XIII
_A SOUVENIR SERVICE_
During the rest of the journey Agatha was excited and full ofenthusiasm. She had participated in a fight under the lead of thegallantest of cavaliers, and she had borne herself under fire in a waythat had won his admiration. That admiration found expression in ahundred ways, and chiefly in pressing offers of service. Before theirparting he said to her:
"Now, my dear Miss Agatha, you really must let me do you some favour. Iwant to cherish the memory of this day's glorious ride, and I want torender you some service, the memory of which may serve as a souvenir.What shall it be?"
At that moment there came to Agatha's mind one of those inspirationsthat come to all of us at times, quite without consciousness of whencethey come or why. She answered:
"You are already doing everything for me, General. You have sanctionedan enterprise on which I have set my heart, and you have done all youcould to make it successful. You gave me for dinner to-day the very bestear of green corn that I ever tasted. You have personally and verygallantly escorted me back here to Fairfax Court-house, and on the wayyou have got up for me the most dramatic bit of action that I ever saw.I am convinced that you did it only for my entertainment, and I am trulygrateful." Then with a sudden access of intense seriousness, she added,"And you have opened a way to me to render that service to my countrywhich I had planned. Never, so long as you live,--and I hope that may belong for Virginia's sake,--will you know or imagine how great a serviceyou have rendered me in this. But you insist upon doing more. You insistthat I shall crave a boon at your hands. Very well; I will do so."
With that readiness of response which characterised everything thatStuart did, he seized the opportunity offered, and broke into Agatha'ssentence with the answer:
"Of course I insist. What is it that I may do?"
"I want you to secure a captain's commission, then, for Sergeant-MajorBaillie Pegram. You know all about his family. He volunteered as aprivate. He was promoted to be sergeant-major by Stonewall Jackson's ownrequest, in recognition of his good conduct. He was terribly wounded atManassas, mentioned in general orders, and strongly recommended forpromotion for gallantry on the field. My aunts write to me--" hereAgatha fibbed a little, as a woman is permitted to do undercircumstances that might otherwise compromise her dignity, for it wasnot her aunts, but a highly intelligent negro maid in their service whokept the young lady informed as to Baillie Pegram's condition--"my auntstell me he is getting well again, and will soon be ready for duty."
"What is his arm?" asked Stuart, eagerly.
"Light artillery," Agatha answered.
"Has he influence?"
"How do you mean?"
"Could he get men to enlist?"
"Why, of course. He's the master of Warlock, you know."
Then with a little touch of embarrassment, she added, "I mean he is thehead of one of the great families, and they always have influence."
"O, yes, of course," Stuart answered. "I see the situation clearly. Willyou say to Mr. Pegram--Sergeant-Major Pegram, I mean--that I haveauthority from the War Department to raise three companies of flyingartillery, with the men all mounted, to serve with the cavalry, and thatif he can form such a company,--of fifty or seventy-five men, or betterstill a hundred men--I will secure him a captain's commission withauthority to do so?"
"But, General," said the girl, quickly, and in manifest fright, "I donot correspond with Mr. Pegram. In fact we are _very nearly strangers_."
"O, I see," answered the cavalier, with a twinkle in his eyes. "How longhas it been since you and this gallant young gentleman arranged to be'very nearly strangers?'"
"O, you entirely mistake, General," the girl quickly answered. "Reallyand truly I never knew Mr. Pegram very well; but he wore a red featherof mine at the battle of Manassas, and afterward he sent it back to meand--well, anyhow he proved his gallantry and he really ought to besomething more than a sergeant-major, don't you think?"
For answer Stuart made a sweeping bow, removing his hat and saying:"Concerning Sergeant-Major Baillie Pegram, I think whatever you think.Anyhow, as he had the good taste to wear your red feather, and as he hasfought well enough to secure a wound and a mention in general orders andyour personal approval, he shall be a captain if he wants to be. Give mehis address, and you need not have any correspondence with him."
"I'll write it," she answered, "if you'll excuse me for a moment," andwith that she retired within doors--for they had been standing in theporch--in a rage of vexation with herself. She hastily sponged off herinflamed face with cold water, dried it, and loosely twisted up hererrant hair, which had run riot over her neck and shoulders ever sincethe little encounter with the enemy. Then she scribbled Baillie Pegram'sWarlock address on a scrap of paper and returned to Stuart's presence,with the mien and bearing of a queen.
The cavalier's face was rippling all over with smiles as he bade heradieu, wished her Godspeed in her enterprise, and turned away. At thesteps he faced about, and advancing said to her:
"When do you wish to return to Fauquier?"
"I shall go home to-morrow morning," she answered.
"You travel in your own carriage, of course?"
"Yes, and my maid is with me."
"Very well," he answered. "At sunrise a platoon under command of atrusty officer will report here and serve as your escort."
"But, General, surely that is not necessary."
"Not necessary, perhaps," was the answer, "but it pleases me to have itso, and you'll indulge my fancy, I am sure. I hope to have you as myprisoner before many moons have passed."
