General Nelson's Scout 29

General Nelson's Scout 29

"I hardly think, General," said Fred, the next morning, as he made his

report, "that your pickets will be disturbed any more."

 

As for General Schoepf, he was delighted, and could not thank Fred

enough.

 

For three or four days things were comparatively quiet. Then a small

scouting party was attacked and two men captured. The next day a larger

party was attacked and driven in, with a loss of one killed and three

wounded. The stories were the same; the leader of the Confederates was a

young lieutenant, who showed the utmost bravery and handled his men with

consummate skill.

 

"I wish," said General Schoepf to Fred, "that you would teach this

young lieutenant the same kind of a lesson that you taught those fellows

who were capturing our pickets."

 

"I can try, General, but I am afraid the job will not only be harder,

but much more dangerous than that one," answered Fred.

 

"This same young lieutenant," continued the general, "may have had a

hand in that picket business, and since he received his lesson there has

turned his attention to scouting parties."

 

"In that case," replied Fred, "it will take the second lesson to teach

him good manners. Well, General, I will give it to him, if I can."

 

The next morning, with eight picked men from Wolford's cavalry, Fred

started out in search of adventure.

 

"Don't be alarmed, General," said Fred, as he rode away, "if we do not

come back to-night. We may take a notion to camp out."

 

Many of their comrades, with longing eyes, looked after them, and wished

they were of the number; yet they did not know but that every one was

riding to death or captivity. Yet such is the love of adventure in the

human breast that the most dangerous undertakings will be gladly risked.

 

After riding west about three miles Fred turned south and went about the

same distance. He then halted, and after a careful survey of the country

ahead, said: "I think, boys, it will be as well for us to leave the road

and take to the woods; we must be getting dangerously near the enemy's

country."

 

The party turned from the road and entered a wood. Working their way

through this, skirting around fields, and dashing across open places,

after making a careful observation of the front, they managed to proceed

about two miles further, when they came near the crossing of two main

roads. Here they stopped and fed their horses, while the men ate their

scanty fare of hard bread and bacon.

 

They had not been there long before a squadron of at least 200

Confederate cavalry came from the south, and turning west were soon out

of sight.

 

"I hardly think, boys," said Fred, "it would have paid us to try to take

those fellows into camp; we will let them go this time," and there was a

twinkle in his eye, although he kept his face straight.

 

"Just as you say, capt'in," replied one of the troopers, as he took a

chew of tobacco. "We would have gobbled them in if you had said the

word."

 

A little while after this a troop of ten horsemen came up the same road,

but instead of turning west they kept on north. At the head of the troop

rode a youthful officer.

 

One of the soldiers with Fred was one of the number that had been

attacked and defeated two days before by the squad of which they were in

search.

 

"That's he, that's the fellow!" exclaimed the soldier, excitedly.

 

Fred's breath came thick and fast. What he had come for, fate had thrown

in his way.

 

"They are only one more than we!" he exclaimed.

 

"If they were double, we would fight them," cried the men all together.

 

"Let them pass out of sight before we pursue," said Fred. "The farther

we get them from their lines the better."

 

"Now," said Fred, after they had waited about five minutes. A ride of a

few minutes more brought them into the road. Halting a moment, Fred

turned to his men and said:

 

"Men, I know every one of you will do your duty. All I have to say is

obey orders, keep cool, and make every shot count. Forward!"

 

With a cheer they followed their gallant young leader. After riding

about two miles, Fred reined up and said: "They have not dodged us, have

they, boys? We ought to have sighted them before this. Here is where we

turned off of the road. By heavens! I believe they noticed that a squad

of horsemen had turned off into the woods, and are following the tracks.

Let's see," and Fred jumped from his horse, and examined the tracks

leading into the woods.

 

"That's what they did, boys," said he, looking up. "I will give that

lieutenant credit for having sharp eyes. Now, boys, we will give him a

surprise by following."

 

They did not go more than half a mile before they caught sight of the

Confederates. Evidently they had concluded not to follow the tracks any

farther, for they had turned and were coming back, and the two parties

must have sighted each other at nearly the same moment.

 

There was the sharp crack of a carbine, and a ball whistled over the

Federals' heads.

 

"Steady, men," said Fred. "They are coming."

