THE SECOND BATTLE OF RIVERLAWN
The enemy did nothing, and seemed to be still in a state of confusion
and uncertainty as to what they should do. The new commander of their
forces was certainly even more stupid than Captain Titus had been. As
Deck had suggested, he had expected to surprise the defenders at
Riverlawn, so far, at least, as to get their boats into the water before
they discovered that they were attacked.
"If they had any plan of attack it is a failure," said Captain Gordon,
as he and the planter were seated on their horses watching the enemy
from the front of the boathouse. "One of the recruits informs me that
they have a leader in the person of a captain from the Confederate army
in Tennessee, who was either sent for by Captain Titus, or was
despatched by General Buckner to organize recruits for the Southern
army."
"I should say that his first business would be to prevent recruiting for
the Union forces," replied Major Lyon.
"Whatever he is, he has made a mess of it," added Captain Gordon.
"But what did he expect to do?" asked the planter.
"Of course he expected to put his pontoons into the water, and send over
a force of from thirty to fifty men before they were discovered. If he
had done that, they could have acted as sharpshooters from behind the
trees on this side. They are just out of range of our muskets now,
though the twelve-pounders would catch them with a single shot of
canister."
"But I don't wish to have any more of them killed and wounded than is
absolutely necessary," said the planter.
"You desire to carry on the war on peace principles," answered the
captain with a smile. "You don't seem to understand that the war has
actually begun, and the more damage we can do the enemy, the better it
will be for us."
"You are in command, and I shall not interfere with your operations,"
said Major Lyon, as he rode off to the point where Levi was training his
gunners.
The recruits in front of the boathouse were impatient for something to
be done. They were from the country around the village of Barcreek. The
frequent outrages against Union men and families had kindled a feeling
of hatred in them, and they were anxious to retaliate. The influence of
certain men like Colonel Cosgrove and Colonel Belthorpe had created more
Union sentiment than prevailed in many of the Southern counties of the
State, and the loyal men had been terrorized from the first indications
of trouble.
"Why don't we fire at them, Captain?" demanded Enbank.
"Why don't you fire at the moon? Because you are too far off, and
nothing is to be gained by it," replied the commander. "I am waiting for
the enemy to make a movement of some kind; and as soon as they do so,
you shall have enough of it, I will warrant you."
"They are doing something now!" exclaimed Sam Drye.
"The mule-teams are in motion!" exclaimed Major Lyon, returning to the
front of the building.
"I see they are," replied Captain Gordon; "and there is a movement up
the new road, as you call it."
"What does that mean?"
"Probably it is intended to cover the launching of the boats. I think
the reprobates are in earnest this time," added the commander.
About fifty men started up the new road, and immediately broke into a
run. The territory between the new and the old road was covered with
trees of large growth, though rather too sparsely to be a wood, but was
rather a grove. For about twenty rods above the cross roads the trees
had been cut off, and it was a stump field. As soon as the detachment
reached the grove they scattered and took refuge behind the trunks of
the big trees.
"That is the idea, is it?" said Captain Gordon. "They intend to pick us
off from their covert. We must do the same thing. Scatter, my men; and
fire at will as you see a head."
The recruits obeyed the order, and were sheltered behind the big trees
by the time the enemy reached the positions they had chosen. A desultory
firing was begun on both sides of the creek. The commander and the major
were on horseback, and they could not protect themselves as the recruits
did, and they rode to the rear of the boathouse. They found that Levi
had organized a shovel brigade there. The Magnolia had been taken out of
the water to prevent it from being captured by the marauders, and had
been placed behind the boathouse.
Levi had moved the craft about twenty feet from the building, and had
propped it up, with the keel nearest to the creek. This was as far as he
had proceeded when the officer presented himself on the ground. Twenty
negroes, armed with shovels, which had before been brought down in the
wagon, were standing ready for orders.
"What in the world are you doing now, Levi?" asked the planter, when he
saw what had been done.
