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BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
Or, The War on the Border
_The Blue and the Gray Army Series_
by
OLIVER OPTIC
Author of "The Army and Navy Series" "Young America Abroad, First and
Second Series" "Boat-Club Stories" "The Great Western Series" "The
Onward and Upward Series" "The Woodville Stories" "The Starry Flag
Series" "The Yacht-Club Series" "The Lake Shore Series" "The Riverdale
Stories" "The All-Over-the-World Library" "The Blue and the Gray Navy
Series" "The Boat-Builder Series" etc.
Boston
Lee and Shepard Publishers
10 Milk Street
1894
Copyright, 1894, by Lee and Shepard
All Rights Reserved
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
Electrotyping by C. J. Peters & Son, Boston, U.S.A.
Presswork by S. J. Parkhill & Co.
TO
My Son-in-Law
GEORGE W. WHITE, ESQUIRE
ONE OF TWO WHO HAVE ALWAYS BEEN THE SAME TO
ME AS REAL SONS
This Book
IS AFFECTIONATELY AND GRATEFULLY
DEDICATED
[Illustration: "THE OVERSEER ELEVATED HIS RIFLE."]
PREFACE
"Brother Against Brother" is the first of "The Blue and the Gray Army
Series," which will include six volumes, though the number is contingent
upon the longevity of one, still hale and hearty, who has passed by a
couple of years the Scriptural limit of "threescore years and ten"
allotted to human life. In completing the first six books of "The Blue
and the Gray Series," the author realized that the scenes and events of
all these stories related to life in the navy, which gallantly performed
its full share in maintaining the integrity of the Union. The six books
of "The Army and Navy Series," begun in the heat of the struggle thirty
years ago, were equally divided between the two arms of the service; and
it has been suggested that the equilibrium should be continued in the
later volumes.
In the preface of "A Victorious Union," the consummation of the terrible
strife which the navy had reached in that volume, the author announced
his intention to make a beginning of the books which are to form the
army division of the series. Soon after he had returned from his
sixteenth voyage across the Atlantic, he found himself in excellent
condition to resume the pleasurable occupation in which he has been
engaged for forty years in this particular field. It seems to him very
much like embarking in a new enterprise, though his work consists of an
attempt to enliven and diversify the scenes and incidents of an old
story which has passed into history, and is forever embalmed as the
record of a heroic people, faithfully and bravely represented on
hundreds of gory battle-fields, and on the decks of the national navy.
The story opens in one of the Border States, where two Northern families
had settled only a few years before the exciting questions which
immediately preceded organized hostilities were under discussion.
Considerable portions of the State in which they were located were in a
condition of violent agitation, and outrages involving wounds and death
were perpetrated. The head of one of these two families was a man of
stern integrity, earnestly loyal to the Union and the government which
was forced into a deadly strife for its very existence. That of the
other, influenced quite as much by property considerations as by fixed
principles, becomes a Secessionist, fully as earnest as, and far more
demonstrative than, his brother on the other side.
In each of these families are two sons, just coming to the military age,
who are not quite so prominent in the present volume as they will be in
those which follow it. "Riverlawn," the plantation which came into the
possession of the loyal one by the will of his eldest brother, became
the scene of very exciting events, in which his two sons took an active
part. The writer has industriously examined the authorities covering
this section of the country, including State reports, and believes he
has not exaggerated the truths of history. As in preceding volumes
relating to the war, he does not intend to give a connected narrative of
the events that transpired in the locality he has chosen, though some of
them are introduced and illustrated in the story.
The State itself, as evidenced by the votes of its Legislature and by
the enlistments in the Union army, was loyal, if not from the beginning,
from the time when it obtained its bearings. As in other Southern
States, the secession element was more noisy and demonstrative than the
loyal portion of the community, and thus obtained at first an apparent
advantage. The present volume is largely taken up with the conflict for
supremacy between these hostile elements. The loyal father and his two
sons are active in these scenes; and the taking possession of a quantity
of military supplies by them precipitates actual warfare, and the
question as to whether or not a company of cavalry could be recruited at
Riverlawn had to be settled by what amounted to a real battle.
To the multitude of his young friends now in their teens, and to the
greater multitude now grown gray, who have encouraged his efforts during
the last forty years, the author renewedly acknowledges his manifold
obligations for their kindness, and wishes them all health, happiness,
and all the prosperity they can bear.
WILLIAM T. ADAMS.
