UNIVERSFT Y OF CAROLINA OLIVER OPTIC'S STORIES, A Library for Young and Old, in six volumes. itimo. Illustrated. Per vol., $1.50. Tlie Sailor Boy, or Jack Somers in the Navy. Tlie Yankee Miidtly, or Adventures of a Naval Officer. Brave Old. Salt, or Life on the Quarter Deck. Tlie Soldier Boy, or Tom Somers in the Army. The Young Lieutenant, Or The Adventures of an Army Officer. Fighting Joe, or the Fortunes of a Staff Officer. " The writings of Oliver Optic are the most pe- culiarly fitted tor juvenile readers of any works now published. There is a freshness and vivacity about them which is very engaging to older read- ers. The benefit which a young mind will ob- tain from reading the healthy descriptions, full of zest and life, and, withal, containing a great deal of very useful information, is almost incalcula- ble." — Toledo Blade. f LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. OLIVER OPTICS RIVERDALE STORIES. Twelve volumes. Profusely illustrated from new designs by Billings. In neat box. Cloth. Per vol., 46 c. Hiittle Merchant. Young Voyagers. Christmas Grift. Dolly and I. Uncle Ben. Birthday Party. Proud and Lazy. Careless Kate. Robinson Crusoe, Jr. The Bicnic Barty. The G-old Thimble. The Do-Somethings. •' Anxious mothers who wish to keep their boys out of mischief, will dg well to keep their hands filled with one of the*numerous volumes of Oliver Optic. They all have a good moral, are full of fascinating incidents mingled with instruction, and teach that straight-forwardness is best." — News. LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. OLIVER OPTIC'S MAGAZINE. OLIVER OPTIC, Editor. Published Monthly. Each number contains: Part of a NEW STORY, by the Editor. STORIES and SKETCHES, by popular authors. An ORIGINAL DIALOGUE. A DECLAMATION. PUZZLES, REBUSES, &c. All Handsomely Illustrated. Terms: $3.00 per year ; 25 cts. per number. Sold Everywhere. ^Remember, this Magazine contains more reading matter than any other juvenile maga- zine published. Specimen copies sent free by mail on apph- £ cation. LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. lb? OLIVER OPTIC'S YOUNG AMERICA ABROAD. A Library of Travel and Adventure in Foreign Lands. 16mo. Illustrated by Nast, Stevens, Perkins, and others. Per volume, $1.50. Outward Bound, or Young America Afloat. Shamrock & Thistle, or Young America in Ireland and Scotland. Red Cross, or Young America in England and Wales. Dikes & TMtohes, or Young America in Holland and Belgium. Palace & Cottage, or Young America in France and Switzerland. T>owii tlie Rlilne, or Young America in Germany. " These are by far the most instructive books written by this popular author, and while main- taining throughout enough of excitement and ad- venture to enchain the interest of the youthfu reader, there is still a great amount of informa- tion conveyed respecting the history, natural fea- tures, and geography or this far-otf land, and the peculiarities of the places and people which they contain."— Gazette. J LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. OLIVER OPTIC'S LAKE SHORE SERIES. Six Vols., Illust. Per vol., $1.25. Through by Daylight ; Or, The Young Engineer of the Lake Shore Railroad. Lightning Express ; Or, The Rival Academies. On Time ; Or, The Young Captain of the Ucayga Steamer. Switch Off; Or, The War of the Students. Brake Up; Or, The Young Peacemakers, Bear and Forbear; Or, The Young Skipper of Lake Ucayga. Oliver Optic owes his popularity to a pleasant style, and to a ready synyjathy with the dreams, hopes, aspirations, and fancies of the young people for whom he writes. He writes like a wise, over- grown boy, and his books have therefore a fresh- ness and raciness rarely attained by his fellow scribes. — Christian Advocate. LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. OLIVER OPTIC'S BOAT CLUB SERIES. Six Vols., Illust. Per vol., $1.25. The Boat Club ; Or, The Bunkers of Rippleton. All Aboard; Or, Life on the Lake. Now or JVever ; Or, the Adventures of Bobby Bright. Try Again ; Or, The Trials and Triumphs of Harry West. Poor and Proud ; Or, The Fortunes of Katy Redburn. Little by Little ; Or The Cruise of the Flyaway. Boys and girls have no taste for dry and tame things; they want something that will stir the blood and warm the heart. Optic alwavs does this, while at the same time he improves the taste and elevates the moral nature. The coming gen- eration of men will never know how much they are indebted for what is pure and enobling to his writings. — R. 1. Schoolmate. § r> LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. ^ Wc*" OLIVER OPTIC'S STARRY FLAG SERIES. Six Vols., Illust. Per vol., $1.25. The Starry Flag; Or, The Young Fisherman of Cape Ann. Breaking Away; Or, The Fortunes of a Student. Seek and Find; Or, The Adventures of a Smart Boy. Freaks of Fortune ; Or, Half Round the World. Make or Break; Or, The Rich Man's Daughter. Down the River; Or, Buck Bradford and his Tyrants. These books are exciting narratives, and full of stirring adventures, but the youthful heroes of the stories are noble, self-sacrificing, and courageous, and the stories contain nothing which will do injury to the mind or heart of the youthful reader. — Webster Times. LEE & SHEPARD, Publishers, Boston. OLIVER OPTIC'S WOODVILLE STORIES. Six Vols., Illust. PeR vol., $1.25. Rich and Humble; Or, The Mission of Bertha Grant. In School and Out; Or, the Conquest of Richard Grant. Watch and Wait; Or, The Young Fugitives. Work and Win; Or, Noddy Newman on a Cruise. Hope and Have; Or, Fanny Grant among the Indians. Haste and Waste; Or, The Young Pilot of Lake Cham- plain. Oliver Optic is the apostolic successor, at the "Huh," of Peter Parley. He has just completed the "Woodvlile Stories," by the publication of "Haste and Waste." The best notice to give of them is to mention that a couple of youngsters pulled them out of the pile two hours since, and are yet devouring them out in the summer-house (albeit autumn leaves cover it) oblivious to muffin time. — JV. Y. Lea though he said nothing to his companion about the remark to which they had listened, could not help thinking about it. The regular and himself had been alluded to as Yan- kee officers* It was evident that some one was present who ought not to be present ; but as a guest in the house, it was not competent for him to investigate the meaning of the suspicious words. Major Riggleston presently returned to the drawing- room, attended by an elderly gentleman, whom he in- troduced as his father, and a beautiful but majestic and haughty young lady of eighteen, whom he introduced as Miss Maud Hasbrouk. When Somers heard her voice, which was as musical as the rippling of a mountain rill, he recognized the tones of the person who had used the doubtful words in the adjoining room. The old gentleman was happy to see the visitors, es- pecially as they belonged to the Union army, whose presence was welcome to him after the visit of the 34 FIGHTING JOB, Oil rebels. He hoped that General McClellan would be abla to drive the invaders from the soil — conquer, capture, and exterminate them. His words were certainly strong enough to vouch for his loyalty ; and these, added to the fact that the major was an officer in the Maryland Home Brigade, satisfied Somers that he had not fallen into a nest of rebels and traitors, as the obnoxious remark, not intended for his ears, had almost led him to believe. " The more true men we have here the better ; for we have been completely overrun by traitors/' said the old gentleman, alluding to the visit of Lee's army. " You use strong words, Mr. Higgleston," added the lady, whose bright eyes flashed as she spoke. " I say what I mean," continued the host. " Is there any doubt of the fact that the state has been invaded by the rebels?" asked Somers, with a smile. " None whatever ; but Mr. Kiggleston called them traitors," replied Miss Hasbrouk. " Is there any doubt of that fact?" " Are men who are fighting for the dearest rights of man traitors?" demanded she, warmly. " Undoubtedly not. But the rebels are not fighting for any such thing." " I beg your pardon, Captain Somers. I think they are. Permit me to add, that I am a rebel." " I am very sorry to hear it," laughed Somers, pleased with the spirit, no less than the beauty, of the lady. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 35 " I suppose you are," replied she. " The South is fighting for the right of self-government — for its own existence. The right of secession is just as evident to me as the right to live." The question of secession was fully discussed by the lady and Somers, but both of them were in the best of humor. Neither contestant succeeded in convincing the other on a single point ; and when the party were called to supper, they had advanced just about as far as the statesmen had when the momentous issue was handed over to the arbitrament of arms. It was a matter to be adjusted by hard fighting ; and as Miss Hasbrouk and Somers did not intend to settle the question in this rude manner, the subject was dropped. The family, so far as Somers could judge, were loyal people. The imperial young lady, who was a fit type of the southern character, was only a visitor. In spite of her proud and haughty bearing, she was a very agree- able person, and the guests enjoyed her society. " I am a rebel," said she, as they sat down to supper ; " but I am, sorely against my will, I confess, a non- combatant, and we are now on neutral ground. We will bury our differences, then, Captain Somers, and be friends." " With all my heart," replied the gallant young captain. A very pleasant evening was spent in the drawing- 36 . FIGHTING JOE, OR room, during which Miss Hasbrouk affected the company of Somers rather than that of the regular, who appeared to be as stoical in society as he was on the road. She was lively, witty, and fascinating, and seemed to be very much delighted with the society of the young staff officer. He was an exceedingly good-looking fellow, it is true ; but he was a Yankee, and she made no secret of her aversion to Yankees in general. He was an ex- ception to the rule, and she compelled him to relate the history of his brief campaign at Petersburg. She laughed at the chagrin of Dr. Scoville, Avhen his invalid took to himself wings and flew away ; but she took no pains to conceal her sympathy with the cause of the Confederacy. At an early hour the officers retired ; and as they an- nounced their intention to depart at daylight in the morning, they took leave of the ladies. Miss Hasbrouk was so kind as to hope she might meet the captain again ; for notwithstanding his vile political affinities, he was a sensible person. Before the sun rose, Somers and the regular were in the saddle. The major, whose route lay in a different direction, was no longer their companion. The head- quarters of the first army corps were on the Monocacy ; and thither the travellers wended their way through a beautiful country, which excited the admiration even of the stoical captain of the regulars, though it Avas n 84 F1GIITIXG JOE, OR pressed forces. As " Fighting Joe" appeared before the lines, the utmost enthusiasm was manifested by the troops. They cheered him as though he had already saved the day. The general was examining the ground. His quick eye had already grasped the situation. He had been ordered by the general commanding to make a feint in favor of Burnside's forces ; but, satisfied that an attack on the south side of the road would not be a suc- cess, he turned his attention to that portion of the rebel line at the north of the road, which had been reported upon by Captain Somers. The general proceeded, as he always did, directly to the front. He seemed to know precisely what he was about, and to have all his force entirely in hand. Then he began to send off his orders, and the members of his staff were dashing about in every direction, till the line was formed. Batteries were posted behind the troops, and the shot and shell whizzed through the air over the soldiers' heads. The order to advance was given ; the line moved up the precipitous steeps, and for half an hour the battle raged with tremendous fury. Somers found every instant of his time occupied, as he dashed from one division to another ; while shot, shell, and bullets flew through the air like hailstones. Kind Providence protected him again, as it had before, and he escaped all injury. On marched the victorious line, con- quering every obstacle, and driving the rebels before THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 85 them ; but it Avas long after dark before the red field was entirely won, and the Union troops were in possession of the crests of the mountain. " Captain Somers, you have clone admirably, and fully justified my selection of you for the important and diffi- cult position to which you have been assigned." Somers bowed, and felt as happy as though he had commanded the successful army. " One more task to-night, captain. You will ride to the headquarters of the army, give my compliments to General McClelkm, and inform him that we have carried the position, and routed the enemy." Somers saluted the general, and urged forward his weary horse towards Middletown. He found the com- mander-in-chief still in the saddle, and delivered his mes- sage. He was directed to bear the congratulations of General McClellan to the commander of the first army corps on his success, with instructions to follow up the retreating rebels, and to employ General Richardson's division, which had been sent forward to report to him, in this work, if the condition of his own troops re- quired it. Somers made his salute, and was riding off, thinking over what had just been said to him, as he had learned to do when sent on an errand in his childhood. He was fully absorbed in his thoughts, when a voice pronounced his name. 8 86 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Captain Somers, I am glad to see you again," said an officer, urging forward his horse to intercept him. Somers looked at him, and was not a little surprised, in the darkness of the evening, to recognize Major Rig- gleston, who appeared to be one of the numerous staff of the commanding general. Perhaps it was fortunate for the messenger that he had already faithfully conned his errand, or the appearance of the traitor would have forever driven it from his mind. " Major Riggleston ! " exclaimed he, hardly able to believe the evidence of his own senses. It was plain, after all, that he had not been fully con- verted to the rebel faith by the blandishments of the beautiful Maud ; but he was occupying a w r orse and more disgraceful position, in Somers's estimation, than to have stood square up with the enemies of the country. It was most audacious in the major to hail him, after what had occurred at the mansion of the Maryland grandee, and Somers regarded him not only as a rebel, but as the stupidest rebel he had ever met. " The same, my boy," replied the major, familiarly. " Ride on, and I will go with you a short distance, to hear the news. They say Reno was killed." " I am sorry to say it is true," replied Somers, coldly. " He was a brave fellow, and a splendid soldier. You must have had a warm time over there." " Rather." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 87 " You are tired, arn't you, old fellow ? Can't you talk?" " Not much to you," answered Somers, bluntly. "To me? Why, what the dickens is the matter?" demanded the major, with apparent surprise. " The matter, indeed ! How does it happen that you are here ? " " Why shouldn't I be here, old boy?" " After the affair of yesterday — " " What affair of yesterday ? " The major had entirely lost his memory again. He had not heard a word about the adventure at the mansion of Maud's father. 88 FIGHTING JOE, OR CHAPTER VIII. BEFORE THE GREAT BATTLE. CAPTAIN SOMEBS was as thoroughly bewil- dered as he would have been if the mountains around him had suddenly commenced dancing a hornpipe ; or if the trees, horses, and men before him had turned bottom upwards, aud the whole order of na- ture had been reversed. He was entirely satisfied, on reflection, that the event of the preceding afternoon had been a reality ; entirely satisfied that Major Riggleston had been a party to the infamous conspiracy by which the fair Maud had sought to capture him ; and the un- blushing impudence of his companion in denying it passed his comprehension. " I think you must be dreaming, Captain Somers," said the major, with a light laugh. " Either I am, or you are ; I will not pretend to say which," replied Somers, almost convinced by the words, and especially by the easy assurance of the major, that no attempt had been made to capture him ; that no such person as Maud Hasbrouk had an existence. THE F On TUXES OF A STAFF OFFICE E. 89 But of course the traitor would deny his guilt ; that was to he expected. It was not to be supposed that he would engage in such a nefarious scheme as that which had been exhibited at the Hasbrouk house, and then con- fess his participation in it. The major had actually re- turned to the Union lines, and had the temerity to take his place in the ranks of the defenders of the Union, even while he was, not only in heart, but openly, engaged in the service of treason and rebellion. % " Now, captain, let us be friends," continued the ma- jor ; " for it really seems to me that you are disposed to provoke a quarrel with me." " I cannot be the friend of one who is an enemy to his country," replied Somers, stiffly, and with a proper dis- play of dignity. " My dear fellow, I don't understand you." " Don't understand me, Major Riggleston ? " Somers began to be stern and savage. " Upon my word I do not," protested the major, ear- nestly. " If you insist on picking a quarrel with me, pray tell me what it is all about." " This is all idle talk, sir." " You have accused me of being an enemy to my country." The major began to be slightly indignant. " Most distinctly I accuse you of it." " That's a grave charge." " I am aware of it ; and I speak advisedly when I 8* 90 FIGHTING JOE, OR make it. If I had met General Lee himself within out lines, I should not have been more astonished than I was to see you, after what has happened." u Will you be so kind as to tell me what has hap- pened?" demanded the accused officer, manifesting no little excitement. "At no distant day I shall do so before a court- martial." " What do you mean ? " " Have you any doubt whatever in regard to my meaning?" " Upon my word and honor as an officer and a gentle- man, I have not the remotest idea what you mean." " Major Riggleston, if the nature of my mission would permit, I would return to the headquarters of the com- manding general and denounce you as a traitor." " Captain Somers, those are words which no man can use to me with impunity," replied the major, indignantly. " I shall hold you personally responsible for them." '" I am willing to be held personally responsible for what I say," answered Somers, coolly. " If you mean violence by that remark, I shall not be off my guard." " Captain Somers, you are a brave man. You have proved yourself to be a brave and true man," said the major, with more calmness. " I think you are too noble a fellow to vilify me without giving me an opportunity to defend myself." THE FOIl TUXES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 91 " Of coarse you will have an opportunity to defend yourself." " You propose to denounce me as a traitor, you say." " I do." " You are aware that the people of my state are divided on the great question that now disturbs the country ; consequently a charge, however weak and un- founded, against me, would find plenty of believers. I have enemies. All I demand is fair play." " You shall have it, major ; for, deeply as you have injured me, or attempted to injure me, I assure you I bear no personal ill will towards you." " Thank you for so much ; but you say I have at- tempted to injure you. I am not conscious of any suck attempt." " Major Riggleston, this is all idle talk while you assume that position — while you pretend to be ignorant of the matter with which I charge you ; and I must decline holding any further intercourse with you at pres- ent. Let me add, however, that I will not make charges until you are present to defend yourself." " So far your conduct is honorable ; if you would go a step farther, and state distinctly with what you charge me, I should be infinitely obliged to you." " That is useless. From a gentleman I should not ex- pect such duplicity as you exhibit in pretending to know nothing about the charge." 