Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1905-03-03
CoDYrazht lso2. By G. ". Dillingham; CO


A shout had gone up one day on the
Rappahannock when the word went
the rounds that Fred Benton was
back Suddenly had he appeared in tn cir
midst Just before Charlottesville, and
royal was the welcome they gave him.
But Benton had changed, said they,
as a result of the first week of watch
ing. He had grown silent and stern,
if not sour. He seemed filled with rest
less, feverish energy, and no sooner was
the main army back from Hooker's
first essay as chief in command, than
he sought and obtained permission to
go scouting with small force of cav
airy among the by-roads and lanes of
the downstream counties. Released
and ordered to resume duty with that
military modification of the Scotch
verdict, Not guilty, but-don't do it
again" Benton came to the front, burp-
ing with wrath at the foe at the rear
foe personal, official and professional,
whom he felt. must be McKinnon. He
was not allowed to know at the time,
nor to see until long after, the extent
Of McKinnOn'S intrigue. against him or
of its reaction on McKinnon himself.
Only one officer witnessed the scene.
week after the Chiltons, father and
daughter, had been returned to the
southern lines, when Stanton demanded
OF the major that he prove his case or
thereafter hold his peace. He had
fooled away whole month"; said the
secretary, filled it with vague charges
and failed on specifications They
sent MIN away, ostensibly to straighten
out the legal tangle in Kentucky, not
yet blessed with the benefits of martial
law; then, when McKinnon was be-
yond reach, sent for Benton. OF course
he did not see the~secretary. A placid.
baa-lamb b. soft-spoken staff officer had
been told what to say. Benton's as
| sociations had Observation-Disclosures
| ly compromising, and, while his con-
duct on duty had not been called into
question, at a time of such public peril
! the department held that it's officers
| should be ah-be above suspicion, or
at least show disposition to relieve
themselves from blame. and Capt Ben
| ton's-ah-refusal to surrender papers
| confessedly given him by confeder-
ate officer had added much to the grav-
| ity of the case against him. What
case?" demanded Benton, fercely.
We'll, perhaps that was putting it
MISUNDERSTANDING said the
| officer. What is meant "Oh,
damn it!' burst in Benton, most i'm
properly, what is meant is that you
| know I've been accused without RI yme
| and reason-that you dare not let me
meet my accusers, and you won't give
| me lair hearing" and for this inap-
| propriate outburst he declined to apol-
| ogize For another. week, therefore, ii
locked as though, after all, he might
get trial; but it ended in his being
| ordered to quit Washington forthwith
| and to report for duty.
In heart, in pride, in spirit he had
been sorely hurt. In heart by Resale
Chilton's astounding accusation and
the impossibility of getting the faintest
explanation. After her impetuous out
burst she had whirled about and
rushed to the waiting carriage, demand
ing of. the astonished major that he
take her at once to the boat and, even
in captivity, it seems, her imperial
highness was wont be obeyed.
o what day was that first of July
| warm, soft, sunshiny, the roads still
puddly in places as from recent rains
no dust to choke the hurrying columns
no thick clay mud to clog the wheels
! or load the worn brogans.
Even before the earliest sunbeams
came glinting through the eastward
J wood, Reynolds had called on his men
and they presently went trampins
away northward between moist. smil
! ing fields and orchards, heading for ths
J distant towers of the quaint LITTLE
Pennsylvania town. Somewhere up tina
charming valley their leaders sknev
John Buford to be, for he and his sun
, tanned troopers had been thrown
ahead to cover the advance and fin
the army of Lee, well known by thi
time to be concentrating to meet them
Years and experience have laugh
the leaders of the Army of the Potoma
something of the true use of cavalry
and there is no more of the blind crop
ing of the old days. They know tina
Longstreet's whole corps is campin
about Chambersburg, across the Sout
| Mountain range to the west. The
know that Hill is between him an
Cashtown, the first village of import
ance to the west of Gettysburg. The
know that EwelPs foremost division
S have struck the line Of the Susque
hanna, only to be recalled to meet tn
| spirited northward sweep OF Meade
far-spreading corps. They know tbs
these men OF Reynolds lead the va
of the main army, and viii doubles
be the first to reach and back the cav
airy when those searching horseme
3 find and tackle the foe. What they d
> not know is. that from west. north
west. north and northeast these con
3 Herging columns are all headed for tbs
same little Pennsylvania town. march
3 ing TO concentrate On Gettysburg, an