The Last, Long Night (#5 in the Bregdan Chronicles Historical Fiction Romance Series) (50 page)

Robert also knew a line of sharpshooters had crept as closely to the Union picket line as possible and lay waiting.  From his place at the front of the long columns, Robert had a clear view of what was happening, though early morning fog was starting to gather in the hollows. 

The drama continued to unfold as a small group of sharpshooters, pretending to desert, moved toward the Federal picket lines.  The irony of the scene struck Robert because enough men had actually deserted to make this charade seem real. 

Robert held his breath as the sharpshooters’ commander jumped up and, in an effort to make it more realistic, shouted, “Oh, boys, come back!  Don’t go!”

“Come on, Johnnies,” the Union picket yelled, but then fell silent as the masquerading deserters overpowered him and knocked him out. 

Robert could see scuffling black shadows until one Union picket escaped, fired off his gun, and shouted, “The Rebels are coming!  The Rebels are coming!”

Moments later three quick shots from the Confederate side signaled the attack.  Robert rose with the rest of his men and surged forward.  Their job at the front of the columns was to remove obstructions so that the men could pass through quickly.

Moses bolted upward as the Union’s sharp cry and the crack of the rifle fire jolted him from sleep. 

Simon already had sat up staring at him.  “What was that, Moses? I heard someone yell!”

Once more the cry rent the air.  “The Rebels are coming!”

Moses jumped up, grabbed his rifle, and called for his men.  Then he listened urgently for the order telling him what to do.

Robert continued to move, pulling aside obstructions until he was almost to the walls of Fort Stedman.  So far, no counterattack had begun.  The element of surprise, however, vanished when a unit of sharpshooters ran forward, yelling crazily.

Robert groaned and sprinted forward as the fort’s cannons opened up.  He led his men at top speed, gasping with relief when he realized they had all gotten under the line of fire without being hit.  He refused to allow himself to think about men further back.  When they reached the spiked logs protecting the fort parapet, they worked quickly to tear it apart; hacking at them and dragging them out of the way. 

With the logs demolished, Robert saw his men look to him for direction.  He realized they couldn’t climb the slippery parapet with increasing fire coming down from Union infantrymen above.  He took a deep breath, raised his rifle to his shoulder, and commanded, “Shoot every Yankee that shows himself!” 

His men cried out their Rebel yell and surged forward.  Robert spied a low spot in the parapet and led the way by scaling it, and waited until his men had followed.  Then his troops formed a line, and they moved forward. 

“We got ‘em, Captain,” one yelled.  “Look, they’re taking prisoners!”

Robert nodded grimly and knew much fiercer resistance would occur when word of the attack reached Union command.  He watched for a moment as individuals, and then groups, of Federal soldiers threw up their hands and surrendered.  “Keep moving, men!” he hollered as he gripped his rifle more tightly and sprinted forward, his eyes sweeping the darkness for more enemy combatants.

“Take your men and get up on the walls,” an officer yelled to Moses.

Relieved to have an order, Moses turned immediately and called for his men. They all leapt from the trench, climbed to the top of the fort, and began firing down at the mass of men moving toward them in the darkness while the sun brightened the eastern horizon a deep blue.  “Stop them!”

It took only a few minutes to realize that wasn’t going to happen.  The Confederate attack had been well thought out, focused on what was possibly the weakest point in the entire Union line.  Once again, Lee’s determination to take the offensive had been underestimated.

Suddenly, Captain Jones appeared behind Moses.  “Take your men and retreat,” he yelled.  “We won’t stop them here.”

Moses stared down at the endless shadows of men streaming toward them.  “We can stop some,” he yelled back.

Captain Jones shook his head.   “Fall back and wait for orders.”  He stepped closer and shouted into Moses’ ear.  “You don’t want your men captured!” 

Moses stiffened, knowing Captain Jones was referring to the massacre at Fort Pillow.  He whipped around, raised his arm, and yelled, “Retreat, men!  Fall back!”  He prayed the darkness and chaos would allow his men to escape.

As Moses gathered with his troops outside the fort walls, he heard the Rebels cheering in victory.  Fort Stedman now belonged to the South.  Moses retreated with his men back into the woods’ dark shadows as he looked for a commanding officer to put them to use.

“Keep moving, Captain Borden!  We take Fort Haskell next!”

Robert allowed himself a moment of exhilaration that Fort Stedman was now in Confederate hands, but he knew the day had just started.  He yelled for his men and continued to press forward in the dark, firing at anything they saw moving in front of them, knowing they had found a target when they heard screams.  He could see the shadows of Fort Haskell in the distance, but suddenly tensed when absolutely no response came from within.

He stared with confusion at the hulking fort.  There was no way the alarm had not been raised.  His understanding was that his men were coming at the fort from the rear, a possible explanation for why their approach was so easy, but his gut was screaming something was terribly wrong as they drew closer.  He felt certain the Rebel forces were moving into a trap, but all they could do was press forward.

Moments later the guns of Fort Haskell exploded in horrific roars that split the night – and also split his men’s charge.  He groaned as man after man fell around him, but Robert continued to run forward, knowing his orders were to take the fort.

As more and more men fell, and the guns - with accurate aim now that daylight was coming - continued their relentless thundering, he knew it was hopeless and called for his men to retreat.  Robert was done with sending his men into senseless slaughter.

As his men moved back and waited for new orders, it struck him that there was little panic on the Federal side.  General Gordon had hoped for disintegration of the Union lines under the fury of their surprise attack.

He wasn’t getting what he had hoped for.

Moses watched the wild chaos, uncertain what to do next as he pulled his men into the woods.  The sun had lightened the sky enough to make hiding a poor option, and the Rebels had given up any pretense of stealth as they began shelling from Fort Stedman. 

“I reckon we best keep moving,” Simon observed.

Moses nodded grimly and waved his men forward through the woods, farther into the Union lines while he looked for a unit they could join.  Moses knew it was just a matter of time before the tide turned.  The Federal response would overwhelm the weaker Rebels.

Just as Robert thought there was no hope of taking Fort Haskell, he realized other Union forts had begun to fire on the fort themselves, not realizing it had not yet fallen.  Robert stopped his retreat, turned, and waved his men forward.  “Let’s get them!”  His men turned with a roar and joined the new divisions surging toward the fort. 

It wasn’t long, though, before he saw a detachment of Union soldiers break free from the fort and wave their colors to other Union troops as a signal that the fort had not fallen.  Three of the Union men were shot down before the rest slipped back inside, but their mission had been fulfilled.  As the roar of cannon stopped from the other forts, Confederate sharpshooters, determined to take the fort, rose from their hiding places and raced forward.

Blistering fire from Fort Haskell obliterated their advance.

As Robert dropped to the ground with his men, the sun had come up enough to reveal how desperate their position was.  He bit back a groan as he looked around.  Fort Stedman lay at the apex of an arc, with Fort Haskell and Fort McGilvery at the end.  Union artillery commanded the ground behind Fort Stedman, making any Rebel withdrawal risky. 

Alex slithered up next to him through the brush.  “Ain’t looking so good, Captain!” he said breathlessly.  “What do you want us to do?”