Si Klegg, Book 4

by John McElroy

  CHAPTER VII. THE EXCITING ADVANCE TULLAHOMA

  THE GREAT BATTLE THAT DID NOT COME OFF.

  "DON'T yo'uns crow too much over gittin' Shelbyville," the prisoners saidto Si. "Yo'uns couldn't never 've got hit in the world if Jinerul Bragghadn't a'wanted yo'uns to."

  "O, come off," said Shorty. "You tried your best to keep us from gittin'in. You put up a very pretty little fight, but our cavalry jest rodeover you."

  "Thar wuz nobody thar but Jo Wheeler and his critter company," persistedthe prisoners, "and they'd fout for anything. They'd fout yo'uns fora chaw of terbacker, and then gin the chaw back. Ole Bragg wuz jista-foolin' with yo'uns. He wuz drawin' yo'uns on. He made up his mindthat Shelbyville wuzn't the best place for a fout, and he'd lay foryo'uns at Tullyhomy. He's got his whole army together down thar, andhe'll wollop yo'uns till your hides won't hold shucks. Ole Bragg'ssmarter'n ary Yankee that ever lived, and he's fixed up a dead-fall foryo'uns at Tullyhomy that'll mash yo'uns flatter'n a pancack."

  "Let him go ahead with his mashin' flat," answered Shorty; "we're someon the mash ourselves, as you fellers found out at Stone River."

  "We'uns 'd 'a' welted the life outen yo'uns at Stone River, if we'uns 'dhad jest a few more men; ez hit wuz we'uns run yo'uns all over them 'ereold cotton-fields fur two days, tuk all yo'uns's cannon, an' more'n amillion prisoners. Fust night I done thought we'uns 'd tuk the wholeYankee army. We'uns done got tired pickin' up prisoners in them cedersan' sink-holes, an' concluded t' leave the rest thar fur seed. We'unsjest f'arly wore ourselves out lickin' yo'uns, an' then yo'uns got awhole passel 'o fresh men, an' we'uns jest pulled back t' Shelbyville t'rest, spit on we'uns' hands an' take a fresh holt."

  "How about the last day," inquired Si, "over the river on the left, whenwe tore you all to flinders with artillery, and run you back over thehill and took your guns?"

  "O, that wuz Breckinridge's Division," said the prisoners, negligently,as if dismissing a matter of little consequence. "They'uns desarved allthey'uns got. They'uns wus sent for t' come over and help we'uns lickyo'uns the fust two days, but they'uns wouldn't come. I'm jest gladthey'uns kotched hit good an' hard ez they'uns done got hit. But we'uns's now got heaps more men than we'uns had at Stone River, an' they'reall together over thar by Tullyhomy. Lordy, you jest orter seed 'em azI did. I wuz on the top of a mounting on gyard, whar I could see fora hundred miles in every direction, an' I seed men marchin' towardTullyhomy till my eyes ached a-lookin' at 'em. Yo'uns 'll stir upa mouty sight wuss hornets' nest at Tullyhomy than yo'uns did atMurfreesboro.

  "Well, we'll knock seven kinds o' brimstone out o' your hornets' nest,big as it may be," answered Shorty. "The more o' you there is thebetter, for we kin finish up the job then, and be done with it, instido' havin' to run you down an' knock you on the head one at a time.We've more men, too, than we had at Stone River. There was enough ofus before, but Old Abe just gethered up the men in three or four newStates, and sent 'em down to us to help make a clean, quick job of it.All we want of you fellers is jest to stand up and give us a squarefight. We're no grayhounds, to run you fellers down. We came down hereto fight, not to trot races with you.

  "Well, yo'uns'll git yer bellyful o' foutin' over by Tullyhomy," shoutedback the prisoners as they were marched away under guard.

