by G. A. Henty
CHAPTER VI.
BULL RUN.
The next fortnight passed by without adventure. Hard as the work was,Vincent enjoyed it thoroughly. When on duty by day he was constantly onthe move, riding through the forest, following country lanes,questioning everyone he came across; and as the men always worked inpairs, there was no feeling of loneliness. Sometimes Ashley would drawtogether a score of troopers, and crossing the river in a ferry-boat,would ride twenty miles north, and dashing into quiet villages, astonishthe inhabitants by the sight of the Confederate uniform. Then thevillagers would be questioned as to the news that had reached them ofthe movements of the troops; the post-office would be seized and theletters broken open; any useful information contained in them beingnoted. But in general questions were readily answered; for aconsiderable portion of the people of Maryland were strongly in favor ofthe South, and were only prevented from joining it by the strong forcethat held possession of Baltimore, and by the constant movement ofFederal armies through the State. Vincent was often employed in carryingdispatches from Major Ashley to Stuart, being selected for that duty asbeing the best mounted man in the troop. The direction was always avague one. "Take this letter to Colonel Stuart, wherever he may be," andhowever early he started, Vincent thought himself fortunate if hecarried out his mission before sunset; for Stuart's front covered overfifty miles of ground, and there was no saying where he might be.Sometimes, after riding thirty or forty miles, and getting occasionalnews that Stuart had passed through ahead of him, he would learn fromsome outpost that the colonel had been there but ten minutes before, andhad ridden off before he came, and then Vincent had to turn his horseand gallop back again, seldom succeeding in overtaking his activecommander until the latter had halted for his supper at one or other ofthe villages where his men were stationed. Sometimes by good luck hecame upon him earlier, and then, after reading the dispatch, Stuartwould, if he were riding in the direction where Ashley's command lay,bid him ride on with him, and would chat with him on terms of friendlyintimacy about people they both knew at Richmond, or as to the detailsof his work, and sometimes they would sit down together under the shadeof some trees, take out the contents of their haversacks, and sharetheir dinners.
"This is the second time I have had the best of this," the colonellaughed one day; "my beef is as hard as leather, and this cold chickenof yours is as plump and tender as one could wish to eat."
"I have my own boy, colonel, who looks after the ten of us stationed atElmside, and I fancy that in the matter of cold rations he gives me anundue preference. He always hands me my haversack when I mount with agrin, and I quite understand that it is better I should ask no questionsas to its contents."
"You are a lucky fellow," Stuart said. "My own servant is a good man,and would do anything for me; but my irregular hours are too much forhim. He never knows when to expect me; and as he often finds that when Ido return I have made a meal an hour before at one of the outposts, anddo not want the food he has for hours been carefully keeping hot for me,it drives him almost to despair, and I have sometimes been obliged toeat rather than disappoint him. But he certainly has not a genius forcooking, and were it not that this riding gives one the appetite of ahunter, I should often have a good deal of difficulty in devouring themeal he puts into my haversack."
But the enemy were now really advancing, and on the 12th of June atrooper rode in from the extreme left, and handed Vincent a dispatchfrom Colonel Stuart.
"My orders were," he said, "that, if you were here, you were to carrythis on at all speed to General Johnston. If not, someone else was totake it on."
"Any news?" Vincent asked, as, aided by Dan, he rapidly saddledWildfire.
"Yes," the soldier said; "2000 of the enemy have advanced up the westernside, and have occupied Romney, and they say all Patterson's force is onthe move."
"So much the better," Vincent replied, as he jumped into the saddle. "Wehave been doing nothing long enough, and the sooner it comes thebetter."
It was a fifty-mile ride; but it was done in five hours, and at the endof that time Vincent dismounted in front of General Johnston's quarters.
"Is the general in?" he asked the sentry at the door.
"No, he is not in; but here he comes," the soldier replied, and twominutes later the general, accompanied by three or four officers, rodeup.
Vincent saluted, and handed him the dispatch. The general opened it andglanced at the contents.
