B00ef19yy8 ebok, p.20
B00EF19YY8 EBOK, page 20
I heard one of the sergeants say. “Callaghan, can you not march in step? You are making me feel sick the way you wobble out of rhythm.”
I heard his comrades laugh and then I heard Danny shout, “Now!”
We all stood and began firing. The cavalry were further up the road and we poured shot after shot into the hapless infantry. They were taken completely by surprise. When my carbine was empty I pulled my Colt and fired a couple of rounds.
The sergeant I had heard before was ordering his men into line and I heard the captain yell, “Back! To the trees!”
“Right lads, run like the devil himself is after you.” As my boys ran I fired one last round at the sergeant who was busy organising his men. He spun around as though pulled by an invisible rope. Then I ran. I heard the ragged crack of an attempt at a volley. The balls buzzed around me like angry hornets. I saw one of Harry’s boys fall and Harry and Matty picked him up. Then Cecil tried to turn and fire. It was brave but it was stupid and a ball struck him. He too fell. I picked him up; luckily he was not a big man and I was able to throw him over my shoulder. I ran but I ran slower than before. By the time I reached the horses the rest were mounted. I threw Cecil’s body over his horse and flung myself into the saddle.
Dago pointed and yelled, “The cavalry.” I could see beyond his pointed hand the company of cavalry who had been at the rear and they were charging across the fields towards us. I fired my last three bullets in their direction and then joined the rest of the Wildcats as we galloped away. I saw, to the right, that some of the cavalry hit by Danny and his men, had also joined the chase but they were further away. Dago had Irish’s horse and was struggling to control it. I saw Cecil raise his head. He looked around and realised what had happened. He managed to slip his leg over the saddle and grab his reins. I could see the blood dripping from his arm. He was tough all right. The captain and Danny were at the back and they were both firing behind them. I slowed down to join them.
“Captain! How about a charge? It’ll slow them down and give the lads a chance to escape.”
He grinned, “It’s just mad enough to work.” He took out a second Colt. I had two as yet to be fired and at a nod the three of us wheeled around and, with a rebel yell, charged the hundred men of the Maryland Cavalry. We emptied our guns and then wheeled again before we reached them. They had stopped to fire at us and by the time they were ready, we were gone, hidden by our own smoke. As we raced after our own men I saw that the charge had slowed down those men but the remnants of the fight at the wall were closer and there were six of them trying to cut us off. I had no loaded weapons and I drew my expensive sabre. It was some time since I had used it but it felt lighter and more graceful than the cutlass I had last used on board the Rose.
They were coming at us from our right which suited us for it meant we could use our swords before they could. War is not a sport and the only aim is to win. I veered towards the first trooper who eagerly raised his sword. I slashed upwards with my blade and ripped through his horse’s neck. As the beast collapsed in a fountain of blood he was thrown from his horse and the rider next to him had to veer away to avoid the dying beast. I straightened up and increased my lead.
Harry had led the rest of our men a safe distance away and it was time to end the pursuit of these horsemen. I edged Copper to my right and the corporal who came at me tried to strike me with his blade; the problem was his horse’s head and it made his movement awkward. I chopped down with my sabre and severed his left hand. He screamed in agony and fell writhing to the ground. Behind me I could hear the captain and Danny fighting their opponents. There was still one trooper trying to get close to me. He tried to stab with the tip of his sword but I smacked his blade with mine and then swung the edge of my own sword across his body. I didn’t mind where I hit him, any blow would make him falter and so it was. The sword ripped across the top of his arm and I saw the blood begin to flow. When I swung the sword backhand he decided he had had enough and he wheeled his horse around, returning to the rest of the cavalry who had, themselves, halted.
I saw Harry and the others waiting for us, their carbines reloaded and ready but it was unnecessary, the pursuit was over. Copper was flecked with sweat and her breath was laboured. I reined in and slowed to a walk. I turned to look at my two officers. The captain had lost his hat and they had both received cuts to their faces and hands. None looked serious but they showed how close we had come to disaster.
Dago burst out laughing, “There you are Irish. I told you Lucky Jack could fall in a shit hole and he would come up smelling of roses. The captain and the lieutenant have more cuts than someone who visited a blind barber and Jack here looks like he has just come from a parade!”
We walked our horses to a ridge from where we could observe the Union brigade. They had halted close by the road and we could see that they were tending to their wounded. David too, was kept busy dealing with our injuries. Three men had died and apart from Cecil there were three others who had wounds. It had been a costly encounter but those reinforcements would not be heading for Harper’s Ferry any time soon. It had been a price worth paying.
The captain looked at our small band and shook his head. “I guess we’ll head back to Harper’s Ferry. We need to lick our wounds and regroup.” He looked north towards Sharpsburg. “We know there are Union soldiers here and that was what we were sent to discover.”
We limped along the pike, heading, all the time, towards the sound of firing. Having scouted Elk Ridge and Loudon Heights we hoped that we would find our own forces in position. As we rode along the road we saw grey uniforms on the crest of Elk Ridge and the captain led us in that direction. To our surprise there was just one regiment there. The colonel was pleased to see us as he had no scouts of his own.
