An officer named
Grant has come down from Illinois, and he is said to be pushing the
Union troops forward with a lot of vigor. Sergeant, you are up on army
affairs. Do you know this man Grant?"
Sergeant Whitley shook his head.
"Never heard of him," he replied. "Like as not he's one of the officers
who resigned from the army after the Mexican War. There was so little
to do then, and so little chance of promotion, that a lot of them quit
to go into business. I suppose they'll all be coming back now."
"I want to go out there," said Dick. "It's my country, and the
westerners at least are acting. But look at our army here! Bull Run
was fought the middle of summer. Now it's nearly winter, and nothing
has been done. We don't get out of sight of Washington. If I can get
myself sent west I'm going."
"And I'm going with you," said Warner.
"Me, too," said the sergeant.
"I know that Colonel Newcomb's eyes are turning in that direction,"
continued Dick. "He's a war-horse, he is, and he'd like to get into the
thick of it."
"You're his favorite aide," said the calculating young Vermonter.
"Can't you sow those western seeds in his mind and keep on sowing them?
The fact that you are from this western battle ground will give more
weight to what you say. You do this, and I'll wager that within a week
the Colonel will induce the President to send the whole regiment to the
Mississippi."
"Can you reduce your prediction to a mathematical certainty?" asked Dick,
a twinkle appearing in his eye.
Pages:
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45