"The storm is going to burst at last, gentlemen," he said to theofficers. "Stuart writes me that 2000 men, supposed to be the advance ofMcClellan's army, are at Romney, and that he hears Patterson is alsoadvancing from Chambersburg on Williamsport. His dispatch is dated thismorning at nine o'clock. He writes from near Cumberland. No time hasbeen lost, for that is eighty miles away, and it is but five o'clocknow. How far have you brought this dispatch, sir?"
"I have brought it from Elmside, general; twenty miles on the other sideof Bath. A trooper brought it in just at midday, with orders for me tocarry it on at once."
"That is good work," the general said. "You have ridden over fifty milesin five hours. You must be well mounted, sir."
"I do not think there is a better horse in the State," Vincent said,patting Wildfire's neck.
The general called an orderly.
"Let this man picket his horse with those of the staff," he said, "andsee that it has forage at once. Take the man to the orderlies' quarters,and see that he is well cared for."
Vincent saluted, and, leading Wildfire, followed the orderly. When hehad had a meal, he strolled out to see what was going on. Evidently somemovement was in contemplation. Officers were riding up or dashing offfrom the general's headquarters. Two or three regiments were seenmarching down from the plateau on which they were encamped into thetown. Bells rang and drums beat, and presently long trains of railwaywagons, heavily laden, began to make their way across the bridge. Untilnext morning the movement continued unceasingly; by that time all themilitary stores and public property, together with as much privateproperty, belonging to inhabitants who had decided to forsake theirhomes for a time rather than to remain there when the town was occupiedby the enemy, as could be carried on in the available wagons, had beentaken across the bridge. A party of engineers, who had been all nighthard at work, then set fire both to the railway bridge across the riverand the public buildings in the town. The main body of troops had movedacross in the evening. The rearguard passed when all was in readinessfor the destruction of the bridge.
General Johnston had been preparing for the movement for some time; hehad foreseen that the position must be evacuated as soon as the enemybegan to advance upon either of his flanks, and a considerable portionof his baggage and military stores had some time previously been sentinto the interior of Virginia. The troops, formed up on the high groundssouth of the river, looked in silence at the dense volumes of smokerising. This was the reality of war. Hitherto their military work hadbeen no more than that to which many of them were accustomed when calledout with the militia of their State; but the scene of destruction onwhich they now gazed brought home to them that the struggle was aserious one--that it was war in its stern reality which had now begun.
The troops at once set off on their march, and at night bivouacked inthe woods around Charleston. The next day they pushed across the countryand took up a position covering Winchester; and then the enemy, findingthat Johnston's army was in front of them, ready to dispute theiradvance, recrossed the river, and Johnston concentrated his force roundWinchester.
Vincent joined his corps on the same afternoon that the infantry marchedout from Harper's Ferry, the general sending him forward with dispatchesas soon as the troops had got into motion.
"You will find Colonel Stuart in front of the enemy; but more than thatI cannot tell you."
This was quite enough for Vincent, who found the cavalry scouting closeto Patterson's force, prepared to attack the enemy's cavalry, should itadvance to reconnoiter the country, and to blow u
p bridges acrossstreams, fell trees, and take every possible measure to delay theadvance of Patterson's army, in its attempt to push on toward Winchesterbefore the arrival of General Johnston's force upon the scene.
"I am glad to see you back, Wingfield," Major Ashley said, as he rodeup. "The colonel tells me that in the dispatch he got last night fromJohnston the general said that Stuart's information reached him in aremarkably short time, having been carried with great speed by theorderly in charge of the duty. We have scarcely been out of our saddlessince you left. However, I think we have been of use, for we have beenbusy all round the enemy since we arrived here in the afternoon, and Ifancy he must think us a good deal stronger than we are. At any rate, hehas not pushed his cavalry forward at all; and, as you say Johnston willbe up to-morrow afternoon, Winchester is safe anyhow."
After the Federals had recrossed the river, and Johnston had taken uphis position round Winchester, the cavalry returned to their old work ofscouting along the Potomac.