"I am throwing up a breastwork, so that my men can work the guns without
being shot down by the enemy on the other side of the creek," replied
the overseer.
"A capital idea!" exclaimed Captain Gordon.
"But you are putting it behind the boathouse, man!" shouted the major,
who thought he had detected Levi in an egregious blunder.
"These negroes are worth from five hundred to a thousand dollars apiece
if you want to sell them, and not many of them would be left if I should
set them to digging in the open," replied Levi, laughing at his own
argument. "Those ruffians could pick them off at their leisure, and we
might as well not have any artillery if the cannoneers are to be shot
down as fast as they show themselves. I will warrant that fellow in
command on the other side has picked out his best riflemen for duty in
the grove."
"The negroes are not for sale," replied the planter. "I should as soon
think of selling one of my sons as one of them. But the boathouse is
between you and the enemy, Levi."
"How long do you think it will take me with the force at hand to move
the boathouse out of the way, Major Lyon?" demanded the overseer with a
very broad smile.
"I indorse Mr. Bedford's work," added Captain Gordon, who had turned to
observe the operation of the enemy at the cross roads. "They are not
making a good job of their work."
As soon as the recruits had been ordered to the trees, and before the
detachment sent to the grove had obtained their positions, Deck and
Artie had obeyed the commander's order in hot haste. They had chosen a
couple of trees on the very verge of the quagmire which lay between the
lawn and the road to the south; and when the ruffians attempted to move
the mules, both of them opened fire upon the animals.
Both of the boys were good shots, and they hit the mark every time. The
mule, though one of the most useful beasts in the world, is very
uncertain at times. The testimony of soldiers is to the effect that
mules object to being under fire. The two boys were near enough to each
other to talk together, and they had agreed to fire into different
teams, and they had wounded one in each of them. The two that had been
hit not only made a disturbance, braying furiously, but they
communicated the scare to the others. The mule drivers could do nothing
with them, and in a minute or two the whole of them were all snarled up,
and the men were obliged to unhitch them from the wagons and lead them
away.
The animals were so terrified that they bolted up the new road in spite
of the drivers, and turned in at the bridge, which seemed to promise
them a place of security, just as Colonel Belthorpe and his party
galloped up to it. The mules were permitted to take the lead. Major
Gadbury and Tom were with the planter of Lyndhall. Major Lyon saw them,
and, by a roundabout course, joined them in season to prevent them from
coming within range of the sharpshooters in the grove.
It did not take the planter of Riverlawn long to explain the situation;
and he was informed that twenty Lyndhall negroes, under the lead of
Uncle David, in wagons, were on their way to the seat of danger. The
horses were left in charge of the servants, and the party made their way
to the fort, where they armed themselves with breech-loaders, and took
places behind the trees with the recruits.
At the cross roads the enemy were attempting to get the boats to the
creek by hauling the wagons by man-power. It was a long pull for them,
but they succeeded at the end of a couple of hours. The party in the
grove and the one on the lawn were careful about showing themselves, and
the firing was continued on both sides without producing any decided
result. But by this time Levi had completed his breastwork. Rather to
make a smoke than for any other purpose, both of the twelve-pounders
were discharged, aimed into the grove.
While the smoke hung about the boathouse, for one of the pieces had been
fired on each side of it, all hands seized hold of the building, lifted
it from its foundations, and bore it some distance towards the mansion.
The cannon were then drawn into the hastily constructed fort, loaded
with round shot this time, and were ready for use. The cracking of the
rifles in the grove had been quite lively during this operation, and two
of the negroes were wounded.
By this time the first of the boats had been filled with men, who were
paddling it with all their might to a clump of bushes near the trees
where Deck and Artie were sheltered. Both of them fired into the crowd
in the boat. But it was hardly under way before Levi had brought one of
his guns to bear upon it. He was very careful in pointing the piece, and
the solid shot struck the craft squarely on its bow, knocking the thing
all to pieces. The black gunners cheered, and were almost mad with
enthusiasm.
