The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1892-11-23

Ut supplies, Until Lnat running cast from !
VicksDurg 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 10 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. NJ. 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 smell 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. who 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
gwine ter hev a fight purity soonl" asked
Arkansaw Tom one morning, strolling into
his Coloners tent.
81 don't know, Tom; sit down on that
cracker bog. Well, about the fight-I
shouldn't wonder General Johnston is
massing his forces at Corinth, and be.
iieve 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
telln' NV tn boys ter GIT ready fur the gol
darnest knock down they ever heerd on"
1--WE will have heavy fighting soon. but
whenit will take place, and where, don't
know"
"But, say, Kernel, come in T. tell We
eomethin'."
"What, Tomi"
"Don't yer remember that air dod blast
ed Niger 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 Donelsonl"
"Yes, you mean Blackhawk."
"Wall, he's turned up agin."
"Where is hel"
( "In camp. It's Gods fact. Saw i'm
this mornin'," said old Tom, smoking his
short pipe.
"Where"
"ln camp. Came past our quarters
whar our mess war"
"Did you speak with hlm!" the Colonel
asked.
a. IL hot ~
he said he'd been layin' N tn brush ter
shoot cuss as he hates. He's been clar
out ter Corinth, but hain't got his man yit.
iGolly, we orter see his gun; it's great,
big long-barreled ole-fashioned rifle. Very
thing ter kill buck"
! "He ought TO know something about
what the rebels are doing. l wish you
would find him, Tom, and send him to me-"
"Fll do it, Kernel. I'll 60 right now N
hunt i'm up" and old Tom rose to his feet
land started from the tent to find the mys-
FERROUS negro; but Blackhawk, as usual,
could not be found when sought, and Tom
Lad frutless 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
burg Landing Colonel Mason had heard of
,skirmishing in their front, and his own
pockets had been fired on several times
ut 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
iself-constituted body-guard formed part OF
the two hundred picked men, and with
three days rations and forty rounds, they
iset out at daylight next morning. As they
were passing one of the outlying pickle,
posts sergeant hailed them and said:
'Ye'd better look q little out"
"Have you seen any thing Of the enemy
this mornings" the Colonel asked.
''No; but they've been a shootin at u:
boys all night and wounded Jack Gates"
. "How many times were you fired on'"
''Three The last time they gave US {
dozen shots all at once"
'They are only few bushwhackers: W.
will drive them from the woods" said TIT
Colonel.
With three or four exceptions Luke's en-
tire two hundred were veterans who ha(
been trained in the hottest fights at Bel
mont and Donelson.
The country was undulating and covered
with dense growth of trees and under
brush, except where clearings had beer
made and fields cultivated.
The Colonel and his staff were the only
mounted men in the expedition. The re
cent rains had made the roads muddy, ant
marching was difficult and wearsome.
They had gone about five or six mile:
when the advance guard informed thu
Colonel that they were in sight Of a farm
house, near which a number OF horses wert
hitched.
"They are bushwhackers. Now to capt
ure them" said the Colonel.
He divided his command into two di
visions, and approaching the house from
the south and east prepared to flank it so a!
topreyent any one from escaping.
Luke glanced at the sky to sec what thu
hour was, but it was too cloudy for him Il
determine by the sun, and, consulting hi
watch, he discovered it was after twelve.
"They are At dinner" he thought, "we'l
bag our game and learn something from
them"
The Colonel was not yct in sight Of tn,
house, which was concealed by the thicl
woods and underbrush, when a single sho
rang on the air.
A moments silence ensued and then
dozen more reports followed in quick sue
cession. The yells of combatants, snortlnI
of terror-strlcken horses and sharp crack o
musketry filed the air.
Luke spurred his horse forward, and ha,