B00HSFFI1Q EBOK Read online

  I was not aware of even raising or lowering my arm. The blue coats just seemed to disappear as we swept down. Colonel Boswell had learned discretion and, as the cavalry fled he sounded the recall. One or two of the younger troopers failed to heed the call but the rest halted. I sheathed my sword and drew my Colt.

  “Corporal Jones, check for casualties.”

  I saw that Harry, Dago, Jed and Irish had survived. I looked at the sun and saw that it was beginning to set. We had fought for almost ten hours. Danny’s voice boomed out, “Check for prisoners and ammunition. Lieutenant Spinelli, form a skirmish line.”

  I dismounted and handed the reins of Copper to the horse holder. I holstered my gun. I could hear the Yankee bugles sounding retreat. They were leaving. We had won. It had been a near run thing. My troopers were taking the boots and guns from the dead while the prisoners were being lined up.

  I heard my name being called from further up the slope and saw Danny and the colonel waving to me. I ran over to them. They were standing over the bodies of four of our troopers who had fallen in my attack. They had had their throats cut and a crude M burned into their chests. Around the neck of Trooper Lowe was a crudely written message. ‘This is what we will do to Boswell, Murphy, Hogan and any other of the murdering bastards from Boswell’s Horse who killed our brothers. Mick O’Callaghan.’

  I looked at Danny whose face was white with anger, “Who the hell is Mick O’Callaghan and what is this about?”

  He looked blankly at the colonel who looked dumbly at the bodies of his men. Then Danny slapped his head, “I know what this is. This is revenge and a feud. Remember those Irish spies who infiltrated us and we hung one of them? I think one was called Callaghan.”

  “But that was war sir.”

  “It makes no difference to an Irishman Jack, you should know that. Out there,” he pointed to the north, “are Irishmen who won’t rest until either we or they are dead.”

  My war had just changed. I now had a hidden enemy who knew my name. I knew that there were many Irish who fought for the Union; any one of them could hunt for me. Part of me was grateful that they did not know the names of the other troopers. Although, as I looked at the mutilated bodies of my troopers I reflected that it had not done those men much good. We were a marked regiment. General Stuart was saddened by the whole thing. I think he had an old fashioned view of the cavalryman. To him we were like the knights of old. We weren’t; this was a hard cruel war with brother fighting brother. Our Irish brothers would discover that. We would fight fire with fire.

  We had little time to reflect on the battle itself. General Lee had decided that, having routed the Union cavalry it was time to take advantage and strike at the heart of the Union. We were heading for Pennsylvania.

  Part 2

  The Road to Gettysburg

  Chapter 10

  The whole of the regiment shared our anger. The fact that we had been named was bad enough but to do what they had done to dead and dying men went beyond the pale. The feud was on and no Irishman was going to be safe from our vengeance.

  We found that our role had now changed .We did not serve with General Stuart. The bulk of the cavalry were sent with him while the five depleted regiments were to accompany General Lee. We headed back to the Shenandoah Valley and there would be no more death or glory charges for us. The General’s nephew, General Fitzhugh-Lee came to brief us on our role. We knew the general from the Fredericksburg campaign and we all liked him; he was a good leader.

  “Gentleman we are going to cross the Potomac at Harper’s Ferry. You have two tasks; firstly you have to make sure we aren’t surprised but your second task is even more important. We want you to tell us where the Yankees have their supplies. We need to hit them and hit them hard. This will be more like the job you did as Boswell’s Rangers. The General does not want the northern civilians to suffer. You will buy food when you can.”

  Jed put his hand up, “Sir, does the general have any objection to us taking from the blue coats?”

  The general laughed, “I think that would be just perfect lieutenant.” He pointed to the map. “The Army will have to eliminate the garrisons at Winchester and Martinsburg. That will take a few days. It means you can slip over the Potomac and be there well ahead of us. I need to be kept informed about what you find. I will regard no news as good news, so don’t let me down.” He leaned back in his chair. “Any questions?

  Colonel Boswell looked at us. We all shook our heads. He smiled, “I think my boys will do just fine sir.”

  After he had gone the colonel handed out some cigars and opened a bottle of French brandy. “I have been saving this for a special occasion. I think this is one such.” As we lit up and held our mugs he said, “Here’s to Boswell’s Wildcats. I think our orders and the Irishmen’s message have just caused it to be reformed!”

  “Boswell’s Wildcats!” We were like children again and we all cheered wildly.

  He stood and went to the map. “I want four columns. I will lead one, Danny, Harry and Jack the others. We will spread out like a fan and we will screen the army. I am not worried about the garrisons in the towns so we will get straight across the Potomac. Our first task is to disrupt the railroad. We are good at that. Then we resupply ourselves. I want that done early and not late. Find yourself a base. I will be in the hills north of the Potomac close to Brunswick.” He smiled, “We did well there last time. The rest of you will be to the west of me. You heard the general; keep sending reports back when you find something. We are the eyes and ears of the army. There may be less than two hundred of us but we are going to make the Yankees remember Boswell’s Wildcats and the 1st Virginia Scouts.”

