Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-01-25

conclusion is very often the correcl
one, and attendant circumstances hell
to show the soldier whether his sid,
have got the advantage. If the ground
be strewn ~profusely with the rivaI
dead, if gun-carriages are lying about
dismounted ifwagons ofamunitiOn and
stores have been abandoned-above
all, if the enemy no longer return the
fire of the advancing force-then the
soldier knows hat his own army corps
at least has prevailed in one part of
the field. Perhaps, however, the bat
tie may be raging iercely in other
parts; and sometimes the sound of
cannOnading miles away may be heard
by the soldiers of a particular corps
for hours after they have performed
their own share of duty by carrying
everything before them.
When a corps have secured a posi-
ton which they have orders to hold.
the men stack their arms and proceed
to an active forage for provisions and
drink among the effects Of the enemy.
This never lasts long ifa corps has its
commissariat in good order, for when
soldiers have slaked their thirst and
eaten something, they are somewhat
inclined to lie down on their backs (;
besides, in modern warfare, parties are
Immediately told off with pickaxes and
spades to throw up earthworks. I'm
less the methods of warning should be
altered, the soldiers ofthe future will
all have shovels of some kind slung
about them; as it is, a good general
will entreneh a position with surpris-
ing speed, so that inless than an hour
after the enemy have forsaken a spot
the advancing corps will have brought
up its artillery, placed batteries into
position, and opened a lively cannon
ade to support the other corps. The
sooner this is done the better; for a
beaten army has been known to rally
and return en- masse TO reattack a posi-
ton which they had forsaken. This
may give rise to q flank movement of
the victorious forces, whose unengaged
wings, bearing up to the assistance of
the corps which has entFenched itself.
cuts the enemy's army in two and
drives whole regiments forward to be
made prisoners. If an ~entrenched
corps be not reattacked, its men may
generally conclude that the enemy are
being worsted all down the line and
numerous signs soon come up to CON
firm this. Aides e-camp scamper up
with good news and orders to stay
where you are;' the fire of musketry
ceases that Of cannon grows rarer and
is soon one-sided, till the mounted
officers, who are scanning the distance
through their telescopes, begin to re-
port that the enemy are in full retreat.
By this time the day is on the wane 4;
and in the evening air sky-rockets are
sent up to show what positions the
different corps of the victorious army
have taken up-happy, when those
pale, twinkling lights start up at points
which form a complete semi-circle or
triangle, thereby denoting that the
furthermost posts of the enemy have
been occupied. Now tents are pitched
and camp fires lit the regiments pa
raded by companies answer to muster
roll and while the wounded are being
cared for and the slain marked down,
while the horses are being picketed
and the soup is cooking in the big iron
pots, the soldiers talk with citation
over the days work, and rejoice Ia
to know that the telegraph wires have
already flashed home the news that
they have done their duty.