Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-11-23
A WAR YARN.
Clearing Out From ChickasaW-Eyery
Man His Own Circus.

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time to think much about what was
going on at ''the front. About z in
the evening clerk came up and said
the troops were In full retreat to the
river. Squills didn't believe it, because
he thought Gen. Sherman would GER
tainly take care of his faithful COM
missary and request him to retreat too.
In about half an -FOUR the same anxi-
GUS clerk came up again, and this time
he said, dolefully: Captain, they're
all gone"
1t dawned upon the mind of Capt.
Squills, G. s., that Gen. Sherman was
laying commissary ON the altar of his
country as a sacrifice to the gods.
Squills didn't care much for the gods
he didn't banker after Libby-and so
he vanlted to the summit of his warlike
steed, and in another minute was gal
Looping over the fields to Gen. Sherman's
quarters, to ask William Tecumseh how
he thought it was himself
1t was beautiful Southern winters
night and the camp fires blazed allover
the ground in front of the open fats
which lay between-what had been the
Union lines, and the first bluffsof Wal
nut Hills. Fires everywhere but no
troopsl A soldier here and there piling
on brush and half adozen army wagons
scrapjng together the fag ends of regi-
mental equipage, and that was all.
Squills didn't half like the look of
things.
In a corner of Mrs. Lakes planta-
ton Gen. Sherman sat on a camp-stool
Ey the edge or a ditch, and with back
ground of trees. As Squills dismount-
ed Hammond said, You'll find the
general out there somewhere" and
Squills found him with his head well
down in his hands and his elbows rest
ing on his knees. Gen. Sherman was
keeping up good steady thinking.
He didn't know Squills half so well as
he did afterwards, and he looked as if
he didn't want to know anybody very
much Just about that time.
well, what do you want -
Come for orders about the stores,
General
What stores 2"
"COmmissary."
sect detail of wagons
mo wagons here, General
All the spare mules and horses had
been engaged that day in hauling out
heavy seige guns to deceive the confed-
crates into the belief that he had come
there to stay, and the General looked
down into the little ditch for inspira-
ton.
''Shan destroy them?"
"No!'' almost fercely. No! don't
burn them they will know that we are
leaving Throw them into the bayou.
Find deep water, Squills, and be
quick
Then the soul of Squills was stirred
within him, and he made his way back
to find deep water. In less than no
time Gen. Morgan's (of Ohio body
guard were detailed to pitch the stores
into the bayou. and Squills couldn' t
help thinking that throwing thousands
of dollars into deep ditch was about
the deepest water. figuratively speak
ing, he had ever padded in.
His faithful body guard of clerks
pitched in too. Everybody pitched in,
and Squills looked on almost with tears
in his eyes.
| Hold on, boys; I'll be condemned if
l don't try and save these stores"
| SquiIls didn't know 50 much about
courts-martial for disobedience of or
ders as he did afterwards.
Take a drink, boys, and 90 back to
your quarters this to Morgan body
guard and boys, let's make for the
river"-this last to his own fellows.
One clerk mounted one horse with
the cook pots, and Squills took another
clerk up behind him with the balance
of the mess outfit in a coffee sack. Per
haps there was Il stove-Squills don't
exactly remember; but he thinks there
was a wash-tub. There were four miles
between them and the river, and thu
horses were fresh. Every stride they
made the pots and pans ratified unit
the horses wondered what the deuce
they had got outside. They had neve
run away from the enemy before an(
carried a kitchen. Squills' passenger
to make the old thing work properly
hung over ON one side so as to balanc
the coffee-sack, and Squills had AN ell
egant time of it, pulling at the fright
ened horse with one hand while he hel,
| on to the faithful clerk with the other
The faster the horse ran, the louder
, the internal kettles and pots rattle,
about their TANKS, and it was Just a
good as a circus to anybody looking on
but Squills was every now and thel
, looking a good deal more off than OF
and besides this, he was busy and didn'
pine after circus, especially when b
, was doing most of the heavy circus bus
e | mess himself.
0 The Yazoo at last! Black and blu
a were Squills and his clerk, and sweat
f ing as bad as the horses who had bee
e running away about half this time.
On board the Continental, Squil
found Gems. Steele and Blair and b
told to them his sorrows about the por
and things.
go back, Squills, said Steele, in h
f thin, cracked treble tones-"Go bacl
a Capt. Squills and save that pork, an
V take half of the Seventy sixth OH
with you"
|, Go back, Squills, cried Blair, pull
If ing his moustache longer by half a
: inch or so-"Go back and take in tn;
; bareback out of the wet If you g
: to Libby, 1 will write to Mrs. Squills.
~ Squills almost dropped two tears ;
:, this evidence of friendship and then
! took little weak, cold tea out of Il
IS canteen, and then he started down Il
le gangplank to find half the 10Th Oh
l. all ready, but not at all willing.
10 The first thing Squills did when |