The Sword of Antietam

. The man was in civilian clothing, but his figure seemed familiar. The boy raised his glasses, an

he roots of his hair. Shepard had made an extraordinary impression upon him and he did

, then gallop on, ford the river and come straight tow

s it?"

t! Where it is! I c

pard leaping from his horse and abandoning it entirely, ran toward th

nxiety, went to Colonel Winchester

ost daring spy in the whole service of the North. I think yo

and rode away without a word, going in the direction of Clark's Mountain. But his news was quickly known, because it was

the mountain!

saw it there yesterday, too,

ckson are there with sixty or eighty thousand men! The

er's face

know this?

. At any rate orders have already been issued for us to retreat and I hear tha

rmy was soon in motion and a feeling of depression replaced the optimism of the night before. The advance had been turned into a retreat. Were

e South to win has to hit hard and fast, and in this case the Army of the P

s powerful glasses often looked back toward the dark bulk of Clark's Mountain. He saw nothing th

d with victories, and putting a supreme faith in their great commanders who so well deserved their trust. The men of the valley and the Seven Days, wholly confident,

ith the best of glasses, but drifting fogs coming down from the north spread along the whole side of the mountain and hung like a curtain between it and the retreating army. None of their glasses could pierce the ve

mrades did not know then that they were followed so closely, but they were destined to know it before morning. The regiment of Colonel Winche

gain they passed through long stretches of forest. There was a strong force of cavalry with the

of impressions. The gigantic scale of everything took hold of him. One hundred and fifty thousand men, or near it, were marching

alk. The men wasted no strength that way, but marched stolidly on in the moonlight. Midnight passed and after a while i

asked Colone

o take notice of such things. May I get down and put my ear to

nly. Go

r to the road. He did not listen long

an't tell how many, but s

e Southern cavalry," said Colonel Winchester. "If th

looked up and turned their faces toward those who must be foes. Despite the dimness Di

e in sight, opening fire at once. Their infantry, too, soon appeared in the woods and

on the enemy. The Union loss was not great as most of the firing in the dusk, of necessity, was at random, and Dick heard bullets whistling al

road. Dick meanwhile could hear through the crash of the firing the deep rumble of Pope's great army with its artillery and thousands of wagons continually marching toward the Rappahannock. His mind became absorbed in a

t force they'd have been pushing harder and harder. We must have got a good start before Lee and Ja

rt is there leading them. At any rate we'll soon know better what's doing.

e it,

of the morning, or is

mighty glad I am to see it

silver soon gave way to gold, and the clear Augus

ng where the army of Pope pushed on its retreat to the Rappahannock. There was no n

ugh the woods and fields. He judged that the force did not number many thousands and that it could not think of assailing the whole Union army. But with the coming of

men were wounded. The fire became most galling. A sudden charge by the rearguard was ordered and it was made with spirit. The Southern van

e wind of that bullet hurt me more than its kiss. There will be no great battle to-day. We can see now that they are not yet in strong enough force, but we'll never k

colonel's face and it w

s eager as the Johnnies to fight and they are as bra

re, and can cross and destroy it afterward. But the river is broad and deep with high banks

ter tha

ok out, Dick, those

s own horse in the same direction in the same manner. The bullets of half a dozen Southern skirmisher

they've been scattered by our own riflemen

k that the colonel had been right. He was shaken by a momentary shudder, but he could not long remember one among so ma

ent back for those who did not have it. Colonel Winchester who was now t

lways hungry, and I suppose I brought my appetite here with me. Dick, I've opened a can of cove oysters, and that's a g

petite while bullets were knocking up dust only twenty yards away. Meanwhile

horizon swelled slowly on toward the Rappahannock. Behind them rode the Southern cavalry and masses of infantry were press

moment the bullets were whistling, and occasionally a cannon lent its deep roar to the crackling fire of the rifles. Daring detachm

Harry Kenton. He was sure that he would be there in the front-but he did not see him. Instead he saw after a while an extraordinary figure on a large black horse,

amous Stuart and his gorgeous uniform that he knew him instinctively, and, Warner

and Dick breathed a little sigh of relief when all their bullets missed.

wall Jackson and Jeb Stuart both in battle

en will let him expose himself in such a way. We'll h

or the river, but the foes in contact were having plenty of dust showers of their own. Dick's throat and mouth burned with the dust and heat of the pitiless August day, and his

, continually spitting forth bullets instead of sand. Late in the afternoon he heard the sound of many trumpets, and saw the Southern cavalry getting t

See, our rearguard has lost touch with our main army, leaving a side o

xious to meet them," said Dick.

