CHAPTER IV. WAR AND WAITING
Harry slept like one dead, but he was awakened at dawn, and he rose yetheavy with sleep and somewhat stiff from the severe exertions of the daybefore. But it all came back in an instant, the army, the march, and themarch yet to come.
They had but a scanty breakfast, the wagons not yet having come up,and in a half hour they started again. They grumbled mightily at first,because the day was bleak beyond words, heavy with clouds, and sharpwith chill. The country seemed deserted and certainly that somber airwas charged with no omens of victory.
But in spite of everything the spirits of the young troops began torise. They took a pride in this defiance of nature as well as man. Theycould endure cold and hunger and weariness as they would endure battle,when it came. They went on thus three days, almost without food andshelter. Higher among the hills the snow sometimes beat upon them in ahurricane, and at night the winds howled as if they had come down freshfrom the Arctic.
The spirits of the young troops, after rising, fell again, and theirfeet dragged. Jackson, always watching, noticed it. Beckoning to severalof his staff, including Harry, he rode back along the lines, giving aword of praise here and two words of rebuke there. They came at lastto an entire brigade, halted by the roadside, some of the men leaningagainst an old rail fence.
Jackson looked at the men and his face darkened. It was his ownStonewall Brigade, the one of which he was so proud, and which he hadled in person into the war. Their commander was standing beside a tree,and riding up to him he demanded fiercely:
"What is the meaning of this? Why have you stopped?"
"I ordered a stop of a little while for the men to cook their rations,"replied General Garnett.
Jackson's face darkened yet further, and the blue eyes were menacing.
"There is no time for that," he said sharply.
"But the men can't go any farther without them. It's impossible."
"I never found anything impossible with this brigade."
Jackson shot forth the words as if they were so many bullets, gaveGarnett a scornful look and rode on. Harry followed him, as was hisduty, but more slowly, and looked back. He saw a deep red flush showthrough Garnett's sunburn. But the preparations for cooking were stoppedabruptly. Within three minutes the Stonewall Brigade was in line again,marching resolutely over the frozen road. Garnett had recognized thatthe impossible was possible--at least where Jackson led.
Not many stragglers were found as they rode on toward the rear, butevery regiment increased its speed at sight of the stern general. Aftercircling around the rear he rode back toward the front, and he leftHarry and several others to go more slowly along the flanks and reportto him later.
When Harry was left alone he was saluted with the usual good-humoredchaff by the soldiers who again demanded his horse of him, or askedhim whether they were to fight or whether they were training tobe foot-racers. Harry merely smiled, and he came presently to theInvincibles, who were trudging along stubbornly, with the officersriding on their flanks. Langdon was as cheerful as usual.
"Things have to come to their worst before they get better," he saidto Harry, "and I suppose we've about reached the worst. A sight of theenemy would be pleasant, even if it meant battle."
"We're marching on Bath," said Harry, "and we ought to strike itto-night, though I'm afraid the Yankees have got warning of our coming."
He was thinking of Shepard, who now loomed very large to him. Thecircumstances of their meetings were always so singular that thisNorthern scout and spy seemed to him to possess omniscience. Beyonda doubt he would notify every Northern garrison he could reach ofJackson's coming.
Suddenly the band of South Carolinians, who were still left in theInvincibles, struck up a song:
"Ho, woodsmen of the mountain-side! Ho, dwellers in the vales! Ho, ye who by the chafing tide Have roughened in the gales! Leave barn and byre, leave kin and cot, Lay by the bloodless spade: Let desk and case and counter rot, And burn your books of trade!"
All the Invincibles caught the swing and rush of the verses, andregiments before them and behind them caught the time, too, if not thewords. The chant rolled in a great thundering chorus through the wintryforest. It was solemn and majestic, and it quickened the blood of theseyouths who believed in the cause for which they fought, just as those onthe other side believed in theirs.
"It was written by one of our own South Carolinians," said St. Clair,with pride. "Now here goes the second verse! Lead off, there, Langdon!They'll all catch it!"
"The despot roves your fairest lands; And till he flies or fears, Your fields must grow but armed bands Your sheaves be sheaves of spears: Give up to mildew and to rust The useless tools of gain And feed your country's sacred dust With floods of crimson rain!"
Louder and louder swelled the chorus of ten thousand marching men. Itwas not possible for the officers to have stopped them had they wishedto do so, and they did not wish it. Stonewall Jackson, who had read andstudied much, knew that the power of simple songs was scarcely less thanthat of rifle and bayonet, and he willingly let them sing on. Now andthen, a gleam came from the blue eyes in his tanned, bearded face.
Harry, sensitive and prone to enthusiasm, was flushed in every vein bythe marching song. He seemed to himself to be endowed with a new life ofvigor and energy. The invader trod the Southern land and they must rushupon him at once. He was eager for a sight of the blue masses which theywould certainly overcome.