On the 20th of June movements of considerable bodies of the enemy werenoticed; and Johnston at once dispatched Jackson with his brigade toMartinsburg, with orders to send as much of the rolling-stock of therailroad as could be removed to Winchester, to destroy the rest, and tosupport Stuart's cavalry when they advanced. A number of locomotiveswere sent to Winchester along the highroad, drawn by teams of horses.Forty engines and three hundred cars were burned or destroyed, andJackson then advanced and took up his position on the road toWilliamsport, the cavalry camp being a little in advance of him. Thiswas pleasant for Vincent, as, when off duty, he spent his time with hisfriends and schoolfellows in Jackson's brigade.
On the 2d of July the scouts rode into camp with the news that a strongforce was advancing from Williamsport. Jackson at once advanced with the5th Virginia Infantry, numbering 380 men and one gun, while Stuart, with100 cavalry, started to make a circuitous route, and harassed the flankand rear of the enemy. There was no intention on the part of Jackson offighting a battle, his orders being merely to feel the enemy, whosestrength was far too great to be withstood, even had he brought hiswhole brigade into action, for they numbered three brigades of infantry,500 cavalry, and some artillery.
For some hours the little Confederate force skirmished so boldly thatthey checked the advance of the enemy, whose general naturally supposedthat he had before him the advanced guard of a strong force, andtherefore moved forward with great caution. Then the Confederates, beingthreatened on both flanks by the masses of the Federals, fell back ingood order. The loss was very trifling on either side, but the fact thatso small a force had for hours checked the advance of an army greatlyraised the spirits and confidence of the Confederates. Stuart's smallcavalry force, coming down upon the enemy's rear, captured a good manyprisoners--Colonel Stuart himself capturing forty-four infantry. Ridingsome distance ahead of his troop to find out the position of the enemy,he came upon a company of Federal infantry sitting down in a field,having no idea whatever that any Confederate force was in theneighborhood. Stuart did not hesitate a moment, but riding up to themshouted the order, "Throw down your arms, or you are all dead men!"Believing themselves surrounded, the Federals threw down their arms, andwhen the Confederate cavalry came up were marched off as prisoners.
Jackson, on reaching his camp, struck his tents and sent them to therear, and formed up his whole brigade in order of battle. The Federals,however, instead of attacking, continued their flank movement, andJackson fell back through Martinsburg and halted for the night a milebeyond the town.
Next day he again retired, and was joined six miles further on byJohnston's whole force. For four days the little army held its position,prepared to give battle if the enemy advanced; but the Federals, thoughgreatly superior in numbers, remained immovable at Martinsburg, andJohnston, to the great disgust of his troops, retired to Winchester. Thesoldiers were longing to meet the invaders in battle, but their generalhad to bear in mind that the force under his command might at any momentbe urgently required to join the main Confederate army and aid inopposing the Northern advance upon Richmond.
Stuart's cavalry kept him constantly informed of the strength of theenemy gathering in his front. Making circuits round Martinsburg, theylearned from the farmers what number of troops each day came along; andwhile the Federals knew nothing of the force opposed to them, andbelieved that it far outnumbered their own, General Johnston knew thatPatterson's force numbered about 22,000 men, while he himself had beenjoined only by some 3000 men since he arrived at Winchester.
On the 18th of July a telegram from the government at Richmond announcedthat the Federal grand army had driven in General Beauregard's picketsat Manassas, and had begun to advance, and Johnston was directed, ifpossible, to hasten to his assistance. A few earthworks had been thrownup at Winchester, and some guns mounted upon them, and the town was leftunder the protection of the local militia. Stuart's cavalry was postedin a long line across the country to prevent any news of the movementreaching the enemy. As soon as this was done the infantry, 8300 strong,marched off. The troops were in high spirits now, for they knew thattheir long period of inactivity was over, and that, although ignorantwhen and where, they were on their march to meet the enemy.
They had no wagons or rations; the need for speed was too urgent even topermit of food being cooked. Without a halt they pressed forwardsteadily, and after two days' march, exhausted and half famished, theyreached the Manassas Gap Railroad. Here they were put into trains asfast as these could be prepared, and by noon on the 20th joinedBeauregard at Manassas. The cavalry had performed their duty ofpreventing the news of the movement from reaching the enemy until theinfantry were nearly a day's march away, and then Stuart reassembled hismen and followed Johnston. Thus the Confederate plans had beencompletely successful. Over 30,000 of the enemy, instead of being inline of battle with the main army, were detained before Winchester,while the little Confederate force which had been facing them hadreached Beauregard in time to take part in the approaching struggle.
