The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1888-04-22
THE PICKET COUNTED NINE.
1t Was a Miscount But Cleaning
Danger Made the Correction.

1t Was Miscount But Cleaning
Danger Made the Correction.
NJ. Quad In Detroit Free Press
AS the sun went down and darkness be-
gan to creep over the face OF the earth the
angry roar of artillery died away and the
crackle of musketry was less spiteful. For
awhile the fighting on the extreme right
hung on, to settle the question of who
should occupy the old earthworks, but at
length dead silence fell upon the whole
field
Silence2 No! 1t was silence compared
TO the roar OF the long afternoon, but il WIS
a silence broken by the screams and groans
and prayers Of wounded men-by the
movements Of wagons and artillery-by
the subdued voices OF $1,000 men as they
camped for the night without fire and anx-
ionsly debated the chances for the morrow
The sergeant marches of TO the left at
the head Of half dozen men. He drops
man at post No. l." and gives him
whispered instruction. II is the same at
Posts 2, 3, 4, ETC., until the last man has
been stationed.
There must be.vigilant, wakeiul men be-
tween friend and foe while the long night
wears away.
"Post No. g. Is under n great beach
tree. Shot and shell have Scared and
riven its trunk, and shot and shell have
shattered and riven its thick limbs. A
quarter OF century hence this tree will
bear witness 10 the terrible struggle OF to-
day..
"From this tree TO the edge OF that
thicket, and countersigned is Justice"
whispered the sergeant, and as he passes
on the picket takes up his beat. lie
counts as he passes them by-one,
two, three, four, five, six, seven,
eight What? Corpses! They are lying
on the grass so near the path he
travels that he can touch any Of them with
his loot. There are Others to the right and
left further away. II was here that the
enemy charged baltery-hore our forces
rallied 10 preserve il. Gnpc.shoi and can.
ister, bullet aud bayonet, found victims
here. Some lay as il asleep, worn out
with the tremendous conflict-othcrsr ayed
and prayed and cursed God and man be-
fore death relieved them from their suffer-
! ings.
The picket counts them as he walks, and
a sigh escapes his lipl Tomorrow night
some sentinel may number his mutilated
corpse with others on the same meadow.
/ lNhbflON hiklll Alit hNluiNu hliuo may
valnly seek TO rouse him FROM his death
sleep.
From tree to thicket and turn. From
thicket to tree and turn. lie must watch
and listen and be on lis guard, but by and
by he finds time TO count again: One
o-three-four-ly o-six-scyen- eight
nine What lie counted only
eight beforel Was he mistaken, or can
the dead Of the battlefield creep and
crawl2 Six-seyen Il eight nine. Yes,
there are nine. In the darkness he had
made n mistake. Ninel Wei, what
matters one more or less corpse upon a
field OF baitle7
To the tree and turn. To the thicket
and turn. As he heads for the tree again
the ninth cospc assumes a sitting position
and looks after him. A moment later il
struggles up aud the figure goes creeping
after the picket. The gnss on the meadow
is thick and matted. His footballs give
out no sound. Soitly-soitly- silent as
the shadow Of death-crceping- creeping,
aud now he Is close upon the lone picket.
There IL CLEAN OF steel in the darkness
n swift and powerful blow, and he who
was placed 10 watch will watch no more.
Through the gaps the spies will pour in
and Hkulk about the camps n regiment
will be silently advanced 10 the key POI
sition; the ghouls will scent plumber aud
creep up 20 rob the dead.
The picket had counted, "seven-eight
-ninol"
There is no missing corpse. The num-
Der has been made good 5szj