He returned to his place near the head of the column with the staffof the commander. Night was now close at hand, but Bath was still manymiles away. It was colder than ever, but the wagons had not yet come upand there were no rations and tents. Only a few scraps of food were leftin the knapsacks.
"Ride to Captain Sherburne," said General Jackson to Harry, "and tellhim to go forward with his men and reconnoiter."
"May I go with him, sir?"
"Yes, and then report to me what he and his men find."
Harry galloped gladly to the vanguard, where the gallant young captainand his troop were leading. These Virginians preserved their fineappearance. If they were weary they did not show it. They sat erect intheir saddles and the last button on their uniforms was in place. Theirpolished spurs gleamed in the wintry sun.
They set off at a gallop, Harry riding by the side of Captain Sherburne.Blood again mounted high with the rapid motion and the sense of action.Soon they left the army behind, and, as the road was narrow and shroudedin forest, they could see nothing of it. Its disappearance was ascomplete as if it had been swallowed up in a wilderness.
They rode straight toward Bath, but after two or three miles theyslackened speed. Harry had told Sherburne of the presence of Shepard thenight before, and the captain knew that they must be cautious.
Another mile, and at a signal from the captain the whole troop stopped.They heard hoofbeats on the road ahead of them, and the sound was comingin their direction.
"A strong force," said Captain Sherburne.
"Probably larger than ours, if the hoofbeats mean anything," said Harry.
"And Yankees, of course. Here they are!"
A strong detachment of cavalry suddenly rounded a curve in the road andswept into full view. Then the horsemen stopped in astonishment at thesight of the Confederate troop.
There was no possibility of either command mistaking the other for afriend, but Sherburne, despite his youth, had in him the instinctfor quick perception and action which distinguished the great cavalryleaders of the South like Jeb Stuart, Turner Ashby and others. He drewhis men back instantly somewhat in the shelter of the trees and receivedthe Union fire first.
As Sherburne had expected, few of the Northern bullets struck home. Someknocked bark from the trees, others kicked up dirt from the frozenroad, but most of them sang vainly through the empty air and passed farbeyond. Now the Southerners sent their fire full into the Union ranks,and, at Sherburne's shouted command, charged, with
their leader at theirhead swinging his sword in glittering circles like some knight of old.
The Southern volley had brought down many horses and men, but theNorthern force was double in numbers and many of the men carried newbreech-loading rifles of the best make. While unused to horses andlargely ignorant of the country, they had good officers and theystood firm. The Southern charge, meeting a second volley from thebreech-loading rifles, broke upon their front.
Harry, almost by the side of Sherburne, felt the shock as they gallopedinto the battle smoke, and then he felt the Virginians reel. He heardaround him the rapid crackle of rifles and pistols, sabers clashingtogether, the shouts of men, the terrible neighing of wounded horses,and then the two forces drew apart, leaving a sprinkling of dead andwounded between.
It was a half retreat by either, the two drawing back sixty or seventyyards apiece and then beginning a scattered and irregular fire from therifles. But Sherburne, alert always, soon drew his men into the shelterof the woods, and attempted an attack on his enemy's flank.
Some destruction was created in the Union ranks by the fire from thecover of the forest, but the officers of the opposing force showedskill, too. Harry had no doubt from the way the Northern troops werehandled that at least two or three West Pointers were there. Theyquickly fell back into the forest on the other side of the road, andsent return volleys.
Harry heard the whistle and whizz of bullets all about them. Bark wasclipped from trees and dry twigs fell. Yet little damage was done byeither. The forest, although leafless, was dense, and trunks and lowboughs afforded much shelter. Both ceased fire presently, seeming torealize at the same moment that nothing was being done, and hoveredamong the trees, each watching for what the other would try next.
Harry kept close to Captain Sherburne, whose face plainly showed signsof deep disgust. His heart was full of battle and he wished to get atthe enemy. But prudence forbade another charge upon a force doublehis numbers and now sheltered by a wood. At this moment it was the boybeside him who was cooler than he.
"Captain Sherburne," he suggested mildly, "didn't General Jackson merelywant to find out what was ahead of him? When the army comes up it willsweep this force out of its way."
"That's so," agreed Sherburne reluctantly, "but if we retire they'llclaim a victory, and our men will be depressed by the suspicion ofdefeat."
"But the Yankees are retiring already. Look, you can see themwithdrawing! They were on the same business that we were, and it's farmore important for them to be sure that Jackson is advancing than it isfor us to know that an enemy's in front."
"You're right. We knew already that he was there, and we were watchingto get him. It's foolish for us to stay here, squabbling with a lot ofobstinate Yankees. We'll go back to Jackson as fast as we can. You're abright boy, Harry."
He dropped a hand affectionately on Harry's shoulder, then gave theorder to the men and they turned their horses' heads toward the army.At the same time they saw with their own eyes the complete withdrawalof the Union troops, and the proud Virginians were satisfied. It was nodefeat. It was merely a parting by mutual consent, each moving at thesame instant, that is, if the Yankees didn't go first.