In the North no doubt as to the power of the grand army to make its wayto Richmond was entertained. The troops were armed with the best weaponsobtainable, the artillery was numerous and excellent, the army was wellfed, and so confident were the men of success that they regarded thewhole affair in the light of a great picnic. The grand army numbered55,000 men, with nine regiments of cavalry and forty-nine rifle-guns. Tooppose these, the Confederate force, after the arrival of Johnston'sarmy, numbered 27,833 infantry, thirty-five smooth-bore guns, and 500cavalry. Many of the infantry were armed only with shot-guns and oldfowling-pieces, and the guns were small and ill-supplied withammunition. There had been some sharp fighting on the 18th, and theFederal advance across the river of Bull Run had been sharply repulsed,therefore their generals determined, instead of making a direct attackon the 31st against the Confederate position, to take a wide sweepround, cross the river higher up, and falling upon the Confederate leftflank, to crumple it up.
All night the Federal troops had marched, and at daybreak on the 21stnearly 40,000 men were in position on the left flank of theConfederates. The latter were not taken by surprise when Stuart'scavalry brought in news of the Federal movement, and General Beauregard,instead of moving his troops toward the threatened point, sent orders toGeneral Longstreet on the right to cross the river as soon as the battlebegan, and to fall upon the Federal flank and rear.
Had this movement been carried out, the destruction of the Federal armywould probably have been complete; but by one of those unfortunateaccidents which so frequently occur in war and upset the best laidplans, the order in some way never came to hand, and when late in theday the error was discovered, it was too late to remedy it.
At eight o'clock in the morning two of the Federal divisions reached theriver, and while one of them engaged the Confederate force stationed atthe bridge, another crossed the river at a ford. Colonel Evans, whocommanded the Confederate forces, which numbered but fifteen companies,left 200 men to continue to hold the bridg
e, while with 800 he hurriedto oppose General Hunter's division, which had crossed at the ford.
This consisted of 16,000 infantry, with cavalry and artillery, andanother division of equal force had crossed at the Red House Ford,higher up. To check so great a force with this handful of men seemed allbut impossible; but Colonel Evans determined to hold his ground to thelast, to enable his general to bring up re-enforcements. His forceconsisted of men of South Carolina and Louisiana, and they contestedevery foot of the ground.
The regiment which formed the advance of the Federals charged, supportedby an artillery fire, but was repulsed. As the heavy Federal lineadvanced, however, the Confederates were slowly but steadily pressedback, until General Bee, with four regiments and a battery of artillery,came up to their assistance. The newcomers threw themselves into thefight with great gallantry, and maintained their ground until almostannihilated by the fire of the enemy, who outnumbered them by five toone. As, fighting desperately, they fell back before Hunter's division,the Federals, who had crossed at Red House Ford, suddenly poured downand took them in flank.
Swept by a terrible musketry fire, these troops could no longer resist,and in spite of the efforts of their general, who rode among themimploring them to stand firm until aid arrived, they began to fall back.Neither entreaties nor commands were of avail; the troops had done allthat they could, and broken and disheartened they retreated in greatconfusion. But at this moment, when all seemed lost, a line ofglittering bayonets was seen coming over the hill behind, and thegeneral, riding off in haste toward them, found Jackson advancing withthe first brigade.
Unmoved by the rush of the fugitives of the brigades of Bee and Evans,Jackson moved steadily forward, and so firm and resolute was theirdemeanor that Bee rode after his men, and pointing with his sword to thefirst brigade, shouted, "Look, there is Jackson standing like a stonewall!" The general's words were repeated, and henceforth the brigade wasknown as the Stonewall Brigade, and their general by the nickname ofStonewall Jackson, by which he was ever afterward known. The greaterpart of the fugitives rallied, and took up their position on the rightof Jackson, and the Federal forces, who were hurrying forward assured ofvictory, found themselves confronted suddenly by 2600 bayonets. After amoment's pause they pressed forward again, the artillery preparing a wayfor them by a tremendous fire.
