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Full Title
The Old knapsack; or, Longstreet's mad charge at Knoxville / by Marline Manly, [incomplete].
Author
Manly, Marline, 1854-1938.
Date Added
19 March 2019
Format
Journal
Language
English
Publish Date
1887-08-13
Publisher
New York : Novelist Publishing Co.
Series
The War Library : Original Stories of Adventure in the War for the Union > v. 7, no. 257
Source
Dime Novel and Popular Literature
Alternate Title
Longstreet's mad charge at Knoxville The War Library : Original Stories of Adventure in the War for the Union, v. 7, no. 257, August 13, 1887.
Topic
United States. > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Fiction. United States. > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Periodicals. Popular literature > Periodicals. United States. > Army > Military life > Fiction. Longstreet, James, 1821-1904 > Fiction. Knoxville (Tenn.) > History > Civil War, 1861-1865 > Fiction.
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OCR
1 ‘tsiuzi
He was no poor farm boy, but W931“1Yi" M59"?
since a. small boy had been a lover of athletic sports. , .
Rowing, boxing and fencing had been favorite amusements with
right, and
in. . , . .
1 ‘ , When the war broke out he was in Paris, 3115 N33 the“? bee“ ‘P9
‘ ‘i ‘ pupil of the famous fencing-master whosename carried mas“ W1“!
it-'-De Greville. ‘ I ‘ ’ ’ .
Hastening home when Fort, Sumter was fired on, he had offered
his ‘services as a drummer, being passionately fond of that exercise.
We have seen how at Fredericksburg he was wounded in the left
. arm in a way that compelled him to resign his place to another.
and take the place of the color-sergeant. . ‘
, John Warner made no empty boost when he professed himself
as able to meet the rebel major and engage him With naked
, swords. ‘ I
i ‘f ‘Ila meant to give him at least a severe wound and than let him
r . pass into the tender care of Clam Winters. ’
e Perhaps it would suit him to send 9. messenger to her house to
I inform her that her lover, the daring rebel major who had entered
' ‘. the Union lines for the simple purpose of getting a few words and
' ., ' a kiss from the girl he loved, would be found dead or badly
' ‘ wounded upon the river bank at the eastern outskirts of the city.
On the whole he had not as yet made up his mind what he would
do with the rebel after 110 mm. clipped his wings, metaphorically
speaking.
v . "Are you ready, major?"
Grimly the words are spoken; equally as grimly the reply
‘ " I never yet was found not ready."
E V “ Then guard yourself, and may Heaven help the one who gets a
‘ taste of cold steel. One of us only will probably see the sun to-
‘marrow!’ ‘ 4
' “ That will be myself," said the major, coolly.
Ills desire was to nettle his antagonist.
g " Do not be so sure. I will send you where they have no sun or
stars, and where love making on the front stoop is unknown.
Have nt you, rebel.'g’ . g
Before the major could grope after the meaning of that last sen-
. fence about love making, which Jack could not keep back, the
4 other's sword was thrust out and there was a sharp clang as steel
, ? ' struck steel in mid-air.
CHAPTER VIII.
, ' - rnr: DUEL ox rur. RIVER BANK.
There was a peculiar hollow sound in thefirst clash of the
swords. ‘ H
In.1hn-t meeting Yankee blade rung defiance against rebel
steel. ' ,
The neighborhood was to all appearances quite deserted, and the
-‘ .but faintly here.
It was very much like the busy hum one can catch when draw-
iing near the outskirts of a great city, a hum composed of a multi-
;1.ude of noises, each entirely separate from the rest, but utterly in-
Idistinguishubie because they are blended together.
, A thousand fires burned upon the hills and ridges where the
, blueclad hosts labored in the erection of earthworks and riiie-pits,
, 5 and these ;li1ll(;I1ilIJ:Iil0l]S, added to the lights in the city, dissipated
much of t e ar ness. , i
1 ‘ 4, Thus the two antagonists could see each other well.
Q Their surroundings were weird, to say the least.
‘ E ' On one side lay the city, silent in that quarter. but with a noisy
S hum beyond where troops were marching and 1: thousand and one
‘V, Ithings being done in anticipation of the bitter assault of Longstreet,
Q fsoon to come. V
5 Back of the rebel major was a lonely lumber yard, with its grim,
i ‘piles outlined against the star-decked heavens, lookingthrough the
f [rising river fog like monster npparitions.
1 3 In thclrdear 3f.Ja1<]:i<“1vns (:0 be setephn brick )‘a.I'd:1Whtt3;e the apes
ietill smo ere in a n ozen o e ovens; an as e iron cov-
crs had fallen down, these glowed like the evil eyes of genii, show-
,ing in grim relief thewhecl stuck fast in the mud not ten feet away
.‘ from the color-bearer and the shed where the brickmakcrs had
‘i worked during the summer, sheltered from the fierce rays of the
sun. .
