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“Nine.”

  “Fifteen.”

  “Eight.”

  “Ten.”

  I had fifteen left for my carbine and eight for my Colts although two of my Colts were still in my saddle holsters.

  “Conserve your ammo. Only shoot when you are guaranteed a kill.”

  I wondered if any other troopers would follow this handful. I was merely waiting until our horses were rested before continuing our escape.

  “How many can you see down there, sergeant?”

  “I make it twelve, sir. But I might be wrong. They may have left some holding their horses.”

  With more light I could see that there was cover to their left and their right. White and Carberry were next to me. “I want you two to crawl, one there and one there. Work your way around their flank and when I yell ‘Troop A’, charge, then just let loose with your carbines. Don’t worry about ammunition. If this doesn’t work we will high tail it out of here.”

  “Yes sir.”

  They both slithered away like snakes. I turned to the other four. “When I yell then aim at the ones in the middle.”

  I saw that both men were in position. I yelled, “Troop A, charge!”

  We rose as one and began to fire at anything blue. We heard the two troopers yelling like banshees and suddenly the remaining Yankees leapt to their feet and ran for their horses.

  “After them!”

  I had emptied my carbine and so I shot at the departing troopers with my Colt. We saw the last eight racing down the trail.

  “Check for ammunition and guns. Sergeant Ritchie, secure those four horses. Then its time to head for Manassas.”

  Chapter 12

  When we reached Manassas Junction the colonel and the regiment were there and they had secured the rail head but of General Stuart there was no sign. Danny threw his arms around me, “You did it again Jackie Boy.”

  The colonel nodded and said, “Well done Captain Hogan you have redeemed yourself this night.”

  I saw the flash of anger cross Dago and Cecil’s faces but I just smiled. “Just doing my duty, colonel.”

  “You and your boys better get some sleep captain. We had an easy ride. We arrived hours ago.”

  If that was meant to make me feel better then it failed. I had bought that precious time with the lives of four good men. I think Danny saw the anger in my face for he put his arm around my shoulder so that I could not move towards Colonel Boswell and he led me away.

  “We have some beds made up for you boys.” He put his head next to my ear. “The boys know what you have done, Jack. Just be happy with that. The colonel is getting better but it will take time for him to be his old self again.”

  “And how many dead men will it take to heal him?” I added bitterly. Every time I left on patrol my men and I achieved all that we were supposed to achieve and more; yet each time I left men on the battlefield.

  The men who had not accompanied me greeted us warmly when we headed for our beds. Corporal MacKay pulled me to one side. “Sir, I have the extra ammunition you asked me to keep. What shall I do with it?”

  At one time I would have said to give it to the colonel but I was becoming more concerned with my own men. “Distribute it to the troop. Thanks MacKay.”

  He gave me a lopsided grin, “We look after our own sir.”

  I was woken by the sound of hooves outside and the hubbub of Stuart and his men arriving. I hurriedly dressed. I had appreciated the sleep but I had no idea how long I had slept. I reached General Stuart when he and the rest of the officers were discussing what had gone on.

  “Damn Yankees kept blocking our way with cannon slowed us to hell and back, colonel.”

  “Well sir, we have more bad news. It looks like General Meade and his army are to the north of us and between us and General Lee.”

  “Damn! How did you boys get through?”

  “Captain Hogan caused some commotion and he rode through their camp. We slipped through their lines while they chased him to hell and back.”

  The general spied me and applauded me. “You are a true cavalryman, captain.” He took off his gauntlets. “So colonel what would you suggest? You know the area north of us as well as any man.”

  Colonel Boswell rubbed his chin. “Well sir if we head due north there are a couple of fords which are low enough at this time of year to let us cross. They would not be any use to artillery or even infantry but we could cross. We could then head across country and rejoin the general.”

  “That’s a good idea.” He turned to an aide. “Send a rider to General Lee and tell him what we intend. Colonel Boswell, if your regiment would act as the vanguard I would appreciate it. Your men seem to have a nose for smelling out the enemy.”

  The colonel almost grew a foot at the apparent honour. “Yes sir, we would be delighted.” As the busy little general strode off, Colonel Boswell turned to Major Murphy. “Have the regiment ready to ride in thirty minutes, Major Murphy.”

  Danny glanced at Dago and me. “But sir, some of the men have barely had two hours sleep.”

  “The Yankees are not sleeping Major Murphy. Just do it. This is war and not a Sunday School picnic.”

  I knew that Danny was thinking about my troop in particular. I shrugged. “We can always sleep when we are dead sir.”

  Sergeant James had ensured that our horses had been both well fed and cared for when we had arrived back. Copper looked fresh but I knew that I would have to be careful for a broken horse could never be used in war again. Copper was as much a part of me as my name.

  We were lined up less than twenty five minutes after the orders were given. Colonel Boswell nodded his approval. “Captain Hogan and Lieutenant Spinelli take us north and find a ford without Yankees.”

  We galloped off northwards. Dago turned to me, “You got the short straw again Jack.”