Jackson ordered his men to lie down until the enemy arrived within fiftyyards, and then to charge with the bayonet. Just at this moment GeneralsJohnston and Beauregard arrived on the spot, and at once seeing thedesperate nature of the situation, and the whole Federal army pressingforward against a single brigade, they did their best to prepare to meetthe storm. First they galloped up and down the disordered lines of Bee,exhorting the men to stand firm; and seizing the colors of the 4thAlabama, Johnston led them forward and formed them up under fire.
Beauregard hurried up some re-enforcements and formed them on the leftof Jackson, and thus 6500 infantry and artillery, and Stuart's twotroops of cavalry, stood face to face with more than 20,000 infantry andseven troops of regular cavalry, behind whom, at the lower fords, were35,000 men in reserve. While his men were lying down awaiting theattack, Jackson rode backward and forward in front of them as calm andas unconcerned to all appearance as if on the parade ground, and hisquiet bravery greatly nerved and encouraged the young troops.
All at once the tremendous artillery fire of the enemy ceased, and theirinfantry came on in massive lines. The four Confederate guns poured intheir fire and then withdrew behind the infantry. When the line camewithin fifty yards of him, Jackson gave the word, his men sprang totheir feet, poured in a heavy volley, and then charged. A wild yell rosefrom both ranks as they closed, and then they were mingled in adesperate conflict. For a time all was in wild confusion, but the ardorand courage of Jackson's men prevailed, and they burst through thecenter of the Federal line.
Immediately Jackson had charged, Beauregard sent forward the rest of thetroops, and for a time a tremendous struggle took place along the wholeline. Generals Bee and Barlow fell mortally wounded at the head oftheir troops. General Hampton was wounded, and many of the colonelsfell. So numerous were the Federals, that although Jackson had piercedtheir center, their masses drove back his flanks and threatened tosurround him. With voice and example he cheered on his men to hold theirground, and the officers closed up their ranks as they were thinned bythe enemy's fire, and for an hour the struggle continued without markedadvantage on either side.
Jackson's calmness was unshaken even in the excitement of the fight. Atone time an officer rode up to him from another portion of the field andexclaimed, "General, I think the day is going against us!" To whichJackson replied in his usual curt manner, "If you think so, sir, you hadbetter not say anything about it."
The resolute stand of the Confederates enabled General Beauregard tobring up fresh troops, and he at last gave the word to advance.
Jackson's brigade rushed forward on receiving the order, burst throughthe Federals with whom they were engaged, and, supported by thereserves, drove the enemy from the plateau. Then the Federals, thoughvastly superior in force, brought up the reserves, and prepared to renewthe attack; but 1700 fresh men of the Army of the Shenandoah came uponthe field of battle, Smith and Early brought up their divisions from theriver, and the whole Southern line advanced at the charge, and drove theenemy down the slopes and on toward the ford.
A panic seized them, and their regiments broke up and took to headlongflight, which soon became an utter rout. Many of them continued theirflight for hours, and for a time the Federal army ceased to exist; andhad the Confederates advanced, as Jackson desired that they should do,Washington would have fallen into their hands without a blow beingstruck in its defense.
This, the first great battle of the war, is sometimes known as thebattle of Manassas, but more generally as Bull Run.
With the exception of one or two charges, the little body of Confederatehorse did not take any part in the battle of Bull Run. Had they beenaware of the utter stampede of the Northern troops, they could safelyhave pressed forward in hot pursuit as far as Washington, but beingnumerically so inferior to the Federal cavalry, and in ignorance thatthe Northern infantry had become a mere panic-stricken mob, it wouldhave been imprudent in the extreme for such a handful of cavalry toundertake the pursuit of an army.
Many of the Confederates were of opinion that this decisive victorywould be the end of the war, and that the North, seeing that the Southwas able as well as willing to defend the position it had taken up,would abandon the idea of coercing it into submission. This hope wasspeedily dissipated. The North was indeed alike astonished anddisappointed at the defeat of their army by a greatly inferior force,but instead of abandoning the struggle, they set to work to retrieve thedisaster, and to place in the field a force which would, they believed,prove irresistible.
