University of Virginia Library

37. CHAPTER XXXVII.

Freed at length from his troublesome adviser,
Col. Trevor was left to the uninterrupted enjoyment
of his anticipated triumph. He seemed to tread on
air, and, with a flashing eye, and spread nostrils, to
look forward to the glories, and snuff up the carnage
of the expected fight. Such was his impatience for
the adventure, that, in the eagerness of anticipation,
he gave no thought to the necessary preparations.
It was enough to issue the customary order for the
troops to be in readiness for the march, with a supply
of cartridges and rations suitable to the expedition.

The third day of November at length arrived, and
the troops took up the line of march. As they
issued in glittering rank from the barracks above the
town, the Colonel, proudly mounted on his stately
charger, posted himself in the gateway of the house,
where he had taken up his quarters, and received

their passing salute. The portico of the house was
crowded with female figures; the windows were
clustered with fair faces; the noble oak-trees in the
yard were hung with garlands, in token of the loyalty
of the household, and of anticipated triumph in his
assured victory. But the Colonel saw nothing of
this. His eye saw not the waving of handkerchiefs,
his ear heard not the cheering farewells issuing in
tones of music from rosy lips. He heard only the
spirit-stirring drum and clanging bugle; he saw
nothing but the stately steppings of his well-trained
troops as they marched by; and then, his eye, following
them, dwelt with delight upon their picturesque
appearance as they wound along the slope of
the hill, and crossed Blackwater-bridge. Beyond
this, imagination presented objects of yet greater
interest,—the battle-field, the tumult of the strife,
the rout, the pursuit, the carnage, the vanquished
leader led in chains to the foot of the throne, the
gracious smile of approving majesty, and the rich
rewards of successful valor. These things he saw;
but saw not the gaunt figure of his host, who stood
near, his strong features and manly person illy sorting
with the abject part he condemned himself to
act. He sought in vain to catch the eye of the
excited commander, desirous, in his parting words,
to convey some expression of loyalty and zeal.
Colonel Trevor marked him not; and, as the rear
of the column was about to pass, put spurs to his
horse, and galloped to the front.

At this point of my story, I must crave the indulgence
of the reader, while I introduce my humble
self to his notice. A native of South Carolina, and
the heir of a goodly inheritance, which, during a
long minority, had been at nurse in the hands of an
honest and prudent guardian, I was just of age, the
master of a handsome income, and of a large sum of
money in hand. Having a taste for military life, my
guardian had procured me a situation in the military
academy, which had been established by the State,
as a counterpoise to that institution at which the
Federal Government had taught so many of our
southern youths to whet their swords against the
only sovereignty to which they owed allegiance.
My proficiency had been seen, and gave entire satisfaction
to my teachers. I had imbibed political
opinions which made me a zealous advocate for the
rights of the States, and a strenuous assertor of the
unalienable independence of South Carolina. When,
in compliance with the request of Mr. B—, enquiry
had been made for a young man qualified and disposed
to aid young Trevor in his enterprise, I had
been selected for that purpose. I was invited to
Columbia; made acquainted with the plans of the
insurgents in Virginia, and provided with letters to
my future commander. Journeying to Virginia by
the route that he had pursued, on the evening of the

first day of November I entered the valley described
in the first chapter. I soon encountered a crowd of
men, who filled the road and the yard of a house
contiguous to it. There were wagons, horses, and
arms; and the men, moving quietly but busily, seemed
all earnestly engaged in some important preparation.

I was presently stopped, courteously though
peremptorily; and having expressed a wish to see
Captain Douglas, was conducted to the house. There,
pen in hand, and busily engaged in writing, sat a
young man of small stature and slight figure. Though
quite handsome, there was nothing remarkable in
his features, but a bright gray eye, of calm, thoughtful,
and searching expression, strongly contrasted
with the dark brown curling hair that clustered over
his brow.

Being accosted by my conductor, he raised his
head; when I stepped forward, and handed him my
letters. He glanced hastily to the signature of the
first he opened, then read it leisurely, and looking at
me with a beaming countenance, extended his hand.
“You are welcome, sir,” said he; “welcome to
danger's hour. In the morning we march on an
expedition which may decide the fate of the campaign.
My engagements must excuse my seeming
neglect of you this evening. But let me make you
known to your future comrades.”

Then turning to a fair haired youth, already known
to the reader as Arthur Trevor, he introduced him as

his mother's son. I was then made acquainted with
Schwartz and Witt, and several others. Among the
number were a few young men from the lower counties,
of good families and education, who, in this
crisis, had left their homes to engage in this expedition.
These, like their leader, had all learned to
accommodate themselves to the fashions of that wild
country, and its wilder climate, and especially to their
own wild life. Each individual was dressed, from
top to toe, in leather, no otherwise differing from the
dress of the rudest mountaineer, than in neatness,
and a certain easy grace, and air of fashion, which
no dress can entirely conceal. In any dress, in any
company, under any circumstances, Douglas Trevor
would have been recognized as a gentleman.

I hardly remember how I fared, or how I passed
the night. As a stranger, I presume somewhat better
than most others; but I took pains to show that I
was content to eat what I could get, and to lodge as
I might.

