CAPTAIN ARTIE LYON IS SHOT DOWN
Life Knox was responsible for the movement which was now being made. He
had not only aided in uncovering the true strength of the enemy opposed
to the Riverlawns, but he had made a discovery that he considered of
great importance. Colonel Lyon had agreed with him and had acted on his
advice.
As has been said, the timber faced the road. It was uneven ground, and
to the north there was a sharp rise, running from the highway to a
regular cliff ten rods to the rear. To the south, the rise sloped away
into a hollow, at the lower end of which was a swamp having apparently
no outlet.
The Confederate regiment had come upon the Riverlawns at a spot midway
between the rise of ground and the swamp. If, therefore, the Riverlawns
could gain the high ground, they would command the situation, for the
enemy would either have to retreat to the swamp, or take to the highway
and the field.
Colonel Lyon well knew that success depended very largely upon quickness
of movement, and the order was passed to make the quickest time possible
in advancing as indicated. All the Riverlawns' horses were of the best,
and the way they tore over the brush and up the highway was marvellous
to behold.
"After 'em boys, we have 'em on the run!" shouted one of the Confederate
majors, and he started his battalion along the highway. He was given the
chance to fire one volley, and received another in return, from Major
Truman's command. He would have kept on running had not his colonel
ordered him back. The Confederate commander knew there was no need for
the Unionists to retreat and began to "smell a mouse."
The high ground was gained, and the first battalion, under Deck,
galloped into the open timber. Life Knox, who had just been over the
ground, rode in advance, as a guide. The ground was rough, but Life was
a thorough backwoodsman and easily pointed out the best trail. In less
than five minutes the whole regiment was behind the shelter of the
trees, and by this time the first and second companies occupied
positions directly in the rear of the Confederate reserves.
The reserves numbered but a company and a half, and not knowing what was
taking place, the ranking captain ordered one round to be fired, and,
receiving a round in return from the whole first battalion, started on a
rapid retreat, to bring up against the companies from the road, which
had just been turned in that direction.
These counter-movements in the timber, where the ground was sloping and
rough, caused something of a mix-up, and before the Confederate colonel
could bring order out of chaos, Colonel Lyon was swooping down upon him
from the higher ground. The first and the third battalions were called
into this action, and the Confederates ran like sheep down the slope
toward the swamp.
As usual Deck was in the lead, and almost before he knew it he found
himself face to face with the Confederate captain who had commanded the
reserves. The captain was mounted like himself and fired at him with his
pistol, while the two were less than five yards apart.
[Illustration: HE FOUND HIMSELF FACE TO FACE WITH THE CONFEDERATE
CAPTAIN.
_Page_ 428.]
A lucky leap on Ceph's part saved Deck from serious injury, if not from
death, and in a flash captain and major came together, and sword met
sabre in strokes which brought forth flashes of fire. The captain was a
heavy-built man of twice Deck's age, and as their blades came together
the major realized that he had engaged an opponent worthy of his steel.
Since joining the army, Major Lyon had practised industriously upon the
sabre exercise, until he could handle that blade about as well as any
officer, with a few exceptions. The captain was skilled in the use of
the sword, and had it not been for the more important battle around
them, both might have taken time to "try for points." But the present
contest was not merely one of skill, it was one for supremacy, and Deck
went at his man with a will from the very outset.
A parry and a thrust, and Deck felt the cold steel touch him in the rib.
But a rearing up by Ceph saved him from serious injury, and he went at
his man again. They had circled half way around, so that neither had an
advantage, so far as the ground was concerned.
Suddenly the captain made a savage blow for Deck's neck, putting forth
all his strength and quickness in the motion. Had the blow fallen as
intended, the major's head might have fallen from his shoulders.
But Deck was wide awake, and warded off the blow by an upper-cut which
nicked his sabre, but did no further damage. Before the captain could
recover, the major threw his sabre over on a side thrust, and the
Confederate received the point of the blade in his shoulder.
