THE FLAG OF TRUCE ON THE MEADOW
The soldiers thought it was nothing but amusement to drag the wagon out
of the mud and haul it to the woods. Sixty men and six mules made
comparatively easy work of it. It was nearly dinner-time, and Deck had
ordered the meal to be served on the meadow to those that remained
there of the escort. During all this time the heavy guns had been
thundering in the vicinity of Logan's Cross Roads; and as the day
advanced the roar was perceptible nearer, indicating that the enemy had
been driven from the first field towards the south.
The men proceeded to eat their dinner from their haversacks, while the
quartermaster-sergeant had taken rations from the wagon for the portion
of the escort that had come over to the woods. As soon as Lieutenant
Lyon had given his attention to the needs of his men and horses, he
turned to receive the message of the rifleman. Life gave his personal
attention to the six mules that had come over, and they were supplied
with a very liberal feed of corn and oats.
"Lieutenant Butters directs me to report to you that the enemy are
returning across the meadow, flying a flag of truce at the head of the
column," said the rifleman when Deck indicated that he was ready to
hear him; and only a few minutes elapsed while he was giving his
orders.
"How many men are returning?" asked the lieutenant.
"They were too far off for us to count them; but we guessed there were
about sixty of them, for they must have lost at least forty in killed
and wounded, to say nothing of the latter who were not disabled.
Lieutenant Butters wants to know what to do about the flag of truce."
"How far off are they now?" asked Deck.
"They were some distance beyond the stream when I left, about half an
hour ago."
"Return to Lieutenant Butters; tell him I will be with him very soon,
and ask him to send half his men, good strong fellows, to assist in
getting the wagons out of the mire," replied Deck; and the rifleman
left in obedience to the order.
The men and the animals were all busy with their dinner, and the
presence of the lieutenant was no longer necessary for a time. He spoke
to his orderly sergeant, who was eating his dinner with the mules, and
started for the point, eating the contents of his haversack on the way.
On his arrival he found Butters engaged in selecting the men to send
over to the assistance of the cavalrymen.
"Gittin' wagons out of the mud ain't exactly the work for
sharpshooters," growled Butters as Deck approached him. "But I have
called for volunteers."
"It is the work of soldiers to do whatever is to be done," replied the
cavalry officer, who was not pleased with the growl, or the tone in
which it had been made.
"It is not exactly the work of sharpshooters to work in the mud,"
returned Butters, apparently unwilling to have his men ordered away
from his immediate command.
"You are volunteers; and if you object to obeying my orders, you may
march your men back to Millersville," replied Lieutenant Lyon with
dignity enough for a major-general.
"Do you mean to send us back?" demanded Butters angrily.
Deck saw that, from the first, the lieutenant in command of the
riflemen was afflicted with an attack of the "big head," and considered
himself as the practical superior of the young officer who was his
military superior by the order of the major commanding. The cavalry
officer was not "puffed up" by his position, but he felt the necessity
of maintaining his dignity as the chief of the entire force on the
ground.
"I do not send you back, but I give you permission to retire from the
field," added Deck.
"I should like to ask who has done all the work that has been done in
this place?" demanded Butters.
"I admit that your men have done the most of it," answered the
lieutenant, when the entire thirty riflemen had gathered near to hear
the dispute; "but if you are not willing to obey my orders, I can get
along better without you than with you. If you desire to retire from
the field, I have nothing more to say."
"No! no! no!" shouted half the men.
"You can do as you please, Lieutenant Butters," added Deck, when he
realized that a majority of the riflemen were with him.
They had seen Deck in the thickest of the fight at the hill, and heard
all about his conduct in other actions from the members of the company
with whom they had fraternized at the jail, and it is not stating it
too strongly to say, in figurative terms, that he was the idol of the
Riverlawn Cavalry.
"I was calling for volunteers, and meant to obey your order, Lieutenant
Lyon," said Butters.
"But you objected to it, and there is no emergency in the present
situation."
"Volunteers to work in the medder, walk over to my right!" ordered the
lieutenant of the riflemen, though with very ill grace.
Deck's ideas of discipline were of the severe order, and it was against
his principles to call for volunteers for any ordinary service, though
proper enough for that of a desperate nature; for it was his opinion
that soldiers should obey orders without any question, and he was on
the point of countermanding the call, when every one of the riflemen
rushed over to the side indicated.
"Lieutenant Butters, you will detail fifteen men for duty in connection
with the cavalry, and send them over to the end of the by-road," said
Deck in his usual quiet tones; and turning on his heel without another
word, returned to his men, finishing his dinner on the way.
He heard some rather strong talk before he passed out of earshot, and
it was plain the riflemen were giving their officer some points in
military discipline. Not a word was said about the enemy; for Deck saw
that they were still at a considerable distance beyond the creek, and
he intended to return as soon as he had started his force for the other
wagons. The fifteen volunteers promptly appeared. The removal of the
wagons from the meadow was given in charge of Sergeant Knox, and Deck
went again to the point where Butters was waiting for him.