They galloped back over the frozen road, and Captain Sherburne admittedonce more to himself the truth of Harry's suggestion. Already thetwilight was coming, and again it was heavy with clouds. In the east allthe peaks and ridges were wrapped about with them, and the captain knewthat they meant more snow. Heavy snow was the worst of all things forthe advance of Jackson.
Captain Sherburne gave another signal to his men and they gallopedfaster. The hoofbeats of nearly two hundred horses rang hard on thefrozen road, but with increased speed pulses throbbed faster and spiritsrose. The average age of the troops was not over twenty, and youththought much of action, little of consequences.
They saw in a half hour the heads of columns toiling up the slopes,and then Jackson riding on Little Sorrel, his shoulders bent forwardslightly, the grave eyes showing that the great mind behind them wasstill at work, planning, planning, always planning. Their expressiondid not change when Sherburne, halting his horse before him, salutedrespectfully.
"What did you find, Captain Sherburne?" he asked.
"The enemy, sir. We ran into a force of cavalry about four hundredstrong."
"And then?"
"We had a smart little skirmish with them, sir, and then both sideswithdrew."
"Undoubtedly they went to report to their people, as you have come toreport to yours. It looks as if our attempt to surprise Bath might fail,but we'll try to reach it to-night. Lieutenant Kenton, ride back andgive the brigade commanders orders to hasten their march."
He detached several others of his staff for the same duty, and in mostcases wrote brief notes for them. Harry noticed how he took it forgranted that one was always willing to do work, and yet more work.He himself had just ridden back from battle, and yet he was sentimmediately on another errand. He noticed, too, how it set a newstandard for everybody. This way Jackson had of expecting much wasrapidly causing his men to offer much as a matter of course.
While Jackson was writing the notes to the brigadiers he looked up onceor twice at the darkening skies. The great mass of clouds, charged withsnow that had been hovering in the east, was now directly overhead. Whenhe had finished the last note it was too dark for him to write any morewithout help of torch. As he handed the note to the aide who was to takeit, a great flake of snow fell upon his hand.
Harry found that the brigades could move no faster. They were alreadytoiling hard. The twilight had turned to night, and the clouds coveredthe whole circle of the heavens. The snow, slow at first, was soonfalling fast. The soldiers brushed it off for a while, and then, feelingthat it was no use, let it stay. Ten thousand men, white as if wrappedin winding sheets, marched through the mountains. Now and then, a thintrickle of red from a foot, encased in a shoe worn through, stained thesnow.
The wind was not blowing, and the night, reinforced by the clouds,became very dark, save the gleam from the white covering of snow uponthe earth. Torches began to flare along the line, and still Jacksonmarched. Harry knew what was in his mind. He wished to reach Bath thatnight and fall upon the enemy when he was not expected, even though thatenemy had been told that Jackson was coming. The commander in front,whoever he might be, certainly would expect no attack in the middle ofthe night and in a driving snowstorm.
But the fierce spirit of Jackson was forced to yield at last. Hismen, already the best marchers on the American continent, could go nofarther. The order was given to camp. Harry more than guessed how bitterwas the disappointment of his commander, and he shared it.
The men, half starved and often stiff with cold, sank down by theroadside. They no longer asked for the wagons containing their food andheavy clothing, because they no longer expected them. They passed fromhigh spirits to a heavy apathy, and now they did not seem to care whathappened. But the officers roused them up as much as possible, made thembuild fires with every piece of wood they could find, and then letthem wrap themselves in their blankets and go to sleep--save for thesentinels.
All night long the snow beat on Jackson's army lying there among themountains, and save for a few Union officers not far away, both Northand South wondered what had become of it.
It was known at Washington and Richmond that Jackson had leftWinchester, and then he had dropped into the dark. The eyes of theleaders at both capitals were fixed upon the greater armies of McClellanand Johnston, and Stonewall Jackson was not yet fully understood byeither. Nevertheless, the gaunt and haggard President of the North beganto feel anxiety about this Confederate leader who had disappeared withhis army in the mountains of Northern Virginia.
The telegraph wires were not numerous then, but they were kept busyanswering the question about Jackson. Banks and the other Union leadersin the valley sent reassuring replies. Jackson would not dare to attackthem. They had nearly three times as many men as he, and it did notmatter what had become of him.
If he chose to come, the sooner he came,the sooner he would be annihilated. McClellan himself laughed at thefears about Jackson. He was preparing his own great army for a march onRichmond, one that would settle everything.
But the army of Jackson, nevertheless, rose from the snow the nextmorning, and marched straight on the Union garrison. The rising was madenear Bath, and the army literally brushed the snow from itself beforeeating the half of a breakfast, and taking to the road again, Jackson,on Little Sorrel, leading them. Harry, as usual, rode near him.