Another of the boats which had just been launched had to be used to pick
up the men from the first. They were taken to the shore. Then some sort
of a contention seemed to be stirred up among the party, the nature of
which could be easily understood, for it was almost sure death to embark
in the boats. In the mean time the shots from the recruits and others
behind the trees were picking them off, and the dispute ended in the
whole of them taking to their heels and fleeing towards the bridge.
The fire from the grove seemed to be suspended at the same time; for the
sharpshooters could not help seeing that the plan of attack, whatever it
was, had failed. Colonel Belthorpe and Major Lyon came out from behind
their trees. Captain Gordon, who was a cavalry officer, thought it was
time for his arm of the service to come into action to harass the
retreat of the enemy, if nothing more, and he called in all the recruits
from their covert, and ordered as many men as could be mounted to rally
at the bridge.
Twenty-four mounted men, including those from Lyndhall, were mustered,
each with a breech-loader, in the absence of sabres and carbines.
Captain Gordon led them down the new road to the grove. The force
occupying it had fled to the old road, and were hurrying to the Rapids
Bridge. Among the trees they found two men killed and three badly
wounded. Each of them had a rifle on the ground near him, and they were
weapons of excellent quality.
The cavalry party followed the fugitives to the bridge, and at the
intercession of Major Lyon they were permitted to escape; for he was
confident they would not make another attack upon Riverlawn, at least
not till they had an organized regiment for the purpose.
While they were upon the ground, Tom Belthorpe and Major Gadbury signed
the enlistment papers, as Deck and Artie had done before, and the
Lyndhall party went home. The recruits were dismissed for a week, and
ordered to report at Riverlawn at the end of that time.
The second battle had been fought and won, and there was no present
danger of another attack, though patrols were kept along the creek till
the camp was formed the following week. The two attacks upon Riverlawn
was the current topic of conversation all over the county for the next
week; and so far from damaging the Union cause, it stimulated the
recruiting, and at the end of the week Lieutenant Gordon had the names
of a full company on his roll. He had reported his success, and had
received orders to enlist another company.
The government supplied everything that was required, including sabres,
carbines, uniforms, ammunition, and lumber for barracks. Steamboats from
Evansville came up the river loaded with supplies; and as the water was
high from unusual rains, they landed their cargoes at the boathouse
pier, enlarged for the purpose. Each boat was provided with a guard, for
they were occasionally fired upon from the shore. Another officer and
several non-commissioned officers were sent to the camp.
Barracks and stables were built, and the drill was kept up very
diligently. Riverlawn was no longer between two fires, for they were now
all on one side. Before, the fight had been a sort of neighborhood
quarrel; but now it had become a national affair. The outrages upon
Union men ceased in that locality, though they still occurred in other
parts of the State. At the end of a month two companies of cavalry had
been enlisted, forming a squadron, if another could be raised.
About this time the Home Guard, under command of Captain Titus Lyon,
marched to Bowling Green for the purpose of joining the Confederate army
that was expected there. They went with such arms as they had used in
the second battle of Riverlawn, and without uniforms. They had a hard
time of it; for they had no supplies, and suffered from hunger and cold
in the cool nights. Titus's two sons, Sandy and Orly, were enrolled in
the company; but both of them deserted, though they had not been
mustered in, and went back to their mother, where they could at least
get enough to eat. The captain could not go home, for it required his
presence and all his skill and energy to keep his recruits from
abandoning the company.
Noah Lyon saw nothing more of his brother after his visit to Riverlawn
when the lieutenant arrived. After he had gone to the South, his wife
and daughters called at the mansion, and declared that they were left
without money or means of support, except so far as they could obtain it
from the little farm.
