"Just us and Captain Leaman's troop going in?"
Hedges' smile was like morning sunlight on fresh fall of snow. It looked warm but the sergeant could feel the chillness. "First we've got to figure out the odds. No sense in troubling the general if there's only a handful of Johnnie Rebs holed up in Philippi."
The sergeant didn't like the plan but before he could voice his opinion hoofbeats sounded and both men turned at the approach of Leaman and his troopers. Leaman was the same age as Hedges but shorter and thinner. He had a fresh, eager-looking face with bright, honest eyes and an easy smile. He was a regular soldier, a West Point graduate with an ambition to emulate his father who was a general in Washington. He and Hedges had not met until the morning briefing.
"Looks like it," he said as he halted his horse. The easy smile was not in evidence now as he tried to conceal his nervousness with a facade of toughness. On such a face the expression was incongruous.
Hedges nodded. "How do you figure it?" He remembered army protocol, but the "Sir", was rather late.
Leaman chewed his lower lip. It looked swollen, as if he had been worrying it ever since the ride began. "I've been expecting to run into trouble since we started out. The intelligence has been too consistent to be wrong. They have to be somewhere in the area and my guess is in Philippi."
Hedges realized the captain was stating the obvious to gain time. He didn't help him out, but waited impassively for the decision to be made. Leaman glanced at the smoke, then turned in his saddle to look at the men. The steady rise of the smoke and the nervous expectancy of the men offered no assistance. Yellow rays of sunlight stabbed out of the east.
"I'll take six men and close in," he said at length, pulling down his cap to shade his eyes. "With any luck we'll be able to get close enough to make an estimate and then back again without being spotted. You wait here with the rest, unless you hear gunshots. Then come at the gallop. If I consider we need more help I'll send one of my group back to McClellan."
Hedges nodded, accepting the order without question and, in truth; finding no fault with it. Leaman picked the scouting party from his own troop and immediately led them off in a column, slanting southeast from the railroad and following a rutted trail towards a wooded hillock from behind which the smoke was rising.
"Dismount," Hedges commanded as soon as Leaman's party had gone from sight and the. Men obeyed gratefully, many of them beginning to roll cigarettes. Hedges slid from the saddle and while holding the reins of his horse with one hand, drew a sealed envelope from his hip pocket.
It was addressed in small, neat handwriting to: Lieutenant J. Hedges, Army Camp Parkersburg. It had been handed to him by one of the sentries just before the advance groups had left camp and. this had been his first opportunity to open the envelope. Inside was a single sheet of notepaper, folded twice, and a few lines in the same neat handwriting as on the envelope: Just to say thank you once more for your gallantry last night. Because of what you did my opinion of soldiers has been changed a lot. My sister is much better after her medicine. We live in the house behind the stage depot and you will always be welcome to visit us there. Gratefully yours, Jeannie Fisher.
Hedges read the note through three times; savoring every word, feeling as indebted towards the girl as she was obviously beholden to him. It was the first letter he had ever received from a woman. He recalled her gentle smile and felt a warm glow spread across his face, but then her naked body intruded and the warmth sank to his loins and became a burning heat. Suddenly he was ashamed and glanced guiltily around the men, as if fearing they could read his thoughts. But they were sitting or lying in attitudes of strained relaxation, not talking, but concentrating upon the hill shielding Philippi as they tried not to show their fear. Hedges refolded the letter in its creases and put it back in the envelope. He was just pushing this into his hip pocket when the volley of gunfire sounded distant and almost innocent in its muted key. But unmistakable for what it was and the direction from which it came.
"Mount up!" Hedges yelled as he leapt astride his own horse and dug his heels into the mare's flanks.
The animal broke at once into a gallop and the men streamed in her wake; faces tense and some yelling—as much to urge themselves forward as their horses. As he entered the fringe of the trees covering the hillside, Hedges unbooted the Spencer repeater and rode with it across his chest. Behind him some of the men unholstered sidearms while others made ready with the motley selection of muzzle and breech loading rifles they had brought into the war with them. It was hard riding up the west side of the hill, following the trail which meandered through the trees like a wild stream, but when they reached the crest and started down the going made for greater speed. It was warmer now, with the sun streaming through the foliage on to the troopers. And the rifle fire was louder; then became a cacophony as the troopers burst from the trees to race across the stretch of open ground to the town. They had passed no messenger. It was only a small settlement of houses and shacks, a church, a saloon and a few business premises. There was no sign of human life among the buildings, but three bodies were sprawled in the center of the town's single street, two dressed in blue and one in gray. Three chimneys continued to give out smoke from early morning fires, but other smoke, puffing from the center of orange bursts of exploding powder, could be seen dotting the town.
As the sound of hoofbeats reached the ears of Philippi's defenders the rate of rifle fire increased and Hedges stooped low in the saddle, ducking behind the neck of his mount as he heard the whine of bullets and ballshot. He heard a man scream and snatched a glance over his shoulder in time to see one of the youngest troopers slide from his saddle. The trooper's horse bolted in terror and swept ahead of Hedges with the man's boot still trapped in a stirrup. The man had received a superficial shoulder wound but screamed in agony as the flesh was scraped from his hands and face by the rough ground over which he was dragged. The trooper immediately behind Hedges was sickened by the sight and vomit gushed from his open mouth to spatter into the faces of the three men behind him. One of these opened his mouth to shout his disgust and a bullet zinged between his lips and ripped out through his, cheek. Blinded by blood, and vomit the man continued to dash forward, into the town street as Hedges led the rest to the right and skidded to a halt. A dozen Confederate bullets entered the trooper's body, dyeing his uniform red as he was lifted from the saddle and slammed into the wall of a building.
The survivors of the charge followed Hedges' lead in leaping from their horses behind the shelter of a two story house, and then clustered around him, waiting for orders. For several moments he said nothing as he struggled to rid himself of the mind picture of the young boy being dragged by the horse.
"Sir!" the sallow faced sergeant prompted, having to shout to be heard above the rifle fire and get through to Hedges' preoccupied mind. Hedges blinked and then raked his hooded eyes around the group of more than thirty men. He had to shake his head to clear it and bring about the realization that they were awaiting instructions from him.
"We divide into two groups," he snapped, his voice hoarse. "Sergeant, stay this side of the street and cover the rest of us until we get over there." He pointed across the street and quickly brought down his hand as he saw it was shaking, "As soon as we're over there, move through the town building by building."
The sergeant nodded and walked through the center of the soldiers, dividing them into two groups of approximately the same number. "Let the horses go," he yelled against the din of gunfire. "Until this is over you're infantrymen."