Harry, despite exertions and hardships which would have overpoweredhim six months before, did not feel particularly hungry or weary thatmorning. No one in the army had caught more quickly than he the spiritof Stonewall Jackson. He could endure anything, and in another houror two they would pass out of this wilderness of forest and snow, andattack the enemy. Bath was just ahead.
A thrill passed through the whole army. Everybody knew that Jackson wasabout to attack. While the first and reluctant sun of dawn was trying topierce the heavy clouds, the regiments, spreading out to right andleft to enclose Bath, began to march. Then the sun gave up its feebleattempts, the clouds closed in entirely, the wind began to blow hard,and with it came a blinding snow, and then a bitter hail.
Harry had been sent by Jackson to the right flank with orders and he wasto remain there, unless it became necessary to inform the commander thatsome regiment was not doing its duty. But he found them all marchingforward, and, falling in with the Invincibles, he marched with them.Yet it was impossible for the lines to retain cohesion or regularity, sofierce was the beat of the storm.
It was an alternation of blinding snow and of hail that fairly stung.Often the officers could not see the men thirty yards distant, andthere was no way of knowing whether the army was marching forward inthe complete half circle as planned. Regiments might draw apart, leavingwide gaps between, and no one would know it in all that hurricane.
Harry rode by the side of Colonel Leonidas Talbot and Lieutenant-ColonelHector St. Hilaire, who were leading the Invincibles in person. Bothhad gray military cloaks drawn around them, but Harry saw that theywere shivering with cold as they sat on their horses, with the snowaccumulating on their shoulders and on the saddles around them. Intruth, the foot cavalry had rather the better of it, as the hardmarching kept up the circulation.
"Not much like the roses of Charleston," said Colonel Talbot, faintlysmiling.
"But I'm glad to be here," said Harry, "although I will admit, sir, thatI did not expect a campaign to the North Pole."
"Neither did I, but I'm prepared for anything now, under the commanderthat we have. Bear in mind, my young friend, that this is for yourprivate ear only."
"Of course, sir! What was that? Wasn't it a rifle shot?"
"The report is faint, but it was certainly made by a rifle. And hark,there are others! We've evidently come upon their outposts! Confoundthis storm! It keeps us from seeing more than twenty yards in front ofus!"
The scattered rifle fire continued, and the weary soldiers raised theirheads which they had bent to shelter their eyes from the driving snowand hail. Pulses leaped up again, and blood sparkled. The whole armyrushed forward. The roofs of houses came into view, and there was Bath.
But the firing had been merely that of a small rear guard, skirmisherswho surrendered promptly. The garrison, warned doubtless by Shepard,and then the scouting troop, had escaped across the river, but Jackson'swintry march was not wholly in vain. The fleeing Union troops had notime either to carry away or destroy the great stores of supplies,accumulated there for the winter, and the starving and freezingSoutherners plunged at once into the midst of plenty, ample compensationto the young privates.
The population, ardently Southern, as everywhere in these Virginiatowns, welcomed the army with wild enthusiasm. Officers and soldierswere taken into the houses, as many as Bath could hold, and enormousfires were built in the open spaces for the others. They also showed theway at once to the magazines, where the Union supplies were heaped up.
Harry, at the direction of his general, went with one of the detachmentsto seize these. Their first prize was an old but large storehouse,crammed full of the things they needed most. The tall mountain youth,Seth Moore, was one of his men, and he proved to be a prince of looters.
"Blankets! blankets!" cried Moore. "Here they are, hundreds of 'em! An'look at these barrels! Bacon! Beef! Crackers! An' look at the piles ofcheese! Oh, Lieutenant Kenton, how my mouth waters! Can't I bite intoone o' them cheeses?"
"Not yet," said Harry, whose own mouth was watering, too, "but you can,Seth, within ten minutes at the farthest. The whole army must bite atonce."
"That's fa'r an' squar', but ain't this richness! Cove oysters, cans an'cans of 'em, an' how I love 'em! An' sardines, too, lots of 'em! Why,I could bite right through the tin boxes to get at 'em. An' rice, an'hominy, an' bags o' flour. Why, the North has been sendin' whole trainloads of things down here for us to eat!"
"And she has been sending more than that," said Harry. "Here are fiveor six hundred fine breech-loading rifles, and hundreds of thousandsof cartridges. She's been sending us arms and ammunition with which tofight her!"
His boyish spirit burst forth. Even though an officer, he could notcontrol them, and he was radiant as the looting Seth Moore himself. Hewent out to report the find and to take measures concerning it. On hisway he met hundreds of the Southern youths who had already put on heavyblue overcoats found in the captured stores. The great revulsion hadcome. They were laughing and cheering and shaking the hands of oneanother. It was a huge picnic, all the more glorious because they hadburst suddenly out of the storm and the icy wilderness.
But order was soon restored, and wrapped in warm clothing they feastedlike civilized men, the great fires lighting up the whole town with acheerful glow. Harry was summoned to new duties. He was also a newman. Warmth and food had doubled his vitality, and he was ready for anyerrand on which Jackson might send him.
