by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER XVIII
THE FLAG OF TRUCE ON THE MEADOW
The soldiers thought it was nothing but amusement to drag the wagon outof the mud and haul it to the woods. Sixty men and six mules madecomparatively easy work of it. It was nearly dinner-time, and Deck hadordered the meal to be served on the meadow to those that remainedthere of the escort. During all this time the heavy guns had beenthundering in the vicinity of Logan's Cross Roads; and as the dayadvanced the roar was perceptible nearer, indicating that the enemy hadbeen driven from the first field towards the south.
The men proceeded to eat their dinner from their haversacks, while thequartermaster-sergeant had taken rations from the wagon for the portionof the escort that had come over to the woods. As soon as LieutenantLyon had given his attention to the needs of his men and horses, heturned to receive the message of the rifleman. Life gave his personalattention to the six mules that had come over, and they were suppliedwith a very liberal feed of corn and oats.
"Lieutenant Butters directs me to report to you that the enemy arereturning across the meadow, flying a flag of truce at the head of thecolumn," said the rifleman when Deck indicated that he was ready tohear him; and only a few minutes elapsed while he was giving hisorders.
"How many men are returning?" asked the lieutenant.
"They were too far off for us to count them; but we guessed there wereabout sixty of them, for they must have lost at least forty in killedand wounded, to say nothing of the latter who were not disabled.Lieutenant Butters wants to know what to do about the flag of truce."
"How far off are they now?" asked Deck.
"They were some distance beyond the stream when I left, about half anhour ago."
"Return to Lieutenant Butters; tell him I will be with him very soon,and ask him to send half his men, good strong fellows, to assist ingetting the wagons out of the mire," replied Deck; and the riflemanleft in obedience to the order.
The men and the animals were all busy with their dinner, and thepresence of the lieutenant was no longer necessary for a time. He spoketo his orderly sergeant, who was eating his dinner with the mules, andstarted for the point, eating the contents of his haversack on the way.On his arrival he found Butters engaged in selecting the men to sendover to the assistance of the cavalrymen.
"Gittin' wagons out of the mud ain't exactly the work forsharpshooters," growled Butters as Deck approached him. "But I havecalled for volunteers."
"It is the work of soldiers to do whatever is to be done," replied thecavalry officer, who was not pleased with the growl, or the tone inwhich it had been made.
"It is not exactly the work of sharpshooters to work in the mud,"returned Butters, apparently unwilling to have his men ordered awayfrom his immediate command.
"You are volunteers; and if you object to obeying my orders, you maymarch your men back to Millersville," replied Lieutenant Lyon withdignity enough for a major-general.
"Do you mean to send us back?" demanded Butters angrily.
Deck saw that, from the first, the lieutenant in command of theriflemen was afflicted with an attack of the "big head," and consideredhimself as the practical superior of the young officer who was hismilitary superior by the order of the major commanding. The cavalryofficer was not "puffed up" by his position, but he felt the necessityof maintaining his dignity as the chief of the entire force on theground.
"I do not send you back, but I give you permission to retire from thefield," added Deck.
"I should like to ask who has done all the work that has been done inthis place?" demanded Butters.
"I admit that your men have done the most of it," answered thelieutenant, when the entire thirty riflemen had gathered near to hearthe dispute; "but if you are not willing to obey my orders, I can getalong better without you than with you. If you desire to retire fromthe field, I have nothing more to say."
"No! no! no!" shouted half the men.
"You can do as you please, Lieutenant Butters," added Deck, when herealized that a majority of the riflemen were with him.
They had seen Deck in the thickest of the fight at the hill, and heardall about his conduct in other actions from the members of the companywith whom they had fraternized at the jail, and it is not stating ittoo strongly to say, in figurative terms, that he was the idol of theRiverlawn Cavalry.
"I was calling for volunteers, and meant to obey your order, LieutenantLyon," said Butters.
"But you objected to it, and there is no emergency in the presentsituation."
"Volunteers to work in the medder, walk over to my right!" ordered thelieutenant of the riflemen, though with very ill grace.
Deck's ideas of discipline were of the severe order, and it was againsthis principles to call for volunteers for any ordinary service, thoughproper enough for that of a desperate nature; for it was his opinionthat soldiers should obey orders without any question, and he was onthe point of countermanding the call, when every one of the riflemenrushed over to the side indicated.
"Lieutenant Butters, you will detail fifteen men for duty in connectionwith the cavalry, and send them over to the end of the by-road," saidDeck in his usual quiet tones; and turning on his heel without anotherword, returned to his men, finishing his dinner on the way.
He heard some rather strong talk before he passed out of earshot, andit was plain the riflemen were giving their officer some points inmilitary discipline. Not a word was said about the enemy; for Deck sawthat they were still at a considerable distance beyond the creek, andhe intended to return as soon as he had started his force for the otherwagons. The fifteen volunteers promptly appeared. The removal of thewagons from the meadow was given in charge of Sergeant Knox, and Deckwent again to the point where Butters was waiting for him.
