Part 7 (2/2)
”Don't shoot him!” she cried ”He has protected our property and our lives” But the men had no murderous intentions
”Give him all he wants to eat,” said the eldest, ”and ill see that he gets back to the Yankee lines in safety We saw him from the treetops turn away the Yanks as he stood on the porch”
While I finishedspecially ireat ar so richly stocked a plantation I told them that I was a Union scout, and that I had saved their property on my own responsibility
”I knew you would be back here,” I said ”But I was sure you wouldn't shoot me when you learned what I had done”
”You bet your life on't!” they said heartily
After dinner I was stocked Tip with all the provisions I wanted, and given a fine bottle of peach brandy, the product of the plantation
Then the uard of the coeneral and presented hiruffly:
”I hear you kept all theon that plantation back yonder”
”Yes, sir,” I said ”An old lady and her two daughters were alone there My mother had suffered from raids of hostile soldiers in Kansas
I tried to protect that old lady, as I would have liked another man to protect my mother in her distress I am sorry if I have disobeyed your orders and I am ready for any punisheneral, ”you ood-hearted for a soldier, but you have done just what I would have done My orders were to destroy all Southern property But ill forget your violation, of theht on toward Forrest's stronghold Ten miles from the spot where the enemy was encamped, he wheeled to the left and headed for Tupedo, Mississippi, reaching there at dark Forrest speedily discovered that Sround So he broke cah the next afternoon
Arriving near Tupedo, General Se co the position Forrest had taken up Between the two armies lay a plantation of four or five thousand acres The nextForrest dismounted some four thousand cavalry, and with cavalry and artillery on his left and right advanced upon our position
Straight across the plantation they ca breastworks that protected histhem to reserve their fire till it could be uns The first shot, in a close action, had to count, or a second one ht never be fired
I had been detailed to follow S out of the battle with a whole skin I had picked out a number of trees, behind which I proposed to drop ot to close quarters This was the fashi+on I had always eood range, the order ”Fire!” rang out
At that instant I wheeled eneral was looking directly at me as this maneuver was executed When we had driven back and defeated Forrest's men I was ordered to report at General S man,” said the General, when I stood before hihter What were you doing behind that tree!”
”That is the e have to fight Indians, sir,” I said ”We get behind anything that offers protection” It elve years later that I convinced General S was pretty correct
After the consolidation of the regular ar the war, Smith was sent to the Plains as Colonel of the Seventh Cavalry This was afterward known as Custer's regi Horn, in which that gallant co southward on an expedition against the Kiowas and Comanches in the Canadian River country, when I joined it as a scout
dick Curtis, acting as guide for Smith, had been sent on ahead across the river, while the main command stopped to water their horses
Curtis's orders were to proceed straight ahead for five miles, where the troops would cauard, S on We had proceeded about threeout of gullies and ravines, where they had been securely hidden General Smith at once ordered the orderlies to sound the recall and retreat, intending to fall back quickly on theclose beside a deep ravine as he gave the order
Knowing that the plan he proposed meant the complete annihilation of our force, I pushed my horse close to him
”General,” I said, ”order your men into the ravine, dismount, and let number fours hold horses Then you will be able to stand off the Indians If you try to retreat to the main command you and every man under you will be killed before you have retreated a mile”
He i orders to enter the ravine, he dismounted with his men behind the bank There we stood off the Indians till the soldiers in the rear, hearing the shots, ca to the rescue and drove the Indians away The rapidity hich we got into the ravine, and the protection its banks afforded us, enabled us to get aithout losing a inal plan been carried out none of us would have coeneral's tent that evening