B00HSFFI1Q EBOK

by Unknown

  “What are the general’s orders sir?”

  We had waited until Danny had read them twice before asking. “It seems we have to stop the enemy from spotting General Jackson and Second Corps when they sneak around the Yanks and attack in their flank.”

  “How many brigades do we have then sir?”

  “Two.”

  It was an ominous silence. Two brigades meant five or six regiments at most. We would be facing three divisions. We would be outnumbered by almost five to one. First, however we had to defend against General Joe Hooker’s first attack on May 1st. We were almost spectators on the left flank. I still don’t know why General Stonehouse did not send his cavalry to attack us. They could have driven us from the field like a fly from a swatter. Thankfully he didn’t and all we did was pop a few balls at each other while the Union tried to attack our trenches and guns. I don’t know if he was surprised at the numbers of men but the attack was half hearted and Hooker withdrew. We had expected a much harder fight than the one we were given. The field was ours.

  General Stuart himself rode up to see me after the wounded had been removed from the field. “Captain Hogan, did you say there was an unfinished railroad running parallel to the river?”

  “Yes sir. We escaped the Yankees down it the other day.”

  “Good. I want to detach your troop. You will advance down the railroad track and screen the Second Corps at Catherine Furnace. You need to leave in the hour. I want you to do everything you can to prevent the Union Army from seeing this column.” He must have seen the uncertainty on my face for he smiled, “I know you can do this, son. I have faith in you. General Jackson has to get around their flank without being detected.”

  I told Danny what my orders were and he shook his head. “Let’s hope that famous luck of yours doesn’t run out today. I have heard there are sixty thousand Yanks over there.”

  “I think you and the boys are in more danger. I won’t be screening the rest of the army.”

  We had a cold night ahead of us and I made sure that all of my men had a hot meal before we left. “Sergeant Major, check that every man has at least two pistols as well as his carbine and I want full ammunition pouches.”

  We just waved our farewells. Prolonged goodbyes were not our way and the sooner we got the job done the sooner we would be back. The unfinished railroad seemed somehow both sinister and threatening as we rode along it. Every moving tree made me jump. I knew that we were beyond our front lines after a mere thousand yards. I kept glancing to the right, expecting to see Yankee rifles firing at us. We made the rendezvous safely.

  “I want the horses tied to a line with just two men guarding it. The rest need to make breastworks from dead branches and trees. I want us to be invisible. While you do that I will go and scout out the road that Jackson will be taking.”

  I knew that the Second Corps would have an easier time in daylight but I needed to see what the terrain was like for myself. There was the skeleton of an uncompleted bridge and a small ford. The road from Catherine Furnace went south. I was glad that I had come to look. We would need to have some men here. A Union patrol could easily come down the road for a variety of reasons. The ford was not deep and even artillery could cross it. I knew, however, that Stonewall Jackson would not be laden with cannon. His foot cavalry moved too fast for lumbering cannon.

  By the time I reached the troop there was some semblance of order. “Carlton, take twenty men and go to the creek. Watch the road from the north.”

  “Yes sir.” He paused. “Any fish in the stream sir?”

  I laughed, “Well if you can catch some it will make a nice breakfast.”

  “I’ll keep a couple for you sir.”

  The Sergeant Major came up to me. I noticed he was wearing his new sword. I would have to tell him that it would trip him up in the woods. I had left mine on Copper. “The boys are at the line. I sent Troopers Ritchie and Lythe about a hundred yards into the woods, just the other side of the building, to give us warning of any trouble.” The building in question looked to be an outbuilding from the main Catherine Furnace. We could not see the Catherine Furnace but we knew it was somewhere to our left on the other side of the stream.

  I sat with my back to a tree and Cecil sat next to me. “I would leave the sword on your horse you know. They are a bugger for tripping you up.”

  “I know sir but it is the finest thing anyone has ever given me.”

