Weekly Trinity journal., 1864-04-16
"IntO the Lions MOUTH

"Into the Lion. MOUTH"
Is the title of chapter in IIosmcr's Z" Color
| Guard, perhaps the most readable and valuable
book called forth by the war. The following is
a specimen of the book culled from this chapter:
| The Fifty-second had stopped for its dinner
last Saturday noon. lay, as have written il,
on my side, pencil in hand then | snoozed
then ! looked across the burrows through the
sweet, sunny, blossom scented airs, to the long
line of the Ninety-frst, their color exactly OPP
posite ours. Half dozen pigs ran down be-
tween the two regments--a gauntlet, | believe,
not one survived-and before night they
eaten with much gusto for, during stay at
Baton Rouge, we have very rarely tasted fresh
meat.
Boom, boom big guns from the river. We
can hear, too, the cough of high-pressure trans
port steamers, and know that the fleet are,
at least, near old Port Hudson we are and
we only four FIVE miles away. At length,
Fall in, men, at once ~ An aide has come
galloping up to the Colonel, who is on horseback
in moment. q We shall probably have sharp
work before come back q Keep cool, and
do not waste your fire." SO Capt. Morgan and
the rest gave such caution to their men as is
necdful OH the eve of battle. "Leave knapsacks
here; the foosore men will guard them, poor
| Hines, and the like of him. whose feet these real
secesh roads have beaten and bruised with true
rebel violence.
How do we feel We are going out to meet
the enemy, we all fully believe, and do our
officers and even staff officers of the General,
who friendly to US look pityingly after,
we march on for they know, though WE do not,
that are to be pushed up in front of the whole
army, into close range of the cannon upon the
fortress walls. The Fify-second is cool and yet
eager and not man, that can limp at all, wants
to stay. For the last thing, - Load ~ Open
cartrid. e-box F.; tear the tough paper from the
powder and-there it goes down the barrel and
now the ball bat-cock, then cap the cone, and
all is done If have to fire. it will be for the
cause Scruples, now, are mere squeamishness.
Now. - BY the right flank forward p Hardiker
carries the white State flag, the tail Sergeant the
Stars and Stripes. Old flag, you woven OF
no ordinary stuff Rank and file and shoulder
straps, is = sacred thing 1t has for a warp,
liberty and for q wool, constitutional order
and is dyed deep in tints of love and justice.
Between IIardiker and the Sergeant marches
Wilson, fine looking Corporal, with a military
face, eye, andfgnre; mustached, bearded, eager
such face as have seen in Horace Nernets
battle-pieces. A good marksman too is Wilson;
for many years the terror of squirrels in the
woods of E. Prince and Claypole cover
Eardikcr and Wilson. while | march behind
right in the folds Of the great flag. Alongside,
in the line Of file-closers, go West; and lisping
! light haired Wiebcl. the German and. last, the
ever sage, serene. and satisfactory Bias Dickin-
! SON
SO we go out of the field into the road in the
! centre of the long column, with banners waving,
! and ! hope. the true light of battle upon our
/ faces-solders i'll a noble cause-farmer and
mechanic. merchant and preacher, shoulder to
| shoulder. = Boom !! go the ftraway guns. We
are moving rapidly to the front. SO the other
regiments, and the stout battery-men, and the
| yellow cavalry-men, give way for us. cheering
! us on. Down a cross-road towards the river,
sweet south wind shaking white cloud-favors ont
of every window in heaven 1T us the smiling
God speed and the lady rose-bushes. from fence
corners like balconies, showing their blossom
handkerchief.
Cautiously. boys A few steps. and we stum-
bled over the handsome horse of the wounded
Colonel dead in the middle of the road. with
eight bullets through him. There. too. is the
bloody boot of his rider, hastily cut off after the
wonnfing was accomplished. 4 company are
| detailed as fankers and. a they 60 through
the wood II few rods distant from the road. they
hear the groans Of other wounded men. They
cannot go to them; for t" stop would be to cH-
pose the whole flank of the column t" danger
Now we pass other dead horses belonging 10
cavalry-men which were shot III the road by the
retreafing rebel pickets. At length we reach
fork where is l regiment drawn up. and General
! Grover sitting horseback, with his staii--a
! lieht-haired man. with face sufficiently resolutc,
| his beard cut in n peak, and wearing u cavalier
hat We halt only for moment. The Genrr-
al = poiuting hand indicates the direction we are
! to take so down 20 through wooded road,
driving before us the cncmys pickcts; our
Hankers ia the woods seeing them mount their
! horses and gallOp off as We came within nlSket-
range. Presently VIC go by their camps where
| they have cut on trees some defiance warn
| ing to us: Beware, Yankee this Is hard
road to travel.
| By the side of the column rides officer of
| engineers, who stops every now and then to note
by-path or prominent knoll, or draw rough
plan of the wood The dust has hardly settled
yet along the road from the tramp Of their
! treating infantry. Wcpress on close behind. I'M
| til at length the column halts close within the
range of the Port Hudson batteries.
! We fell back that Saturday night two or three
miles then camped in the woods. Later. n bat
terry went forward to position near that to
which we advanced. and fired shells for while
towards the rebel intrenclllncnt> Unr blankets
and baggage were four miles bclinl We hung
equipments and haversack> on the gnnstocks
and, wet with sweat, lay down in our clothes,
without covering. Wilson anil laid rails on the
ground, then made slopng roof of rails over
head, which was some protection against the
damp.
! The eyelids shut together like pair OF scissor
blades, and cut the thread of consciousness but
in the midst of my dreaming, crash after crash
broke upon my ear, like the chorus OF doomsuay-
We all jumped to our posts, for we though' .ne
hour If battle had come looked at my watcn