  "It certainly does look like we're to have a bigger scrimmage than wehad at Stone River," said Si, as he and Shorty were once more alone."Our army is much larger, and it's all been gathered right around here.There's bin great rivers of men pouring through all these gaps for days,and we've talked with fellers from every division and brigade in thearmy. There's entirely too many men around here for the country tohold. Something's got to bust soon, and when it does bust there'll be anexplosion like that you read about."

  "Well, let her bust," answered Shorty. "The sooner the better. I wantto see it right off. It's got to come before the war kin end, and for mypart I don't want to march a step further to find it. They can't nohowgit up a worse time than we had at Stone River, and we managed to livethrough that; so that I guess we kin pull through another. If we don't,this 's just as good a place to go to Heaven from as we kin find, andwe'll save a whole lot o' worry by finishin' up now."

  "Well," said Si, "let's git back to the regiment as soon's possible.THe battle may begin at any minute, and we musn't be away. We'd neverforgive ourselves as long's we'd live if we wasn't with the boys whenthey line up under the colors for the great tussle."

  "Getting to the regiment" was tedious and hard. Shorty was still veryweak from his tobacco experiment, and Si had worked almost to exhaustionin helping his sore-footed squad along. These were as eager to get backto the regiment in time for the fight, and Si had not the heart to leaveany one of them behind. The roads were filled with teams being pushedforward with ammunition and rations, and every road and path crowdedwith men hurrying to the "front." They were on the distant flank oftheir corps when they started out in the morning, and did not succeed inreaching the rear of their own division until nightfall. Though worn outby the day's painful tramping and winding around through the bafflingpaths between regiments, brigades and divisions, sometimes halting andsome times moving off suddenly and unexpectedly, they nerved themselvesfor one more effort to reach the 200th Ind. before they lay down for thenight. But the night was far harder than the day. The whole country wasfull of campfires, around which were men' cooking their supper, standingin groups, pipe in mouth, anxiously discussing the coming momentousbattle, and the part their regiments would likely play in it, or sittingwriting what they felt might be their last letters home. All wereunutterably tired, and all earnestly thoughtful over the impendingconflict. None felt ordinarily jovial, communicative and sympatheticwith foot-sore stragglers trying to find their regiments. Even when theywere, the movements and changes during the day had been so bewilderingthat their best-intentioned directions were more likely to be wrong thanright.

  "The 200th Ind.," they would say; "yes, we saw the 200th Ind. about themiddle of the afternoon, right over there on that hillside, where yousee that old tree blazing up. They were acting as if they were goinginto camp, and I expect that's their campfires you see there."

  Si, Shorty and the rest would make their weary way to the pointindicated, about a half-mile distant, only to find that their regimenthad been sighted at another point a mile away in a different direction.

  The morning of July 1, 1863, was almost ready to break when they at lastcame up with their regiment, and flung themselves down on the ground inabsolute exhaustion. Worn out as they were, their soldierly ears couldnot be deaf to the stirring reveille which quickly followed the earlydaybreak of that Summer morning, and summoned the regiment for thefinal, decisive move upon the rebel stronghold of Tullahoma.

  Though every bone and muscle seemed to cry out against it, Si, Shortyand their companions rose up promptly and joined the regiment.

  Everybody seemed sobered by the nearness of the terrible battle.Nobody laughed, nobody swore, nobody joked, nobody played the usuallight-hearted reveille tricks. The Orderly-Sergeant did not call theroll with his usual glibness and rasp. He seemed to linger a little overeach name, as if thinking whether it would be answered to again, orhe be there to call it. The officers gave the commands quietly, evengently. The men executed promptly, carefully, and silently, as one seesthings done at a funeral or in church. A hasty breakfast was eaten insilence; the men fell into ranks again, and there was a low buzz as thecartridge-boxes were carefully inspected and each man supplied with hisfull quota of ammunition.

  The Colonel mounted his horse, and gave the order, "Forward march," soquietly that only the leading company heard it. It moved promptly, andthe others followed.