She understood, and with a rippling smile she replied:
"Thank you, and good-bye. I shall certainly enjoy my next ear of greencorn if I am permitted to take it in your company, under some tree thatyou have honoured by making it your headquarters."
"O, my ravenous cavalrymen will have eaten up all the green corn longbefore that time; but I'll give you a dinner if I have to raid aFederal picket-post to get it."
With that he sprang into his saddle, waved a farewell, and rode awaysinging:
"If you want to have a good time, Jine the cavalry, Jine the cavalry, Jine the cavalry, If you want to have a good time, Jine the cavalry, Jine the cav-al-ry."
It was Stuart's boast at that time that he knew the face and name ofevery man in his old first regiment, and he afterward extended thisboast to include all the men in the first brigade of Virginia Cavalry.He used to say: "I ought to remember those fellows; they made me amajor-general."
But however well Stuart knew his men, with whom he fraternised in a wayvery unusual to most officers bred in the regular army, as he had been,nobody ever pretended to know him well enough to guess with any accuracywhat he would do next under any given circumstances. On this occasion hehad not brought his staff with him, but that made small difference withan officer of his temper, whose habit of mind it was to disregard formsand ceremonies, and to go straight to his purpose, whatever it mighthappen to be. When he left Agatha, he rode at once to the camp of adetached company and asked for its captain. To him he said:
"Send couriers to all the cavalry camps, and say that General Stuartorders the entire force to report in front at once."
He designated three roads and four bridle-paths by which the commandswere to move; and three or four points of rendezvous. Then he added:
"Let the men move light--no baggage or blankets or anything else butarms and ammunition."
A moment later he met Colonel Fitzhugh Lee, who had succeeded him incommand of the old first regiment,--"my Mamelukes," as Stuart loved tocall them. The two grasped hands, and Stuart said: "I've orderedeverybody to the front. You are to take command on the left. We mustdrive the Federal pickets back from all their advanced posts. They aregrowing impudent. They fired at a lady under my personal escort to-day.We must teach them not to repeat that."
Of course the men who had done the firing in question had
no means ofknowing that there was a woman among the assailed, and Stuart knew thefact very well. But he chose to regard whatever happened as somethingintended.
Turning from Lee, he galloped to the camp of some batteries, and said tothe officer in command:
"I wish you'd lend me a couple of guns or so for the afternoon. I'vesome work to do. Send them out along the Falls Church road. I'll nothave to go borrowing guns after a little while. I'll have some mountedbatteries of my own."
The officer addressed issued the necessary orders as quietly as agentleman in his own house might bid a servant bring a glass of waterfor a thirsty guest. No questions were asked on either side, and noexplanations offered. It is not the military fashion to ask unnecessaryquestions or to give needless explanations.
By this time the cavalry regiments were streaming by on their hurriedway to the front, saluting Stuart as they passed, and now and thencheering, as they were apt to do when they saw their gallant leader. Hein his turn nodded and bowed in acknowledgment, and now and then calledout a cheery word of greeting. He would be at the head of all thesefellows presently, and they knew that "the performance would not begin,"as they were in the habit of saying, till he should be there to lead.But meanwhile he had something else to attend to, for Stuart neverforgot anything that he wanted to remember, however engrossingly hemight be engaged with other affairs. Riding up to a tent before whichColonel Field was standing awaiting his horse, he asked:
"Is your adjutant with you, Field?"
"No--he has gone on with orders, but his orderly is here, General."
"That will do as well." Then turning to the orderly, who had appeared,he said:
"Take down a paper from dictation, please. When it is written out, bringit to me at the front for signature."
The dictation was as follows:
"General J. E. B. Stuart, commanding the cavalry, respectfully reportsthat in pursuance of the authorisation of the War Department, he hasselected Sergeant-Major Baillie Pegram, of ----'s battery, as one of thepersons to be commissioned captain of artillery and authorised to raisea mounted battery to serve with the cavalry. General Stuart begs toreport that Sergeant-Major Pegram's character and qualifications areabundantly certified, and that he has already been mentioned in generalorders and recommended for promotion for conspicuous gallantry in thebattle of Manassas. He is at present at his home, recovering from asevere wound received in that action. All of which is respectfullysubmitted."
"There!" said Stuart, when the dictation was done. "Write that out, foldand indorse it properly, and bring it to me at the front for signature.Then forward it through the regular channels."
Then Stuart put spurs to his horse, and galloped to the front. There hemade hurried disposition of the various commands, and half an hour laterhurled his whole force precipitately upon all the Federal outposts onthe ten-mile line. The onset was sudden and resistless, and within abrief while every picket-post of the enemy was abandoned, and a newline of observation established many miles nearer to Washington City.
With that tireless energy and that sleepless vigilance in attention todetails which always characterised the conduct of this typicalchevalier, Stuart spent the entire night following this day's work invisiting his new outposts, from one end of the line to the other. Yetwhen morning came he breakfasted upon an ear of raw corn and a laugh,and rode on to Munson's Hill to learn what signals had been receivedfrom his agents in Washington during the night.