Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1888-05-26


(Hood's) was still in Tennessee, that
one morning we received orders to be
ready to march at Il moments notice.
We had been idle for some time, and
the prospect for action was not I'M
welcome. Besides, brush" meant a
possible supply of blankets, clothes,
and commissary stOres-of all of which
we We're 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
Federals were advancing by Cumber-
land Gap, where we had about a regi-
ment of cavalry and battery of light
artillery. 1t was splendid day; the
ground was covered with fresh fall OF
snow that glistened in the cold sun
shine, and melted away here and there,
showing patches OF warm-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 familiar re gula1
sw nging step. and there was no strag-
glinS.
We had tramped steadily forward fo1
! some time when we heard, | at once,
o sharp firing of small arms ahead, and
rapid work by the battery. ] t seemed
to be a short hot fight without the
usual skirmishing, and we were put at
once on a double QUICK. But much to
our disappo .ntment when we came to
the BIT of open country W here the firing
had seemed so brisk, save for the
| trampled snow and one or two wound
cd men and few dead hor- es, a
broken-down caisson, a saber dropped
here and there, or blue or gray cap
caught on Il bush or tossed on the
! ground, there was no evidence that n
egmcnt of cavalry and IL battery of
artillery had here met an enemy in
| hand to-haud conflict. The Federal
troop, which proved to have been a
single regiment ont on Il scout, had r.
tired beyond the Gap, and our own
forces had followed in the direction OF
| its former position.
We We're grumbling loudly at having
! come so far for nothing, when woman,
| mounted on an old sorrel horse and
wearing VIDE homespun sunbo9net.
came "allop ng down the road. She
diSmounted at II 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
little boys, she asked, turning pale
agOnizel face upon us. They had been
| perch"a upon the fence when the rebs
began forming in line just across from
the cabin, and the older one, "a leetIe
] I'm - 81 hn1 fol- Ia Ia 4
/ old brother by the hand and run out
into the road to look on. Then, IN 2
moment and before anybody could cry
I out to them even, the Ianks had come
laundering along, and they had beer
caught between the lines and swa.
lowed up in the rush and roar of bat,
tie. When the short tussle was over,
they were nowhere to be seen. She
mad gone on to where our lines haze
been re- established, and had there got
ready leave to pass over to the Fedora,
camp; but no one had seen or heard
anything OF the missing children
WoIld we help her hunt them?
Wouldn't we? Every man volun
teered with whoop. We formed a
long line like skirmish hne--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 driited into root-bound hol.
lows. We dragged the little pools Of
water made by the me ting snow.
We had gone over two or three mil $
in this way. The short afternoon was
waning, and the wind was growing
sharp anG keen, with the lengthening
lays of the sun. A halt was called.
Some of the i.cers and older men
consulted hastily together and were
about decided to beat around in the
oppos tie direction, when suddenly Il
shout cane:
81 ere they are!
The shout was caught up and turned
into glad yell as it rolled along the
line. | had heard the rebel yell be-
fore; and | heard it many time after,
when it meant victory at the {. Ose OF Il
liie-anddeath struggle, but | never
heard our boys III gray sound such n
note of triumph as went up from their
throats that day, as they double. Iu.ckcd
it to the spot where those two little
runaways were lying!
1t was in an old fiold, whose long
neglected burrows were covered with a
thi growth of yellow sedge all wet
with melted snow and shining in the
loft red rays OF the set ng sun. a
bushy squat pine had shot up here and
there: the rotting rail fence was over
run with blackberry vines and almost
lost in Jungle of brown withered
mu lein and pc cherry stalls that
grew in its shelterng corners.
The children were in one of these
moist, tangled fence corners. Thou
little blue homespun frocks-for they
both wore DIR, sseS-were all torn and
draggled. Their chubby faces were
briar-scratched aud dirty. Their bare
heads were matted with dry leaves and
straw. But | reckon every man of us
thought that Gods blue sly never
looked down upon prefer pict re
than they made lying there, fast
asleep and clasped closely in each 9th
er's 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 tremb!e in Their boots, stepped
toward them with soft, almost bashiul