  I shook my head, “It was hardly a gift Sergeant Major. I killed its owner and…”

  “And you thought of me. Not many others would have done that. Lieutenant Spinelli, he would have kept it or sold it wouldn’t he?”

  “I don’t know about that.”

  “I know sir and it’s why the lads’ll do anything for you. Look at me. I know I was an idiot when I joined but no-one else gave me a chance. You saw something in me and look at me now. I’m a Sergeant Major.”

  “You deserve it.”

  “Not until you gave me the chance.” We sat and watched the sky lighten a little. “Sir, can I ask you something?”

  “Ask away.”

  “Do you think we can win this war?”

  Did I answer with my head or my heart? “We have the best soldiers and the best generals so we should.”

  He nodded sagely, “True, true enough but they have more men and more guns. I’m thinking we will make a good stab at this thing but, unless we get lucky, then we are going to lose.”

  I said nothing but I knew he was right. I suspected he was still fighting because he did not want to let me down after I had given him his chance. It was the same way with me. I would keep fighting because I had been given a chance when James Boswell came aboard my ship in Charleston Harbour. I had answered myself; it was nothing to do with the head and all to do with the heart.

  The Second Corps came through a couple of hours after dawn. The scouts trotted past us with a cheery wave and I wandered down to see them pass. General Jackson halted his horse next to me. “Captain Hogan, I appreciate your efforts sir. You have done a fine job again. When the end of my Corps has passed if you would be so good as to head towards the Yankee lines and harass them a little.”

  “Harass them sir?”

  He smiled, which was a rarity. “Make them think your little troop is a brigade. You are good at that sort of thing.”

  He was a peculiar man; he was quite brilliant as a general and yet he was unlike all of the other generals. I went back to the Sergeant Major. “Another couple of hours and they will have passed. Get some breakfast organised. I’ll go and see how Carlton is getting on.”

  I almost thought that they had disappeared when I went down to the stream but they were just hidden. The sergeant stepped out from cover and handed me a line with six brown trout. “Here you are sir, breakfast. We amused ourselves.”

  “Good. Make sure you boys eat. We’ll be pulling out of here in a couple of hours.”

  It is amazing the appetite you get when you smell fresh fish cooking. I shared my fish with the Sergeant Major and the troopers who had spent the night close to us. We had just finished them when we heard the unmistakeable sound of gunfire. It was coming from the north. It sounded like the rest of the cavalry was earning its keep.

  “Ritchie, go back to the railroad line and let me know when the column has passed.”

  The firing became more intense and closer. “Trooper Dawes, take some men and bring the horses up.” As soon as we were freed I was anxious to get to the aid of Danny and the rest of the regiment.

  “The last of the column has passed sir.”

  “Good, fetch Sergeant James and his men. They are by the stream. Sergeant Major, get the men mounted as soon as the horses arrive.”

  I moved us out in a column of fours. The trees were thinly spaced enough to allow this and gave us the chance to form two lines far quicker. We rode to the sound of the guns. The drive behind our efforts was that our comrades would be outnumbered and outgunned. We might make the difference. I ha
d no scouts out for I knew that when I reached the pall of smoke I would have reached the battle. Sure enough a waft of smoke drifted towards us. I could see no grey but there were dark uniforms ahead. The terrain did not suit horses.

  “Horse holders!”

  The ten designated troopers quickly dismounted and took the reins of the other horses.

  “Form skirmish line. Sergeant Major, take the right. Sergeant James, take the left.”

  I took my carbine and led the line. Miraculously, ahead, I saw a fence line. I was lucky that day. “Quickly men, run to the fence line.” All ninety of us were soon behind the wooden fence posts and peering out at the Union infantry who were firing at our cavalry. This was no time for individual action; this was the time for volleys.

  “Pick your targets. Ready, aim, fire!”

  All ninety carbines bucked at the same time.

  “Fire!”

  There was now a wall of smoke in front of us but I had seen, before the smoke closed in, that we had cut deeply into their side. I knew that they would now begin to realign. We had to keep up the pressure.