“General Jackson sent the rest of the division over to South Mountain; it seems Robert E Lee is under attack there.”We exchanged looks. Perhaps Jed had not reached the general in time. “You boys are welcome to bivouac with us. I could use some scouts.” He pointed to the town below. “They have, as near as makes no difference, almost fourteen thousand men there. If they decided to attack us tomorrow, well it will not be pretty.”
Have you any idea where Stuart is?”
“Last I heard he was with Jackson.” He pointed to the heights on the other side of the town. “Yonder.”
“Any way across the river?”
“There’s a pontoon bridge a half mile along the Potomac.”
Captain Boswell turned to us, “Danny, I’ll go and report to General Jackson. You are in charge here until I return.”
As he galloped off I went to check on Cecil and the other wounded. The ball had struck him in the shoulder blades. It must have been spent as it had not penetrated. It had bled a little but I suspect the fall from to the ground and the rock he had hit had done more damage. He tried to raise himself on one arm. I waved him back down.
“They say you picked me up and saved my life.” His face showed the pain of the effort
“More likely just saved you from a Yankee prison. How you feeling Cecil?”
“Sore and stupid.”
“The sore I can see but the stupid?”
“I got hit didn’t I sarge?”
“Lots of fellows get hit but you survived and, hopefully, you will; learn to weave and duck a little more next time. Get some rest. We may need to ride again soon and I would hate to have to leave you here.”
His faced filled with fear, “No sir. You ain’t leaving me here. I’ll crawl after you if I have to.”
I smiled at him. “Just get healed first eh?”
When I rejoined Harry and Danny I heard the thunder of hooves and Jed wheeled in to a stop. He leapt from his horse. “Message from the Captain. He wants Jack and Dago at the General’s headquarters.” He pointed just beyond the guns which were still firing spasmodically. “He wants you now!”
I looked at Danny who just shrugged, “Better do what he wants. Dago, get your ass over here and get your gear.”
Jed pointed us in the direction of the pontoon bridge and we rode down the trail to the river. I noticed that Dago no longer had his sling on. “How’s the arm?”
“Just stiff. If I use it too much it aches but I can still hold the reins. Any idea why he wants the two of us?”
“Not a clue.” I ran through all the reasons why we might have been summoned but could think of none. The pontoon bridge moved alarmingly as we rode across and I think I would have preferred to swim but we reached the other bank and we were dry at least. We kept the town to our left and rode beyond the sporadic firing. I saw the flags and standards indicating the staff tents and asked a Virginian Cavalry trooper, “Which one is General Stuart’s tent?”
“The one yonder with the light inside.”
We tied our horses next to the captain’s. How do you knock on a tent? I coughed and said, “Sergeant Hogan reporting as ordered sir.”
Stuart’s voice sounded, “Come in both of you.”
They were both seated and hatless, the general gestured to two seats. “Please take a seat and you may remove your hats.” Both he and the captain looked serious and I began to wonder if I had committed some offence or other.
Stuart nodded at the captain who began, “We are going to ask you to do something for us but before it is explained you should know that you are not being ordered. If you do not wish to undertake this mission we will understand and it will not be held against you. Do you understand? What you do is voluntary.”
I looked at Dago who shrugged and I replied, “Of course sir.”
“And me.” Dago just grinned.
The general half closed his eyes and leaned back, “I have a nephew. One of my nephews, Archie Stuart, a lieutenant in the Second Virginia was captured this morning.” There was a pause and Stuart opened his eyes. “I want you two to rescue him.”
The captain smiled and nodded. I had many questions and they spurted out in no particular order. “Where is he? How will we know him? Why us two?”
Stuart laughed, “The why you is easy. You are Lucky Jack Hogan and the two of you have proved more than resourceful many times before. Your captain said you two were the men for the job as soon as I mentioned it. As for where he is well the Yankees have a holding prison for officers at Gettysburg. He will be kept there for a while and either exchanged or sent to a prison camp at some future date. So you can see that we need this expediting sooner rather than later. Every minute increases the chances of his being taken out of reach. They will know he is my nephew and this would be a coup for the Union brass.”
I asked the obvious question, “Why not exchange him then?”
“He is only a lieutenant and it would not look good to have a general use his influence for family.”
This didn’t explain why we were thought to be expendable but I let that one slip by. “Why Dago, why not Jed? Dago was recently wounded.”
The Captain spoke. “That is precisely why. You two will be travelling on Union horses in Union uniforms. The story will be that you are escorting your wounded friend back north.”
I was not sure that the story would wash.”We could be shot as deserters by the Union, that is if our boys don’t kill us first.”
“This is why you are being given the choice. You would, of course, travel in your own uniforms until you were clear of our lines. As for how you would know him.” Stuart smiled, “Like his uncle he affects a red neckerchief and his hair is long and over his shoulders. He does bear a striking resemblance to me.”
