Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1899-04-19
Copyright, 1899, by the Author.
CHAPTER 1
SEVERAL SIGNALS

ChAl LEN
SEVERAL SIGNALS
General Sherman was in the full
swing of his colossal picnic. consisting
of the promenade of 80. 600 Union vet.
erans from Atlanta through the core
Of the Southern Confederacy. 300 miles
eastward to the Atlantic coast. when
Lieutenant Ledyard Oakman Of the
- Massachusetts cavalry. accom-
panied by the scout Sam Borland. reined
aside and started off on q little cam
paign Of his own
They were far over In eastern Geor'
gia. near the South Carolina line.
through which the mighty army was to
sweep. facing northward to unite with
the legions Of Grant, and stamp out the
last embers of resistance And what a
wonderful march that was. the vast
host advancing in four columns. with
cloud Of skirmishers and cavalry in
front to veil its route. and foraging on
the country through which the army
passed
The autumn was drawing to close
and in the north the frost Of the com
ing winter was in the air. while the
soldiers in the Virginia camps drew
around their blazing fires at night and
as they talked of the great war and
wondered how soon it would end. wrap
ped their overcoats closer around their
shivering forms Eut nature sways
gentler hand and her breath has soft
fragrance Of its own in the states farther
south The mornings were crisp and
bracing, but something of the summer
fervor fingered in the sunshine. and the
hundreds Of campires that twinkled at
night were needed less for warmth than
for the cooking Of food and the pleasure
Of comrsdeship .
It was on the afternoon OF one OF
those perfect autumn days that Lieu
tenant Oakman drew rein at the edge
of a piece Of wood fronting on the
broad. sloping cotton fields, which had
yielded up their meager harvest but
brief while before though here and
there the snowy f1ecks on the stunted
brown bushes showed where the dett
fingers had failed to garner the after
math
The lieutenant and his scout had
parted company couple Of hours pre-
yious and the attractive countenance
of the young officer betrayed his mental
concern His black. blooded mare. that
had carried him safely through the
fame Of more than one fierce conflict
stood motionless. with the reins lying
loose on her neck. while her rider looked
and wondered and fretted The most
that she ventured to do was to thrust
forward her silken nose and. with the
aid of the flexible upper lip with which
her species is provided. draw in some
of the neighboring twigs and MUNICH
them despite the interference OF the
steel bit
The food was neither tempting nor
nourishing Perhaps Fanny INDUCED to
this gentle extent the better to pass
away the time while her rider rumi'
mated. but master and beast had long
been accustomed to 'hard tack
The attention Of Lieutenant Oakman
was divided between a point on the
fringe of the curving wood fourth OF
a mile away and the old mansion OF
the plantation which was less than
half the distance named 1t was typ
ical planters home. low of stature.
broad. roomy and whitewashed sur
rounded by wealth Of shade trees. d.
vided near the middle By rooted pas
sage with wide porch extending In
front. numerous outbuildings and the
row of cabins near by where the slaves
were comfortably quartered until most
of them were brushed into the current
that came with the day Of jubilee
and tioatei them into the promised land
of freedom
The officer turned the small spyglass
suspended from his neck by string
toward the point of wood which. 1t has
been said. attracted his attention The
result was satisfactory Sam Borland
was there standing beside the trunk OF
q huge cottonwood. his horse so far in
the timber as to be invisible Evidently
he was on the alert for scarcely had
Oakman located him when he took OF
his cap and swung it The lieutenant
whipped out his handkerchief and with
q single wave replied That was suffi'
cient They understood each other. and
the officer turned his head part way
round without shifting his position in
the saddle and fixed his gaze upon the
mansion or rather upon so much OF 1t
as the shading branches permitted him
to see
The result o! this scrutiny was disap'
pointing The cavalryman perhaps was
looking for some person or signal. but
failed to catch the first sign of either
When he grew weary of the work. ne
lowered his binocular
II wonder whether there's living
creature in that house. be muttered
ut looks as if 1t were an empty shell
or huge coffin This is the first time
that red war has crossed the thresholds
of these southern homes Until now moi
the boom OF cannon nor the crack oi
a hostile musket has startled the womeI
and children but the terror Is upor
them at last
A feeling Of pity and wonder came K
the gallant officer His thoughts tool
the same trend they had taken scores o.
times before. and not only with him
but with multitudes Of those who Wore
the blue and the gray
why are we fighting each other
Why is the earth wetted with the warn
blood Of the bravest the noblest ant
the most gifted Of menY In the years tC