  “Fire!” Volley fire would now be impossible and so I shouted, “Independent fire at will!”

  My repeater barked until it was empty. I drew my pistol and emptied that. I then began to reload both my weapons. I was surprised that no one had tried to rush us but I suppose our sudden attack had taken them by surprise. I knew it could not last and I peered through the smoke to see the enemy. The muzzle flashes told me that they were now firing back. I ran to the right of the line.

  “Sergeant Major, can you see our boys?” I pointed to where the cavalry had been.

  “They are regrouping sir.”

  “When I give the order I want us to fall back in pairs. One man fires and one runs back. Pass the word.” I ran down the line and repeated my message to Sergeant James. When I reached my original position I saw that the Union soldiers were now less than fifty paces away. I turned to Trooper Ritchie, “When I give the word you run back fifty yards and cover me. We are going back to the horses this way.”

  I stood, risking a shot but I needed my voice to carry. “Fall back!”

  As I had expected the enemy heard this and charged. Fifty guns barked. I took out my pistol and emptied it. “Second group, fall back!” I made sure that I watched where I was running. The last thing I needed was to fall flat on my face with a horde of blue coats hot on my heels.

  I saw a trooper fall close by me. It was Trooper Carberry. I ran towards him. The ball had struck him in the middle and it was a mortal wound. He looked up at me with a rueful smile on his face. “Didn’t run fast enough, sir.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small leather pouch. “Give these to the boys sir.” He winced and his eyes closed briefly. He opened them again. “And my gun its…” and then he died. I took the pouch with his few dollars in and his gun. My men shared in life and in death. I looked up and saw a line of men advancing.

  Cecil shouted, “Down sir!”

  I dropped to all fours and a volley erupted from my men. I turned over my shoulder and saw three men writhing on the ground, while the others had taken cover. I scrambled to my feet and joined my troop. “Thank you Sergeant Major.”

  I could see the horses two hundred yards away. “The same again and we should make the horses.”

  “Right sir.” He turned to his men. “Fire!” The shots rang out. “Fall back!”

  I took out my pistol. “Fire!” I peered through the smoke. Our constant volleys had dented their enthusiasm and I saw an officer trying to organise them into a firing line. I lifted my carbine and took a bead on his back. I saw him thrown forwards and his men dropped to the ground. “Fall back!”

  We all turned and ran. The ground was more open here and there were fewer bushes to trip and trap you. I saw that the Sergeant Major had mounted his men and they sat with pistols at the ready. I watched in dismay as Trooper Lythe pitched forwards. I ran to help him up. When I reached him I saw that the back of his skull was a bloody mess. He had died quickly. I grabbed his carbine and his pistol. They were both good ones. The trooper had been with us for a long time. I threw the guns I had gathered from the two dead troopers to Sergeant James. “There will be spare horses, take charge of them.” I wheeled Copper around and saw that the Yankee infantry was a hundred yards away and had formed a skirmish line. There appeared to be half a regiment.

  “One more volley from every gun and then we fall back to the railroad line!”

  Our guns roared and we escaped under the cover of the smoke. I heard the cheer from the Yankees as they chased after us. We now had open ground and rested horses. They would not catch us. When we reached the railroad line we set sentries. “Water the horses Sergeant James. Sergeant Major, make sure they eat.”

  “Sir. Where will you be?”

  “Trooper Ritchie and I will see how close the infantry is. Trooper Ritchie, with me.”

  “Sir!”

  We rode slowly back until we could see, in the distance, the infantry building a defensive line. They were expecting another attack. I had an idea. “Tie your horse to that tree and bring your carbine.”

  We crawled along the ground until we were a hundred and fifty yards from the enemy. They had half of their men watching and the other half building.

  “Go a hundred yards to the right. I want you to fire then move ten yards closer and fire again. Keep doing that until you are back here. I want them to think that we are dug in here.”

  Ritchie was young and full of life. He was a quiet trooper but he was utterly reliable. “Yes sir.”

