The Washington critic., 1885-09-26
A PRESENTIMENT.

MHtI, Ulillu lHc TOtI vi DulJlC, Jlc COu-
federacy was doomed to give up the
ghost. We were discussing the matter
by our campfire, four of us, while all
the others slept, few nights before
Sheridan marched out from the Fed
eral lines with the tired army corps
that were to stand in the path of Lee
and his heroic army and hurl IL bach
again and again. and finally to inclosc
it as in wise, until nothing was left
but surrender.
"Well, boys" said John Calvert, the
captain of our company, "the sooner 1t
is over the better; we are all tired of it.
There is no glory to be gained fighting
our own flesh and blood"
Nov, if 'twere the British we were
in front Of" exclaimed Maurice
O'Bricn of Harlem (ours was New
York rcgimcnN, "it would be real
the fightin, faith, the more exquisite
the pleasure"
"Mein Gott yes" said Otto Strause;
"or If IL was the French"
"Can any of you gentlemen inform
me where Charles i. Bassett Is to be
found?" asked II tall, military locking
man with II soft, pleasant voice, but
withal like one accustomed to com
mand.
81 am Charles Bassett," cried the
youngest of our group, as he sprang to
his feet with bound, feeling almost
instinctively that something of import
ance was about to take place.
"You are, Ell? Then come along
with me. General Ord wants to speak
with you"
Charley Bassett did not come back,
and, wondering what Colonel Smith
had done with him, we wrapped our
selves in our blankets, placed our feet
to the campfire, and one by one went
off to sleep, to dream, perchance, as we
often did, of our far.olf homes in the
North and the sweet girls we had left
behind us.
Come, boys" whispered voice in
our ears before thought we had been
well asleep, "get your arms and ac-
coutrements, and make no noise; fall
in-fall in-the regiment is to march in
! five minutes -
Sure enough, most of the companies
had been already formed as noiselessly
as possible, and in few moments we
were moving to the right with the
colonel at our head.
In the confusion had not remarked
if Charley Bassett had come back, but
on looking around | observed his
handsome facc-indeed, | might say
| his beautiful face without impropriety
of language. lie looked iaded, and |
| fancied somewhat scared this morning,
but all the same his eyes were brighter,
and his lips rcdder, and his teeth winter
than | had ever seen them before.
| may mention that when Charley
was drafted, in 1868, so girlish did he
look that the boys called him Miss Bas-
sett in fun, but changed their tune
when Charley licked the bully of the
company in a square standup fight one
morning before breakfast, and changed
decidedly when at Stony Creek he un-
horsed and captured Confederate
colonel. Indeed, Charley was down
| for the next vacant commission in the
127th New York.
1t was a lovely spring morning
toward the end of March, and in the
State of Virginia the buds were burst
ing into leaf The sun, too, had risen,
and the birds were singing in the trees.
After marching two or three miles we
entered the forest. and learned for the
first time we were detail led to attack n
small redoubt the enemy was erecting
on its other edge, too near our flank to
be either safe or comfortable.
at is more accommodating cXpedi-
tion than an attacking party we are
on, +" said Captain CalvGst "If the re-
doubt is really there, and if it prove
too strong, we shall halt and send for
a battery of artillery"
"Ned," whispered Maurice O'Brien
to me, Charley Bassett doesn't seem
to be very well, Appears to me he's
down in the mouth, an you're the boy
can talk him into good humor. Here,
take my place; he belongs to my sec
ton Of fours.,
did so. and was soon chattering
away to Charley, telling him the cruel
wars were about to be over and he
would soon go back to Harlem with II
sabre by his side and helmet on his
brow to kill all the good-looiling girls
in his district
"Tell me-" said Charley, and his
voice quivered, "did you ever have a
presentiment2 Don't soldiers generally
receive warning when they are about
to be killedY'
Why, Charley, my lad, what's the
matterY"
''Why, soldiers, why
Should We be melancholy, boys,
Whose business It's to dieY
Why, soldiers, whyr
"Well, this morning, before | was
awakened, dreamed that | was just
passing through such place as we arc
now traversing. The stream we are
now crossing, the stepping stones, that
clump of scrub yonder, all We're before
my eyes as plain as ! see them now.
. The vision would be complete if two
white horses broke out from yondeI
elbow of bush and galloped across the
plain"
"Pshaw, man you are dreaming
now. What"
Hardly were the words out of my
mouth when sharp report of n rifle
was heard on the right, and imme
diately after two white horses broke
from the spot Charley indicated ant
gNlloped like mad things over the greer
sward
Come, boys; come boys; clos,
up. Fours right, double; fix bayonets
Charge
The fact is, we had come right OF
top of the redoubt before we knew
where we WERE and in Il moment wert
in the midst of II bloody struggle fo
possession. Three times we were re
pulsed and beaten back, and thrc
times did we return to the charge
resolved not to be refused, We wcr
all veterans of late and become some
what accustomed to victory.
Come, boys" said Colonel s.
II have found the sally port. Here
Charley Bassctt; here, Maurice o 'Brien