Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-03-15
4 STRAY SHOT

blankets. clothes and commiSsary stores
all of which We were in sore need!
Those of us who had them rolled up our
ragged blankets; the bugles sounded
fall in" and we were on the march.
We learned presently that the FEEDER
ais were advancing by Cumberland Gap,
where We had about regiment of cav
airy ard battery of light artillery. L
was a splendid day: the ground was COW
cred with a fresh fall of snow that gliS-
tened in the cold sunshine, and melted
away here and there, showing patches
of warln-looking brown earth. The sky
was a soft pale blue overhead; and the
crisp little wind that blew in our faces
had lost the biting edge it had at dawn.
Our spirits rose as We fell into the IA
miliar regular swinging step, and there
was no struggling.
We had tramped steadily forward for
some time when We heard, all at once,
sharp firing of small-arms ahead, and
rapid work by the battery. 1t seemed
to be a short hot fight without the usual
skirmishing, and We were put at once
on doub!e-quick. But much to our
disappointment when we came to the
bit of open country where the firing had
seemed so brisk, save for the trampled
snow and one or two wounded men and
few dead horses, brOken-dOwn caiS-
son, a saber dropped here and there, or
blue or gray cap caught on a bush or
tossed on the ground, there was no evi%
dence that regiment of cavalry and a
battery of artillery had here met an en-
emy in hand-to-hand conflict. The Fed
eral troop, which proved to have been
a single regiment out on scout, had re-
tired beyond the Gap, and our own force
had followed in the direction of its form
er position.
We were grumbling loudly at having
come so far for nothing, when woman,
mounted on an old sOrrel horse and
wearing a blue homespun sunbonnet,
came gallOping down the road. She dis
mounted at a small dOuble-log cabin
near by. and walked rapidly over to the
spot where we were making ready to
camp.
Had we seen anything of her two lit
tie boys, she asked, turning pale agon-
lied face upon us. They had been
perched upon the fence when the Rebs
began forming in line just across from
the cabin, and the older one, "a leetle
turned o. six" had taken his little four
year-old brother by the hand and run
out into the road to look on. Then. in
a moment and before anybody could cry
ont to them even. the YankS had come
laundering along and they had been
caught between the lines and swallowed
up in the rush and roar of battle. When
the short tussle was over they were no
where to be seen. She had gone on to
where our lines had been re9StabliShed.
and had there got ready leave to pass
over to the Federal camp; but no one
had seen or heard anything of the miss
ing children. Would we help her hunt
them?
Wouldn't we! Every man volunteered
with whoop. We formed long line
like a skirmish line and started,
searching every foot of ground carefully,
and calling out cheerily as we went.
We peered under the edges of fallen
trees. We turned over brush-heaps.
We scattered the dead leaves that had
drifted into rOot-bound hollOws. We
dragged the little pools of water made
by the melting snow.
We had gone over two or three miles
in this way. The short afternoon was
waning. and the wind was growing sharp
and keen with the lengtheniRg rays of
the sun. A halt was called. Some of
the officers and older men consulted
hastily together and were about decided
to beat around in the opposite direction,
when a shout came;
Here they aFe!"
The shout was caught up and turned
into a glad yell as it rolled along the
line. [ had heard the ''rebel yell" before;
and heard it many time after, when
it meant victory at the close of life
and-death struggle, but l never heard
our boys in gray sound such note of
triumph as went up from their throats
that day, as they double-quicked it to
where those two little Funaways were
lying!
1t was in an old field, whose long
neglected burrows were covered with t !
thick growth of yellow sedge all we
with melted snow and shining in the
soft red rays Of the setting sun. a buShy
squat pine had shot up here and there; |
the rotting rail fence was overrun with |
blackberry vines and almost lost in
Jungle of brown withered MULLEN and |
pokeberry stalks that grew in its shell |
tering corners.
The children were in one of these |
OF /
tie blue homespun frocks-for they both |
wore dresses all torn and drag |
gled. Their chubby faces were brier-
scratched and dirty. Their bare heads
were matted with dry leaves and straw /
But | reckon every man of us thought |
that Gods blue sky never looked down !
upon prettier picture than they made
lying there fast asleep and claSped close |
IL in each others arms.
We held our breath after that first
shout for fear of frightening them. And
when the grizzled old sergeant, whose
very look was wont to make the recruits
tremble in their boots, stepped toward
them with a soft almost bashful smile
on his lips, and stopped, we all took off
our caps and leaned eagerly forward.
How we all envied big hurley tender
hearted Tom j when the sergeant
beckoned him and laid the oldest boy,
all rosy and flushed with sleep, into his
arms. The little fellow opened his blue
eyes ard stared vaguely around, then
clasped his arms about Toms neck and
gave long sigh Of content.
The sergeant stopped again with
low chuckle of satisfaction. The little
un is asleep for sHre?" he said, as he
lifted him gently and turned. The next
he staggered under his light
burden and almost fell A hoarse groan
burst from his lips. The little head with
it's tangled mass of yellow curls rolled
heavily to one side; the little arms hung
inertly down; the sergeant'S hands where
they supported the tiny neck were all
dabbled in blood.
The stray shot had done its cruel work
WE'LL It had plOuphed across the small