by Unknown
“Let’s try it sir. Put a glass in with her water. I know it makes me sleepy. Sleep is always the best thing for a fever, that’s what my mother always said.”
“You get the water and I will get the whisky.”
I went to the officer’s mess. Danny shouted over, “We have the general’s brandy do you want some?”
“Perfect. Give me a glassful.”
Danny looked surprised. I was not known as a drinker. “Do you not want water in it?”
“No,” I said as I grabbed it, “it’s not for me it’s for Copper.” Leaving the stunned silence I ran back to Carlton who had a bucket of water. “This is the good stuff, from the general. It isn’t poteen.” I poured it in and she began to drink. When she had emptied it she nuzzled me and I took it as a good sign.
“Well sir. It’s in God’s hands now. I’ll sleep close by her tonight.”
“Thanks Carlton. I owe you.”
“No sir. I love horses and you are right, Copper is like Apples, she is special. She is worth a little love and care.”
When I returned to the mess tent for dinner the rest of my brother officers were staring at me and the empty glass. “Brandy for a feckin horse? Have you gone mad Jackie Boy?”
I laughed and told them what had happened and what the officer had said. They all saw the sense in it. “Clever that.” Dago was slightly drunk. It was his first time in the officer’s mess and he had made the most of it.
The Magee boys suddenly realised that they were outsiders and remembered that they had duty that night. They left and the atmosphere became much more convivial. Major Boswell came in as we were all laughing at some joke Dago had just told. “Well this is a happier mess than we are used to.”
“Perhaps that is because the galloping major had his meal in his tent and his little friends have gone on duty.”
“Now Danny, you especially, have to work with those two.”
“The younger one is alright but the older one is sly and a miniature version of the major. He’ll never cut it.”
“Well we have a couple of days to get to know our new roles and then I will be sending out patrols from every troop. The general wants to know what his old classmate is up to. We have two days to get things organised.”
I went to bed that night but I was too worried about Copper to sleep. I tossed and I turned until after midnight. It was no good, I couldn’t sleep. I got up. I moved quietly as I didn’t want to disturb Danny who had the tent next to mine. He was a light sleeper and we had stopped the sentry watching me as his movements had woken Danny. I slipped out carrying my greatcoat. As I did I heard a thud and a groan from Danny’s tent. I peered in. He had had a lot to drink and he had fallen out of bed. The cot was lying on top of him. I contemplated moving him but the thought of trying to pick up that dead weight made me think again. I got my blanket and draped it over the unconscious captain. “Sleep well Danny!”
I stepped over the sleeping Carlton and took out the apple I had taken from the mess tent. Copper looked better and she greedily crunched on the apple. I ran my hands over the bandage praying that this was working. I lay down in the hay next to her and covered myself with my coat. I did not think I would sleep but I felt happier just being close to her. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I knew I was awoken by an almighty explosion. I jumped up and ran towards the main camp. I could see a fire and it appeared to be coming from my tent.
As I approached I saw Harry and the Major pulling Danny to his feet. His tent was destroyed and he had cuts on his face but he looked alive. Cecil was there too and trying to get into my blazing tent. “The lieutenant! We have to get him out! He might be alive!”
Dago restrained him. “No Irish, nothing could survive that, it looks like someone threw in a grenade or a bomb. Lucky Jack’s luck finally ran out and he’s dead.”
“Then I suppose I must be a ghost!”
Chapter 14
They stared at me. Cecil even came to touch me and then jumped back, making the sign of the cross. “How did you know it was a grenade Dago?”
The colonel and the Sergeant Major had joined us. “It was the fizzing of the fuse that woke me. I thought it was a snake and I can’t abide snakes. I saw the glow from inside the tent and I threw myself to the ground.”
“Then we ought to call you Lucky Dago.”
Danny was shaking his head. I have no idea how I survived.” He pointed to the mess that had been Captain Cooper’s tent. Mine was between the two captains.
“That might have been the drink. You fell out of bed and it covered you. I put my blanket over you. They must have taken the impact.”