While it was yet snowing, he rode with a half dozen troopers towardthe Potomac. On the other side was a small town which also held a Uniongarrison. Scouting warily along the shores, Harry discovered that thegarrison was still there. Evidently the enemy believed in the protectionof the river, or many of their leaders could not yet wholly believe thatJackson and his army, making a forced march in the dead of winter, wereat hand.
But he had no doubt that his general would attend to these obstinatemen, and he rode back to Bath with the news. Jackson gave his worntroops a little more rest. They were permitted to spend all that day andnight at Bath, luxuriating and renewing their strength and spirits.
Harry slept, for the first time in many nights, in a house, and he madethe most of it, because he doubted whether he would have another suchchance soon. Dawn found the army up and ready to march away from thisplace of delight.
They went up and down the Potomac three or four days, scatteringor capturing small garrisons, taking fresh supplies and spreadingconsternation among the Union forces in Northern Virginia and Maryland.It was all done in the most bitter winter weather and amid storms ofsnow and hail. The roads were slippery with sleet, and often the cavalrywere compelled to dismount and lead their horses long distances. Therewas little fighting because the Northern enemy was always in numberstoo small to resist, but there was a great deal of hard riding and manycaptures.
News of Jackson's swoop began to filter through to both Richmond andWashington. In Richmond they wondered and rejoiced. In Washington theywondered, but did not rejoice. They had not expected there any blow tobe struck in the dead of winter, and Lincoln demanded of his generalswhy they could not do as well. Distance and the vagueness of the newsmagnified Jackson's exploits and doubled his numbers. Eyes were turnedwith intense anxiety toward that desolate white expanse of snow and ice,in the midst of which he was operating.
Jackson finally turned his steps toward Romney, which had been the Unionheadquarters, and his men, exhausted and half starved, once more draggedthemse
lves over the sleety roads. Winter offered a fresh obstacle atevery turn. Even the spirits of Harry, who had borrowed so much from thecourage of Jackson, sank somewhat. As they pulled themselves through thehills on their last stage toward Romney, he was walking. His horse hadfallen three times that day on the ice, and was now too timid to carryhis owner.
So Harry led him. The boy's face and hands were so much chapped andcracked with the cold that they bled at times. But he wasted nosympathy on himself. It was the common fate of the army. Jackson andhis generals, themselves, suffered in the same way. Jackson was walking,too, for a while, leading his own horse.
Harry was sent back to bring up the Invincibles, as Romney was nowclose at hand, and there might be a fight. He found his old colonel andlieutenant-colonel walking over the ice. Both were thin, and were blackunder the eyes with privation and anxiety. These were not in appearancethe men whom he had known in gay and sunny Charleston, though in spiritthe same. They gave Harry a welcome and hoped that the enemy would waitfor them in Romney.
"I don't think so," said Harry, "but I've orders for you from GeneralJackson to bring up the Invincibles as fast as possible."
"Tell General Jackson that we'll do our best," said Colonel Talbot, ashe looked back at his withered column.
They seemed to Harry to be withered indeed, they were so gaunt withhardship and drawn up so much with cold. Many wore the blue Northernovercoats that they had captured at Bath, and more had tied up theirthroats and ears in the red woolen comforters of the day, procured atthe towns through which they passed. They, too, were gaunt of cheek andblack under the eye like their officers.
The Invincibles under urging increased their speed, but not much. Littlereserve strength was left in them. Langdon and St. Clair, who had beensent along the line, returned to Colonel Talbot where Harry was stillwaiting.
"They're not going as fast as a railroad train," said Langdon in anaside to Harry, "but they're doing their best. You can't put in a wellmore than you can take out of it, and they're marching now not on theirstrength, but their courage. Still, it might be worse. We might all bedead."
"But we're not dead, by a big margin, and I think we'll make anotherhaul at Romney."
"But Old Jack won't let us stay and enjoy it. I never saw a man so muchin love with marching. The steeper the hills and mountains, the colderthe day, the fiercer the sleet and snow, the better he likes it."
"The fellow who said General Jackson didn't care anything about our feettold the truth," said St. Clair, thoughtfully. "The general is not acruel man, but he thinks more of Virginia and the South, and our cause,than he does of us. If it were necessary to do so to win he'd sacrificeus to the last man and himself with us."
"And never think twice before doing it. You've sized him up," saidHarry. The army poured into Romney and found no enemy. Again a garrisonhad escaped through the mountain snows when the news reached it thatJackson was at hand. But they found supplies of food, filled their emptystomachs, and as Langdon had foretold, quickly started anew in search ofanother enemy elsewhere.
But the men finally broke down under the driving of the mercilessJackson. Many of them began to murmur. They had left the bleeding trailof their feet over many an icy road, and some said they were ready tolie down in the snow and die before they would march another mile. Agreat depression, which was physical rather than mental, a depressionborn of exhaustion and intense bodily suffering, seized the army.
