Tales of the Home Folks in Peace and War/An Ambuscade

AN AMBUSCADEIt befell that in the first scuffle that occurred between the Federals and Confederates somewhere in the neighborhood of Jonesboro, when Sherman was preparing to swing loose from his base at Atlanta, Jack Kilpatrick, commanding a squad of sharpshooters, was seriously wounded. It was all his own fault, too. He was acting outside his regular duties. Some excited colonel called for a courier to send an unnecessary message to an imaginary regiment. Kilpatrick, seeing no courier at hand, rode forward and offered his services.
Mounted on his black mare, he made it a point to expose himself. He could n't help it for the life of him. It was in his blood. So, instead of going to the rear, he galloped out between the lines. A big Irishman on the Federal side, whose name was O'Halloran, leveled his rifle at the horseman. Then he ​lifted his eyes from the sights and took another look at the venturesome rider.
"'T is the young Johnny, or Oi 'm a naygur!" he exclaimed. Then he drew a long breath. "Oi was in wan of tetchin' the traygur."
But there were other marksmen farther up the line who were not nice in such matters. There was a rattling fire of musketry. Plato, Kilpatrick's bo

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