CHAPTER XXXI
ANTIETAM
Startled as Noel Curtis was by the sight of the little sutler, whom hebelieved to be true to neither side, his feeling speedily gave way to agreat rush of anger. Almost unmindful of what he was doing, Noel rushedupon Levi and seizing him by his shoulders shook the little sutler untilboth he and his prisoner were nearly breathless.
"You rascal! You little villain! What do you mean by this work? It's badenough for you to be false to the living, but when you try to rob thedead! I'll try to see that you receive your just deserts!" shouted Noel.
"But--"
"Don't talk!" roared Noel, again shaking his prisoner. "What are youdoing here? How did you come?"
Unmindful of the fact that Noel had forbidden his prisoner to speak, andyet at the same time had told him he must explain his presence andactions on the battle-field, he glared into the face of the breathlessand frightened Levi in a manner that increased the latter's terror.
"I'll tell you," shouted Noel, "what I'm going to do with you! I'm goingto turn you over to the boys after I have told them that you were tryingto cut the ring from the finger of one of the dead soldiers! I'll leaveyou with them. I guess they'll know what to do with you."
"Oh, do not! Please do not! Dey vill be very angry mit me."
"Do you really think so? Maybe so. At all events, I'll turn you over andwe'll see what comes."
Securing a firmer hold upon the shoulder of his little prisoner, Noelspeedily withdrew from the place and soon placed the miscreant in thehands of the proper authorities.
Only a partial explanation was given by the young soldier, and as hehastened back to his place on the field his anger against the littlesutler soon was in a measure forgotten in the task that still confrontedhim.
The division in which Noel and Dennis were fighting was on the flank ofthe Union army. Because of this fact they were not among the first tostart in pursuit of the Confederates that Monday morning. It wasnecessary for the greater part of the army to cross South Mountain byone road, the turnpike.
Noel, who had been greatly depressed by the struggle through which hehad gone the preceding day, was surprised to find that Dennis and manyof his comrades were highly elated. They had succeeded in driving therebels from the strong position which they had held on South Mountain,and up its steep and rocky sides they had forced their way againstfearful odds. If they could do so well where rocks and steep ascents hadto be overcome, what might they not be able to do in the valley beyondthe mountain?
A spirit of confidence at this time, indeed, of overconfidence, as laterevents proved, possessed the soldiers. They had jumped to the conclusionalready that General Lee had been beaten, and therefore the overwhelmingdefeats suffered by the Union army at Bull Run now were balanced.
The rejoicing which had come to the army was modified somewhat when themen found that no response was given to their inquiry as to thewhereabouts of the enemy. They were not aware that the Confederates atthis time had withdrawn beyond South Mountain.
In the task in which Noel had been engaged he had discovered howclosely together the desperate charges had brought the men of the twocontending armies. There were cases where not more than ten pacesintervened between the fence and the place where some of the poorfellows were lying in their last sleep.
In the presence of such scenes the bitterness of the struggle was almostforgotten, and the eyes of the dead, that were staring upward so fixedlyin the gray of the morning hour, neither expressed nor aroused anyemotion except sorrow.
Unaware of the cause, the young soldier's feelings were somewhat numbfrom the tension of the preceding hours. Even Levi now was almostforgotten and the husband of Sairy Ann's sister had faded from histhoughts.
At last about ten o'clock, after many protests and much growling on thepart of the boys in blue over what they were pleased to call anunnecessary delay, orders were received for the division to be marchedtoward Boonesborough.
Noel and Dennis were marching side by side, but the most of theircomrades were unknown.
As the men advanced, Noel saw that the turnpike far ahead was filledwith troops, artillery and wagons that were hurrying up the pass. Thefields on either side were white with army wagons and far down the roadthat extended toward Frederick City a moving, living, advancing tide ofmen was pushing steadily forward.
Suddenly some one broke into a song, and in a moment "Maryland, MyMaryland" was taken up by the soldiers, although the words frequentlychanged to suit the feelings of the different singers. Even Noel,heavy-hearted as he was, smiled as he heard Dennis shouting, "_My_Maryland," with special emphasis upon the "My."
