Chapter Three
~ Wilson Creek's Cabin, Outskirts of Wilson Creek, Kentucky.
Inside the old log cabin stood Evan Harris and his most trusted men and allies, of which the Savage brothers were the most reliable and trustworthy of his 'Little Army of Tennessee' as dubbed by the residence of Wilson Creek and the other nearby towns and villages within a thirty mile radius; true now that Evan Harris in a few weeks now has a small and very influencial empire in Southern Tennessee proclaiming their intentions of leaving the Union and becoming part of the Confederate State of Tennessee until the rest of Kentucky either joins the Confederacy or is brought under occupation by the men in grey.
"Any news of the war gentlemen?" asked Evan Harris flanked by his brigade of around twenty men.
"No boss, sadly there isn't anymore good news after Lee's crushing defeat over General Curtis and McClellan in Northen Virginia about a week ago," said one of the soldiers in his command.
"But the whisky... the whisky is in tip top shape I must say," commented Peter Savage as he took another bottle of alcohol from the waitress at the counter with her little daughter beside her. "Thanks mam," finished the gunsling as he began to drink his third bottle in under twenty minutes.
Evan Harris, in his cleaned and fresh brown leather boots and overcoat, with his hat in the typical fashion of a Western gunsling of this time period walked up to the counter with his sinister smile and placed a golden coin on the counter and held up two fingers meaning his want for Scotch from the waitress.
"A twelve year-old scotch Mister Harris, I was saving it for the occassion," said the woman. "Alice, fetch the scotch from the back."
"Yes mum."
"You have a beautiful daughter Mrs. Patterson, I wish I had a respectful young girl like you have."
Mrs. Patterson opened the scotch and rolled it across the counter table to the waiting Evan Harris as he smiled when he caught it in the direction of the young Alice Patterson going back into the kitchen to fetch more glasses and bottles for Harris' men to drink from.
"So boss," started Tank Savage, "when do you think the Confederate armies will move north into Kentucky?"
"Soon," said a confident Evan Harris as he sat back and drank from the scotch bottle. "My complements," he said in the direction of Mrs. Patterson as he put down the bottle to look over the room of men drinking and playing cards early in the afternoon one would presume as no clock was in the cabin.
"I can't say I've seen any of Nathan Bedford Forrest's raiders though for some time," said a man with an eyepatch.
"What importance does that have," responded another man.
"I don't know," shrugged the man with the eyepatch, "I'm just saying," he said as he took a slug of whisky from his whisky glass and slammed it back on the table and announced to the table of card players with him. "All in!" As he moved his chips forward bullets began to ring out from the outside of the cabin.
"Shit, get down. Mrs. Patterson take cover!"
It sounded like hundreds of shots were coming from all sides of the cabin as Evan Harris and his men pulled out their guns and took refuge under windows and holes in the room and began to blindly fire back at their attackers.
"Damn who are they?"
"I take a lo..." the man who stood up was promptly shot in the head and fell back to the ground dead with rich and dark red blood dripping out from his head onto the hard and dark wooden floor.
"Stay low and keep firing!"
For another minute or two the unknown men outside of the cabin continued to pour gunfire into the cabin striking several more of Harris' men, another of which was killed in the process with the woman and her daughter hiding behind the counter screaming as bullets hit the bottles and glasses above them sending small splinters of glass raining down on their hair and dresses.
Evan Harris defiantly shouted outside to the attackers, "Halt! We have women inside!"
A voice from outside replied, "Okay, let them out. You know we don't want to kill any women. You have one minute!"
"Okay Miss, you and you're daughter have to go!"
They both stood up and headed for the door with quick pace, "Oh, you know by God we ain't stayin' here."
Peter Savage kicked the door open for the two females to leave and as Mrs. Patterson and her daughter exited he promptly closed the door with just as much haste as he kicked it open with.
"Load you're guns."
"Who do you think is out there?"
"Men that want that bounty on Evan Harris' head I must presume," answered Tank Savage to his brother's question.
