OPERATIONS IN McLEMORE'S COVE
Captain Vallingham was a graduate of West Point who had gone into the
volunteer service of the South immediately after Fort Sumter was fired
upon. He had attached himself to the cavalry at first, but had soon been
transferred, by his own wish, to the signal corps.
The corps as operated in the army of Tennessee under General Braxton
Bragg was a poor one, yet it did some excellent work in those districts
where travelling from one hilltop to another was slow work, but where
the topography was just right for sending messages from point to point
by means of various signalling apparatuses.
The captain was a brave fellow, and four years at our national military
academy had "taught him a thing or two," as old army officers are wont
to express it. He was a prisoner of the enemy, but he did not intend to
remain so very long, if he could help it. To think that he had been
captured by a Union officer much younger than himself, supported by only
one or two followers, filled him with chagrin, and he resolved to square
matters with Deck at the first opportunity.
Like the young major of the first battalion, the Confederate captain
owned a horse that he had trained from ponyhood; but, unlike Deck, he
still possessed the steed and was now riding him. In addition to this,
the Confederate officer knew every foot of the ground the whole party
were now traversing. He resolved to make use of his knowledge and of the
abilities of his horse at the first opportunity.
The chance was not long in coming. At one point in the trail along the
creek, the rocks came to within ten feet of the water, so that the safe
part of the road was only wide enough for one rider to pass along at a
time. Consequently, the party had to move ahead in single file, Captain
Knox leading, Deck following, and Captain Vallingham coming next, with
the remaining Confederates behind him, the sharpshooters bringing up in
the rear.
The rocks were from six to ten feet in height, and were covered in spots
with sparse growths of brush. Back of them, at a distance of a hundred
feet or more, was a hill, leading up into a growth of cedars.
As the narrowest part of the trail was gained, Captain Vallingham
dropped behind, until fifteen or twenty feet separated him and Deck.
Then, of a sudden, he drew his horse around and spoke to the animal. The
intelligent equine understood, and with one marvellous leap, cleared the
edge of the rocks and stood on the flat surface above. Without a halt,
Captain Vallingham urged him forward, and away he went at a breakneck
speed for the cedars.
The two Confederates riding back of their leaders saw the movement the
instant it was made, but they said nothing. Deck heard the noise as the
horse landed on the rocks and turned as quickly as he could. From where
he sat nothing could be seen but the top of the escaping man's head, and
he fired at this, putting a hole through Captain Vallingham's hat and
giving the alarm.
[Illustration: CAPTAIN VALLINGHAM ATTEMPTING TO ESCAPE.
_Page 308._]
"Escaping, is he!" cried Life, and just then the rifle of the first of
the sharpshooters rang out, and another ballet increased the ventilation
in the daring man's head-covering. The second and the third
sharpshooters tried to urge their horses up the rocks, but this could
not be done, and they made the leaps alone, directly from their saddles.
"Stay back and watch these two!" cried Deck, to Life and the two
remaining sharpshooters, and leaped up the rocks. As he landed, he heard
a splash in the water, and glancing back saw that one of the other
prisoners had tried to escape by swimming the creek. The movement was a
foolish one, for the moment he reappeared, in midstream, both of the
sharpshooters still on the trail fired at him, killing him instantly.
By the time Deck had reached the top of the rocks, Vallingham had
covered half of the distance to the cedars. He was urging his horse
along among the tallest brush the plain of rocks afforded, and it was
difficult to get another shot at him. Deck fired once, and so did one of
the sharpshooters behind him, but the bullets whistled harmlessly among
the cedars beyond.
"He's got the bulge on us, Major, bein' mounted!" panted Clefton, who
now caught up to Deck. "How he got his hoss to take that jump is a
mystery to me."
"If I had had Ceph I could have jumped after him," answered Deck, and a
pang of regret shot through his heart, as he realized what a great help
noble Ceph had been to him. "Clefton, you run to the right and I will
run to the left. Sanford, you keep on straight ahead. Unless he knows
those woods thoroughly, he'll be bothered to find a path, and will have
to turn in one direction or another."