  I crouched and ran in the opposite direction. I made sure I had my ammunition handy and then I knelt, aimed and fired at their lines. I knew it was unlikely that I would hit anyone but it would ginger them up. I heard Ritchie’s rifle as I ran and fired again. There was a ripple of fire as they shot at where I had been. By the time I met with Trooper Ritchie again the fire was all along the line and they were wasting ammunition firing at nothing.

  “Back to the horses.”

  We reached the others who were looking anxious as they waited for our return. The Sergeant Major was like a mother hen and he wagged an admonishing finger at me. “Sir, I thought you were just going to have a look.”

  I grinned, “I just wanted them to know we were still around.” I glanced around and the grin left my face. “How many?”

  “We lost ten men sir and there are twelve wounded. None serious.”

  It was a hard blow to take. Some of these men had fought alongside me for years. I did not have much time to mope for we heard the sound of battle from the north. Jackson had begun his attack. My problem was that I no longer had any orders. I had done my duty but I could not desert the field. I tried to put myself in the shoes of the colonel of the regiment we had just drawn south. How long would he wait while he heard the sound of battle to his rear? It was now noon. I decided to give the men an hours rest and then we would return and see if they were still there.

  We distributed the ammunition from those too wounded to carry on the fight and they were assigned as horse holders if we should need them. Both the Sergeant Major and the sergeant were happy with the men and horses and we rode back towards the Union lines. They had not left! In fact they looked to be reinforced and were marching towards Catherine Furnace. This was more than a regiment and looked to be a division.

  “Trooper Smith, ride to General Jackson. He should be closer to Wilderness tavern but any of his officers will do. Tell him that the enemy look to be moving towards him. He may be being outflanked”

  “Sir!”

  “Right boys, we are going to hit and run and try to slow down these Yankee soldiers. We do not want to die here so do not do anything dumb! Remember you ain’t Yankees!”

  They all gave me a rousing cheer which made the blue coated enemy look up.

  The Sergeant Major said, “How do we harass them sir?”

  I looked around and saw that we had about fifty men who were
fit enough to fight. “Divide the men into five groups of ten. We take it in turns to ride at their flanks and empty our pistols. Every time we ride at them they will have to slow down.”

  “We won’t be able to hit much with our pistols.”

  “All we have to do is fire at a large body of men. More will hit than you think but we just need to slow them down. Look yonder.” I pointed to the north west where we could see the smoke from musket fire rising against the sun which was begin to sink in the late afternoon. “That is General Jackson and his attack. We don’t want these to reach him before he has had time to rout his enemy.”

  “Right sir.”

  I was the first to ride in and fire. It was scary and exhilarating at the same time. The infantry had to stop and be dressed. By the time they had levelled their rifles we had fired and wheeled away. We reined in out of range while the next group charge in. We slowed them down to a crawl. They spent longer each time in line; anticipating our charges. I was wondering when they would send for cavalry when they did just that. I heard the cavalry call and yelled, “Fall back, cavalry!”

  Just in time we managed to wheel into a column of twos before the troop of cavalry burst through their infantry and hurtled after us. Our horses were not the freshest and I had to hope that they were in the same position. My other worry was the ammunition. We had already used more than I would have liked. I led the troop towards the unfinished railroad. We knew it and they did not. As we rode I shouted, “All wounded and the spare horses go with Sergeant James back to camp.” I saw the shake of the head from Carlton. “That is an order sergeant.” He saluted.

  When we reached the railroad the sergeant took off with the wounded. “Wheel and give them a volley then head west. Sergeant Major, lead them off. Trooper Ritchie, with me.” We had more ammunition than the others and I intended to irritate the Yankees.

  I glanced over my shoulder. They had closed to within two hundred yards. I had to make sure that they followed us and not the wounded that were disappearing east into the gloom of the railroad cutting. “We are going to ride towards them, fire and then retreat after the Sergeant Major.”