The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-08-14
A DAY At THE F}ONT.
What P1unkett Saw When He
Visited the Trenches.
The Old Mans Arrival at the
"Front" on a Rainy Day.
For The Constitution.

For The Constitution.
"The first time seed camp of soldiers"
said old man Plunkett, as he loosened the top
button of his pants and threw the half rind of
a watermelon into pigin that sat near, 81
didn't think it was SO bad to be a soldier.
"They had good tents-with floors in 'em and
er plenty to kiver with, and they had formed
into 'messes' of six or eight men to a tent, and
most ingenerally had err Niger to do
the cooking, and the soldiers lay er-
round and talked and played cards
and read books and SIGH like and only had
to drill err little every day and they looked fine
and walked proud, for there was always more
than apt to be ladies er looking at EN-, and big
boxes came from home every day or two with
boiled ham and turkey and chicken and cakes
and pies, and dinged If didn't fare better
while was on my visit than did one day
with another at home, and begin to think
that it was all foolish for the old mothers and
the wives to be er grieving for L thought to
myself, if I could call back twenty years and
was clear of the rheumatics thar wouldn't be
no better fun for me-"
The old man stopped talking, loosened an
other button of his pants, remarking: 81
bleve eat too much OF that melon" and then
proceeded
"The next time I seed that regiment it was
different and if any one had er told me that
fourteen months would er brought such a
change wouldn't er believed it,
"On my first visit had seed white tents er
looming up erlong in straight rows long before
1 got to the camp, and big log heap fires were
burning and / could smell the cooking, the men
were well dressed and fat and joking and kick
ing up their heels and prancing Ground like
young FLIES and some were wrestling and some
er hollering, and over at another place there
was singing going on and when they seed me
they come er running and picked me up and
made loud demonstrations. but this time, my
second visit, it was different, and it was SO diff
ferent till it has impressed me from that day
to this.
"They were at the "front" now-they were
in the trenches, and as l passed over the hill
saw down in the valley another camp of these
same soldiers. I stopped for breath.
"Little smouldering fires were burning here
and there seeming to struggle against the misty
rain that was falling.
"Dingy brown blankets and oilcloths were
stretched over Bonded bush under which two
men were expected to shelter, by laying close.
These had taken the place OF the large white
tents that met my vision on my first visit.
Many had only bushes between them and the
clouds above.
''There was an absence of the smell of cook
| ing meats, but as l followed my guide on
| through the dismal camp I could see the soil
tary camp-kettle by the smouldering fire, and
| the feet of two men coming out to the edge of
| the stretched blanket with q seeming desire to
| bask by the little fire."
'fI've seed EN- interrupted Brown, "when
to Keep the green rawhides that they wore for
| shoes from drawing up and getting as hard as
| er bone"
"Well," returned Plunkett, without taking
| notice of Browns remarks, 81 went on
| through regiment after regiment till got to
| the old Ninth's camp, or whore was said to be
| their camp ] found few wagons and few
| sick men-all strangers to me-and was told
| that the regiment was over the hill in the
| trenches, but that they would be relieved as
| &c U0f darE-4S thew
| there twenty-four hours. One OF the drivers
| got up and give me a chunk of wood that he
| had been setting on and drawed it over
under one edge of wagon and poked my feet
! out to the small fire that they had burning.
81 didn't have to wait long, for pretty soon it
| was so dark that you couldn't see a gray mule
ten feet off, and directly heard the rumblihg
| of walking men coming down through the
Everything was quiet,nothing but the tread and
| now and then q stumble over a chunk of some
tired soldier could be heard, but in mint,
| without any command being given that |
could hear, little fires began to dot the woods all
over, and wondered how it was done with
| the wet wood.
"The men had their blankets rolled up into
a tight roll not much bigger than
your arm and tied together at the end till they
were In the shape of horse collar
as they hung over their shoulders. This
was all they had, except a haversack, cartridge
box, frying pan and gun. The little brown
! blankets were soon being Stretched-tWo men
loo blanket, this giving them one to kiver
| with then there was a scramble for a
| minute or two to draw their rationS The
beef was cut up by one of the men and placed
in as many piles as there were men, and then
| fellow would turn his back with list OF
| names and another fellow stood by the piles
of beef with q stick in his hand and, touching
pile, he would ask who shall have this, and
the fellow with his back turned would call out
name, skipping all about on the list, This
kept down partially ana made all satisfied.
81 heard familiar names being called. and
stepped among the men from out OF the dark
ness, and If an angel had er drapped down il
would not have caused more surprise.
Everything stopped the men gathered er
round me there warnt moro than thirty Of
'em-and some cried and some jist stood still
and couldn't say or word, for the memories o.
their homes back in Georgia rushed in upor
'em and they were too full for utterance.
81 had letters for many of EN-, and never
shall forget how eagerly they gathered 'en
and went off to little fire and got down or
one knee sorter sideways and read EN-, and
| never will forget how sad the ones looked tina
1 didn't have nothing fort makes me thinl
of them fellows every time l go to these re
unions that they are having and see the wives
and old mothers and sisters and children OF tht
fellows that are not here to reunite-they loof
lonely like-God bless 'em, hope that there
will be q great reunion some day, where there
won't be none absent and all will be at home
"I was the hero of that occasion, and az
first one and then another would ask mi
erbout their homes and loved ones and 1 be
gin telling in er general way, was soon sur
rounded by eager listeners, and now and thel
first one and then another would turn his hea(
to one side and wipe his eyes with the Slew
of his jacket; but they wouldn't leave me, a
tired as they were, till the rattle of guns il
direction of trenches scared me so bad that
hushed, and then the men went to cooking thu
rations that they had, for there was no telling
when they would have to double-quick back t.
the trenches.
"The cooking wasn't morn done till, sur,
enough, the whole camp was broke up and ev
erybody had to go into the trenches. The re
port was that the yankees were going to at
tack and there was so much hustle and con
fusion in the darkness, that didn't know
what else to do but to go along with the GROVE
and so, pretty soon, / was in a trench and ii
sight OF the first yankee line Of battle that
had ever seed.
at was erbout twelve o'clock when we go
into the trenches and still dark and err raining
and the mud was ankle deep and here an,
there q puddle of water. In or mint hear
a splashing up the line erbout fifteen or twent
feet that sounded like hog er floundering il
| ,,udbo1a and / pord n soldier saw Il wish