  The same strange soberness ruled the other regiments they passed ontheir way to take the advance. There was for once no quip or jest fromthe men standing by the roadside, leaning thoughtfully on their muskets,and awaiting their turn to march. They merely watched them file by, withsteady, grave eyes and an occasional calm nod or quiet gre
eting to anacquaintance.

  The hurrah, the swagger, the noisy effervescence of a few months ago haddisappeared from men who had learned to know what battle was.

  The dripping clouds cleared away as the 200th Ind. drew out into themuddy road, and let the sun suddenly beam forth in full Midsummer power.In an instant everybody was reeking with perspiration, panting forbreath, and scorching inwardly and outwardly.

  It was too much for some who had bravely maintained their places thusfar, and they had to sink by the roadside.

  Every minute of the first hour it seemed to Si and Shorty that theycould not go a rod farther, but at the end of every rod they made aneffort to go an other, and succeeded. The sun momentarily grew moreburning, but also it seemed that every step brought them nearer theenemy, and the thought nerved them up to further exertion. Occasionalrippling shots from watching parties of the rebel cavalry helpedstimulate them.

  Noon passed. They were so near the works of Tullahoma that the collisionmight come at any minute could not be postponed many minutes. Theregiments left the road and went into line-of-battle, stretching a longwave of blue through the deep green of the thick forests. How far itreached no one could tell. Occasional glimpses obtained through theopenings in the woods showed miles of length.

  Everything was deeply quiet, except occasional startling crashes fromrebel outposts and the distant booming of cannon on the left.

  The 200th Ind. was advancing through a heavy growth of jack-oaks.

  Lines of rebel skirmishers had occasionally appeared in front of theregiment, fired a few shots, and then disappeared. The ease with whichthey were driven gave the impression that they were trying to lead theregiment into ambush, and it moved slowly and very watchfully.

  At last, as the hot sun was beginning to sink in the far west, theregiment came to the edge of the young jack-oaks, and saw before it asight which thrilled every heart.

  There, a little distance away, lay the formidable works guardingTullahoma. To the right and left, as far as the eye could reach,stretched a bristling line of abatis hundreds of yards wide andseemingly hopelessly impassable. It was made of the young jack-oaksfelled outwards and their limbs sharp ened till they were like thorns.

  Frowning behind this fearsome barrier were high-rising forts mountedwith cannon, and connected with long, sinuous breastworks. A deep ditchfilled with muddy water ran along the foot of the works.

  Squads of rebels could be seen running back to the shelter of thefortifications. Every man in the regiment gave a quick, involuntary gaspas he saw his work before him.

  The whole of the long line was halted and carefully dressed by theofficers, still speaking as softly and kindly as if arranging a funeralprocession, and the men stepping into places promptly, and with a tendersolemnity of manner. There was none of the customary rude jostling andimpatient sharpness. It was:

  "You'll have to give away to the left a little, John; I haven't room."

  "Come out there, boys, on the right. You're too far back."

  "Jim, you'd better fall in behind. I don't believe you're strong enoughto keep up."

  Even the brash young "Second Lieutenant and Aid-de-Camp" seemedimpressed with the intense gravity of the moment. He came up to theColonel, and seeing he was on foot, respectfully dismounted, saluted,and said, without a vestige of his usual pertness:

  "Colonel, the General presents his compliments, and says that thebattery is badly stuck in the mud a little ways back. As we shall needit very much, he directs that you send a company to bring it up atonce."

  "Very good, sir," said the Colonel, gravely returning his salute,and speaking as gently as at a tea-table. "It shall be done. Capt.McGillicuddy, take your company back and bring up the battery."

  "Attention, Co. Q," suggested rather than commanded Capt. McGillicuddy."Stack arms. Corporal Klegg, you and your squad remain where you are.You are too tired to do any good. Right face; file left; forwardmarch."

  The Colonel mounted his horse, rode down to the center of the regiment,and said, in a tone hardly raised above the conversational, but whichmade itself distinctly heard by every man:

  "Fix bayonets."