Vincent Wingfield saw but little of the battle at Bull Run. As they wereimpatiently waiting the order to charge, while the desperate conflictbetween Jackson's brigade and the enemy was at its fiercest, a shellfrom one of the Federal batteries burst a few yards in front of thetroop, and one of the pieces, striking Vincent on the side, hurled himinsensible from his horse. He was at once lifted and carried by Dan andsome of the other men-servants, who had been told off for this duty, tothe rear, where the surgeons were busily engaged in dressing the woundsof the men who straggled back from the front. While the conflict lastedthose unable to walk lay where they fell, for no provision had atpresent been made for ambulance corps, and not a single man capable offiring a musket could be spared from the ranks. The tears were flowingcopiously down Dan's cheeks as he stood by while the surgeons examinedVincent's wound.
"Is he dead, sah?" he sobbed as they lifted him up from his stoopingposition.
"Dead!" the surgeon repeated. "Can't you see he is breathing, and didyou not hear him groan when I examined his side? He is a long way frombeing a dead man yet. Some of his ribs are broken, and he has had a verynasty blow; but I do not think t
here is any cause for anxiety about him.Pour a little wine down his throat, and sprinkle his face with water.Raise his head and put a coat under it, and when he opens his eyes andbegins to recover, don't let him move. Then you can cut up the side ofhis jacket and down the sleeve, so as to get it off that sidealtogether. Cut his shirt open, and bathe the wound with some water andbit of rag of any sort; it is not likely to bleed much. When it hasstopped bleeding put a pad of linen upon it, and keep it wet. When wecan spare time we will bandage it properly."
But it was not until late at night that the time could be spared forattending to Vincent; for the surgeons were overwhelmed with work, andthe most serious cases were, as far as possible, first attended to. Hehad soon recovered consciousness. At first he looked with a feeling ofbewilderment at Dan, who was copiously sprinkling his face with water,sobbing loudly while he did so. As soon as the negro perceived that hismaster had opened his eyes he gave a cry of delight.
"Thank de Lord, Marse Vincent! Dis child tought you dead and gone forsure."
"What's the matter, Dan? What has happened?" Vincent said, trying tomove, and then stopping suddenly with a cry of pain.
"You knocked off your horse, sah, wid one of de shells of dem cussedYanks."
"Am I badly hurt, Dan?"
"Bery bad, sah; great piece of flesh pretty nigh as big as my hand comeout ob your side, and doctor says some ob de ribs broken. But de doctornot seem to make much ob it; he hard sort ob man dat. Say you get allright again. No time to tend to you now. Hurry away just as if you somepoor white trash instead of Massa Wingfield ob de Orangery."
Vincent smiled faintly.
"It doesn't make much difference what a man is in a surgeon's eyes, Dan.The question is how badly he is hurt, and what can be done for him?Well, thank God it's no worse. Wildfire was not hurt, I hope?"
"No, sah; he is standing tied up by dat tree. Now, sah, de doctor say mecut your jacket off and bave de wound."
"All right, Dan; but be a little careful with the water, you seem to bepretty near drowning me as it is. Just wipe my face and hair, and getthe handkerchief from the pocket of my jacket, and open the shirt collarand put the handkerchief inside round my neck. Then see how the battleis going on. The roar seems louder than ever."
Dan went forward to the crest of a slight rise of the ground whence hecould look down upon the field of battle, and made haste to return.
"Can't see bery well, sah; too much smoke. But dey in de same placestill."
"Look round, Dan, and see if there are any fresh troops coming up."
Dan again went to the rise of ground.
"Yes, sah; lot of men coming ober de hill behind."
"That's all right, Dan. Now you can see about this bathing my side."
As soon as the battle was over, Major Ashley rode up to where Vincentand five or six of his comrades of the cavalry were lying wounded.
"How are you getting on, lads? Pretty well, I hope?" he asked as hedismounted.
"First-rate, major," one of the men answered. "We all of us took a turnas soon as we heard that the Yanks were whipped."
"Yes, we have thrashed them handsomely," the major said. "Ah, Wingfield!I am glad to see you are alive. I thought, when you fell, it was allover with you."
