GLORY II Chapter 14

Chapter 14

  Although the rain had finally stopped pouring down in buckets around midnight, Will was soaked to the bone.  He'd finally stumbled into his bedroll around one a.m. after running messages to each of the brigade commanders from General Forrest's headquarters.  He didn't know if the General had actually gone to sleep, because by the time he bedded down, both Forrest and Monday were still sitting by a rickety old field table, talking.  It was amazing how the General could go day after day with little or no sleep.

  The command had been given for all units to move out at daybreak in the direction of Brice's Crossroads.  He had hoped against hope that Forrest would hold off on his advance and give the Federals plenty of time to be beyond Brice's, however, old Bedford was never one to sit still and let the enemy come to him.  What worried Will the most was that the Union commander might slow his march to the point that he would be forced to camp at or near the crossroads, which would be very dangerous for Laura.

  The order of march had already been given.  Colonel Lyon and his mounted Kentucky Infantry would take the lead.  In fact, Laura's brothers John and James of Colonel Falkner's unit under the command of Captain Tyler would be the point unit for the entire force.  Colonel Rucker's Tennesseans would follow close behind, and bringing up the rear would be Colonel Johnson and his Alabama units who had force marched from Alabama the day before and spent the night near Baldwin.  All total, Forrest had around 2,100 men available for the initial push.  Colonel Bell had been sent orders to have his large brigade in the saddle before daybreak and to meet up with General Buford and Captain Morton at Booneville before heading for the crossroads.  Bell's unit had spent the night near Rienzi a good 25 miles to the north.

  Will noticed that several men from the 7th Tennessee Cavalry were already up standing around a blazing fire in an attempt to dry their damp uniforms.  It was just what he needed.  As he approached the warm fire, a sergeant called the men to attention.  As soon as he gave the command to be at ease, they resumed their drying efforts.

  "Coffee, Sir?" the sergeant asked, holding a steaming cup up for Will.  He accepted it with eager thanks.  "Name's Sergeant Perkins," the man continued, "Jaybird Perkins most of the men call me."

  "Perkins the Unlucky," a new arrival to the fire stated.  "Witherspoon," he added, reaching forth to shake hands with Will.  "I have the dubious honor to command a bunch of these motley vagabonds."

  "Will Welch, I'm detached to General Forrest's staff."

  "Seen you around.  What's it like working for old Bedford?"

  "Very demanding," Will replied, taking a sip of the strong brew, which for some reason had more coffee than chicory in it for a change.  "The General has no tolerance for slackers.  He pushes himself all the time and expects the same from everyone else."

  "Know exactly what you mean.  We've been with Bedford since ‘62.  By the way," he added more as a question, "camp scuttlebutt has it there's a nigra brigade with this here Yankee expedition."

  "So I've heard," Will replied in a guarded manner.

  "Also heard tell they've sworn to give us no quarter."

  "Wouldn't know, Lieutenant, I'm just a glorified messenger."

  "We'll see who gets no quarter," Sergeant Perkins cut in, his tone of voice heavy with anger.  "No uppity nigger is gonna come down heah and tell me what I can and can’ts do.  We'll show them their place."

  "Some say the Yankees have ten, even twelve thousand men in this expedition," Lieutenant Witherspoon continued.  "Even with Colonel Bell's large brigade we'll have less than three thousand.  On top of that, they have lots of artillery to throw at us and most of them carry those new repeating rifles.  Old Bedford ain't serious about taking them on is he?"

  "Sergeant Major Stiehl says they have around 8,400 men," Will answered.  "Around 3,200 cavalry and 5,000 infantry.  That's a little over two to one odds, well within the General's acceptance ratio.  Why do they call you ‘unlucky’ Perkins?" he continued, changing the subject.

  Another sergeant by the name of Huhn, sitting next to Perkins, answered.  "Old Perkins here, he's a real jinx," he stated, spitting a wad of tobacco into the roaring fire.  "He's done been shot four times in the same leg, four times we had to hall his ugly ass off the field.  If anything ever goes wrong, you can bet ol’ Perkins was somewheres nearby."

  "Just the other day, we might near got caught by Yankee cavalry up at Ripley," Lieutenant Witherspoon added with a grin.  "And it was Perkin's horse that gave us away."

