The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1879-03-13
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The boys uted to sAy that you o0all
not understand q mao until you hkf
tented with bin Al lbe front, sad tben'
wss considerable weigh, 70 lbe saying. A
eomrade might be kBown a. Jolly, good
beartsd fellow a. home, bot bic Shol'
nAue would change "a week wher
you bad bin where The real manhood and
worth Of man came to The surface, oi
where misersbly mean spirit took The
place ot Il Aud disgosted you with BIN.
A oomrade who shared bis last cracker
performed his fall share Of camp and
leId work, stood by you in sickness and
divided clothing with you 10 health
such mAn wAs more TO you than ell lhe
brothers At home, and II be lived TO come
out Of the war has not been forgotten.
The srmy is tie place where a man can
be meauer than dirt and ugllsr than i
wolf, sui yet retain bis pace Ia the raoks
or he can be white mau all throngh aud
receive no reward except the gratitude
Of he tent mate.
Now, / never saw meaner private
solder Or more sulky aud morose tent
mate than lack gave me in the winter Ct
Is64-5. lie came down TO US 10 The fall
recruit, having enlisted for the big
bounty, aud at that time the old vets who
/ had faced shot aud shell for several years
had al edgewise feeling against these
/ fresh fish, who bad pocketed five or six
/ hundred dollars and came down TO spend
the winter ia warm hut Some OF the
recruits realized this, and by their good
mature and pleasant ways soon banished
the feeling so far as they we're concerned.
Others were nettled aud Indignant, and
were not lncIsed that the old vets should
get relieved OF one single camp duty be-
cause Q the new men.
Fate &C luck sent me Jim Shanks AS a
tent mate. lie was Jim some one else,
but the nickname was very appropriate.
IIe was dog yed aud suIIen IRON the first,
and we had III known each other two
hours before va had quarrel. Next day
we fought again, aud after that we did
not exchange word for four weeks.
When | saw bow mean be was, and
found that kind words. kind wishes and
friendly interest wonId not touch him,
let him alone as far as could, aud con.
tented myself with knowing that every
member OF Company T. hated him as
much rs | did.
Que night band of twenty-five men
moved out OF our camp Tor scout across
the Lnudon Valley, then held by Mosby /,
and luck placed jim Shsnks alongside OF
me. lie was selected by accident, it be.
ing the intention to take a better man,
but he was there just the same, silent,
sullen, and ready TO elbow or bayonet
anyone who accidentally brushed him.
That night as we Gled alopg the muddy
highway, speaking only 10 whispers,
saw jim in front OF me and whispered
to myself:
Jim Shanks, it you don't get killed
down here you'll be hung for murder be.
fore you are oat of the army year.
Just in the gray of the morning, and
when within mile OF Union Town, Jim
Shanks and myself were sent forward to
reconRoiter. would sooner have gene
alone, and ten times sooner had the COM
pany OF anyone else, but luck decided it..
We said not word. | watched Jim
and saw that he was as cool as an old
soldier. lie knew as well as | did that
we were advancing on Mosby's head.
quarters, but he stepped out boldly aud
with no change in his demesnor.
When we had nearly reached the
church standing on the hill above the
town and facing the road leading away
to Leesburg, | halted, knowing that q
/ picket.post must be near. had not ex-
changed word with Jim for days, but
now | whispered TO him that we must
proceed with caution.
I II yon are tired, sit down in the mud,
he growled, striding along, and after a
minute followed him, both Of us walk
ing on the side of the highway. knew
/ be would soon strike the picket, but il
was TO either follow Jim or turn back.
Suddenly aud without a word, five or SIX
men rose up In our path. had barely
discerned them when one seized my
carbine aud another tripped me down
while third growled out:
| II you make any fuss you'll geta bullet
mighty quick.
I didn't propose TO make amy fuss, bul
Jim Shanks did. The two men who grab
bed at him were brushed off like flies
and whirling bis earbiue aronDd bis head
he cleared path for himself and was los
10 the darkness. More than dozen shot
were fred after him, aud being intercept
ed on bis retreat down the road be made
for The church on the hill. Before h'
reached ii there were a score Of enemies
about him, and the reports OF The carbine'
sounded more like 3 brisk skirmish thar
a conflict with single soldier, and Ars~
recruit At that. ! think be meant TO ge
into the church, though be could not hsv'
told whether it was church or othel
'lbuilding in The darkness. Failing TO ge
/ 10, be lound a retreat under The from
steps, and in the darkness the confeder
Ates believed that I've had escaped al
together. They however threw line 0
yideus across roads and fieids, and
would pot have been possible for Jim &
regain the road BY which be had come.
Had The rect Of The command moves
up on bearing the row, there might hsy
been q show TO release both OF ns, bu