Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1889-07-18

| firearms and all the appalling sounds Of
carnage, confuses the veteran, and the won.
| der Is that it did not produce IL panic au,ong
these raw recruits.
Perhaps they were too much stupefied to
become panic-stricken. They seemed to
realize that their safety lay in getting be-
| hind the fence as soon as possible, as it
Afforded them partial protection.
By the time Luke reached the fence the
firing ceased and the echoes of the shots
died away. The raw recruit glanced down
the fence row, which was dark with men
crouching, kneeling and lying behind it,
while their guns formed a serried phalanx Of
black muzzles. The moon shone in peaceful
splendor upon the scene illuminating it with
floods OF silver light. No one could be seen
| in the wood beyond, but it was from that
| point that tho attack was threatened
When Luke found old Arkansaw Tom on
| one side Of him, and Ned Cotton on the
| other, he regained his self-possession.
Where were the enemy! Not one was in
| sight, nor had a shot been fired in the last
| three minutes. Luke ASKED Arkansaw
| Tom where the rebels were, and was told
that they were not far away, and were ad-
vancing on them. for they had already
driven in the pickets. But so peaceful and
| quiet was the scene that Luke was about
half inclined to believe there was some mis-
| take about it.
The crickets, which had been awed to
| silence by those rude alarms, resumed their
| chlrrups, and the whippoorwIll, on the dis
| tant hill. renewed its song. A pig came
| struggling down the path beyond the fence,
| grunting and roofing about among the
| leaves, wholly unconscious of danger.
For several moments not word was heard,
and naught save crickets. night birds, the
| rustling Of leaves and grunting of the pig
fhn ell
pecting bloody struggle-was more try
| ing on the nerves than if Il death struggle
| was at hand. Luke's mind was busy recall
| ing the past and trying to dip into the
| future. Would this night end all On earth
| below, and would the mystery of his birth
| be revealed only in eternltys
Some one whispered:
'They come!''
The regular tramp of feet could be heard
coming over the distant ridge, where the at
lacking party had evidently halted to dress
their lines.
''Stiddy, stiddyi" said Captain Smart, in
voice which was . little unsteady itself,
but which had within it tho ring of deter
mlEation that gave courage to the men.
Luke strained his eyes to catch glimpse
Of the foe. The nearer approach of the
marching columns indicated that they
would soon be in sight, and, despite all his
OetSFlllLdtIOu. UC ululScll tfcuIONuS
The pig continued to root about among
| the leaves, at peace with all the world, and
giving vent to its satisfaction in expressive
grunts.
The enemy at last came in sight among
the trees on the ridge, and despite the in
functions of the officers the more nervous
of the recruits behind the fence row began
blazing away At them. Luke at first de-
termined to obey the command of his superb
4 .-oit foe y,
to make Il sure shot, but the enemy being
recruits also, and as nervous the men
they were attacking, returned the fire, and
when Il bullet struck rail SO near him
to cover his face with dust and rotten wood,
he could no longer restrain himself, and
blazed away with the others.
The pig gave utterance to SQueal of
alarm and ran hither and thither, met ev-
erywhere with binding flashes and deafen-
ing reports, until it at last raced down the
fence row at full speed.
The enemy made no charge, but contented
themselves to fire few shots at long range,
and then gradually fell back.
Whether any of them had been killed or
wounded the Union recruits could not de-
termine, though next morning a puddle Of
blood close to a tree was discovered. Bill
Snow, the only man touched on the Union
side, had slight flesh wound in his arm.
Captain Smart made no effort to pursue
the enemy, but contented himself to remain
behind the fence with his forces for an hour
or two after they had disappeared. The
attacking force was evidently about equal
to his own, and failing to make a complete
surprise, or even take advantage of the
partial surprise, they had deemed it best to
retreat.
Sleep was stranger to the eyes of the
new soldiers the remainder of that night.
When morning came not sign of an enemy
could be found. 1t was the general belief
that the opposing force would renew the
battle at daylight, but when it came they
were many miles away, and only the bullet
shattered oaks and fences renamed to tell
that q conflict had ragged there but few
hours before.
The recruits, elated at their victory,
seemed to have suddenly developed into
veterans. In their enthusiasm they wanted
to be led at once against Lexington, which
Price was supposed to be investing with a
force variously estimated at from twenty to
one hundred thousand men.
The recruits were again in turmoil for
the lack of a leader. Two days were spent
in trying to devise some general mode of
actin. Luke, disguised with military
organization which seemed no stronger
than rope of sand, was half inclined to
desert and seek the service of his country
elsewhere.
They were constantly threatening to
break up and go off in different directions,
each company to itself. Nothing but the
knowledge that providing bands of Confed-
crates swarmed everywhere held them to-
gether at Sagget On the evening of the
third day a man mounted on d jaded horse
rode into camp with the startling intelli-
gence that Lexington had fallen on the 10Th
of September, the day before.
All hope of reaching Lexington was
abandoned, and without any leader the
army was in deplorabe condition. Sur
rounded by the enemy, cut off from friends
and convulsed with internal strife, their
condition was somewhat precarous.
Some wanted 20 go to st. Louis, others to
Springfield, ana another day was spent at
Sagget arguing which course they should
take, when a messenger came with orders
from somewhere for them to move to Cairo
That. of course, settled their destination,
but there were many minor details to be
consulted in regard to the march. Captain
Smart still had nominal command of the
forces, but his authority was liable to be
usurped at any time.
By pressing into service such teams as
could be found, they managed to organize a
small baggage train and prepared for the
march. Lul1e's voluntary suggestions to a
great extent helped TO pour oil on the
troubled waters and brought him into the
favorable notice of his superiors.
At last the march was begun, and to
Luke's astonishmcnt, as well as delight, he
found that their course took them down the