The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1916-11-11

Defeat was certain, Stone knew. The
army in northern New York was not
yet ready; the machine shops and
steel works and f0undries of the Mis-.
sissippi valley were working day and
night to supply cannon, machine guns,
rifles. shells, cartridges, uniforms, the
thousand and one munitions demanded
by the monster army, but the guns and
shells were only beginning to reach the
front. Defeat was certain, but If defeat
might be turned into retreat without
complete disaster it would be better
now than throwing the country into
revolution. Accordingly the chief Of
stan altered his order to the general
In command in New York state.
Two fractional subdivisions of the
order reached about the same time the
tent In the encampment of the Sixtieth
Illinois, where Mart Ware, trooper In
the First Illinois cavalry, was giving
to Lieutenant James Ashby the last
letter he had received from home. The
fraction Of the order which Jim receiv-
ed informed him that an attack was
to be expected and he was immediate.
~ to inspect all equipment of his pla.
toon, which, with the rest of the COM
pany and with the other companies Of
the regiment, was at once to move to
Serrelrs wood. otherwise point II 637.
Martins instructions took him to
Lieutenant Mcclure Of his troop. The
order went in written form no further
than Mcclure. It read:
Lieutenant McClure-Strong hostile par.
ties. probably all infantry. were reported
TO De very active in the general vicinity
OF Wythe this morning. The Tayville-
Wythe road was free of the enemy at
the last report an hour ago. Your squad
ron Will assemble this evening at Fay
Vile. Your troop will be relieved of it's
present duties and will go with the
squadron. In the meantime you will take
TWO noncommissioned officers and eight
men OF your troop and patrol toward
Wythe, starting as soon as you can get
ready. desire accurate information of
the strength and movements Of the enemy
that has appeared around Wythe. Send
reports to me here. Return when you
have cleared up the situation.
Mart Ware learned joyfully that he
was to be one Of the patrol The
preparations only added to his eager
ness and impotence to start on real
scouting service-such preparations as
picking out the best mounts in the
troop for the men who were to 20, the
substituting of suitable animals for
those Of more conspicuous color. the
refusing Of horse because it was
known to neigh when it was alone, the
Tightening and reseting of shoes.
AS darkness fell the patrol rode
from the American lines, one corporal
and one private 200 yards ahead of the
main body, two privates 100 yards be.
hind.
The patrol surprised small detach.
ment Of the regents troops. and in the
skirmish Mart shot one of the enemy
and sabered another. Lieutenant Nc.
Clure and Mart, scouting ahead, dis
covered 1000 of the enemy's soldiers
and sixty guns marching west. The
lieutenant ordered Mart to return to
the general In command and report
these facts. Owing to his inexperience.
however, Mart disobeyed orders and
told the general-what he really believ.
ed himself-that 10000 men and 300
guns were moving west.
This mfsinformation led the general
to believe that the true attack would
be aimed at his line we'll to the west
of Monroe's farm.
"Order at once the Third Indiana
brigade and the Fourth and Fifth ILL.,
nois to move" He instructed an aid,
'The artillery activity and attack op.
posite Serrell's woods must be only
feint."
This decision. based upon Mart's ex.
aggerated report was fatal one The
enemy attacked Serrell's woods In
force. His artillery fire was far su-
perior, and before the steady rush of
his veterans the inexperienced Ameri-
can soldiers. after suffering severe
losses, turned and fled. Among the Of
ficers who vainly endeavored to rally
their men against overwhelming odds
was Lieutenant Jim Ashby.
The army was beaten; the whole line
had collapsed. 1t was not a local rout
before Serrell's hill; for miles along
the front the American brigades were
beaten back, regiments annihilated or
cut to companies and those scattered
to squads, which were slaughtered
where they stood or had scattered
again and scurried, fugitives, from the
field. They scrambled between trees,
over powders, and across fields; then,
herded by the hills into road. they
ran wild eyed, shameless. pushing.
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