by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER VIII
THE ENGAGEMENT NEAR SPRING HILL
The course of the first battalion of the Riverlawn Cavalry was along apath scarcely wide enough for four horsemen to ride abreast. It wasthrough a thicket of dwarf trees, the limbs of which took off many a hatand scratched hands and faces. At several points the riders came tohollows, filled with icy water, and here detours had to be made, forfear the animals might become stuck in the stiff soil beneath.
As was his usual habit, Deck rode at the head of his command, withCaptain Abbey, of the first company, beside him. Several scouts had beensent out and with them had gone Artie Lyon, by special permission of themajor.
The scouts soon found the road making a broad sweep to the south, andpresently came to a point where there was a clearing in the woods and abrook. Here they stopped their horses for a drink, and Artie pointed outsome fresh tracks leading up the watercourse. The tracks were of men aswell as horses.
"Let us investigate those tracks," he said to Lieutenant Fronklyn, whowas one of the party. "I think they are about what we are looking for."
"I wouldn't be surprised," answered Fronklyn, who, as old readers know,had frequently been on the scout with Deck, and he knew a thing or twoabout the business. "Do we go afoot, Captain?"
"I think we had better."
The horses were tethered in the brush, and the pair advanced along thebrook with caution. Soon the trail led to the westward, and here theyfound themselves confronted by a series of rocks, overgrown by moss andcovered with dead leaves. Fronklyn stopped and scratched his head.
"Are we stumped?" questioned Artie. He got down on his knees andcommenced to examine the moss. "I reckon we can follow the trail inspite of the rocks. Come ahead," and again they advanced.
The rocks ran up and then down. At the other side was another clearing,and not far away the regular road to Rover.
"Halt!" whispered Artie, catching his companion by the arm. "There theyare, as sure as guns!" and he pointed to their left.
The young captain was right. Encamped on the edge of the clearing, andnot over two hundred yards from the Rover road, was a company ofConfederate cavalry. The men were taking it easy, smoking and playingcards. Not even a picket appeared in their vicinity.
"Let us count them," whispered Artie, and began the task, while Fronklyndid the same. They settled on forty-three men, not counting several whocould be heard talking, but who were out of sight.
"Half a hundred," murmured the young captain. "If we are smart we oughtto be able to bag the lot. Come on back, just as quickly as we can makeit;" and he caught Fronklyn by the arm a second time.
When the brook was again reached, the other scouts were called in, andall lost no time in reporting to Deck. The major listened to what Artieand Fronklyn had to say with interest, and nodded when Artie spoke ofbagging the lot.
"You are right," he said, and sent for Captains Abbey, Blenks, andRichland of the other companies.
It was soon arranged that the first and second companies should proceedalong the regular road until the vicinity of the Confederate camp wasreached. In the meantime the third and fourth companies under CaptainRichland were to take to the trail Artie had discovered, thus coveringthe enemy's rear.
"As soon as we reach our position, I will send out Lieutenant Fronklynto ascertain your arrival," said the major. "Then the four companieswill take their positions north, west, east, and south as they rank. Theenemy will thus be completely surrounded, and as our men will beprotected by the woods, I do not see how they can do anything butsurrender, unless they submit themselves to great slaughter."
"But supposing they make a break?" was the question put by CaptainRichland.
"If they do, it will depend upon circumstances as to what shall be done,and I'll send you further orders," answered the major.
The two commands separated, and Deck rode forward at the head of thefirst detachment. The approach to the Confederate encampment by theregular road was considerably longer than by the brook route, but thelatter way was the rougher of the two; so the young commander judgedthat both detachments would arrive at their destinations at about thesame time. In this his supposition proved correct.
As before, scouts were sent out, Fronklyn at the head of the firstdetachment and Lieutenant Black at the head of the second, each withthree men under him. It was wise that this was done, for theConfederates had just begun to throw out pickets, having received wordthat Rosecrans was sending troops after Wheeler and feeling the boys inblue must come somewhere in the neighborhood of where they werestopping. Each advanced guard managed to bag two pickets, silencing themere they had a chance to make any outcry.
"Who is in command of your company?" questioned Deck, when one of thepickets was brought to him.
"Captain Barstow."
"How many men has he?"
"About twice as many as you," answered the Confederate, hoping to scarethe Unionists off.
"Indeed," rejoined the major. "That is all," and the captured one wasled to the rear.
There was a sharp turn in the road some distance from the camp of theenemy, and here the first detachment rested, while Fronklyn hurriedthrough the woods to get word from Captain Richland. He found the seconddetachment just crossing the rocks, and, waiting until the two companieswere located as ordered, reported the fact to the major.
The engagement was opened by the enemy, who, on finding themselvesconfronted in the rear by the two companies at the rocks, began ascattering fire and retreated toward the Rover road. The seconddetachment of the Riverlawns returned the fire with deadly effect, andfour Confederates were either killed or wounded. In their hurry to leavethe exposed camp, the enemy left nearly its whole outfit behind.
But down on the main road matters were still worse for them, for theyalmost ran into the first company, while the second company opened upontheir right. Bewildered, they came to a halt, and looked inquiringly attheir captain, while two other men dropped.
"Left wheel, double-quick march!" yelled Captain Barstow. "Load!" Andaway they went, loading as they ran. But at the base of the rocks theycame to another halt, for from the trees some distance back glintednearly a hundred carbine barrels. They turned again to find morecarbines on the other side.
The first detachment had now come closer, and the Confederates werecompletely hemmed in, with hardly a tree to shelter them. In thisposition Major Deck called on them to surrender.
"If you don't do it, my troops will cut you to pieces," he added.
The captain of the Confederates wanted to fight, and to gain timeattempted to parley over terms. But Deck would not listen to him; andfive minutes later the company threw down their arms, and the angrycommander was forced to give up his sword.
