The National tribune., 1883-12-20

not send you any,, said the general.
EYES," said Alice. "You said give your
COM, COM something to mamma, and
SO gave her the sugar.
There was laugh at this, and then the gen.
eral said he thought the lady need fear no
intrusion during the night; but, as to her hus-
bands safety, he could say nothing; if he had
escaped to Port Hudson, he would seem to he
safe for the present, but she must know thatin
war everything was uncertain.
But | can appreciate your distress, Madam"
he continued, and if can be of any service,
let me know"
Don't let them touch JEFF nor Dot" said
Alice, now quite at ease with the great man.
" JEFF can't walk, and Dot is my own pony
JEFF was papa's horse, and l was trying to give
him some water when you all came up the
road.'
"a horse that cannot walk, and pony that
is fit for you could hardly add much to our
military strength" replied the general, with a
smile No one shall trouble them; and now,
gentlemen, we will say goodnight to Mrs
Henshaw." The three officers withdrew and
the mother and child went up to their bed
room.
From their windows they looked down on a
picturesque sight. Darkness had come over
the whole land, but the camp-fres throw into
strong light the groups of men surrounding
them. Most of the soldiers were lying at full
length with heads propped on knapsacks, sleep
ing as soundly as if war and all its horrors were
things unknown. In front of their house the
general and his staff sat around a blazing fire,
and to him mounted orderiies now and then
reported, dismounting from their horses as they
did so standing respectfully, awaiting their
dismissal. The sentinels moving slowly up
and down on their posts, were one moment
conspicuous in the bright light of the fires, and
then again vanished into the gloom ofthe night.
There was no noise whatever from any part of
4I,af 10 o n
line that insured peace to itself and danger to
its enemy.
There was something reassuring in this
quiet aud order, and the mother placed her
child upon the bed, and herself sat down in
great armchair. The child was asleep in an
| instant, and the lady dozed,-s knew not how
/ long, nor what awakened her--but as she woke
she heard enc or two distant musket-shots and
| in moment clatter as If a dozen men had
discharged their pieces at once.
Instantly, from every regiment in the
! line came the sound OF drums beating the
| long roll, while Immediately under her win
| dows the bugles of the artillery, with
blasts that seemed to shout defiance to
all the world, reused the men of the bat
tory. As she looked, a horseman dashed into
the presence of the general, who at the first
! alarm had come out of his tent on TO the lawn
The enemy are in force" she heard him say.
We at first thought it was nothing but a
scouting party, but they drove in our pickets,
and as they fell back on our line the enemy
| followed. They are infantry and cavalry, and
| ! think they have artillery with them" While
| he spoke, the scattering fire at the far front
| settled down into regular patter of musketry,
| and he had hardly finished before distant
! cannon report was instantly followed by the
screech of the shot as it few not far over the
| house. And then, with great trampling of
| hoofs and clinking of sabers, the regiment of
4fo4 io1 ord
came galioping down the road and entered into
the line of the main army. The time was
| early dawn and each instant it was possible to
see farther and farther about the place.
Tell the colonies of regiments to throw out
| strong skirnIish lines" said the general, adj
dressing his staff officers, who instantly gall
| Hoped away with the orders. Captain Allenn-
to the artillery captain who stood near him,
"go into battery where you are and prepare
to hold this flank"
Very good, SIR said the captain. Sound
| In battery said he, to bugler who followed
him. In obedience, as it appeared, to a few
notes from the bugle, there was a moment of
what might seem to an ignorant observer in
extricabie confusion in the battery. The SIX
horse teams seemed to be moving in a helter-
SHELTER tangle, but it resulted speedily in
the formation of three distinct lines. The
| foremost was the line of six guns facing the
enemy. Behind this was the line Of limbers,
and in rear Of them the line of caissons, all
having their teams facing to the front.
Load with canister!" shouted the cap
tain. There was swift running of men be-
tween the limbers and the pieces, and great
ramniDg at the muZzle of the guns Then the
men stepped lightly to each side Of the can
mons, one of their number inserted primer in
the vent Of the piece, and stepped off to the
len, holding the lanyard: the battery was
loaded
AZ tbasa ,,royorot ;o,,r went ~, rrdar tba
eyes of Mrs. Henshaw they filled her with
horror and dismay. 1t was evident that both
she and her child were actually on battlefield
i from which they could hardly hope to escape
uninjured. Her own husband was III the at
lacking force, and thus her whole family ap-
peared to be involved in the very midst of
death. As she thought of thisa renewed firing
at the front showed that the new skir-
mish line was engaged, and more than one
rife-ball whiZZed along past the house. The
lady, however, had no time to form any plan
for escape before one of thestaf officers who had
called with the general the evening before
rushed into the house. and finding her stand
ing, with Alice, at the window, told her the gen
eral had desired him TO take her from there to
a place of safety, and that in the event of a
battle the house would be used for hospital,
and that it was a place greatly exposed at that
moment. Alice, hearing all this, commenced a
dismal crying, but checked herself for very
alarm, Tor, al that instant, with roar like
dozon thunder storms, the battery by the
| house opened It's FIRE and thick white cloud of
smoke surrounded the building and drove in
at the windows and doors. Hurried along by
the officer, the mother and child reached the
veranda. The appalling conclusions of the ar
tillery seemed to Alice sufficient TO throw her
from erfeet, and then she heard great crash, a
laundering explosion in the house, and some of
the front windows fell outwards, jingling down
in shattered splinter5. 1t is shell from the
Cotton said the oficer-thc Cotton" being a
rebel gunboat, which operated with their troops.
For heayen'ssak what shall ] do with them ~
said the officer: and, indeed, unless they ran to
the rear on foot there did seem no way OF
escape. While they hesitated in the thunder
and smoke and confusion, they caught the
sound of the artillery buglc waiIing above the
din. 1t was an order to cease firing. The smoke
lifted. another sound from the bugle. and
the cannoneers rapidly turned the trails of
the pieces TO the front, the limbers moved
forward, the guns were linbered up, the men
Bprang to their seats, and the whole battery
dashed forward at gallop Alice had never
heard such arumbling of wheels such rafting
Of chains, and certainly had never seen such a
piece of mad reckless riding ia her little life.
There was ditch In front of the battery as it
moved forward, and, to the ehilds amazement,
the teams went at it with rush, leaped,
scrambled and dragged, got through it some
how, with the guns and caissons after them,
and disappeared in the midst of great cheering
from the infantry, who would have had fight
every day, If possible, for the sake of seeing