  “I don’t mind. I quite enjoy the freedom.” I grinned. “It means I give myself the orders and I quite like that. What the colonel doesn’t see won’t hurt me.” I swept an expansive hand at the forty men who followed us. “They are very loyal and protective. I feel safer with these men around me than when we are with the army.”

  The ford we chose was not a ford in the accepted sense of the term. There was a slope down which was very steep and then the water of the Potomac was quite deep in parts but the mighty river had small islands which acted as giant stepping stones. We had discovered that the knack was to swim upstream in the deeper parts and allow the current to take you to land.

  “Lieutenant Spinelli and Sergeant Jones, you stay here with half the men. I’ll head to the other side and see if it is clear. When I signal then bring the rest across.”

  Copper and I plunged into the chilled waters. We were able to walk the first twenty yards and then we had to swim for the next ten. The water poured from Copper’s flanks as we stood on the first island. We had two swims and that was all. It was summer and we had had little rain lately. When we were all ashore I ordered the men to draw weapons.

  “Trooper White, you stay here and when I yell then wave the lieutenant across.” The bluffs on the northern shore were steep and covered in pine but there was a trail of sorts which zig zagged up to the top. If I had been the Yankees I would have had some sort of sentry post on the bluffs but, when we reached the top it was empty.

  “Send them across, Trooper.”

  We now had to secure this beachhead. We were less than twenty miles from Washington and I could not believe that they would not have patrols out. We soon came to the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. I had not heard of boats using it since the war had started but I was taking no chances. We found a lock and an abandoned lock keeper’s house not far from where we had landed.

  “Trooper Lowe, bring Lieutenant Spinelli and his men here. We can use this until the rest of the cavalry come.” I led the fifteen men who remained with me and we headed north towards Rockville. This was good Maryland earth and prosperous looking farms littered the land as we crossed. We used whatever cover we
could. I checked my map; Rockville would provide a quick passage to Pennsylvania and General Lee. I was aware that we were still in Union territory.

  “Sergeant Ritchie, take two men and see if Rockville is safe.”

  The three men trotted off and then tied their horses to some trees. They disappeared into a small stand of trees. The town looked, from the smoke of chimneys, to be on the other side of the wood.

  As we waited my thoughts went back to Mary Malone. Would I ever see her again? It seemed unlikely that we would be in Hagerstown soon. General Lee was intent on driving towards Philadelphia and Washington. Perhaps she had been a dream, a tantalising picture of a good life for me. Events had transpired to put barriers in the way of my happiness since the day I was born. My men called me Lucky Jack but that name tasted bitter to me when I thought of my murdered mother and father and my sister forced to whore to earn a living. I had luck, but not in my own life. I just did not expect to be happy. I was just grateful to be alive.

  The sergeant and his men led their horses back to us. “Sir, there are Union troops dug in around the town. It looks to be artillery and infantry. They are all just the other side of the trees and they are facing west. It appears like this is one of the places they are using to guard Washington sir. There is also a wagon train with over a hundred brand-new, fully loaded wagons and mule teams. They are a little further west.”

  “Thank you, sergeant. Let’s get back and give the bad news to the colonel.”

  The colonel and the rest of the regiment were at the lock when we arrived. “Sir, the road west is blocked at Rockville. There is a wagon train and a company of infantry as well as artillery.”

  “We will have to see if the general has an alternative plan then.”

  General Stuart was not depressed when we gave him the news. “Brand new wagons you say? General Lee impressed upon me the need to gather supplies. This would be perfect.”

  General Hampton did not look so sure. “Are you sure General Stuart? If would slow us down. I think that General Lee would prefer us to arrive there sooner rather than later.”

  “If we knew where there was general.” One of the advantages of being a scout for the general was that you tended to hear more than other officers. This was giving me an insight into how the general thought. “For all we know General Lee is heading in this direction already.” He looked wistfully to the east. “Washington is just over there boys. Why we could ride right up Pennsylvania Avenue, capture old Abe and end this right now if we had a few more men and fresher horses.”

  Somehow I thought that our general was deluding himself. There would be more than a few guns defending the President of the United States of America.

  “No, my mind is made up. Colonel Boswell if your regiment would lead off we will see about capturing this wagon train.”

  The colonel rode next to me with the Sergeant Major just behind. “Well Jack, how do we do this?”

  “The guns are facing west as is the infantry and there is a stand of trees. If we dismount then we can surprise the gunners. I can’t see the wagons being able to be hitched up quickly sir. We just have to neutralise the soldiers.”

  “Good plan.” He turned to Major Murphy, “Send a rider back to the general and tell him that we will dismount and engage the guns. It will allow the general the opportunity to surround the town and capture the wagons.”

  We left the horses by the stand of trees we had used earlier and, taking our carbines, made our way through the spindly trunks. Sergeant Ritchie had been correct. This was a barricade to General Lee’s advance. The men would not hold an army up for long but they would enable other troops to close. That worried me, for it meant there would be other soldiers nearby. We had to capture the town first.

  Colonel Boswell led the line of troopers with Cecil on his shoulder. Despite his loyalty to me the Sergeant Major would protect the colonel with his life. Once we reached the edge of town we halted. We had four hundred yards to run to reach the guns and the infantry. It would be a hard run for men in boots and spurs.

