The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-11-25
CHAPTER WI.
"SToNEwALL" IN AMBUSH

let's. from Catlett's TO Falmouth, from
Falmouth to Guiney's. from Guiney's to
Belle PLANE, from Belle PLANE to Front
Royal-l00 miles up and 100 miles down.
from Stafford to Culpepper, then back to
the Hedgman, with Jackson and Longstreet
prodding the march. through dust and heat
through mud and rain. through storm and
sunshine, through ford and field, through
May and June. July and August. hither and
yon. TO and fro, no wonder they called il
The Pendulum Division" by the time that
nrch-optiu,ist of the war days. the new
commander Of the newly named Army OF
Virginia, John Pope. OF blessed memory,
recoifed from his victory at Cedar noun
tain. drawing the shattered foe after him
ION to Manassas" 0rom the other side)
and meeting with those other victorious
corps reshipped from the Peninsula to the
succor of Washington Resting from his
tll-starred Chickahominy campaign. McClel-
Ian watched with presumably sympathetic
eyes the stirring exploits OF his rival, who,
hating bit for breath at the Hedgman
and greeting with scant courtesy the first
aid to reach him from the Army of the Po-
tomac. sent our friends of the Pendulum
four brisades now-up stream TO watch
jackson at Sulphur Springs when that agile
leader was already crossing still farther
west. and. with Benton's old friends. the
Bull Run mountains, for a screen, was
sprinting round our right flank, only to
come bursting through the very gap the
swarthy little colonel Of the BLACK Hats"
and the tall adjutant OF the comrade Sixth
had studied with their glasses that April
afternoon, little dreaming Ii was to afford
the grand entree of the rebel host in Au-
gust.
The next heard OF "Old jack he was at
Manassas Junction-square between the
headquarters in the saddle and those of the
steamboat-between Pope at Warrenton and
Mac at Observation-Disclosures the victorious
retreat of the Army of Virginia and the
half-hearted, half-halting advance OF that
of the Potomac, twenty-five thousand with
him. probably two hundred thousand en-
comprising him round about, and there,
despite his perilous position. did he linger
long enough to refit, reclothe. reshoe large
share of his ragged, whole-souled, half
soled followers and to feast them all at
Uncle Sans expense. Then, burning the
thousands of barrels and bales that he
couldn't use, retired by night toward WASH
ington. while Pope. facing about. advanced
advanced behind. before-to bag the
whole crowd to sprinkle salt on the tail of
a swift. to batter a flea with a fail.
A hot, yet sweet and placid August after
noon spent Jackson and most of his wary
men (did ever one suspect our languid
Southern brethren of such phenomenal
powers OF self-propulsionD snoozing in the
Ieafy woods behind the screen of that un-
finished railway embankment. their left at
Sudley Springs, their right reaching to a
point little northwest of Groveton, yet
curving gently back. well clear of the pike
and thinning out into mere scattered squads
of Stuart's troopers. keeping touch. as it
were, with Longstreet's coming host just
bristling through the gaps Of Thoroughfare
ard Hepewell beyond. making John Buford,
with his handful of horse, show his teeth
at the lower gap. while Ricketts,. sore
wounded the previous year on Henry House
hill and prisoner perforce long months
at Libby. depIoy his brigades cross coun-
try TO compel Longstreet TO do likewise,
and so delay his march until the rest of
the army should encircIe Manassas from
south, southwest, west. northwest ana
north. make but a mouthful of Jack and
his saucy divisions-his famous foot cav
alry--and so sleep with satisfied stomachs
on the choicest game of the season.
tant that April afternoon when. not a mile
from the now ruined. smoking, devastated
supply depot at the Junction, first catch
your hare" The plan was gem, the bag
was a big one, the feast was joy. If only
the hare had consented TO stay. When Pope
reached the spot of his prospective banquet
the quarry had vanished, no man could say
where
In bivouac the night before beyond Buck
land Mills Benton had again told to his
general and some of the staff the story of
his ride across the Bull Run mountains
and the dash for life and liberty to the dis
tant woods about Manassas. Hector. too,
had his circle of eager listeners, but all
men were too wearied from incessant
marching to care to go exploiting beyond
that western range. even had daylight last
ed. True to the traditions of the War De-
partment. no cavalry could be had to scout
for the corps commander. John Buford,
with a puny brigade, had felt his way
through Thoroughfare the evening previ-
Gus. but there was no one to reach out
westward on McDowelrs left and learn the
actual truth that Longstreet's whole corps
was trudging swiftly northward, turning
east at Salem oh the trail of Jackson, and
making. doubtless, for that famous gap.
The division commander, worn with days
and nights of sleepless vigil and still suffer-
ing from illness. had gone early TO his
blankets on the bare ground. while Benton
and Carver, sitting by their little fire.
pulled at their pipes and chatted of the
strange vicissitudes of fortune that had be-
fallen those with whom the young soldiers
life had been so closely linked. The La
dues-what sorrowful fate had not been
theirs ?-the mother sleeping peacefully at
last beneath the shades of Forest Home
the father living a second childhood, bereft
of all its buoyancy; the children the care
OF kindly neighbors; Paul serving some
where IL still alive, with Ewelrs division
perhaps at that moment visiting the out
posts over yonder in those dark woods, be-
yond which the dull glow in the skies told
Of the havoc wrought by Jackson's men,
Would they meet him on the morrow? was
the thought in Benton's breast
Then there were the Chiltons, his other
Southern fricnds-the gentle-natured sire,
the gallant son and that daring, willful,
imperious girl-what had been their for
tune? Ostracised at home by some, at
least, OF those he had longest loved. the
doctor had accepted almost as a release the
,,,ardate Of n citizens committee bidding