nger on trigger.

The game was fairly up. Forrest sent in a flag of truce, with a demand
for surrender. Streight asked for an interview, which was readily
granted.

"What terms do you offer?" asked Streight.

"Immediate surrender. Your men to be treated as prisoners of war,
officers to retain their side-arms and personal property."

During the conversation Streight asked, "How many men have you?"

"Enough here to run over you, and a column of fresh troops between you
and Rome."

In reality Forrest had only five hundred men left him, the remainder
having been dropped from point to point as their horses gave out and no
new mounts were to be had. But the five hundred made noise enough for a
brigade, it being Forrest's purpose to conceal the weakness of his
force.

As they talked a section of the artillery of the pursuers came in sight
within a short range. Colonel Streight objected to this, and Forrest
gave orders that the guns must come no nearer. But the artillerymen
moved around a neighboring hill as if putting several small batteries
into position.

"Have you many guns, general?" asked Streight.

"Enough to blow you all to pieces before an hour," was the grandiloquent
reply.

Colonel Streight looked doubtfully at the situation, not knowing how
much to believe of what he saw and heard. After some more words he
said,--

"I cannot decide without consulting my officers."

"As you please," said Forrest, with a sublime air of indifference. "It
will soon be over, one way or the other."

Streight had not all the fight taken out of him yet, but he found all
his officers in favor of a surrender and felt obliged to consent. The
men accordingly were bidden to stack their arms and were marched back
into a field, Forrest managing as soon as he conveniently could to get
his men between them and their guns. The officers were started without
delay and under a strong escort for Rome, twenty miles away. On their
route thither they met Captain Russell returning and told him of what
had taken place. With tears in his eyes he surrendered his two hundred
men.

Thus ended one of the most striking achievements of the Civil War.
Forrest's relentless and indefatigable pursuit, his prompt overcoming of
the difficulties of the way, and his final capture of Streight's men
with less than half their force, have been commended by military critics
as his most brilliant achievement and one of the most remarkable
exploits in the annal