DORCHESTER, July 4, 1894.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER I. TROUBLESOME TIMES IN KENTUCKY
CHAPTER II. SOMETHING ABOUT THE LYON FAMILY
CHAPTER III. A NORTHERN FAMILY IN KENTUCKY
CHAPTER IV. THE ARRIVAL AND WELCOME AT RIVERLAWN
CHAPTER V. THE DISTRESS OF MRS. TITUS LYON
CHAPTER VI. THE NIGHT ADVENTURE ON THE CREEK
CHAPTER VII. A STORMY INTERVIEW ON THE BRIDGE
CHAPTER VIII. AN OVERWHELMING ARGUMENT
CHAPTER IX. A MOST UNREASONABLE BROTHER
CHAPTER X. THE SINK-CAVERN NEAR BAR CREEK
CHAPTER XI. AROUSED TO THE SOLEMN DUTY OF THE HOUR
CHAPTER XII. THE NIGHT EXPEDITION IN THE MAGNOLIA
CHAPTER XIII. AT THE HEAD WATERS OF BAR CREEK
CHAPTER XIV. THE TRANSPORTATION OF THE ARMS
CHAPTER XV. THE ESTABLISHMENT OF FORT BEDFORD
CHAPTER XVI. THE UNION MEETING AT BIG BEND
CHAPTER XVII. THE EJECTION OF THE NOISY RUFFIANS
CHAPTER XVIII. THE DEMAND OF CAPTAIN TITUS LYON
CHAPTER XIX. THE CONFERENCE IN FORT BEDFORD
CHAPTER XX. THE APPROACH OF THE RUFFIAN FORCES
CHAPTER XXI. THE BEGINNING OF HOSTILITIES
CHAPTER XXII. THE FIRST SHOT FROM FORT BEDFORD
CHAPTER XXIII. THE PARTY ATTACKED IN THE CROSS-CUT
CHAPTER XXIV. THE ENCOUNTER WITH THE RUFFIANS
CHAPTER XXV. THE GRATITUDE OF TWO FAIR MAIDENS
CHAPTER XXVI. THE SKIRMISH ON THE NEW ROAD
CHAPTER XXVII. AN UNEXPLAINED GATHERING ON THE ROAD
CHAPTER XXVIII. THE RESULT OF THE FLANK MOVEMENT
CHAPTER XXIX. THE HUMILIATING RETREAT OF THE RUFFIANS
CHAPTER XXX. LEVI BEDFORD AND HIS PRISONER
CHAPTER XXXI. DR. FALKIRK VISITS RIVERLAWN
CHAPTER XXXII. THE ARRIVAL OF THE RECRUITING OFFICER
CHAPTER XXXIII. ONE AGAINST THREE ON THE ROAD
CHAPTER XXXIV. THE FIRE THAT WAS STARTED AT RIVERLAWN
CHAPTER XXXV. A BATTLE IN PROSPECT ON THE CREEK
CHAPTER XXXVI. THE SECOND BATTLE OF RIVERLAWN
ILLUSTRATIONS
"THE OVERSEER ELEVATED HIS RIFLE"
"THEN YOU MEAN I AM DRUNK"
"HE GRAPPLED WITH THE FELLOW"
"I HAD TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO HIT THE LADY"
"IT WON'T GO OFF AGAIN UNTIL YOU LOAD IT"
"STOP, BOY! SHOUTED THE MAN"
"THE BOYS CLIMBED A BIG TREE TO OBTAIN A BETTER VIEW"
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
CHAPTER I
TROUBLESOME TIMES IN KENTUCKY
"Neutrality! There is no such thing as neutrality in the present
situation, my son!" protested Noah Lyon to the stout boy of sixteen who
stood in front of him on the bridge over Bar Creek, in the State of
Kentucky. "He that is not for the Union is against it. No man can serve
two masters, Dexter."
"That is just what I was saying to Sandy," replied the boy, whom
everybody but his father and mother called "Deck."
"Your Cousin Alexander takes after his father, who is my own brother;
but I must say I am ashamed of him, for he is a rank Secessionist,"
continued Noah Lyon, fixing his gaze on the planks of the bridge, and
looking as grieved as though one of his own blood had turned against
him. "He was born and brought up in New Hampshire, where about all the
people believe in the Union as they do in their own mothers, and a
traitor would be ridden on a rail out of almost any town within its
borders."
"Well, it isn't so down here in the State of Kentucky, father," answered
Deck.
"Kentucky was the second new State to be admitted to the Union of the
original thirteen, and there are plenty of people now within her borders
who protest that it will be the last to leave it," replied the father,
as he took a crumpled newspaper from his pocket. "Here's a little piece
from a Clarke County paper which is just the opinion of a majority of
the people of Kentucky. Read it out loud, Dexter," added Mr. Lyon, as he
handed the paper to his son, and pointed out the article.