At daylight we were on the road. But little
attention was paid to order. No enemy was near,
and nobody was inclined to desert. There was
therefore no necessity for harassing men and horses,
by forcing them to keep in ranks. Each man rode
where, and with whom he pleased, except that a
few were directed to keep near the wagons, not so
much to guard as to assist in case of need. It is
impossible to conceive a military array, with less of

the “pomp and circumstance of war.” The horses
were, for the most part, substantial, and in substantial
order. Their equipments were of the rudest sort.
Plough-bridles and pack-saddles were most common.
The only arms were the rifle, knife, and
tomahawk, with their appropriate accompaniments
of powder-horn, charger, and pouch. Douglas,
indeed, had a sword, and the few sabres taken from
the dragoons had been distributed among the principal
men. But they were all too wise to encumber
their persons with these weapons, which might have
been troublesome in their mode of warfare. A strong
loop of thick leather, stitched to the skirt of the
saddle, in front of the left knee, received the sword,
the hilt of which stood up above the pummel. Two
or three of the saddles were of the Spanish fashion,
the horn of which served to support any trifle the
rider might wish to hang on it. Douglas, in particular,
carried, in this way, a leather case, containing
his writing materials, and serving as a tablet for
writing on horseback.

But rude as these equipments were, yet to one
acquainted with the object of the expedition, there
was an appearance of efficiency in the whole which
gave the corps a truly formidable aspect. The
perfect order of the arms, the strong though rude
dress of the men, their sinewy frames, their sunburnt
faces; and, above all, the serious and resolved
expression of countenace which generally

prevailed, were tokens which none but a martinet
would overlook.

As yet no duty had been assigned to me, so that
I was perfectly disengaged. It was not until we had
rode several miles, that Douglas found leisure to
converse with me. He then joined me, accompanied
by Schwartz, to whom, in my presence, he explained
my situation. Schwartz heard him with thoughtful
attention, and then said: “It is all mighty well, sir,
if Mr. Sidney will only just take it right. You see,
sir,” continued he, addressing me, “there an't no
officers among us, and we only just call the Captain
so for short. If he was a Captain or a Gineral
it would not make much odds, because these fellows
just go for what is right and hard fighting; and him
they believe in, him they mind. But as to who is
first and who is second, that's neither here nor there.
I have not a doubt that you are the sort of a man we
want; but all that we can do, is to give you a fair
chance to let the men see it. The Captain can be
asking your advice, now and then, and I and Witt
will do the same, and when they see that, they will
begin to find out what you are. And then, you see,
sir, when once we get to fighting, a man is never in
such a flurry himself, but what he can see who knows
what he is about, and who does not. So, by the
time we have had a skrimmage or two, the men will
know all about you; and whenever the Captain is
out of the way, they will all be looking to you to

know what to do; just in the way of giving your
opinion, mind; but, after a while, it will get to be
orders. And then, if any thing happens to the
Captain, and Witt and I don't see cause to change
our mind, why, we only just have to follow you, and
the men they follow us, and all will go straight. So
you must just make yourself easy and keep quiet.
We'll tell you when to speak, and after a while you'll
find yourself second in command before you know it.”

I had no difficulty in acknowledging the reasonableness
of these ideas, though it seemed a new thing
to find a man possessing the influence and authority
of Schwartz, devising means to transfer them to
another. But he knew, and the event showed that
he was right, that there were some duties of a commander
for which he was not fit; and that there
were other things to which a chief could not devote
himself, for which he was better qualified than any
other.

On the third of November we reached the rendezvous,
at the house of Mr. Gordon. On the way we
had received frequent accessions of strength, and
here we were joined by a yet larger reinforcement.
Our whole number could not have been much, if at
all, short of a thousand men.

Meantime scouts came in, from whom we learned
that the same day had been fixed for the march of
the troops from Lynchburg. It followed that we had
abundance of time for our preparations. It so happened,

that they had not learned the name of the
new commander; but it was understood that a reinforcement
had arrived, and that nearly the whole
disposable force was on the march. This included a
troop of dragoons and a company of artillery, with
two pieces of cannon, in addition to a full regiment
of infantry, and one battalion of another.

Having ascertained his force, and fixed on those
on whom he could rely to understand and execute
his plans, Douglas proceeded to make a temporary
organization, suited to the occasion. The men were
divided into corps, to each of which a post was provisionally
assigned, to be occupied as soon as the
approach of the enemy should be announced. Across
the road, near the head of the defile, and just above
the first angle next the top of the ascent, was constructed
a barricade of logs, similar to those already
described. This reached, on each side, to the foot of
the hills, at steep, rocky, and impracticable points.
It was long enough for twenty men to man its
twenty loop-holes, and as it reached above their
heads, they were quite concealed. An hundred men
were allotted to this post, who were ranged five deep
behind the barricade, and instructed to fire in turn,
each man falling back to the rear to reload as soon
as he had discharged his piece.

Others were distributed along the opposite faces
of the hills overlooking the road, and directed to
seek out hiding-places behind rocks, trees, and

bushes. These men were under the immediate
orders of individuals selected for the occasion, but
attached to the command of Witt, who was stationed
at the barrier.

About a hundred were placed in ambush in the
mouth of the ravine, just below the road, on the
north side of the river, under Schwartz. These were
all picked men—our steadiest and coolest sharp-shooters—who
were placed there for the purpose of
attacking and carrying the guns of the enemy at the
water's edge.

Douglas himself, at the head of the rest of his
corps, prepared to occupy the road on the north side
of the river, to bring on the action. These were
divided into two equal bodies, and the whole ranged
in platoons, at open order, across the road. Of the
two battalions, as they may be called, the foremost
was placed under my command. The other Douglas
commanded in person. My orders were to post my
headmost platoon just at the bend of the road, on the
top of the hill where it turns to the right. They were
instructed to fire ad libitum, each man choosing and
making sure of his mark, and then to file away by
the right, and, taking to their heels, to run down to
the river, cross it, and dispose themselves on the
other bank, so as most effectually to gall the enemy,
should he attempt to cross. Each platoon, in succession,
was to march up to the same ground, and,
having fired, to execute the same manœuvre. The

remaining column, under Douglas, were to stand their
ground until the enemy should come in view on the
top of the hill, and then to fall back fighting, and
cross under cover of those who should have passed
before. But the best account of what was ordered
will be gathered from what was done.