"Oh!" groaned the victim, and gave a gasp. He tried to recover, but
Major Lyon was too fast for him. He hit the sword sharply, and in a
twinkling it sailed into the trees, to lodge among some small branches.
The weapon had hardly left the captain's hand when a riderless horse ran
against his own, and he went down, under the runaway's feet. Ceph
swerved to one side; and then Deck was carried away from the scene of
the stirring encounter.
The combat had warmed the major's blood, and he rode to regain the front
of his battalion. It was some distance down the slope, and as he moved
along he saw Sandy Lyon having a hard time of it with two Confederate
sergeants, who seemed determined to bring the acting captain of the
fifth company to grief. All three combatants were on foot, and it was a
case of two pistols against a sabre, for Sandy's weapon was empty.
As Deck came up at full speed, or rather, as rapidly as the nature of
the ground permitted, he saw his cousin on one knee, he having received
an ugly wound below the left knee. One Confederate sergeant had fired
his shot, and now his companion was about to follow it with a second,
aimed at the acting captain's head.
Sandy Lyon made a stroke at the pistol with his sabre, but failed to
reached it. The Confederate pulled the trigger, and it must be confessed
that the young man who had fought so bravely since joining the
Riverlawns gave himself up for lost. Even to Deck it looked as if Sandy
was about to join his brother Orly as another victim of the grim Civil
War.
But the pistol snapped without going off, the weapon being an old one
and out of repair. "Hang the luck!" muttered the Confederate, and
readjusted the trigger.
But Deck was too quick for him, and as the major's weapon rang out, the
Confederate's arm dropped to his side and the pistol fell to the ground.
The major fired again, striking the second sergeant in the shoulder, and
a moment later both surrendered and were made prisoners.
"It was a good turn, Deck!" murmured Sandy Lyon, and he tried to rise.
But the pain in his wounded leg was too great, and he fainted. Calling
two privates, Deck had him carried to the rear, and he was, later on,
removed to the hospital at Crawfish Springs.
As expected, the Confederate regiment had, with the exception of two
companies, been driven down to the swampy ground, and here they tried to
take a stand. Their colonel had been wounded, one major was dead, and
the several companies were hopelessly mixed up. The two missing
companies had taken to the highway, thinking the others would follow.
"I think we have the fellows where we want them," said Colonel Lyon,
riding up to his son. "Dexter, don't you think you can follow those who
took to the road?"
"Certainly, I can," was the prompt reply from Deck, although he could
not help but wonder how bad that wound in the rib was. "How many
companies got away?"
"Not more than two. You might take three companies with you."
"All right, Colonel," replied Deck, and started to find the companies in
question.
Captain Abbey was busy down at the very edge of the swamp, but the
second, third, and fourth companies were somewhat in the rear,--for the
fierce hand-to-hand fighting had caused the battalion formations to
disappear, although the companies were still in uneven lines. In a few
words Deck explained to Captains Blenks and Richland, and his brother,
what was expected of them, and the three companies swung around and made
through the timber for the highway.
The Confederates had gone up the road a little beyond the rise. Here
their leader had halted them, and sent back several messengers to tell
of what he had done. The messengers were midway between the retreating
troops and the scene of the conflict when Deck's command came upon them.
There were three Confederates, and they came to a sudden stop in deep
perplexity.
"Surrender!" cried Captain Blenks, who was at the front with the major.
And as the Confederates made no sign he turned to his superior. "Shall I
open on them, Major Lyon?"
"Yes," answered Deck, as one of the trio raised his pistol. He was about
to fire when the second company sent in a volley, and the man dropped.
The others turned and sped for their company at the best speed their
legs could command.
"Forward!" ordered Major Deck, and away went the three companies up the
highway until within two hundred yards of the Confederates. As they came
up over the rise the enemy opened upon them, and they returned the fire.
Then Deck turned to his brother.
"Artie, move over into the field and to their right," he said. "The
other companies can handle them from the front."
Without delay Captain Artie Lyon switched off as commanded. The second
company was sent to the opposite side, where there was a slight break in
the timber.