"Dennis, what are you doing?" inquired Noel as the line halted for abrief respite.
"Singin', sor."
"You call that singing, do you?"
"Shure, and what is it, if it isn't singin'?"
"That's what I wanted to find out. That was the reason why I asked myquestion. If you call it singing, why, I suppose I shall have to takeyour word for it."
"'Tis a beautiful country," said Dennis as he surveyed the scene whichextended far on either side. Fertile fields and a rolling plateau thatterminated in the distant hills appeared doubly beautiful in the softlight of that September day.
At their next halt, which was at the home of a family that proved to beloyal to the Union cause, the good woman of the house brought forth allthe food she possessed and divided it among the soldiers.
Laughingly she was telling some of the boys in blue of one of her ownrelatives who had been in her home two days before the battle of SouthMountain. Apparently all that he feared was that the demoralized army ofthe North, which had been driven from the Peninsula and out of Virginia,could not now be induced to enter into a contest.
"We are going to wipe them out this time, once and for all," the man hadsaid. "And then for Philadelphia and New York! These Yankees will findout for the first time what war means when we get into their country! Asfor Maryland, we'll lose the last man before we'll retreat."
Before day broke that morning this woman had been aroused by a band ofhalf-starved and weaponless men, clad in suits of ragged gray whostopped near her residence begging for food. A panic apparently hadseized upon the men. She had heard one of these soldiers say that if hecould only be taken prisoner he would be happy. In this crowd she haddiscovered the relative who confidently and positively had foretold thedire results of the coming battle for the Yankees.
"Why, John, is that you?" she had inquired. "I thought you were going toPhiladelphia."
"It's no use talking about that, aunt," he replied foolishly. "We havebeen badly whipped, and I don't know where a single man or a single gunof my battery can be found to-day."
At this time a small body of men was seen approaching bearing a flag oftruce. At its head rode a Confederate surgeon in a gray uniform whichhad been highly ornamented. On the end of a stick, which he held high,was a white handkerchief. The surgeon was accompanied by four soldierscarrying a blood-stained stretcher, while in charge of the little bandwas one of the boys in blue. Upon its arrival the leader requested tosee the ranking official.
In response to his expressed wish the surgeon was taken to GeneralHooker and by him was granted permission to secure and bear off the bodyof one of the rebel colonels, who supposedly had fallen in the fight.
The long waiting by the division continued. Hunger as well as thirst nowtormented the men. When the division at last moved forward, it wasdiscovered that the advance then was to be to Keedysville, about sixmiles distant.
The little hamlet presented a strange appearance upon the arrival of thesoldiers. The few stores and hotels were filled to overflowing with menclad in uniform. When night fell it seemed as if the train of wagonsthat steadily was moving past was almost unending. On the following day,when the men reached Keedysville, their progress was halted by acounter-current of cavalry and artillery moving to the right of whatlater proved to be a great battle-field.
At this time no one
seemed to be positive as to just the position theenemy were occupying. Many of the boys in their enthusiasm believed thatthey had fled across the Potomac. Such opinions, however, were met bythose who believed that the armies were on the eve of a desperateconflict.
When daylight came the following morning (Wednesday September 17, 1862),a frequent discharge of artillery, apparently about two miles to theright, soon gave place to a roar that was incessant, and then every onein the army knew that a battle already was beginning. The stragglinglittle village was filed with orderlies and officers rushing hither andthither on various duties.
The division advanced until it was on the east side of the AntietamCreek. Beyond, were the enemy, flanked by the Potomac River. It seemedat first like an unfavorable position and one filled with deadly perilfor the men in gray.
At this time Noel was not able to see any indication of a hidden forcein the fields and woods opposite the position where his division hadtaken their stand. As yet, too, very few missiles had come as far as theplace which he and his comrades were occupying. Ambulances could now beseen carrying off the more desperately wounded, or on their way back tothe field for their new freights of agony.
The fighting seemed to be going on mostly on the right. The roar of theartillery and of the infantry became louder and more terrifying. As Noeladvanced with his comrades he passed improvised hospitals sheltered in alittle valley. Farmhouses and barns were all occupied now, and still thestretcher-bearers brought in from the front a constant and freshaddition of suffering men.