92 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I have pledged you my honor that I don't know what you mean ; that I am not conscious of having given you any offence, much less done anything which can justify you in calling me a traitor.'' "Do you know Miss Maud Hasbrouk?" demanded Somers. " Of course I know her. You are perfectly aware that, though she is a rebel, she is a friend of our family." " Good night, Major Riggleston," said Somers, as he put spurs to his steed, and dashed down the hill, leaving his companion to infer what he meant from his connec- tion with the lady, if he needed anything to enable him to explain the nature of the charge. The staff officer was excited and indignant that the traitor should attempt such a bold and foolish subterfuge. It was almost incredible that he should have the audacity to pretend that he did not know what the charge meant. There was no room for a doubt or a mistake. The ma- jor had positively received the blank letter ; had positively gone after the rebel cavalry ; had positively sustained Maud in her attempt to capture him. It was not pos- sible, therefore, that he had done the culprit any injustice. Thus assured that he had not wronged the major, Cap- tain Somers again turned his attention to the message which he was to deliver to his general, and urged forward his weary horse at his best speed. He found the troops of " Fighting Joe " resting from the hard-fought action. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 93 and engaged in preparing their simple supper of coffee and " hard tack." He delivered the orders of the com- manding general, and the division of Richardson was accordingly sent forward to pursue the fleeing rebels. Early on the following morning the army advanced, and Somers found no time to think of private grievances. The general did much of his own reconnoitring on this occasion, though the members of his staff were kept con- stantly employed. The enemy had fallen back in dis- order from South Mountain ; but at ten o'clock in the forenoon the advance of the first corps came up with the position which the rebels had taken, to dispute the far- ther progress of the now victorious army. But the gen- eral had not at this time a sufficient force to make an attack. Antietam Creek lay between the two armies ; and the bridge over it at this point was protected by the batteries which the rebels had planted to defend it. The enemy, in two lines on the west side of the creek, were believed to consist of fifty thousand men ; and the brave general impatiently awaited the arrival of the rest of the corps. It looked like an opportunity to fight a successful battle, and he was determined to cross the stream at the first practicable moment. " General, the enemy are breaking into column and marching towards Williamsport," said Somers, as he rode up from the point at which he had been surveying the movement on the other side of the creek. 94 FIGHTING JOE, OR " They are on the retreat, then," replied the general. Captain Somers and an officer of the engineers were then sent to examine the creek in search of a ford by which to transfer the troops to the other side as "soon as the force of the rebels should be sufficiently reduced to justify an attack. The general chafed under the re- straint which the circumstances imposed upon him ; but he was too prudent to risk an attack while the advantage was so strongly against him. A ford was found near a mill, farther up the creek, and the officers reported the fact ; but the arrival of the commanding general at this time prevented "Fighting Joe" from ordering an. ad- vance. The corps remained at this place until the afternoon of the next day, when orders came to cross the creek. The troops proceeded up the stream, and went over by a bridge and by the fords which had been examined by the staff officers. The outposts of the enemy were soon dis- covered and driven in, and the gallant corps continued to push the force in front till it was too dark to proceed any farther, at which time the resistance was fully equal to the power of the advancing host. This was the night before the great battle of Antietam. The weary troops lay down to rest in the cornfields where they had halted. The rebels were close by, and the pickets of the two armies were within gunshot range of each other. There was no rest yet for the general THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 95 and his staff; for it was evident that a great battle was to be fought on the morrow — a battle on which the destinies of the Union depended. If the grand army of the Potomac was defeated, there would be nothing to stay the march of the invaders. The fair fields and the prosperous cities and towns of the North would then be open to them. The great heart of the nation, beating timidly as the rebel hordes advanced, sickened by pre- vious disasters, might sink into despondency, and the bright hopes of a great people be forever crushed. It was no time for the brain of the army to slumber. " We want information," said the general, after he had sent an aid to General McClellan to announce his intention to attack the enemy at the earliest dawn. The commander of the first army corps always wanted information, for he never moved in the dark. His brain and his arm were twin brothers in the conflict. Somers and Barkwood volunteered to procure the information, and left the headquarters for this purpose. It was use- less to attempt to penetrate the heavy picket line of the rebels in the cornfields, and they descended the hill be- yond a farm-house, till they came to a ravine through which flowed a considerable volume of water. " Here's our chance," said Somers, in a low tone. " That's so ; but you know I am a great coward, and this looks like risky business," replied Captain Bark wood. 96 FIGHTING JOE, OR " If you are, I think there is no need of more than one of us going through." " O, my dear fellow, I will go with you." " I think it would be safer for us both to separate tere." " I agree with you." " Then I will take this ravine, and you may see what you can find farther to the north." " Good ! Now be scientific, my boy ; we want to know the topography of the country, as well as the po- sition of the enemy." " Certainly ; I think I understand what is required," replied Somers, as he descended the steep bank of the ravine into the water. The banks of the stream were of course occupied by the pickets of the two armies, and his course led him through both of them. He was just as much exposed to a shot from one as from the other. Somers was a man of experience in this business. He had earned a reputa- tion as a scout, and had on three occasions brought in information of the utmost value to the Union commanders. Indeed, his skill in this particular branch had procured for him his promotion and his present honorable position on the staff of " Fighting Joe." He was now to under- take a fearful risk — more fearful, perhaps, than any he had before incurred ; but the greater the danger, the more valuable the service rendered ; and the result of THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 97 to-morrow's battle might depend upon the fidelity with which he discharged his difficult duty. He wore his long boots, and he continued to feel his way on the verge of the stream, without going in beyond his depth. The ravine was fringed with a thick growth of bushes, which shielded him from the observation of the pickets ; but the slightest sound w T ould expose him to the fire of the men. In many places the trees formed an arch over the brook, and the darkness was so dense that he could hardly distinguish an object six feet from him. He did not walk ; he crept, putting his feet down as a cat does when she is on the point of pouncing on her prey. After advancing a short distance he heard low voices on the banks above him. He was passing the first line of pickets — that of the Union army. His progress was very slow, but he succeeded in his purpose without drawing the fire of the sentinels. He was now between the two lines, and he quickened his pace a little. While he was thus creeping through the shallow water, he discovered in the gloom a dark object before him. He paused, and ascertained that it was a human figure — a man, who had also stopped ; but whether friend or enemy he could not determine. 9 98 FIGHTING JOE, OB CHAPTER IX. Between the pickets. /^j^HE man in the ravine stood stock still, and /"J Somers stood stock still. Each had apparently \!iJy discovered the other at the same moment, and each was disturbed by the same doubts in regard to the other. It was a dead lock, to all intents and purposes, for neither was willing to advance and betray himself to the other. Somers had his pistols ; but a shot, if he was compelled to shoot the stranger, might call forth the fire of the pickets on both sides. It was not a pleasant situation for either party ; and they stood like black statues, each waiting for a move- ment on the part of the other. The only thing that Somers could do was to retire in the direction he had come ; but this involved the failure of the enterprise in which he had engaged, and possibly endangered the result of the next day's battle. He was not disposed to withdraw ; for if the worst came, he could shoot his opponent, and lie down under the bank of the ravine to shelter himself from the fire of the pickets. He waited THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 99 a reasonable time for the dark stranger to say or do something ; but as he seemed to be endowed with the patience of Job, our scout decided to take the initiative himself. "Friend or foe?" demanded Somers, in a low tone; for he was disposed to confine the conversation to them- selves. " Friend, of course," replied the other. " Which side do you belong to, friend? " asked Somers, deeming the answer rather indefinite. "To the Union side, of course," replied the stranger, with refreshing promptness. There was no non-committal about him, as might have been expected, half way between the lines of the two armies, and Somers was pretty well satisfied that he was what he claimed to be. " Where are you going? " " That's rather a delicate question, Captain Somers, my dear fellow," responded the stranger. " You are evidently at your old tricks, captain." " Who are you?" demanded Somers, not a little sur- prised and disconcerted at being recognized in his present situation. " Don't you know me?" added the stranger, advancing cautiously towards the captain. " I haven't that pleasure." " Yes, you have ; though it is rather dark here for a 100 FIGHTING JOE, OR man to make out even his best friend. I am Major Riggleston." "Are you, indeed?" exclaimed Somers, taken all aback by the announcement. He would rather have met Stonewall Jackson under the circumstances. He could not imagine what the major could possibly be doing in such a place at such an hour of the night, unless he was crawling into the rebel lines, to take a part with the foe in the expected battle. He was tempted to shoot him on the spot, and thus, while he removed an obstacle in his own path, rid the country of a traitor and a dangerous enemy ; but Somers never had the nerve to do anything that looked like deliberate murder. " Major Riggleston, you are a mystery to me," said he. " So I am to all who know me," replied the major. " Come, captain, let us sit down and talk over the matter. If we speak low, the pickets will not hear us. You are a man after my own heart, and I desire to have you un- derstand me better." " I think I understand you very well." "No, you don't ; you just now said I was a mystery to you," chuckled the major. "I mean that I understand your objects — that you are a traitor to your cause and country." " My dear captain, you never made a greater blunder in your life." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 101 " I don't see it." " You shall see it, in the course of ten minutes, if you will hear me." " It is useless for me to hear you. I shall not believe a word you say, after what passed between us yes- terday." "What was that?" "Didn't you deny all knowledge of the affair at the Hasbrouk house." " Ton my word I did not." "You did not?" " No." " You have the worst memory of any man in Mary- land." " That may be." " Did you, when we met last evening — " " We didn't meet last evening," interposed the major. "You have a most astonishing memory. I denounced you as a traitor." " It wasn't kind of you to do that," laughed Riggleston. " Perhaps not ; but it was true. You didn't know what I meant ; you hadn't the least knowledge of the affair at the Hasbrouk house ? " " Of course not, over there ! " The major took off his cap and scratched his head The act seemed suddenly to vivify his memory. " O, I do remember meeting you last night," said he. 9* 102 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Very good ; I have some hope of you, at last. Now, can you recall the event to which I alluded ? " " Perfectly." " That you, in connection with Miss Hasbrouk, at- tempted to procure my capture by the rebels ? " " I acknowledge the soft impeachment ; but the affair is susceptible of a different construction from that you put on it." " I think not." " Upon my word it is, my dear fellow. I intend to prove it, and I am sure you will agree with me." " First, will you explain to me how you happen to be in this ravine, at this hour of the night, and when we are on the eve of a great battle?" asked Somers. " I could explain it to your undoubted satisfaction, my dear captain ; but you must excuse me for the present." " I can't excuse you ; and we may as well fight it out now as at any other time. You are a rebel, and I am a Union man. In the words of Mr. Seward, there is an irrepressible conflict between us. You have caught me, and I have caught you. I don't propose to shirk the responsibility of my position ; but I suppose one of us must die, or be severely wounded, to insure the safety of the other." Somers cocked his pistol. He had already made up his mind in regard to the presence of Major Riggleston at this place. His theory was, that the fellow was a THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 103 acout, like himself, if he was not a professional spy ; that at the time they happened to meet, the major was passing over from the Union to the rebel lines, for the purpose of imparting to Stonewall Jackson, who was understood to be in command of the Confederate left wing, informa- tion in regard to the strength and position of General McClellan's forces. " For Heaven's sake, Captain Somers, don't fire upon me ! " exclaimed the major, as he heard the click of the pistol. There could be no doubt of the sincerity of the fellow in the use of these words. Somers judged, from what he had seen of him, that he was one of those persons who were born to creep, but by some blunder had walked upright, and thus deceived the world in regard to their true character. Though he called himself a fighting man, he was a cringing coward, as Somers had twice before had occasion to observe. " I have no wish to shoot you, Major Higgleston. I would much rather be spared that pain," said Somers. " You have crossed my path, and you interfere with my plans." " You are mistaken again. I propose to explain everything, and then we shall understand each other per- fectly. You are a scout, and so am I. You are obtain- ing information ; so am I, You are a true Union man ; so am I." 104 FIGHTING JOE, OR "I don't believe you." " Here is my pass ; that will convince you." " I can't see to read it." " I will light a match. It will not be seen in this hole." The major handed him a paper, and struck a match against the inside of his cap. " Now read quick." Somers read : (t The bearer, Major Riggleston, of the — nd Maryland Home Brigade, is a true and loyal man, and as such entitled to receive protection and assist- ance from all officers and soldiers of the United States." The document was duly signed and countersigned by high and proper authority, and the date was within the current month and year. The captain was astonished beyond measure, for he had no doubt of the correctness of this safe-conduct. It knocked his little theory all to pieces, and he was forced, for the first time, to believe that he had misjudged the major. " Where are you bound now? " asked he. " Just where you are." " Do you carry this paper with you? " " Always ; my life would not be safe a moment with- out it." " I should say your life would not be safe with it, if it were discovered upon you within the rebel lines." " There is no danger on that score. I take good care of it. Are you satisfied, Captain Somers ? " THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 105 " I am satisfied with the paper ; but I think your em- ployers do not expect you to entrap Union officers, as you attempted to do at the Hasbrouk house." " My dear fellow, I did not intend to do anything of the kind." " You were certainly a party to the transaction." " Apparently I was ; really I was not. Now that you understand the first part of the story, I will explain the second. You know Miss Hasbrouk? " " Certainly I know her." " She is a beautiful girl — isn't she?" " There can be no doubt on that point ; but I suppose you will tell me next that she is not a rebel, and that she was working for the United States government when she got up that little conspiracy, and attempted to have me hung." " On the contrary, she is a rebel. Jeff Davis himself is not a more thorough-going rebel, and she was fully in earnest when she attempted to make you a prisoner." " But you assisted her." " Apparently only ; if you had been handed over to the cavalry, as I supposed you would be, it would have been my privilege, as it would have been my duty, to get you out of the scrape, which I could very easily have done. Maud regards me as a rebel." Somers could not help thinking that she was more than half right, but he was prudent enough not to give voice to his thought on this subject. 106 FIGHTING JOE, OB " You helped her through with the whole thing." " Undoubtedly I did, but with the intention that you should not suffer. You are aware that she planned the scheme herself; I was dragged into it, and I could not resist without impairing her confidence in me." " You seem to value very highly the confidence of a rebel woman." " For the sake of my suffering country I do. Maud is a beautiful girl ; you acknowledge that. Well, the rebel officers think so, too," added the major, pausing as if to give his companion an opportunity to comment on this remarkable partiality ; or perhaps to note the bear- ing of the fact on their intimate relations. " They are gentlemen of taste," was all the comment Somers deemed it necessary to make. " Maud is an enterprising woman. She takes a deep interest in all army movements, and worms out of the rebel officers much valuable information, which I in turn worm out of her ; for I need hardly tell you that the relations between Maud and myself are of the pleasantest character." "Lovers?" added Somers. " Yes, if you please." " It seems to me that is using a very sacred relation for a very vicious purpose," replied the captain, whose fine sentiment was not a little shocked at the thought of lovers mutually deceiving each other. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 107 " We work for our country, Captain Somers." " Go on, major." " Don't you understand it all now?" " I think I do ; at least, enough of it to comprehend your position." Somers, in spite of himself, was not entirely satisfied ; certainly not with the character of the man, if he was with the genuineness of his mission. "Which way were you going when I met you?" asked he. " The same way that you were," replied the major, with some hesitation. "If you please, we will go on together. You report to one general, and I to another ; but the substance of our information must be the same. We will go on together, and return together." " I don't know about that." " I am entirely safe within the rebel lines. If we have passed the Yankee pickets, we have nothing more to fear." The Yankee pickets ! This was not the form of expres- sion usually adopted by loyal men ; and it was the second time he had detected his interesting companion in using it. It seemed to be habitual with him ; but perhaps it was because he had spent so much of his time within the rebel lines, pursuing the duties of his calling. " I think we had better keep within the ravine." " Very well ; but I have a rebel safe-conduct." 