The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1899-03-31
CHAPTER I.
SEVERAL SIGNALS.


General Sherman was in the full
swing of his colossal picnic, consisting
of the promenade of so, 900 Union vet
Grams from Atlanta through the core
of the Southern Confederacy, 800 miles
eastward to the Atlantic coast, when
Lieutenant Ledyard Oakman of the
- Massachusetts cavalry, accom-
panied by the scout Sam Borland, refined
aside and started off on little cam
paign of his own.
They were far over in eastern Geor-
gia, near the South Carolina line,
through whi III 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 cvercoats closer around their
lshivering forms. Eut nature sways
gentler hand and her breath has soft
fragrance of it's own in the states farther
south. The mornings were crisp and
bracing, but something of the summer
Ifervor fingered in the sunshine, and the
hundreds of campfires that twinkled at
night were needed less for warmth than
for the cooking of food and the pleasure
of comradeship.
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 a
brief while before, though here and
there the snowy fecks On the stunted
brown bushes showed where the deft
fingers had failed to garner the after
Imath.
Il The lieutenant and his scout had
! parted company couple of hours pre-
|vious, and the attractive countenance
of the young officer betrayed his mental
concern. His black, blooded mare, that
, had carried him safely through the
; flame of more than one fierce conflict,
stood motionless. with the reins lying
loose on her neck, while her rider looked
land 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 mol
nourishing. Perhaps Fanny INDUCED tc
4 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 Oakmar
was divided between a point on the
fringe of the curving wood fourth o.
mile away and the old mansion o.
J. 1.-THE plantation, which was less thar
] half the distance named. 1t was typ
- Iical planters home, low of stature
broad, roomy and whitewashed, sur
rounded by wealth of shade trees, di
n vided near the middle by rooted pas
|sage, with wide porch extending il
: front, numerous outbuildings and tn
l. row of cabins near by where the slave
were comfortably quartered until mos
:, Of them were brushed into the curren
I that came with the "day of jubilee
and foated them into the promised LAM
: Of freedom.
The officer turned the small spyglas
n suspended from his neck by strini
le toward the point of wood which, it ha
!, been said, attracted his attention. Th
result was satisfactory. Sam Borlan
: was there, standing beside the trunk O
a huge cottonwood, his horse SO far i
e the timber as to be invisible. Evidentl
he was on the alert, for scarcely ha
Il Oakman located him when he took ot
his cap and swung it. The lieutenan
e. whipped out his handkerchief and wit
IN 9 single wave replied. That was suff
N cient. They understood each other, an
the officer turned his head part wa
= round without shifting his position i
the saddle and fixed his gaze upon tn
MS mansion, or rather upon so much of
at as the shading branches permitted hil
TO see.
The result of this scrutiny was disal
IS. pointing. The cavalryman perhaps ws
looking for some person or signal, br
failed to catch the first sign of eithe
When he grew weary of the work,
lowered his binocular.
81 wonder whether there's lvir
creature in that house, he muttere
nc SIT looks as if it were an empty she
!. or huge coffin This is the first tin
. that red war has crossed the threshol
Of these southern homes. Until now n
the boom Of a. cannon nor the crack
q hostile musket has startled the wom'
and children, but the terror is up'
q them at last.
i A feeling Of pity and wonder came
i the gallant officer. His thoughts to-
NJ the same trend they had taken scores
j times before, and not cnly with hil
. but with multitudes of those who VIC
the blue and the gray.
"Why are we fighting each othe
| = L. ,,%1 ffI i, @l,oxx n,