Brother Against Brother; or, The Tompkins Mystery. Read online

  CHAPTER XXVII.

  A PRISONER.

  The year 1862 passed, darkened by battle smoke, saddened by the groansof the dying, the tears shed over the dead. Abner Tompkins had beenacting principally in Eastern Virginia, Maryland and Kentucky. Hisregiment had suffered severely in some of McClellan's hardest foughtbattles. His colonel had been killed at Fair Oaks on the 31st of May,1862, and Captain Tompkins had been promoted to the vacant place.

  It was the 2nd of May, 1863, and Abner and his command, now underGeneral Hooker, having crossed the Rappahannock and Rapidan rivers, wereadvancing on Chancellorville, to meet a powerful Confederate force underStonewall Jackson.

  Yellow Steve, who was still the sutler's steward on the morning of thefirst day's fight at Chancellorsville, came to the Colonel's tent, justas he was preparing to take charge of his regiment.

  "Well, Steve," said Abner, "we shall have some work to do to-day."

  "I should be surprised, colonel, if we don't," was the reply.

  "Do you think those fellows over there will fight?"

  "I think they will, their guns shine bright enough, and they lookdangerous. I went over there this morning before daylight, and I cantell you, it will be nasty getting into that town."

  "You over there, Steve? What do you mean?"

  "I often go over to the rebel camp," said Steve, coolly.

  "Do you know that is very dangerous?"

  "I do not value my life very highly; it has not been worth a straw foreighteen years; all that ever was good within me has been crushed out bythe very men who carry those bayonets over yonder. I have a feeling thatmy time has come and that you will know my story when the fight isover."

  The long roll of the drum was heard calling to the field.

  "I must be going now, Steve," said the colonel, buckling on his sword,"but I will see you when the fight is over, if I live."

  Colonel Tompkins mounted his horse, and took his place at the head ofhis regiment. The order had been extended along the entire line toadvance, Abner was ordered forward to support a battery on the extremeright, which was being thrown forward to drive a body of the enemy outof the woods. The battery unlimbered when within point-blank range, and,after the first three or four rounds, the enemy fell back. As the orderto advance had been countermanded, the intrepid young colonel pushed hisforces to the edge of the wood, pouring in a galling fire on the enemy.By this time the Eleventh Corps, to which Abner's regiment belonged, wasfiercely engaged. The enemy poured forth twenty thousand strong andhurled themselves on the Eleventh, which was composed in great part ofraw recruits. The attack was fierce, and the Eleventh, being somewhattaken by surprise, were soon forced to fall back.

  Colonel Tompkins' regiment had advanced three or four hundred yardsbeyond the main body of troops, and the falling back of the corps wasnot noticed until the enemy had them almost surrounded and were pouringin showers of grape and canister, while the face of the earth seemedablaze with musketry.

  "Colonel," cried the adjutant, galloping up to Col. Tompkins, "thatinfernal Eleventh is routed. They are in flight."

  Abner's glance swept over the field. He was loth to give up the groundhe had won, but they were almost surrounded. Things looked desperate.They must cut their way through and fly with the others or surrender.Rising in his stirrups, and waving his sword, the colonel shouted inthunder tones which were heard by the entire regiment:

  "Yonder is our army. To remain here is death. Cut your way through,every man for himself!"

  A wild cry went up, and the retreat commenced. As the colonel resumedhis seat in his saddle a shell exploded in his horse's face, and, withone wild plunge, rider and steed fell to the earth, the horse strugglingin death, the master struck senseless by a fragment of the shell; in amoment more rebel infantry were pouring over the place in quick pursuitof the flying soldiers.

  Abner was only stunned by the shock and fall, and his men were scarcelydriven from the field when he sat up and gazed around on the scene ofdesolation. The roar of battle could be heard in the distance; besidehim lay his dead horse, and all the field was strewn with men andhorses, dead and dying.

  He wiped away the blood, that was flowing from a wound in his forehead,and tried to rise to his feet. A Confederate officer, seeing hisendeavor, advanced and said:

  "Are you badly hurt, colonel?"

  "I think it is only a scratch," replied Abner, holding his handkerchiefto his head, "but it bleeds quite freely."

  "Let me assist you to bandage your head, and then we will retire to therear." He bound Abner's handkerchief about his head, assisted him torise, and offered him his arm.

  "No, I thank you," said Abner, "I can walk alone; I am only a littlestunned."

  "I shall be compelled to take your sword, colonel," said the lieutenant.

  "I am glad," said Abner, handing it to him, "that if I must surrender,it is to a gentleman."

  Abner was conveyed to the rear of the Confederate army. During that dayand part of the next the battle raged, but Hooker was finally compelledto fall back, with a loss of eleven thousand men; the enemy, however,suffered an irreparable loss in the death of Stonewall Jackson, who wasmortally wounded and died in a few days after. The affair was keptsecret in the rebel army as long as possible, and there is yet adifference of opinion as to how he met his death, some asserting that hewas accidentally shot by his own pickets, others that he was killed bysharpshooters, while reconnoitering, and still others claim that he wasassassinated.

  The fourth day after the battle, several hundred prisoners, Abner amongthem, were brought before the provost-marshal, their names demanded andplaced on a large roll. As Abner was standing in the ranks he observed aConfederate officer near him. There was something familiar about hisfigure, and Abner, looking up quickly, recognized his brother. A swiftimpulse swept over him, a longing to speak to him, to hear his voice, tobreak down--to sweep away, with passionate appeal, this monstrousbarrier. But he smothered the impulse; his brother might think himimploring clemency at his hands, and _that_ he would never do.

  Oleah's look was only the indifferent glance of a stranger, and hepassed on and made no sign.

  It was no jealous rivalry that held these brothers apart. Abner felt nobitterness that his brother had won the gentle Irene's love; his feelingfor her had not been the one overpowering love of a lifetime, and now helooked after Oleah with the brotherly affection, so long suppressed,welling anew in his heart, and deplored their hopeless estrangement,little dreaming that Irene had come to blame herself as the cause. ButIrene was wrong; it was a deeper and deadly passion than love of herthat had worked this evil miracle--a passion which had been roused inone son by the father's words, in the other by the mother's, which hadgrown in intensity, stirring up their very souls within them, and atlast overcoming all other feelings.

  Colonel Tompkins' name was enrolled on the prison list, and he wasmarched away with the other prisoners.