"I am not much hurt, sir," Vincent replied. "A flesh wound and some ribsare broken, I hear; but they won't be long mending, I hope."
"It's a nasty wound to look at," the major said, as Dan lifted the padof wet linen. "But with youth and health you will soon get round it,never fear."
"Ah, my poor lad! yours is a worse case," he said as he bent over ayoung fellow who was lying a few paces from Vincent.
"It's all up with me, major," he replied faintly; "the doctor said hecould do nothing for me. But I don't mind, now we have beaten them. Youwill send a line to the old people, major, won't you, and say I dieddoing my duty? I've got two brothers, and I expect they will send one onto take my place."
"I will write to them, my lad," the major said, "and tell them all aboutyou." He could give the lad no false hopes, for already a gray shade wasstealing over the white face, and the end was close at hand; in a fewminutes he ceased to breathe.
Late in the evening the surgeons, having attended to more urgent cases,came round. Vincent's wound was now more carefully examined than before,but the result was the same. Three of the ribs were badly fractured, butthere was no serious danger.
"You will want quiet and good nursing for some time," the principalsurgeon said. "There will be a train of wounded going off for Richmondthe first thing in the morning, and you shall go by it. You had betterget a door," he said to some of the troopers, who had come across fromthe spot where the cavalry were bivouacked to see how their comradeswere getting on, "and carry him down and put him in the train. One hasjust been sent off and another will be made up at once, so that thewounded can be put in it as they are taken down. Now I will bandage thewound, and it will not want any more attention until you get home."
A wad of lint was placed upon the wound and bandaged tightly round thebody.
"Remember you have got to lie perfectly quiet, and not attempt to movetill the bones have knit. I am afraid that they are badly fractured, andwill require some time to heal up again."
A door was fetched from an outhouse near, and Vincent and two of hiscomrades, who were also ordered to be sent to the rear, were one by onecarried down to the nearest point on the railway, where a train stoodready to receive them, and they were then laid on the seats.
All night the wounded kept arriving, and by morning the train was packedas full as it would hold, and with two or three surgeons in chargestarted for Richmond. Dan was permitted to accompany the train, atVincent's urgent request, in the character of doctor's assistant, and hewent about distributing water to the wounded, and assisting the surgeonsin moving such as required it.
It was night before the train reached Richmond. A number of people wereat the station to receive it; for as soon as the news of the battle hadbeen received, preparations had been made for the reception of thewounded, several public buildings had been converted into hospitals, andnumbers of the citizens had come forward with offers to take one or moreof the wounded into their houses. The streets were crowded with people,who were wild with joy at the news of the victory which, as theybelieved, had secured the State from further fear of invasion. Numbersof willing hands were in readiness to carry the wounded on stretchers tothe hospitals, where all the surgeons of the town were already waitingto attend upon them.
Vincent, at his own request, was only laid upon a bed, as he said thathe would go home to be nursed the first thing in the morning. This beingthe case, it was needless to put him to the pain and trouble of beingundressed. Dan had started, as soon as he saw his master carried intothe hospital, to take the news to the Orangery; being strictly chargedby Vincent to make light of his injury, and on no account whatever toalarm them. He was to ask that the carriage should come to fetch him thefirst thing in the morning.
It was just daybreak when Mrs. Wingfield drove up to the hospital. Danhad been so severely cross-examined that he had been obliged to give anaccurate account of Vincent's injury. There was bustle and movement evenat that early hour, for another train of wounded had just arrived. Asshe entered the hospital she gave an exclamation of pleasure, for at thedoor were two gentlemen in conversation, one of whom was the doctor whohad long attended the family at the Orangery.
"I am glad you are here, Dr. Mapleston; for I want your opinion before Imove Vincent. Have you seen him?"
"No, Mrs. Wingfield; I did not know he was here. I have charge of one ofthe wards, and have not had time to see who are in the others. Isincerely hope Vincent is not seriously hurt."
"That's what I want to find out, doctor. His boy brought us news latelast night that he was here. He said the doctors considered that he wasnot in any danger; but as he had three ribs broken, and a deep fleshwound from the explosion of a shell, it seems to me that it must beserious."
