The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1888-05-05
WE PICKET COUNTED NINE.
IL was . Mlscount at Frat. Du'
s .i e. GIeaminS Dagger Made sno
&. 49,, .s Correction.

hess.fM. Quad In Detroit Free Press.
"A the aup went down and darkness
pagan to creep over the face OF the
earth the angry artillery died away
ma the crack le of musketry was less
eulgeful. For awhile the fighting on
the extreme right hung on, to settle
the question Of who should occupy the
aid earth works, but at length dead 81
sience fell upon the whole field.
Z silence !? No! It was silence COM
oared to the awful roar of the long
AFTERNOON, but IL was q silence broken
by the screams and groans and prayers
IL sounded men-by the movements
of wagons and artillery-by the SUB
dued voices of 20, 600 men as they
q mped for the night without fire ana
auxiousiy debated the chances for0tbe
morrow.
The sergeant marches Otto the left
It the, head of half dozen men. lie
drops q man at nPost No. 1,'and gives
:. him Whispered instructions. 1t ID the
same at posts 2, 8, 4, etc., until the last
man has been siationed. H
There must be-vigilant, wakeful men
hetveen friends and foe while the long
night wears away.
s.Post No. Gu is under great beach
tree. Shot and shell have SCARED and
riyen it's trunk, and shot and shell
have ecattered and riven its thick
limbs. A quarter Of century henee
this tree will bear witness to the terri
BILE struggle of to-day.
a stErom this tree to the edge OF tna'
yslhicket, aud the countersign 10 jug
tice,, +" whispered the sergeant, ana as
he passes ON the picket takes up nis
beet. He counts as he passes them os
two, three, four, Ave, six seven
ei0ht. What? Corpses! They are
lying on the grass 80 near the path M
travels that he can touch any OF then
with his foot. There are Others to tht
right and left, farther away. 1t wa
heresthat the enemy, charged bat
,stery-here our forces rallied to preserv'
sit. Gtapeshot and canister, bullet ant
bayouet, found victims here. Som
lay a. II asleep, worn out with the tire
mendous conflict-others raved an
prayed and cursed God and man be
fore death released them from the'
sufIerlpgs
The picket counts them as no walk:
s and q sigh escapes his lips. To-mol
row night some sentinel may numbe
his mutilated corpse with others on III
aame meadow. Tomorrow night tn
autumn Winds may vainly seek
rouse him from his death sleep.
From tree 10 thicket and turn. Fro'
thicket 10 tree aud turn. He mu
watch aud listen and be on his guar
but by and by he finds time to coul
again, Observation-Disclosures
eix--eeven What! I
coupted only eight before! Was
i miataken, or can the dead Of the bs
llefieid creep and crawl? Six-sev'
-e,Rht-nine. Yes, there are nine.
the darkness he had made mistaB
Ntuei Well, what meters one me
or one less corpse upon field OF 81
tlee
To the tree aud turn. To the thics
and turn. AS he heads for the Il
= ,gain. the ninth corpse assumes
TIM positiou aud looks after him.
1 ( moment later it struggles up, and
figure goes creeping after the pick
The erase on the meadow Is thick
matted. His footballs give out
eouud. Softly-soitly-silent as
shadow Of death--creeping-creepi
and now he Is close upon the Il
espsekee. 4 There is CLEAN OF steel
the darkuess--a swift and power
blow, and he who was placed to wa
will watch no more.
Through the gaps The spies will p
10 and skulk about the camps; = r.
ment win be silently advanced to
key position; the ghouls will sc
plnnder and creep up to rob the de
The picket had counted, "ssve
o5eh MINNIE ~
s,.-. Tkaro IL no missing corpse.
= $500 ~ bsen Made goodi