The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1894-11-14
CHAPTER IL

CHAPTER II.
The news brought in by the scouts
did not demoralize Captain Hugh Beat
ty or his men. They did not expect to
get out Of Tennessee without a fight,
and if it had to come there could be no
better time nor place. A great fire had
been lighted near the spring. but it
would be fatal to remain about the Light
with the enemy in the outer circle OF
darkness. Calling to the men to follow
him, old Hugh made for pile Of rocks
that crowned, like ruined castle, the
crest of hill hundred yards north OF
the place selected for camp.
They reached these rocks in time to
head off the Confederates, who, seeing
the advantage of the position, made a
dash to seize and hold it.
'Shoot at every movln thing and
make sure to hit it. !"
This was the old captains advice to
his men, and acting on it they poured a
murderous fire into the soldiers in gray,
who were not hundred feet from the
rocks when the Union men seized them.
CATER shootin. the next thing IS to
load ez quick as God will let you .
This was another Of old Hugh g stand
ing commands, and with the allusion to
Deity left out it might take a prominent
place in tactics designed to meet the ne
cessities of irregular troops.
Oaths, shouts Of anger and cries OF
agony told that the fire of the Union
men had been effective, and the captain
reasoned that the enemy would not at
tack again before daylight. He knew
that country, to use his own language,
''Ez wells ez if I'd dug out the valleys
and piled up the hills" He realized
that, while the rocks were q good place
for temporary defense, they might be
turned into a trap if he remained there
till the enemy could collect all his force
and surround the place.
eve uns must git out O. heah afore
sun up, and SOS to keep from shootin
each other in the dark, we uns must
keep a-holerin The Union! the Union!
d-n youn" The men understood this.
They made a supper Of the cooked bacon
and corn bread they had brought with
them; then in a circle of 100 yards
about the rocks several Of the force acted
as pickets, while the others, under the
captain IS orders, slept as best they could.
'tTwo o'clock by my watch. !" This
was the time set for starting, the hour
in the morning which Napoleon believed
most severely tested the courage TIE
old captain knew this quite so well as
did Napoleon, and he also knew that
the advantage, numbers apart, was al
ways with the party attacking in the
darkness The best course from the rocks
was due north in the direction of the
Kentucky line, and the old man reason
ed, and rightly, too, that the Confeder-
ates would place their largest forces in
that direction.
At 2 O'Clock, and after all the men,
himself excepted, had had about four
hours sleep, he gave the order to move
"to the south still as death and shoot
down everything in front. In addition
to his rifle every man had nife in his
belt and one or two revolvers strapped
over his hips, and the youngest OF the
old mans grandsons could shoot as well
as himself, and that meant phenomenal
expertness in the use of firearms.
There are times when prisoners can
not be taken-when to accept sur
render would mean ruin-and this was
one of the occasions. The Union men,
silent as the night shadows about them,
came upon the drowsy pickets Of the
enemy and shot them down, then shout
ing, 1.-The Union! the Union! d-n
your' Captain Beatty and his kinsmen