Evan Harris peaked up and out to see flashed of both civilian gunsmen and by the looks of it, sharply dressed soldiers in dark blue.
"Unionist soldiers and civilians," said Evan Harris to all the questions.
The officer outside when Patterson and here daughter were safely away commenced, "Open fire!" and he aimed his pistol along with his many men and civilian counterparts and began to pump more lead into the sides of the cabin.
Inside the windows were cracking, the wood was falling apart; and unable to see their targets outside Harris' men were hopelessly fighting a losing battle. "We can't stay here!" shouted Peter Savage, "we're like fish in a barrell unless we get moving!"
"Outside? Are you mad Peter! We'll get mowed down like jackrabbits out in the open!"
"Not if we get to our horses!"
As the bickering was ensuing inside, several Union soldiers and civilians rushed a burning cart forward to the sides of the log cabin and dashed back as the fire began to spread. Inside the cabin the men could see and smell the smoke coming inside the cabin.
"Now we're going to f****** burn to death in here unless we get out!" exclaimed Peter Savage.
"Shut up! Shut up! We ain't gonna burn in here," said Evan. "We're gonna run out and make a ride outta here together. In a pack its a safe bet that most of us will make it. Just be quick."
Peter Savage placed himself by the door waiting for the order, "Is everybody loaded and ready?"
"Yeah boss."
"Go!"
Peter knocked open the door and ran through the open fields of grass with his hat falling off as he held in both hands his two costum made French and Colt Navy revolvers as he was firing at the soldiers and civilians in the woods and trenches not more than fifty feet away, laughing and screaming in the process.
Others began to follow his example as they covered Evan Harris who was safely tucked away with four of his men covering him with him in the middle. A Union soldier rose up to take a shot and was promptly cut down by a bullet from Peter Savage as they could see their horses at the crest of the hill.
"Go! Go! Go!"
"God dammit they're getting away," said the Union Calvary Captain leading the raid. "Mount up they're making a run for it!"
The man with the eyepatch entered the fields with his pistol blazing, only to be cut down by a Union bullet as he collapsed on the ground and got up again, only to stagger a few more steps before being riddled with bullets being such an easy target. Likewise another of Harris' troupe members was shot just as he exited the cabin, the last man to do so.
Fifteen men rushed down the hill to their horses where Peter Savage was already mounted and began to ride into the woods.
"C'mon! Go! Go! Get out!"
Union soldiers appeared from the top of the hill shooting at the fleeing men below them.
"Go! C'mon!" yelled one of Evan's guardsman as they let him mount still covering him. The man was then shot in the back and fell forward leaning on the horse. "Get him out!"
Another member of Harris' gang was shot running down the hill and tumbled down to the rest of the men dead. Tank Savage as he mounted his horse to follow Evan Harris, who with several other men were making their brake into the woods; aimed back and picked off a Union soldier who camed falling down the hill and was then just as suddenly kicked in the mouth by his horse falling and bleeding on the ground. He got up to be picked up by a friend and the double mount ran into the woods with two other men beside them.
The last man was mounting his horse screaming, "Wait! Wait for me!" As he was mounting the saddle he was struck in the back by a Union bullet and fell off the horse dying.
Back at the top of the hill the Union soldiers were mounted as well and began to give pursuit through the woods.
The Union captain leading in the front could see some of the fleeing men in front of him, "Come on boys!" he ordered as he pulled out his pistol and began shooting sending another one of Harris' men falling from his horse. He then moved to cross the river and looked up at the hill, he was the only of the Union men to pause as his soldiers continued with great speed past him on horseback. The sight of a girl caught his attention. "You shouldn't be here," the captain said only to see the red dressed girl, looking like a man pull out a pistol and shoot the captain in the head killing him instantly.
Back in the woods Evan and his men had finally alluded the Union raiders and counted their numbers. "Twelve men. We lost eight," said Evan Harris.
"Seben," said Tank Savage bleeding heavily in the mouth.
"Damn to hell however sold us out to those blue bastard pricks!" shouted Evan Harris. "No one! No one does this to Evan Harris without a direct and bloody punishment in return!"
