The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-11-22
A WAR STORY.
JOAQUIN Miller.

this year; not for twenty years past, l reckon
the old confederate soldier, who limped about
awkwardly, for he had a lot of lead to carry,
told me this story the other day in the Shenan-
doah. If it is untrue dull, blame him, not me;
| only give it as got it General "Jeb' Stuart
was hanging on the federal flank. His midnight
camp was pitched on the hillside Up the hill
little way lay farm house; two three hay
stacks hung upon the hillside. The WORKOUT
horses fed there and nodded their drow
sy heads in the hay All around on the
ground under the trees in the camp
the troopers lay-black men, white men,
brown men, men who were gray and
old; little lads, boys who had seen dozens
of battles and hardly yet as many years, mixed
aud motley lot ragged, wretched, hungry.
They lay on their bellies before the fire, MUNICH
ing roasted corn gnawing it off the cob greedily,
husking it, roasting it, rolling it in the ashes on
the GOALS singeing it in the blazing fire of old
Virginia fence rails. Now and then a shot rang
out in the clear, still night, away where the
pickets met too closely for peace, and now and
then better disposed men the picket lines, or
more favored and fortunate, met together and
reached each other their bayonets tobacco
and old ragged newspapers in a sort of exchange
of prisoners of war. The moon rode high and
white in the great blue sea above, and all the
stars of heaven looked down in pity and in
peace
Then song burst out, the black men were
singing louder, sweeter, with more pathos and
memories of home than the white men. 1t was
a sad, grotesGue, weird andunique picture. Sud
denly Stuart stood in the midst of the ragged
and uproarous lot
Discipline! Look here. Sergeant Zeb, want
discipline death. Discipline, l say. Do you
expect me to fight battles and win victories with
a bowling mob like this and the enemy right
here waiting to recall on us the moment give
them chance! Discipline l say Hang your
blacks and shoot your whites or have discipline"
Silence in second And the long lean men
and the sleeping lads pulled themselves together
and tried to look and act like soldiers while the
blacks, at the suggestion of their being hung up,
melted back from the fftful embers into the
night as if they were part of it. Then the
weary. bearded chief threw himself on q heap of
saddles at hand and forgot his sternness as he
looked about over the wretched group of poor
fellows gathered for a little rest under the oaks.
Boys, I'm hungry as wolf what have you
got to eat2"
A dozen men sprang up, half dozen young,
beardless troopers rushed forward, and from
out of the night, back under trees, there came
many black FORMS And each and every one,
black and white men, old men and little boys,
reached up and thrust into the chieftain's hands,
with generous alacrity an ear of roasted corn.
Some of these ears of corn had only few teeth
marks in them being almost entirely intact.
Others again were pretty well gnawed down to
the cob But they were all alike offered with
prompt generosity.
"Cornn and the confederate chief shook his
head with a grim and sckly smile, as he NUT
tered to himself: Corn! boiled corn, roasted
corn, raw corn, white corn, red corn, all kinds
of corn. No, no, boys, I'm hungry; but l can't
eat corn any more tonight" The men melted
back in respectful silence into broad circle.
And there, suddenly, somewhow in the center
of the circle, stood a child, little boy, who
had been aroused from his sleep the pile of
saddles in the commotion that attended the
chieftain's coming. And now, wide awake, with
a little toy flag in one hand, and red apple in
the other this little boy stood there in the midst
of these wild and ragged men. with cheeks as
rosy as the apple he held in his dimpled little
hand.
''Ifyer:hungry, mister Captain, General, here's
my red apple" and with this the little boy tod
died right up and stood almost between the
booted legs of the surprised soldier.
Sergeant Zeb where in all Jericho did this
child come from? Is it yours? / won't have
children around me here. 1 left my babies at
home can't you do the same?"
''Taint my poor little chickie, General Stu
art"
0Then take if to its mother Numbered the
chief
Its mother is dead, General"
ITO its father them
Its father is dead, too, General"
"DeadY
Dead Killed in the battle. Yesterday when
you led over that stone fence by the farm house
on the hill, sah" The confederate General bit
his lips. Then, muttering to himself as ne rose
up and turned half away: 'Killed at the farm
house where led. Some poor farmer defend
ing his home and little ones. l can't stand
this!
'Please sir Mister General won't you take my
red applet Papa growed it in his orchard. And
he buyed me that too" Here the child reached
its little flag, trying hard to make friends with
the seemingly hard man, who was turning away
as if to avoid it,
Sergeant zeb, where did that flag come from9"
Had it in its hand when l found it, sah it
won't give it up, sah says his father gave it to it
for the fourth of July sah."
"Foff of July" piped the little waif, waving
the little stars and stripes overhead there in the
midst of the dark and gathering circle of the
soldiers under the oaks. The General turned,
stopped and caught the child in his arms.
Keep your pretty little flag, and wave it when
and whre you like. You don't know the differ
ence. Here, Zeb, take of this little kid.
Boys, we killed his father by chance, yesterday.
Let us take of it. We can't do less; and
maybe it will bring US luck. What do you say,
boysl"
The wild shout that shook the leaves of the
oaks overhead startled the advocate for discip-
line and turning to Zeb as he strobe away into
the night for another part of his camp, he
shouted: SILENCE! and Zeb discipline! Dash
it, discipline or death, sayw and he was gone.
They gathered about the wild-eyed, rosy-faced
orphan, with its flag and red apple, and many
black and white and not overly clean hand
reached out to toy with and stroke the hair of
gold that hung heavy as eorn-slks in summer
time the lads shoulders
Il found it in the fence-corner," said Zeb, "all
a shiverin', and its daddy and its mamma dead
shot down by stray bullets when we stormed the
place"
Yes, and dar war a rabbit right aside up
him. said black face in the dark, over another
mans shoulder.
AN, golly, we kotched and eat der rabbit"
ehuckled another black man.
oval we'll keep the kid; keep 'em TIL the
cows come home" And with grunt of uni
versal approval from all, as they gradually
melted away old Zeb hoisted the little one high
up his colossal shoulders, and turned sud
denly to look and to listen, for there was a shot
down the hill and sudden sharn vnlleN of shot