"I reckon I was wrong in the little muss we had a while ago; but I'm
ready to apologize for it," said the commander of the riflemen. "I
hain't got used to strict military discipline; but I shall be all right
after this."
"It isn't necessary to say anything more about that matter," replied
Deck. "The Confederates that you defeated so handsomely have reached
the stream; they are still showing the white flag."
"I reckon they are in a bad way; but I don't see what they come back
for," added Butters, pleased to find that the lieutenant had nothing
more to say about his insubordination.
"Let your men take their rifles and follow me," added Deck, as he began
to descend the slope to the meadow.
"Hallo! Hallo!" shouted a voice in the direction of the by-road.
"That's a man in uniform," said Butters, as he discovered the person.
The cavalry lieutenant reascended the bank, and saw the individual in
uniform. Without saying anything he hastened towards him.
"I am exceedingly glad to see you, Captain Woodbine," he said, as the
aide-de-camp extended his hand to him. "I am greatly in need of advice
from a person of your experience."
"But you seem to have done exceedingly well without any advice so far;
for the sentinel in the road informed me that you had saved the
wagon-train, had defeated a company of Confederate cavalry, and brought
one of the vehicles to the hard ground by an expedient of your own,"
continued Captain Woodbine, still shaking the hand of the lieutenant.
"I see that boys sometimes become men of experience all at once, when
an emergency is presented to them."
"I have done what I could here," replied Deck, studying the soil under
his feet.
"With twenty years' experience no one could have done better," said the
captain heartily; "and not many could have done so well. But I suppose
you would like to learn something about the battle which is still in
progress, though the enemy have been driven a considerable distance to
the southward."
"We have been hearing the heavy guns here since we reached the meadow,
and I should be very glad to know the result, for I hope our squadron
will have some hand in the fight," replied Deck, looking with interest
into the face of the visitor.
"You have already had some hand in it, for you have rendered one
company of Confederate cavalry _hors de combat_, and saved that
supply-train; and the general has had some anxiety about it, for it
would be a godsend to the enemy, half starved as they are. Thus you
have rendered a double service to our army. But what are you doing over
here?"
"I will show you in a few minutes," answered Deck; and he gave a brief
account of the action with the enemy in the meadow and in the creek,
and their final flight to the north. "I don't understand why they are
coming back under a flag of truce."
"I understand it very well. If they had gone as far as the woods you
see about a mile beyond the creek, they would have come on the flank of
our army; and very likely they were fired upon, and compelled to
retire, for the battle is still raging in and beyond that wood."
"I conclude that they want to surrender; and sixty prisoners of war,
with their wounded, would be an encumbrance to me," added Deck, as they
reached the border of the meadow.
"What were you about to do when I came, Lieutenant?" inquired the
captain.
"I was going out to the spot by the stream where the bearers of the
flag have halted."
"Can't the man in command of the riflemen do that?"
"I would not trust him with such business," replied Deck. "He is a good
enough sort of man, but he is troubled to some extent with the malady
called the 'big head,' and he is an ignorant fellow, and his greatest
virtue is his skill with his rifle."
The aide-de-camp went to as open a place as he could find, waved his
cap over his head, and then beckoned vigorously for the enemy's
cavalrymen to come to the wood. He repeated the sign several times, and
then they crossed the stream and moved towards the point.
"That's all right," continued Captain Woodbine, as he took the
lieutenant by the arm, and conducted him out of the hearing of the
riflemen. "This matter is delaying me; but I think we can manage it. I
have received a messenger from the general, who was the bearer of a
letter, hastily written with a pencil on the field, to the effect that
the enemy has been beaten, and are falling back. He believes that it
will be a rout before night; and the First Kentucky Cavalry has been
sent over here to harass the defeated army of Zollicoffer, who was
killed on the field."
"That is all good news," said Deck.
"But the end has not come yet. I was sent over here on account of my
knowledge of the country, to convey the general's orders to such
commanders as I might meet; and while I am delaying here I am afraid
the Kentucky regiment will pass the head of the by-road, and I shall
fail to see the commander."
"But I can send one of these riflemen to the main road, with a written
order to await the arrival of the regiment, and direct the force to
wait," suggested Deck.
"Call up the messenger," added the captain, as he proceeded to write
the order in his memorandum-book; and it was sent by the mounted
rifleman.
"The general feared that a flanking force might have been sent over by
Zollicoffer by this road; and that is the reason that I asked the
general for the use of your squadron. He particularly charged me to
help along the wagon-train if it was not already captured, as it
certainly would have been if the lieutenant commanding the escort had
not taken to the meadow. Now I am in haste to get your squadron and the
rest of your regiment, for you belong to it, in a position where this
force will be available in checking the retreat of the enemy, and you
may have more fighting to do before night, or in the evening."
At this moment Lieutenant Sterling of the train escort touched his cap
to his senior in rank, and reported that the wagons had all been hauled
to the woods, and were in the by-road.
"How many men have you, Lieutenant?" asked the captain.
The chief of the escort looked at Deck, and did not answer at once.