The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1886-04-22
CORPORAL 81 kLEGG,
He Has Chance to Show What Stuff
He Is Made OF.
BIZ ". r. HTSMAN, 9th OHIO.
lCoPYRIGHT, 1885,.
No. XVI.

The veteran soldiers had already learned to
give themselves over to rest and sleep under
sny and all circumstances whenever oppor-
tunity was offered, with little thought for the
morrow. Few of the new troops, on the eve of
such momentoGs struggle, amid the excite
ment of the hour, were able 10 calm their
thoughts TO such degree that slumber came
to their eyeiids.
Under orders to be ready to spring to their
feet in an instant, the men had thrown them
selves down without removing their shoes, or
even unclasping their cartridge-belts. Each
had his musket beside him, and lay with ears
strained to catch the slightest sound of alarm.
The night was cold. There was keen and
nipping air, and covering of white frost grad
ually spread itself over the blankets as the
men lay upon the ground, with nothing be-
tween them and the stars above that winked
responsive 20 their wakeiul eyes,
Shorty would probably have slept fairly well
tf his pard had permitted him to do SO. But
81 fidgeted and shivered with the cold, turned
from side to side, and kept pulling off the
Blanket from his doing comrade.
"Hish ye'd lie still m let Teller sleep!"
growled Shorty. "YelI have 'norgh to do
termorrer m ye better keep quiet while yeve
go. a chance!"
I'D like ter do it, pard ;" said 81, "jest ter
'commodate We, but I'm thinkin' bout the fight
were going to have; m bout mother m sis
ter Marier: N - N "A the rest O. the
folks. jest can't help it, Shortly"
"Aint weakenin'. ar We, Sir"
met By jug full. 1 amt goin' ter do any
braggin', bat 1 tell ye III jest die n my tracks
fore I'll show the white feather. That shell
bustin' under the rails to-day would ha'
skeered old Gin'ral Jackson hisself for mint,
but We know it didn't take US long ter git over
it. I'm gittin myself braced up big fer what's
comm"
"Wail, said Shorty. you jest keep on bracin'
yeTself up while git mother little cat nap"
Shorty dropped off into another doze while
81 lay with his eyes wide open, looking up at
the stars and wondering how he Woud act
when he got into the battle. He knew his in
tentions were good, only so he did not lose con-
troll of himself. Hitherto he had never i'm
agined bullet was going to hit him, but now
that he was brought face TO face with the awful
reality, he could not help wondering if he
would be killed or wounded and then how
bad his mother and Annabel would feel. He
thought, too, of Shorty, and wondered if he
would get through all right. He would almost
as soon be hit himself as TO lose Shorty. Then
81 thought over eli his past life and hoped he
hadn't been very wicked. He ran over in his
mind some of the scripture verses he had
learned in Sunday School when lad, and even
repeated the Now l lay me" to himself just
TO see if he had forgotten it. He prom ised
himself that if he got out of this fight he
would never crawl under the Suffers tent
again, nor steal anything from the C0ioneIS
mess-chest, nor play chuck-a-luck, nor swear.
As 70 the last he could not avoid mental reser-
walton, in case he was detailed again to Drive
mule team.
As 81 lay thinking o.er all these things the
crack of q musket on the picket-line rang out
sharply in the clear night air.
'.D'ye hear that, Shorty?" he said, as he
nuGged him with his elbow.
81 and Shorty seized their guns and sprang
TO their feet. Whole battalions arose as if by
magic. and in moment were standing in
serried lines 1t was false alarm and after
time the soldiers lay down again TO wait for the
morn.
1t was weary night to 81. His thoughts
would have filled volume. He longed for
the day, although his feelings were not I'M
mingled with vague dread of what that
day must bring TO many, and perhaps to him.
He wanted the battle to come on, and yet he
would be glad when it was over.
Wake up, men, Fall in promptly"
Long before the dull, gray dawn of that De-
cembcr morning-the last day of the year 1862
the Orderly OF Company @, 200th Indiana,
passed quietly along the line, here and there
touching a PROSTATE form, and uttering these