It was no time for faint-heartedness, however. Into the smoke and thedin of battle, out of which the bleeding forms had come, Noel and Dennismust enter.
So many were the stragglers from the field that the cavalry was broughtup and stationed on the Hagerstown Turnpike and with drawn sabersprevented the withdrawal of any more.
On his right Noel saw troops drawn up in line of battle. On his leftwere other troops in a grove near the road. To his surprise as theyadvanced he saw some of the troops apparently falling back. A cry passedthrough the ranks that General Hooker, who was in command of thedivision, had been wounded and that the right wing had been compelled tofall back. There were rumors also that the enemy far outnumbered theright wing and that there was great danger also for the left.
Beyond all that, Stonewall Jackson, a name that every Yankee soldier hadcome to respect, had sheltered his reserves behind some rocky ledges andhad thrown up long lines of fence-rail breastworks.
A feeling of intense and bitter disappointment now took possession ofthe Union men. The division was sent ahead and drawn up in line ofbattle on both sides of the Hagerstown Turnpike. It seemed at thatmoment as if the Confederate soldiers were about to break through thearmy of the North and repeat the successes which they had won on thefield of Bull Run.
One of the batteries in Noel's division had lost thirty-eight officersand men and twenty-eight horses. Two of his comrades had tried toappease their desperate feeling of hunger by a hoe-cake which they hadtaken from the haversack of a dead rebel soldier. One general in thedivision had leaped forward in a critical moment and personally sightedthe guns when the enemy was almost upon him. Another general, of adifferent division, had ordered his brigade to advance, but he himselfhad remained behind.
Apparently matters once more were moving well, but just as Dennis andNoel were pushing with their comrades into some woods, they foundthemselves with others confronted by fresh troops who instantly stoppedthem with volleys so terrible that a retreat was unavoidable. NeitherNoel nor Dennis knew at this time that the battle of Antietam really wasnearly over. As yet, to both boys there seemed to have been set onlythe first act of the tragedy.
On the left the din of battle had long been heard and out in front thecannon thundered, and every moment an attack was expected on thedivision where Noel and Dennis were.
The cavalry now rested upon the ground in long lines. Its ranks weresomewhat broken and thin. Steadily in their rear, the various reserveswere being stationed to aid in resisting the attack which was expected.The men of each brigade in turn were stacking their arms and then werelying down.
CHAPTER XXXII
CONCLUSION
Meanwhile the infantry, expecting the attack, rested on the ground inlong lines. They were broken lines at the very best, and whenever Noeland Dennis glanced about them each felt a pang when he saw how many ofthe regiments, now gathered about the torn and bullet-riddled colors,were thin. At times, squads of men on the borders of the woods wereseen, who were doubtless rebel pickets or persons who were curious, likesome of the Yankee soldiers.
The captain walked down the lines in which Noel and Dennis werenumbered. One of the men, holding up a large piece of pork on his sword,said, "Look here, captain! This is the allowance of pork for my men. Iguess I shall have to eat it all, as I am the only one left."
At such a time many wild rumors have full swing. About four o'clockGeneral McClellan, with his staff, rides along the lines and is greetedwith great enthusiasm by his men. The report now is that the Unionsoldiers have been partly successful, the Confederates having beendriven back, although they are still holding firmly the new positionwhich they have taken.
An orderly stops for a word with Dennis and Noel. He shows a loaf ofbread which he has obtained from a near-by farmhouse and a little pieceof butter which he ingeniously has put in a hole cut in the loaf. Allthree, upon their comrade's invitation, sit down to enjoy the raretreat. The pleasure is increased by a cup of coffee, for the men nowhave been permitted to light fires by which to cook their rations. Itlooks very much as if the fighting for the day, at least, is ended.
Suddenly, about five o'clock, as abruptly as thunder is heard under aclear sky, a volley of shot and shell begins to strike or pass over andabout the place where the men are gathered.