Jackson, although with a will of steel, was compelled to yield. Slowlyand with reluctance, he led his army back toward Winchester, leavinga large garrison in Romney. But Harry knew what he had done, althoughnothing more than skirmishes had been fought. He had cleared a wideregion of the enemy. He had inspired enthusiasm in the South, and he hadfilled the North with alarm. The great movement of McClellan on Richmondmust beware of its right flank. A dangerous foe was there who mightsting terribly, and men had learned already that none knew when orwhence Jackson might come.
A little more than three weeks after their departure Harry and hisfriends and the army, except the portion left in garrison at Romney,returned to Winchester, the picturesque and neat little Virginia city soloyal to the South. It looked very good indeed to Harry as he drew near.He liked the country, rolling here and there, the hills crested withsplendid groves of great trees. The Little North Mountain a looming blueshadow to the west, and the high Massanutton peaks to the south seemedto guard it round. And the valley itself was rich and warm with the finefarms spread out for many miles. Despite the engrossing pursuit of theenemy and of victory and glory, Harry's heart thrilled at the sight ofthe red brick houses of Winchester.
Here came a period of peace so far as war was concerned, but of greatanxiety to Harry and the whole army. The government at Richmond beganto interfere with Jackson. It thought him too bold, even rash, and itwanted him to withdraw the garrison at Romney, which was apparentlyexposed to an attack by the enemy in great force. It was said thatMcClellan had more than two hundred thousand men before Washington,and an overwhelming division from it might fall at any time upon theSouthern force at Romney.
Harry, being a member of Jackson's staff, and having become a favoritewith him, knew well his reasons for standing firm. January, which hadfurnished so fierce a month of winter, was going. The icy country wasbreaking up under swift thaws, and fields and destroyed roads were avast sea of mud in which the feet of infantry, the hoofs of horses andthe wheels of cannon would sink deep.
Jackson did not believe that McClellan had enough enterprise to ordera march across such an obstacle, but recognizing the right of hisgovernment to expect obedience, he sent his resignation to Richmond.Harry knew of it, his friends knew of it, and their hearts sank likeplummets in a pool.
Another portion of the Invincibles had been drawn off to reinforceJohnston's army before Richmond, as they began to hear rumors now thatMcClellan would come by sea instead of land, and their places werefilled with more recruits from the valley of Virginia. Scarcelya hundred of the South Carolinians were left, but the name, "TheInvincibles" and the chief officers, stayed behind. Jackson had beenunwilling to part with Colonel Talbot and Lieutenant-Colonel St.Hilaire, experienced and able West Pointers. Langdon and St. Clair alsostayed.
Harry talked over the resignation with these friends of his, and theyshowed an anxiety not less than his own. It had become evident to thetwo veteran West Pointers that Jackson was the man. Close contact withhim had enabled them to read his character and immense determination.
"I hope that our government at Richmond will decline this resignationand give him a free hand," said Colonel Talbot to Harry. "It would be aterrible loss if he were permitted to drop out of the army. I tell youfor your own private ear that I have taken it upon me to Write a letterof protest to President Davis himself. I felt that I could do so,because Mr. Davis and myself were associated closely in the MexicanWar."
The answer came in time from Richmond. Stonewall Jackson was retainedand a freer hand was given to him. Harry and all his comrades felt animmense relief, but he did not know until long afterward how near theConfederacy had come to losing the great Jackson.
Benjamin, the Secretary of War, and President Davis both were disposedto let him go, but the powerful intervention of Governor Letcher ofVirginia induced them to change their minds. Moreover, hundreds ofletters from leading Virginians who knew Jackson well poured in uponhim, asking him to withdraw the resignation. So it was arranged andJackson remained, biding his time for the while at Winchester, until hecould launch the thunderbolt.
A pleasant month for Harry, and all the young staff officers passed atWinchester. The winter of intense cold had now become one of tremendousrain. It poured and it poured, and it never ceased to pour. BetweenWinchester and Washington and McClellan's great army was one vastflooded area, save where the hills and mountains stood.
But in Winchester the Southern troops were warm and comfortable. It wasa snug town within its half circle of mountains. Its brick and woodenhouses were solid and
good. The young officers when they went on errandstrod on pavements of red brick, and oaks and elms and maples shaded themnearly all the way.
When Harry, who went oftenest on such missions, returned to his generalwith the answers, he walked up a narrow street, where the silver maples,which would soon begin to bud under the continuous rain, grew thickest,and came to a small building in which other officers like himself wroteat little tables or waited in full uniform to be sent upon like errands.If it were yet early he would find Jackson there, but if it were latehe would cross a little stretch of grass to the parsonage, the largeand solid house, where the Presbyterian minister, Dr. Graham, lived, andwhere Jackson, with his family, who had joined him, now made his home inthis month of waiting.
