General Nelson's Scout 3

General Nelson's Scout 3

"And you are Lieutenant Nelson, are you? That recreant son of Kentucky,

who, in spite of her pledge of neutrality, the pledge of a sovereign

State, is violating that pledge by raising troops to subjugate a brave

and heroic people. You are the Benedict Arnold of Kentucky. If I had my

way, you would hang from the nearest tree. Cowards are they who would

keep the pledge of neutrality given by the State? You lie, and boy that

I am, I hurl defiance in your face," and tearing a riding glove from his

hand, he hurled it with all the force he could summon into the face of

the astonished Nelson.

 

For a moment Nelson was speechless with rage; then mechanically he

reached for the pistol in his holster. With a sharp exclamation, Fred

spurred his horse between the angry man and Calhoun, and striking down

Nelson's arm, cried: "How dare you! For shame, to shoot a boy!" Then

turning to Calhoun, he gave the sharp command, "Go! go at once!"

 

Calhoun obeyed, and boy and horse were off like a shot; without a word

of apology, Fred followed. Nelson made a movement as if to pursue, but

at once reined up his horse. The look of anger soon passed from his

face; he began to chuckle, and then to laugh.

 

Turning to one of his staff, he exclaimed: "Gad! Lieutenant, I came

nearly forgetting myself and shooting that boy. It would have been an

outrage. He has the grit, the true Kentucky grit. I am proud of both of

those boys. I shall keep my eye on them. What soldiers they would make!"

 

Such was General William Nelson, fiery, erratic, and oftentimes cruel,

but at all times ready to acknowledge true courage and manliness in his

worst enemy. To him, more than to any other one man, does the government

owe the fact that Kentucky was saved to the Union. In the face of the

fiercest opposition he never faltered in his purpose of raising troops,

and the most direful threats only nerved him to greater exertion.

 

The two boys looking back, and seeing that they were not pursued,

brought their horses to a trot and began to talk of their adventure.

 

"Fred," said Calhoun, "you are the first to get in your work on that

oath. I believe the brute would have shot me if it had not been for

you."

 

"You certainly gave him great provocation, Cal. It was very

ungentlemanly in him to attack you, a boy, as he did, but these are war

times. My! but you did go for him, Cal; you really looked grand in your

fiery indignation. I could not help admiring you, even if you were

foolish. It is a wonder he did not shoot you, for Nelson is a man of

ungovernable temper when aroused."

 

"He would have shot me, Fred, if it had not been for your brave

interference. Come to think about it, I could not blame him much, if he

had shot me; for I could not have offered him a greater insult than I

did. I was hasty and excited; you were cool and collected. Fred, I thank

you."

 

"No more of that, my boy. But, Cal, try and govern your tongue. Your

hasty speech and temper will get you in serious trouble yet."

 

"I gave the villain no more than he deserved. There is no other man in

Kentucky doing as much as Nelson to overthrow the sovereignty of the

State; there is no other man doing as much to array one portion of our

people against the rest; and if bloodshed comes, no man will be more to

blame than he. He should be arrested and hanged as a traitor to

Kentucky, and I am glad I told him so."

 

"Calhoun," answered Fred, "you have heard neutrality talked so much you

are blind to the real facts. Nelson was right when he said neutrality

was but a blind for secession. If Kentucky is saved to the Union, it

will be saved by the efforts of such men as he. There can be no middle

ground; you must be for or against the Union."

 

"I confess," answered Calhoun, "while I have been talking neutrality, my

real sympathy has been with the South. Down with coercion, I say, and

death to all renegades like Nelson."

 

Fred smiled. "How about renegades like myself, Cal? But I am glad to

hear you expressing your true sentiments; it shows you are honest in

them, at least."

 

"Fred, why can't you think as I do? You are too honest, too brave, to

side with Abolitionists and mudsills. They are a dirty, low, mischievous

set, to say the least. There can be but one issue to the war. The whole

dirty crew will run like cravens before the chivalric gentlemen of the

South."

 

"Don't be too sanguine, Cal, about the running. Do you think such men as

Nelson, Fry, Bramlette, Woodford, and a host of others I might name,

are cowards?"

 

"Oh! I didn't mean the few Kentuckians who are espousing the Union

cause, but the riff-raff and scum of the North."

 

"You will find the men you call the 'riff-raff and scum of the North,'

are just as earnest, just as brave, as the sons of the South."

 

"Do you think so?"

 

"Why not? Are we not of the same blood, the same language? This idea

that the people of the South are a superior race to the people of the

North is one simply born of our pride and arrogance. But you ask me why

I side with the North. Because the North battles for the old flag;

because it loves freedom. Cal, do you think a just God will ever let a

Confederacy be successful whose chief corner-stone is human slavery?"