By the time Major Lyon had ceased speaking, Vallingham had gained the
first of the cedars. He struck the woods at a spot where the ground was
very uneven, and turned to the left,--the direction Deck had assigned to
himself.
Ordinarily it is impossible for a man on foot to catch up with a running
horse, although the man may be able to overtake the horse in the course
of two or three days' running, if the man is a trained runner. But
Captain Vallingham had to move along with a certain amount of caution,
for if his steed went down into a hole and broke a leg, the game would
be up. Being closer to the ground, Deck could see fairly well, and he
came along without slacking his speed.
The major was within a hundred feet of the Confederate, and was on the
point of calling upon him to halt, when Vallingham slipped behind the
first growth of cedars and out of sight.
"This way, boys!" called Deck, and made for the spot, with Clefton and
Sanford not over two hundred feet away. There was a small brook to
cross, and he came into the woods over some uncovered roots of trees and
amid a mass of half-rotted leaves and pine needles and cones.
"Captain Vallingham, you might as well give up!" he called out. "You
cannot escape."
"Follow me at your peril!" came back in a determined voice. "I am not
unarmed, as you suppose."
This reply startled Deck, but in a moment he made up his mind that the
Confederate was bluffing, and he did not slacken his speed. Clefton
called to him, and he ordered both sharpshooters to come into the woods
with him.
There was a road through the cedars, starting from a point to the north
of where Vallingham had entered. Toward this road the Confederate now
pressed, with Deck at his heels, trying to get a shot, but balked by the
trees and the darkness. More than once, the major went down, and he
wondered how the escaping prisoner could keep in the saddle.
As a matter of fact, Vallingham had dismounted, and was leading his
steed for the road. He was armed, as he had intimated, but his weapon
was nothing more formidable than a stout stick just picked up. He
reached the road at last, and leaped into the saddle once more.
Deck came into the opening before Vallingham had advanced more than ten
yards. In the gloom he saw the forms of horse and rider, and fired twice
in quick succession, at the same time calling upon Clefton and Sanford
that the prisoner was again in sight.
The second leaden messenger from the major's weapon struck the
Confederate's horse in the flank, and he leaped to one side from the
pain, unseating Vallingham, and sending the captain to the ground. The
shock was a heavy one, and ere the captain could recover, Deck was upon
him.
"Do you surrender, or shall I fire on you?" demanded the young Union
officer.
"I--I surrender," groaned Vallingham. "Oh! I am afraid I have broken a
rib."
"If you have, I am sorry for you, but you brought it on yourself,"
answered Deck, coolly. "Sit still until the others come up."
Clefton and Sanford were in sight, and a call brought them to Deck's
side. By this time Captain Vallingham had grown very pale; and suddenly
he fainted. Water was brought, and he revived, but he said his right
side hurt him a good deal where it had struck against a sharp stone.
The horse that had been wounded walked lamely, but was still in fair
condition, and the Confederate, being unable to walk, was allowed to
ride, Sanford leading the steed. The whole party turned back to the
trail, where they found Life and his men and the third prisoner awaiting
them.
"And so Colver is gone," said Captain Vallingham, when told of the
shooting of the man who had leaped into the creek. "Poor fellow; I am
afraid I am responsible for his rashness."
"It was a fool move all round, Cap'n," growled the third prisoner, and
the captain did not gainsay it.
Once more the march for the Union encampment was resumed, and this time
a close watch was kept on the prisoners, something which was now
scarcely necessary, as Captain Vallingham was in no condition to attempt
another escape, and the other prisoner being far too scared to dream of
such a thing.
It was dawn of the following day when Major Lyon finally reached
headquarters, having placed the prisoners in Life's charge, to be turned
over to the proper authorities in the camp.
He found the general commander just finishing his scant toilet, after
taking a much-needed sleep of a few hours.
"Be brief, Major Lyon, for I have little time to spare," he said, as he
motioned Deck to a chair.
Deck had prepared his report in his mind before announcing himself, and
was as terse as any one could wish. The general listened attentively,
and studied the maps and the note-book with interest.
"This is another feather in your cap, Major Lyon," he said, at the
conclusion of the interview. "I shall make mention of it."
