GLORY II Chapter 16

Chapter 16

  Lieutenant Black reached the crossroads around seven a.m. His small squadron had pushed their mounts almost to the breaking point.  The poor animals were winded and lathered and staggering from exhaustion as Bill Brice's two-story white house came into view.  Old man Brice and several others were standing in the front yard as Lieutenant Black drew up and halted.  He recognized Will Welch's fiancée, Laura, from the social a few weeks back.

  "Mornin' Sir, mornin' Miss Laura," he stated, patting his snorting mount on the shoulder.

  "Mornin' Robert," Laura quickly answered, "what're you doing around here so early in the morning?"

  "Yankees," he replied, seeing a sudden fear cloud over Laura's beautiful features.  “’Bout five or six miles up the Ripley Road, headin' this way.  Lots of them."

  "Are you sure?" asked Bill Brice, "that close an’ headin’ this-a-way?"

  "General thinks so.  Sent us out to scout the advance.  Old Bedford hisself and three brigades is behind us, most likely at old Carrolville by now."

  "General Forrest is heading this way, too?" Laura asked, "With our boys?"

  "Yep, Laura.  Can't stay, gotta git on up the road and find the Yankees.  You folks might want to leave this area for a spell.  Could be both sides might run into each other right here at the crossroads and word has it the General's itchin’ for a fight."

  "Reckon I'll wait and see," Mr. Brice replied.  "Got far too much here for the Yankees to steal iffen I pull out."

  "Luck to you," Lieutenant Black stated, hitting his mount on the flank and heading his patrol on down towards the creek.

  As the small patrol left, Laura turned to Mr. Brice with a worried expression.  "Should we stay?" she asked.

  "Might be better if you headed on over to the Scott's place.  I think I'm gonna send Martha and the girls on over there and you and Rebecca Ann might be a lot safer there, too.  It's a good half-mile down the Pontotoc Road and if the Yankees are a comin' they'll likely head on over towards Baldwin or even south towards Guntown.  If they get word that old Bedford is to the east I'm certain they'll head towards Baldwyn.  Ain't no reason for them to head towards Pontotoc."

  "I'll help Mrs. Brice with the girls," Laura stated.  "You won't stay here if there's a battle will you?"

  "Heavens no girl, first shot fired and I'll be half way down to meet you."

  Lieutenant Black chose a ridgeline about two miles north of the Tishomingo Bridge and about a hundred yards from Doctor Agnew's house.  He sent Private Henry Fox and Private Sam Nolley further up the road as pickets to give advanced warning of the federal advance.

He was in position for no more than forty-five minutes when the loud sound of horses’ hooves could be heard coming down the road.  The two privates came over a rise in the road whipping their worn out mounts for any small bit of speed they could force out of the poor animals.  "Right behind us!" Private Nolley yelled as he drew within fifty yards of Lieutenant Black's position. "Whole damn Union cavalry."

  "Get to the bridge and start tearing up boards," Lieutenant Black ordered the two men.  "We'll be right behind you."  He gave the rest of his squadron the signal to get ready.  As soon as the lead elements of the Union cavalry galloped over the rise, he gave the command to fire a volley.  As the rifles of the Confederate squadron opened up, the Union cavalry scattered into the brush on both sides of the road and came to a halt, many dismounting from their horses and taking up firing positions in the thick brush.

  "Mount up!" he commanded, "back to the bridge."  Within minutes, the little squadron was working hard to remove several boards before a mass of Union cavalry entered the junction of the Ripley-New Albany Road, about three hundred years away.

  "Get the horses on the east side of the bridge," Lieutenant Black ordered.  "As soon as the Federals attack, we'll fire another volley then retreat and head back to the main column."

  They could clearly see several squadrons of Union cavalry lining up for a charge on their position.  Seconds later a bugle blared out and the cavalry started galloping towards the small bridge.  "Hold your fire," Lieutenant Black yelled, "let them get to within a hundred yards then give ‘em hell."

  At one hundred yards the Confederate squadron let loose with a withering volley of rifle fire.  Half a dozen Union troopers in the front fell from their saddles entangling those behind them, yet the charge continued on.

  "Draw your pistols and get ready to mount up."  At thirty yards they opened up with their six shooters, dropping a dozen horses and throwing the Union charge into confusion.  Union troopers lying on the ground behind their dead or dying mounts began to return a steady fire.  Lieutenant Black could see two more Federal squadrons lining up in preparation for another charge.  "Mount up boys and let's get to hell gone from here."

  "Nolley's been hit, Sir," Private Fox yelled over the loud sounds of discharging carbines.

  "Help him mount up.  You and Nelms keep an eye on him as we retreat."

  Seconds later the entire small squadron was pushing their mounts up the hill towards the crossroads, rounds whizzing angrily over their heads and tearing up gushers of mud and dirt around them.  Lieutenant Black stopped briefly in front of Mr. Brice's house to take a look at Private Nolley.  The wound was serious, a lung shot.  Nolley's face was pale and he was losing a lot of blood.  Black knew he'd never make it back to the regimental surgeon.

  "Fox, you and Nelms help Nolley into the Brice's house," he ordered.  "The Yankees will be here any second and I'm certain they'll have a surgeon with them.  He needs medical help right away and he shore as hell won't make it back to the regiment."

  "I can ride, Sir," Private Nolley muttered, blood foaming at his lips.

  "By golly, Nolley, if you go on with us you'll surely bleed to death.  Now git on into that there house, that's an order."

  Fully aware of his serious condition, Private Nolley allowed his friends to carry him into the large white house and place him gently down on a soft couch.  There was no sign of either Bill Brice or his family; they had likely fled at the first sounds of the skirmish.

  "Anything happens," Nolley whispered faintly, "You tell 'em Henry.  Tell the folks back home I done did my duty."

  "I'll tell 'em,” Private Fox muttered.  "Gotta git now Sam, Yankees'll be here soon.  They have a surgeon with 'em and you're gonna be taken care of."  Private Fox left the dark room with a lump in his throat and tears blinding one eye.  He and Nolley had been together in the 7th for a long time.  "Curse them damn Yankees!" he spat, climbing up into his saddle.

  The sound of hundreds of cavalry mounts could be heard coming up the road from the bridge.  They put the spurs to their exhausted mounts and raced down the road towards the main column.  Twenty minutes later they ran into the point riders well ahead of the first brigade.  Lieutenant Black halted in front of a captain and saluted.  "Yankees, Sir," he stated, "They’re at the crossroads now.  Don't know which way they'll head from there but we left plenty of fresh tracks leadin' this way."

  Captain Randle of the 7th Kentucky returned his salute and replied, "Go on back to the brigade about two miles back and report to Colonel Lyons.  Tell him I'm continuing on until I run into the Federals."