  A private standing on the other side of the fire listening closely to the conversation finally cut in, "Yeah, but ol’ Jaybird is ‘bout the best damn sergeant in the outfit."

  "I'll agree with that, Hubbard," Witherspoon replied.  "Private Hubbard here is our unofficial company clerk.  He keeps a diary and says he's gonna make us all famous when this war's finally over."

  Will noticed that most of the command was now up and about.  Numerous cooking fires had been built and the smell of breakfast cooking permeated the early morning breeze.  The smell of pan bread and blue beef drifted to his nose as well as the smell of the latrines dug up wind from the camp.

He saw Monday walking towards the General's tent, followed closely by Colonel Duckworth of the 7th Tennessee Cavalry.  They were in the tent for no more than a few minutes when the Colonel emerged and headed quickly in their direction.  He was a small man with thinning hair and wore a long scraggly beard that fell loosely to his chest.  "The Duck," had proven himself in a score of major engagements and the men of the 7th were proud and happy to follow him.

  "Where is Mister Black?" the Colonel asked as he approached the fire.  Coming to attention, Sergeant Huhn finally answered for the group.  "I saw the Lieutenant over by those trees yonder, Sir."

  "Be so kind as to retrieve him, Sergeant," the Colonel ordered, pointing at an empty cup next to the coffee pot.  "I'll be here with a warm cup of this excellent coffee.  Have him report soonest."

  Will noticed that none of the men sitting or standing around the fire appeared to be cowered by their colonel.  This was a good sign, indicating mutual trust and respect, which took a lot of time and effort to develop between commanders and subordinates.  Less than five minutes later a young lieutenant approached the fire, accompanied by Sergeant Huhn, and addressed the Colonel.  "Lieutenant Black reportin' as ordered, Sir," he stated, standing at rigid attention.

  "Relax, Robert," Colonel Duckworth replied, surprising the young officer by using his first name.  "I have a mission for your squadron.  I want you to leave as soon as you can and make your way post haste to the Tishomingo Bridge near Brice's Crossroads.  Send a detail up the Ripley road to scout for the Federal cavalry.  As soon as you've spotted their advance elements, I want you to hurry back and report in.  You are not to engage the Federals other than to defend your unit.  If however, you find time to disable the bridge before the Yankees show up, you are obligated to do so.  Are those orders understood?"

  "Very clear, Sir," Lieutenant Black replied, a wide smile suddenly lighting up his face.  He stumbled in his haste to turn and rush back to his waiting squadron.  Colonel Duckworth shook his head at the young lieutenant's over zealousness and turned to Sergeant Perkins.

"Perkins, when or if we engage the enemy, I want you to stay back with the standard," he ordered.  "Stay back with the horse holders.  No sense in getting it torn in the bushes; you know how rugged those black jacks are."

  "Yes, Sir," Perkins replied in a somber tone, looking across the fire at Lieutenant Witherspoon who did not return his look.

  "Be daybreak soon," the Colonel continued.  "You men see to your breakfast and be ready to ride at first light."  He then turned and strolled off into the pre-dawn darkness.

  Will noticed that the headquarters cook was busy preparing breakfast near the command tent.  At the same moment, his stomach reminded him that it was time to see to his own body.  It might prove to be a long day if they ran into the Yankees.  No telling when the next meal might come along.  He excused himself and headed for the woods to perform his toilette before breaking his fast.

  Half an hour later, they were in the saddle heading west on the Wire Road, which intersected the Baldwin Road near the crossroads, then continued on towards the town of Pontotoc.  Will rode with the General's staff under the command of Captain Jackson and Lieutenant Cowan.  Captain Johnson also rode with them, commanding a small company of Georgia cavalry who were assigned to security duty to protect the General and his staff.

  As daylight finally broke, they were at old Carrolville, about six miles east of Brice's Crossroads.  Will overheard Colonel Rucker ask the General if he seriously meant to engage the Federals near the crossroads.  General Forrest answered to the effect that he could whip their cavalry before their infantry could come up and that the infantry would be in no shape to fight by the time they made it to the crossroads.  The General said something about the Federals not knowing how many men he had.

  Much of what was said Will could barely hear, but he was left with the feeling that the General was eager to meet the Yankee expedition and that he intended to fight when he did.  Will now hoped they'd reach the crossroads first, so the battle could take place further north somewhere on the Ripley Road.