108 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Would you let me see them both, if you please." " Certainly, if you desire it," replied the major, but with evident reluctance. He produced them both, with the remark that it was not necessary to read the true one again ; but Somers wished it, and he yielded. The major lighted a match, and the captain read both the documents. As he finished the match went out, and they were in total darkness again. "What's that?" said Somers, suddenly springing to his feet, with the papers in his hand. It was a shot from the pickets ; but there had been one every ten minutes since they sat down. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 109 CHAPTEE X. MAJOR RIGGLESTON. OMERS had thrust the papers into his pocket, pretending to fear a sudden onslaught of the pickets ; but the alarm passed without any con- sequences, serious or otherwise. " We are perfectly safe, captain," said Major Riggles- conspicuous on the field all the morning, and the rebels had fired at him individually hundreds of times ; but he seemed to have a charmed life. He had been spared to complete the work he had begun, and which he had so ably and successfully carried forward. As he mounted his horse he sent Somers off on a mis^ sion to the batteries of artillery planted on the ridge behind him. It was in the midst of one of the hottest fires of the day. Three men dropped near the general. He turned and started for another part of the field ; but he had hardly advanced a pace before he was struck in the foot by a rifle ball. " You are wounded, general," said Somers, returning to the spot. 160 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Carry the order I gave you, Captain Sorners," replied he, with an expression of pain on his noble features. Somers galloped off to execute his mission. The general still sat his horse, and gave directions for the capture and holding of the point he had examined at the peril of his precious life. The surgeon advised him to leave the field, but he refused to do so. He swayed backward and forward, reeling from faintness in his saddle. Still he looked about him, to carry out the pur- pose which filled his mind. " There's a regiment on the right of us. Order it forward ! Crawford and Gordon are coming up. Tell them to take those woods, and hold them ; and it is our fight ! " said he, feebly, but with emphasis. He fainted, but partially recovered, and rode slowly and reluctantly to the rear, after he had sent word to General Sumner that he was wounded. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 1G1 CHAPTER XV AFTER THE BATTLE. /JLj ENERAL SUMNER was close at hand with his / 1 1^ corps. He saw the wounded commander, spoke vLt' to him, and passed on to complete the work which had been so far accomplished, apparently, that it only remained to hold what had already been gained. " Fighting Joe " had virtually contended with the whole rebel army, for the attack on the left and in the centre was delayed for hours after the victory on the right had been won. He had done his part in the day's work nobly and successfully ; and there his responsibility for the results of the battle terminated. Somers went to the rear with his wounded general but, when assured that the injury, though very severe, was not dangerous, and that he could be of no service to him, returned to the field, resolved to act as a volunteer. There was heavy fighting in the woods, where Crawford and Gordon were executing the last order of the com- mander of the first corps. The rebels, by the delay in the Union attack on the left and centre, were enabled to 14* 162 FIGHTING JOE, OR send forward fresh troops ; and the combat deepened until the woods blazed with fire. The young staff officer rushed in, and hastily reported to General Crawford as a volunteer. He was cordially thanked, his services accepted, and he was directed to use his own judgment. There were plenty of exhausted regiments vainly struggling to roll back the tide of defeat which was setting fiercely against them. Hundreds of gallant officers lay dead and wounded upon the ground, and there was abundance of work for any brave leader who had the nerve to do it. Somers attempted to rally the broken ranks, and close up the wide gaps which had been made by the fearful carnage ; but Crawford was forced back, and what had been gained on the front was lost. At this crisis Gen- eral Franklin came up with fresh troops, and the ground which had been lost was regained, not to be again abandoned. The excitement was over, and Somers began to think that he had a body as well as a spirit. He was thoroughly exhausted when he left the field of his last labor, and rode over to the point where he had left Major de Banyan. "What's the matter, my dear boy?" demanded the major, as he rode up to the begrimed soldier. " Are you wounded ? " " No," replied Somers, languidly ; but he hardly knew what did ail him. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 1G3 "You are as pale. as death. Are you sure you are not wounded?" asked the major, tenderly and anxiously. " I don't think I am." " Dismount, and let me overhaul you. I'm sure you are in a bad condition," continued the veteran, as he took the hand of the staff officer. " I don't feel very well," added Somers. Things began to look very shaky before him ; he felt a deadly nausea ; and before he could get off his horse, he sank fainting into the arms of his friend. The major took him from his saddle and laid him on the ground. He was alarmed, and tore open his coat to examine the vital parts of his body ; but there was no wound, or even a spot of blood to indicate one. He procured a canteen of water, sprinkled his face, and rubbed his temples with his hands. Captain Somers had only fainted from exhaustion con- sequent upon the severe trials of the preceding night, and the excitement and fatigue he had undergone during the battle. The skilful attentions of De Banyan soon restored him to consciousness ; but he was as weak and feeble as an infant. He had eaten only one of the bis- cuits he had taken in the morning, and had performed his trying duties on an empty stomach. His health, already shattered, was not equal to the fatigues he had been called upon to endure. " There is nothing further for you or me to do here. 164 ' FIGHTING JOE, OR We have won the field, and if the rest of the line does its work we shall have the day," said De Banyan. " Now we will go and have you taken care of." " I am willing, for I can't stand this any longer," replied Somers, feebly. The major helped him on his horse again, and walked by his side, as they slowly made their way to the rear. Every house in the vicinity of the battle-field was filled with wounded soldiers, and there was no spot where De Banyan could find a resting-place for his patient ; but he obtained some refreshment for him, which in a measure restored his strength. " I'm afraid you are going to be sick, Somers," said the major, anxiously, as he gazed upon the pale face of his friend. " I feel so myself." " I am bound to see you in a comfortable place. Do you know of one ? " " The farther we go from this vicinity, the more likely we shall be to find one. I must report myself at head- quarters first." " Right ; and you will find your servant there." They went to the place where the headquarters had been located, but the wounded general had been con- veyed to Centreville. Somers, however, reported him- self to the chief of staff, and found Alick. " Major d^ Banyan, as sure as you was born ! " ex- claimed the servant. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 165 " I'm glad to see you, Alick," returned the major. " Your master is sick, and we must look out for him." " Yes, sar," replied the faithful fellow, who proceeded at once to saddle the extra horse. As yet nothing had been or could be learned of the result of the battle ; and the little party moved off in search of accommodations for the sick officer. De Ban- yan declared that he must get away from the terrible scenes of death and mutilation in the neighborhood of the battle-field. He was physician enough to understand that the nerves of his patient were much shattered, and that he needed absolute quiet. " I know a house which I think must be deserted," said Somers ; " but it is eight or ten miles off." " So much the better, if you can manage to get there," replied De Banyan, who was mounted on Somers's spare horse, while Alick walked in the rear. " I should not be very welcome there." " No matter for that. I will take possession of the place in the name of the United States of America. After the battle of Magenta — there was a quiet time, I suppose," laughed the major. u Where is the place you speak of ? " " It is the Hasbrouk mansion." And as they rode slowly along, Somers told his companion of the exciting events which had occurred there, and of those which had followed it since his arrival in Maryland. 166 FIGHTING JOE, OR In return De Banyan related the incidents which had happened in the — th Massachusetts, of which Somers was still an officer ; of its march from the Peninsula, and its terrible baptism of blood at Groveton, where Captain Benson had fallen mortally wounded ; and other red fields in which the regiments had been reduced to a mere skeleton. There were a thousand thiDgs for each to tell, and Somers almost forgot his weakness in the interest he felt in the history of his company and his regiment. " But, Somers, how is that pretty young lady who used to knit stockings?" asked the major. " She is well ; I saw her the day I left Boston. I have that same pair of socks on my feet now. I put them on yesterday, when we went forward." "Well, but how do you get on?" "Get on?" " Bah ! You know what I mean." " I'm sure I don't," replied Somers, faintly, though a soft blush colored his pale cheek. " You are courting, of course." li That's nonsense." " I know it's nonsense ; but young fellows like you are given to such folly." " I'm not." " Pooh ! " " She's my friend, and I am hers." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 167 " Of course you are." " Her father is a rich merchaut, and I am nothing but a poor boy. I have no idea of any such thing as you speak of." " Haven't you, indeed? Let me tell you, Somers, if she was the daughter of the President of the United States, she isn't any too good for you ; and if she's offish on that score, I should like the privilege of telling her so," added the major, with no little spirit. " That's nonsense, major." 4 ' If Miss — What's her name, Somers?" " Lilian Ashford." " That's an amazing pretty name, Somers. If she's too good to marry a brigadier general, and such a briga- dier general as — - " " I'm not a brigadier." " But you will be before the war is over." " I shall not ; you are absurd, major." " Perhaps I am." " I don't feel now as though I should be anything much longer." " Don't give it up, my boy ; you will be as good as new in a week or two." " I promised to write to Lilian." " Good ! Do it, then." " I have no hopes in that quarter. We are only friends. I like her very well, but we don't talk of any- thing but those socks." 168 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I say, Somers, when you are a brigadier, and have made your fortune, you will want a coat of arms. Let me suggest one.'* " A coat of arms ! " laughed Somers. " Certainly ; you will want one. All great men have one." " And you would put a pair of socks on it?" u Certainly ; that's the idea. But where are we going, Somers?" " To the Hasbrouk mansion ; and we are nearly there," replied the sick man. Somers had chosen this place on account of its retired situation, and because he could think of no other suitable house to be sick in. In spite of his cheerful nature, he had some dismal forebodings in regard to the future. Nothing but the inspiration of his lively companion's presence kept him from sinking under the pain and weakness which assailed him. On the road, by the prudent counsels of his friend, he had stopped several times to rest and refresh himself. He had never felt so weak and shattered before, and he feared it would be many a long day before he was able again to take his place on the staff of the general, or in the line of his regiment. In the middle of the afternoon, while the guns were still thundering at Antietam, the little party reached the Hasbrouk mansion. Major de Banyan took upon THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 169 himself the whole charge of gaming admission ; and, •with his usual bold front, he entered without knocking. The family, which had left the house while hostilities were in progress around it, had now returned. Alick took the horses, and Somers followed the major into the mansion. To the surprise of both they were immedi- ately confronted by Maud, who had moved her patients to her own home, when the battle commenced, early in the morning. De Banyan politely stated his business, at the same time acting as though his stay was a settled thing, whether the family were willing or not. " We cannot accommodate you, sir," replied Maud, as haughtily as though she had been the queen of u my Maryland." " Sorry for it, miss ; but I shall be obliged to take possession." " We have three wounded officers here now," add- ed she. " They are rebels." " They are Confederate officers, sir, or they would not be here." " There will be one here who is not a Confederate officer. My friend, Captain Somers, must be accom- modated ; and I shall be obliged to turn out the rebel officers, unless you can find room for him without my doing so." 15 170 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I will not submit to this insolence ! " exclaimed she, rushing out of the room. " Good ! Now wait till I find a room for you, Somers." " I would not have come here if I had not supposed the house was deserted. I feel faint again, major." " Don't faint just yet," De Banyan made himself entirely at home ; brought water, cologne, a smelling-bottle, and finally set up his friend for another brief period. He then went up stairs, selected a front room, which, from its contents, was evidently the apartment of Maud herself. He set Alick at work in the chamber making a fire, and otherwise preparing it for the reception of the sick officer. The major then conducted his patient to the com- fortable quarters he had secured, and put him to bed. All the house could furnish he obtained, with or without leave, and did all he could to improve the condition of his sick friend. At night Somers was in a raging fever, and the major was greatly alarmed at his condition. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. Ill CHAPTER XVI THE MYSTERY EXPLAINED. ^V'APTAIN SOMERS knew very little of what / § took place at the Hasbrouk mansion within \£js the next three weeks, being delirious during the greater portion of this time. Major de Banyan conquered a peace with the family within twenty-four hours, and obtained all that he required in the service of the sick man without fighting for it. An old but skilful physician was procured, who pronounced the disease a severe case of typhoid fever, which presented many alarming symptoms. The major was a tender and a skilful nurse ; but he felt that another presence than his own was necessary in the sick room. The sufferer needed the soothing care of woman, and De Banyan sent a letter to Pinchbrook, containing a full statement of the alarming condition of the captain ; and at the end of a week his mother came, attended by his father. The Hasbrouk family, though cold and unsympathizing towards their unwelcome guests, afforded Mrs. Somers 172 FIGHTING JOE, OR every convenience for the discharge of her motherly duty. De Banyan, when compelled by the expiration of his furlough to return to his regiment, distinctly informed Maud and her father, if any disrespect was shown to Mrs. Somers or her husband, or any hinderance thrown in their way, he would cause them all to be turned out of the house, and do his best to have the property imme- diately confiscated. The threat had the desired effect, and though Mrs. Somers could not help feeling that she was an intruder on the premises, her discomfort was not in- creased by any misconduct on the part of the host or his family. For days Somers's life seemed to hang only by a thread. His devoted mother trembled over him during the long and weary nights. She and her husband, as- sisted by the faithful Alick, took the whole care of the sufferer, rarely seeing any member of the family. A separate table was set for them, and their presence was avoided as though they carried the pestilence in their garments. They were the " mud-sills " of the North, and there could be no communication between them. At the end of three weeks, the danger had passed away, and the patient began to improve. In a short time, under the skilful care of the old doctor, he was able to go down stairs ; and his father at once made arrangements for removing him to his home in Pinch- brook, anxious to escape as soon as possible from the THE FOIiTUXES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 173 cold hospitality of the Ilasbrouks. On the clay before the intended departure, a servant announced that Major Rijrorleston wished to see him, and would meet him in the parlor. Attended by his mother, he went down stairs. " I am glad to see you, Captain Somers, but sorry to find you so ill," said the major, when Mrs. Somers had been duly introduced. " Thank you, major ; I have had rather a rough time of it." " You were fortunate in having the attentions of your good mother." " I should have died without her," added the captain, glancing affectionately at his mother. " Well, we don't know about those things, Thomas," said Mrs. Somers, meekly. " I learned that you were here three weeks ago, and I intended to call upon you before this time," continued the major. " You know there was a little affair between us that needed clearing up." " It would done no good to come much afore now ; the poor boy wan't fit to be seen. He's had an awful hard time on't, and nothing but almighty Power has kept him from the grave," interposed Mrs. Somers, wiping away the tear that started in her eye when she thought of the days in which her son was trembling between life and death. " If I can only once get him home, he shan't 15* 174 FIGHTING JOE, OR leave me again. He went off afore when he was no more fit to go than a baby." " The captain is a very useful person in the army." " "Well, I suppose he is ; but there's no sense nor reason in his going off when he ain't fit to go. We shall get away from here to-morrow." " My mother don't like this place very well," said Somers, with a smile. " The people here are not re- markably fond of me." "Why not?" " I forgot that you did not know anything about it. I will tell you now, Major Riggleston, and I'm sure you will not blame me for the rude words I spoke to you, when you understand the matter." " You did the fair thing when you discovered your mistake ; but you spoke to your general about the affair, and he does not regard me with favor. I came over here partly for the purpose of affording you an oppor- tunity to clear me from the imputation that rests upon my honor. An explanation from you will set the matter right." " I can't explain it myself," added Somers. " I only know that you are not the man who entrapped me, and whom I shot in the head." Somers then related the history of the affair in the house where they were then assembled, and that which occurred in the rebel lines. Major Riggleaton listened to THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 175 the narrative with deep interest, as did Mrs. Somers, whose husband had gone with Alick to examine the battle-field of Antietam and South Mountain. " Sakes alive ! who ever heard of such things ! " ex- claimed Mrs. Somers, when her son had finished his exciting story. " It's a wonder that you wan't killed, Thomas." " I understand it all now, Captain Somers," said the major, rather disconcerted. " Though I am not at all to blame in the premises, the affair more nearly concerns me than you may suppose." " I exonerate you entirely, Major Riggleston," con- tinued Somers. " There, Thomas, you musn't talk any more now," interposed the matron. " I won't say anything more, but I must settle this affair, mother." At this moment the door opened, and Maud Hasbrouk was on the point of entering ; but when she saw that the parlor was already occupied, she turned to retire. " These people in here ! " said she, contemptuously, but loud enough to be heard by all in the room. " No matter, Maud ; go in if Ernest is there," said another person, behind her. " He is there ; he is a friend of Captain Somers," sneered she, as she walked into the apartment as though she had been a superior being. 