"The men under me are as much entitled to credit as myself," answered
the young major, wishing to be entirely fair. Yet it must be confessed
that his bosom swelled with pride at his commander's words.
"Possibly they are;--they shall be remembered also," was the rejoinder,
and then the major was dismissed, to make place for several others who
had come in to report.
"You ought to be an out-and-out scout, Deck!" cried Artie, when the two
got together later in the day. "Life has been telling me about what was
done. I only wish I had been along." And later on Sandy Lyon said the
same thing.
Information had been obtained, some days back, that the Union commander,
Burnside, had occupied Knoxville, and that his opponent, S. B. Buckner,
had retreated to Loudon. It was now stated that fifteen thousand
Confederate forces were on their way to join Bragg. The question was,
would the two forces concentrate in Chattanooga, or at some place
outside, to do battle with the army of the North?
As has been said, the Army of the Cumberland lay along the western base
of the mountains. On the 7th of September, Negley's division commenced
the ascent of the steep sides, and at four o'clock in the afternoon
gained the summit. A reconnaissance was made by Colonel Wood, and it was
found that the enemy had heavy guns in the vicinity, covering the
eastern side of the mountain. The next day General Negley seized
Cooper's and Stevens' Gaps, finding the latter heavily barricaded.
Other troops moved in various directions. The Riverlawns, with the
cavalry on the extreme right, were ordered to sweep through Broomtown
Valley and seize the railroad in the vicinity of Dalton, thus cutting
off the enemy's line of communication in this district.
The Riverlawns moved forward full of enthusiasm, and satisfied that at
last some sort of a battle was at hand. But, alas! those hopes were
doomed to disappointment. Bragg was leaving Chattanooga as fast as he
could, and by the 9th of the month, everybody in the Army of the
Cumberland knew it. Rosecrans had gained "The Gateway to Georgia," by
strategy alone.
As the enemy had retired, there was but one thing left to do,--go after
him and compel him to either fight or surrender, and this Rosecrans did
without a moment's delay.
As Chattanooga was abandoned, General Crittenden took possession without
serious opposition. The remainder of his troops were called up from the
river, and on the same day that the news of the evacuation was spread
around, he started with his corps for Ringgold, arriving at Rossville
that evening. On the same day, Negley marched to McLemore's Cove, a
split formed between Lookout Mountain and Pigeon Mountain, where he met
the enemy's outposts and drove them back for several miles. At the same
time Heg's brigade marched into Broomtown Valley, to support the
cavalry, should they be needed.
The pursuit was growing warm, and the next day the advance of the Union
troops was checked in several places and severe skirmishes resulted.
General Bragg had left Chattanooga in haste, but had no idea of
retreating without a battle. He reckoned that the Union forces were
larger in numbers than his own, and he devised a plan for meeting them
not as a whole but by columns.
The Confederate's first combination was directed against the corps under
General Thomas. If he could reach and crush Thomas's force before the
others could come up, he felt the remainder of the campaign would be
comparatively plain sailing. The division under Negley at McLemore's
Cove was not allowed to rest, for Bragg ordered a movement against it in
great force.
Had Bragg's orders been carried out, there is no doubt but that Negley's
division would have been overwhelmed by mere force of numbers if nothing
else. But fortunately for Thomas's corps there was a delay. Hill sent
word that the gaps were filled with felled timbers and could not be
cleared in twenty-four hours. Bragg then ordered Buckner forward to
cooperate with Hindman, but there was another fatal halt. To hasten this
battle Bragg then moved his headquarters to Lafayette, and ordered more
soldiers to this united attack, which was to fall on Negley, who was
isolated from the balance of the Fourteenth Army Corps by mountains hard
to travel.
All day long the Confederate commander listened for Hindman's proposed
attack, but it did not come, for Hindman thought the force before him
too strong and awaited reenforcements under Hill. In the meantime,
General Baird had come to Negley's support. There was some sharp
fighting, but Negley's division was saved and withdrew to the base of
Lookout Mountain, where it was joined by Reynold's and Brennan's
divisions; and then the Union centre was once more secure.