Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1889-07-18

well for the cause of the Union that Gen
eral Grant never received those orders, for
if he had, instead of pushing on and seizing
Nashville and even Donelson, he would have
had to lay at Fort Henry. West Point has
made some good military men among the
thousands turned out from that institution
but General Grants common sense was OF
more value to, his country than all his early
military training.
On the 18th Of March, 1852, Grant was re-
stored 70 command, and found the Union
army in his district divided, one part being
on the east side of the Tennessee at Savan-
nah, while one part was at Crump's Land
ing on the west bank four miles further up
the river, while a third division was at
PIttsburg Landing, which was still five miles
further up the river.
The loss of Forts Henry, Donelson and
Nashville had greatly demoralized the Con-
federates, and to once more bring the army
into something like marching orders, Gen
eral Sidney Johnston, one of the most eff
cient commanders in the Southern army,
began concentrating all the available forces
at Corinth. The wisdom of this action must
be acknowledged by all military men. John
ston had learned the kind Of a man Grant
was. COrinth was the junction of two of
sippi valley-one connecting Memphis, and
the other the Mississippi river with the
East, and the other leading to all the cotton
States of the South. Still another railroad
| connected Corinth with Jackson, in West
| Tennessee.
Grant at once saw that if he obtained pos
session Of Corinth the enemy would have
no railroad for the transportation of armies
or supplies, until that running east from
| Vicksburg was reached. In fact, it was the
| great strategic position at the West be-
| tween the Tennessee and the Mississippi
rivers, and between Nashville and Vicks-
burg.
General Grant at once put all the troops
at Savannah in motion for Pittsburg Land
| ing. 1t was his intention to march from
this position on Corinth as soon as Buell.
with his army from the Ohio should arrive,
| and the west bank Of the river was TO be the
| starting point.
Colonel Mason was thrown well to the
front in the brigade of the brave old Gen.
eral B. II. Prentiss. Luke's regiment was
filled with recruits which were almost
hourly pouring into camp. Many of the
new soldiers were young men fresh from
the farms, counting houses, shops and
stores, who had never yet smelt powder,
but who were destined ere long to learn
something of the terrible realities OF war.
Arkansaw Tom, Corporal Max, Ned Cot
ton and Bill Snow, VINO were still with the
regiment, had become a sort of self-im-
posed body-guard for the new Colonel.
Though not on his staff, they were always
near at hand IN hours of danger.
The Colonel came to love these four vet
Grams like brothers, and even though Max
did grumble he knew he could be relied on
when hard fighting was required.
"Wall, Kernel, don't yer think we're
ewine ter hev fight purity soon2'' asked
Arkansaw Tom one morning, strolling into
his Coloners tent.
81 don't know, Tom; sit down on that
cracker box. Well, about the fight-I
shouldn't wonder. General Johnston is
massing his forces at Corinth, and l be-
lieve General Grant intends to move on
that place. There will be powder burned
when those two meet"
Shouldn't be s'prised, Kernel I've been
tellin' Nv th' boys ter git ready fur the gol
darnest knock down they ever heerd on"
"We will have heavy fighting soon. but
whenit will take place, and where, l don't
know"
"But, say, Kernel, come in t tell ye
somethin'."
"What, Tom?"
"Don't yer remember that air dod blast
ed nlgger wot yer call Black Jack ur suth-
in o. the kind, who went on ther boat t.
Belmont, an we thort war killed n tn
swamp clus T. Donelson?'
"Yes, you mean Blackhawk"
"Wall, he's turned up agin."
~ mere is hel"
"In camp. It's Gods fact. Saw i'm
this mornin'," said old Tom, smoking his
short pipe.
"Where?n
"In camp. Came past our quarters
whar our mess war"
"Did you speak with him?' the Colonel
asked.
"Yes; axed him whar he'd been, an
he said he'd been layin' N tn brush ter
shoot a cuss as he hates. He's been clar
out ter Corinth, but hain't got his man yit.
Golly, ye orter see his gun; it's great,
big, long-barreled ole-fashioned rife. Very
thing ter kill a buck"
"He ought to know something about
what the rebels are doing. l wish you
would find him, Tom, and send him to me-"
"rll do it, Kernel. ril go right now N
hunt i'm up" and old Tom rose to his feet
and started from the tent to find the mys-
terious negro; but Blackhawk, as usual,
could not be found when sought, and Tom
had a fruitless search.
That evening General Prentiss ordered
Colonel Mason to take two hundred men
next morning and go out several miles in
their advance to reconnoiter, as it was re-
ported that the enemy had been seen in
considerable force along the Corinth road.
Almost ever since his arrival at Pitts
Nj. Ill :
skirmishing in their front, and his own
plckets had been fired on several times.
at is probably some guerrillas,' said the
Colonel to himself. "They are prowling
through the country, and the woods are
full of them. A few companies of cavalry
can easily put them to flight"
OF course the four men who had been his
self-constituted body guard formed a part of
the two hundred picked men, and with
three days rations and forty rounds, they
set out at daylightnex morning. As they
were passing one of the outlying picket
posts a sergeant hailed them and said:
'Ye'd better look little out"
"Have you seen any thing of the enemy
this morning?" the Colonel asked.
''No; but they've been a shootin' at US
boys all night and wounded Jack Gates"
"How many times were you fired on?"
''Three. The last time they gave US a
dozen shots all at once
''They are only few bushwhackers; we
will drive them from the woods" said the
Colonel.
With three or four exceptions Luke's en-
tire two hundred were veterans who had
been trained in the hottest fights at Bel
mont and Donelson.
The country was undulating and covered
with a dense growth of trees and under
brush, except where clearings had been