Before the officers are fairly able to mount their horses the thirtygreat guns, which have been waiting for this opportunity for hours,begin to sweep the woods and the cornfield with their deluge of shot andshell. The roar of the artillery soon is almost deafening. The thirtyguns are being discharged one by one as rapidly as the men are able toload them. The little hillside actually shakes under the force of theshots. Dennis murmurs, "Faith! 'Tis not only the hill, but the wholeplanet that's shaking like a leaf now."
It is supposed that the fire of the rebels is introductory to an attackby their infantry. In view of this fact, the troops in front arenotified to hold themselves in readiness, while those in the rear arecalled upon to fall in and to take their arms and advance closely to thecrest of the hill and also to lie down there and to be ready for actionat any moment. All the reserves are prepared and ready. The wagons noware drawn by galloping horses. The right wing is believed to be ready.
General Meade, who, after the wounding of General Hooker, succeeds tothe command of the corps, rides up to the crest of the hill on whichNoel and Dennis are stationed and studies the position of the batteriesof the enemy almost as coolly as if he were at a review. Already thereis a bullet-hole in his cap, but the quietness of the great leader inthe midst of the confusion and peril is most impressive. He gives hisorders to make ready for the storm.
Noel saw shots strike so close to his own comrades as to fling the dustover them. The heavy cannonading by the enemy continues for at leastten minutes, and it is with a great feeling of relief that Noel, as heglances about him, is unable to see that any men had been killed orwounded. Such artillery firing at long range is terrific to hear, but isseldom fatal.
Later it was learned from some of the prisoners that General Jackson'splan had been to attack with his infantry after the heavy cannonading.Just before sunset was his favorite hour for such an order. Thetremendous fire of the Union batteries, however, plainly showed him howwell prepared his enemies were, and in a brief time his cannon ceased toplay and the Union guns also became silent.
Fighting by the right wing ceased when the cannonading stopped. When theofficers were convinced that there had been an end to
the immediateattempt, they permitted every man to bring from the neighboring farmsbundles of straw with which beds were made, and, still in line ofbattle, all soon stretched themselves upon these improvisedresting-places.
The weary gunners tried to make themselves comfortable alongside theirguns. The pickets were standing, with every sense alert, close to therebel lines, and prepared to give instant warning should a night attackby the Confederates be attempted. Not an officer removed even his sword.The horses, tied to near-by fences, were standing saddled and ready forinstant use.
There was no tree above the heads of Noel and Dennis, and as they laylooking up at the stars, for the first time in twenty-four hours thetired boys were able to think of the experiences they had undergone.Within a space of four square miles two hundred thousand men were lying.Some of them were stiff and stark and with sightless eyes were lookingup into the pitying heavens. Some were stretched on beds in theimprovised hospitals or lying wounded and bleeding under the trees.Others, even in their sleep, are clasping the deadly weapons with whichon the morrow they are expecting to renew the awful scenes of the day.
It was long before daylight the following morning when the little hillupon which Noel and Dennis had been sleeping was alive with menpreparing their simple breakfasts and getting ready for the fighting ofthe coming day.
Somehow there was a feeling of confidence among the soldiers that theday was to be marked with victory. They now had every opportunity todrive the rebels into the Potomac, or perhaps to capture their entirearmy.
But when sunrise came and hour after hour passed without any orders toadvance, gradually a feeling of bitter disappointment took possession ofthe men. The day dragged on, the batteries still remained in position,and the infantry still were resting on their arms. In the position heldby the enemy silence brooded throughout the day. It was nearly dark whenorders came to be ready for action at sunrise on the morrow.
With such information the growlers ceased their complaints and there wasa common hope that the enemy would not escape.
"'Tis only put off one day," said Dennis. "We'll either drive theJohnnies into the Potomac or carry them with us back to Washington."
The following day the men were aroused at three o'clock in the morning.There was no haste in the orders or in the movements of the men. Theyate their breakfast and drank their coffee, and then all made ready forbattle. But again the hours passed and there was no decisive action. Ateight o'clock it was learned that the Confederates had slipped away andhad withdrawn across the Potomac, and doubtless by this time were safelyin Virginia.
The river into which the Union soldiers had believed they would drivetheir enemies had now become the best defense of Lee's army. The battlesof South Mountain and Antietam were robbed of any decisive significance.It is true that Lee's advance into the North was blocked, and that hewas compelled to turn back to defend the rebel capital, but he had shownhis skill by successfully evading his foes and at the same timeprotecting his army as he withdrew.