"I reckon I was wrong in the little muss we had a while ago; but I'mready to apologize for it," said the commander of the riflemen. "Ihain't got used to strict military discipline; but I shall be all rightafter this."
"It isn't necessary to say anything more about that matter," repliedDeck. "The Confederates that you defeated so handsomely have reachedthe stream; they are still showing the white flag."
"I reckon they are in a bad way; but I don't see what they come backfor," added Butters, pleased to find that the lieutenant had nothingmore to say about his insubordination.
"Let your men take their rifles and follow me," added Deck, as he beganto descend the slope to the meadow.
"Hallo! Hallo!" shouted a voice in the direction of the by-road.
"That's a man in uniform," said Butters, as he discovered the person.
The cavalry lieutenant reascended the bank, and saw the individual inuniform. Without saying anything he hastened towards him.
"I am exceedingly glad to see you, Captain Woodbine," he said, as theaide-de-camp extended his hand to him. "I am greatly in need of advicefrom a person of your experience."
"But you seem to have done exceedingly well without any advice so far;for the sentinel in the road informed me that you had saved thewagon-train, had defeated a company of Confederate cavalry, and broughtone of the vehicles to the hard ground by an expedient of your own,"continued Captain Woodbine, still shaking the hand of the lieutenant."I see that boys sometimes become men of experience all at once, whenan emergency is presented to them."
"I have done what I could here," replied Deck, studying the soil underhis feet.
"With twenty years' experience no one could have done better," said thecaptain heartily; "and not many could have done so well. But I supposeyou would like to learn something about the battle which is still inprogress, though the enemy have been driven a considerable distance tothe southward."
"We have been hearing the heavy guns here since we reached the meadow,and I should be very glad to know the result, for I hope our squadronwill have some hand in the fight," replied Deck, looking with interestinto the face of the visitor.
"You have already had some hand in it, for you have rendered onecompany of Confederate cavalry _hors de
combat_, and saved thatsupply-train; and the general has had some anxiety about it, for itwould be a godsend to the enemy, half starved as they are. Thus youhave rendered a double service to our army. But what are you doing overhere?"
"I will show you in a few minutes," answered Deck; and he gave a briefaccount of the action with the enemy in the meadow and in the creek,and their final flight to the north. "I don't understand why they arecoming back under a flag of truce."
"I understand it very well. If they had gone as far as the woods yousee about a mile beyond the creek, they would have come on the flank ofour army; and very likely they were fired upon, and compelled toretire, for the battle is still raging in and beyond that wood."
"I conclude that they want to surrender; and sixty prisoners of war,with their wounded, would be an encumbrance to me," added Deck, as theyreached the border of the meadow.
"What were you about to do when I came, Lieutenant?" inquired thecaptain.
"I was going out to the spot by the stream where the bearers of theflag have halted."
"Can't the man in command of the riflemen do that?"
"I would not trust him with such business," replied Deck. "He is a goodenough sort of man, but he is troubled to some extent with the maladycalled the 'big head,' and he is an ignorant fellow, and his greatestvirtue is his skill with his rifle."
The aide-de-camp went to as open a place as he could find, waved hiscap over his head, and then beckoned vigorously for the enemy'scavalrymen to come to the wood. He repeated the sign several times, andthen they crossed the stream and moved towards the point.
"That's all right," continued Captain Woodbine, as he took thelieutenant by the arm, and conducted him out of the hearing of theriflemen. "This matter is delaying me; but I think we can manage it. Ihave received a messenger from the general, who was the bearer of aletter, hastily written with a pencil on the field, to the effect thatthe enemy has been beaten, and are falling back. He believes that itwill be a rout before night; and the First Kentucky Cavalry has beensent over here to harass the defeated army of Zollicoffer, who waskilled on the field."
"That is all good news," said Deck.
"But the end has not come yet. I was sent over here on account of myknowledge of the country, to convey the general's orders to suchcommanders as I might meet; and while I am delaying here I am afraidthe Kentucky regiment will pass the head of the by-road, and I shallfail to see the commander."
"But I can send one of these riflemen to the main road, with a writtenorder to await the arrival of the regiment, and direct the force towait," suggested Deck.
"Call up the messenger," added the captain, as he proceeded to writethe order in his memorandum-book; and it was sent by the mountedrifleman.
"The general feared that a flanking force might have been sent over byZollicoffer by this road; and that is the reason that I asked thegeneral for the use of your squadron. He particularly charged me tohelp along the wagon-train if it was not already captured, as itcertainly would have been if the lieutenant commanding the escort hadnot taken to the meadow. Now I am in haste to get your squadron and therest of your regiment, for you belong to it, in a position where thisforce will be available in checking the retreat of the enemy, and youmay have more fighting to do before night, or in the evening."
At this moment Lieutenant Sterling of the train escort touched his capto his senior in rank, and reported that the wagons had all been hauledto the woods, and were in the by-road.
"How many men have you, Lieutenant?" asked the captain.
The chief of the escort looked at Deck, and did not answer at once.
