Brother Against Brother; Or, The War on the BorderOptic, Oliver
History
Brother Against Brother; Or, The War on the Border
Optic, Oliver
United States -- History -- Civil War, 1861-1865 -- Juvenile fiction
The cavalry party followed the fugitives to the bridge, and at the
intercession of Major Lyon they were permitted to escape; for he was
confident they would not make another attack upon Riverlawn, at least
not till they had an organized regiment for the purpose.
While they were upon the ground, Tom Belthorpe and Major Gadbury signed
the enlistment papers, as Deck and Artie had done before, and the
Lyndhall party went home. The recruits were dismissed for a week, and
ordered to report at Riverlawn at the end of that time.
The second battle had been fought and won, and there was no present
danger of another attack, though patrols were kept along the creek till
the camp was formed the following week. The two attacks upon Riverlawn
was the current topic of conversation all over the county for the next
week; and so far from damaging the Union cause, it stimulated the
recruiting, and at the end of the week Lieutenant Gordon had the names
of a full company on his roll. He had reported his success, and had
received orders to enlist another company.
The government supplied everything that was required, including sabres,
carbines, uniforms, ammunition, and lumber for barracks. Steamboats from
Evansville came up the river loaded with supplies; and as the water was
high from unusual rains, they landed their cargoes at the boathouse
pier, enlarged for the purpose. Each boat was provided with a guard, for
they were occasionally fired upon from the shore. Another officer and
several non-commissioned officers were sent to the camp.
Barracks and stables were built, and the drill was kept up very
diligently. Riverlawn was no longer between two fires, for they were now
all on one side. Before, the fight had been a sort of neighborhood
quarrel; but now it had become a national affair. The outrages upon
Union men ceased in that locality, though they still occurred in other
parts of the State. At the end of a month two companies of cavalry had
been enlisted, forming a squadron, if another could be raised.
About this time the Home Guard, under command of Captain Titus Lyon,
marched to Bowling Green for the purpose of joining the Confederate army
that was expected there. They went with such arms as they had used in
the second battle of Riverlawn, and without uniforms. They had a hard
time of it; for they had no supplies, and suffered from hunger and cold
in the cool nights. Titus's two sons, Sandy and Orly, were enrolled in
the company; but both of them deserted, though they had not been
mustered in, and went back to their mother, where they could at least
get enough to eat. The captain could not go home, for it required his
presence and all his skill and energy to keep his recruits from
abandoning the company.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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