Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1895-04-17
CHAPTER XVI.
AN IMPORTANT LETTER.

Their enemies are looking down upon
them from the heights that encircle the
town, awaiting for them to fall an easy
prey through starvation. Colonel May
nard is awaiting tho result of army red
tape in the matter Of his court martial.
The papers in the case were lost in the
rout of the right and were forgotten IN
his efforts to save the left. At any rate,
no one seemed to care anything about
them. The ups and downs in military
life are rapid, and since the eclat attend
ing his gallant services on the ridge
his comrades were disposed to look upon
his sacrifice of himself for another as
rather heroic act, after all, quite in
accord with his peculiar personality.
One day-it was perhaps week after
the retreat of the Army Of the Cumber-
land-Maynard was sitting in his tent
with Jakey and the girl found on the
battlefield. Jakey had turned up in due
time and renewed his services with the
deposed colonel. True, that colonel's
position was somewhat anomalous. He
was in no great need Of an orderly, but
was disposed to avail himself of Jakey's
friendship He had neither seen nor
communicated with his wife, feeling a
disinclination to do so until something
definite should occur to establish his
future status with the army. Jakey
therefore continued to be the only friend
"present for duty"
"You say" said Maynard to Jakey
on the occasion mentioned, "that you
left her at the house to which told you
to take her and took q hand in the
fight"
"Reckon.
"Where did you get anything to fight
with?''
"Dead sojer. Tux his gun n car
tridges."
upon my word! wonder the enc
my stood against such re-enforce.
ment."
"Waal, I shot one of 'em anyway.
We was tux by lots more n we uns n
was runnin. Suddent I hearn man
say, Stop, thar, y little Yankee ras-
calf I turned roun n sor a ossifer on
horseback. He called on me fo' ter sur
render, n up n shot him."
"You don't mean it?'
"Reckon."
"Then what did you do?'
"Waal, t'other uns, they went on, n
skedaddled.
"Well?"
"Then went back to tn house n
found Jennie, n by thet time It was
gittin dark, n the army commenced ter
retreat. We uns retreated with tn rest
on 'em."
"On foot?"
"Yas, part O. the way. Jennie she
got tired, so we sat down by ther road
till some cavalry (Jakey had learned
not to call them critter companies) came
along after the infantr. he'd all passed
One on 'em said, Eff thet hain't Colo
mel Maynard's orderly. IN with lit
tie gal, said another, Then tn fust on
'em tux me on behind him n t'other un
TUX Jennie on before him, n we uns all
covered tn retreat"
"a valuable acquisition to the rear
guard" observed Maynard, and he be.
gan to question the little girl. He dis
covered that she was the daughter Of
farmer living on the battlefield who
had neglected to remove his family till
the last minute. Caught in the midst Of
fight, all became panic stricken, and
the child was separated from the rest.
While he was gaining this informa-
tion an orderly came to his tent and
showed him a letter postmarked Coun-
ty Cavan, Ireland, and addressed to the
man who had assisted in the escape Of
Caroline Fitz Hugh. But there were
features of the address which led May
nard to doubt if it was not for some
other Ratigan.
"Where did you get this?" he asked
"It came in with the mail. It's been
lying unclaimed for several days, as no
one knows who it is for. There was a
Ratigan in the -th cavalry, but he is
among the missing. The letter was tax
en- to the headquarters of that regiment,
and Colonel Burke suggested that you
might know something about the mar" "
"Ah, yes" said Maynard sadly. "You
can tell Colonel Burke that ! saw Rati-
gan killed. But this reminds me-" he
added. II must see if I can regain his
body" Then to the orderly: II wish
you would say to Major Burke that if
he will give me an escort I'll 60 out
under flag of truce and see if I can find
out anything about Corporal Ratigan,
whom saw fall from his horse in the
enemy's lines. Ask him to make out
request for permission to send out the
flag, forward it and let me know the re-
suit"
The result was permission to send
out "the 1ag," and the next morning,
after an early breakfast, Colonel May
nard, accompanied by Jakey and the
little girl, whom Maynard hoped to re-
store to her parents, each mounted and
all attended by a lieutenant and 20
men, set out from Chattanooga toward
Mission Ridge. They met the enemy's
pickets at the base of the ridge and were
conducted to Rossville. Colonel May
nard at once requested that he might be
accorded an interview with Colonel Fitz