  We left the next morning. I was sad not to have Irish riding alongside me but he was Sergeant Major and his place was next to the colonel. Sergeant James had to remain with the wounded. I was just as unhappy to be without him; he was always reliable. Corporal Jones was promoted to First Sergeant and Trooper Ritchie to sergeant. I liked to reward my men when I could. I only had forty men but I knew them all well. I left Brandy Station tinged with sadness that I had left so many of my comrades there; it almost felt like desertion.

  We left the army as General Lee prepared to assault Winchester. We headed up the valley and the Potomac. I intended to cross the river west of the ferry. If this had been spring then the river would have been impassable but in summer, by using the islands, it was possible to get across without too much difficulty. We crossed under the noses of the Union troops at Harper’s Ferry. They might have seen us but there as little they could do about it. Once we reached the northern shore I made the men strip and clean their guns. We were now in enemy territory and I wanted us to be able to fight as soon as we saw a blue uniform.

  The troop mounted and looked expectantly at me. I had been making my plan as we had ridden north.” We are going to ride around the bluffs over the river and see if we can destroy a railroad track.” Their grins told me what they thought of that plan. As we rode through the hills I explained to my two sergeants what my thinking was. They needed to understand what we would be doing.

  “Colonel Boswell will be destroying the railroad closer to Brunswick. By destroying it here as well we make it much harder for them to repair the damage we will inflict upon them. Then we will swing up past Boonsboro and then to Hagerstown. The hills to the west of South Mountain are perfect for a base. Even if the Yankees know we are there it will be the devil’s own job to winkle us out.”

  We kept a close eye on the sentries at the ferry. It was unlikely that they would risk crossing the river to chase down a bunch of Rebs but it paid to be careful. The railroad was a single track running close to the river. It has been the scene of our first successful raid in the north. I felt someone walking over my grave as we passed the place we had hanged the spy. It was strange the way things came back to haunt you. I had forgotten those two infiltrators. I didn’t regret what we did to them; they had been responsible for good men dying and they had nearly c
ost the colonel and the major their lives. I just wished that the colonel had handled it more discreetly but he had been angry and keen for vengeance. It was not a good combination.

  Having done this more than once, we knew what to look for. We found the tool box next to the track and took out the spanner and crowbar. Sergeant Jones assigned a new boy with one of the older troopers so that they too could learn how to wreck a train. Sergeant Ritchie kept watch for the train. We removed four lengths of rail and threw them in the river. Had we had time we would have lit a fire and bent them to make them unusable but we just needed to disrupt the line until Lee had crossed the border. We had finished and there was still no train. It was disappointing to derail a train and not be able to watch it but we had more work to do.

  We headed north through the Maryland hills. The forests were thick here and we felt comfortable and safe. We rode towards the battlefield of Antietam and Boonsboro. We found a deserted farmhouse a couple of miles from town. There were many such farms. Men went off to war and got killed; their wives struggled to make a living and they either died or left. It was sad and was something else that the south and the north had in common. We could see no traces of recent habitation. We wondered about the owners until sad faced Sergeant Ritchie came into the farmhouse where we had just got a fire going.

  “I found the last owner sir.”

  I left the warm room and followed him. When we reached the barn there were two skeletons, a cow and, from the remains of the dress, an old woman. She must have come to milk the cow and died. The cow had died later. The rats and foxes had left little for us to bury but we did so anyway. She had been someone’s wife and mother. We laid her in the ground and bowed our heads. This war didn’t just kill soldiers.

  The burial was sobering for all of us. I mounted guards at the edge of the wood but I could see why no-one had visited; it was on the slopes of South Mountain and the entrance was little wider than that needed to get a small cart up. As a base it would serve.

  The next day I went with Ritchie and three troopers to scout out Boonsboro. It was a small town and I could see nothing military there. Although disappointing it was also reassuring as it meant that we were unlikely to bump into any Yankee patrols. The pike led to Hagerstown and we followed that road. We left a mile before the outskirts of the busy town. We saw the railroad line which ran north of the city and made our way there. The shiny rails showed that it was in constant use and, even as we watched, a train came from the north. We dismounted and left our horses in a stand of trees. We made our way to the station.

  The station was a small version of Manassas Junction. My eyes soon lit upon the warehouses. There were not as many as Manassas but I was certain that they would yield a healthy harvest for us. I had seen enough and we crept back to our horses. When we reached our horses, to my horror, there was a young woman feeding carrots to Copper. One of the younger troopers went for his pistol but I restrained him.

  She turned around at the movement. “Good morning ma’am. A fine horse eh?”

  She nodded, “I can see the spirit in the animal. What beautiful eyes and a gorgeous colour.”

  I put my hand on Copper’s mane as I gestured for the others to mount, “Copper this is…?”

  “Mary Malone, Miss Mary Malone.”

  “Miss Mary Malone. Copper appreciates carrots. They are much better than some of the poor grass we have around these parts.”

  She suddenly looked me in the eye. “Except you aren’t from these parts are you? You are Rebs from south of the river.”

  My heart sank. I had taken her for a simpleton. “Yes ma’am.” I swung myself in the saddle. I could see the nervous expressions on my men’s faces.