176 FIGHTING JOE, OR "How is your health, Captain Somers?" asked the person who followed Maud. He was an officer, and his head was tied up with a bandage. " Major Riggleston ! " exclaimed Somers, starting from his chair. " Goodness ! " ejaculated Mrs. Somers, fearful that the excitement her son exhibited would throw him into another fever. " What ails the boy ? " " You are certainly the person at whom I fired," added Somers, as he gazed at the form and features of the new comer. " No doubt of that, Captain Somers," replied the major. "And a very nice time I've had of it too." " I hope some one will serve you in the same way," said Maud, spitefully. " For massy sake ! " exclaimed Mrs. Somers, fearful in the gathering events that some one would serve her darling boy in the same way. " What has Thomas done?" "He is a — " " Not another word, Maud," said the wounded major, sternly. " He did his duty, and I am not the one to blame him for it." " I hope you will do yours, major, if the circum- stances ever place you in the same situation." " I should ; and Captain Somers would not blame me for it." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 177 " Certainly not," replied Somers. " He saved your life and mine, Maud ; and we will not quarrel now." The proud beauty was silent and sullen, while Somers gazed in wonder from one Major Riggleston to the other Major Riggleston. " You understand it now, Captain Somers? " said the loyal major. " I do ; it is all very plain now. You must acknowl- edge that I made a very natural mistake." "It is not the first time I have been taken for my brother. He is two years older than I am ; but we look very much alike." When they were together, several points of difference could be observed ; and the resemblance was not now so great as it had been before the battle of Antietam, for the rebel major had grown thinner and paler under the suffering induced by his wound. At the time Somers had met them, the similarity in form and features, in voice and manner, was so great, that a person of ordinary perception, meeting them at different times, could not have told one from the other. The rebel major had changed so much during his illness that the difference was now more perceptible. " It never occurred to me that you had seen my brother," said Major Fred, who was the loyal brother. " If it had, I should have understood the whole matter." 178 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I understood it perfectly," added Major Ernest, who was the rebel brother. " I confess, too, that I took advantage of the circumstance." "But where did you get my safe-conduct?" asked Fred. " I picked it up the night we were at home," replied Ernest, rather sheepishly. " That was hardly fair." " All fair in war, Fred." " Well, then, it is one of the disadvantages of having a brother on the wrong side, Ernest." " That name, Ernest, reminds me that I heard it at your father's house, in Frederick," added Somers. " Captain Somers," said the loyal major, very seriously, *' you may think I am not as patriotic as I ought to be. You know that my brother Avas at my father's house, and that I saw him there. You may think I ought to have handed him over as a prisoner of war." " Thomas don't think any such thing," said Mrs. Somers. '< I have nothing to say about that ; it is a family affair," added Captain Somers. " I need only say that I regard you, Major Fred Riggleston, as a loyal man ; and I shall write the general a letter containing a full expla- nation of my blunder." " Thank you, captain," replied Fred. " That will set me right." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 179 " By the way, Captain Somers," said the rebel major, " there is a matter between us also." " What I agreed in honor and confidence to do, I have done, and shall continue to do," replied Somers, alluding to the matter of the rebel countersign, imparted to him by the wounded major. " There, Thomas, you musn't say another word," in- terposed Mrs. Somers, once more. Maud left the room, disgusted with the proceedings, and dissatisfied with the conduct of her lover, who per- sistently refused to revile the Yankees present. When she had gone, Major Ernest walked up to Somers, and in a low tone, remarked that he should never again serve in the rebel army. The captain commended his reso- lution, and hoped he would be able to do more and better than this, and be found in the ranks of his country's defenders in the hour of peril. He shook his head, and made no reply. Somers was conducted to his chamber by his mother, who insisted that he should lie down ; for she greatly feared the effects of the excitement to which he had been subjected. Late in the evening, Captain Somers, senior, returned from the battle-fields, and his wife regaled him for an hour with the adventures of their son, concerning which, Captain Somers, junior, had up to this day pre- served a discreet silence. On the following day, Somers, with his parents, 180 FIGHTING JOE, OR started for home. The feeble condition of the invalid compelled them to travel very slowly, and remain two or three days at each of the principal cities through which they passed on the journey. Consequently it was nearly a fortnight before they reached Pinchbrook, where the hero was duly welcomed ; and where, in a few days after his arrival, he had the happiness to receive a visit from Lilian Ashford. She was as gentle and beautiful as ever, and smiled so sweetly upon him, and pitied him so tenderly, that he almost found it in his heart to rejoice at the suffering which had procured him such a blissful meeting. Lilian told him how disappointed her grandmother was at not seeing him, as he had promised, and that she still lived in the hope of meeting him. Of course Somers proposed to keep the broken engagement as soon as he was able to visit the city. Lilian was accompanied by her father, who manifested a hearty interest in the young aid-de-camp, and joined warmly with his daughter in the invitation to visit his house. This was hopeful, and afforded Somers many pleasant reflections, the nature of which we need hardly explain to our cunning readers. The visitors departed, and the invalid's suffering body contained a hopeful spirit. THE FORTUXES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 181 CHAPTER XVII DOWN IN TENNESSEE. ("V/T was four months before Captain Somers was ^Aji able to visit Boston, so severely had his constitu- , r \f/ tion been shattered by the fatigues of the service, ^ — / and by the strain of exciting events upon his nervous system. Lilian Ashford and her father visited Pinchbrook several times during this period, and an excellent understanding was established between the cap- tain and the young lady. The visit was returned in the spring, when Somers was able to endure the fatigue ; and as his health gradually improved, he repeated his calls till they occurred as often as once a week. Grandmother Ashford had abundant opportunity now to tell all about the " last war," and Somers listened with the attention which so interesting a narrative de- served. Perhaps it was fortunate for the venerable lady that her eyesight was impaired, or she might have been wounded to observe that her patient auditor looked more at Lilian than at herself. On one of these occasions the old lady was so imprudent as to leave the youug couple 16 182 FIGHTING JOE, OR in the parlor, and something passed between them which seemed to make Somers very much pleased with himself and with Lilian, and to make Lilian equally well pleased with herself and with Somers. What this was, the ex- perienced reader may possibly be able to divine ; but as our story relates mainly to the military history of our hero, it cannot properly be introduced. Captain Somers was certainly improving in health, but so slowly that there was no present prospect of his being able to join his regiment, or report on the staff of his beloved general, now commanding the grand army of the Potomac. His physician positively refused to permit him even to visit the scene of active operations ; and after communicating with " Fighting Joe" by letter, he decided to resign his position in the — th Massachusetts, for his continued absence not only deprived the regiment of his services, but prevented some deserving officer, who performed his duties, from receiving the pay and promotion to which he was justly entitled. But he did not take this decisive step till he was assured by the general that he could have an appointment on the staff as soon as he was able to discharge the duties of the position. • While Somers was absent from the army, the great battle of Fredericksburg had been fought ; and the brave, noble, and Christian Burnside, perplexed by the treach- ery of seeming friends, by the over-zealous movements THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 183 of real ones, and by the machinations of envious and jealous officers, who should have been foremost to sup- port him, was badly defeated. The rank and file be- haved nobly, fought well, and the day ought to have been won ; but the parts of the grand army were dis- jointed ; they did not act in concert ; and portions of the force were left to be mercilessly slaughtered. The devoted and unselfish Burnside shouldered the responsi- bility, and stepped down from the exalted military pinna- cle to which he had been raised without ambition, and against his own desires. He was succeeded by Major General Hooker, the " bravest of the brave," and one of the ablest soldiers which the war had developed. He had fought and lost the great battle of Chancellors ville ; but he, too, was a victim of jealousy and indecision on the part of men whose purposes were their own, instead of their suffering country's. The culminating battle of the war was fought at Get- tysburg by his successor. It was a decisive victory ; for the defiant foe was penetrating the heart of the North, and there could be no trifling with the terrible fact that stared the nation full in the face. The generals and the army fought nobly, and the exulting rebels were hurled back, shattered and discomfited, to the soil of Virginia. The battle of Gettysburg was immediately followed by the surrender of Vicksburg and Port Hudson ; and 184 FIGHTING JOE, OR operations in the West and South-west attracted the attention of the country during the remainder of the year, while the army of the Potomac was comparatively quiet in Virginia. The battle of Chickamauga Creek was fought, and the Union army defeated, and only saved from disaster by the skill and firmness of General Thomas. The Confederate authorities, taking advantage of the lull in the storm of battle in the East, sent General Longstreet and his corps to the West, which being under- stood in Washington, the eleventh and twelfth corps of the army of the Potomac were despatched, under com- mand of General Hooker, to counteract this addition to the force of the rebels. Captain Somers had impatiently watched the progress of events in the East and in the West, and mourned over the necessity which compelled him to remain inactive. He had attended to his health, and felt that he was completely restored, even before his stubborn physician would acknowledge the fact. But in the month of Sep- tember, when he had been nearly a year oif duty, the doctor gave him a " clean bill of health/' He had em- ployed much of his time, since his strength would per- mit, in athletic exercises — in rowing, in gymnastics, and in hard labor in the garden. He was heavier and stronger than he had ever been before, and he was ashamed to remain any longer in idleness when the THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 185 couotry needed his arm. He wrote to the general again, just as the stalwart hero was on the point of starting for the West. Three days after, Somers received a reply, informing him that in a short time he would receive a commission as a captain in the regular army, and an appointment on his staff as senior aid-de-camp. To this agreeable in- telligence was added the hardly less agreeable fact that Major de Banyan and Captain Barkwood would also be members of his military family. " Glory, hallelujah ! " shouted Somers, as he rushed into the humble cottage at Pinchbrook. " What on airth is the matter now, Thomas?" asked his mother, dropping the wet dish-cloth on the floor in her astonishment. " Read that, mother ! " shouted the captain. " I hain't got my glasses, Thomas. What is it? " " A captain in the regular army ! A soldier for life. What will Lilian say to that ? " u Dear me ! Well, that is news," added Mrs. Som- ers, who, however, was not very clear in regard to the distinction between a regular and a volunteer officer. " I suppose the gal will think you are a pretty smart boy. I hope it won't make you proud and vain, Thomas." " I'm proud, mother ; but I guess it won't make me vain. I tell you what, it's no small thing to be a 16* 186 FIGHTING JOE, OR captain in the regular army. I think Lilian won't like me any less for this." " Cat's foot ! She won't like yon any more. If she does, she aiu't the gal I take her to be. Do you sup^ pose she will want you off all the time, when you — " " Come, mother, you are getting ahead of my time," said the young captain, with a blush. " Well, I wish the papers would come, for I am in a hurry to be at work again." " They'll come soon enough," added the mother, sadly, as she thought of another long separation, and the dismal hours that would be spent in waiting for intelli- gence of him after a battle had been fought. The next day came a long letter from De Banyan, in which he congratulated himself and his friend on the prospect before them, and proposed to meet him at Louisville on the journey to the new field of operations. The commission and the appointment soon followed, and Somers again donned his staff uniform. The hardest thing before him was to leave home, which had become doubly endeared to him by his long stay. He had seen his twin brother, now in the navy, during a brief visit the latter made to Pinchbrook, when sent to Boston as prize-master of a brig he had captured. This was the only time they had met since the departure of Thomas, at the commencement of the war. Mrs. Somers was a woman of tender feelings, and she THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 18/ wept bitterly as she again bade her son adieu, and gave bim into the keeping of the almighty Father, who had protected and preserved him through so many perils. In Boston, as may well be supposed, he hastened to the house of Mr. Ashford, and saw Lilian, who had already been informed of his intended departure. She now had a deeper interest in him than ever before ; and she was sad, but hopeful. Another earnest prayer to God for his safety was to be added daily and nightly to those which went up from the humble home in Pinchbrook. " Do you see this bundle, Lilian? " said Somers, as he opened the parcel in his hand. " What is it?" "Don't you see?" " Socks ! " " They are the banner under, or, rather, over, which I fight," said he, handing her the articles. " They are hardly worn at all," replied she, with a sad smile. " But they have been on my feet in every battle in which I have been engaged. I never wear them except in a fight, for I don't want to wear them out." " I will knit you some more." " But they would not be these, if you did," laughed Somers, trying to be as cheerful as possible. " These socks have helped me to do my duty ; and they introduced me to you, which is the best part of it. When the war 188 FIGHTING JOE, OR is over, I am going to put them in a glass case, and keep them in my room, to remind me of the scenes of the past." " You are a funny fellow, Thomas," said she. " Perhaps I am ; but I mean all I say." A great deal more was said, which we are afraid would look very silly to some wise and prudent people, if we should transfer it to our page ; but the words spoken by both were very earnest and sincere, though perhaps they were rather sentimental, as might have been naturally expected under such circumstances. He spoke the good by, and left the house. He did not see the tears shed by Lilian after he had gone. More than her words, even, they told of her sincerity. Mr. Ashford was not at home when he called, and Somers paid his respects to him at his counting-room. The wealthy merchant was deeply interested in him, and readily ac- cepted the fact which the intimacy between his daughter and the young soldier indicated. Followed by the prayers and the hopes of devoted friends, he proceeded on his journey to the West. Alick, who had been at work in Pinchbrook during the year, accompanied him as his servant. In due time he reached Louisville, where, in conformity with the arrangement, he met Major de Banyan, and together they repaired to Nashville. They had brought with them their saddles, and other military equipments, but it was necessary to procure horses at this place. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 189 The headquarters of the eleventh and twelfth corps were at Bridgeport, on the Tennessee, about thirty miles from Chattanooga, which was the point at which the military operations centred. Though the country between Nashville and the advanced line of the Union army was in military possession of the loyal forces, it was in a very disturbed condition. There were strong Union men there ; but the rebels predominated, and the region was infested with Confederate cavalry and irre- sponsible guerillas. The military railroad, by which the army received its supplies, was necessarily guarded by troops through every mile of its course. Having procured their horses, Somers and De Banyan proceeded by the railroad towards their destination. The destruction of a bridge, about twenty miles from Bridge- port, suspended the farther progress of the train, and our officers decided to accomplish the balance of the journey on horseback. Each of them had a servant, and an extra horse to meet the contingencies of the service. " We shall not be able to find our way, I'm afraid,'* said Somers, as they rode along through a wild region. " You forget that I am at home in this part of the country," replied the major. " Are you?" " I was born and raised not twenty miles from this spot, in the town of Winchester, over in that direction," 190 FIGHTING JOE, OR he added, pointing to the north-west. " I know every foot of land about here ; and I am indebted to that fact for my appointment on the general's staff." " Then we shall not be likely to get lost." " No ; but the guerillas are as thick around here as raisins in a plum pudding. I suppose I should have an excellent opportunity to be hung if any of them should catch me." " What did you come down here for, then? " " It makes no difference to me. I rather enjoy the excitement of the danger ; besides, I should like to help restore my state to her allegiance." " It is almost night, major. I don't think it is prudent for us to beat about this region in the dark." " It is safer to beat about than it is to lie down and go to sleep ; but there is a house a couple of miles from here, where a Union man used to live. We will stop there if you like." " I think we had better do so," replied Somers. " Perhaps we had, especially as it looks very much like a storm." They reached the house, which was the residence of the owner of a large plantation. It had been an elegant establishment before the war, but it looked like waste and ruin around it. The travellers stopped before the man- sion. De Banyan dismounted, and throwing the bridle* rein to his servant, walked up to the front door. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 191 -CHAPTER XVIII. THE GUERILLAS AT SUPPER. E BANYAN knocked at the door ; but as no one answered his summons, he went in without fur- ther ceremony, Somers remaining on his horse to await the result of the interview. It was now quite dark ; the wind howled savagely through the trees, and the rain began to fall in torrents. " Bad night, massa," said Alick, as he drew his over- coat closer around him. " Yes ; but we expect to stop at this house to-night," replied the captain. " De storm make you siek again, massa." " No, I think not." " Must be careful, massa cap'n. I reckon dey has de fever V agur right smart in dis yere country." " I don't know," replied Somers, carelessly ; for ha was thinking that his friend was absent a long time upon his mission. He waited a quarter of an hour longer, and began to be impatient at De Banyan's long absence. He thought 192 FIGHTING JOE, OR the major must be having a very pleasant interview with his old acquaintance, and had forgotten that his friend was out in the storm waiting for him. At last his patience was completely exhausted, and he had it in his heart to rebuke the thoughtlessness of his companion. " Here, Alick, hold my horse," said Somers, as he dismounted. " The major has gone to sleep, and for- gotten that we are waiting for him." " Yes, massa ; but dat ain't much like de major, to forget you," replied Alick, taking the rein. " No, it is not ; but I'll venture to say he is having a good time in the house." Somers walked up to the front door, and knocked wiih his fist. As in the former instance, it brought no re- sponse ; and he repeated the summons with the butt of his pistol, but with no better success than before. It was evident that the family were very deaf, or that they occupied the rear of the house, where the sound could not reach them. Following the example of De Banyan, he opened the door and entered. At the end of a long entry he saw a light through a crack, which he followed till it brought him to another door, at which he knocked. " What do you want?" demanded a large, rough, un- couth-looking man, who presented himself at the door. " Where is the gentleman that came in here half an hour ago ? " asked Somers, rather impatiently. " Haven't any room," replied the man, in a loud tone. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICE^ 193 " I asked where the gentleman was who came into the house half an hour ago," repeated the captain. " I'm deef." " I should think you were," said the inquirer, in a low tone ; after which he uttered his question again at the top of his lungs* " I don't know him," yelled the deaf man* " He came into this house." " Four o'clock in the morning," screamed the man. "Have you seen any one come into this house?" shouted Somers. " Blind in one ear, and deef in one eye>" returned the man, with a grin. "Who lives here?" " I do." " What's your name?" " Skinley." "What are you?" " None o' yer business." " Do you live alone?" " What's that ter you ? " " I want to see the man that came in here a while ago." " Come in." Somers did not like the looks of things at all ; and if fie had not been interested in De Banyan, he would have retired in disgust from the house : as it was, he entered 17 194 FIGHTING JOE, OR the room. As he did so he heard the sounds of coarse revelry, which suddenly burst upon his ear from an apartment farther in the rear of the mansion. " Mr. Skinley, I wish to see the gentleman who came in before me," said Somers, putting his hand on his pistol. "Do yer?" " I do." u Well, yer needn't yell no more ; there ain't none so deef as them that won't hear. You kin see him," re- plied the man, with a grin, which seemed to indicate that Somers had been made the victim of a practical joke. "Where is he?" " In vender," replied Skinley, pointing to the door of the room from which the sounds of revelry had come. Somers had a great many doubts in regard to the sit- uation. There was evidently a considerable body of men in the house. "Mr. Skinley — " " I ain't Mister Skinley. I told you what my name was. My name's Skinley." "Well, Skinley." " That sounds more like it, stranger-. Now, what's your name ? " " Somers." " What are you?" THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 195 " None of your business." ** Whar yer gwine?" "What's that to you?" *' All right, stranger." "Now, Skinley, who are those men in yonder?" asked Somers, good-natured in spite of the circumstances of doubt, and possibly peril, which surrounded him, as he pointed to the rear room. " Friends of mine." "How many are there?" " Go in and count 'em. What yer want to know fur?" " A man in these times don't generally have so many friends as you seem to have." " I'm a good feller, Somers, and they all like me," replied Skinley, laughing heartily. " You have one of my friends in there." " How do yer know?" " You said so." " Well, Somers, a feller don't alius know who his friends is, in these times." " But I know him ; and, Skinley, would you be so kind as to call him out ? " " It can't be did," said the uncouth abomination of a man, very positively. "Why not?" " Whar d'yer larn yer manners ? He's havin' a bout 196 FIGHTING JOE, OR o' whiskey with the boys ; and I'd as soon think o' techin' a pant'er at his grub as a sodger at his whis- key." " If you tell him Somers is here, he will not take offence." " Yes, he will. Them's good fellers. Go in and jine 'em," said Skinley, throwing the door wide open. Seated around a long table, on which there was still a plentiful supply of bacon and corn dodgers, and a great many bottles, were about twenty of the roughest looking fellows the staff officer had ever laid eyes upon. At the end of the board was De Banyan, apparently as happy and contented as the rest of the party. Somers had no difficulty in promptly arriving at the conclusion that the men were guerillas. They had evidently drank all the whiskey that was good for them. " Come in, Somers," shouted the major, uproariously. " Come in, and we will make room for you. My friend Somers," he added, turning to his wild companions. u Come in, Somers," said half a dozen of the guerillas. " Hand him the whiskey," put in one, who sat at the farther end of the table. " You'll have to excuse him, boys," interposed De Banyan. " He never drinks whiskey ; it don't agree With him. Have you any French brandy ? " " Not a drop." The major knew they had not ; he was aware that THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 197 Somers would fight the whole crowd rather than take a glass of liquor of any kind. Somers was bewildered by the scene before him ; but he readily understood that his friend was compromising with unfavorable circumstances, and he did what he could to help the illusion, though he did not know what De Banyan had said or done to create such remarkably good fellowship between himself and such wretched outlaws. He sat down at the table and ate heartily of the bacon and bread, which were very acceptable, for our travellers had eaten nothing since breakfast. " Here's to the health of Jeff Davis ! " said the man at the opposite end of the table, who appeared to be the commander of the squad. " All up." The guerillas rose to their feet, De Banyan with them, with a glass in his hand. " All up ! " exclaimed the major, heartily. Somers rose then, with a glass of water in his hand, which a black woman in attendance had brought him ; but he had no more intention of drinking the health of Jeff Davis, even in a glass of water, than he had of sup- porting the arch rebel with his sword. " President Davis," said the leader. " President — Lincoln," added the major, dropping his voice as he uttered the last word. " President — Lincoln," repeated Somers, in the same manner. 17* 198 . FIGHTING JOE, OR " One more ! " shouted the commander of the squad, as he filled his glass again ; and his example was followed by all present. " Here's confusion to the Yankees ! " " Confusion to the Yankees ! " repeated the other guerillas. " Confusion to the — rebels ! " said De Banyan and Somers, using the same tactics as before. The guerillas, as if satisfied that they had firmly es- tablished Jeff Davis on his throne, and hurled confusion among the Yankees, rose from the table. Their leader came over and took De Banyan by the hand. " What did you say your name was?" asked he. " De Banyan," replied the other. " And you are going to join Wheeler's cavalry?" " That's what's the matter," answered the major, who readily adapted himself to the manners of his new friends. " Can't we make it worth your while to stay with us?" continued the chief. "You are a good fellow, and look as though you could fight." " Wheeler expects me, and I don't wish to disappoint him. I'm going on his staff." " There is something up to-night," said the chief, con- fidentially ; " and you may make your fortune in a fevr " I don't object to that." " I'll tell you about it, if you like.' THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 199 " I don't object." " I don't know as I will, either ; it would hardly be prudent for me to do so. You may be one of those shrewd Yankees, after all. You know you wear Yankee colors," added the chief, doubtfully. " I tell you I was born in Winchester, not twenty miles from here ; and I am no more a Yankee than you are," protested the major. " I'll trust you," said the leader. " You can't spoil the job, if you don't help us. You are a tonguy fellow, and I want you more than I want the girl that promised to marry me when the war is over. I've got the smart- est set of men that ever sat in a saddle. They are all Texans." " I see they are," added De Banyan, glancing at the cutthroats who formed the squad. " I've got the keenest scout on the lookout for me that you can find this side of the Rocky Mountains. He's a young fellow of eighteen, and goes inside the Yankee lines like a native. We go in for making money out of this thing, while we do a good job for the South." " Of course," said De Banyan, carelessly. " There's a pay-master coming down from Nashville, on one of these trains, with a heap of greenbacks to pay off the Yankee army. We want those greenbacks, and we shall have them too." " If you can get them," suggested De'Banyan, 200 FIGHTING JOE, OB " "We can get them ; and if you want your share of them, you have only to join my company. If you will* I'll tell you the rest." " I'm yours," replied the major. "And you?" asked the leader, turning to Somers, who had been listening eagerly to the conversation. " I go with De Banyan." " Good ! Tippy — that's my scout — will come down in the train with the pay-master. The cars will stop at the broken bridge, and Tippy will come over here with his information ; and all I have to do then will be to pounce on the escort, and pocket the greenbacks. What do you think of it ? " " It's a tip-top idea, and I'm with you." " I expect Tippy will be here to-morrow." " All right ; I can help you about this business." " You can ; now, if you could step in and tell the pay- master you are a Yankee, and with that smooth tongue of yours prevent him from taking too much cavalry with him, you would earn your share of the money." " I will do it." " You can make a man believe anything." " Very well ; I will go at once." " O, no ; there is no need of going till Tippy comes with the news." " I think I had better meet the train on the way." " Not at all/' said the guerilla, shaking his head. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 201 11 We never let our recruits go out till we know them better than I know you." "You won't trust me?" " Not yet." " Very well," said De Banyan, easily. " My horse and servant are out in the storm now. I will take car? of them." " We will go with you ; " and half a dozen of the villains followed De Banyan and Somers to the placa where they had left the servants and the horses. 202 FIGHTING JOE, OB CHAPTEE XIX. TIPPY, THE SCOUT. #N the way out of the house, De Banyan whis- pered a few words in the ear of Somers, while they were in the darkness of the entry. There was very great danger that things might get a little mixed ; that Alick and the other servant might tell wrong stories about their respective masters. " Tell Alick to say we are rebels," was the substance of the communication. When they reached the spot where the horses had been left, Somers told his man what to say. It was fortunate that he did so promptly, for the guerilla leader, ap- parently suspecting something, suddenly became very officious, and kept close to the recruits. The horses were taken to the stable, where they were placed with the others, after which the party returned to the house, followed by the servants. " What's your master's name ? " demanded Captain Lynchman, the leader of the guerillas, of Alick. " Captain Somers, sar," replied the faithful fellow. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 203 " What is he captain of? " " Dunno, sar." " Where did you come from?" " Up above, sar." " Is your master a Union man? " " I reckon he isn't, sar. He's a right smart reb'l, sar." " Where are you going? " " Dunno, sar." " How long have you been in his service?" " Much as a monf, sar." The captain asked many other questions, but Alick gave prudent answers ; he did not know much, and what he did know, he did not know certainly. De Banyan's man, taking his cue from his fellow-servant, answered in similar terms, and nothing was made out of either of them. During the evening Somers learned, from various members of the band, that the guerillas were only a por- tion of an organized body, duly recognized by the Con- federate government, engaged in partisan warfare. The talent and address of Major de Banyan had attracted the attention of the chief, who affected strategy rather than a bold and dashing policy. Captain Lynch man's percep- tion was creditable to him, and if the major would have engaged in the foul business, he would undoubtedly have been an invaluable assistant. 204 FIGHTING JOE, OR Our travellers were regarded as members of the band, but really they were prisoners. They found no opportu- nity to interchange a word of counsel, or to take a single step for their future safety. Both of them were anxious to reach the headquarters of " Fighting Joe ; y but the delay was not voluntary on their part. De Ban- yan had chosen between capture and compromise. He had presented, as he always did, a bold front, and dis- armed suspicion in the beginning by his skill and address — had actually won the hearts of his new companions. Captain Lynchman affected strategy, and while he carefully watched the recruits, he treated them with the utmost consideration. His future movements depended upon the information to be brought by Tippy, the scout. After the horses had been cared for, the guerillas retired for the night, some of them taking the beds, sofas, and divans, others stretching themselves on the floors ; but there was no part of the house which was not occupied by them, and there was no opportunity for our travellers to " cut" their unpleasant associates during the night, as they had hoped and expected to do. Early in the morning, Tippy, the scout, arrived. All the guerillas were at the stables, attending to the horses, when his coming was announced. The men were ordered to be ready to mount at an instant's notice ; while Captain Lynchman hastened to the house, to receive the THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 205 intelligence brought by the scout, who was eating his breakfast in the kitchen. " De Bauyan, I shall want you," said the leader; M your work will commence about this time. It will take the greenback train an hour or two to get ready for a start. Come with me." " I am ready for anything," replied the major ; and followed by Somers, he repaired to the house with the guerilla chief. They entered by the front door, and taking possession of the drawing-room, the captain ordered Skinley, who seemed to be the commissary-general of the gang, to send the scout into the room. " Skinley, you'll be deaf now," said Captain Lynch- man. " I reckon they ain't none so deef as them that won't hear," responded the Texan. " Then you won't hear what Tippy has to say. Bring him in." " Tippy's half starved, cap'n ; they don't feed 'em much up among the Yanks." " Let him eat, but tell him to be quick." Skinley left the room ; and then, for the first time, the captain noticed the presence of Somers, and told him to leave the room. " He's my friend, Captain Lynchman ; I have no secrets from him," interposed the major, with dignity. 18 206 FIGHTING JOE, OR " If you can't trust him, you can't trust me, and we will move on to the headquarters of Wheeler's cavalry." " Just as you please, major," replied Lynchman ; " bul it is hardly regular." " Nothing is very regular about these partisans. It is just as regular for him as for me. He is my right-hand man, and I can't do anything without him. I don't ask your confidence, and I don't want it. I am just as willing to go about my business as I am to stay with you." " / am not willing, after telling you my plans." " What did you tell them to me for, then?" " Because I wanted you ; and I did not expect to get you without offering big inducements. We shall divide three or four millions in greenbacks to-day, if we manage well. I believe in strategy in a case like this." " So do I ; and that is the very reason why I want Somers to know all about the matter." While they were talking about it, Tippy, the scout, en- tered the room. He was a young man, with a bright eye and a manly form, and looked as though he was capable of doing all that had been claimed for him. He had eaten his morning meal very hastily ; indeed, he had not finished it when he presented himself in the drawing- room, for his mouth was even now crammed full of corn cake, which he was trying to dispose of so that he could speak. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 207 Tippy looked at Captain Lynchman first, crunching the food in his mouth in the most vigorous manner. From the leader, he glanced at Somers, who stood next to him. De Banyan had walked away to a window on the other side of the room, and as he turned to come back, the scout looked at him. Instantly his jaws ceased their movements, and he started back, apparently filled with astonishment. Somers looked at the major, who stood calmly at his side ; but it was evident that he was not wholly unmoved by the appearance of Tippy. " Well, what does all this mean?" demanded Captain Lynchman. Somers again glanced at the major, and saw him give the scout a very slight, but energetic shake of the head, accompanied by a look which seemed to penetrate to the very soul of Tippy. "Why don't you speak?" demanded Lynchman, im- patiently. Tippy improved this opportunity, still gazing intently on Major de Banyan, to swallow the food in his mouth. He finished this operation, and Lynchman waited for him to explain his singular conduct. " Have you lost your tongue? " cried he, jumping out of his chair. " I cannot speak," replied Tippy, exhibiting a great deal of emotion in his tones. " Cannot speak ! Do you know this man?" 208 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I do." "Who is he?" " Let him answer for himself. It is not for me to speak in his presence." " What does all this mean? " said the guerilla leader, bewildered by the new aspect of affairs. " Who is this man, that you cannot speak in his presence? " he added, turning to the major. " He is a bigger man than you or me," answered the scout, mysteriously. " That may be, but I command here. Is he a traitor, or a Yankee ? " " No I " almost shouted the scout. " He belonged to Winchester once. He is a Tennesseean." " Good I " exclaimed the captain, apparently much pleased with this confirmation of what the major had said of himself. " Give your information, Tippy," added De Banyan, with an awful exhibition of dignity, as though he were the " big man " whom the scout had represented him to be. " Not yet," said Lynchman. " I want to understand this matter a little better." " We have been in Nashville together. We have worked together for years," interposed De Banyan. " O, that's the idea — is it?" said the leader of the guerillas. " Then you are a scout yourself, Major d© Banyan ? " THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 209 " I have done a great deal of hard work in Virginia and in Tennessee. I have stood by the flag almost from the beginning," returned the major. "Is this so, Tippy?" " It is, Captain Lynchman. Whatever he says is right." " Major, I am satisfied now," said the chief, extending his hand to De Banyan. " I wanted to repose implicit confidence in you before, but prudence forbade." " We are losing time," said De Banyan. " Now tell your story, Tippy," added Lynchman. Somers was confounded by the events which had just transpired before him. He did not know what to make of them. His friend had a wonderful power over the scout, which he could not explain ; but whatever occurred, he knew that De Banyan was a true man ; that the recogni- tion and devotion of the rebel scout to him were no evidences of infidelity. He could not understand, but he could trust the major. " Shall I go on, sir?" said the scout, appealing to the major. " Certainly ; proceed," replied De Banyan. Tippy's story was short and to the point. The pay- master with the greenbacks had arrived, and there was present a force of about a hundred cavalry to convoy him to his place of destination. " A hundred ! " exclaimed the captain, vexed at this information. " I shall want the rest of my men." 18* 210 FIGHTING JOE, OR " You bet ! " exclaimed a deep voice near the door, in low, emphatic tones, as though they had been used in soliloquy. " Skinley ! " cried the captain, angrily. There was no reply, and Lynchman repeated the call half a dozen times, as loud as he could yell. " D'ye call me, cap'n? " said the Texan, coming to the door, which was now discovered to be partially open. " I did ; you have been listening at the door." " Fotch 'em as soon as I kin, cap'n," said the burly fellow, innocently. " None of that with me," added Lynchman, angrily. " Bet yer life they ain't, cap'n." " Silence, you villain I " thundered the captain, taking a pistol from his belt. " Take keer, cap'n ! " "Can't you hear, Skinley? If you can't, I'll open your ears." " You told me to be deef, cap'n." " I did ; and you have been listening to all that has been said in this room." " I was afeered you mought forget some on't, and mought wan't me to remound you of it." " Come here." " Here 'm I, cap'n." " Do you know where the rest of our men are?" " If I don't, nobody don't." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 211 " Ride over there as fast as you can, and tell Sweetzef to meet me at Tantallon cross-roads at once, with all his force. Do you understand ? " " I kin hear now, cap'n." " It will take you an hour to go, and another hour for Sweetzer to reach the cross-roads." " How many men have you? " demanded De Banyan, in business-like tones. " About a hundred," replied the captain. " We can make a sure thing of it, for we shall outnumber the Yan- kees, and choose our own ground besides." " Where are they now? " " At Raybold's, on the Salem road. I have driven them hard lately, and I gave them a few days to rest." " I know the place. It is near the mountains." " Just so. I believe in strategy, and I thought I should do better with twenty men than I should with over a hundred ; but I calculated to take the greenbacks on the train." " Your plans are good ; but do you send only one man on such a message? Suppose he should fall from his horse, or be shot by a Yankee ? " " I can't spare but one, for I may have to do the job before the rest of my force arrives." " Send Somers," suggested the major. " What good would that do ? He couldn't find my men?" 212 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Do you know where Raybold's is, Somers?" asked the major. " Certainly I do — just by the mountains on the Salem road," replied Somers, who had given good attention to the conversation. " Right ; you will do," added the captain. And Somers went with Skinley. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 213 CHAPTER XX. SKINLEY, THE TEXAN. OMERS readily understood that he was sent off by the major for a purpose ; but De Banyan had no opportunity to explain his intention be- fore he went. It was plain that a very important part in the plan for frustrating the object of the guerillas had been intrusted to him, but he had not a single word of instructious. As Somers mounted his horse, he saw De Banyan and Tippy leave the estate and ride off in the direction of the railroad, and he doubted not that he had been sent to delay the pay-master, and assure him that the road to the army was perfectly safe. After the full and unequiv- ocal indorsement of Tippy, the major was fully estab- lished in the confidence of the guerilla, who unreservedly communicated to him his hopes and his expectations. Somers joined Skinlcy, who was to be his companion in this morning ride. The " Texican," as he delighted to call himself, was a stout fellow, good-humored, and im- mensely fond of a joke. Lynchman appeared to repose 214 FIGHTING JOE, OB great confidence in him ; otherwise he would not have sent him upon his present duty. The ruffian was armed from head to foot with rifle, pistols, and a knife, and looked like a moving arsenal. He was a formidable person for a young man like Somers to deal with, and yet it was fully evident that he had been sent by the major to prevent the " Texican " from delivering his message. The young officer did not like the duty, for there was apparently only one way in which he could discharge it ; and that was, by deliberately shooting his ugly compan- ion. All the carnage and death he had seen in the course of the war — and he had seen a great deal of them — had not impaired his respect for human life. He could not wantonly sacrifice even an enemy. He was with this man as his friend — in disguise, it was true; but the Texan trusted him — did not regard him as a foe. To turn upon him in the moment when he suspected no danger, looked cowardly ; and his chivalrous soul re- volted at the act. Ruffian, rebel, traitor, as this man was, he was one of God's creatures, made in his own image, and nothing but the severest necessity could jus- tify the killing of him. Thus he reasoned on the one hand ; but on the other, this man was going to procure a force to shoot down the loyal soldiers of the Union ; to rob the government of the money intended for the troops, upon whose earnings THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 215 wives and children depended for their daily bread. But this was war — what the custom of civilized nations jus- tified ; while killing a man in cold blood was an act of treachery from which he could not but shrink. War had not debased him, for he still read his Bible, and still leaned for strength and guidance upon that arm which can lead and support all who confide in its almighty power. Somers felt that he could not do this deed. It was too revolting, too barbarous ; and yet it must be done, or others would bleed and die for his want of nerve. He could not settle the troublesome question, and he de- termined to defer the deed as long as he could without imperilling the safety of the pay-master and his escort. " Well, youngster, you mought be sent out to keep me warm, I 'spose," said Skinley, as Somers rode up to his side, after he had carefully considered the mission upon which he had obviously been sent. " Yes, if you are cold," replied Somers. " I am cold, Somers. May be yer hain't got a bottle of whiskey in yer pocket — hain't yer? " " I have not ; I never use it." " So I heerd the major say ; but hain't yer got nothin' stowed away about yer — any brandy, or sich like ? " " I have not." " Well, Somers, I tell yer what it is, Somers, it was a great mistake comin' off without no whiskey, Somers." 216 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I don't think so." " Don't yer, Soraers?" " I can get along very well without it." " May be you can, Somers ; but I can't. I feed on whiskey, Somers ; and I could no more go to Raybold's without sunthin' to drink than I could go afoot on boss- back, or go hossback afoot ; 'n' I take it, Somers, that can't be did." " But you will have to go without it, if you have none." " No, I won't — you bet ! " exclaimed Skinley. " Thar's a Union house over here a good piece. They alius has whiskey and bacon when we poor fellers has to thust fur meat and hunger fur liquor. The old man, I cal'late, is a fust cousin of some gin'ral, or some of them fellers in Richmond, fur he's got some sort o' paper. I'm gwine to git a drink when we git thar — bet yer life." " But if they have a safe-conduct, you can't compel them to give you anything. They will show you the paper," replied Somers. " Let 'em show it, Somers ; I can't read it," chuckled the Texan. "Why not?" " Well, Somers, I ain't up to print, say nothin' of writin'. If they make any muss about it, I kin tell 'em it was all a mistake — don't yer see, Somers ? May b« I mought be deef too, Somers." u Perhaps they will read it to you." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 217 " Then I'm deef, sartin." " Very likely they will give you what you want, if you ask them civilly." " No, they won't, Somers. They hate us wuss 'n pizen ; but I hate them wuss 'n they hate me." " What have they done ? " " They hain't done nothin', and that's what I hate 'em fur. The Yanks won't tech 'em, and we can't tech 'em, Somers. It stands to reason, Somers, sech folks ought to be hated." Somers decided not to discuss this question, and he had dropped a few paces behind his companion to avoid his slang, when Skinley exhibited a disposition to be sociable, and insisted that the road was wide enough for them to ride abreast. The young officer did not want to quarrel with the ruffian, and he complied with his request. " Thar's a pooty gal over to Callicot's, Somers," added he, with a coarse grin. " P'rhaps you'll think more of that than yer do of the whiskey." " Is she a Union girl ? " asked Somers — more be- cause he felt compelled to speak than because he felt any interest in the new subject. " In course she are." " You don't intend to meddle with her, I hope." "What makes yer hope that?" demanded Skinley, sourly. " Are you a soldier, Skinley?" 19 218 FIGHTING JOE, OR " You bet ! " " A true soldier always respects a woman, whether she be friend or foe." " Somers, your idees is a little too fine cut fur me," snarled the Texan. " Have you a mother ? " " Not 's I knows on. She gin me the slip when I wan't knee high to a chaw terbaker." < 'Is she dead?" "I cal'late she is." " Have you no sister?" " May be I hev\ See here, Somers, you kin draw yer charge on that. Yer mought be a preacher, or sich like ; but don't yer draw that string on me." " Very well ; I have nothing to say, only that, if you propose to insult a woman, I am your enemy." "Be you?" Skinley took a pistol from his belt, and deliberately cocked and pointed it at Somers, to whom the act seemed to reveal his companion in a new light. It was naturally to be supposed that a man who carried such an armory of weapons on his person was a dangerous fellow ; but from this moment Somers looked upon him as a bully. He had given the ruffian no cause of offence for which he could resort to desperate measures. " If you insult a woman, I am," replied Somers, quietly drawing a large navy revolver which he carried in his belt. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 219 " Put up your shooter, Somers," said Skinley, with a sickly laugh, as he lowered his pistol. " I am not quite ready to put it up," replied Somers, sternly ; for he had made up his mind that the time to execute the task imposed upon him had come. " When a man draws a pistol upon me, he insults me." " I only did it to see what sort of stuff you mought be made of, Somers — that's all," answered Skinley. " I am not satisfied with that explanation. I would like to know what sort of stuff you ' mought' be made of now," said Somers, imitating the speech of his com- panion. " I'm a Texican. I was born in the woods, nussed on hickory nuts, and turned out to paster in a cane-brake. When I kim of age I fed on gunpowder, and druv' four alligators, four in hand, hitched to a sulky. That's what's the matter. Don't you know now what sort of stuff I mought be made of ? " " Slang and brag, I should say, were the principal ingredients in your composition. You have insulted me." " I ax yer pardon ; put up yer shooter." Somers did so, but very reluctantly. It was only post- poning his mission ; though the discovery that his com- panion was a coward at heart, in spite of his words, and in spite of the liberal display of arms about him, led him to hope that he might dispose of him in some better way than shooting him. 220 FIGHTING JOE, OR " I ax yer pardon ; that's what a Texican does when he finds he moiisht be in the wrong." " Very well. Now, if we can't talk without quarrel- ling, I will keep a little in the rear." " Jest as you say, Somers." They rode along in silence for a time, till they reached a house much superior to most of those they had seen on the road, at which Skinley halted. " I'm smTerin' for my bitters, Somers," said the Texan, as he reined in his steed. " Is this the house of the Union man? " " Bet yer life 'tis. I only want a little drop of whis- key," replied Skinley, as he rode up the lane by the house, followed by his companion. " I won't stop only a second." The guerilla dismounted, and throwing the bridle rein of his horse over a post, he entered without the cere- mony of knocking. When he had gone in, Somers rode forward till he came to the windows of the house, for he was fearful that the conduct of the Texan would not be conciliatory, and he was disposed to defend the Union people within, even at the peril of his life. Skinley was absent some time — longer than a due regard for the urgency of his mission would have tol- erated ; but Somers was in no hurry to reach Raybold's himself, and was not impatient on account of the delay. It was evident that the wretch had not readily procured TIIE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 221 his dram ; and his companion feared that he might re- sort to violence in enforcing his demand. The delay indicated trouble within the house, and Somers dis- mounted. Fastening his horse to a gate, he walked towards the entrance. He was not one moment too soon, for before he could reach the door, he heard a piercing scream uttered by a female. He rushed in with his revolver in his hand. " Don't yell," said Skinley, as he entered. " I only want yer to bring on the whiskey. I'm so deef I can't hear yer, if yer do yell." Somers stopped at the door of the room where the parties were ; for, indignant as he was, he was always prudent. He cocked the pistol, and took a survey of the situation. " I tell you there is not a drop of whiskey in the house, and has not been for two years," replied the female, who was a young and well-dressed lady, and whose personal attractions fully justified the Texan's commendation of them. " Yer mought tell that to a dead alligator, and he'd scretch yer eyes out fur't," added the ruffian. " I have told you the truth ; there is not a drop of liquor of any kind in the house." " 'Tain't so ; all our boys knows you keeps whiskey by the hogshead. Now fotch on the liquor, my darlin' ; " and as he spoke, he grasped the lady by the arm. 19* ' 222 FIGHTING JOE, OR She evidently regarded his touch as pollution, and again screamed lustily. " See here ; don't be so techy. I ain't gwine ter hurt yer." " Father ! " cried the terrified girl, shrinking from the wretch. Somers would have fired, but he feared the report and the death of the ruffian before her face would be too great a shock for the lady. She was frightened, but she seemed to have perfect control of herself. " Say, doxy, won't yer fotch on the whiskey?" con- tinued Skinley ; and again he attempted to seize the arm of the lady, who fled before him. " Father ! " screamed she again. Somers stepped into the room ; at the same instant an elderly gentleman rushed in by a door on the opposite side of the apartment. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 223 CHAPTER XXI. THE HOUSE OF THE UNION MAN. /^H&'HE gentleman who entered the room from the / 1 j other side was evidently Mr. Callicot, the father \J_L/ of the lady, and the Union man of whom the guerilla had spoken. He was unarmed, but there was a rifle hanging against the wall, after the manner of the South and West. The old gentleman was out of breath from hurry and excitement, and was hardly in condition to confront the ruffian, who had been bold enough in the presence of a timid woman. " What do you want here ? " demanded Mr. Callicot, in an excited tone. " Nothing squire, but a drink of whiskey," replied the Texan, glancing first at Somers, and then at the old man. " There is not a drop of whiskey in my house, and has not been for years," answered Mr. Callicot. " I'm a Texican, squire, and yer can't cheat me. I was born in the woods, and I kin smell whiskey nine mile off." 22 i FIGHTING JOE, OR " I have told you the truth." " No, yer hain't. Fotch on your whiskey, squire," added Skinley, taking one of his pistols from his belt. " I have a safe-conduct from the general of this de- partment," said the old man. " Here it is." " I can't read it, stranger. Don't want ter read it, nuther." " Perhaps you will read it," said Mr. Callicot, walking across the room, and handing it to Somers. " Don't yer tech it. Somers," said the Texan, angrily. Somers took the paper, glanced at it, and handed it back to the owner. " Are you satisfied?" asked the old man. " I am." " That ain't handsome, Somers. Bekase you don't drink whiskey, it's onreasonable that you should spile my drink. But I'm gwine to hev my liquor. Now, squire, will yer fotch on the whiskey, or won't yer?" " I would if I had any." " But yer hev," said Skinley, raising his pistol ; and before Somers could realize that he intended to fire, he discharged the piece at Mr. Callicot. " O, my father ! " screamed his daughter, rushing towards him. "What do you mean, you villain?" cried Somers, elevating his pistol, and instantly firing. " See here, Somers ; that ain't handsome," replied Skinley. "I didn't tech you." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 225 In the smoke that filled the room Somers had missed his aim, and the Texan was now entirely concealed from him. " Leave the house ! " shouted Somers. " Not till I git my whiskey, if I knows it. I hain't killed the old man ; didn't mean to kill him ; only skeer him a little. May be you mought be willing to fotch on the whiskey now, squire." " I have none, as I told you before," replied Mr. Cal- Hcot, who, finding he was not wounded, had, under cover of smoke, taken down the rifle from the beckets on the wall. " Now you will leave my house." " Come, squire, don't be techy, but fotch on the whiskey," said Skinley, evidently not pleased with the new aspect of affairs. " Leave my house ! " replied the old man, with dignity. Skinley, finding that it was of no use to argue the point, slowly backed out at the door by which he had entered. " Shoot him, Somers," said he. " You deserve to be shot yourself for this outrage," added Somers, indignantly. " That ain't handsome, Somers. But we can't stop no longer," continued the Texan, as he left the house, and walked towards his horse. " Begone, or you are a dead man," said Mr. Callicot to Somers, who still remained in the room. 226 FIGHTING JOE, OR " You mistake me, sir," returned Somers ; " I am a friend, and not an enemy*" " Begone, or you shall die ! " repeated the old man, now roused to the highest pitch of indignation. " You fired at me as well as the other ruffian." " I fired at him." At this moment the door by which the owner of the house had first entered was thrown wide open, and Somers discovered Skinley, who had gone round the house, and come in by another entrance. The wretch instantly raised his rifle, and fired. The old man dropped heavily on the floor, and his daughter uttered a scream of agony, as she threw herself on his body. " That's the way a Texican settles yer hash I " shouted Skinley. Somers, who had returned the pistol to his belt, drew it again, and fired in the direction of the door, though the smoke prevented him from seeing the form of Skinley. The guerilla rushed out of the house, and disappeared. Somers followed him, determined not to be balked this time. Unfortunately, he turned to the left, while the Texan went to the right ; and when he had passed around the house to the lane, he discovered the scoundrel, already mounted, and spurring his horse away from the scene. Somers sprang into his saddle, and started in pursuit. The hour had come to avenge the old man, and to Stanley the Texan. Pago 227. