Gods and Generals - Jeff Shaara [203]
The infantry was still moving down off the hill, would move all through the night, and Lee heard the shouts, tried to see in faint firelight, to see the man on the horse, the hat held high in the air, absorbing the cheers of the troops.
Stuart finally saw Lee, dismounted, made a deep bow. “General Lee, I am at your service.”
“I am pleased to see you, General. I understand you had some difficulty tonight.”
Stuart was grinning. “That we did, sir. The Virginians did themselves proud, both regiments, the Third and the Fifth. We sent a good-sized flock of Yanks scurrying back home!”
“That is good news, General, but I do not need you engaged with the enemy just now. You must be of greater service to this army.”
Stuart bowed again, serious, said, “Yes, sir, I understand. Fact is, General, we did not look for the fight. We just ran into them. There’s not many places to hide on these roads, sir. The Wilderness is not a place for horses.”
“Very well, General. Do you mean to say that the Federal cavalry is advancing below the main body of infantry?”
Stuart seemed surprised, said, “Oh, no sir. They’re gone. We ran into a regiment . . . just one regiment . . . some boys from New York. The main body, most of Stoneman’s entire strength, is moving away, down south. I sent your son . . . that is, I sent General Rooney Lee to keep after them, stay close, and keep me—the army—informed.” He stopped, Lee waited for more, saw the smile again. “General Lee, I believe that General Stoneman is trying to ride clear around this army, sir.” He waited for Lee to absorb that.
Lee said, “General, are you suggesting that General Stoneman is attempting to duplicate your . . . accomplishments?”
“All I can tell, sir, is he’s taken several thousand men, is moving down along the Orange and Alexandria Railroad, trying to tear up whatever he can, and he has already sent some units toward the east, well below us, sir. By now he is completely cut off from General Hooker’s command. They may even be heading toward Richmond, sir! Maybe General Stoneman . . . well, maybe he wants to see his name in the Richmond papers.”
Stuart was glowing now, and Lee could not believe it. If Stuart was right, Hooker’s cavalry, the critical eyes of the Federal Army, was on their own, possibly to make a sweep through central Virginia that would be an annoyance, but little else. Stuart had made the same type of ride, twice before, had severely embarrassed the Federal command by riding completely around their army without any serious obstacles, and without any substantial gain. It was not something of which Lee approved, but the grand show, the sheer audacity of it, had been of great benefit to morale and was trumpeted loudly by the newspapers, both North and South. Surely, Lee thought, there is more than that . . . this cannot be just a glorified parade.
“General, please keep me informed what the young Mr. Lee reports. I do not want ten thousand Federal cavalry suddenly appearing on our flank.”
“There will be no surprises, General.”
Lee turned, walked over to a small fire, and Stuart followed. It was very late, and Lee suddenly felt a great need for sleep, a thickening fog in the brain. Taylor was poking the fire, trying to stifle a yawn. Lee said, “Major, you may retire. We will have a long day tomorrow.”
Taylor stood, felt another yawn coming, clamped it down, saluted, and quickly moved away. Lee felt his own yawn building, and he stretched his back, twisting slightly.
“General Stuart, in the morning, General Hooker will find that we have moved out to meet him. We are constructing a line of defense from the river to the north, down across the main roads. I do not believe the force that is below Fredericksburg is a threat at this time. I have ordered General Jackson to move his corps away from these hills, to support General Anderson and General McLaws. General Jackson will be in command of the field.”
Stuart looked out along the top of the hill, started to say something,