THE AIDE-DE-CAMP OF THE GENERAL
When Life Knox left his bed at an early hour on the morning of the
18th, Deck was still sleeping, for no bugle had sounded to wake him.
The rain was still pouring in torrents when the sergeant looked out of
the window; and it was not probable that any military movements would
be made that day. Breakfast was served as usual, the cooks having taken
possession of an old tobacco dry-house the night before.
About nine o'clock, after Deck had gone to the hotel where the officers
were quartered, Butters, Lieutenant Ripley, and about twenty more,
marched into the jail. The keeper had been riding nearly all night, and
had secured this number of riflemen, though he had been obliged to seek
them, in part, miles distant from the town. They came with rifles and
belts, with powder and ball in horns and pouches, as those from
Millersville had appeared. They were ready for duty, and Butters
declared that every one of them could shoot very well with the rifles
they had used in their practice.
They were introduced by Lieutenant Ripley to the members of his command
lodged in the building, and they fraternized like brothers; for the
ability to use the rifle with skill and precision seemed to be the bond
which united them. The lieutenant of the sharpshooters now had
fifty-six men in his company. When Captain Gordon called at the prison,
he promoted Ripley to the rank of captain, and made Butters, who was
the second-best shot in the corps, lieutenant, though he could not give
them commissions. They were then marched to the tobacco dry-house, only
a small portion of which the cooks used, and drilled by the new
captain.
At the hotel, Major Lyon and Captain Woodbine, an aide-de-camp of the
commanding general, who had been sent to Harrison on account of his
intimate knowledge of this locality, and was a man of influence in a
neighboring county, were discussing the situation. Deck had found him,
after no little difficulty, at the house of one of his friends, and
reported to him the arrival of the Riverlawn Cavalry, re-enforced by a
company of volunteer sharpshooters from Adair County, under the command
of Captain Ripley.
"Ripley is an old man, isn't he?" asked Captain Woodbine.
"Sixty, I heard some one say, Captain; but I can assure you he is a
very able officer," replied Deck.
"I dare say he is, for I know him well. Now will you introduce
yourself, Lieutenant?" said the aide-de-camp with a smile, as he looked
over the wet form of the visitor.
"My name is Dexter Lyon, Captain."
"Any relation to the commander of your squadron?"
"His son; but I was promoted from the ranks on the petition of every
member of the first company, and all the officers of the squadron
except my father," replied Deck; and there was a blush on his wet
cheeks, for he feared that the military official would conclude that he
had been raised to his present rank by the influence of his father.
"A very commendable delicacy on the part of Major Lyon, but not always
manifested in such cases," added the captain. "I heard that one company
of Major Lyon's squadron had arrived at Harrison, and that the other
was coming by the way of Jamestown. Your company was late, and the
major went in search of it."
"We had several skirmishes with guerillas and foraging parties of the
enemy, which delayed us."
"Tell me about them," added Captain Woodbine, whose curiosity was
aroused; and he kept his eyes very steadily on the young lieutenant.
As modestly as he could, he related the events on the march of the
first company, taking care to call his command the "second platoon."
The affair at the house of Mr. Halliburn was mentioned; and the manner
in which the guerillas had been bagged excited the attention of the
officer, and he asked then who commanded the second platoon.
"I did, Captain," replied Deck, looking on the floor of the parlor.
"It was very adroitly done, and you exhibited very good strategy." Deck
bowed, and went on with his narrative. The fight in the road was then
mentioned, with its result only.
"This was the same force that captured the brigands, and brought them
as prisoners down to the road, was it?"
"The same, Captain."
"And you commanded it in the action that followed?"
"I did, Captain," replied Deck, looking at the ceiling of the room.
The battle of that day on the hill was then described; but in this
narration he contrived to keep himself in the shade. He gave the most
of the credit for the victory to the riflemen in the woods, though he
did not omit to credit Captain Gordon for his plan of battle.
"Where are these sharpshooters now? They appear to have been a very
useful body of men," inquired the aide-de-camp.
"Part of them returned to Millersville, where they belong, though
thirty-six of them have volunteered to go with us for the present
campaign, under the command of Captain Ripley."
"I must see Ripley," mused the official.
"He is at the jail with his men, or he went there with them," added
Deck.
"Our carriage is ready," said Captain Woodbine; "and there is room
enough in it for you."
It was a covered road-wagon, and Deck judged that the captain had
talked with him to pass away the time while he was waiting for the
conveyance. They were driven first to the hotel.
"I have heard a great deal about the Riverlawn Cavalry, as you call
them, though its two companies belong to the first cavalry regiment,"
said the captain when they were seated in the vehicle.
"Our men like the name," added the young lieutenant.
"They have rendered most excellent service under that name; and there
is nothing to prevent them from retaining it, especially while they are
on detached service."
Captain Woodbine was conducted by Major Lyon to the parlor occupied by
the officers, where he was presented to them, after which the major,
who was disposed to keep his affairs to himself, invited the
aide-de-camp to go with him to his room, where he had ordered a fire.