 

Calhoun flushed and muttered: "They are nothing but niggers, and the

Bible upholds slavery."

 

"We will not argue that. My great-grandfather on my mother's side fell

on Bunker Hill. Our great-grandfather fought at Yorktown; our

grandfather was with Jackson at New Orleans. All fought under the old

flag; all fought for freedom, not for slavery. Now, do you think I can

raise my hand to help destroy the Union they helped to found, and then

to perpetuate? I cannot do it. You think differently, but let us

remember our oaths and be friends, even unto death."

 

"Do you think I can forget it, after what you have just done for me?

But see, the sun is getting low; let us stop this discussion and hurry

up."

 

Judge Pennington, the father of Calhoun, resided in Danville, and the

two boys soon cantered up to his door. Fred did not put up his horse, as

he was to return home. After tea the boys sauntered down to the hotel to

see what was going on. There they met Nelson and his party. Their first

impulse was to go away, pretending not to notice him, but that would

have been cowardly; so they walked up to him, apparently unconcerned as

to what might happen. To their surprise, Nelson held out his hand, and

laughingly said:

 

"How are you, my young Hotspurs; and so you want to see me hanged, do

you?" addressing Calhoun. "Well, my boy, better men than I may be hanged

before this trouble is over; and many as brave a boy as you will kiss

mother for the last time. My boy, if it needs be that we must die, would

it not be better to die under the folds of the old flag than under the

bastard stars and bars?"

 

Calhoun turned away; he dared not trust himself to speak, so Fred, not

to have his cousin appear rude, said: "Lieutenant, let me once more

apologize for running into you. I am very sorry we were so careless."

 

"No apology is necessary, my son. A boy who runs a race for the Union

and wins need not apologize. I would know you better, lad; Kentucky has

need of all such as you."

 

Just then an orderly rushed up to Nelson and excitedly said something

in a low tone. Nelson uttered an exclamation of surprise, turned

abruptly, and rapidly walked to the telegraph office, where a dispatch

was placed in his hands. He glanced at it, turned pale, and brave man

though he was, his hand shook as though stricken with palsy. Silently he

handed the dispatch to Colonel Fry, who stood by his side. As the

Colonel read it, great drops of sweat stood out on his forehead. "Great

God!" was all that he said.

 

"Fry," said Nelson, huskily, "see Colonel Bramlette, who is fortunately

in Danville; gather up all other Union officers that you may see, and

meet me at once in my room at the hotel."

 

It was a group of panic-stricken officers who gathered in Nelson's room

at the hotel. Here is the dispatch that had created such consternation:

 

 

CINCINNATI, July 21, 6 P. M.

 

LIEUTENANT WM. NELSON:

 

Our army has been disastrously beaten at Bull Run, and are in full

retreat for Washington. That city may be in possession of the enemy

before morning.

 

ANDERSON.

 

 

When the dispatch was read, not a word was spoken for a moment, and then

Colonel Fry asked if it was not possible to keep the dispatch secret.

 

"No use," replied Nelson; "it has already passed through the hands of a

score of disloyal operators."

 

"I knew," spoke up a young lieutenant, "that those miserable Eastern

Yankees would not stand up before the Southern soldiers. We might as

well disband and go home; all is lost."

 

"Lost! lost!" thundered Nelson, turning on the young lieutenant like a

tiger. "Go home, you craven, if you want to; all is not lost, and will

not be lost until every loyal son of Kentucky is slain. We have enough

men at Dick Robinson, poorly armed and equipped as they are, to hold

Central Kentucky. With such colonels as Fry, Bramlette, Garrard Wolford,

and the host of gallant officers under them, I defy the devil and all

the Secessionists in the State to wrest Central Kentucky from us."

 

And with loud huzzahs the officers present swore to stand by Nelson, and

come what might, they would hold Central Kentucky for the Union. How

well that pledge was kept history tells.

 

"It is not for Central Kentucky, I fear," continued Nelson; "it is for

Louisville. Can we save that city for the Union? It must be saved. The

loyal men there must save it, at all hazards. They must know that we are

standing firm in Central Kentucky. But how? The telegraph is in the

hands of the enemy. Any word I sent would be known at once. Oh! I have

it, Fry; send for that light-haired boy I was talking with at the hotel.

Have him here right away."

 

Fred Shackelford was found just as he was mounting his horse to return

home. Wondering what Nelson wanted with him, he accompanied the

messenger to that officer's room, where they found him pacing up and

down the apartment like a caged lion.

 

"Where is your companion?" abruptly asked Nelson of Fred.

 

"At home; he lives here," answered Fred.

 

"Where is your home?"

 

"A few miles out on the Richmond road."

 

"Your name?"

 

"Frederic Shackelford."

 

"Frederic, you have a good horse?"