The Sword of Antietam

ellan, if slow to move, nevertheless had shown vigor in action, and the sanguine youths could not doubt that they had driven Lee into a corner. Th

from the Confederate fire, had been retaken by a member of his own regiment and returned to

recalled it. And yet there had been no guilt in either. Neither had known that the other lay b

ting yesterday afternoon, Ge

out I felt benefited. I didn't get away from that hospital too soon.

ton, who had been making inquiries, "and as we hav

le distance from the gap to the Antietam, which is eight miles, let y equal the distance which we have come which is three miles,

oming battle. By George, we're driving their skirmishe

e rolling country. The sound of firing was continuous, but it came from small squads

slow. Colonel Winchester beca

aste. With Jackson tied up before Harper's Ferry, Lee's defeat is sure, unless he retreats acr

e way to join Lee. Had he known these two vital facts his anger would have burned to a white heat. Surely n

about the Antietam,

an be done with ease since we outnumber Lee so much that we can overlap him by far. I have my information from Shepard, and he makes

ck, "the little c

you mean

d it more than once. We lost it at first, but in the end we won. It's

materials with which to do it. But

the country before them. It was a fine, rolling region and all the forest was gone, except clumps of tree

se of the Antietam, and he saw small detachments of cavalry which he knew were watching the advance of the Army of the Potomac. Their purpose convince

t was Shepard again, dustier than

Shepard?" asked C

arper's Ferry, thirteen thousand strong, surrendered early this morn

ught yesterday and destroyed Lee, while Harper's Ferry was still holding out

ackson might come, but it would only be with a part of his force, that which marched the swiftest, and the victory

exclaimed, "we ca

f me to talk as I did. Here, Johnson, blow your best on that tru

grown intensely hot again, and the noon sun poured down upon them sheaves of fiery rays. Dick looked back, and he saw once more that vast billowing

Potomac being very low, owing to the dry season, there is one ford by which Lee can cross and go back to Virginia. But he isn't going to cross without a battle, that's s

ve they can'

have 'em beaten now," said Shepard, "

between its high banks. One or two shots from the far side warned them to come more slowly, a

f Antietam. Great armies drawn up for battle were a spectacle that no boy could ev

Dunkard Church, of which Shepard spoke. But his eyes came back from the church and rested on the country around Sharpsburg. The Confederate

arrive before night, and the main force certainly could not come from Harper's Ferry before the morrow. Here was a ful

tle river, but no harm was done, and the great masses of McClellan faced the whole peninsula, within which lay Lee with half of his army. The Winchester regiment was moved far to the north,

ember day had become as hot as those of August had been. The late afternoon sun was brazen, and immense clouds of dust

to ride about so calmly? His heart fairly ached for the attack. McClellan said that fifty thousand men were there, and that Jackson was coming with fifty thousand more, but Shepard, who always knew, said that they did not number more than twenty thous

heir quarters. They had dry grass, warm air and the open sky. A more comfortable summer home for a night could not be asked. And there was plenty of food, to

d the booming of guns, and just before dark there had been a short artillery duel across the Antietam, but now the night was quiet,

o comrades and himself to go dow

ster. "The Confederate riflemen will certainly

y curiosity and they did not believe that they would be in any great danger. The singular fri

f bushes held out. But when they were half way to the stream a thick, dark

earer view of the e

y be called scouting duty. Besides, I've a couple of f

de of the Antietam. What

s 'em. Only one in fact is an old acquaintan

's cr

eller, too. Him an' me have bunked together many a time an' we've dug out of the snow together, too, after the blizzards was over. But when we saw the war comin' up, Bill had fool notions. Said he didn't know anyth

he side of the river in the dark an' keepin' under cover of the bushes. Had no intention of shootin' anybody. Just wanted to take a look. I saw on the o

ool who didn't know the manners of our war take a pot shot at me, I called

ce come and called out, likewise in a loud voice: 'Who's callin' me a thick-headed rebel? Is it some blue-backed Yankee

place on my chest. Nothin' will save you but them days on the plain in the blizzards when you was more useful with a shovel than you are with a rifle,

essee, fightin' in the rebel army, when you ought to know better,' says I. 'Now, who in thunderation am I?' 'Sufferin' Moses!' says he, 'that voice grows more like his

knocked off by a cannon ball.' He shorely jumped up an' down with pleasure an' he called back: 'The good Lord certainly watches over them that ain't got any sense

the river an' he shot questions across to me, an' I shot questions at him, an' I felt as if a brother had riz from the dead. An' as we can't shake hands we reaches out the muzzles of our guns and shakes them towards each other in the most friendly way. Then another