  There was an ominous crash of steel as the bright bayonets swept totheir places.

  "Men," continued the Colonel as quietly as if talk ing to a Sundayschool, "we're going to take those works with the bayonet. Keepperfectly quiet; reserve your breath for quick, hard work, and payclose attention to orders. We'll move in quick time to the edge of thatslashing of timber; every man make his way through it as best he can,keeping as near his Captain as possible. As soon as through it he willrun with all his might for the works, fire his gun into the rebels as hejumps the works, and then rely on his bayonet. No man must fire a shotuntil we are crossing the works, and then I want every shot to fetch arebel."

  He waited a moment before giving the command to advance, for Co. Q,which had snaked the battery out of the mudhole in a hurry, was comingon a dead run in order to be on time for the charge. It snatched itsguns from the stacks, and lined up like a long flash of blue light.

  The artillerymen had lashed their jaded horses into a feverish run,swept out into an open space, flung their guns "into battery," andopened with a vicious bang on the rebel works.

  So far not a head appeared above the breastworks; not a shot from theembrasures in the forts.

  "They're just laying low," whispered Si to Shorty, as they instinctivelybrought their shoulders together and summoned their energies for theswift advance. "They'll blaze out like the fires o' hell just as we gittangled up in that infernal timber-slashin'."

  "Well," muttered Shorty, "we'll know mighty soon now. In five minuteswe'll either be in Heaven or bayoneting the rebels in that fort."

  "Battalion, forward march!" commanded the Colonel.

  The regiments to the right and left got the command at the same instant,and the long wave of blue rolled forward without a break or fault in itsperfect alignment.

  A hundred yards were quickly passed, and still the rebel works were assilent as a country churchyard. The suspense was fearful. Men bent theirheads as if in momentary expectation of being struck by a fearful blast.

  Another hundred yards. Still no bullet from the rifle-pits, no canisterfrom the forts.

  Another hundred yards, and they had struck the entangling abatis, andwere feverishly working their clothes loose from the sharp-pointedlimbs.

  "Capt. McGillicuddy," excitedly shouted Si, "there's no men in them works.Didn't you see that flock o' blackbirds just settle down on that fort?"

  "That's true," said the Captain, after a quick glance. "Colonel, they'veevacuated."

  A little to the left of the company Si saw a path through the abatismade by the rebels taking short cuts in and out of the camp. He andShorty quickly broke their way to it, and ran in feverish haste to theworks. They found a puncheon laid to cross the ditch, ran over it, andmounted the rifle-pit. There was not a man inside of the works. The lastof the garrison could be seen on the other side of Elk River, settingfire to the bridge by which they had just crossed.

  SI AND SHORTY WERE THE FIRST TO MOUNT THE PARAPET. 91]

  Utterly exhausted by fatigue and the severe mental strain, Si and Shortycould do nothing more than give a delighted yell, fire their guns at thedistant rebels, when they sank down in complete collapse.

  Almost at the same time the same discovery had been made at other pointsin the long line moving to the assault; the inside of the works werequickly filled with a mob of rushing men, who seemed to lift the cloudswith their triumphant yells.

  The campaign for Tullahoma was at an end. Bragg had declined battle,and put the whole of his army out of reach of pursuit behind the swollenwaters of Elk River.

  That night by its cheerful campfires the exultant Army of the Cumberlandsang from one end of its long line to the other, with thousands ofvoices joining at once in the chorus, its song of praise to Gen.Rosecrans, which went to the air of "A Little More Cider."

  Cheer up, ch
eer up, the night is past, The skies with light are glowing. Our ships move proudly on, my boys, And favoring gales are blowing. Her flag is at the peak, my boys, To meet the traitorous faction. We'll hasten to our several posts, And immediately prepare for action.

  Chorus.

  Old Rosey is our man. Old Rosey is our man. We'll show our deeds where'er he leads, Old Rosey is our man.