"I
will go up and see him at once, Mrs. Wingfield, and find out from thesurgeon in charge of his ward exactly what is the matter with him." Danled the way to the bed upon which Vincent was lying. He was only dozing,and opened his eyes as they came up.
"My poor boy!" Mrs. Wingfield said, struggling with her tears at thesight of his pale face, "this is sad indeed."
"It is nothing very bad, mother," Vincent replied cheerfully; "nothingat all to fret about. The wound is nothing to the injuries of most ofthose here. I suppose, doctor, I can be moved at once?"
Dr. Mapleston felt his pulse.
"You are feverish, Vincent; but perhaps the best thing for you would beto get you home while you can be moved. You will do far better therethan here. But I must speak to the surgeon in charge of you first, andhear what he says."
"Yes, I think you can move him," the surgeon of the ward said. "He hasgot a nasty wound, and the ticket with him said that three ribs werebadly fractured; but I made no examination, as he said he would befetched the first thing this morning. I only put on a fresh dressing andbandaged it. The sooner you get him off the better, if he is to bemoved. Fever is setting in, and he will probably be wandering by thisevening. He will have a much better chance at home, with cool rooms andquiet and careful nursing, than he can have here; though there would beno lack of either comforts or nurses, for half the ladies in the townhave volunteered for the work, and we have offers of all the medicalcomforts that could be required were the list of wounded ten times aslarge as it is."
A stretcher was brought in, and Vincent was lifted as gently as possibleupon it. Then he was carried down stairs and the stretcher placed in thecarriage; which was a large open one, and afforded just sufficientlength for it. Mrs. Wingfield took her seat beside him, Dan mounted thebox beside the coachman.
"I will be out in an hour, Mrs. Wingfield," Dr. Mapleston said. "I havegot to go round the ward again, and will then drive out at once. Givehim lemonade and cooling drinks; don't let him talk. Cut his clothes offhim, and keep the room somewhat dark, but with a free current of air. Iwill bring out some medicine with me."
The carriage drove slowly to avoid shaking, and when they approached thehouse Mrs. Wingfield told Dan to jump down and come to the side of thecarriage. Then she told him to run on as fast as he could ahead, and totell her daughters not to meet them upon their arrival, and that all theservants were to be kept out of the way, except three men to carryVincent upstairs. The lad was consequently got up to his room withoutany excitement, and was soon lying on his bed with a sheet thrownlightly over him.
"That is comfortable," he said, as his mother bathed his face and handsand smoothed his hair. "Where are the girls, mother?"
"They will come in to see you now, Vincent; but you are to keep quitequiet, you know, and not to talk." The girls stole in and said a fewwords, and left him alone again with Mrs. Wingfield. He did not look tothem so ill as they had expected, for there was a flush of fever on hischeeks. Dr. Mapleston arrived a little later, examined and redressed thewound, and comforted Mrs. Wingfield with the assurance that there wasnothing in it likely to prove dangerous to life.
"Our trouble will be rather with the effect of the shock than with thewound itself. He is very feverish now, and you must not be alarmed if bythis evening he is delirious. You will give him this cooling draughtevery three hours; he can have anything in the way of cooling drinks helikes. If he begins to wander, put cloths dipped in cold water and wrungout on his head, and sponge his hands with water with a little Eau deCologne in it. If he seems very hot set one of the women to fan him, butdon't let her go on if it seems to worry him. I will come round again athalf-past nine this evening and will make arrangements to pass the nighthere. We have telegrams saying that surgeons are coming from Charlestonand many other places, so I can very well be spared."
When the doctor returned in the evening, he found, as he hadanticipated, that Vincent was in a high state of fever. This continuedfour or five days, and then gradually passed off; and he woke up onemorning perfectly conscious. His mother was sitting on a chair at thebedside.
"What is the time, mother?" he asked. "Have I been asleep long?"
"Some time, dear," she answered gently; "but you must not talk. You areto take this draught and go off to sleep again; when you wake you mayask any questions you like." She lifted the lad's head, gave him thedraught and some cold tea, then darkened the room, and in a few minuteshe was asleep again.