ick. "Lead on, but

then the sergeant blew softly between his fingers. Two figures at once

olitely, "I want to introduce my friends, Lieutenant

ough young, Dan," said Brayton, wh

e young, as you say," said Wh

, sallow and youngish man. "We're never too strong on rations, and when I eat prisoners I like 'em under tw

n, good naturedly. "I'll just turn mys

"The weather's hot an' we all want to go in swimmin' to-morrow, bein' as we hav

cause to-morrow we're going to surr

o you know how many men we have here waitin' for you? Of cours

thousand. I don't believe

re, which makes three hundred thousand. Then there's Stonewall Jackson, who's another hundred thousand

ool for countin' the way I did.

're friends of Bill, who is a friend of me. Just you take my advice an' go home. Start to-night while the weather is

e up so much in them wild mountains an' plains of the northwest that I like to go south when the winte

the no'th where you belong, we'll be takin' you a prisoner way down south, where you don't belong. But you could have a good time there. We won't trea

ssissippi, an' we're shorely goin' to stretch it. I'm comin', an' I'm bringin' a couple of hundred thousand fe

you with bloody hands to hospitable graves-but we ain'

halves with his pocket knife, and tossed one-half across th

th good things, then it was Mr. Commissary Pope, and now I reckon it'll be Mr

ndred and fifty-three infantry, sixty-four thousand two hundred and nineteen cavalry an' three thousand one hund

ught. Are you shore them three hundred tho

I've sent 'em

have to take

oo friendly. Dan, I'm powerful glad to see you ag'in, an' I hope you won't get killed. I've a feelin' that you an' me will be ridin' over the plains once more

ut his. Then they shook them at each other in friendly sa

rgeant. "Fine feller an' that Mississippian

ging yourself, ser

had that little talk across the river. It was a friendly

rs and other messages. A great movement was going on. Fresh troops were continually coming

to go at once into battle. Some of the troops were mo

t? Is General McClellan instead of General Lee waiting for Jackson to come?

t McClellan attack? He had claimed that the rebels had two hundred thousand men at the Seven Days, when it was well known that half that figure or less was their true number. Why should he persist in seeing the en

e feared for his army. The position of the enemy on the peninsula seemed to have changed somewhat through the night. He believed that the batter

to the burning heat. Dick was wild with impatience, but he knew that it was not worth while to say anything. He, Warner and Pennington, f

to the best shade that could be found. Within a residence Lee sat in close conference with his lieutenants, Stonewall Jackson and Longstreet. Now and then, they looked at the reports of

enough for the remainder of Jackson's troops to come up. Upon this belief he staked the future of the Confederacy in the battle to be fought there between the Potomac and the Antietam. His troops were worn by battles and tremend

sank quietly into the deepest of slumbers. From where they lay Red Hill, a spur of a mountain, separated them from the Union army. It was only those like Dick and his comrades who mounted elevations and who had powerful

rpower him. He did not know how long he had slept, but he was awakened by the sharp call

he wiped the haze of hea

l attack. Still, I know that our division is going to cross the Antietam. Up here the stream is narrower

the West, and a breeze, bringing a little coolness, had begun to blow. They did not see much preparation for defense beyond the river,

t, the attack that had been delayed so long but which was not yet too late. He thought nothing of the shells hissing and shrieking over his head, and he shouted wi

a battle swayed back and forth, but the Confederate resistance ceased suddenly. Infantry and batteries disappeared in woods or beyond a ridge, and then Dick noticed that night

he soil of the peninsula. It looked directly south at the Confederate army and there was no barrier between. Lee would have to face

orth, through which Lee's army might march in an attempt to escape. It was likely, too, that the last of Jackson's men would come that way

t some ardent souls could not rest. A group of officers, including Colonel Winchester and the three young members of his staff, walked

now, and presently as the moon rose they saw the s

s. "I think we'd better not go any closer. Th

s they are. Jackson's perhaps. It's a rough country, and all these forests and ridges and hills will help the de

y. "The battle can't be put off any longer,

uthern lines, but they could see little. There was some rifle firing after a while, and

n invalid and that if I overtask myself it will be a bad thing for McClel

arth is good enough for me. May I stay

non at far intervals. After a while, he looked at his watch and saw that it was midnight. It was more than an hour later when slumber

ost to the Potomac. On their flank was a cavalry brigade and A. P. Hill was hurrying with another of infantry. Messenger after messenge

n when they marched at the double quick across hill and valley and forest to the relief of their great commander. There was little