THE DAY'S MARCH OF THE SQUADRON
It seemed to be almost a miracle that Noah Lyon had been transformed
into a soldier; and those who had known him in the State of New
Hampshire could hardly have recognized him. He had always been a
dignified, peaceable, and quiet man--the very antipode of a fire-eater.
At his former home he had been a justice of the peace, and was regarded
as a person of eminent gravity.
His anger, if he was ever stirred by any such passion, was nothing more
than indignation. But he was not a milk-and-water man; and, gentle as
were his manners, he was an earnest man. He had never developed any
military ambition in his earlier years, though he was sorry he had not
done so when he found himself on the very border of the Rebellion. He
was still of the military age, and was a hearty and vigorous man at
forty-two, when he was called into the service.
He was an earnest and determined patriot; and nothing but the need of
the nation could have induced him to put on a uniform, and drill
laboriously for months in preparation for his new sphere. He belonged to
the class who were said to make the best soldiers, because they went
into the field as high-toned men, with whom a principle was at stake.
Such soldiers had not been hurried into the camp by the excitement of
the times, or by any motive but patriotic duty.
Sandy and Orly Lyon stood in front of Pickford's house, and observed the
approaching column of cavalry; but the most of their attention was given
to Uncle Noah. It was a very strange sight for them to see him in the
uniform of a soldier, riding at the head of the squadron. These boys had
drilled and marched with the Home Guards, and their father had military
aspirations, though he was a little past the military age. They could
not help contrasting the appearance of Major Lyon's command with that of
Captain Lyon's.
Not all the Home Guards in the State were of the character of the
ruffians forming the company which had marched to Bowling Green, and who
had been the principal participants in the outrages and the ruffianism
in the vicinity of Barcreek. Some of the companies were composed and
officered by Union men, who did some of the first fighting in the State
when the Confederates fortified Cumberland Gap in the eastern section.
Such as these wheeled into the Union army, while those of the Secession
stripe promptly joined the forces on the other side.
No doubt many of these Home Guards believed sincerely in the neutrality
policy, which was advocated by some of the best men in the State; but it
afforded thousands of ruffians the advantages of an organization for
plunder and outrage. But its day had gone by. Major Lyon insisted from
the beginning that it was a fraud; and, in spite of the action of the
governor, Kentucky adhered to the Union. It cost something there to be
true to the old flag, and the State deserves all honor for the struggle
it made against the breaking up of the Union.
Major Lyon sat erect upon his horse, a valuable animal, which had been
his favorite since his arrival. There was nothing like vanity in his
expression, as might have been excusable at the head of such a fine
body of men; but he looked as he always did, earnest and determined, his
soldierly character resting more on his devotion to the cause than on
any other motive. He wore a felt hat, ornamented with a black feather,
which the mustering officer had prevailed upon him to adopt.
The squadron was composed of rather young men as a rule, and they were
the sons of farmers and others engaged in business. They were
fine-looking men, and they had been diligently drilled by the officers
sent to Riverlawn for the purpose. Perhaps the commander was the only
real planter enlisted; for most of them in the vicinity were past the
age for active service, though they had done their duty in repressing
outrages and keeping the peace.
Captain Gordon, who had been charged with the organization of the first
company, was in command of it, while Captain Truman, a young lawyer,
whose eloquent voice had been raised for the Union in the important
meeting at the Big Bend schoolhouse, was in command of the second; but
he had proved in the Riverlawn battle that he was a brave man, and would
make a good soldier. Tom Belthorpe, who had taken part in the defence
of Lyndhall and of Riverlawn, was first lieutenant of the first company;
while Major Gadbury, whose military title was one of courtesy, held the
corresponding rank in the second company.
It had required a great deal of persuasion to induce the proprietor of
Riverlawn to accept the position of major. He was a man of character;
and some of the planters in the neighborhood, especially Colonel
Cosgrove and Colonel Belthorpe, convinced him that it was his duty to
the cause to take the place. He had proved to them, in the engagements
with the ruffians, that he had the material in his composition of which
reliable commanders are made.
Deck Lyon had a tremendous reputation for courage and skill at Lyndhall;
for he had rescued both of the daughters of its owner from the hands of
the ruffians, who had captured them for the purpose of assisting in the
recovery of the arms the major had secured. When it came to the matter
of electing officers for the second company, Tom had advocated the
choice of Deck as captain, though he was only eighteen years old, to the
position.
Of course the young man was elated at the idea of being elevated to such
a position before he had been tried in the service; but it did not seem
to be quite right to him, and he went to his father for advice. The
major promptly advised him to accept no position in the company. He was
too young to be the commander of a company, which might be ordered on
duty by itself. As his father pointed out to him the difficulties in his
way, Deck went to the other extreme, and declined to take a place even
as a non-commissioned officer. Artie Lyon liked the stand he had taken
so well, that he followed his example, and both remained privates.
Deck and Artie did not forget the favorable mention of their names, and
they electioneered very zealously for the choice of Tom Belthorpe as
first lieutenant. In the case of the former, perhaps Deck was
unconsciously influenced by the fact that he had a very pretty sister,
who had manifested no little interest in him since he had attacked the
ruffian who held her as a prisoner. In fact, Tom had two pretty sisters;
but this fact affected Lieutenant Gadbury more than any other person.