  She gave a smile. “Don’t worry. I am a Stephen’s City girl. I was brought here as a servant when the war started I work in a large house over yonder. But be careful. There is a company of Maryland Infantry stationed in the town.” She stepped back, “Nice to have met you Captain…?”

  “Hogan, John Hogan. And I am pleased to have met you.” We turned and headed back towards the turnpike.

  Ritchie said, nervously, “She might go to the authorities you know sir.”

  “If she was going to do that she wouldn’t have warned us about the infantry. I have a gut feeling that she will not betray us but, just to be sure, we’ll double the guards tonight. Tomorrow we raid the railroad.”

  For some reason I was not worried about the woman. She had seemed genuine but Sergeant Ritchie looked relieved to be woken by the sentry and not a blue coated northerner.

  I gathered the men around me in the barn. “I know that we could attack at night but I want to make sure that we get a train this time. We were told to get supplies and we will. Half of us will be dealing with the train.” I pointed to Sergeant Jones and his company, “That will be you men with the sergeant. The rest will be with me and Sergeant Ritchie. We will make sure that we are not surprised by any Yankees. We know there is a company of infantry in the town. Our job will be to slow them down. When we have whatever is on the first train then we high tail it back here.” I paused, “If anything happens to me then Sergeant Jones is in charge and he continues to follow the colonel’s orders.”

  I could see the looks of surprise on the men but Dago’s incarceration had been a warning that things could go wrong.

  “Let’s go.”

  I led the column towards the railroad. We had chosen a cutting two miles from the town. There was a bend which would cause the train to slow anyway. While Sergeant Jones and his men located a trackside tool box I ordered Sergeant Ritchie to head a mile down the track towards the town. “I’ll join you once we have begun the demolition.”

  When we had first done this we had had the luxury of watching for trains for a whole day before derailing one. General Lee’s accelerated timetable meant that we had to take more chances.

  When Jones and his men appeared with the tools I watched to make sure that they would be able to take up the rails. Even though many of the troopers were new to this they soon picked up the hang of it. “Carry on sergeant, and good luck! I hope it is something that we can use eh?”

  “Yes sir and you take care now.”

  “I will.”

  I found Sergeant Ritchie. We were close to the spot where we had seen the girl the previous day. We dismounted and tied our horses to a tree. Hopefully it would be an easy duty and we would not be needed but we improvised a barrier from some of the undergrowth. If it was infantry who came to investigate then we merely had to slow them down, our horses would give us a quick escape route.

  The men hunkered down with carbines at the ready. This was the hard time when you just waited. I hoped that Jones and his men would have finished their work. However, as just one rail had been removed whilst I watched, I knew that the train would not reach Hagerstown. We heard the wail of the engine’s whistle in the distance.

  I turned to Ritchie, “They will hear that in the town. I reckon they will expect it to reach them in twenty minutes or so. I think that gives us an hour. Make sure the boys eat and drink something. In one hour all hell will break loose.”

  “Sir. If I might suggest sir? Why don’t we lay one of those fallen trees across the railroad line in case they send a hand car down?”

  “No, I don’t think so. We could capture the hand car and it would allow Jones more time. Make sure we have a couple of the boys on the other side of the track. We will use a rope to stop it should they send one.”

  He smiled, “Will do sir. Now I see why you are an officer and I am just a sergeant.”

  “Don’t knock yourself son; I was a sergeant once myself. That shows initiative and that you are thinking.”

  We waited nervously. When we heard the unmistakeable sound of the squeaking wheels of a railroad trolley every gun was cocked. I knew that I could leave Ritchie to deal with the trolley. I went to the troopers at the barrier.

  “Don’t fire until I tell you.”

  They nodded their understanding
. The squeaking drew closer and I glimpsed it through the trees. There were two railroad men and a single soldier. I kept watching ahead knowing that the three men would soon be captured. The trolley passed us and we remained hidden. I heard the sound of something falling into the bushes and a scuffle. A few moments later Trooper White appeared. “We have a handcart now sir and three prisoners.”

  “Tie them up and then take the handcart with them on board down to Sergeant Jones. Get back here as soon as you can.”

  I was ensuring that all the prisoners were in one place and, this way, I could discover our progress.”Right boys, I reckon some time in the next half hour we will find some Yankees coming down this track. Keep an eye open.”

  It was sooner than half an hour when we heard the crunch of feet on the stones beneath the sleepers. They were marching down the track. Trooper White appeared next to me. He whispered when I put my hands to my lips. “Sergeant Jones has the train. It is tinned food and ammunition. He is loading it on the horses now. He said he would blow up the train too.”

  I nodded. I should have ordered him to do that anyway. I focussed my attention on the track. I saw the officer leading the fifty or so men and he was about a hundred yards away. I wanted to have the maximum firepower and I waited until they were but fifty yards away.

  “Fire!”

  The column was caught cold and the leading soldiers all fell in a heap. The Maryland men quickly left the track and began firing back. They could not see us and would be firing at the smoke. Their dark uniforms made them hard to see in the undergrowth and I was not sure that we were hitting anyone. Suddenly there was an explosion from behind us. Sergeant Jones had destroyed the train.