  Colonel Boswell drew his sabre and said, “Sound the charge!”

  I frowned as I ran forward. I would have remained silent to gain surprise but the cat was now out of the bag and we screamed our rebel yell and raced up the road. The infantry all ran to their stacked rifles while the gunners tried to man handle their cannon to face us. It was a race that they would lose. I had spurned my carbine and I pointed my Colt at the blue coated infantry who were rapidly deploying into line. We were less than a hundred yards from them when I saw the officer raise his sword. I fired and he stumbled. It bought us a few more seconds. All of our troopers were now firing as the ragged volley erupted. These were green troops and the rifles made more smoke than anything. We crashed into them.

  When Colonel Boswell cut down the major who commanded them he yelled, “Surrender!”

  They were green for they all obeyed. The gunners were less obedient and I watched them, too late, as they spiked the cannon. They would be no use to us now. Our men quickly disarmed the prisoners. Our troopers took everything from them that could be of use to us. It was sad to see the corpses being robbed of boots but it was necessary in such an impoverished army as ours. General Stuart and General Hampton arrived as we had herded the prisoners together.

  “Well done Colonel Boswell! Once again your men have performed wonders.” He frowned as he saw the spiked cannon, “A pity about the cannon but still a great haul.”

  General Hampton pointed to the prisoners. “And what do we do with those general. The wagons and mules will slow us up somewhat but they will make it impossible to reach the general in time.”

  “You are right Wade. Send the commander to me.”

  The most senior officer was the artillery major. “Major, thank you for your surrender, it saved your men from unnecessary slaughter. If you give me your parole I will allow you and your men to return to Washington.”

  The major looked sceptically at General Stuart, “My parole sir?”

  “Yes sir. If you promise not to fight until you have reached Washington then I am satisfied.”

  “In that case I will give you my word.” I think the major was anticipating a fast walk back to Washington and then a rapid return to recapture the wagons. We were only fourteen miles from the capital.

  After they had left I was still looking to our wounded men along with David. General Hampton strode up. “Do you think that was wise general? They could be after us before we have got very far.”

  General Stuart smiled, “When they reach Washington what will they report? They will say that Jeb Stuart and his cavalry are fourteen miles from the capital. It will cause mayhem. They will bring troops to capture me and defend the capital. That will mean that General Lee will have fewer enemies to deal with.”

  Despite what was said about Stuart later on, that he was a glory hound, I believe that he did what he thought was right for the southern cause. Some of those decisions, like the one to take the wagons and the mules with us, were flawed but the sentiment behind them was sound.

  We left in high spirits and began to move, for the first time, in the right direction. It seemed that the 1st Virginia Scouts were the vanguard again. Colonel Boswell loved it. This was what he had dreamed of in the early days of the war. He was with the most famous Corps in the Confederacy and it was his regiment which had the honour of leading. The road to Westminster was straight and true. We did not need to push our horses for the wagons and mules slowed us down quite dramatically.

  I sent Sergeant Ritchie and ten troopers down the pike towards Frederick when we reached the crossroads. I was relieved when he returned without sighting a single Union flag. I thought that we could have taken that road to reach Frederick. It would have brought us closer to General Lee but General Stuart was keen to march north. We were in Union territory and moving further north than at any time in the war. There was an infectious air of exultation amongst the senior officers, Colonel Boswell included. It seemed th
at we were on the brink of success. We had not seen any force which could stand up to us.

  It was late in the day when we came upon the Union cavalry. There was no warning. They suddenly appeared from the direction of Baltimore and the woods which lined the road to our right.

  “Take cover!”

  I dismounted my troopers and we crouched behind the fence. Colonel Boswell suddenly yelled, “1st Virginia Scouts! Charge!”

  We tried to hit as many of the troopers as we could before our men joined the fray. “Mount!”

  We gathered our horses as quickly as we could but by then the Yankee cavalry were fleeing down the Baltimore road with Colonel Boswell in close pursuit. We were just about to follow them when General Fitzhugh Lee galloped up. I knew the general, General Lee’s nephew, and he smiled as he recognised me.

  “Hello Captain Hogan. The general has sent me to find your colonel and see what this is about.”

  “We were ambushed by some Yankee cavalry and the colonel is chasing them back to Baltimore.”

  He nodded and then frowned. “The general had a task for him.” He appeared to make up his mind. “You will have to do it in his stead. The general is concerned that General Lee has no idea where we are. We are assuming that my uncle will have sent messengers to us but by the time they reach us this may be too late. Take your men and find the army. Here is a report for General Lee.” He handed me a leather document case. “Give it to General Lee only. He will give you further orders I daresay.” He pointed to the north west. “I would hazard a guess that he will probably be somewhere close to Gettysburg or possibly York. An area I know you know well.”

  “Yes sir.” I paused, “Will you tell the colonel?”

  He gave me a wry smile. The news of my court martial was legend. “Do not worry sir. I will personally tell him that you were acting under my orders. Good luck Jack.”

  With thirty troopers I headed down the road towards a date with destiny. We were heading to Gettysburg where we would witness the battle which decided the fate of the Confederacy of the United States.