It was learned that the captured body numbered but thirty-six men, theothers having either been shot down or having left the camp between thetime that Artie and Fronklyn made their discovery and the contestopened. The wounded were cared for and placed in a farm wagon borrowedfrom a planter in the vicinity, and the prisoners were marched along theRover road to where the second and third battalions of the Riverlawnswere stationed.
"You did well, Dexter," said the colonel, when he had been informed ofthe course of events. "To capture such a force with only the loss of oneman killed and three wounded was remarkable," and he smiledaffectionately.
"I didn't do very much myself," said the major, modestly. "Artie andLieutenant Fronklyn found the rebels and I ordered the only thing donethat seemed practicable--to surround them."
"I see you still have your neck tied up. Does it hurt much?"
"A little, but not enough to speak about. Artie's wound was much theworse of the two."
"You must not be rash. Captain Abbey tells me that you exposed yourselfseveral times while giving orders."
"I can't remain in the rear, father," pleaded the major. "How would itlook?"
"My first battalion can't afford to lose its major, Dexter. You owe aduty to your command, as well as to yourself an
d me;" and here theconversation dropped.
The larger portion of the cavalry had moved forward toward Rover, andhere another body of Minty's command encountered a small regiment ofConfederates and captured them. To this body of the defeated were addedthe force taken by Major Deck.
Following the commands of General Rosecrans, Steedman moved forward byway of Triune and Nolinsville, and joined Davis's forces at Franklin.But Wheeler was on the alert, and by pushing forward at his utmostspeed, managed to pass between those in his pursuit. On the third day ofFebruary he reached Dover, and there forced a fight with ColonelHarding, commanding about six hundred and fifty men of the Eighty-thirdIllinois. The latter was well intrenched at the new site of FortDonelson, and bravely resisted two savage attacks, then charged over hisworks and captured nearly half a hundred of the enemy. In his doubleonslaught Wheeler lost five hundred and fifty in killed and wounded,while the loss to the Union forces was less than a hundred, exclusiveof fifty soldiers who were captured. With broken ranks Wheeler startedon his retreat through Centerville. Davis's command tried their best tocut him off, and so did a portion of Minty's cavalry, but theConfederate could not be caught, and he escaped with the remnant of histroops across Duck River. It may be added here that when Colonel Hardingcharged over his breastworks, he was sustained by the fire of severalgunboats on the river, which were bound for Nashville with a number oftransports.
The affair near Rover ended the present series of conflicts so far asthe Riverlawn Cavalry was concerned, and they went into camp once moreand were again joined by Batterson's battery. But the Confederatescontinued to be active, and early in March an encounter took place threemiles outside of Spring Hill and another at Thompson's Station. TheUnion forces, under Coburn, were outnumbered and compelled to surrender;but the victory was of little value to the Confederates, since it didnothing for the advancement of their position.
On the 7th of March General Phil Sheridan moved with his division toFranklin, where he was joined by troops from Nashville and by Minty'scavalry. The object was to learn the enemy's true position. Van Dorn,the rebel leader, was at Spring Hill, and Granger was sent to dislodgehim. This was done with the aid of several other Union troops, and VanDorn was pursued as far as Rutherford Creek.
Once more the Riverlawns found themselves in the saddle and posted on aside road not half a mile from the scene of the initial blows of thebattle. The road was a winding affair, and the several battalionscovered not only the highway, but also the hemp fields on either side.They were kept waiting for nearly an hour, when a staff officer camegalloping up and informed Colonel Lyon that a portion of the enemy wascutting through a woods to the northeast.
"You are to cut them off, Colonel Lyon," added the officer. "The generalleaves the details of the movement to yourself."
"How many are coming?" asked the commandant of the Riverlawns.
"Five or six hundred, at least."
Colonel Lyon said no more, but at once directed his regiment to breakinto battalions. The first was to move up the road for an eighth of amile, the second was to cut directly across the hemp field on the left,while the third was to follow the first, as a reserve, keeping as wellposted as possible on the movements of Deck's companies.
In less than five minutes Major Belthorpe's battalion was gallopingacross the field as fast as the nature of the soil permitted, while Deckwas moving up the highway at equal speed. Soon a patch of timber cut offthe view of the first battalion by the second.
Major Deck now felt it "in his bones" that some sharp fighting was instore for his men, and in this he was not mistaken. The positiondetermined upon by the colonel had hardly been gained when theConfederate detachment, consisting of several companies of cavalry and alike number of infantry, discovered the battalion in the hemp field, andopened fire.
Understanding fully Colonel Lyon's scheme, Major Belthorpe now swungaround to the enemy's rear, the movement being easy on account of afence and a hedge at the further entrance to the enclosure. Theyreturned the fire, and several men fell upon both sides.
A slight rise in the centre of the hemp field cut off the view of theroad from the woods, and now the commander of the Confederate forcesthought he saw a clear opening before him, leading directly forRutherford Creek. He resolved to move in a semicircle also, and make forthe road, and gave his commands accordingly.
The march of the enemy's forces brought him on the road, midway betweenthe first battalion and the third, situated, as before stated, an eighthof a mile apart. Owing to the winding course of the highway he did notsee either battalion until it was too late to retreat. Deck marched downupon him, and Major Truman marched up, and he was caught between twofires, with the second battalion pressing him in the rear.
But the Confederate leader was a "fire-eater," in the most positivemeaning of that term, and he resolved to make a dash for liberty byattempting to break through Deck's command, since the field on theroad's right did not look like a promising one to enter, being broken bya ditch and several swamps, into which horses and infantry were boundto go down. He yelled to his leading cavalry to follow him, and, wavinghis sabre over his head, charged down upon Deck like a veritable demon.
