The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-01

and threats OF punishment. You bombproof
towards how ache to publish your names
On one Of these Cold Harbor nights wanted
coffee. / prowled around. hunting for wood to
build q Are; found cornstaks. little pieces Of
wood. mere chips. and at last put my hands on
two muskets with bent barrels. Thinking their
stocks would DO good fuel. / carried my treas
ures TO a sheltered spot and started blaze with
the cornstalks and chips. At the proper time
laid tho stocks Of the two muskets on the fire.
and on top Of these l sat my coffee pot. was
soon Joined by two friends. who were as wake
full as l. They put their pots alongside of mine.
and we sat there talking Of the flank movement
that wo knew was soon TO DO made. My pot OF
coffee boils. / remove 1t, and sit stirring in
sugar and enjoying the smell OF the Rio The
sharp report Of n rife. instantly followed by tho
doubling up OF the Captains horse with grunt
and tho overturnlng OF my friends coffee pots.
Oaths. lamentably wicked oaths,from my friends
|. with foresight beyond my seventeen years,
firmly grasp my coffee pot and walk over to the
war horse. | saw hole In one side OF him on
the other felt the bullet Just under tho skin.
Understanding now perfectly that the muskets
had used for fuel wero loaded. and had been
discharged as soon as sufficiently heated. /.
with becoming modesty. retired to my summer
house under my cannon. Ny friends. the cof
feeless two came after me- and insisted that as
| was the cause Of their loss. should share my
coffee with them l acceded to this reasonable
view of tho case. We drank. and wckedly
laughed over the Captains rage on the morrow.
when he should find his favorite horse shot
clean through. swore drcadully at the rebel
sharpshooters when the injury to the horse was
discovered. Tho animal died. and then the
Captain swore. and we three coffee boilers re-
tired to the shade Of tho earthwork. and there
grinnod at each other and tho proiano soost.
And the air overhead was flied with tho he'll
racket OF the horrible protractod fratricdo Of
Cold Harbor
Constantly losing men in our oarthwork. shot
not in fair fight. but by sharpshootors. We all
began to loathc the place. One afternoon the
Captain ordered us to level down the cornhills
between MS and tho road. At once understand
ing that the flank movement was at hand. we
joyfully gathered up shovels and spades and
went at the distractions with u will. No. 3. an
Albany man, was at my side. | was bent over
shovolling. | Strengthened myself up. He bent
over to sink his shoyel-pitched forward in a
heap. dead and an artilleryman beyond him
clasped his stomach and howlcd death howl.
No. 3 was shot from temple TO temple. The ball
passed through his head and hit tho other man
in the stomach. fatally wounding him.
That evening the horses were brought up.
All the guns but mine. No. l. were taken of.
We sat and watched them disappear in tho
darkness; watched our officers disappear. and
freely expressed our opinion Of their many de-
merits and few cXcellonces. Soon long columns
Of infantry could be distinctly seen marching by.
Then all was quiet excepting the firing " the
uickots. We sat and listened Tor the expected
advance Of The rebels; but they did not come.
| An officer rode up 10 No. and asked who was
in command. Tho sergeant stepped forward
and received his orders. Turning to rs he
whispered. Timber 10 the rearw Silently tho
horses swung around. the gun was limbcred
| up, and with the caisson in the lead we pulled
out Of tho earthwork gently drove across the
cornleld. and struck into dusty road in the
! forest. Then ciambcring on to the caisson
lay down and slept. leaving Cold Harbor be-
hind me.
But not forever In my dreams 60 back to
the most protracted and deadly fighting that
| Anglo-Saxons have as yet done. The con
testants on both sides were Americans. On the
| Union side imbccle commanders ordered tho
best troops that ever marched 10 useless mas
sacrc. II their countrymen appreciated the
| homcidal crime at Cold Harbor. they would
| blow tho West Point Military Academy to
flinders with ntro-glycerine and put an end
forever in America to the ghnstly folly OF max.
ing soldiers with books War is the only edu.
Gator OF soldiers and discoverer OF commanders
! These are never made. They are found