The following day was Sunday. All signs of storms had passed, and notsince the Union army had departed from Washington had finer marchingweather been seen.
The sound of distant cannonading once more revived the hope that GeneralMcClellan would follow the retiring Confederates and that another battlewould soon be fought. The roar of the great guns, however, was merely aharmless artillery duel across the river.
The hours of the long day dragged on and still the men were not orderedto advance. The lack of action was beginning to tell strongly upon theirspirits and there were many complaints to be heard now on every sideover the meaningless, or at least the misunderstood, delay.
It was eleven o'clock at night before it was reported that orders hadbeen received for the corps to advance to Harper's Ferry the followingday. But the following day came and went, and in turn was followed byother days until a month had passed and the advance still was postponed.The battle-field was still the scene of the camp, and it was only aftersome time had elapsed that the soldiers understood that they had beenleft to help guard the Potomac so that General Lee might not attempt tocross it again and try another battle.
The terrible excitement and fatigue, the privations and the continuedstrain upon the nerves and feelings of the men were followed now by acalm and monotony that was most deadly. Once a week each soldier was onguard, taking his turn as a sentinel. Part of each day was given todrill. At sunset there was a brief parade, but the rest of the day waslargely his own.
Because of such conditions the soldiers were exposed to manytemptations, and in spite of the sorrow which followed the battle ofAntietam there were many pranks being played.
One day, which was unusually warm, Noel had been sent to thequartermaster's office on some errand for his colonel. He was standingbehind an improvised desk and consequently was partly hidden from thesight of any one who entered.
In the midst of his task of copying certain details which his coloneldesired he was startled by the sound of a familiar voice. Without beingseen he peered from behind his stand and saw that Levi Kadoff hadentered the quartermaster's place.
"Ish dis de quartermaister's office?" inquired the sutler timidly.
"It is," replied the officer in charge.
"Vell, Mr. Quartermaister, I chust got mine sutler's goots and I vantvon place vere I shall sell dose dings to the soldiers. You gife me vonplace, hey?"
"It is against my orders, sir, to give permission to anybody to put uptents or houses for the sale of goods of any kind."
"I vill not take mooch room for dese leedle dings," pleaded Levi.
"Come back and see me later."
"Ven I comes?"
"About an hour."
"Vell, captain, I comes chust as you say. I send you some of mine finegoots."
True to his word not long afterwards a basket, with a card attachedbearing the following address, was received,--
"_To Captain Vesh, Qr. Maister._"
Levi had departed before Noel had been able to make any protest.Confident that he would return, however, he explained to Captain Veshwhat Levi's former dealings had been and also expressed his surprisethat the little sutler had not been hanged.
In a brief time Levi again appeared, and as he entered the office hesaid smilingly, "Vell, captain, I comes to look at dot leedle place votve spoke about dis morning."
"What place, sir?"
"Vy, dot place vat you give me to put up von leedle dent vere I sellsmine goots."
"You must be mistaken, sir. I told you distinctly that we did not grantany such privileges."
"Vell, now, captain, look at dis. Dis morning I sends you von finebasket which costs me sixteen dollars mit de wholesale."
"You thought you would bribe me, did you?" replied the quartermaster inapparent anger. "Now, I'll give you two hours to get out of this place."
As Levi turned to depart, he obtained a glimpse of Noel's face and fledprecipitately.
Nor was Noel afterward able to learn the fate of the little sutler.Apparently each side had taken him as friendly to itself, or else thecrafty little trader had persuaded both that the charges against himwere untrue. Whether he was hanged as a spy, shot as a deserter, or wasable to continue his nefarious trading with the soldiers was a mysterywhich never was made clear.
The husband of Sairy Ann's sister, Noel later discovered among thewounded prisoners, and in return for the help which he himself hadreceived, he was able in many ways to aid the wounded man.