The colonel and the inevitable Vaughan came over. “Well lieutenant I am glad to see that you are alive although how I do not know.”
“I was with my horse, she has a bad leg.”
The colonel shook his head, “Lucky indeed although there are more things in heaven and earth… I digress. I think we can guess who did it although we cannot prove it.”
Major Boswell looked like the general the previous day and I thought that he would explode too. “We should lock them both up now!”
“Due process major, we have no proof. I think it would be best if Lieutenant Hogan began his patrol in the morning. I assume you trust your own men?”
“Of course sir.”
“And major there are four suspects I believe for the two lieutenants look to be under the spell of the major.”
Danny shook his head, “No sir, not his spell. They owe him money and apparently he has men back in Atlanta. He told the two officers that their family would be visited if they did not do all that he demanded.”
“Then Captain I think that we need your troop on a long patrol. Keep them together. Major, you will remain in camp. You and I need to make sure that this case is water tight.” He smiled at me. “I think the safest place for you young man is next to your horse. I believe she just saved your life.”
The word spread through the camp about my miraculous escape. I saw many of the Irish boys making the sign of the cross as I passed by. They all threw black looks in the direction of the English major. He sat outside his tent smoking cigars and playing cards with Neil as though nothing had happened. Carlton told me to ride Apples and he promised me that he would watch Copper while I was away. She was already looking better and there was not as much heat from the wound. We knew we had to let nature take its course and let the poultice and the maggots work. It was probably as well that I was to be out of camp for a week or so. I would be with my horse every minute otherwise.
Danny and the major came to brief me, “Scout Falmouth and Fredericksburg; you know them both well.”
“I know Stafford just as well Major.”
“I know but we need to let D Troop earn their spurs and Danny here has some experience up there. There are more places to camp and hide. Your patrol area is a little tighter.” He grinned. “And you have shown a propensity for getting out of tight situations.” He nodded in the direction of the Englishman’s tent. “The two Magees will be with Danny and there will now be a guard on the major’s tent but if Neil leaves the camp he will be followed. Stay out for at least a week. The trial is set for March 17th so be back here by the 14th eh?”
“Don’t worry sir. Out there it is easier. There are only Yankee soldiers trying to kill me!”
My little patrol of twenty men left the camp in mid afternoon. There was no hurry and I wanted to travel after dark when I neared Union territory. The Major had offered me Carlton but I preferred to have him with Copper. Besides I had Jimmy and Davy as sergeants. I had three really reliable subordinates and, as Dago said, the rest of the patrol would stick close to me just to let some of the luck rub off on them.
Cecil rode next to me. “You know sir, when I first joined and heard your nickname I though it was all a big joke. But it is right, you are lucky.”
“I suppose.” I never questioned my luck as I did not want to jinx it but this last episode had set me
thinking. Had something stopped me from sleeping? Had the grenade been thrown in when I was in then I would have been killed. The Sergeant Major had explained to me how the wicked little bombs worked.
“They haven’t really changed for centuries. It is a metal ball filled with powder and a fuse. You light the fuse and you throw it. In the old days they had tall men who threw them; they were called grenadiers. If you were a brave man then you cut the fuse short. If you cut it long then the enemy could throw it back.”
They had not had to worry when they cut the fuse for me. They had thought I was asleep and they hoped to kill Danny too. A horrible thought crossed my mind. With us out of the way they just needed to kill Major Boswell and then the witnesses against Major Beauregard would all be dead. I looked over my shoulder. It was too late to do anything about that now but it was a thought worth bearing in mind; the major was probably a bigger target than me. I suspect that he saw the chance to kill two birds with one stone.
We took the trail by the river rather than the road. It was not as quick as the road but we were in no hurry. If we were surprised then we had the option of going into the river to escape. We found a loop in the land where the Rapidian River joined the Rappahannock. There was a high spot with shelter from the elements and prying eyes as well as easy access to water. It was as near perfect a site as you could get. The next day I would send out small groups to get the lie of the land. With over a week to do our job there was little point in rushing into things. We had brought tents; mine was a new one. We had supplies but we set nets in the river and traps for game. By nightfall we were comfortable.
