CHAPTER XXIV
A FRUITLESS INTERVIEW
As conversation ceased for a time Noel and Dennis withdrew to a part ofthe tent where they were by themselves. The face of every man in thetent betrayed his feeling of anxiety. Even Noel, the youngest of thesoldiers, was becoming alarmed at the outlook. Far removed from his ownregiment, among those who were strangers to him and who knew nothing ofhis record or even of his presence in the army, the young soldierdesperately tried to think of some one to whom he might appeal for aid.
If he had been left free to follow his own wishes he would immediatelyhave sought the colonel and stated his case to that officer. As it was,however, he was not only prevented from seeing the leader, but also wasin a position in which his statements would not be accepted withoutfurther proof. His anger at the little sutler, who had brought thetrouble upon him, became keener, but his very helplessness tended onlyto increase his anxiety.
The anxiety of the young prisoners would have been much greater if theyhad known that at this very time Harper's Ferry was about to be takenand the soldiers of the garrison made prisoners. The two great divisionsof the Southern army, as we know, had been planning to cross themountains and reunite at Hagerstown or Boonesborough.
General Jackson, energetic and prompt, successfully carried out the taskwhich had been assigned to him. Indeed, he was as prompt in his actionsas was his great commander. On the first day of his advance he marchedfourteen miles and that same night decided to cross the Potomac River.The following day he was only four miles west of Martinsburg, and in themorning when he moved upon the little place, to his surprise he foundthat the garrison already had abandoned the post.
The general quickly resumed his march and on the following day, afterhis troops had covered more than sixty miles in the four days, he camewithin sight of the Federal forces.
There was a slight delay now, but on the 13th of September GeneralMcLaws reached the hills known as Maryland Heights and at the same timeGeneral Walker, who was meeting with no resistance at all, occupiedLoudon Heights above Harper's Ferry.
All that night General Jackson was awake, receiving frequent reportsfrom both of his subordinates, and before the morning came he had madeall his plans for a combined attack upon Harper's Ferry by all thedivisions under his command.
Right at the angle formed by the junction of the Potomac and theShenandoah Rivers lies Harper's Ferry. To the south were heights whichwere strongly held by the Union troops. It was in the afternoon ofSeptember 14, when at the command of General Jackson the Confederatebatteries began to pour a heavy artillery fire upon the Union troops onthe heights, and when night fell he had worked his army into such aposition that it really commanded both flanks of the Bolivar Heightswhere these Union soldiers were stationed.
The following morning there was a brief interval of quiet and thenGeneral Jackson prepared to assault the heights. But before the attemptwas made the Union garrison capitulated.
Not only were more than twelve thousand prisoners secured (for thegarrisons which had been stationed at Winchester and at Martinsburg hadretired previously to Harper's Ferry), but there also were seventy-threegreat guns and something like thirteen thousand small arms that becamethe prizes of the victors.
"Whist!" whispered Dennis, speaking for the first time since the boyshad been consigned to the guard-tent. "'Tis a black day for us, I'mthinkin'. 'Tis a foine way, too, to treat the boys that niver thought ofdesartin'."
"We'll get out of this all right," said Noel, speaking with a confidencehe was far from feeling. "They'll have to find out first whether or notwe're really deserters before they punish us."
"If I had that little spalpeen, Levi, here, I'd get some satisfaction,anyway! What for do you suppose he told the captain that we weredesarters?"
"There's fifty dollars reward offered to any one who will help in thereturn of a deserter; at least, that's what I have been told," saidNoel.
"That explains it, thin," said Dennis confidently. "That explains itall. For fifty dollars that Levi would sell his mother and his wholefamily."
"Fifty dollars is a good deal of money, Dennis."
"So it is. So it is," acknowledged the young Irish soldier, "but it's alot more than Levi is worth."
"How much more?"
"Just fifty dollars, to a cint."
The attempt to speak lightly of their troubles, however, was almostpathetic. Both boys were exceedingly anxious and their feelings were notrelieved by the manifestly increasing fears of their companions.
It was now early in the afternoon and the guard as yet had not come withtheir food. Noel had decided that he would await the coming of this manand beg him to obtain permission for him to see the colonel. The boyfelt that, if only he could be admitted to the presence of that officer,he would be able to state some things which would lead to the promptrelease both of himself and his companion.
There was a long interval, however, before a soldier came to bring theirdinner, if hard-tack and water could be dignified by such a term.Neither Dennis nor Noel ate of the food thus provided. Not only weretheir appetites gone, but their anger had increased as they thought ofthe way in which they were being treated after their difficult andperilous services all through the campaign on the Peninsula.
The feeling of Dennis frequently found voice in his expressions of angerand disgust. Noel, however, was more controlled in his manner and seldomspoke except in reply to the questions of his comrade.
Noel eagerly had begged the soldier who had brought their dinner toreport to the colonel that one of the men was innocent and mostearnestly begged permission to explain to him how he had been falselyaccused.
He was by no means confident that the soldier would bear his request tothe colonel and still less was he hopeful that the colonel would granthim an interview.
He was, therefore, the more surprised when an hour later an orderly cameto the tent and said, "Who is the man that asked to see the colonel?"