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 227 discharge the duty imposed upon him, now made easy by the wretch's crime. He urged forward his good horse to the utmost of his speed, and gained rapidly upon him. Skinley, who could insult a woman, and shoot an old man, had a wholesome fear of his pursuer ; but when he found that SomerS was gaining upon him, he unslung his rifle, and while his horse was at full speed, turned and fired at his late companion. The bullet did not come near Somers, who still urged on his steed. Skinley, for some reason of his own, perhaps for the purpose of putting into operation some method of dodging his pursuer which he had learned in fighting Indians, or lassoing cattle, now turned into an open field. Whatever might have been the merits of the scheme under ordinary circumstances, it was fatal to him in the present instance ; for, while the Texan was proceeding in a direction at right angles with the road, Somers dashed into the field, and cut him oflf, by taking the diagonal of the square, while Skinley was following the side. Perhaps he had not noticed a piece of low ground, partially covered with water, which compelled him to give Somers this advantage. " 'Tain't handsome, Somers ; I didn't tech you ! " yelled Skinley, when he perceived that he had lost the game. Somers elevated his revolver, and, taking careful aim, fired. The wretch threw up his arms, sprang upward in 228 FIGHTING JOE, OR his saddle, and dropped to the ground, while his horse dashed on at increased speed, when relieved of his heavy burden. " My work is done," said Somers, as he drew in his panting steed. Turning his horse, he rode slowly back to the spot where Skinley had fallen. Dismounting, he bent over the body to ascertain the result of his shot. The ball had struck the Texan in the side, and had evidently passed through his heart, for he was entirely dead. The old man was avenged ; the plot of the guerillas, so far as it depended upon the arrival of Sweetzer and his force, was defeated. Somers took from the corpse of the guerilla a rifle, three pistols, and a long knife. There was something projecting from the breast pocket of his coat which looked like a bundle of papers ; and the young officer, ever intent upon procuring information, drew it forth. He was not mistaken ; it was a bundle of papers, and among others there was a note from Captain Lynchman to Lieutenant Sweetzer ; but it was only the order for him to proceed forthwith to Tantallon cross-roads. Inasmuch as Skinley was not "up to print," much less to writing, the re- mainder of the papers could have no connection with the bearer ; but Somers was too much im- pressed by the proximity of the dead man, and by the necessity of prudence in his present condition, to THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 229 examine them, and he put them in his pocket for future inspection. Slinging the rifle upon his back, and placing the other weapons in his belt, he mounted his horse. As he was about to depart, the animal which had been ridden by Skinley came walking leisurely up the 'field, as if in search of his lost burden. When he saw Somers, he went up to him, and suffered himself to be captured. He was a docile creature, and had been well trained by his late master. Leading the horse, he returned to the house of Mr. Callicot, to ascertain the fate of that gentleman, and report the result of the pursuit. He found the house in commotion. The few servants which the Union man had been able to retain were bus- tling about the house, but, as is apt to be the case in a panic, doing absolutely nothing. Somers gave the horses into the keeping of an old negro man, and having de^ posited the guerilla's weapons in the back room, entered the house. He found, by the direction which the servants took, where the dead or wounded man lay ; for he had not waited to learn his fate before he went in pursuit of the wretch who had done the deed. He entered the apartment, and was glad to find that his worst fears had not been realized. Mr. Callicot was not dead, but he appeared to be severely wounded. His eyes were open, and he was gazing, with a languid look 20 230 FIGHTING JOE, OR of affection, at his daughter, who was bending ovel the bed. " There's one of them," he faintly articulated, as Somers entered the room. " I am not one of them, Mr. Callicot ; on the con- trary, I am an officer of the Union army, on the staff of the major general commanding the eleventh and twelfth corps." " Impossible ! " groaned the sufferer. u More than this, I have shot the villain who fired at you," continued Somers. " He certainly took no part with the other man, father," interposed the daughter ; " and I heard him order his companion to leave the house." " If you are still in doubt, you will find the villain's horse in your stable, and all his weapons in your back room." " Go and see, Sophia," said the old man ; " for we know not whom to trust." Somers conducted the lady to the back room, and ex- hibited the weapons ; then to the stable, where the negro had taken the horse. " If you are not satisfied, Miss Callicot, you may send one of your servants to a field on the left of the road, about half a mile from here, and he will find the body pf the guerilla, — for such he was." "lam satisfied, sir; for I noticed the horse when the TIIE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER.' 231 man rode into the yard," replied the lady. " Why did you not protect us?" " I fired at the scoundrel a moment after he discharged his pistol at your father the first time ; but the smoke in the room spoiled my aim, and I missed him. I also fired at him when your father fell, as you must have noticed." " I heard two shots, but I did not know who fired them." " I supposed he had gone when he left the house ; but it seems he went round, and entered again by another door. I did not think the ruffian was base enough to kill an old man like your father, or I would have shot him in the first place. I did not wish to do so in your presence." " I wish you had." " Is your father badly wounded? " " I don't know how bad it is; he was struck in the shoulder. I have trembled every day for fear of these guerillas ; but when they come with an officer, my father's paper always saves us from harm. 5 ' " Have you sent for a surgeon ? " asked Somers. " We have no horse at home, and the surgeon lives five miles from us." " Take the dead man's horse." " Thank you ; I will send a man at once," replied Miss Callicot. 232 FIGHTING JOE, OB A boy was immediately despatched on Skinley's horse for a doctor, and Somers went with the lady to the room of her father. The young officer examined the wound, and ventured to assure the sufferer that it was not a dan- gerous one. When wounded himself, he had seen the surgeons operate, and he had some idea of the methods employed. The old man was bleeding freely ; and by changing his position on the bed, and by pressing a napkin around the wound, he checked the flow of blood. It was three hours before the surgeon arrived. He was a personal friend of the Union man, and came with all haste as soon as the boy found him. The doctor came, but the messenger did not return ; and Somers concluded that the horse had been seen and recognized by some of the guerillas. The young officer was greatly perplexed in regard to his future movements ; and though Miss Callicot offered, and pressed upon him, the hospitalities of the house, he decided to depart as soon as the doctor had assured him that the wound was not dangerous. Leaving at the house the guerilla's weapons, which he advised the lady to conceal, he mounted his horse, and rode away ; but what to do, or where to go, he was at a loss to determine. All he wanted now was, to find De Banyan, and hasten to the headquarters of his general. The attack upon the pay-master's escort was to be made at Tantallon cross-roads, or in that direction ; but THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 233 it was not prudent for him to be seen near that locality, after what had happened, and he decided to return to the nearest military post on the railroad. After riding a couple of miles, as he turned a bend in the road, on the verge of a wood, he suddenly came upon Lynchman's force, which had halted there. 20* 234 FIGHTING JOE, OB CHAPTER XXII THE GREENBACK TRAIN. ^^fc^HE guerillas and their horses stood so still in the #| road that Somers had not suspected their pres- \£jy ence. His first impulse was to wheel his horse, and flee with all speed from this dangerous ground. The fact that the negro boy, who had been sent for the doc- tor, had not returned, was pretty good evidence that he had been captured by the guerillas ; and their presence in this place fully confirmed his fears. To turn and run away would be sure to bring a volley from their carbines upon him, and to advance was to throw himself into the very jaws of the lion ; but, on the whole, he decided that it was less perilous to go for- ward, and he continued on his way, as though no shock had come over him. The negro who had been captured had probably told his story, and it would be a very diffi- cult matter to reconcile the conflicting statements that must ensue. "Why are you here, Somers?" demanded Captain Lynchman, in an excited tone. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 235 " Yankee cavalry," replied Somers, glancing sus- piciously behind him. *« Where?" " I don't know where they are now. Skinley was shot by a Yankee and killed." " This is bad business," said Lynchman. " No, it isn't ; it is all the better for us," said De Banyan, stepping forward to the rescue. " Perhaps it is, but I don't see it," added the captain-, and truly it must have been rather difficult for him to see. " You are duller than usual, captain," continued De Banyan, with his easy assurance. " You believe in strategy, and look troubled at a difficulty like this?" "Did you give Skinley 's horse to that nigger?" de- manded Lynchman. " Bah ! " exclaimed De Banyan, with hearty disgust. " What matter whether he did or not? Are you going to settle a case of that sort now? I tell you it is all right." "What shall we do?" "Do?" sneered the major. "We will capture the pay-master at Tantallon cross-roads, as we intended. We are not going to be thrown off the track by a little accident of this kind." " Of course not," replied the guerilla, catching the inspiration of his apparently bolder companion. 236 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Leave these Yankees to me," continued De Banyan. " I will have them ten miles from here within two hours." " Good ! " murmured several of the guerillas. " The greenback train has been delayed, and we shall have time to 'bring up Sweetzer yet. I want two men to go with me. I will take Tippy and Somers." " What do you want of them? " demanded Lynchman. " Somers shall go to Raybold's for our fellows there, and Tippy shall return to inform you when to come for- ward. If you should be seen, it would spoil the whole thing." The guerilla chief consented to this plan; and De Banyan, followed by Somers and Tippy, rode off at full gallop. The major did not seem to be conscious that he had very cleverly performed the part he had assumed in the drama. He looked just as determined as though he intended to carry out the programme assigned to him by Lynchman. " What are you going to do, major?" asked Somers, when they had ridden about half a mile. " The infernal cutthroats ! " exclaimed he, savagely. u I'm going to capture the whole crowd." " But you have no force." " I'll have one. Tippy ! " said he, with energy. " Sir," replied the scout, with the utmost deference and respect. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 237 " Understand my purpose. I am going to the stockade where the pay-master and his escort are, and where I re- quested him to remain until he heard from me." " Have you seen him?" asked Somers. " I have ; he has sent to the next post for more men. They must have reached him by this time. Now, Som- ers, if we are smart, we will report to the general before night with the pay-master, and these guerillas as pris- oners. We have got things now where we can have it our own way, and it will be our fault if we don't bag the whole squad." "" If the pay-master has a hundred men, we can take them at once," said Somers. " I propose to haul in the whole company — those at Kaybold's as well as those with Lynchman. We have no time to lose," continued the major, with increased energy. " Somers, you must go to Raybold's, and de- liver the message given you by the captain." " I'm willing," replied Somers, taking from his pocket the papers he had removed from the body of Skinley. " I have the captain's written order in my hand." " Good ! Kill your horse, if necessary ; but don't lose an instant of time. Away with you ! " " But I don't know the road." De Banyan instructed him very carefully in regard to his route. " When you have delivered the order, look out for 238 FIGHTING JOE, OR yourself," he added, as Somers put spurs to his willing horse, and dashed away to execute his important mission. " Now, Tippy, in one hour go and tell Lynchman that the road is open for him," added De Banyan, as he took the hand of the young scout, which he pressed with warmth. " Boy, be true to your country and your flag from this time henceforth and forever ! " " I will, I will ! " exclaimed Tippy, with deep feeling, as he wiped away the tears, which, for some unexplained reason, filled his eyes. De Banyan, apparently as deeply moved as the young man, galloped away at a furious pace. Beyond the wood he turned to the left, crossing the creek and the railroad, till he reached another road. This point was Tantallon cross-roads ; and here he turned to the left again, and was now moving directly towards the stock- ade in which he had left the pay-master, and where he arrived in an hour from the time he started. In fifteen minutes more a squadron of cavalry, collected during the forenoon from the military posts in the vicinity, was moving down towards the cross-roads. When the force arrived at its destination, one half of it was posted in a secure place by the railroad, where it could not be seen by the guerillas as they advanced to the rendezvous, and the other half in the vicinity of the cross-roads. Quite as soon as they were expected the little troop of Lynchman crossed the railroad, and moved THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 239 cautiously towards the point at which they expected to meet the " greenback train." But no sooner had they passed the railroad, than the force in their rear took the road and cut off their retreat, while that in front ad- vanced upon them. For a moment there was a clash of arms ; but the guerillas were borne under and captured by the cavalry without the loss of a man, and almost without a scratch on either side. The prisoners were conducted to a safe place, and the cavalry again disposed for the reception of the larger force expected from Raybold's. The guerillas were intensely astonished at the sudden and unexpected result of the enterprise. Captain Lynchman, who believed in strategy, looked exceedingly foolish and disconsolate. When the prisoners were halted in a secure position he happened to see De Banyan. " How's this ? " said he, appealing to the energetic major. "How's what?" asked De Banyan, with admirable simplicity. " You have made a blunder somewhere," added Lynchman, sheepishly. " Not at all. Everything has come out just as I intended it should." " Then you are a traitor." " On the contrary, I am a true Union man. I go for the Union first, and Tennessee next." 240 FIGHTING JOE, OR " Traitor ! " growled the guerilla. " See here, my man ; you believe in strategy — don't you?" " I do." " So do I," replied De Banyan. " I think you have got strategy enough to last you till the end of the war." " You deceived me, then," added Lynchman, bitterly. " Deceived you ! " sneered the major. " Did you think I would throw myself into your arms, and let you butcher me at your own pleasure. I know what you guerillas are — gorillas, I had better say. Deceived you ! I shouldn't want a more stupid fellow than you are to work upon. You have played into my hand all the way through." " What is to be done with us? " asked the discomfited chief, tamely. " I don't know. We shall march you to headquarters ; but as a man of your importance ought to have a bigger escort than this, we shall add the rest of your gang to the train." De Banyan walked away, mounted his horse, and rode down to the cross-roads again, where the greater battle Was soon to be fought. Tippy, the scout, who had dis- engaged himself from his companions at the beginning of the affray, was directed to keep at a distance from the strife. Somers delivered his message to Sweetzer, and the THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 241 guerillas immediately leaped into their saddles. The note from Lynchman relieved the bearer from all sus- picion, and the lieutenant only questioned him in regard to the nature of the operations in which his force was to engage. Somers answered as suited himself; and, find- in"- that no further notice was taken of him, the officers and men being busily occupied in preparing for their excursion, he contrived to detach himself from their company. Gaining the highway, he rode at a leisure gait till he was out of their sight, when he quickened his pace, and reached the cross-roads in advance of the guerillas. He was warmly welcomed by De Banyan ; but there was no time yet for long stories, though both of them had much to say. Sweetzer and his men crossed the railroad without a suspicion that they were plunging into a fatal trap, till they heard the clatter of horses' feet behind. The cavalry in the rear, which was to open the battle, dashed upon the guerillas with a round of Union cheers. But the rebels were desperate fellows. They had been plun- dering, murdering, and destroying, without mercy, and the fear of a righteous retribution upon their heads nerved them to the most determined action, and they fought like demons. They were hardly engaged before the cavalry in front rushed with headlong speed upon the entrapped foe. It was such an opportunity as the policy of the partisans 21 242 FIGHTING JOE, OB seldom permitted them to enjoy ; and the Union soldiers, with a hearty relish for the work, went into the fight with an enthusiasm which could result only in speedy victory. Then ensued a brief but tremendous conflict, in which the guerillas were thoroughly and completely routed. There was an awful cutting and slashing for a few minutes. The rebels were utterly demolished ; they broke, and attempted to flee from the scene of wrath ; but not many of them escaped. " The work is done," said De Banyan, as he joined Somers at the close of the conflict. " And well done," added Somers, as he returned his sword to its scabbard. " I think the general will be willing to excuse our delay in reporting." The wounded were sent back to the military post, the prisoners secured, and the " greenback train " took up its line of march for the army. On the way, De Banyan, Somers, and Tippy kept together. It was the first time the staff officers had found an opportunity to communicate in regard to the past. Somers knew but little of what his friend had done ; but he opened the way for an explanation by relating his own adventures with Skinley. " I supposed you would shoot him the moment you got him out of sight of his cutthroat companions," said the major. " I couldn't shoot him down in cold blood. I intended THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 243 to use a little strategy, when the right time came," replied Somers. " You are too sentimental by half. If he had been a soldier and a decent man, you might have hesitated. He was nothing but a cold-blooded wretch, a cutthroat ; you ought to have shot him without winking twice. I would have done it." " I couldn't do it. But, De Banyan, what have you been doing? " The major minutely detailed his operations during the morning. He had been to the pay-master, proved that he was a Union man, on the staff of a general, and ex- posed the plot of the guerillas. Returning to them, he had arrived just before the capture of the negrc boy on the Skinley horse, and had contrived to make the fellow say what he desired, in part, and to neutralize what tended to inculpate Somers. " One question, major," said Somers, when D x Banyan finished: " Who is Tippy ? " " He is my son." 244 FIGHTING JOE, OB CHAPTER XXIII THE BATTLE IN THE CLOUDS. OMERS had been greatly mystified by the sin- gular conduct of Tippy, the scout, and quite as much so by that of De Banyan in connection with the young man. He remembered to have heard the major say, when they parted, after the eventful campaign before Richmond, that he had a son ; and it now ap- peared that he had been in the rebel service, while his father was actively engaged on the other side. Before the war Tij>py had been the confidential friend and companion of his father to an extent to which par- ents seldom admit their sons. He was an only child, and between them there had been a bond of sympathy, which nothing but the total breaking up of all social relations could affect. The father had been compelled to enter the rebel army sorely against his will, and at the first opportunity had put himself on the right side. In doing so he had been separated from his family, hoping, however, to meet his wife and son again in a few months at farthest. He had been grievously dis- 'THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 245 appointed in this respect, for the sweep of the Union army had not been so speedy and decided as he had an- ticipated ; and he had been obliged, by the force of cir- cumstances, to leave the West and go to the East. During his absence his wife had died ; and the son, inheriting the talent of his father, had taken service in the rebel ranks, where his ability as a scout was soon discovered. When he