DECK LYON'S PLAN OF BATTLE
Lieutenant Lyon soon ascertained that the force in the road included
the two companies of the squadron. The cheers of those who were on the
right of the column brought Major Lyon and Captain Woodbine to the
front; and as soon as they learned the cause of the cheering they rode
forward to meet the returning wanderers.
"I am glad to see you again, Dexter," said the major, as he extended
his hand to his son.
"I am just as glad to see you, father," replied Deck, returning the
hearty pressure of the hand.
Sergeant Fronklyn was greeted in the same manner, and heartily welcomed
by the commander of the battalion. The staff-officer had halted a
couple of rods behind the major, to permit the father and son to meet
without being observed.
"You come back as from the grave, or a Confederate prison," said the
major, still holding the hand of his son, and betraying more emotion
than he was in the habit of manifesting.
"I have been neither in a grave nor a prison," answered the lieutenant
very cheerfully.
"We concluded that you had been either killed or captured; and I am
rejoiced to see you again alive and apparently well."
"I am as well as I ever was in my life; but we must not stop to talk
now, father, for the services of your command are greatly needed in
this vicinity," said Deck.
"Where?" demanded the major, releasing his son's hand, and beckoning to
the staff-officer, who immediately rode to the spot.
"I am very glad to see you again, Lieutenant Lyon," said Captain
Woodbine, grasping the hand of the young officer. "We feared that you
were a prisoner, or that something worse had happened to you."
"But Dexter tells me that my force is needed here, Captain Woodbine,"
interposed the major; "and we must hear his story at some other time.
Where are we needed, my son?"
"On a hill a mile from here is the mansion of Colonel Hickman," replied
Deck, pointing in the direction of the house. "Part of a gang of
guerillas have been in possession of it all the morning, and threatened
to hang the owner if he did not give up his money."
"It is the old story," added the major.
"But we have shot all but one or two who were in the mansion; and the
rest of the gang, twenty-four of them the servants say, are now
approaching the hill," continued Deck.
"Then we will not remain here another moment. I sent Knox and Sluder to
the top of the nearest hill to make an observation," said the major.
"They cannot see the ruffians, for there is another hill that conceals
them," Deck interposed. "I know the lay of the land here, and if you
will allow me to give advice which is not asked for I will do so."
"Certainly!" exclaimed the staff-officer, who was the superior of the
major. "State your plan at once, Lieutenant."
"By this time Captain Grundy, the leader of the gang, has joined his
force. They are advancing by a private road from Millersville," Deck
explained. "Colonel Hickman has two field-pieces behind a breastwork,
and a few riflemen; and he is ready to give the ruffians a warm
reception, though the enemy are four to his one. My advice is that the
second company march towards the mansion, with Sergeant Fronklyn as
guide, and halt under cover of the hill nearest to the private road.
Let the first company march in the opposite direction, with me as
guide, and halt behind another hill near the private road."
"Very good!" exclaimed the major. "That is all clear enough; and the
plan is to put the enemy between the jaws of a vise."
"That is just what I said to Colonel Hickman when I explained the plan
to him," added Deck.
The major led the way up to the main body of the troopers. While the
commander was giving his orders to the two captains of the companies,
the two sergeants returned from the hill, and reported that nothing was
to be seen in any direction, for the view was obstructed by other
hills. When Knox had made his report he happened to see Deck. He rushed
upon him, grasped him in his arms, and lifted him from the ground as
though he had been a baby, hugging him in a transport of rapture, to
the great amusement of officers and soldiers.
"I was afeared you had gone where you couldn't hear the bugle-call,
littl' un, and I bless the Lord with all my might that you ain't food
for the worms or the crows," said the big Kentuckian fervently. "You
oughtn't to gone off without me; but I reckon"--
"That will do for now, Sergeant Knox!" shouted Captain Gordon. "We have
no time for long stories. Attention--company!"
As Deck rode to his place at the head of the second platoon, Captain
Gordon and Lieutenant Belthorpe grasped his hand, and spoke a word of
welcome to him. The men in the ranks greeted him with pleasant words.
The first company countermarched; and as the captain came to the
position of the second lieutenant, he directed him to march at his side
in his capacity as guide. Fronklyn took a similar position at the side
of Captain Truman, and both companies moved as the guides directed.
"You have had a hard time of it, Deck," said Captain Gordon as they
left the road and entered the field.
"Not very, Captain. Both Fronklyn and myself were knocked from our
horses; and it would have been all up with me if the sergeant had not
dragged me out of the _mêlée_. But I was only stunned by the flat
side of a sabre, as Fronklyn was by a pistol-bullet," Deck explained.
"But you were within the breastworks of the enemy?"
"We were, forced in by the crowd of runaways from the battle-field. We
both came to our senses, kept out of sight for a while, then took
possession of a boat astern of a steamer, and floated down the
Cumberland to Robertsport, or a little farther, and got ashore. I
haven't time to tell the whole story. Three sons of Colonel Hickman
were with Captain Ripley's riflemen; and with them we met the colonel.
We cleaned out the robbers from his mansion. I think we had better halt
here, Captain Gordon, and do a little scouting."
