The Shasta courier., 1864-07-23
SoldieIs' Tricks--Li e in the Trench
Prizes

A correspondent with Ger e-al Meade's army
writes from Cold Harbor, rs follows:
Hard tack. roast beef, sweet potatoes two
hundred bushels were found buried in gar
len, where family, pretending to be des
titute.- were receiving army rationsl. and
sHf-i coffee. the soldiers rude mecsm, make
not a bad dinner and are reli>hed spite OF
the fact that yesterday. ON the same ground
cr.'ckery and tin ware had scarcely been re-
moved from the rubber blanket which sufi
ces for both table and table CLOTH when
shell plunged through it into the ground. a
percussion she'll, too. only il d not happen
to 'percus Il u>e an army slang.
| An old artillery man once Explained to me the
distinction between shell and soldier The
one purchases, the other cu>ses'
! All lay yesterday wounded officer of New
! Hampshire regiment lay twenty yards
in font of General Marstnn's works. unable
10 crawl in. and the rebe. sharpshnoters would
nffer none 10 90 out for him. IIeha fallen th
.lav le.ure in the mornin assault. the line>
aS fnalv established, left him midway be
tween friend and enemy. One man haG been
severely wounded in attempting tn reach him
Hard bread was SHE'D OUT ta him in
in abundance, but dozen canteens were
thrown away before one lodged within his
grasp.
Finally night setting in, opens chance to
.et him off. zgzig is started from the
main works; men work with zeal and we'll
directed muscle, but n i>elrsSly, a thou gh
they We're original managing directors of Oft
in the Silly Night Three hours of such
work. and the wounled man is reached is
pulled into the trench; is carried trium
phanty back its tark'ng course. amd then is
1 Il. H.
cheers cause a yullev, hut the voley is harm
less, and the maa is saved. am chagrnei
that have been unable to ascertain this off
GERS name.
A .Fresncl Lens such as are placed in the
largest light houses. were fund buried near
a house in Wright's front last night. This
lens is manufactured only in Paris, and costs
from two to three thousand dollars. How it
came TO be in this VICINITY is IL mystery. Tue
m ,st probable hypothesis is that it is part
Of the plumber of some one of the
light houses which the rebels have despoil
ell. The faceti.,us explanation is that il
must have been sent bv some ignorant official
to Cold llarhor, he surprising that place IT,
be port of entry, and that it fell mo the
hands of some citizen of the locality The JOKE
is apparent when it is remembered iha
Cold IIarbor' is not harbor. and is Is miles
rom navigablc water. The lens has been
started 10 Washington in Quartermaster's
wagon.
The richest fad: however. is that of man
in the 9ih Corps. who 1 5ing for sweet pp
toes, found over 81, 900 in silver He very
generously divided it with his company. ami
that company has si'.re been matching
quarters and half dollars us though they were
pennies.
| stated in letter how Barlow's division
swept the ground before them on Friday morn
ing--h"w the enemv's reserve came up be
fore theirs did, and forced out of their grasp
position. prisoners, rebel guns and rebel flags:
and how they ut last intrenched in advance
of the line of night before. L.. those intrench-
mentS they have now hurrowed two davs-no
man standing erect save at his peri-all living
on bard bread and water, for it is impossible
in these narrow trenches to prepare meat and
and coffee. Naturally the time hangs a lit
tie heavily when, as sometimes happens.
nothing that may be shot at is seen for an
hour or two. During one of these intervals
this morning, one man conceived a brilliant
scheme. which. unfolded to his comrades, was
instantly adopted. Every man loads his
piece and paints it over the parapet through
one Of the many small portholes made bv
author of the plan begins to shout orders as
though commanding AT least brigade:
Colonel, connect yonr line wi h the 47th :
Give way 20 the right. Close ranks =
Right dress" Fix baynnets" Double
quickn' Cha a-rgc.' Instantly five hun
dred rise into plain sight behind the rebel
works. expecting tn see an advancing line.
Not so, but five hundred men from safe cover
fire u on them on the instant. The vollev.
which mnSt have inflicted nsiderahe loss. is
fnIIowed up with cheers and ieers. laughter,
md much chatting. a.. What do y think o
Yankee nicks?' That's The way John
Brown s soul marches oul' No use % bait
in yonr hooks when you re fishing for gud-
yenrs,'
The trick has been repeated several times
fur n, Il e day vi h enge'i nus variations.
always to crowded houses eliciting much ap-
applause from the performers"