I looked over to Dago who nodded. “We will try then sir but suppose he has given his parole and refuses, as a point of honour to return with us?”
Stuart’s face became grim, “Then you will bring him back forcibly. You have my permission, in writing if you like. For the purposes of the rescue you out rank him.”
“And any other officers?”
“If you can then bring them back too but the priority is Archie.”
“We had better start now then sir and travel through the lines while it is dark.”
“We have three Union horses outside, I believe they were the ones you captured recently.”
The captain handed us two uniforms, mine was the uniform of an officer and Dago’s that of a sergeant. “These are from the Twenty Fourth Maryland. They are based in Harper’s Ferry. Here is an order from the colonel of the regiment authorising the two of you to travel to Dover.” I looked at him quizzically, “Dago’s new home town. It is north of Gettysburg and gives you a reason to stay overnight in Gettysburg.”
I was all out of questions save the big one which lurked like a storm cloud in the back of my mind. How the hell would we manage to pull this off? We packed our new uniforms in the saddlebags of the horses and I put my own Colts in the saddle holsters. I also replaced the carbine. I wanted familiar weapons with me. I clipped the sabre to my belt; I was an officer now and would need to look the part.
As we left the Captain said, quietly, “God speed boys. I know you can do this if anyone can.”
Chapter 15
Jack
We did not even notice the swaying pontoon bridge as we crossed over the Potomac for a second time. Both of us were too busy working out how we would pull this bizarre mission off. We headed for the road to Frederick. I decided that we had to take it one step at a time. First we had to get trough Frederick that would be our first hurdle. It was a large and busy town. I had a map given to me by the captain. It was a copy of a Union map we had captured and if found would not arouse suspicion. I could see that once we were beyond Frederick then we might avoid detection but there were sure to be troops in such an important and strategic town. When we were a few miles from our own lines I reined in my horse.
“Time to become Yankee cavalry, Dago.”
We quickly changed and stuffed our old uniforms into the saddlebags. If we were searched then that would be a giveaway but I wanted to have the option of changing uniform if it became necessary. We both had a sabre as this seemed to be the weapon of choice.
“I think we will try to hit Frederick at about nine in the morning. It will be busy and two more blue uniforms won’t be considered strange.”
“But two blue uniforms heading north might be.”
“Then you had better put your sling on.” The wound on his arm was still angry looking and any cursory inspection would confirm that he had, indeed, been wounded. The sling would merely draw attention to the wound.
We rode slowly along the road and I was acutely aware that it would look strange to be travelling at night but we had no option. It was just less than twenty miles to Frederick and we made the outskirts before dawn. We tied our horses to a tree and lay down to await the dawn. I fell asleep almost immediately. I have no idea how long I was asleep but something woke me and I sprang to my feet my hand on my Colt. The first silver glimmer of light was in the east and I peered around looking for the source of the disturbance. Suddenly the deer which had wandered close to us heard me and sprang away. As it did so Dago awoke.
He rubbed his eyes, “I guess that was dumb sir, falling asleep.”
“Then we are both dumb Dago for I fell asleep too. We had better get a fire going and we’ll make some coffee. If anyone comes by it will look natural and I need something to keep me awake.”
By the time we had made and drunk the coffee it was daylight and we saddled up and headed up the road to Frederick. We were now in Pennsylvania and far from any aid and support. “We better look relaxed Dago. We are supposed to be in our heartland. If we meet anyone then let’s tell a joke or a story. We have to appear casual.”
There were many side roads which joined the main pike and we found ourselves overtaking wagons, carts and mules heading into the town as well as meeting others leaving. Our blue uniforms attracted many supportive comments.
“Show those Rebs your steel lieutenant!”
“Hurrah for the Union!”
“God bless you boys.”
It struck me that if this was the greeting we would receive all the way north then our task would be simple. At the edge of town, where the buildings became closer together, there were two soldiers lounging at a rough barrier. The barrier was up. I nodded to Dago who began to talk, “So Irish, being the dumb Mick he is tried to put a second ball in the barrel. Well I said to him,“ I gave a casual salute as we passed the two privates but appeared to be too interested in Dago’s story, “that is the quickest way to blow your hand off.” I laughed and then we were beyond the two sentries.
I breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Well done Dago. Now comes the difficult part.”
We had to appear to be keeping up with the traffic in the town. To go faster, which we both wanted to do, would have been to invite attention. Soldiers saluted as we rode through and we returned them. This was hard for two soldiers who rarely saluted anyone. Suddenly a captain of the judge advocate’s department stepped out in front of us. He smiled and said, “Where are you boys going?”
I saluted. “Going back for a little leave, captain. My sergeant here got wounded down at Harper’s Ferry.”
“I heard that you boys were down there. How about I treat you to breakfast at Dave’s over there? He cooks mighty fine ham and eggs.”
I knew that to refuse would be seen as suspicious and I grinned, “That is a fine offer, captain.”