The young man took the paper, and read in a loud voice, as though he
wished even the fishes in the creek to hear it, and to desire them to
refuse to be food for Secessionists: "Any attempt on the part of the
government of this State, or any one else, to put Kentucky out of the
Union by force, or using force to compel Union men in any manner to
submit to an ordinance of secession, or any pretended resolution or
decree arising from such secession, is an act of treason against the
State of Kentucky. It is therefore lawful to resist any such ordinance."
"That's the doctrine!" exclaimed Mr. Lyons, clapping his hands with a
ringing sound to emphasize his opinion. "Those are my sentiments
exactly, and they are political gospel to me; and I should be ashamed of
any son of mine who did not stand by the Union, whether he lived in New
Hampshire or Kentucky."
"You can count me in for the Union every time, father," said Deck, who
had read all the newspapers, those from the North and of the State in
which he resided, as well as the history of Kentucky and the current
exciting documents that were floating about the country, including the
long and illogical letter of the State's senator who immediately became
a Confederate brigadier.
"I haven't heard your Cousin Artie, who is just your age, and old enough
to do something on his own account, say much about the troubles of the
times," added Mr. Lyon, bestowing an inquiring look upon his son. "I
have seen Sandy Lyon talking to him a good deal lately, and I hope he is
not leading him astray."
"No danger of that; for Artie is as stiff as a cart-stake for the Union,
and Sandy can't pour any Secession molasses down his back," replied
Deck.
"I am glad to hear it. I heard some one say that Sandy had joined, or
was going to join, the Home Guards."
"He asked me to join them, and wanted me to go down to Bowling Green
with him in the boat. He had already put his name down as a member of a
company; but of course I wouldn't go."
"The Home Guards thrive very well in Bar Creek; and I noticed that all
who joined them are Secessionists, or have a leaning that way," added
the father. "The avowed purpose of these organizations is to preserve
the neutrality of the State; but that is only another name for treason;
and when affairs have progressed a little farther, the Home Guards will
wheel into the ranks of the Confederate army. President Lincoln made a
very guarded and non-committal reply to the Governor's letter on
neutrality; but it is as plain as the nose on a toper's face that he
don't believe in it."
"I think it is best to be on one side or the other."
"Isn't Sandy trying to rope Artie into the Home Guards, Dexter?" asked
Mr. Lyon with an anxious look on his face.
"Of course he is, as he has tried to get me to join."
"Artie is a quiet sort of a boy, and don't say much; but it is plain
that he keeps up a tremendous thinking all the time, though I have not
been able to make out what it is all about."
"He is considering just what all the rest of us are thinking about; but
I am satisfied that he has come out just where all the rest of us at
Riverlawn have arrived, father. He and I have talked a great deal about
the war; and Artie is all right now, though he may have had some doubts
about where he belonged a few months ago."
"But Sandy was over here no longer ago than yesterday, and he was
talking for over an hour with Artie on this bridge where we are now,"
said Mr. Lyon.
"They were talking about the Union meeting to be held to-morrow night at
the schoolhouse by the Big Bend," added Deck.
"What interest has Sandy in that meeting? He does not train in that
company."
"He advised Artie not to go to the meeting, for it was gotten up by
traitors to their State."
"That's a Secessionist phrase which he borrowed from some Confederate
orator, or at Bowling Green, where he spends too much of his time; and
his father had better be teaching him how to lay bricks and mix mortar."
"But Uncle Titus is over there half his time," suggested Deck.
"He had better be attending to his business; for the people over at the
village say they will have to get another mason to settle there, for
your Uncle Titus don't work half his time, and the people can't get
their jobs done. There is a new house over there waiting for him to
build the chimney."
"Why don't you talk to him, father?" asked Deck very seriously.
"Talk to him, Dexter!" exclaimed Mr. Lyon. "You might as well set your
dog to barking at the rapids in the river. For some reason Titus seems
to be rather set against me since we settled in Barcreek. We used to be
on the best of terms in New Hampshire, for I always lent him money when
he was hard pressed. I don't know what has come over him since we came
to Kentucky."
"I do," added Deck, looking earnestly into his father's face.
"Well, what is it, I should like to know? I have always done everything
I could since I came here for him."
"Sandy told me something about it one day, and seemed to have a good
deal of feeling about it. He says you wronged Uncle Titus out of five
thousand dollars," said Deck, wondering if his father had ever heard the
charge before.
"I know what Sandy meant. Of course Titus must have been in the habit of
talking about this matter in his family, or Sandy would not have known
anything about it," replied Mr. Lyon, evidently very much annoyed at the
revelation of his son.
"I did not know what Sandy meant, and I thought I had better not ask
him; for of course I knew there was not a particle of truth in the
charge," added Deck, surprised to find that his father knew something
about the accusation.
