THE BATTLE AT THE BREEDINGS FORT
Dr. McNairy was introduced to Lieutenant Logan, and the surgeon began
his work at once. Both of the professional gentlemen had their
instruments with them, for they had performed an operation that
forenoon. Life remained but a moment after he had done his errand, and
hastened to a point where he could obtain a better view of the
approaching cavalry force. His supposition that it was the first
platoon of the first company proved to be correct, and he awaited its
arrival.
The column was moving leisurely, for there was no occasion for haste;
and it appeared later that the men had not been idle during the
forenoon. Captain Gordon and Lieutenant Belthorpe were riding at the
head of the platoon, and as they came to a turn in the road the scene
of the late action came into view; and both of the officers were
greatly surprised, for neither of them had supposed that Deck would
have anything to do but guard and hurry on the baggage-wagons.
"What does all that mean?" asked the captain, as he opened his eyes
very wide to take in the gathering in the road and the fields beside it
of men and horses.
"It looks as though Lieutenant Lyon had been doing something there; but
I will warrant that Deck has done his duty like a man, whatever he has
been at," replied Tom Belthorpe, who had an abundant admiration for the
young officer.
"I hope he has not been reckless, as I am afraid he is inclined to be
when things get warm around him," returned the captain.
"There comes Sergeant Knox; and things must be quiet in the camp, or he
would not have left Deck for a moment," added the lieutenant.
Life had ridden forward to inform the captain what had transpired in
the road and at the mansion of Mr. Halliburn; for he believed the
officers would be anxious to solve what was now a mystery to them.
"What's going on here, Sergeant?" demanded the captain as soon as Life
came within speaking-distance of him.
"We uns have had a bit of a scrimmage here with Confed'rit cavalry,"
replied the sergeant as he reined in his steed, and saluted the
captain.
"A skirmish?" said the captain.
"Well, yes; and it was a rayther lively bout till the enemy
surrendered."
"Did they surrender?" asked the commander of the company; for it was
not the habit of the Southern troopers to yield, and he had been
fighting with a portion of the same company that forenoon.
"They couldn't help theirselves; we outnumbered 'em, and they had to
give in or be cut to pieces."
"How is Lieutenant Lyon?" inquired the captain with no little anxiety
in his tones and his expression.
"I reckon he's got a sword-cut on the arm; but he's right side up, and
don't say nothin' about it."
"What were the losses?"
"We had two killed and four wounded."
"Who were the killed?"
"Orly Lyon and Barron."
"Both new recruits, and one of them is the nephew of Major Lyon."
"The enemy lost six killed, and nine wounded; and the captain in
command was in the fust lot, brought down by Leftenant Lyon in a
hand-to-hand squabble at the side of the road. Deck fit like a mad
rooster. His hoss stood up straight, and gin his rider a chance to git
in the cut that finished the officer."
"Lieutenant Lyon was reckless, wasn't he, Sergeant?" asked the captain.
"Not a bit on't! He was as cool as a frozen cowcumber; but he hit hard
when his hoss stood up endways," replied Life. "We cleaned out a gang
of gorillas afore we had this scrimmage in the road."
"Another affair? Did you have a hard fight with them?"
"No fight at all," answered the tall Kentuckian, with a slight chuckle.
"Deck bagged 'em like a flock of wild turkeys in a trap-pen."
"We will hear about that another time," said Captain Gordon as the head
of the column arrived at the scene of the fight. "Who are those over on
our right?"
"The fust ones is the Confed'rits burin' their dead. The next lot is
the doctor fixin' up the enemy's wounded. The surgeon is a Secesh, and
we picked up two on 'em as they come across lots from an operation on
some woman. T'other is over with our men, and he's a Union man."
"Where is Lieutenant Lyon?"
"I left him over by the baggage-wagons, lookin' out for the wounded. We
shall git there in a minute or two."
"What are those men on our left, in the field?" asked the captain as
they came to a point where the prisoners could be seen, still in charge
of Corporal Tilford.
"Them's the prisoners tooken over at the mansion of Mr. Halliburn, half
a mile from here," replied Life, as they approached the location of the
wounded Union soldiers.
Dr. Barlow had informed Deck of the coming of the first platoon, and he
had mounted his horse to go out and meet them. He was ready to come
into the presence of the captain of the company; for he felt that he
had done his duty faithfully, and also that he had conducted himself
with prudence and discretion.
"What in the world have you been doing over here, Lieutenant Lyon?"
asked Captain Gordon, as he rode forward, and grasped the hand of the
young officer. "You seem to have been busy here from what Sergeant Knox
has told me."
"We haven't had any time to spare, Captain; for in half an hour after
we parted events began to thicken upon us, and we have been kept busy
ever since," replied Deck.
"I will hear your report later, for my men are tired, and need their
dinner. It seems to be all quiet about here now, and we must take a
rest here."
"I have ordered our cooks to make coffee, and it will be ready to serve
out very soon," replied Deck, as he pointed to the fires in the field
behind the temporary hospital; and near them the horses of the troopers
and the mules that drew the wagons were eating their oats off the
grass. "We shall feed our men on herring and hardtack with the coffee."