 

But he was mistaken. The young lieutenant who led the Confederates was

far too careful a leader to charge an unknown number of men. Instead of

charging the Confederates dismounted, and leaving their horses in charge

of two of their number the rest deployed and advanced, dodging from tree

to tree, and the bullets began to whistle uncomfortably close, one horse

being hit.

 

"Dismount, and take the horses back," was Fred's order. "We must meet

them with their own game." The two men who were detailed to take the

horses back went away grumbling because they were not allowed to stay in

the fight.

 

Telling them to keep well covered, Fred advanced his men slightly, and

soon the carbines were cracking at a lively rate.

 

But the fight was more noisy than dangerous, every man being careful to

keep a tree between himself and his foe.

 

"This can be kept up all day," muttered Fred, "and only trees and

ammunition will suffer. I must try something else."

 

Orders were given to fall back to the horses, and the men obeyed

sullenly. A word from Fred, and their faces brightened. Mounting their

horses, they rode back as if in disorderly retreat.

 

As soon as the Confederates discovered the movement, they rushed back

for their horses, mounted, and with wild hurrahs started in swift

pursuit of what they thought was a demoralized and retreating foe.

 

Coming to favorable ground, Fred ordered his men to wheel and charge. So

sudden was the movement that the Confederates faltered, then halted.

 

"Forward!" cried their young leader, spurring his horse on, but at that

moment a chance shot cut one of his bridle reins. The horse became

unmanageable, and running under the overhanging branches of a tree, the

gallant lieutenant was hurled to the ground. His men, dismayed by his

fall, and unable to withstand the impetuous onslaught of the Federals,

beat a precipitate retreat, leaving their commander and two of their

number prisoners in the hands of their foes. Two more of their men were

grievously wounded. Three of the Federals had been wounded in the mêlée.

 

Fred dismounted and bent over the young lieutenant, and then started

back uttering an exclamation of surprise and grief. He had looked into

the face of his cousin, Calhoun Pennington. Hurriedly Fred placed his

hand on the fallen boy's heart. It was beating. There was no sign of a

wound on his body.

 

"Thank God! He has only been stunned by the fall," exclaimed Fred.

 

In the mean time the five remaining Confederates had halted about a

quarter of a mile away, and were listening to what a sergeant, now in

command, was saying.

 

"Boys," he exclaimed, "it will be to our everlasting shame and disgrace

if we run away and leave the lieutenant in the hands of those cursed

Yankees. Some of them must be disabled, as well as some of us. Let us

charge and retake the lieutenant, or die to a man in the attempt."

 

"Here is our hand on that, Sergeant," said each one of the four, and one

after the other placed his hand in that of the grim old sergeant.

 

But just as they were about to start on their desperate attempt, they

were surprised to see Fred riding towards them, waving a white

handkerchief. When he came in hailing distance, he cried:

 

"Men, your gallant young leader lies over here grievously hurt. We are

going to withdraw," and wheeling his horse, he rode swiftly back.

 

Fred hastily made preparations to withdraw. One of his men was so badly

wounded that he had to be supported on his horse; therefore their

progress was slow, and it was night before they reached camp. Fred made

his report to General Schoepf and turned over his two prisoners. The

general was well pleased, and extended to Fred and the soldiers with him

his warmest congratulations.

 

"If you had only brought in that daring young lieutenant with you your

victory would have been complete," said the general.

 

"I hardly think, General," said Fred, "that you will be troubled with

him any more. He was still insensible when we left, and with my three

wounded men and the two prisoners it was well-nigh an impossibility for

us to bring him in."

 

"I know," replied the General, "and as you say, I think we have had the

last of him."

 

"I sincerely hope so," was Fred's answer as he turned away, and it meant

more than the general thought. Fred had a horror of meeting his cousin

in conflict, and devoutly prayed he might never do so again. He slept

little that night. Every time he closed his eyes he could see the pale

face of his cousin lying there in the wood, and the thought that he

might be dangerously hurt, perhaps dead, filled him with terror. "Why,"

he asked himself over and over again, "did the fortune of war bring us

together?"Let us return to the scene of the conflict, and see how Calhoun is getting along. The Confederates received Fred's message with surprise.