"I don't talk with my children about troublesome family matters, Dexter,
and your Uncle Titus ought not to do so. I shall only say that there is
not the slightest grain of reason or justice in the charge against me;
and Titus knows it as well as I do. If anybody has wronged him, it was
your deceased Uncle Duncan. Let the matter drop there, at least for the
present. Why does Sandy wish to prevent Artie from attending the Union
meeting to-morrow night?"
"He said it was likely to be broken up by the Home Guards."
"Then he probably knows something about a plot to interfere with the
gathering. I rode up to the village this morning, and I was quite
surprised to find that several whom I knew to be loyal men did not
intend to be present. When I urged them to be there, they hinted that
there would be trouble at the schoolhouse."
At this moment a bell was rung at the side-door of the mansion, about
ten rods from the bridge where the father and son had been discussing
the situation. It crossed the creek a quarter of a mile from the river,
which has a course of three hundred miles through the State, and is
navigable from the Ohio two-thirds of its length during the season of
high water. The mansion was the residence of Noah Lyon; and after the
green field, ornamented with stately trees, which extended from the
house to the river, it had taken the name of "Riverlawn" in the time of
the former proprietor. The plantation extended along the creek more than
half a mile, including over five hundred acres of the richest land in
the State.
Above the bridge was a little village of negro houses, so neat and
substantial that they deserved a better name than "huts," generally
given to the dwellings of the slaves of a plantation. Each had its
little garden, fenced off and well cared for. It was evident that the
occupants of these cottages were subjected to few if any of the
hardships of their condition. Many of them were just returning from the
hemp fields and the horse pastures of the estate; and they seemed to be
happy and contented, with no care for the troubles that were then
agitating the State.
The bell had been rung at the side-door of the mansion by a black woman,
very neatly dressed. Back of the dwelling was the kitchen in a separate
building, according to the custom at the South. Mr. Lyon, though he was
the present proprietor of this extensive estate, was dressed in very
plain clothes, and had none of the air of a Kentucky gentleman. Deck was
clothed in the same manner; but both of them looked very neat and very
respectable in spite of their plain clothes.
They came from the bridge at the sound of the bell. On the left of the
entrance was the dining-room, a large apartment, with the table set for
dinner in the middle of it. Two young octoroon girls were standing by
the chairs to wait upon the family, which consisted of six persons.
"You have been shopping this forenoon, haven't you, Ruth?" asked Mr.
Lyon, addressing his wife, who was seated at one end of the table while
he was at the other.
"I did not do much shopping; but I called upon Amelia, and found her
very much troubled," replied Mrs. Lyon, alluding to the wife of Titus
Lyon.
"I should think she might be troubled," replied Mr. Lyon. "She does not
take any part in politics; but one of her brothers is a captain in a New
Hampshire regiment, and another is a major, and all her family are loyal
to the backbone. She has not said much of anything, but I know she does
not approve the attitude of her husband and her two sons. The last time
I saw her, she was afraid they would enlist in the Confederate army.
Titus won't hear a word of objection from her."
"She told me an astonishing piece of news this forenoon," continued Mrs.
Lyon.
"I shall not be much astonished at anything Titus does," added the
husband. "But what has he done now? Has he enlisted in the Confederate
army?"
"Not yet; but Amelia says he has been offered the command of a company
of Home Guards if he will pay for the arms and uniform of it. He agreed
to do so, and has already paid over the money, five thousand dollars."
"Is it possible!" exclaimed Mr. Lyon; and the two boys dropped their
knives and forks in their astonishment. "I did not think he would go as
far as that. He could not be a ranker Secessionist if he had lived all
his life in South Carolina, instead of nine or ten years in Kentucky."
"This happened a month ago, and Amelia says the arms are hidden
somewhere on the river."
"Does she know where?"
"She did not tell me where if she knew. More than this, she says he is
drinking too much whiskey, and that the Secessionists have made a fool
of him. She is afraid he will throw away all his property."
"I have noticed several times that he has been drinking too much, though
he was not exactly intoxicated."
"Oh! Amelia said he meant to make you pay for the arms and uniforms,"
said Mrs. Lyon, with some excitement in her manner. "He insists that you
owe him five thousand dollars."
"If I did, he gives me a good excuse for not paying it; but I do not owe
him a nickel. Home Guards and Confederates here are all the same; and no
money of mine shall go for arming either of them."
"Titus's wife says you are denounced as an abolitionist, Noah, and they
will drive you out of the county soon," added Mrs. Lyon.
"When they are ready to begin, I shall be there," replied Mr. Lyon with
a smile.
The dinner was finished, and the family separated, Deck and his father
returning to the bridge, followed by Artie.