was assigned to a brigade onthe north side of the Potomac, and Snipe's new-comers were marched overthe Long Bridge to the sacred soil of Virginia and brigaded with troopsfrom three different States, and there, as the grave, big Captain Starkhad said, the representative of the First Latin spent hours at hiscommander's tent, studying tactics and regulations and a little bookcalled "Mahan's Outposts," when Stark wasn't using them, and twice ithad happened that when the New England regiment was called upon tofurnish the details for grand guard and picket, the tall, slender,brown-eyed boy in Company "C" was able to tell corporals and sergeantsthings about their duties they never had dreamed of. So, too, onbattalion drill, Snipe, who used to hate such things, and even now bentunder the weight of his long musket, had a more intelligent idea of thepurpose of each formation and movement than most of the file-closers,some lieutenants not excepted. Before they had been a month in VirginiaCaptain Stark had taken a strong fancy to the youngster, and wasseriously thinking of decorating his arms with chevrons when the orderfor the advance and Stark's promotion came together. Thelieutenant-colonel, finding that his health could not stand the climateand exposure, had resigned and gone home, and just the very morningafter the incident described in the last chapter a batch of newcommissions reached the New-Englanders. Stark became major, viceProctor, promoted lieutenant-colonel, and turned his company over to itsnew captain, the former first lieutenant. Stark's first act, aftertaking the oath and signing his acceptance, was to send for Lawton. Theregiment, with much glee and excitement, was packing knapsacks for themove, and the lad came, pale and troubled.
"Are you ill, Lawton?" demanded Major Stark.
"No, sir. I just--got some bad news."
"Folks ill?"
"No, sir; it's something a sergeant in the Fire Zouaves told me."
"You don't wish to go home, do you?"
"I do, sir; but I won't. I'm going with the company."
"Lawton," said the major, after a moment's scrutiny of the lad's solemnface, "you've never told me where you live and I've never asked. Ibelieved in you, and that's enough. The colonel has given me permissionto choose my orderly from my old company. I have bought Colonel Poague'shorses. The orderly will ride my spare horse and look after both. I wantyou, if you care to take the place."
"Yes, sir; I do."
"It leaves you out of the race for vacancies among the corporals."
"No matter, sir. That'll come when we reorganize for three years."
And so Snipe turned his long musket and heavy cartridge-box over to thefirst sergeant, dumped his knapsack and blanket into the field-officer'swagon, and straddled the major's spare horse. At any other time he mighthave felt the sense of exaltation that is inevitable to the boy or manwho knows how to ride, but the young soldier's spirits were dashed anddrooping. There was no time for brooding, however. The New-Englanderswere on the march for Manassas. The dusty roads were thronged withtroops, trudging buoyantly ahead, confident in the strength of theirnumbers and counting upon a conqueror's entrance into Richmond withinten days. Somewhere about noon, midway between Fairfax and Centreville,the "route march" was suddenly changed to silence and to cadence step. Astaff-officer had accosted the colonel. The commands "halt" and "front"brought them into line facing the left; then the regiment was dressedback to the right until it stood aligned at the roadside, and Snipefound himself seated in saddle just to the left rear of his major, whohad reined up at the left of the line. Looking back along thedust-covered route, the lad could see that the regiments following themin column were also halting and "fronting," as soon as closed to properdistance, and then, with ordered arms, standing at ease and wonderingwhat was coming. Presently, far back towards Fairfax, there uprose acheer that was taken up along the line, and Lawton and his major,craning their necks, could see a body of horsemen coming through theslowly settling dust-clouds, following the lead of a soldierly-lookingman on a big gray. A band struck up "Hail Columbia;" the regimentdirectly to their left began to take up the shout of acclaim, beginningaway down at the tenth company, and the handsome horseman raised hisforage-cap and spurred rapidly on. Again he raised it as he passed thecolors, and the shout of greeting rolled into the right wing; and nowthe New England lads could see the yellow sash and the gold-embroideredbelt, and knew a general officer was coming, and they, too, prepared torelieve their dusty lungs and overflowing spirits with a cheer. But allon a sudden the old colonel's shrill voice was heard, "Attentio-o-onbattalion!" and talk and laughter ceased. "Shoulder-r-r _homps_!" andevery musket jumped from the ground. "Prese-e-e-nt _homps_!" and ninehundred glistening barrels bounced out in front of nine hundred martialnoses. The silken colors, State and National, drooped forward in homageto the coming dignitary. The major sat bolt upright and looking straightover his horse's ears, his sword lowered to the salute, and Snipe's handwent up to the visor of his grimy cap, and the major-general smiledaffably as he came trotting by, his horse shying sidewise with eyes andears attent, and the grizzled colonel got a word of soldierly praisefrom the cap-tipping commander as he sped swiftly on, the staff tryinghard to look dignified and keep their seats and distance at the sametime, which several of them, being new to the business, found it hard todo. Behind them jogged a troop of regular cavalry,--the general'sescort,--veterans who had spent years in saddle and showed it; and thenwith gratified pride that he and his regiment had given proper andsoldierly recognition to the chief, "instead of yelling like atown-meeting," said the colonel, that veteran of the Mexican war dayspermitted his men once more to "order" and rest and await developments.They were not long in coming. Away down to the left, over the shouts andgreetings of other commands, could be heard the characteristic "Hi! hi!hi!" of the Fire Zouaves, and presently in long column of pieces,cannoneers mounted, two business-like batteries of the regulars cameclinking along, their powerful, mettlesome horses moving like so muchperfect machinery at steady walk, their drivers responding to the chaffand cheers and comments of the militia and volunteers by occasionaldroll wink or thrust of tongue int
o the nearest cheek, their nimble gundetachments grinning exuberantly, but rarely uttering a word. And thenat last, when even their baggage-wagons had trundled by, a band washeard along the thoroughfare behind them, and through the dust camestalking a superb drum-major, his baton swinging in one hand, his hugebear-skin shako dangling from the other arm; and then the halted columncoughed and sneezed as a strong regiment of infantry marched silently byin column of fours, determined, evidently, to impress upon the rest ofthe division their martial appearance and discipline. And then, in vividcontrast, right behind them, came the loose gray jackets and trousers,the red shirts and faces of the Fire Zouaves, grinning, chaffing, "hi,hiing" every foot of the way, and Major Stark turned and signalled tohis orderly, and the lad rode up alongside.