nger seized the retreating Union rearguard. Those wasps had been buzzing and stinging them all day long and they had had eno

uld show the Southerners what kind of men they were. Colonel Winchester drew

we've found it at the

the Southern cavalry, while proving no obstacle to the Northern defense. His o

upported by infantry also on its flanks, and once again Dick caught sight of Jeb Stuart with his floating plume. But that time he was too far away for any of th

e!" suddenly exclaim

reated the Northern infantry in the wood sent a deadly fire into the flank of the attacking force. The Southern infantry replied, and a fierce battle raged along th

or a while," exclaimed Colonel Winche

l the time?" Dick could

outherners are continually coming up

must be almost at the Rappahannock now, and he began to appreciate what this desperate combat in the woods

semen to the charge, and although the blue infantry supported their own horsemen with a heavy rifle fire, and held the wood und

d the retreat and they

ngton, a tear ploughing its way th

els will claim a victory but we haven't fought for nothing. Lee and Jackso

o the shelter of the forest, and, full of courage and resolution, it w

and then the three boys saw the Rappahannock, a deep and wide stream flowing between high banks crested with timber. Ahead of them Pope's army was crossing on the bridge and in boats, and masses of infantry supporte

great army should draw back, as McClellan's had been forced to draw back at the Seven Days,

and then they could have bade defiance to Lee and Jackson. The North with its great numbers, its fine courage and its splendid patriotism should never be retreating. He felt once more as thousands of others felt that the hand on the reins was nei

was permitted to throw himself upon the ground and sleep with the sleeping thousands. Warner and Pennington slept near hi

s eyes and then looked in the direction whence came the cannonade. He saw from the crest of a hill great numbers of Confederate troops on the other side of the river, the August sun glitte

o meet, sooner or later, in mortal combat. It was thrilling, awe-inspiring, but it made his heart miss a beat or two at the thought

n idle. The whole army of Pope was massed along the left bank of the river and every high point was crowned with heavy batteries of artillery. Th

as they gazed at the two armies and the river between. Both he and t

ross, sir?" asked D

h card in our hand. McClellan is landing his army at Aquia Creek, whence it can march in two days to a junction wi

ck. "You wish then to be sure of the junction betw

us two chances, when we had but one before. But, Dick, I'm afraid. I wouldn't say this to anybody but you and you must not repeat me

nite news from th

son and Longstreet and the Hills and Early and Lawton and the others. He says that they are all flushed with confidence in their own courage and fighting

e retreat on Washington then, and, as they continued to fo

Winchester s

archies would say that despite our superior numbers we're not able to maintain ourselves outside the defenses of Washington. And these things

rophet. "I know the spirit of the men. No matter how many defeats

ick. It cannot, it must

g he remained with his comrades, under arms, but doing little, save to hear the fitful firing which ran a

, and drove off the infantry and a battery posted to defend it. Then they t

to drive back these impertinent horsemen. They charged with so much impetuosity that Stuart's cavalry abandoned such dangerous ground. All t

cross the water, but throughout the afternoon they lay idle. The pitiless August sun burned on and th

hands. Hundreds of others were doing the same. The water brought a great relief. Then he wen

nking. He believed that two such redoubtable commanders must have formed a plan by this time, and, perhaps in the end, it would be worth

pierce the darkness on the other shore with his eyes, and see what was going o

med sinister to him were sinister in fact. Jackson with his forces was marching up his

e it reached the Rappahannock, and that, as they followed, the situation of the Confederacy would become most critical. They would leave McClellan and the Army of the Potomac n

t the Southern army showed no signs of retiring. But Shepard had said also that he would not be able to cross the river again. The hostile scouts and sha

fallen into the habit of talking much and confidentially to the boy, because he li

he rebels will attempt t

ccord with the character of their generals. Both Lee and Jackson are always for the swift offensive, and Early

nt to attempt the passage. But the Union guns posted on hills made a vigorous reply and the time passed in heavy cannonades. Colonel Winchester, his brows knitted and anx

a great deal, but they don't make any dash for the

you think they

cross where there is no resistance. And we must meet them t

as allotted to him. In truth his division commander thought his purpose useless, but yielded to the insistence of Winchester who was known to

er there was spanned by a bridge which the Union cavalry had wrecked the day before. He divined at o

stream as fast as they could over the hills and through the woods. But with so many obstacles they made slow progress, and, in the close heat, th

e crest of a hill for the troops to rest a little. "It's heavy and close as if it were being

old weather sha

ans that a storm is coming. Anybody could tell that. Look there, in the southwest. See that cloud edging itself ov

nding near them regardin

fighting our own people, although no other choice was left me. I've seen some terrible hurricanes on the plains, winds that

al words, but he saw that he was very much in earnest. Nor w

to the two armies,

for us, but if it ain't the more water between us an' them the better. This, I take

d fast. It became evident that the regiment could not reach Sulphur Springs until far into the night, and, still f

er veteran who were mounted on the horses of junior officers left behind, and pressed forw

hur Springs?" asked Colon

healthy to drink an' there's a lot of cottages built up by people who come there to stay a wh

inty," said Col

dge, which, as we know, t

can't we go a li

ed, owing to the increasing darkness. But Dick's good ears soon told him that something was happening at the springs. He h

to Colonel Winchester, "t

It was very dark now and the wood was moaning, but the columns of air came dire

re there, and they're on our side of the river. Oh, we might have known it! They say that Stone

ntense disappointment, but he knew that i

hester, "how near do you think we

to leave our horses here with a couple of men we could slip down among the trees a

follow softly, lads! All of you have hunted the 'coon and 'possum

army ahead of them increased, and when they reached the edge of the covert they saw a great Confederate division on their side of the stream, in full possession of

d men here," said Dick, who did not m

r, "and I'm afraid it bod