When the squadron had advanced a short distance, Major Lyon wheeled his
horse, and faced his command, who were marching as usual on the road by
fours. He had learned his lesson well at the camp; for the squadron had
been thoroughly drilled from the beginning, up to the point where the
"school of the battalion" had been their practice.
"Battalion, halt!" he commanded, with a voice loud enough and clear
enough to be heard far back of the place where the order was given.
Captain Gordon declared that he had not caught the major in a single
error or slip since he had begun to exercise the squadron. The command
was repeated by the subordinate officers, and the force came to a full
halt. Deck had stopped by the side of the road, to await the coming up
of his section, and his father called him as soon as he had halted the
battalion.
The young man had been on a military errand for the major, rather than
for his father, who insisted that his two sons should fare precisely the
same as other soldiers of the companies. There was to be no favoritism
on account of relationship. Deck could not report the result of his
errand while the commander was marching at the head of his column, for
the new companies had not reached the free-and-easy stage which came
later.
Deck saluted the major as though they had never met before in their
lives, and his father acknowledged it. Then the private reported the
result of his mission.
"You have been making some stay at this house we are passing," continued
Major Lyon, as he glanced back at the two boys who were still standing
there.
"Found a fight going on in the house, and I went in on account of a call
for help," replied Deck.
"But that is Pickford's house, and no ruffians would attack him,"
suggested the major. "Are these Titus's boys standing here?"
"They are. Uncle Titus has a bill against Pickford for twenty-seven
dollars for building his chimney, and Sandy and Orly were trying to
collect it by force of arms."
"I will hear more of that another time, Dexter," added Major Lyon,
cutting short the story. "I declare, I hardly knew those boys!"
"They have had a hard time of it; but I must fall in," said Deck, as he
began to turn his horse. "I suppose you are out for a drill, father."
"We are not; we are going on duty this time. General Buckner is
somewhere in this vicinity, and evidently intends to occupy Bowling
Green. Colonel Cosgrove came over to see me this morning. He says
Captain Titus's company have got into the Confederate army at last, and
have been supplied with arms of a poor quality, though not with
uniforms."
"His men have been about half-starved while waiting, and that is the
reason why Sandy and Orly came home," added the young soldier.
"Another time for that, Dexter. Are you all ready to march with your
company?" asked the major.
"I have my sabre, carbine, and pistols; but I have no blanket, as I see
the rest of the men have."
"You can be supplied from the wagon in the rear. But fall in," said the
major, as he prepared to resume the march.
Deck galloped back to the section in which he belonged, where he had
only to take his place at the side of Artie, though inside of him, for
he was a trifle taller than his cousin. In the infantry, the tallest men
are placed on the right, which is always the head of the column, while
in the cavalry the tallest are placed in the middle.
"What does all this mean, Deck? Didn't I see Sandy and Orly Lyon by that
house?" asked Artie.
"They are there, whether you saw them or not," replied Deck.
"Battalion, at ease, march!"
In the infantry, when the order for "route step!" is given, the men need
not even keep step, and the formalities are relaxed in some other
respects. In the cavalry, in which the horses take all the steps, the
strain of precise position and movement is removed, and the soldiers may
make the best of their journey. Artie wanted to know all about his two
cousins he had seen at Pickford's, and Deck told him the whole story of
what had occurred there.
"Is it possible that Uncle Titus's family are reduced to such a strait?"
demanded Artie, his pity and sympathy apparent on his face.
"The boys say Aunt Meely and the girls are going back to Derry; and
that looks as though the family were very hard up," replied Deck. "And
Mabel has gone out to work in the family of Dr. Falkirk."
"I think Sandy and Orly must be in a desperate situation when they try
to collect a bill with a gun."
"I have no doubt of it; though Sandy tried to put the best face on the
matter, and said the part of the Confederate army that was to come to
Bowling Green had not got there yet, and that they will be all right as
soon as the company is mustered in. Orly speaks out loud, and tells all
he knows about the condition of the family. He wants to join one of our
companies."
"Orly Lyon!" exclaimed Artie. "Why, he was one of the loudest
Secessionists in the village!"
"He has got enough of it, working without pay or rations," added Deck.
"But where are we going, Artie?"
"I'm sure I don't know; why didn't you ask your father, if you want to
know?"
"Ask my father! You know better than that, Artie; for you are aware that
commanding officers don't tell what they are going to do till they get
ready to do it," returned Deck.
"We are provided with ammunition and rations, and very likely we have
come out to-day in order to get used to carrying them on a march,"
suggested Artie.
"Not at all; for father told me we were out on duty to-day, though he
did not say what it was," replied Deck.
The march continued all day long, and it began to look as though it
would extend into the night. About nine o'clock in the evening Major
Lyon called a halt at a point where a railroad could be seen in the
gloom of the night. The column had just crossed a bridge of considerable
length over a creek, and the position of the railroad indicated that it
must be bridged over the same stream.
While the commander and his officers were trying to make out the
surroundings, half a dozen muskets were discharged from a covert of
trees; but fortunately none of the cavalrymen appeared to be struck by
the bullets. But it was evident that the time for action had come.