"Lieutenant Lyon, you must excuse me for questioning you so much this
evening; but I wanted to know more about you, for I think we shall have
use for you," said the captain, as he took the hand of Deck, and drew
him aside.
"I was very glad to give you the information you desired," replied
Deck, as the visitor followed his father.
"I have to report the arrival of my command, and it is my purpose to
move on to Harrison to-morrow," said the major as they entered the
room.
"You need not do that, for your command is nearer now where you will be
wanted than you would be at Harrison," added the captain as he and the
major seated themselves at a table before the fire. "I waited for you
till the time you were expected to arrive."
"I was ordered to look out for foragers and guerillas on my way; and I
was detained some time near Liberty, in driving off a party of
marauders, and I was a few hours late. My first company, which had the
shorter route, had not arrived, and I marched in search of it," Major
Lyon explained. "I found it about five miles from this town, delayed by
several skirmishes with the enemy."
"Your son told me all about them while we were waiting for the vehicle;
and he certainly distinguished himself, both by his management of the
affair with the guerillas, and by his bravery in the action with the
enemy's cavalry," said Captain Woodbine.
"He did very well," replied the major, proud of the good conduct of
Deck, though he was not inclined to praise him, preferring to leave
that to others. "I suppose the army which is to operate under General
Thomas is somewhere in this vicinity."
"A portion of it is at Logan's Cross Roads, as it is called;" and he
pointed out the locality on the major's map, which was spread out on
the table.
He indicated several other places where bodies of Union troops were, or
were supposed to be, located. They had been detained by the almost
impassable condition of the roads.
"But the general will attack the enemy in his intrenchments as soon as
he can concentrate a sufficient force for the purpose. This heavy rain,
I fear, will delay the advance of the troops in the rear; for it will
render the streams, especially Fishing Creek, impassable for the
baggage-trains."
"It does not usually rain as it does now for any great length of time?"
suggested Major Lyon.
"I have known such a rain to continue for several days; for I live over
in Whitley County, in the mountains, about thirty-five miles east of
Mill Springs."
"The mountains catch the clouds, and empty them, as they move from the
east or the west," added the major.
"We have plenty of rain at this season of the year. I have heard all
about the Riverlawn Cavalry, as your son says you prefer to call it. I
met Colonel Cosgrove at Louisville, and he gave me a full account of
what he called the Battle of Riverlawn. Of your fights with the Texan
Rangers at the railroad bridge, Munfordsville, and at Greeltop and
Plain Hill, I have read your reports. Without mentioning the nature of
the service that will be required of you, I will say that, at my
suggestion, the general has important duty for you, Major."
"Of course I am ready to obey the orders that come to me," replied the
commander.
For several hours longer Captain Woodbine described the topography of
the region in three counties, which he thought it very necessary for
him to understand.
"In our engagement with a full company of Tennessee cavalry, our first
company was aided by the Home Guard of Millersville; and the riflemen
of this body rendered very essential service as sharpshooters stationed
in the woods. These men volunteered to serve in this campaign, and we
have them with us. I hope I shall be permitted to make use of them.
They are well mounted, and every one of them is a dead shot. Captain
Gordon, commanding our first company, suggested the idea of organizing
a force of mounted riflemen, and a considerable number of them
volunteered, and came to Jamestown with us."
"They are simply volunteers under your command; and no application need
be made at headquarters to use them, and you can do so, Major," replied
the captain, who was understood as speaking for the commanding general;
and it was evident that he had influence with him.
At the stroke of midnight both of the gentlemen retired. When they
looked out of the window in the morning it was still raining; and it
was plain to them that no great progress could be made in military
movements while the country was inundated, as it appeared to be from
the hotel.
In the forenoon Captain Woodbine visited the companies, and looked over
the men; for he plainly depended upon the squadron for particular
service. He went to the jail and to the dry-house to see the riflemen
who were drilling there under the eye of Captain Ripley and several
sergeants from the companies.
Military movements on the eve of battle are not ordinarily impeded by
rain, for the soldiers march and fight in spite of the weather; but
when the flow of water is sufficient to inundate the country, the
situation sometimes compels a suspension of activity, owing to the
difficulty or impossibility of moving wagons and artillery. But at this
time General Thomas was awaiting the arrival of the regiments from
points farther north of his camp at Logan's Cross Roads, and nothing
could be done for this reason. But on the 18th the rain ceased; and on
the next day, which was Saturday, General Schoepf's brigade, a portion
of which had been sent forward before, arrived towards night, and was
placed in position.
That evening Captain Woodbine, who had been with the general in command
all day, called upon Major Lyon, and directed him to have his squadron,
with its volunteer riflemen, in column on the Millersville Road at
daylight in the morning of Sunday, for a reconnaissance in the
direction of the enemy's intrenched camp at Beech Grove. The major
reported that the rifle volunteers had been re-enforced to fifty-six
men by the efforts of Butters the jailer.
The commander of the squadron promptly issued his orders to his
officers to have his men ready to move at four o'clock Sunday morning.