"These are your old friends, I take it, Lawton. Sit here where you cansee them."
The colors went sweeping by, flaunting in the sunshine despite thebesmirching dust, and the seventh company came swinging along, and allof a sudden a wiry-looking sergeant file-closer glanced up and shouted,"Hullo, Snipey! How are _you_?" after the Bowery fashion of the day."Hullo, Snipey!" came the greeting from half a dozen brawny throats."Say, sonny, did you git square with that Metamora gang before you comeaway?" "Hullo, Snipe! Where's Shorty all dis time?" "Say, boy, whatdeestrick d'you run to now?" And before anybody could say a word toprevent it, half a dozen laughing, rollicking fellows sprang from theranks and were crowding about Lawton as he sat blushing, half pleased,half ashamed, and shaking the lad by the hand. "Come over and see uswhen we git to camp," they cried in chorus, as, clamping their heavysword-bayonets to their sides with the left hand, and trailing the brownbarrels of their "special" rifles, they hurried on to catch theircompany. It was all over in a minute, but the New-Englanders lookedcuriously at the major's orderly, and that quiet-mannered, taciturnofficer finally turned, with something like a smile.
"One would hardly say those fellows could have brought you ill news,Lawton. They seem like old friends."
"I knew them well when at school in New York, sir."
"Who is Shorty?"
"He was my chum, sir. I thought he'd be here long ago. He was a drummerin the Seventy-first New York. His relatives wouldn't let him come, Isuppose."
"Would yours, do you think,--if they knew?"
"No, sir. But my father's been dead a long time. My mother marriedagain, and--I've been shifting for myself of late."
"I understand," said the major, inclining his head; "but does yourmother know now?"
"I write to her every month, sir. She knows I'm with the army. Theywould get me out if they knew where to find me, but I should enlist inanother regiment under another name, so what would be the use?"
And then once more came the command attention. Again the dusty march wasresumed. Again the column alternately tramped and halted. Other generalsand staff-officers rode to and fro, and were curiously inspected by therank and file. Again the New-Englanders were led off into an open fieldsome distance from the pike, and, late in the afternoon, stacked armsand unslung knapsacks in a skirt of woods. Pots, kettles, and canteenswere filled from the cisterns and wells of the neighboring farm-house,whose inmates looked on in silent disapproval, and just as the sun wassinking toward a distant line of heights some twenty miles away to thewest, that a school-master in the color company said were called theBull Run Mountains, somebody held up a warning hand and said "Listen!"There was a throb and pulsation in the heavy, heated, breathless air. Adull booming sound at irregular intervals came floating from the distantfront. Men sprang to their feet from under the trees and listenedeagerly, their faces paling a little; some lips uncontrollablytwitching. It was the first note of the grand overture so soon to burstin the magnificence of its volume on their unaccustomed ears. Somewhereout toward that winding fringe of timber in the low ground five milesaway to the south a field battery had sighted the enemy in sufficientforce to warrant unlimbering and letting drive. The hostile armies werewithin striking distance.
For a moment the men from the land of the Puritan listened in awedsilence. There had been a sharp encounter down that way two days beforebetween the leading division and a concealed enemy, and rumor had itthat many were killed and wounded, but the ambulances had been sentanother way, and this brigade saw none of them. Over toward the roofs ofCentreville a Western regiment sent up a cheer. Somewhere through thewoods, down toward the right, the uproarious "Hi, hi" of the Zouaves,like the yelp of a pack of prairie wolves, rose swift from wing to wing,and in the midst of the distant clamor the major's quiet voice fell onSnipe's listening ears, and the lad started, gulped down some strangefeeling as of faintness and nausea that had stolen over him, and pulledhimself together.
"The horses? Yes, sir, they'll be through feeding in ten minutes."
"Very well. I'm to go forward with four companies at dusk. You needn't,if you wish to write--or anything."
But when the major led that silent detachment into the windingbridle-path through the trees, following the lead of a youngstaff-officer who rode jauntily ahead, Snipe Lawton followed close athis commander's heels.