The National tribune., 1886-05-06
CORPORAL 81 kLEGG.
Some Observations and Happenings
After the Battle.
BY w. F. HINMAN, 65TH OHIO.
ICoPYEIGHT, 1885,.
No. XVIII.

it was whitened by a frost so heavy that it
seemed almost if snow had fallen.
Those who had met instant death upon that
bloody field were more fortunate than some of
their comrades who, desperately wounded, were
left far cut between the hostile lines beyond
the reach of succor The biting frost supple
mented the dreadful havoc of bullet and she'll
Lying there. under the stars, mangled, bleed
ing and helpless, the fickering spark of life
went out in agony.
After the fighting of the day had ceased the
commander of each army gathered his shat
tered battalions and established his lines for
the night, in readiness to meet any emergency.
The members Of the 200th Indiana-they had
fairly earned the right to be called soldiers now
were ordered to lie upon their arms. No fires
were permitted. Hardtack and raw bacon,
without coffee comprised their evening refresh
ment.
Like all the rest, 81 Klegg and Shorty were
greatly faiigued after the exertions and the
intense excitement Of the day. In the heat of
battle they had no thought of WEAKNESS, but
after the fight was done, when mind and heart
and body were relieved from the strain, there
followed such feeling of exhaustion as they
had never experienced before.
They lay down upon the hard, cold earth,
between their blankets, and tried to sleep, but
could not. The appalling events of the day
were before their eyes in all their awful vivid
ness. The hours since morning had flown as IT
they were but minutes Amidst such scenes
the senses take no note of time. And yet,
looking back to the morning, it seemed an age.
Occurrences of the previous day were but
dimly remembered as if they belonged to the
half-forgotteu past.
shorty" said 81, as they lay shivering with
the cold, wonder f killed anybody to-day !
tried TO. jest my level best-ye know that
when was in the fight, but now it S all over
] don't like ter think bout it"
.sThnD1 raSL<jlS tried hard 'n0uuD ter Kill Won
n me- ST. said Shorty, an they come purity
nigh doin' it, too How's yer head? ?"
S'Its a little bit sore. but that don't amount
to nothin-only scratch. 1t II be all right
n a day or two. But l tell w." continued ST,
taking up the thread of his thoughts "tightin'
s mighty tough business. / aint much Of a
philosopher, but don't b'lieve all this murderin'
IN manglin s right. If | sh'd kill man up
in Injianny I'd git hung fer it, n it d sarve
me right When We git down ter hard-pan /
can't quite see why faint jest IS cruel n wicked
to put bullet through mans head or shoot
of his leg in Tennessee as It's n Injianny."
'Ye ar a good, brave boy said Shorty, IN
yer gizzard s chuck fYll O. sand, but We want
ter git over them squeamsh notions. Them
fellers begun this row, n we've got ter fight
'em till they qu,S Yer ideeS S right 'nough,
but We can't make 'em fit war times. Yell
have ter hold em awhile; they'll keep"
= s'pose that's so, Shorty. Course ] amt
IN let a reb shoot me down N my tracks f l
kin help it. The Guvyment S got ter be de-
Tended but tell We its mighty rough on them
as has ter do the defendin'. | understand how
that is, be- can git it out o, my head that
there's su.i1.n' out o jint somewiiefe when peo-
pie t pcrtends to be civilized, n some OF 'em
thinks they's Christians, gifts up such shootin'
match S we had to-day, when everybody s
blowin' mems brains out N punchin' bay nets
inter their bodies l know when We git a war
on yer hands ye'ye got ter fight it out, N
somebody I'll have ter git hurt, bat seems ter
me there ortn't ter be any war, 'cept 'mong
dogs 'n' tigers, m heathens. My notion is that
there wouldn't be none, nuther, f the men u
got it up vas the ones that had ter do all the
niarchin' n fightin'. If they did screw up
their courage to try it, one day like to day
would cure 'em, Pm thinkin''
II b'Iieve We, ST." replied Shorty, but, s l
said yeve got ter git over bein' so chicken
hearted l amt afeard We won. stan up ter the
rack fodder or no fodder, after Seein how We be-
haved yerselfto day, butyell feel better jes. ter
go IN on yer nerve n do 'em all the damage ye
kin. Tkat's what ye re here fer. If We d been
bumped around in the world like me yed we
had the sen nterment all knocked out O. We same's
have. Fact is, | couldn't hardly tell We what
listed fer. cause | don't know myself Ispose
almost every man IS got some O. what they
calls patritism, but I'm more n half thinkin' It
when they distributed it round l didn't git
quite my sheer on it; an it haint growed any
sence I've bin solgerin', nuther. l reck'n
ye've got more on it, 81, n have. / can't see
e it ma';cs diff O. difference ter me- indivijly
whether this country S cut in two or not But
I'm in fer t, N I'm goin ter keep peggin away
ali the same IS if 1 was IS full o. patritism s
them red hot speechifiers up North that goes
around sloppin over-but they re mighty keer-
ful not 10 jine the army themselves. Pm goin'
ter try n keep up my eend o the bargain, N
arm my thirteen dollars mouth. There's Jest
one more thing / want ter say, 81. If either
on US has got to git killed. hope 'twont be
you, cause you've got lots @ friends t d feel
bad. j aint O. very much account noway, N
] don't b'lieve any tears d leak over mel"
1t was singular mpanionsbip-that of ST
and Shorty. Their dispositions and character
istics were so different, but they had been
drawn together and held in an ever-tighten-
ing clasp that nothing except fatal bullet
could sever. 1t can be no more easily ex-
planned than many of the nuptial puzzles that
in every community prove so exhausting to the
gossipers whose social function is TO dissect all
such matters.
Shorty. as we have seen from his converse
tion with his "pard," was type of the volun-
teer soldier that was found in every company
All his life he had been buffeted about on
tempestuous sea. A "pilgrim and stranger"
he had few ties Of kinship. His intercourse
with the world had not tended to the growth
and development of the finer Sensibiities of
human nature. His heart had not known that
glowing heat of patriotic ardOr that was the
impelling force of SO many who shOuldered
musket bucl1led sword. He had enlisted
influenced perhaps in some degree by a vague
and impal lpable sense Of duty, but, as be has
told US, hardly knowing why he did so. He
checrcd the flag when the others did, very
much As though that were part Of his duty as
soldier. Ard yet, notwithstanding all this,
there was no man In the ranks of the 200th
Indiana who would prove more patient and
faithful and brave than Shorty
Sis state of mind at this time was a natural
condition 1t did not indicate any weakening
of his patriotic resolution to do his duty under
any and all circumstances. 1t was the ineyita-
bic reaction after the intense strain of the day
uIon his mental and physical resources. 1t
Seemed 10 him. as it did to thousands and hun
dreds Of thousands of others, that war, in the
abstract, was monstrOusly cruel and barbarOus,
ana 70 reconcile II with the teachings of his
boyh0od was no easy task Many others found
the same trouble with this question that he
did.
After lying for an hour ST and Shorty arose
and moved about 10 warm by exercise their
bcnu!nbed and stiffened limbs. They walked
out q short distance 20 the front, where the
watchinl pickets were keeping their vigils
SIS attention was arrested by a sound that
came from beyond the line.
Hark!" he exclaimed, dye hear that,
Shorty2"
They listened, and there came to their ears
Q low moan Of pain. Sis tender sympathies
We're instantly aroused.
Shorty" said he "let's see if we can't helm