I briefed the men. “Tomorrow we split into four groups. I want us to cover every inch of land within ten miles of here. Take pencil and paper with you and draw what you see. When we return we will collate everything we have and then we can try to find the Yankee cavalry. Make sure that one man stays with the horses. I will not worry if you are a day or two late. If there is trouble then the one man guarding the horses can bring us word.”
Davy lay back on his bedroll, “No offence to the men back at camp, Lieutenant, but I prefer it this way. We are all Wildcats and we trust each other. Every time we ride with those new boys I am looking over my shoulder.”
“I know what you mean but we have to make them into Wildcats. Look at the Wildcats we have left. There are less than a quarter of the ones who joined and fought. We are a dying breed and we owe it to the Confederacy to make the rest as good as we are.”
“Well I will do that sir, but I will enjoy these next seven days.”
Cecil said, “Sir, I took the liberty of making you one of these. I already have one.” He took out a leather bag. He threw it to me. It felt unusually heavy. “It’s what we call a cosh at home, sir. Normally it is a bag filled with sand but I put in a few bits of metal it makes it heavier. It is more reliable than a Colt when knocking someone out, and,” he added, “less damaging to the Colt!” He shrugged. “I am just saving myself work in the future sir.”
“Thanks sergeant. This will come in very handy.”
Some of the others looked at Cecil’s original weapon and I could see that they were thinking of making their own. The Wildcats were not like the other cavalrymen. They thought of being sneaky first. They were the true Rangers.
I took Wilbur, Ritchie and Wilkie with me when I went to scout. I could have chosen any of them. They were all good men. They were troopers who would watch my back as I watched theirs. That is what makes a good soldier; it isn’t a fancy uniform or even a good weapon. A good soldier can use a stick as a weapon if he has to. He can improvise and think on his feet. We rode to Fredericksburg. It was not bravado on my part; I knew the town better than anybody. I had been incarcerated and then escaped. I knew the dangers better than most and I would avoid them when we visited the Union bastion.
I headed for the hill roads intending to sweep down from the north. We had seen Union patrols on the highways and they were patrolling in company strength. We kept to the trails and hills. So far the enemy had not worked out that you could use small groups of men more effectively than a troop. We found the scene of our ambush north of Hartwood Church. There were some neat crosses marking the place they had buried their dead. We sheltered in the lee of the building as it was raining and raining hard! It was a driving rain coming in from the Atlantic. I remembered the storms well from my days on the Rose. Suddenly we heard the sound of hooves. Wilbur took off his hat and peered over the wall. “It’s a Yankee trooper and he’s heading for Stafford, sir.“
“Wilbur, get behind him when he stops. Wilkie you and I will get ahead of him. Ritchie watch the horses.”
We ran down the side of the building. The ground was already becoming slippery. We had our Colts out and cocked. I heard the hooves and we stepped out together. “Halt! You are a prisoner of the Confederacy.” I don’t know if he was just scared or a hero but he tried to turn and draw his pistol at the same time. He had a good horse and it wheeled quickly. He brought his gun up and was aiming it at Wilbur. Wilbur brought his own gun up and it misfired. Wilkie and I fired at the same time. The back of the cavalryman’s head was struck by both shots. Wilbur grabbed the horse to stop it bolting and we quickly took the body from the road. If he was a scout then there would be more men coming down the road. As we dragged the body away, I picked the bloody and gore covered kepi up from the road. The rain was already washing tendrils of blood away from the scene. Within minutes there would be no sign of the tragedy.
“Ritchie! Watch the road!”
Wilbur said, “Sorry sir.”
“It happens. Have you found anything in the saddlebags?”
“He’s a courier. It looks like orders from Hooker to a General Stoneman.” He looked up. “This is gold dust sir.”
“Ritchie, any sign of others?”
“No sir.”