The continually repeated question among the men, "When do we move?" wasnot answered until a month or more had elapsed. Then, when the army wasmoved to Harper's Ferry, Noel there learned that his brother Frank hadbeen among the prisoners taken by the Confederates and sent to LibbyPrison. Disheartening as the information was, it did not decrease theinterest of Noel when late in October his division was ordered to movetoward Virginia.
It was plain now that the campaign was to be transferred again to theState in which Noel and Frank had had their firs
t experiences in thearmy. The enthusiasm of Dennis was great, and in his loudest tones hejoined in the song of the men when they departed from Harper's Ferry,--
"John Brown's body lies a-mouldering in the grave, His soul is marching on."
The boys in blue were somewhat cast down, but not despairing. The Unionarmy had outnumbered the Confederates nearly two to one in the recentbattle of Antietam.
Among the subordinate Union commanders there had been great energydisplayed, but no one was able to escape the conclusion that on theFederal side the battle had been badly fought and many greatopportunities had been neglected.
In the battle of Antietam the Federals had lost more than twelvethousand men and their enemies ninety-five hundred. All the troops ofthe latter had been engaged in the fight, but only about two thirds ofthe Union army had seriously entered into the struggle.
In a measure the friends of the Union were content that Lee'sthreatening invasion of the North had been thwarted. The great Southerngeneral had fought a pitched battle, but had not destroyed his foe.There was no escape, however, from the conclusion that Lee's plan toinvade the North had failed, and that the struggle now was to return toVirginia soil, a fact which Dennis O'Hara and Noel Curtis and hisbrother soon were to learn.
THE END
* * * * *
Dr. Tomlinson's Books
The American boy will never tire of reading tales of the early colonialdays and especially of the desperate encounters and struggles of thecolonists with the natives of the forest.
Dr. Tomlinson has read widely and has collected a mass of incidentthrough family tradition and otherwise, which he has skillfullyincorporated in the historical frameworks of several exceedinglyinteresting and instructive stories. He has the knack of mixing historywith adventure in such a way as to make his young readers absorb muchinformation while entertaining them capitally. His historical tales arefilled with an enthusiasm which it is well to foster in the heart ofevery healthy-minded and patriotic American boy.
The plots are all based upon events that actually occurred; and the boyheroes play the part of men in a way to capture the hearts of all boyreaders. Dr. Tomlinson shows scrupulous regard for the larger truths ofhistory, and the same care that would naturally go into a book for olderreaders.
The Boys of Old Monmouth
A story of Washington's campaign in New Jersey in 1778.
A Jersey Boy in the Revolution
This story is founded upon the lives and deeds of some of the humblerheroes of the American Revolution.
In the Hands of the Redcoats
A tale of the Jersey ship and the Jersey shore in the days of theRevolution.
Under Colonial Colors
The story of Arnold's expedition to Quebec; of war, adventure, andfriendship.
A Lieutenant Under Washington
A tale of Brandywine and Germantown.
The Rider of the Black Horse
A spirited Revolutionary story following the adventures of one ofWashington's couriers.
The Red Chief
A story of the massacre at Cherry Valley, of Brant, the Mohawk chief,and of the Revolution in upper New York state.
Marching Against the Iroquois
An exciting story based on General Sullivan's expedition into thecountry of the Iroquois in 1779.
Light Horse Harry's Legion
A stirring story of fights with marauding Tories on the Jersey PineBarrens.
The Camp-Fire of Mad Anthony
This story covers the period between 1774 and 1776 and follows theadventures of the Pennsylvania troops under "Mad Anthony" Wayne.
Mad Anthony's Young Scout
A story of the winter of 1777-1778.
The Champion of the Regiment
An absorbing story of the Siege of Yorktown, with Noah Dare, so wellknown to Tomlinson readers, for hero.
The Young Minute-Man of 1812
The young hero joins the garrison at Sacket's Harbor, is sent on anexpedition down the St. Lawrence, and takes part in McDonough's victoryon Lake Champlain.
The Young Sharpshooter
The experiences of a boy in the Peninsular Campaign of 1862, underMcClellan.
The Young Sharpshooter at Antietam
Deals with Lee's invasion of Maryland in 1862, relating further excitingadventures of Noel, the young sharpshooter.
Young Americans In The British Isles.
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