The Confederate ranking captain, seeing this new move, and realizing
that his command was not more than three-quarters as strong as the
enemy, resolved to continue his retreat. But the road curved and this
brought him closer and closer to the position Artie Lyon's company was
riding for, a split in the road where there was a wide open field backed
by some rocks impossible to travel across. Before the Confederate had
time to think twice, Artie gave him two volleys, and, maddened beyond
endurance, the Confederate ordered a charge in the hope of breaking
through the Union line and rejoining the balance of the regiment of the
South.
The rush was such as only certain Southern commands were in the habit of
making, a wild, delirious oncoming, with but one purpose,--to crush all
that was in front, regardless of consequences. These rushes were truly
soul-inspiring and worthy of a better cause. In many cases they brought
victory, but the victory was literally drowned out by the blood which
flowed.
It was so in the present case. Captain Artie's company met the shock
like true soldiers fighting for a cause they knew was both lofty and
just. The clash of steel, the crack of musketry, the din, confusion, and
smoke, the yelling and cheering, were beyond description. It was a
hand-to-hand encounter, in which every man had to do for himself,
leaving his nearest neighbor to do as he saw fit.
The shock came before Major Lyon could do anything to prevent it; but
without waiting an instant he ordered the other companies to this part
of the field, and both commands fired as they ran, aiming at the rear
lines of the Confederates, which were not yet mixed up in the melee. The
companies then went into close action, Captain Richland's men actually
riding over the last line of the enemy.
Deck saw that Artie was being hard pressed personally, having gone
directly to the front to urge his command to stand firm. The young
captain was daring to the last degree. "Don't give them an inch!" he
shouted. "Down with them! Drive them back, boys!" And the "boys" did
drive them back, twenty yards or more. Artie was waving his sabre on
high and continued in the front, when suddenly Deck was horrified to see
him throw up both arms, reel from the saddle, and disappear from view in
the surging mass of cavalrymen and infantry around him.
"Artie!" he cried, but the tumult drowned Deck's voice. Forgetting aught
else, he urged Ceph into the lines and straight for that fatal spot,
fully expecting to find poor Artie a corpse. He had yet a dozen yards to
go when he saw Second Lieutenant Milton falling back bearing the young
captain in his arms. Artie's eyes were closed, and the clothing about
his left side was saturated with blood.
"Dead?" asked the major, hoarsely. He could scarcely speak.
"I'm afraid so, Major; but I'm not certain," was the answer. "Shall I
take him to the rear?"
"Yes, Lieutenant, and see that he gets the best of care if he still
lives," said Deck. "I will come myself, as soon as I can."
By this time the other companies had rushed in, and now the major found
it absolutely necessary to re-form his battalion of three companies.
This was done inside of five minutes, and by this time the force of the
first shock was over; but the Confederates had lost nearly one-third of
their command, while Captain Artie's company had fared little better.
Finding the rush of no avail, so far as breaking through was concerned,
the Confederate leader thought once again of retreating. But Deck had
hemmed him in, and a galling fire from the front and the left brought
him to his wit's end. The fire was about to be repeated, when the second
captain of the Confederates interfered, and after a few words had passed
between him and his superior, a flag of truce was hoisted. The prisoners
taken numbered exactly thirty-seven, all the other Confederates being
either wounded or dead.
The fight had hardly drawn to a close when Colonel Lyon's orderly dashed
up, to learn from Deck how things were going.
"They have surrendered," answered the major. "Their loss is very heavy
and ours is likewise considerable--due entirely to their pig-headed
leader, who kept on fighting when he should have saved his men and
surrendered," he added, with perhaps more bitterness than was necessary.
He was thinking of poor Artie.
"We have taken about half of the men in the swamp, and the battle is
over there, also," said the orderly. "The remaining troops escaped into
the timber, and Captain Knox's company has gone after them."
"Tell Colonel Lyon that Captain Artie Lyon is either dead or badly
wounded," said Deck, and rode off, to learn the truth concerning his
cousin and foster-brother's condition.