Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1886-12-23
CHAPTER x
TaE MounrA1NrEa's nrvrNor

=
| the battle was really over, was that of cIafior
that the crisis to Which he had looked for
ward with SO much apprehension, had passed
without his receiving any bodily harm. This
was soon replaced by regret that the Icnr-
| coveted opportunity had been suffered to pass
unimproved, and still another strong senti-
ment-that keen sense of disappointment
which comes when we have braced ourselves
up to encounter an emergency, and it van
| ishes. There is the feeling of waste of yalu
able accumulated energy, which is as painful
as that of energy rnisapplied.
| Still further, he felt sadly that the day of
his yindication had been again POSTPONED
over another weary period of probation.
All around was intense enthusiasm, grow
| ing stronger every instant. It was the first
battle that the victors had been engaged in.
| and they felt the tumultuous joy that the
| first triumph brings to young soldiers. 1t
was the first encounter upon the soil of Ken
lucky; it was the first victory between the
| Cumberland mountains and the Mississippi
river, and the loss of the victors was insig.
| nificant compared with that of the van
| quished.
The cold drench from the skies, the tireary
mud-eyen the dead and wounded--were for
gotten In the jubilation ut the sight of the
lately insolent foe flying in confusion down
the mountain side, rocking for nothing so
| much as for personal safety.
The band continued to play patriotic airs
and the cannon to thunder long after the last
Confederate had disappeared in the thick
woods at the bottom Of tho gloomy gorge,
| A detail of men and some wagons were sent
back after the regiments baggage, and the
rest Of the boys, after few minutes survey
| of the battlefield, were set to work building
fires, cooking rations and preparing from the
branches and brush such shelter as could be
| made to do substitute duty for the tents left
| behind
| Little as was Harrys normal inclination to
manual labor. it was less than ever now, with
these emotions struggling in his mind, and
leaving his comrades hard at work, he wan
Tered off to where Hoosier Knob, q command
| ing eminence on the left of the battlefield,
seemed to offer the best view of the retreat of
the forces of Zollicoffer. Arriving there, he
pushed on down the slope to where the
enemy's line had stood, and where now were
| groups of men in blue uniforms searching
for trophies of the fight. In one place mus
ket would be found; in another a cap with a
silver star, or canteen quantity fashioned
| from alternate slaves of red and white cedar.
Each "findn was proclaimed by the discoverer,
| and he was Immediately surrounded by a
| group to earnestly inspect and discuss it. Il
| was still the first year of the war: the next
| year trophies" were left to rot unnoticed on
| the battlefields they covered
| harry took no interest in the relic hunting
but walked onward toward another promi-
hence that gave hopes of good view of the
Confederates The glimpses he gained from
this OF the surging mass of fugitives inflamed
him with the excitement OF the chase-of the
most exciting of chases, man hunt. He
| forgot his fears, forgot how far behind he
was leaving all the others, and became eager
only to see more of this fascinating sight
| Before he was aware of it, he was three or
four miles from the gap.
Here point ran boldly down from the
mountain into the valley, and ended in O
bare knob that overlooked the narrow creek
bottom, along which the beaten host was
forging its way. Harry mhesitatingly de-
scended to this, and stood gazing at the
swarming horde below. 1t was sight to
rlvet the attention. The narrow level space
through which the creek meandered between
two parallel ranges of heights was crowded
as far as he could see with an army which
defeat had degraded to a demoralized mob.
All semblance of military organization had
well-nigh disappeared. Horsemen and foot
men, infantry, cavalry and artillery, officers
ana privates, ambulances creaking under
their load of wounded and dying, ponderous
| artillery FORCES, wagons loaded with food.
wagons loaded with ammunition, and wagons
loaded with luxuries for the delectation of
| the higher officers-all huddled and crowded
together, and struggled forward with fever
ish haste over the logs, rocks, gullies and the
| deep waters of the swollen stream, and up
| It's slippery banks, through the quicksands
| and quagmires which every passing foot and
wheel beat into still more grievous obstacle
| Tor those that followed. HopelessIy tagged
horses fell for the last time under the merci-
| less blows of their frightened masters, and
added their great bulks to the impediments
| of the road
The men were sullen and depressed-cast
down by the wretchedness of earth and sl,v
and embittered against their officers and each
| other for the blood uselessly shed-oppressed
| with hunger and WEAKNESS, and momentarily
| fearful that new msfortunes were about
| to descend upon them. In brief, it was one
| of the saddest speetacles That human history
| can present: that of beaten and disorgan-
| lied army in full retreat, and an army SO new
| to soldiership and discipline as to be able to
| make nothing but the worst out of SO great a
| calamity-it was rout after repulse.
Nearly all the passing thousands were too
| much engrossed in the nliseries of their toll
some progress to notice the blue-coated figure
on the bare knob above the road But the
rear of the fugitives was brought I'D by a
squad of men moving much more leisurely
| and some show of order. They did not
plunge into the mass of men and animals and
vehicles, and struggle with them in the
.salx IL
but deliberately picked their way along the
sides of the valley, where the walking was
easier. They saw Harry, and understood as
soon as they saw, who he was. Two or three
| responded to their first impulse, and raising
their guns to their shoulders. fired at him.
| A bullet slapped against the rock upon which
he was partially leaning, and fell at his feet
Another spattered mud in his face, and flew
away, singing viciously.
At the reports the fear-harassed mob
shuddered and surged forward through its
entire length.
The companions of those who fired seemed
to reproach them with angry gestures point
ing to the effect upon the panicky mass
Then the whole squad rushed forward toward
the hill
Deadly fear clutched Harry Glen's heart
as the angry notes of the bullets Jared on
his senses Then pride and the animal in
stinct of fighting for life famed upward So
swiftly that he was scarcely conscious of
what he was doing he snatched q cartridge
| from the box, tore it's end between his teeth.
and rammed it home. He replaced the ram
| rod in its thimbes with one quick thrust, and
as he raised his eyes from the nipple upon
| which he had placed the cap, he saw that the
| Confederate squad had gained the foot of
| the knoll and started up its side. He raised
| the gun to fire, but as he did so he heard a
| voice call out from behind him:
"SlSeet outen tharl Skeet outen thar. Come
| up heah, quickl'
Harry looked in the direction of the voice
| He saw a tall, slender, black haired man
standing in the woods at the upper edge Of
| the cleared space. He was dressed in butter
nut jeans, and looked so much like the Con-
| federates in front that Harry thought he was
| one of them. The stranger noticed his indie
cision, and called out again still more per-
| emptorily:
@Skeet outen thar, tell yel Skeet outen
thar Come up hcah. I'm friend-Tm
| Union.'
| His rife came to his face at the same in
slant, and Harry saw the fame and white
smoke puff from it, and the sickening thought
| flashed into his mind that the shot was fred
| at him, and that he would feel the deadly call
| pierce his body. Before he could more than
| formulate this he heard the bullet PASS him
| with screech and strike somewhere with 8
chs -.