Instantly three of the inmates replied that they had made this request.To the surprise and consternation of Noel Curtis the orderly simplysaid, "There will be time for only one and he will have to be quick. Idon't see why the colonel waits, anyway. The only place for a deserteris at the end of a rope that's tied so that his feet will be about threefeet above the ground. That's the way one of the deserters was servedthis morning."
"What!" demanded Noel, his face turning pale in spite of his effort tobe calm. "Do you really mean to say that a deserter was hanged to-day?"
"That's exactly what I mean to say," said the soldier lightly. "So manymen have tried to break loose lately that it has been decided to usestricter measures. Perhaps they will be better to you, though, andinstead of hanging you, they will just let you be shot. That's a betterway. Leastwise, that's what I would want if I had to take my choice."
"I'm the one," said Noel hastily, "who sent word to the colonel askingfor permission to see him."
"He isn't the man!" shouted the other three in unison; and each added,"I'm the man!"
"How will I ever know?" said the orderly as he gazed in confusion firstat one prisoner and then at another.
"I'll tell you," suggested Noel. "Ask each man to tell how he sent hismessage, and the one that gives it right is to be the one who shall havea chance."
"Good!" said the orderly. "How did you send word?" he asked, turning toNoel as he spoke.
"Ask these other men first," suggested Noel. "I was the last one to putin a claim that I had sent word, so let me be the last one to explainhow I sent it."
"All right. Now, go ahead, you tell how you sent your word," the orderlydemanded as he looked keenly at the oldest of the trio.
"I don't just remember," stammered the soldier. "It seems to me I sent aletter."
"That's what I did, too," said the second. "I wrote a note and sent itby one of the boys."
"And how did you get word to him?" the orderly inquired as he turned tothe third man.
"I give it up. I'll own up, too, that
I didn't send any word at all,though I wanted to. Perhaps I took the wish for the deed."
"Now explain how you sent your message," said the soldier as he againturned to Noel.
"I sent it by the man who brought us our dinner to-day."
"That's right. You're the boy. You come with me."
Without any delay Noel was conducted by the orderly to the tent of thecolonel, and soon was admitted.
He remained standing near the table upon which the officer was writing.The colonel did not even glance at his visitor for a time as hecontinued his task. At last, however, he looked up and said abruptly,"Well, what is it?"
"I have come to tell you," said Noel, somewhat embarrassed in spite ofhis determination to be self-controlled, "that I have been accused ofbeing a deserter."
"Oh, you're the man who sent word by Dan Tague."
"I don't know the man's name," said Noel respectfully.
"Well, he brought your message. And you say you are not a deserter?"
"Yes, sir."
"But you cannot prove it?"
"I can and I will if you'll give me a little time."
"But I have positive information here," said the colonel, taking a paperfrom his pocket, "that you _are_ a deserter. It states that you andanother man named Dennis O'Hara both deserted at Harper's Ferry and werediscovered not far from here this morning by Captain Blowers."
"I don't know the captain's name, Colonel," said Noel. "I did notdesert at Harper's Ferry. I was outside the lines--"
"What were you doing outside the lines?" interrupted the colonel.
"I was foraging."
"Was any one with you?"
"Yes, sir. Dennis O'Hara."
"Ah, ha! Then the story is true that you both were outside the lines?"
"Yes, sir! that's true, although it isn't true that we deserted."
"To what regiment do you belong?"
"To the --th."
"To which company?"
Noel gave the number of his company.
"Who was your colonel?"
"Colonel Crawford."
"That's correct," said the officer. "All these things tally. I have astatement here that you and--your name is Noel Curtis, is it not?"
"Yes, sir."
"Well, I have a statement here that Noel Curtis and Dennis O'Hara, bothbelonging to Company ---- of the --th regiment deserted just before theattack on Harper's Ferry."
"Colonel, may I ask you who made that statement?"
"The sutler is the one who informed us."
"Did any one else tell you?"
"I think so. I haven't all the papers here and I have no time to go intodetails about this. Have you served long?"
"We enlisted last spring, my brother and I. We were both in thePeninsula campaign. My brother was sick and went home on a furlough."
"Where is your home?"
"In New York State, on the border of the St. Lawrence River. My brotherand I were both sharpshooters."
The colonel smiled incredulously as he looked at the young soldier, butall he said in reply was, "I have nothing but your unsupported word forthis, while I have the testimony of others against you. The fact thatyou were outside the lines at Harper's Ferry is against you, and it'sjust about as black when Captain Blowers reports that he was informed byreliable witnesses that you are a deserter and were seen several timesskulking about the region. We are compelled to make examples of thesemen right now, or we shan't have anybody left to stand against Lee.You'll have to find better reasons for convincing me than you have giventhis afternoon."
"Will you make some investigations, Colonel?"
"No, not now. There is no time. Do you hear those guns?" he demanded asthe roar of distant cannon was heard. "We may be ordered to advance atany time. Meanwhile I must give my men a good lesson, and I cannot do itin a better way than by making an example of such men as you."
"Don't you believe what I have told you?"
"I don't," said the colonel tartly. "Your story is just about asplausible as the one young Naylor told me before I had him hanged."
Noel's face became pale as he heard the statement lightly repeated bythe colonel that some one had been hanged that very day for desertion.He was aware, however, from the attitude of the officer and the abruptmanner in which he turned again to his writing that there was little usein trying further to plead his cause. Turning about, Noel, still underthe guard of the orderly, left the tent and was conducted back to theplace where he had been confined with his companions.