The Tree of Appomattox

ey found him sitting by a small fire receiving or sending reports, and talking with a half-dozen of his generals. It

. Did strong men send off electric currents of will and power which were communicated to other men, by which they could know them, or wa

r Sheridan, but the general's

" he exclaimed. "You bring news of

pard here, whom you know, and Lieutenant Mason who ob

eral Sheridan. He wanted the spy to have the full measure of credit, including the outward show, for the triumph he had achieved with the aid

fell upon it, and he seemed to comprehend at once the m

and the openings between them and the mountains! This is i

ister who came from Richmond.

d the eyes of general and spy

are many such as she who have done great service to our cau

our path! Mr. Shepard, you will go over the details of this with

he sentinels, rifle on shoulder, walked up and down a little distance away, a dozen eager faces

's map shows. Tomorrow-or rather today, for I see the dawn comes-will be a day of great noise and of much burning of powder. But behind the curtain of smoke we'll make our movements. Merritt with his cavalry shall go to the right and Averill will go with him. Crook shall take his two divisions and hold the north bank of

ly young men and they responded in kind to his burning words. Sheridan knew that he could comm

the victory alre

ds, and Sheridan again thanked Col

take some rest," he said, "you wo

advice, Dick, and roll yourself in your blanket,"

although I know that great

nel. "Look, the sun is coming up, and

d distinct. Some of the Northern and Southern sentinels were already exchanging compliments with one another, and they heard the faint popping of rifles. But Dick

of rifles and the occasional thud of great guns. He slept on through the morning while the fire increased, and great volumes of smoke rolled, as the wi

ays of his life. He saw the opportunity, and he was resolved that it should not escape him. Two great reputations were made in the valley by men very unlike, Stonewall Jackson and Little Phil Sheridan. In the earlier

eridan's mind was not upon these things, they were merely the veil before him, while behind it, as a screen, he arranged the men on his chess board. When night came his whole line was pushed forward. His vanguard held the northern part of the little to

t, in which the Southern troops were driven out of Strasburg, enabling the Northern batteries to advance to strong positions. That night Crook's whole strength was brought acr

elt a great exultation. The map that he had brought from his sister had proved invaluable. Sheridan was using it every hour, and Shepard was

so well before," Dick said, wh

d. There is provision against every unlucky chance. It's leadership. The diff

some noise. Dick with Shepard and the sergeant rode off in the woods towards the open valley to see if the enemy were observing th

opposing lines of camp fires. A dark outline was Fisher's Hill, and lights burned there too. From a point in fr

Early from three sides and he'll have to retreat to save himself. He hasn't numbers e

*

alton. The two colonels were not far away. For almost the first time, Harry's heart failed him. He did not wish to depreciate Early, but he felt that he was not the great Jackson or anything approaching h

ight manner uncommonly keen percep

hinking about,

the days when we rode here with St

Cheer up. Remember the old saying that t

se d

y. You've usually put up t

you good advice,

'll fight 'em off tomorrow. They can't beat us a

t and cover the slopes of the mountains on either side. I wish I

When we shatter Sheridan's army and drive the fragments across the Potomac I think I'll come bac

ther you if you won't bother me,' and then he'd amble off peacefully in one direction, and I'd amble off peacefully in another. I wouldn't want to hear a gun fired during all that week. I'd just rest, rest, rest my nerves and

se it rain

e made of white satin of the same quality. The nights would be clear with the most wonderful stars that ever shone. Great new stars would come out for the first time, and twinkle for me, and the man in the most silvery moon known in the history of time would grin down at me and say without words: 'St. Clair, old fellow, this is your week of peace, everything has bee

d Arthur grows dithyrambic and hexametrical. He f

ld depend upon one's own eyes. What I call green may appear to you like the color of blue to me. Now, Arthur really sees all these things that he's te

gh not windy, and I accept it. Those Elysian fields that Arthur was painting are real a

ses which were printed in the Ch

an it be possible that young gentlemen are discussin

nel Hector St. Hilaire was just behind him. The young officers rose and sal

e gushed suddenly into poetry. He had a most wonderful vision of the Elysian fields and of himself wa

otested St. Clair. "I never mentioned s

n you there and we'll all walk around among the flowers, and Hector's relative, that wonderful musician, young De Langeais, shall play to us on his violin, and maybe th

nd Harry felt a slight

St. Hilaire, "but the time is really unpropitious and too short. It may be that we shall have to wait until the war is over to

e that John Carrington is here in the valley, ready to concentrate all the fire of the Union batteries upon us. It is bad, very bad for us that the greatest artilleryman in the world should come with Sheridan, and yet we shall have the pleasu

boom of a cannon rolled over the hills

not with one gun but with many!' Well, be it so. We shall give John and Sheridan a warm welcome, and we shall try to make it so very

s the two colonels went back

m to finish their chess game, and I'd like, too, to see their

. "If Arthur is a poet as he seems to

re an optimist

you to do," said Harry. "If you don't stop t

glasses passed more than once over the forests along Cedar Creek, but no prevision, no voice out of the dark, told him that Dick was there, one of a formidable force that was lying hidde

*

hey still kept to the shelter of the forest and wide ravines along the lower slopes of the mountain. The sun was not clear of the e

rly's earthworks a great cloud of smoke was gathering. Dick looked over his shoulder at it. It gave him a curious feeling to be m

we going?" he

mains unopened in my pocket, tells me that we shall continue our progress unseen until we reach the desire

d multiplied it. Despite the clouds about the earthworks and the hill, Dick saw continual flashes of light, and he knew now that the battle below was a reality and not a sham.

marched an interminable time under the trees, while the battle flashed and roared in the plain. He saw noon pass and the sun

were still hidden by the woods and the low hills of the valley. Yet they lay behind and on the side of their enemy who would

e men in the forest, and showing their eager faces. Dick's heart throbbed. In that moment of anticipated victory he forgot all about Harry and his frie

e. The unfortunate Southern army was overwhelmed by troops who had moved forward in such complete unison. They were swept out of their

sued from the wood, and, by the time it had set, the pursuit was thundering along the valley, the Winchester men in the very forefront of it. Long after dark it continued. Several miles from the field the fragments of the Invin

was in constant fear lest he should find them dead, or wounded mortally. But he had no time to look for them. Sheridan was pressing the pursuit to the utmost. Midnight did not stop it.

and eager and willing they still led the advance. Midnight passed and the pursuit never ceased until it reached Woodstock, ten miles from Fisher's Hill. By th

e opportunity to escape with what was left of his men, leaving behind many prisoners and twenty cannon. Yet the triump

ighting the fires for breakfast, but many of the young cavalrymen fell asleep first. Dick managed to keep awake long enough for his