Deck and Artie Lyon, whose career as soldiers is to appear in these
volumes, now appeared wearing the uniform of cavalrymen, with sabres
clinking at their sides. They have been under fire, though not in a
pitched battle. They are frequent visitors on Sundays at Lyndhall, and
Kate Belthorpe has what her father called "a violent admiration for
Captain Deck," as he still insists upon styling him, assured that, if he
is not of that rank now, he will be in due time. The next volume will
present the two boys and others engaged in actual warfare; and what they
did will be found in "IN THE SADDLE."
THE BLUE AND THE GRAY
NAVY SERIES
TAKEN BY THE ENEMY
WITHIN THE ENEMY'S LINES ON THE BLOCKADE
STAND BY THE UNION
FIGHTING FOR THE RIGHT
A VICTORIOUS UNION
ARMY SERIES
BROTHER AGAINST BROTHER
IN THE SADDLE (In Press)
A LIEUTENANT AT EIGHTEEN (In Press)
(Other volumes in preparation)
LEE AND SHEPARD'S DOLLAR BOOKS
Around the World in Eighty Days. By JULES VERNE. Illustrated.
One of the famous modern books. The author is both learned and
imaginative, and he brings the researches of the scientist in aid of the
story-teller with a skill attained by no other modern writer.
The Wreck of the Chancellor, and Martin Paz. Two stories in one volume.
By JULES VERNE.
The first is an account of the shipwreck of a vessel which sailed from
Charleston, S.C., and was driven upon the west coast of Scotland. The
second is a story of life among Spanish-Americans and Indians in Lima,
South America. Both are masterly specimens of the author's style in
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Winter in the Ice; Dr. Ox's Experiment; A Drama in the Air. Three
stories in one volume. By JULES VERNE.
The FIRST is a thrilling story of Arctic adventure. The SECOND is a
whimsical but most ingenious experiment with oxygen as a stimulant, upon
the people of a whole city. It is a most subtle and effective story. The
THIRD is the experience of an aeronaut with a madman while making an
ascent.
The tales in the foregoing three volumes were translated from the French
by Hon. George M. Towle, author of "Heroes of History."
The Prairie Crusoe: ADVENTURES IN THE FAR WEST. Translated from the
French.
A Prussian officer after the battle of Jena found a child that had been
abandoned, and, moved by pity, took charge of it. Years afterward, the
child, having become a tall and brave youth, sailed for the New World,
and having landed upon the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, went into the
interior of the country. At that time the country was overrun by bisons,
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to Germany, where his adventures were far more agreeable than among the
Sioux.
Willis the Pilot: A SEQUEL TO THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON.
This is a fortunate continuation of the "Swiss Family Robinson," a book
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weather-beaten sailor, whose saying and doings make him a person of such
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Seas; and the narrative treats of the geography, inhabitants, and
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intelligent labor and perseverance they may be overcome.
The Young Crusoe: THE ADVENTURES OF A SHIPWRECKED BOY. By DR. HARLEY.
The variations upon the original theme of a shipwrecked mariner have
been many. In this case the hero is a young French boy, who was
abandoned by his comrades on a sinking ship not far from an island, and
who by swimming, in company with a large dog, got to shore, and lived
there many years. His dog was a faithful friend. He caught and reared
goats, and provided himself with food and other necessaries. Potatoes
were plenty, as were rice and other grain. It is a very pleasing story.
Of the visitors who afterward came to the island it is best not to
speak, for fear of revealing too much of the secret of the story in
advance.
Cast Away in the Cold: AN OLD MAN'S STORY OF A YOUNG MAN'S ADVENTURES.
By DR. ISAAC I. HAYES, the famous Arctic explorer, author of "An Arctic
Boat Journey," etc.
The narrative is supposed to be told by an ancient mariner, Captain John
Hardy, of his early experiences in an Arctic voyage.
It opens with a vivid description of the ice-floes, first seen as the
vessel sailed northward; and of the seal-catching by the sailors upon
the floating ice. Then came thrilling and fatal adventures with
icebergs, a shipwreck, and the prospect of death by cold or starvation.