It was here that Harry came one evening late in February. It had beenraining as usual, and he wore one of the long Union overcoats capturedat Bath, blue then but a faded grayish brown now. However, the grayConfederate uniform beneath it was neat and looked fresh. Harry wasalways careful about his clothing, and the example of St. Clair inspiredhim to greater efforts. Besides, there was a society in Winchester,including many handsome young women of the old Virginia families, andeven a budding youth who was yet too young for serious sentimentalism,could not ignore its existence.
It was twilight and the cold rain was still coming down steadily, asHarry walked across the grass, and looked out of the wet dusk at themanse. Lights were shining from every window, and there was warmtharound his heart. The closer association of many weeks with Jacksonhad not only increased his admiration, but also had given the general agreat place in the affection that a youth often feels for an older manwhom he deems a genius or a hero.
Harry walked upon a little portico, and taking off the overcoat shookout the rain drops. Then he hung it on a hook against the wall of thehouse. The door was open six inches or so, and a ribbon of brilliantlight from within fell across the floor of the portico.
Harry looked at the light and smiled. He was young and he loved gayety.He smiled again when he heard within the sound of laughter. Then hepushed the door farther open and entered. Now the laughter rose to ashout, and it was accompanied by the sound of footsteps. A man, thickof hair and beard, was running down a stairway. Perched high upon hisshoulders was a child of three or four years, with both hands plantedfirmly in the thick hair. The small feet crossed over the man's neckkicked upon his chest, but he seemed to enjoy the sport as much as thechild did.
Harry paused and stood at attention until the man saw him. Then hesaluted respectfully and said to General Jackson:
"I wish to report to you, sir, that I delivered the order to GeneralGarnett, as you directed, and here, sir, is his reply."
He handed a note to the general, who read it, thrust it into his pocket,and said:
"That ends your labors for the day, Lieutenant Kenton. Come in now andjoin us."
He picked up the child again, and carrying it in his arms, led the wayinto an inner room, where he gave it to a nurse. Then they passed intothe library, where Dr. Graham, several generals and two or three ofWinchester's citizens were gathered.
All gave Harry a welcome. He knew them well, and he looked around withsatisfaction at the large room, with its rows and rows of books, boundmostly in dark leather, volumes of theology, history, essays, poetry,and of the works of Walter Scott and Jane Austen. Jackson himself was arigid Presbyterian, and he and Dr. Graham had many a long talk in thisroom on religion and other topics almost equally serious.
But to-night they were in a bright mood. A mountaineer had come in withfour huge wild turkeys, which he insisted upon giving to General Jacksonhimself, and guests had been asked in to help eat them.
Nearly twenty people sat around the minister's long table. The turkeys,at least enough for present needs, were cooked beautifully, and all thesucculent dishes which the great Virginia valleys produce so fruitfullywere present. General Jackson himself, at the request of the minister,said grace, and he said it so devoutly and so sincerely that it alwaysimpressed the hearers with a sense of its reality.
It was full dusk and the rain was beating on the windows, when the blackattendants began to serve the guests at the great board. Severalladies, including the general's wife, were present. The room was lightedbrilliantly, and a big fire burned in the wide fireplace at the end.To Harry, three seats away from General Jackson, there was a startlingcontrast between the present moment and that swift campaign of theirsthrough the wintry mountains where the feet of the soldiers left bloodytrails on the ice and snow.
It was a curious fact that for a few instants the mountain and the greatcold were real and this was but fancy. He looked more than once at thecheerful faces and the rosy glow of the fire, before he could convincehimself that he was in truth here in Winchester, with all this comfort,even luxury, around him.
Sitting next to him was a lady of middle age, Mrs. Howard, of prominencein the town and a great friend of the Grahams. Harry realized suddenlythat while the others were talking he had said nothing, and he feltguilty of discourtesy. He began an apology, but Mrs. Howard, who hadknown him very well since he had been in Winchester, learning to callhim by his first name, merely smiled and the smile was at once maternaland somewhat sad.
"No apologies are needed, Harry," she said in a low tone that the othersmight not hear. "I read your thoughts. They were away in the mountainswith a marching army. All this around us speaks of home and peace, butit cannot last. All of you will be going soon."
"That's true, Mrs. Howard, I was thinking of march and battle, and Ibelieve you're right in saying that we'll all go soon. That is whatwe're for."
She smiled again a little sadly.
"You're a good boy, Harry," she said, "and I hope that you and all yourcomrades will come back in safety to Winchester. But that is enoughcroaking from an old woman and I'm ashamed of myself. Did you ever see ahappier crowd than the one gathered here?"
"Not since I was in my father's house when the relatives would come tohelp us celebrate Christmas."
"When did you hear from your father?" asked Mrs. Howard, whose warmsympathies had caused Harry to tell her of his life and of his peoplewhom he had left behind in Kentucky.
"Just after the terrible disaster at Donelson. He was in the fort, buthe escaped with Forrest's cavalry, and he went into Mississippi to jointhe army under Albert Sidney Johnston. He sent a letter for me tomy home, Pendleton, under cover to my old teacher, Dr. Russell, whoforwarded it to me. It came only this morning."
