The Council Bluffs nonpareil. [volume] (Council Bluffs [Iowa]) 1857-1867, 1861-06-01

- Of cur moonlis line, sud listened to the
orders a. they grew or died along ,ne VS.
sanee. beeau 10 want e1estemens. bonneii
eu~r.s.ed that be and should scout up .ne
yae1 and zee IL spy rails we're wanting. We
Travelled along into the quiet night.
+ Nil. ahead OF the line, We suddeoiy
..n,h, the eleam Of arias-barrel. Who
.,.s there one Of our scouts challenged
snsrsiy. rt
81. we're NJ. Two OF them were easily
found. The third Vas discovered by beating
he bush thoroughly. BonneH and ! ran
back Tor tools, and rn:urned Of fusi trot
with erowbar and sledgs on our shoulders.
There we're plenty Of willing haods TO hsip,
too MANI, inaeed-and with the aid Oh .
huge MassAchusetts man, We 5000 nao sns
rail 10 place.
P,om this tins %, We we're constantly
;o,.,rur,eA. Not half . mile passed without
rail %, Bonnell was always at tbs front
I,x-py .r.ei, and an proud 10 say that he
.ce.nied me as aid de camp. Other fell
lows. unknovn to me in the dark, gave
hearty help. The Seventh showed that it
could do something else than drill.
A. one SPOT, on high embankmens over
standing water, the rail was gone, sunk
nrebabiy. Here We tried our raiis brought
from the turn out. They were TOO snort
We supplenensed with q length OF plank
from our stores. We rolled our cars care
fully over. They passed cafe. But He
mans shook his head. He could not ven
tur. a LOGON olive on that frail stuff. Sc We
lost the society of the g j. Il. Nicholson"
Nsxt aay the Massachusetts commander
called for soma ore to dive in the pool for
the los. rail. Plump into the water vent
little wiry chap ard grappled the faii.
"Whep | como up, says the brave feilow,
afterwards to me-, sour ofieer out with
Aoo uo,d niecs, and wanted me to take i.
.Tha, AIM, wha. | came for, says L.
sTake;t.' saws be, 'and share with the
others, sThat amt what they came for,'
say. /. But took big cold," the diver
continued, Sand l am condemned hosrse
yet which was the fact.
Farther on We found q whole length OF
track torn up on both sides, slsepers and
all. and the same thing repeated with alter
nations Of breaks of single rails. Our how
i.ser.ropes came into play to hoist and haul.
We we're not going to be stopped.
But il was becoming NOche 1risfe to
some OF our comrades. We had now
marched some sixteen miles. The distance
va. tr,Hing. But the men had been on
their legs pretty much all day and night.
Hardly any one had had any full or sub
s,antiaI sleep or meal since We started from
New York. They mapped of standing,
or leaning, on their guns, dropping down in
their tracks, on the wet ground, at every
halt. They were sleepy, but pucky. As
we passed through deep cuttings, places, rs
j. we're, built fer defence, there was gem
eral desire that the tedium Of the night
should be relieved by shindy.
During the whole night saw our officers
moving about the line, doing their duty
vigorously, despite exhaustion, hunger, and
slssplsssness.
About midnight our friends OF the
Eighth had joined Us, and our whole lit.
tie army struggled on together. ! find that
have been rather undertaking the troubles
Of the march. 1t seems impossible that
such difficulty could be encountered within
twenty miles Of the Capital Of the nation.
But wa were making rush to put our
selves in that Capitol, and We could not
proceed in that slow, systematic way OF an
advancing army. We must take the risk
and stand the suffering, whatever it was.
so the Seventh Regiment went through its
bloodless Noche Triste.
MORNING.
At last VI issued from the damp woods
two miles below the raiload junction. Here
was an extensive farm. Our vanguard had
hated and borrowed few rails to make
6re.. These were, of course, carefully paid
for at their proprietor's own price. The
frss we're bright in the gray dawn. About
them the regiment was now halted. The
men tumb!ed down to catch forty winks.
Some, Who were hungrier for food than
sleep, went off foraging among the farm
houses. They returned with appetizing
legends Of hot breakfasts in hospitable
abodss, or scanty fair given grudgingly in
hostile ones. All meals, however, were paid
for.
Here, as at other halts below, the country
people came up to talk to US. The traitors
could easily be distinguished by their in
science disguised as Obsequiousness.-
The loyal men were still timid, but
more hopeful at last. All were very lavish
with the monosyllable 81 ir.n 1t was an
odd coincident, that the vanguard, hating
of at farm in the morning, found it de-
serted for the moment by its tenants, and
protected only by an engraved portrait Of
our (formsr) Colonel Duryea, serencly
smiling over the mantlepiecs.
From this point, the railroad was pretty
much all gone. But We were warmed and
refreshed by q nap, and a bite, besides had
daylight and an open country.
We put our guns on their own wheels, all
dropped into rank. as il on parade, and
marched the last two miles to the station.
We still bad no certain information. Until
We actually saw the train awaiting us, and
che Washington companies who had come
down to escort us, drawn up, We did not
know whether our Uncle Sam was still
resident Of the Capital.
Wepacked into the train and rolled away
to Washington.
WASHINGTON.
We marched up to the White House,
showed ourselves to the President, made our
bow TO him ~ our host, and then marched
NJ to the Capitol, cur grand lodgings.
There We are now, quartered in the Rep
sen.ativcs Chamber.
Aud here must hastily end this frss
sketch Of the Great Defence. May it con-
tinus to be az 6rm and faithful as il il this
day.
have sc-ibbled my story With thousand
men stirring about me. IL any Of my SEN
tences mss their aim, accuse nv comrades
aad the bavilderneut Of this martial crowd.
For here are four or Eve thousand others
on the sane business - ourselves, and
drums ass beating, guns are clanking.
companies RE ,ramping, all the while. Our
friends Of the Eighth Massachusetts, are
CHARTERED under the dome, and cheer Us
whenever We pass.
Desks ma,ked John Covode, John Coch-
raa, aai Arson Burlingame, have allowed
me 10 use them as | wrote.
THE STRENGTH OF A RErr RLfc.
There vas a time, and that not MANY
mouths ago, when, to the people Of the
Uaissd States sni the world. Republic