saw his father, he had no will of his own ; whatever the parent was, he was. Like thou- sands of others who fought on the side of rebellion, he had no principle in the matter, and only went with the crowd. He was now happily restored to his devoted parent, and fully believed that whatever cause his father espoused must be the right one. The boy's middle name was Tipton, after a Tennessee politician, who happened to be in the ascendant at the time of his birth ; and from this was derived the pet appellation by which he was known among the rebels and partisans. Somers and Tippy were immediately the best of friends ; and during the day, as they rode along, the young Tennessean asked a thousand questions about the North, about the home and the associations of his com- panion ; and it is quite probable that he profited by the information imparted in the answers to the questions. Before night, as De Banyan had promised, our travel- lers had the pleasure of reporting to " Fighting Joe," at Bridgeport, and of receiving a hearty welcome. They 21* 246 FIGHTING JOE, OR Were warmly commended for the work they had done among the guerillas, who were the pest of the state, the continual annoyance of the army's communications, and a nuisance to friend and foe among the families of the region. The general conversed freely with De Banyan and Somers, and immediately assigned them to duty in their respective positions. " Somers, my dear fellow, I greet you ! " exclaimed Captain Barkwood, when they met. " Thank you, captain," replied Somers, warmly grasp- ing the proffered hand of the engineer. " You are the only volunteer I have met who was fit to be a regular." " Fortunately, I am one," added Somers, explaining his position. " I congratulate you. I hear that you have been fighting guerillas." "A little." " I am sorry you have a taste for those small squabbles." " I have not ; I only go into them from necessity. But our fight with the guerillas was a splendid piece of strategy. I will tell you about it." Somers told him, and the engineer was satisfied, though he declared that he was too much of a coward to have any relish for hand-to-hand encounters. "Well, Captain Barkwood, how is the general?" THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFF ICE It. 247 asked Somers, when the relative merits of brain and muscle had been duly discussed. " The general ! He is a diamond among precious stones," replied Barkwood, with enthusiasm. " If he gets a chance he will knock the backbone out of the rebel army in this quarter. By the way, Somers, I remember the general when he was in Mexico." " Were you there? " " I was." " You don't look old enough." " I'm forty. I remember him at Chapultepee." " I was there," added De Banyan ; " but I was a private." " He fought like a tiger there, as he did everywhere, and went up like a rocket from second lieutenant to lieutenant colonel. He is what I call a positive man ; he does his own thinking, which, unfortunately for him, perhaps, in some instances, does not agree with the thinking of others. He was with Pillow, Rains, and Ripley, who are all rebels now." " But the general left the army." " Yes, he is an active man ; he couldn't stand the piping times of peace that followed the Mexican war, and, resigning his commission, went to California, where he became a farmer. This didn't agree very well with his constitution, and when a speck of war appeared in 1861, he hastened to Washington ; not as an adventurer, 248 FIGHTING JOE, OR mind you, but as a man who believed in the American Union. Somehow the men in authority seemed to have forgotten about his conduct in Mexico ; and it may be that some of his positive opinions were remembered, and he did not readily procure service. " Discouraged, and perhaps disgusted, with his ill success, he made up his mind to return to his farm on the Pacific. Before his intended departure' he paid his respects to President Lincoln, to whom he made some comments on the battle of Bull Run, which induced the president to make him a brigadier. That was the luck- iest thing for the general, and the luckiest thing for the country, that ever came out of an accident." " That's so ! " exclaimed De Banyan, with emphasis. " I've seen him in a great many fights ; and I say he has no superior in the army." " I'm not very fond of comparisons between generals ; but I can say I like him better than any other," added Somers. " I wish generals were not so sensitive." "Sensitive? My dear Somers, a man can no more be a great general without being sensitive, than he can be a parson without being pious." " That may be ; but I think that some of the military operations of the war have failed because the command- ing general in charge of them was not fairly supported, owing to some of these squabbles about rank." " That's true ; but there's a great difference between THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICEll. 249 being sensitive, and failing to obey orders, in spirit as well as to the letter. ' Fighting Joe ' never did and never will allow his sensitiveness to endanger for one moment the success of our arms," said the engineer, warmly. " He would fight under a corporal rather than lose the day, any time." " I know that," answered Somers ; " but I can't help feeling that if some generals had been less sensitive, our general would have been in command of a large army to-day." " A positive man speaks what he thinks ; and I doubt not ' Fighting Joe ' has often offended his superiors by his candid criticisms. This may have affected his po- sition, but it cannot rob him of the glory of the past. "Whatever he does, and wherever he goes, I'm with him to the end," added the engineer. " So am I," said De Banyan. " There will be something done in this department very soon," continued Barkwood. " The heavy storms have rendered the roads almost impassable ; and the pro- visions for the army in Chattanooga have to be conveyed in wagons about fifty miles. The first move will be to open the river and the railroad between this point and Chattanooga." The engineer was correct in his supposition, for a few days later General Hazen's brigade descended the Ten- nessee in pontoon boats, intended for the erection of a 250 FIGHTING JOE, OR bridge over the river at Brown's Ferry, running the rebel batteries in the night, and reaching their destination in safety. The Confederate force under General Bragg was posted on the south side of the river, holding the heights known as Raccoon Mountain, Lookout Moun- tain, and Missionary Ridge. Batteries had been planted on these heights, which swept the river and the valleys ; and the operation of dislodging the enemy from their strongholds was a difficult and dangerous one. A pontoon bridge nine hundred feet in length was built on the river at Brown's Ferry in five hours, a force having been first sent over the river, and a po- sition captured and fortified to protect the operation. The eleventh and twelfth corps then moved out from Bridgeport, and completed the communication between that place and the pontoon bridge, thus effecting a junc- tion with the army in Chattanooga. A steamboat, built by a company of engineers, and another captured from the enemy, conveyed provision, one above and the other below the pontoon bridge, to the beleaguered town. This vital question being settled, the place was fortified so that it could be held by a small force ; and the main army then commenced the work of relieving East Ten- nessee from the presence of the rebels, which was fully accomplished in spite of the active movement of the en- emy to prevent it. Our volume is not a history, and we do not purpose to THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 251 narrate in detail the movements of the three armies, which had been united under General Grant. The rebels were whipped in every direction, foiled and defeated in all their plans, and the Union army continued on its march to Atlanta. "Fighting Joe" bore an important part in these operations, and was conspicuous at Lookout Mountain, Resaca, and before Atlanta. He was skilful and brave, energetic and devoted in this campaign, as he had been before. He Avas faithful to his duty, until, on the death of General McPherson, he was compelled to ask to be relieved. With this summary of the events at the seat of war in the South, we return to Captain Somers. The general's command, having opened the communi- cation with Chattanooga, marched up Lookout Valley. " Fighting Joe" was there for a purpose. The rugged steeps of the mountain bristled with rebel cannon, and his army was exposed to a sharp fire as it moved on its way. The general was in the midst of it, and assured the troops that the fire could not harm them. His con- duct had the most inspiring effect upon the men. When the head of the column approached the vicinity of the railroad bridge, near Wauhatchie, the rebel in- fantry opened upon it, being posted in a dense forest, where their number could not be determined. A brigade was thrown out to flank the position, upon which the en- emy precipitately fled over the creek, burning the bridge 252 FIGHTING JOE, OR behind them. The column moved on, and halted for the night in the valley. At midnight General Geary's division was savagely attacked, and presently the gloom of the valley was lighted up by the flame of battle ; cannon and musketry blazed from the summits of the mountain, but the men fought with the most determined zeal. The general was in his saddle, and his staff were hurled away like arrows from a bow, to strengthen the weak parts of the line. A brigade was despatched to the assistance of Geary, who was hard pressed ; but the attack was promptly repelled. Somers was then sent off with an order to the second brigade to storm the heights and carry them ; and he was directed to accompany the force and report progress to the general. The hill was very steep and rugged, and in many places the rocks presented the appearance of palisades. It was covered with wood and under- brush, and it would not have been an easy thing to climb it with a guide in broad daylight ; but the general had sent these intrepid fellows to scale its jagged steeps in the middle of the night. It was cloudy, and the moon shed an uncertain light on the scene. To Somers there was a savor of home in the enterprise, for the thirty-third Massachusetts was one of the two regiments which formed the advance in this perilous movement ; the other was the seventy-third Ohio, both THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 253 numbering only four hundred men. On dashed the in- trepid soldiers, climbing up the dangerous steeps, as though all of them had been mountaineers — on, till they penetrated the clouds, while the gloom was lighted up by the glare of the sheets of flame from two thousand rebel muskets. There in the clouds, at midnight, was fought and won this remarkable battle. The crests of the hills were carried at the point of the bayonet, and the gallant thirty-third left one third of its number killed and wounded on the ground ; but the victory was com- plete, and Captain Somers hastened to report the result to the general. 22 254 FIGHTING JOE, OB CHAPTER XXIV. PEACH-TREE CREEK. URING the night all the rebels evacuated Lookout Mountain, and retreated upon the main army, posted at the eastward of them. The storming of the heights was part of the great battle of Chattanooga, directed by General Grant with the most consummate skill, and carried out by his subordinates with a zeal and energy which insured a great and decisive victory. Chattanooga was ours ; East Tennessee was purged of the rebels who had been persecuting the devoted loyalists from the beginning of the war ; and with these events substantially closed the campaign of 1863. Our limited space compels us to pass over the time from this period to the July of the next year. Somers and De Banyan still held their positions on the staff of the general, spending the winter in the vicinity of Chat- tanooga. There were a great many letters passed between the young captain and his friends, and all of them from him were not directed to Pinchbrook. THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 255 Between himself and Lilian a most excellent under- standing still subsisted. In the reorganization of the army, which followed the well-deserved promotion of Grant to the rank of lieu- tenant general, " Fighting Joe " was placed in command of the twentieth corps ; and in Sherman's bloody and decisive advance to Atlanta, he was one of the central figures in the picture. He was the idol of his corps, as he had been in the Army of the Potomac. His men loved and trusted him, and he never disappointed them. He was always in the thickest of the danger, to support and to cheer them. Everything went wrong with the rebels. Johnston, beaten and flanked time and again, fell back, until Atlanta, the objective point of Sherman, w r as reached, where he was superseded by Hood, who was eminently a fighting man, and was expected to retrieve the failing fortunes of the Confederacy. On the 20th of July was fought the battle of Peach-Tree Creek, which was a desperate attempt on the part of the newly-appointed rebel commander to redeem the disasters of the past. The attack was- made against a weak place in the line, where there w x as a large gap between the divisions of Geary and Williams. Into this gap Hood hurled his compact column ; who, inspired with a hope that their new leader would turn the tide of battle setting so strongly against the rebels, 256 FIGHTING JOE, OR fought with unwonted desperation. They poured, in solid masses, through the open space, and fell upon the boys of the twentieth corps with fiendish valor. For a moment they shook — but " Fighting Joe " flashed befora them like a meteor ; his full tones were heard as buoyant as in the hour of victory, and the soldiers gathered them- selves up under this potent inspiration, and bravely faced the impetuous foe. From both sides of the gap, into which the rebels had wedged themselves, deadly volleys of musketry were poured in upon them. They were mowed down like ripe grain before the scythe. They bit the dust in hundreds ; but the survivors maintained the conflict. Still the commander of the twentieth corps dashed along the line, and everywhere restored the breaking column. His voice was a charm on that day, and more than any other of the war in which he had been en- gaged, this was his battle ; for, with his voice, his eye, and his commanding presence, he banished panic, and wrested victory from the arms of defeat. The assault was triumphantly repelled ; and doubtless the rebels believed that the Fabian policy of Johnston was pref- erable to the bloody and bootless desperation of Hood. The battle was won ; and many and earnest were the congratulations exchanged among officers and soldiers after the bloody affair. De Banyan and Somers had been particularly active, not only in bearing orders, but THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 257 in rallying the troops ; and the general personally thanked them for their devotion : at the same time the aid-de- camp was directed to convey information of the result to a general whose position might be affected by it. Somers rode off, but had gone only a short distance before his friend dashed up to his side, and pointed out to him a piece of woods on his route, where a squad of the enemy's cavalry had been seen, and entreated him to be exceedingly cautious. " I'm always cautious, major," laughed Somers. " I know you are, my boy ; but you might not have known there was any danger in that quarter." " I will avoid the woods, if I can." " You can, by going over that low place at the right of the creek," added De Banyan. " I have a message to deliver in that direction myself." They rode on, and parted a short distance from the creek. Somers proceeded to his destination, and having accomplished his mission, started on the return. When he reached the point nearest to the creek, his attention was attracted by a riderless horse, feeding on the shrubs that covered the ground. A nearer approach to the animal assured him it was De Banyan's horse ; and his blood froze with fear as he considered the meaning of this circumstance. His friend had evidently been shot, and had fallen from his horse ; but perhaps he was not dead, and Somers proceeded to search for the major. 22* 258 FIGHTING JOE, OR As he rode forward, almost overcome by the sudden- ness of the shock which had fallen upon him, the sharp crack of a rifle roused him from his meditation, and a bullet whistled uncomfortably near his head. He drew his revolver, and discovered half a dozen rebels in front of him. "Wheeling his horse on the instant, he attempted to escape in the opposite direction. This act drew upon him the fire of the party, and though he was not hit, his horse dropped upon the ground, shot through the head. As the faithful animal fell, the leg of the rider became entangled under his body, and he was held fast. "How are you, Blueback?" said one of the reb- els, as they rushed forward and seized him, disarming him before they released him from his uncomfortable position. " How are you, Grayback?" replied Somers, calling his philosophy to his aid in this trying moment. " Is yer health good, Yank?" " First rate, I thank you, Reb," answered Somers, as he disengaged his foot from the stirrup beneath the horse. "How's yours?" " I cal'late you are better ter keep than yer are to kill." " That's a sensible idea on your part." " May be it is. What yer got in your pockets, Tank?" "Not much ; the pay-master hasn't been round lately." THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 259 " Let's see." "You rebs don't take greenbacks — do youT" asked Somers, as he pulled out his pocket-book. " I bet we do — take anything we can get." " Well, you won't get much out of me. There's my pocket-book ; it's rather flat ; an elephant stepped on it the other day." There was about ten dollars in legal tender currency and fractional bills in the pocket-book, which the rebels thankfully accepted. "What else yer got?" demanded the spokesman of the squad. " What else do you want? When I meet a friend in distress, I like to do the handsome thing by him." " I reckon we're in distress', and we'll take anything yer got to give. Got the time of day about yer?" Somers gave up his silver watch. "That's everything I have about me of any value," he added, hoping these sacrifices would satisfy the rapacity of his captors. " Dunno, Yank ; let's see," added the rebel, with a grin. u Turn out yer pockets." Somers took from the breast pocket of his coat the Testament which his mother had given him, and which had been his constant companion in all his campaigns. It contained several pictures of the loved ones at home, including, of course, one of Lilian Ashford. - 260 FIGHTING JOE, OR "You don't want this?" said he, as he pulled the Testament, wrapped up in oiled silk, from his pocket, and unrolled it before them. " I cal'late you Yanks don't hev no use for this book," replied the spokesman, as he took the cherished gift. "Won't you leave me that?" asked Somers. "My mother gave it to me, and it contains the photographs of my friends at home." " Not if I knows it, Yank," replied the man, coarsely. " This is a warm day — ain't it, Yank?" " Rather warm." " May be that coat's too hot for yer? " " I think I can endure it very well." " I'm feered it will make yer sick if yer wear it any longer. Jest take it off, Yank. It was made for a better man 'n you be." Somers complied, simply because resistance was vain. "What number of boots do you wear, Yank?" con- tinued the rebel, glancing at his prisoner's feet. " Well, I generally wear two of them," replied Somers, facetiously. " I reckon yer won't wear so many as that much longer. Don't yer think them boots would fit me?" " I'm afraid they are too small for you," said Somers, disgusted with the conduct of his captors. " I reckon they'll jest fit me." " Come, Turkin, quit now. I'll be dog-on'd ef we THE FORTUNES OF A STAFF OFFICER. 261 don't git captered ourselves, ef you keep on parlatin' with the carri'n any longer. Fotch him along, and we'll measure the boots bime-by." As this was eminently prudent advice under the cir- cumstances, Turkin decided to follow it. One of the party took the saddle and bridle from the dead animal v while another caught De Banyan's horse. The unfortu- nate event took place within fifty rods of the line of th SHEPARD. "One hundred and twenty Selections." MISCELLANEOUS READINGS IN PROSE AND VERSE. By Prof. L. B. Monroe. $1.50. 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