“Right let’s take this poor boy and bury him with his comrades. Hopefully no-one will notice an extra body and he will just have disappeared.” We took everything of value from him but left his photographs and the letter from his mother. We had no time for a service so we just bowed our heads in the wet, driving rain.
“Wilbur, take the horse and the message to the colonel. Meet us back at the camp tomorrow.”
“Sir.”
He headed off into the murk and the gloom and he disappeared as though into a fog. “Right you two. We will head towards Fredericksburg. There is a small wood about half a mile from the outskirts. We can hide there.”
When we reached the woods I dismounted. I took the slicker we had taken from the dead cavalryman. “Here Ritchie, you wear this. Get rid of your kepi.” I took the hat I had taken from the drover the last time I had been in Fredericksburg and I donned my old deer hide jacket. “Wilkie I want you to wait here while Ritchie and I go to scout.”
“But sir, I am more experienced than Ritchie sir.”
“And he will never get more experience if he watches horses the whole time. Besides if we are not back by morning assume that we are dead or captured and you ride back to Wilbur and then report to Irish. He will need your experience.”
“Yes sir.”
“I am leaving the horses here. Apples is known and any strange horses would be noticed. It is only half a mile and we will look less suspicious walking. Ritchie, put a spare revolver in the back of your belt.” He looked ready and he gave a weak nod at me. “See you later and keep a watch out for us.”
When we left the shelter of the trees we felt the full force of the rain. I gave a wan smile to Ritchie. “I suppose we couldn’t expect anything better for March eh Ritchie?”
“No sir.”
I looked at the tall, gangly youth. He was one of the quieter members of the Wildcats. He had moved from Harry to me and I had yet to get to know him. He was reliable but he was not one to chat unnecessarily. “Where are you from Ritchie?” I also thought it would look more natural if two men were chatting as they trudged through the mud.
“Originally
Canada sir. Sidney, Nova Scotia. Ma and Pa died of fever and my two brothers left to work on a whaler but I didn’t like it and I left the ship. I found myself in Charleston and that was where the captain found me.” He grinned. “A bit like you sir.”
”I didn’t mind the sea.”
“I hated it sir and I was always seasick.”
“What would you have done if you hadn’t joined the Wildcats?”
“Oh I like music. I can play guitar and sing a little. The war means there ain’t much call for singers and musicians.” He shrugged. “And there ain’t much money to be made.”
I hadn’t known that about this youth. He could play a guitar. Then I remembered there wasn’t much opportunity for such frivolities in war. “We’ll have to get you a guitar. It might brighten up the camp a little and you needn’t worry about money. You must have made a tidy sum in the Wildcats.”
“Yes sir, but not like you boys who were in from the beginning. I can’t afford a fancy plantation.”
“You never know, Ritchie, there is plenty of time yet and we never know what is around the corner.” I could see the buildings were less than thirty yards ahead and I halted. “Now I have a bold plan Ritchie and I trust you to back my play. Yonder is the headquarters building. I know it ‘cos that’s where they held me. It will be guarded but only by one sentry. I want you to go up to him and ask for directions to ‘Lizzie’s Tavern’. He’ll have no idea where that is because I just made it up. You make up something about Lizzie and who told you about it and I will try out Cecil’s cosh. You game for it?”
He grinned, “Yes sir. And thank you for giving me the chance. I was getting real tired of just holding horses and waiting while the rest of you did all the heroic stuff.”
“There’s nothing heroic about this, Ritchie. Right, let’s go. Keep your holster open. If we have trouble then draw and draw quickly.”
I found the alley I had used to make good my escape and we slipped down it. I led us to the livery stable. I did not intend to steal any horses but I wanted to see if it was guarded and I found that it was. The guard they had looked to be overweight and drinking so he would not be a problem but I was glad that I had checked. We walked down the main street. It was almost deserted and any people were walking as close to the buildings as possible to get some shelter. When we reached the road leading to the headquarters building I saw that they had just one sentry. He had his cape up over his head and was pressed as close into the wall as he could get.