The various expedients to get food,--seals, ducks, and other birds,--and
the long and finally successful efforts to procure fire for warmth and
for cooking, make some most interesting chapters. The meeting with the
Esquimaux gave a ray of hope, and at last deliverance came. The author,
as every one knows, was a famous explorer, and his book is a most
trustworthy account of the Frozen North.
ADRIFT IN THE ICE-FIELDS. BY CAPTAIN CHARLES W. HALL.
This book chronicles the adventures and mishaps of a party of English
gentlemen in the early spring while shooting sea-fowl on the sea-ice by
day, together with the stories with which they while away the long
evenings.
Later in the season the breaking up of the ice carries four hunters into
involuntary wandering amid the vast ice-pack which in winter fills the
great Gulf of St. Lawrence. Their perils, the shifts to which they are
driven to procure shelter, food, fire, medicine, and other necessaries,
together with their devious drift, and final rescue by a sealer, are
used to give interest to a reliable description of the ice-fields of the
Gulf, the habits of the seal, and life on board of a sealing steamer.
The Arctic Crusoe: A TALE OF THE POLAR SEA. By PERCY B. ST. JOHN.
In this book of stirring adventure, the characteristics of the Arctic
regions have been described according to latest authorities. The regions
are those visited by Parry and Franklin.
The Year's Best Days. By ROSE HARTWICK THORPE, author of the well-known
poem, "Curfew must not ring to-night."
"That day is best wherein we give
A thought to others' sorrows;
Forgetting self, we learn to live,
And blessings born of kindly deeds
Make golden our to-morrows."--INTRODUCTION.
To beautiful stories are appended several poems by the author.
Dora Darling, THE DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT. By Mrs. JANE G. AUSTIN.
The heroine of this story is a Virginia girl, who escapes to the North
by joining a Union regiment as a _vivandiere_. This is one of the best
of the distinguished author's works. Few American novelists have shown
such signal ability to compel the interest of readers.
Dora Darling and Little Sunshine. (Originally published under the title
of "Outpost.") By Mrs. JANE G. AUSTIN.
In this story a child, whose pet name was Sunshine, strayed from her
friends, and during many years had many strange adventures. Dora Darling
came as her good genius, and did all that a true heroine of romance
should be expected to do. This is not, however, a child's book, but
appears to be written for youths in their teens. It is full of incident,
and, like all Mrs. Austin's books, is beautifully written.
The Border Boy, AND HOW HE BECAME THE GREAT PIONEER OF THE WEST. A life
of Daniel Boone. By W. H. BOGART.
This is an authentic account of the career of the founder of the State
of Kentucky, and is full of thrilling incidents of the conflicts of the
early settlers with the Indian tribes.
The Printer Boy; OR, HOW BEN FRANKLIN MADE HIS MARK.
An account of the early life and training of the illustrious man, who,
from a printer's case and press, went into the councils of the nation,
and afterward was received with honor in foreign courts.
The Bobbin Boy; OR, HOW NAT GOT HIS LEARNING. An example for youth.
This book is the story of the early life of Nathaniel P. Banks, Member
of Congress and Speaker, Governor of Massachusetts, and Major-General of
Volunteers in the Civil War. Well written, and of absorbing interest.
The Patriot Boy, AND HOW HE BECAME THE FATHER OF HIS COUNTRY. A life of
George Washington for young folks.
In this volume the main facts of the life and services of this great man
are set forth in a clear and fascinating narrative.
The General; OR, TWELVE NIGHTS IN A HUNTER'S CAMP. By Rev. WILLIAM
BARROWS, D.D.
This is not in the least a romance, but a narrative of facts. "The
General" was the author's brother, born in Massachusetts in 1806, and
afterward one of the pioneer settlers of the West. It is a graphic
picture of frontier life now gone by forever.