Lieutenant Belthorpe ordered his men to picket their horses and feed
them; and in another hour the soldiers and their beasts had all been
fed. Seated on the grass with his two lieutenants, the captain listened
to the report of Deck on the events of the forenoon. When he came to
his encounter with Captain Letcher, both of his auditors were intensely
interested, though he told his story very modestly.
"I suppose you caused Ceph to stand up on end when you found yourself
in a tight place?" suggested Tom Belthorpe.
"I did not," answered Deck very emphatically. "Ceph knows more than
some men; but he became restive and uneasy after the captain and I had
pegged away at each other for some time, and he stood up of his own
accord. I had to hold on with all my might with my left hand; but my
horse did not try to leap over the other animal, for he was even taller
than Ceph. When I saw the captain's head below mine, I used the
opportunity, and made the cut that finished the affair. I was not
reckless, as I was once accused of being, but wrongly, Captain Gordon.
I have made it a business of mine to-day to keep cool, and not let my
impulses run away with me; and I think I succeeded very well."
"Life thinks so too," added the captain.
"I have not said a word to him about it. I have kept my affairs closely
in my own head."
"You managed the guerillas admirably, and bagged them very skilfully,"
said his superior approvingly.
"I think it was largely a matter of luck and chance that I gathered
them in without losing a man, or even having a fight," added Deck. "The
ruffians were all busy ransacking the mansion in search of the money;
and if they had found it, I learned from Mr. Milton that it would have
given them over two hundred dollars apiece. I got in without
disturbing them, and they did not suspect the presence of my platoon
till the bugler sounded the call for my men. Then they were surrounded,
and the carbines were pointed at every window, with half a dozen aimed
up the staircase. It was easy enough then to bring the affair to a
conclusion."
"What are you going to do with your prisoners, Lieutenant?" asked
Captain Gordon.
"I turn them over to my superior officer, of course; for I have ceased
to be in command now. Mr. Milton informed me that there is a Union Home
Guard at Millersville that might take charge of the guerillas," replied
Deck, glad to be rid of this responsibility.
"Who is this Mr. Milton?" asked the commander; and Deck told him all he
knew about him, and especially that he had been very useful to him as a
guide.
"Where is he now?" inquired the captain, as they continued to eat the
dinner of hardtack and herring, washed down with hot coffee.
"There he is near the hospital; he has just sat down to lunch with the
sergeants," replied Deck, pointing to the group.
"Ask him to join us, Lieutenant," said the captain.
Deck obeyed; and Milton immediately responded to the summons. The
lieutenant apologized to him for his want of attention, for he had been
very busy every moment of the time. He was introduced to the commander
and Lieutenant Belthorpe; and the former thanked him warmly for the
service he had rendered, and invited him to join them in the simple
repast before them. He freely answered all the questions put to him. He
declared that Millersville contained a majority of loyal people, many
of whom had enlisted in the Kentucky regiments, while others had formed
a Union Home Guard, and were ready to fight to keep the State in the
Union.
"I judge that your time has not been wasted this forenoon," said Deck.
"It has not, indeed," replied the commander of the company; and he
proceeded to detail his experience with the enemy at Breedings.
He found on his arrival at that place that the marauders were a
foraging-party of regular Confederate cavalry, and not guerillas. It
consisted of at least a platoon, or half a company. They were coming
across the field from the Millersville Road. As soon as they discovered
the Riverlawn force, the enemy retreated, as the captain understood it;
but they were only hastening to a small fortification of earthworks
thrown up by the Confederate Home Guards of the place, who were in the
majority in that locality, although there were several rich planters in
the district who were Union men.
The fort had been armed with two rusty iron cannons, which had been
used for salutes in the time when the Fourth of July had been generally
celebrated. But it was not large enough to hold all the cavalrymen, and
the second platoon of twenty-five men had been sent to a hill on the
other side of the road. The commander sent Lieutenant Belthorpe to
attack them there, while he gave his attention to the enemy in the
fort.
The two guns, loaded with home-made grape-shot, were discharged; but
the gunners were utterly ignorant of the art of handling the pieces,
and the scattering bullets all went over the heads of the loyal
cavalrymen. The captain did not give them time to repeat the
experiment, for he ordered his lieutenant to charge over the earthwork
before they had time to load again. The fort had been constructed in a
very rude manner, without the help of an engineer; and it was only a
sort of windrow of earth, as hay is raked up in a field, and the
mounted men had no difficulty in riding over it.
The Confederates had dismounted, turning their horses into a field.
This was a fatal mistake on the part of their officer. His men were
huddled together with the Home Guards in the small space; and though
they fought bravely, they were soon ridden down, and totally defeated.
Many of them had been killed or disabled, and the Home Guards had run
away as soon as the horses began to ride them down. The officer called
for quarter, and surrendered. He and his men were paroled at once.
At the hill Lieutenant Belthorpe had vigorously attacked the second
platoon, and soon drove them from their ground. When the victory was
won at the fort, Captain Gordon re-enforced Belthorpe with twenty men
while the paroling was in process; and the enemy seeing that they were
outnumbered more than before, when they were driven from the hill, gave
up the fight, and fled at the best speed of their horses by the way
they had come. The lieutenant in command pursued them as far as the
road, when the recall was sounded near the fort, and they returned to
the little village. Captain Letcher was in command of the platoon, and
he had continued to retreat, believing that his pursuers were still
following him.