"How does he talk?"
"Hopefully, though he made no direct statement. I suppose he was afraidto do so lest the letter fall into the hands of the Yankees, butI imagine that General Johnston's army is going to attack GeneralGrant's."
"If General Johnston can win a victory it will help us tremendously,but I fear that man, Grant. They say that he had no more men at Donelsonthan we, but he took the fort and its garrison."
"It's true. Our affairs have not been going well in the West."
Harry was downcast for a few moments. Much of their Western news hadcome through the filter of Richmond, but despite the brighter color thatthe Government tried to put on it, it remained black. Forts and armieshad been taken. Nothing had been able to stop Grant. But youth againcame to Harry. He could not resist the bright light and the happy talkabout him. Bitter thoughts fled.
General Jackson was in fine humor. He and Dr. Graham had started todiscuss a problem in Presbyterian theology in which both were deeplyinterested, but they quickly changed it in deference to the younger andlighter spirits about them. Harry had never before seen his generalin so mellow a vein. Perhaps it was the last blaze of the home-lovingspirit, before entering into that storm of battle which henceforth wasto be his without a break.
The general, under urging, told of his life as an orphan boy in hisuncle's rough home in the Virginia wilderness, how he had been seizedonce by the wanderlust, then so strong in nearly all Americans, andhow he and his brother had gone all the way down the Ohio to theMissis
sippi, where they had camped on a little swampy island, earningtheir living by cutting wood for the steamers on the two rivers.
"How old were you two then, General?" asked Dr. Graham.
"The older of us was only twelve. But in those rough days boys maturedfast and became self-reliant at a very early age. We did not run away.There wasn't much opposition to our going. Our uncle was sure that we'dcome back alive, and though we arrived again in Virginia, five or sixhundred miles from our island in the river, all rags and filled withfever, we were not regarded as prodigal sons. It was what hundreds, yes,thousands of other boys did. In our pleasant uplands we soon got rid ofboth rags and fever."
"And you did not wish to return to the wilderness?"
"The temptation was strong at times, but it was defeated by otherambitions. There was school and I liked sports. These soon filled up mylife."
Harry knew much more about the life of Jackson, which the modesty of hishero kept him from telling. Looking at the strong, active figure ofthe man so near him he knew that he had once been delicate, doomed inchildhood, as many thought, to consumption, inherited from his mother.But a vigorous life in the open air had killed all such germs. He was aleader in athletic sports. He was a great horseman, and often rode asa jockey for his uncle in the horse races which the open-air Virginiansloved so well, and in which they indulged so much. He could cut down atree or run a saw-mill, or drive four horses to a wagon, or seek deerthrough the mountains with the sturdiest hunter of them all. And upontop of this vigorous boyhood had come the long and severe training atWest Point, the most thorough and effective military school the worldhas ever known.
Harry did not wonder, as he looked at his general, that he could dareand do so much. He might be awkward in appearance, he might wear hisclothes badly, but the boy at ten years had been a man, doing a man'swork and with a man's soul. He had come into the field, no paradesoldier, but with a body and mind as tough and enduring as steel, thewhole surcharged and heated with a spirit of fire.
Both Harry and Mrs. Howard had become silent and were watching thegeneral. For some reason Jackson was more moved than usual. His mannerdid not depart from its habitual gravity. He made no gestures, but theblue eyes under the heavy brows were irradiated by a peculiar flashinglight.
The long dinner went on. It was more of a festival than a banquet, andHarry at last gave himself up entirely to its luxurious warmth. Theforeboding that their mellow days in the pleasant little city were over,was gone, but it was destined to come again. Now, after the dinner wasfinished, and the great table was cleared away, they sat and talked,some in the dining room and some in the library.
It was still raining, that cold rain which at times turns for a momentor two to snow, and it dashed in gusts against the window panes. Harrywas with some of the younger people in the library, where they wereplaying at games. The sport lagged presently and he went to a window,where he stood between the curtain and the glass.
He saw the outside dimly, the drenched lawn, and the trees beyond, underwhich two or three sentinels, wrapped closely in heavy coats, walked toand fro. He gazed at them idly, and then a shadow passed between him andthem. He thought at first that it was a blurring of the glass by somestronger gust of rain, but the next moment his experience told him thatit could not be so. He had seen a shadow, and the shadow was that of aman, sliding along against the wall of the house, in order that he mightnot be seen by a sentinel.
Harry's suspicions were up and alive in an instant. In this bordercountry spies were numerous. It was easy to be a spy where people lookedalike and spoke the same language with the same accent. His suspicions,too, centered at once upon Shepard, whom he knew to be so daring andskillful.
The lad was prompt to act. He slipped unnoticed into the hall, put onhis greatcoat, felt of the pistol in his belt, opened the front door andstepped out into the dark and the rain.