Yarns of an Old Mariner. By MARY COWDEN CLARKE.
This work was once published with the title of "The Strange Adventures
of Kit Bam, Mariner," and had great success among youthful readers. The
spice of the marvellous, which was once the necessary flavor of sea
stories, is not wanting here.
Planting the Wilderness; OR, THE PIONEER BOYS. A story of frontier life.
By JAMES D. MCCABE, Jr.
Although the characters in this book are fictitious, the exciting
incidents, as related, are based upon actual occurrences. The leading
person is a Virginian, who in 1773 moved westward with his family, and
settled in the Ohio valley.
The Young Pioneers of the North West. By Dr. C. H. PEARSON, author of
"The Cabin on the Prairie."
As the title suggests, this book is a story of frontier life, full of
movement, and absorbing in interest. The works of this author have been
extremely popular.
The Cabin on the Prairie. By Dr. C. H. PEARSON. A picture of an
emigrant's life in early days in Minnesota.
The author says, "In writing this work I have lived over the scenes and
incidents of my frontier experience, have travelled once more amid the
waving grasses and beckoning flowers, heard again the bark of the wolf
and the voices of birds, worshipped anew in the log-cabin sanctuary."
Great Men and Gallant Deeds. By JOHN G. EDGAR.
This is a history of the CRUSADES and CRUSADERS by an able and
accomplished writer, who (in his preface) says, "I have endeavored to
narrate the events of the Holy War, from the time Peter the Hermit rode
over Europe on his mule, rousing the religious zeal of the nations, to
that dismal day when Acre, the last stronghold of the Christians in the
East, fell before the arms of the successor of Saladin."
Golden Hair: A TALE OF THE PILGRIM FATHERS. By Sir LASCELLES WRAXHALL,
Bart.
The scenes of this story are laid in the eastern part of Massachusetts,
in Rhode Island, and along Long Island Sound. The names of the fathers
give to the narrative an air of truth, although there is no pretence of
historical verity.
Battles at Home. By MARY G. DARLING.
The motto of this charming domestic story is, "He that ruleth his spirit
is greater than he that taketh a city."
In the World. By MARY G. DARLING, author of "Battles at Home."
The story opens with Class Day at Cambridge, and after some small delays
the chief personage is launched "in the world." Others come on the
scene: some as college students, and are full of their sufferings in
being hazed by the cruel "sophs"; some as society people, to whom the
waltz or german is the chief event of life; one as a sailor, who has a
terrible adventure; one as a poet, who aspires much, but writes like
other beginners. They are a natural and agreeable set of people, and the
reader becomes interested in them, especially in the young women. The
dialogue is uniformly bright, and the moral of the story good.
The Young Invincibles; OR, PATRIOTISM AT HOME.
This is a story of the time of the Civil War, and its purpose is to
kindle and keep alive in the hearts of the young the sentiment of love
of country.
Schoolboy Days; OR, ERNEST BRACEBRIDGE. By WILLIAM H. G. KINGSTON.
The popularity of this book in England has been remarkable, but not
without just reason. It is a well-composed picture of an English
school,--its buildings, grounds, teachers, classes, studies, and
amusements. The portrait, however, represents the great machine in
motion, and shows the boys at work and at play, and gives sketches of
the prominent pupils, with their quarrels and their friendly games and
competitions. It is a story as well as a picture, and one of absorbing
interest. The author is one of the most successful of writers for youth,
and his work shows a skilled and practised hand.
Antony Waymouth; OR, THE GENTLEMEN ADVENTURERS. By WILLIAM H. G.
KINGSTON.
A naval "adventurer" in the time of this story--which was the time of
Queen Elizabeth and of Philip II. of Spain--might be an honest merchant,
a pirate, or a commissioned officer, or a mixture of all three. In the
hands of this able and experienced writer, even the history of this
period becomes as fascinating as romance. This is purely a romance, but
it is true to history in the usual sense.