The National tribune., 1903-11-26
OLD SQUIRE.
tContisued from nrst page,

had been-nlmost smashed by a descending
saber, and he had fallen unconscious and
entangled- Drawn out by Squire and Bar
| ney, and taken to Surgeon who was
| up to his Fellows in blood, his case had
been declared serious yet hopeful, and the
| intense pain which had been prolonged
and even increased in the rough journey
by wagons had but augmented his natural
fear concerning his condition. which fear
was not ended until the 9TH, when his
head was again and more thoroughly ex-
| aminedo and pronounced whole and hard;
so he was almost overjoyed when he learn
cd that, his, friends had provided him with
a new mount.
On the 18TH, after many skirmshes,
Stuart uncovered Lees infantry now in po-
sitiOn. Armstrong, taken to the south
side, was still under the Surgeon, but as
a rapid convalescent, the more severely
wounded having been sent south. West
and Baxter also had crossed the Potomac;
they greatly desired to return TO Loudoun,
but the Shenandoah was very high and
they decided to wait.
Old Squire had his hands full and his
for three men and three horses kept him
busy, while West and Baxter kept him
supplied with money. Somehow-by hook
or crook-Squire had got eight sections
Of tent cloth, and the men had rigged up
shelter. more comfortable in this hot
weather than q house would have been.
for their fly was under great oak, and
its sides were all open. But it came on to
rain.
Morgan had reported to Stuart concern
ing the whereabouts and condition of West
and Baxter, and the General had expressed
qualification. "Tll need those men short
ly,' he had said. and had sent them a
message, bidding them remain where they
We're.
A day later Stuart sent for the Sergeant.
Dan, how'd you like to go into Lou
doun next week?"
AT your orders, General. Alone. sir?'
ooh, no. Il few picked men. Those two
men of Maj. Mosby's battalion are over
yOnder yetT
they were still staying with Armstrong on
the south side"
.'Yes; ordered 'em to stay there; hold.
yourself in readiness, DAN
This was all that was said at the time,
but Morgan conceived that Mosby's two
men were being held back in order to lend
strength to his own expedition into Lou
dOun, of which the General had limited.
Meade's infantry faced Lees two full
days at Hagerstown, but made no general
advance. On the night Of the 18th, Stu
art covering the retreat, the Southern
army drew back into Virginia. There was
the customary skirmishing by the rear
guard, and on the 10th MOrgan's regi-
ment lost it's commander, the gallant
Drake. Repeated rains made the roads
quagmires and had overflOwed the smaller
streams, even the Shenandoah being level
with its banks.
The Federals crossed the Potomac Mt
Harper's Ferry and below. The relative
positions of the two armies were identical
with those Of Mcclellan and Lee in the
preceding Autumn just subsequent to the
bot In nF AIT Nr(f lolI in,
after long delay, had made the movement
which Meade would push with greater
prOmptness and vigor. The contrast in the
activity of the two Generals. prosecuting
the same measures, but with seeming
lukewarmness on the part of one and
greater energy on that of the other. could
not have failed to call forth many criti-
cisms derogatOry to Mcclellan, though it
should be remembered in his favor that he
had no precedent Of experience to guide
him as had Meade who n year later re-
peated McClellan's movement, and that
in 1862 the Shenandoah was easily to be
passed by lees army. Yet. on the other
hand, McClellan's enemy, relatively. was
not nearly SO formidable as Meade's. 1t
is the common belief that Gettysburg was
field Of glorious victory, and that An
tietam was in reality drawn battle,
without the honor of success to the Union
cause until it became known that Lee had
declined further contest on that field. Yet
it would no. be difficult to show that the
converse was more nearly true: the battle
OF 5Antietanl- gave Mcclellan over Lee
twice the preponderance that Meade OBJ
tanned by reason of Gettysburg. And in so
far as either battle should be regarded as
a mere battle, that is to say, for the mo-
ment leaving out of consideration all the
moral effect Of the respective campaigns
in their termination. it is hardly too muci,
InIs xL<,N ,nta
day for the Union rank and file as even
the Friday at Gettysburg. and certainly
very much greater day than Wednesday
or Thursday, either or both: for McClel
lan's battle reduced his. antagonist to
point almost beyond hopeful defence,
while Meade's had scarcely changed its
relative capacity to resist. The future his
and place Of the Confederacy's military
decay not the Sd of July in Pennsylvania,
butathe 4th in Mississippi.
Be this and these as they NAV. the facts
remain that Gen. Lee on the 18th of July
found the Shenandoah impossible except
by bridging, and learned that Meade
showed signs of repeating McClellan's
A rapid march through Lou
doun and RappahannOck Counties to Cul
peper might place the Federal army be-
tween Lee and Richmond for Lee must
perforce march up The Valley almost
southwest in order tn effect crossing
Mt Front Royal. True. pOntoOn bridge
might have been laid at almost any point
on the Shenandoah: but at what point:
Certainly not at any of the roads that
passed through the northern gaps in the
for the exits of these gaps
could be blocked by Meade's infantry be-
fore Lees could cross the river; and if it
should he determined to cross into Lou
doun, Lee must first get trustworthy in
formation, to be had only by sending men
across the brimrning river and beyond the
eastern mountains.
On the night of the 18th Gen. Stuart
sent for Morgan.
"Dan," he said, II want you to get into
Loudoun County and stay there till you
find out something"
The Sergeant bowed.
Major, be good enough to give Serg't |
Morgan all the information You can, and
all the help you can, too. / am ordered
off. Dan-gOt to go; but Maj. Mcclellan
will fix you up all right. Take as many
Df the boys as you think you will need, |
Or, mean to say, as few as you can get |
along with. The AajOr'll see you through"
Stuart rode off for n conference with |
his Commander; his Adjutant explained |
fully the intent of the expedition, and |
gave orders for the detail to be chosen by |
.he Sergeant detail of but three caval- |
rymen and four men of the Signal Corps.
And so. on the morning of the 18th, our
our friends, accompanied by Baxter and
West, with the signal men, and attend
I'd by old Squire on a mule that Maj.
Mcclellan had somehow managed to spare
or the enterprise made their way TO-