Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1886-12-24

anxiously the tops of the distant line OF en-
eircIing hills, as if he expected to see there
signs OF the Confederates in strong force.
All tho rest initiated his example, and studied
the horizon solicitously. "And ! expect we
shall have plenty of iti' continued the
colonel
aNo doubt of that answered the major.
aThey say the Confedefates are filling Ken
lucky with troops, and going to fight for
every foot of the old dark and bloody ground.
think we will have to earn all we get of it u
"To-day's papers report" joined in Surgeon
Denslow, that Gen. Sherman says it will
take 2o0.@i0 troops to redeem Kentucky
Yes broke in the colonel testify and
the same papers agree in pronouncing Sher-
man crazy. But no matter how many or
how few it takes. That's none of our affair
We've got /, 100 good men in ranks, and we're
going to do all that 100 good men can do.
God Almighty and Abe Lincoln have got to
take care of the rest
1t will be seen that the colonel was d very
practical soldier.
For days the regiment marched steadily on
through the wonderfully lovely Blue Grass
region, toward the interior of the state, with
out coming into the neighborhood of any
organized body of the Confederates
The turnpike, hard and smooth as city
pavement, wound over and around romantic
hills-hills crowned with cedar and evergreen
| laurel, and Scared with cliffs and cayerns.
| II passed through forests, aromatic with rip
| enlng nuts and changing leaves, and glorious
| in the colors of early autumn. Then its course
would traverse farms of gracefully undlLat-
| ing acres, bounded by substantial stone walls,
marked by winding streams of pure spring
water, centering around great roomy houses,
| with huge outside chimneys and broad
| piazzas, and with train of humble negro
| cabins in the rear The horses were proud
| stepping thoroughhreds, the women comely
and spirited, tine men disnfied and athletic,
| and all seemed well fed and comfortable The
names of the places along the route recalled
| TO Harrys memory all he had ever read of
| the desperate battles and massacres and single
| handed encounters of Daniel Boone and his
| associates with the Indians in the early his
| tory of the country.
At last the regiment halted under the grand
| old beeches and hickoiies of the famous
| Camp Dick Robinson, iii the heart of the
| Blue Grass region. In this most picturesque
| part of the lovely Kentucky River valley
| they spent the bright days of October very
| delightfully."-.
Nature is as kindly and gracious in central
Kentucky is in any part of tho globe upon
winch her sun shines, and she seemed to I've
on her best behavior, that she might duly
impress the northern visitors
1t was the very poetry of soldering, and
! Al
n camp of instruction, and to believe that
there was much to be enjoyed, even in the
| life Of an enlisted man.
| There was enough excitement in camp to
| prevent any danger of ennui The proba-
| bllity Of battle gave the daily drills an in
| terest that they never could gain in Ohio The
| native COnfederates were numerous and de-
| tiant, and kept up such demonstrations as led
| to continual apprehensions of an attack New
regiments came in constantly, and were re-
| ceived with enthusiasm Kentucky and East
| Tennessee loyalists, tall, gaunt, long haired
| and quaint spoken, but burning with enthu-
| siasm for the government of their fathers,
Hooked to the camp. dOlfcd their butternut
| sarb, assumed the blue, and enrolled them
| selves to defend the Union.
fetlcrate Army OF Liberation WIS really
about crossing the Cumberland mountains to
| drive out the ankees7 and recover posses
sion of Kentucky for the southern Con
| fcdeFacy,
Ontposts were thrown out in all directions
| to gain the earliest intelligence of the progress
of the movement, and to make such resist
ance to it as might be possible One of these
| outDoStS was stationed at Wildcat Gap. an in
| eypressibly wild and deSolate region. sixty
miles from Camp Dick Robinson. where the
| road entering Kentucky from Tennessee at
| Cumberland gap crosses the Wildcat range of
mountains
| One day the startling news reached camp
| that an overwhelming Confederate force
under Gen Zolicoffer was on the eve of at
| lacking the slender garrison of Wildcat gap.
| The assembly was sounded and the regi-
ment hastily provided with rations and am
munition, was hurried forward to aid In the
defense Of the threatened outpost
Nature, us if in sympathy with the gather
| ing storm of war, ceased her smiling. The
blue, bending skies were transformed into a
| Scowling, leaden-visaged canopy, from which
fell a chill, incessant rain.
W nen the order TO prepare for the march
came Glen. following the example of his
comrades, packed three days cooked rations
in his havcrsack, made his blankets into a
roll tying their ends together, threw them
| scarf fashion over his shoulder and took his
accustomed place as file closer in the rear of
his company He was conscious all the time,
though he suffered no outward sign to betray
the fact, that he was closely watched by the
| boys who had been with him in western Vir-
| glnia, and who were eager to see how be
would demean himself in this new emer-
| gency.
He was shortly ordered to assist in the in
spection of cartridge boxes and the issuing of
cartridges, and the grim nature of the errand
they We're about to start on duly impressed
itself upon his mind Us he walked down the
lines in the melancholy rain, examined each
box and gave the owner the quantity of
cartridges required to make up the quota of
forty rounds per man
| Those who scrutinized his face US he passed
| slowly by saw underneath the dripping caves
| of his broad brimmed hat firm set lines about
his mouth and e little more luminous light in
his eyes.
Harry Glen's screwing his courage to the
sticking Point. He's bound to go through
this time, said Kent Edwards.