The Sword of Antietam | Page 2

A. GARFIELD, Northern General, afterwards
President of the United States.
And many others
IMPORTANT BATTLES DESCRIBED IN THE CIVIL WAR
SERIES
BULL RUN KERNSTOWN CROSS KEYS WINCHESTER PORT
REPUBLIC THE SEVEN DAYS MILL SPRING FORT DONELSON
SHILOH PERRYVILLE STONE RIVER THE SECOND
MANASSAS ANTIETAM FREDERICKSBURG
CHANCELLORSVILLE GETTYSBURG CHAMPION HILL
VICKSBURG CHICKAMAUGA MISSIONARY RIDGE THE
WILDERNESS SPOTTSYLVANIA COLD HARBOR FISHER'S
HILL CEDAR CREEK APPOMATTOX

CONTENTS
I. CEDAR MOUNTAIN
II. AT THE CAPITAL
III. BESIDE THE RIVER
IV. SPRINGING THE TRAP
V. THE SECOND MANASSAS
VI. THE MOURNFUL FOREST
VII. ORDERS NO. 191
VIII. THE DUEL IN THE PASS
IX. ACROSS THE STREAM
X. ANTIETAM
XI. A FAMILY AFFAIR
XII. THROUGH THE BLUEGRASS
XIII. PERRYVILLE
XIV. SEEKING BRAGG

XV. STONE RIVER

THE SWORD OF ANTIETAM

CHAPTER I
CEDAR MOUNTAIN
The first youth rode to the crest of the hill, and, still sitting on his horse,
examined the country in the south with minute care through a pair of
powerful glasses. The other two dismounted and waited patiently. All
three were thin and their faces were darkened by sun and wind. But
they were strong alike of body and soul. Beneath the faded blue
uniforms brave hearts beat and powerful muscles responded at once to
every command of the will.
"What do you see, Dick?" asked Warner, who leaned easily against his
horse, with one arm over the pommel of his saddle.
"Hills, valleys, mountains, the August heat shimmering over all, but no
human being."
"A fine country," said young Pennington, "and I like to look at it, but
just now my Nebraska prairie would be better for us. We could at least
see the advance of Stonewall Jackson before he was right on top of us."
Dick took another long look, searching every point in the half circle of
the south with his glasses. Although burned by summer the country was
beautiful, and neither heat nor cold could take away its picturesqueness.
He saw valleys in which the grass grew thick and strong, clusters of
hills dotted with trees, and then the blue loom of mountains clothed
heavily with foliage. Over everything bent a dazzling sky of blue and
gold.
The light was so intense that with his glasses he could pick out
individual trees and rocks on the far slopes. He saw an occasional roof,
but nowhere did he see man. He knew the reason, but he had become so

used to his trade that at the moment, he felt no sadness. All this region
had been swept by great armies. Here the tide of battle in the mightiest
of all wars had rolled back and forth, and here it was destined to surge
again in a volume increasing always.
"I don't find anything," repeated Dick, "but three pairs of eyes are better
than none. George, you take the glasses and see what you can see and
Frank will follow."
He dismounted and stood holding the reins of his horse while the young
Vermonter looked. He noticed that the mathematical turn of Warner's
mind showed in every emergency. He swept the glasses back and forth
in a regular curve, not looking here and now there, but taking his time
and missing nothing. It occurred to Dick that he was a type of his
region, slow but thorough, and sure to win after defeat.
"What's the result of your examination?" asked Dick as Warner passed
the glasses in turn to Pennington.
"Let x equal what I saw, which is nothing. Let y equal the result I draw,
which is nothing. Hence we have x + y which still equals nothing."
Pennington was swifter in his examination. The blood in his veins
flowed a little faster than Warner's.
"I find nothing but land and water," he said without waiting to be asked,
"and I'm disappointed. I had a hope, Dick, that I'd see Stonewall
Jackson himself riding along a slope."
"Even if you saw him, how would you know it was Stonewall?"
"I hadn't thought of that. We've heard so much of him that it just
seemed to me I'd know him anywhere."
"Same here," said Warner. "Remember all the tales we've heard about
his whiskers, his old slouch hat and his sorrel horse."
"I'd like to see him myself," confessed Dick. "From all we hear he's the

man who kept McClellan from taking Richmond. He certainly played
hob with the plans of our generals. You know, I've got a cousin, Harry
Kenton, with him. I had a letter from him a week ago--passing through
the lines, and coming in a round-about way. Writes as if he thought
Stonewall Jackson was a demigod. Says we'd better quit and go home,
as we haven't any earthly chance to win this war."
"He fights best who wins last," said Warner. "I'm thinking I won't see