The suggestion was promptly adopted, and the company came to a halt
just at the foot of the first hill. Deck and Knox were sent to the top
of the next hill on foot, both armed with carbines. There were trees
and bushes on the summit, but not on the sides, of the elevation. They
took a position in the shelter of this growth, but the guerillas were
not yet in sight. They must have halted for some time; and Deck
conjectured that Captain Grundy must have joined them, and had taken
the time to tell his story.
"I see nothing of them yet, Life," said the lieutenant, after he had
surveyed the country in all directions.
"Which way they comin', Deck?" asked the sergeant.
"You can see the road across the fields at the foot of this hill. I
think the first company is in the right position where it is now," said
the lieutenant. "The second company will halt under cover of the same
hill. Neither of them can be seen from that road till the enemy have
advanced half-way up the hill to the mansion."
"I thought the company was to move to the lower end of the hill, where
we uns is," suggested Knox.
"That was my first view of it; but there is no need of going any
farther. I did not suppose there was any chance to conceal the position
of the force where they could get at the enemy in good season. I have
not been over this ground; only seen it from the mansion hill. We are
all right as we are. Now, Life, you will return to the company; tell
Captain Gordon to remain where he is till I give him a signal with my
handkerchief on this carbine."
As he spoke, the lieutenant proceeded to tie the white signal to the
weapon.
"Then he will go at a gallop through the valley between these two
hills, and fall upon the enemy in the rear, as the second company
attacks in front. Do you understand it?" continued Deck.
"I reckon I do; but am I to leave you here alone?" demanded the
sergeant.
"Of course you are," replied the lieutenant with a laugh. "Do you think
I can't take care of myself?"
"You didn't do it last night."
"I think I did, for here I am. Hold on a minute! I think we can arrange
this matter a little better. The second company will not know when to
make the attack."
"Are you gwine to lay out the whole battle, Deck?" asked Life.
"I am going to do what I can to make it a success, and to capture every
one of those ruffians. If one of them escapes it shall not be my
fault," replied the lieutenant in vigorous speech. "Ask Captain Gordon
to rig a signal like this one, and send a messenger to Major Lyon, who
has gone with the second company, so that he will understand its
meaning. When I wave my signal twice, it will be for the second company
to attack; when I wave it once it will be for the first company to fall
on the enemy's rear. The major is not more than half a mile from the
first company. Now go, Life, and don't let the grass grow under your
feet."
"All right; but I reckon you are the commander-in-chief of this
battalion, Deck."
The long-legged Kentuckian went down the hill with long strides; and in
about three minutes he saluted Captain Gordon, and delivered his
message. Then he was ordered to mount his horse, and ride over to
deliver the instructions to the major.
"That is an excellent plan of Lieutenant Lyon, and it will prevent any
confusion," said the captain as the sergeant was mounting his horse.
In a few minutes more Knox came into the presence of Captain Woodbine
and Major Lyon. He described the arrangement for the signals.
Sergeant Fronklyn and Bugler Stufton were stationed on a knoll where
they could see the signal when it was given by Captain Gordon, and the
musician was to sound the advance.
"These signals are a capital idea of your son, Major," said the
staff-officer in the hearing of Life Knox, as he was starting on his
return to his company.
Deck was left alone; but in spite of the solicitude of the Kentuckian,
he did not regard himself as in any danger, for the guerillas were not
likely to explore the hills on their way to the mansion, where Captain
Grundy doubtless expected to make an easy victory over the force
defending it. He was not aware that cannon were to figure in the
contest; and with his large force he could easily overcome the small
number behind the breastwork. He was confident that there was a large
sum of money concealed in the mansion, or in its vicinity; and he was
fully determined to hang Colonel Hickman to one of his own trees if he
did not disclose the hiding-place of the treasure.
It was fully half an hour before Deck saw anything of the approaching
guerillas. Four mounted men were the first indications of the advance
of the enemy. They seemed to be the pickets of the main body. They rode
in couples, and did not trouble themselves to scout the hills on their
left; for they could not have had any suspicion that there was a large
force of cavalry anywhere near the mansion. The pickets moved on slowly
till they came to the beginning of the ascent of the hill, and there
they halted. They had nothing to report, and they awaited the coming of
the force.
From his position behind the bushes and trees Deck could see the
mansion, and the road leading up to it. The pickets had hardly halted
before the main column came into view. They marched by fours, two in
the road, and two in the field, and in very irregular order. The
lieutenant observed them with intense interest, and counted them as
they advanced. Instead of twenty-four, as the negro scouts had
reported, there were thirty-eight of them. They had either been
re-enforced, or the scouts had not seen them all. They marched very
confidently, and began the ascent of the hill.
When they had ascended about half the distance to the summit, one of
the cannon pealed, and three men were seen to fall from their horses.
The assailants had evidently not expected to encounter artillery, and
the result of the first discharge checked them. At this moment Deck
twice waved the signal. A minute later the blast of the bugle was heard
in the distance, followed immediately by the onslaught of Captain
Trueman's company.
Deck observed the impetuous charge. Captain Grundy appeared to have
ordered his command to deploy to the right; but they had no time to do
so, for the troopers dashed into them in front. The guerillas could not
hold their ground for a moment against this fiery charge. They broke,
and began to retreat by the way they had come. Deck waved his signal
once; and Captain Gordon's company dashed through the valley, and
confronted the ruffians in their hot retreat.