Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-09-10

pied the north bank of a small plateau
above Smoky river in Kentucky. On the
south bank, encamped scarcely three miles
| away, were two tattered brigades of con-
federateS, waiting for orders to join Lee
further south. The Yankee troops, in add
vance of the main army, had been feeling
their way for a fortnight. Their move
ments presaged a general attack when the
main body of the confederates was located
The forces on each side of the river knew
or the others presence, and clashes be-
tween scouts and Outposts occurred almost
daily. The exposed pickets were subject
to murderous fire at all times. There was
| no cessation of hostilities Raid followed
| raid and ambush invited counter ambush.
This was the condition of affairs a
| dark night in the early october, 1863, when
General Henderson received orders to adj
vance on the morrow across the Smoky,
drive the confederate force before him I'M
til the main body of troops and a suitable
battlefield were reached, and then await
the arrival of the Union army, thirty miles
behind.
At midnight the conference between Cen
eral Henderson and his officers. following
the receipt of his orders, broke up. Scarce
ly had the officers reached their tents when
an orderly rode in haste to the camp OF
the 10th Ohio with a summons for Cap
tain Berkeley Wood to appear at head
quarters. A few minutes later the trim
young soldier saluted and stood at at
| tention before the general.
Captain said the commanding officer,
tNere is a reDel outpost on some upldHu
| five hundred yards back of the Smoky.
Take Major Towards battalion-he is still
in the hospital-ford the river and estab-
lish yourself before dawn on the edge Of
the upland, midway between the farthest
picket and the river. He stands beneath
big oak tree. AS soon as you can dis
tinguish him plainly, shoot the picket and
engage the outpost. Fight them to a stand
still, but retire slowly before a superior
force. Your attack will create diversion,
and We'll catch them on the flank while
they are busy with you.
II have guide for you who knows the
ground perfectly. The darkness and this
strong wind, luckily right from the south,
should keep you from being seen or heard.
It's time you were off: good luck!' and the
general, with a wave of dismissal, turned
to an orderly who had just arrived.
In three hours Captain Wood and his
battalion had crossed the Smoky without
being discovered Two companies were
massed in the heavy timber at the edge of
! the upland, with the river behind them.
The other half of the force in line of Skin
mishers lay concealed in the scrub ahead,
patiently waiting for dawn 1t was still
too dark to distinguish the picket whose
death warrant had been signed in General
Hendersons tent, but the magnificent oak
under which he was stationed could be
dimly seen 1t stood on slight rise of
ground a hundred and fifty yards to the
south.
Up to this time Captain Wood had given
little thought of the picket and his fate;
now, with the two best shots in the bat
talon at his heels, he wormed his way
through the scrub until the oak was but
one hundred yards distant. The senior
officer in temporary command had been
ordered to advance the skirmish line the
instant a shot was fired.
1t would seem hard, of course, to shoot
the sentry down; but the man under that
tree, unconscious of his impending doom,
was but a pawn in the game He was in
the way and must be sacrificed.
Stnr was I
threa tening for two days, and the captain
wondered whether it would break before
dawn. They could not distinguish the
sentry yet The tree trunk was deeper in
the shadow.
At length, by dint of steady gazing. they
separated the mans form from the blurred
background. He was a tall, powerful fell
low. His head was bowed in WEAKNESS,
and both hands>were clasped over the muz-
zle of his long rife, which stood upright
the ground. Daylight strengthened, and
the first rain drops of the storm battered
down. Each sharpshooter, half kneeling,
half crouching, protected the lock of his