On thoother side ran the river-
There was a gurgling sound that issued from it, and the many
rligbts falling upon its bosom showed the moving current.
"’ " Beyond the spot where the duel was being enacted could be seen
thelights of water craft, but just in front of them the river was
given over to silence and solitude. - '
This then was the setting of that vigorous picture-tho duel by
1 vibe light adorded by Yankee camp-firm. g
' fter that first meeting the blows rung thick and fast. ,
arch ‘man had assumed ‘an easy position where he could rest
.most of his weight upon the rear foot. so as to be able to spring
.backward should occasion demand it. '
. Thus the sword combat went on.
-
.
.
i
i
i
’ sounds of busy life in the city and upon the euvironing hills came ‘
’ i ‘T . J I
LIBRARY W -' ;. ,-, , ‘I
. Blow followed blow in a wonderfully mpldsuccesslon and 3.‘-
times the clash of steel was almost continuous. ’
The swords" of both chanced to be of alight orderandwere there-,
fore admirably adapted to such an encounter. 1110115?! 05 02“1’5e m’
as much so as rapiers would have been. . , .
That of Jack was a trifle longer than the sword of his opponent
but this was counterbalanced by the unusual reach of the major.
who had made the beast that because of this he ‘was almost inval-
nerahle. K V .
There was much of skill in the fight,.but on the whole it was
largely made up of strenuous eiforts to beat down the guard; 93917
of the other. ‘ ' ' ,
The minutes slipped slowly by. , “
Beyond fl. slight wound in his left arm Jack had not been touched:
and he felt sure he had pinked his man just as seriously.
The major was evidently astonished. ‘
He was panting for breath quite as badly as Jack, and although
he had brought his powers into full play, as yet he had not been
able to discover a weak point in the defense of his opponent.
Suddenly the clash and clang ceased. -‘
With an agile leap, the rebel major put six feet between himself
and his opponent, and rested the point of his sword on the ground-
Jack understood what this meant. ‘ I
The major desired a truce. , , ' '
There the combatants stood, eying each other, both breathing
heavily, for their exertions had been unusually severe during the
ten minutes already covered by the com bat.
“Young Hotspur, you fight well, but I am determined to give
‘you your quietus. Make up your mind to it,” panted the major.
" And you, sir, have a care. I have thus far been playing with
you. In the next. bout I shall take care to do something more
than prick your arm. You are a doomed man," returned Jack.
The major laughed softly. -
Be evidently realized that something more than words was
necessary in order to intimidate Jack. '-
Already had he done his best, without uccess. ‘ '
It really seemed as though the result of the duel must depend
wholly upon the one who had the longest wind, and not the readiel
blade. ' i
For perhaps a minute they rested. '
. Then both men, as of one mind, raised the points of their swords.
“ Have at you again, Hotspurl" grltted the major. ,
He was growing a trifle angry, but this would not detract from
his skill-it only made him the more determined.
As for Jack, he was as cool as any cucumber that ever grew in
the shade of a cornstalk.
He realized his position.
The man opposed to him was Clara's rebel lover, and one of them
must not leave the lonely spot: alive. ‘ u
He was determined that the unfortunate who remained should
not be himself. ‘ .
In order to bring about such a happy’ conclusion of the duel, he
had need of every faculty with which he had been endowed 1?)’
nature or taught by the famous sword master of Paris, for his
opponent carried death in his blade. and although fighting a man
whom he did not know, and for a. cause of which he was entireli’
ignorant, his anger was aroused at the persistent manner in which
his assaults were partied, and he was now bent upon killing where
he had at the opening of the combat calculated to wound.
It was a singular duel. v t g .
These men had never metveach other before. yet to judge from
the tlerceness of their actions one would declare they were W9‘
long enemies. ’ ‘
‘ The most bitter of foemen could not strike with more of venom-
True, they were acknowledged enemies-one wore the blue H19
other the gray, and as such it would have been natural for them I0
have sought each other‘s life in battle ‘
Possibly in the heat of nu engagement they would have sho,W“
just as much ferocity as was now being brought out, but this W95
no battle, but a duel to the death, and one of the participants had I
not the remotest idea what it was all about, though perfectly wil-
ling to take his opponent's life. ‘ .
. Thus they cut and slashed, hack and forth, now one pressing the
other, and vice vcrsa. ' ‘
It was a pretty even thing all around,
Still adairs of this kind very often depend upon small thin‘.!5 far
their culmination. . ‘ :
A turn of the wrist, a slip of the foot-either one of these 1118?
be a fatal blunder. . A ' > ‘
Finding that he could not defeat the strange young man Wu”
had so mysteriously invited him to mortal combat, the rebel mill“
was contentlng himself with holding his own. ,
His object was twofold. , . . ‘ ‘
I16 believed he had gotten his second wind, and he knew that he -
W33 3004 fol‘ 501118 time yet, wh le with his foeman there W85 “
I ..
’ .