The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1888-08-23
4 DAY AT THE FRONT.
what Plunkett Saw When He visitcd the
Trenches.

The following sketch, taken from the
Atlanta Constitution. will be recognized
as a true picture by. the old soldiers Of
Lees army: during the aeiges Of Rich
mond and Petersburg:
..The first time I seed camp of SOL
diers," said old man Plunkett, as he
loosened the top button Of his pants and
threw the half rind of a watermelon into
a pigin that sat near, IT didn't think it
was so bad to be soldier.
aThey had good tents with floors in
'em and er plenty to kiver with, and
they had formed into 'messes' Of six OF
eight men to tent, aud most ipgener.
ally had er nigger to do the cooking, and
the soldiers lay GROUND and talked and
played cards and read books and sich
like and only had to drill er 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 OF
two With boiled ham aud turkey and
chicken and cakes and pies, and dinged
if I didn't fare better while I was on my
visit than Ibid one day with another at
home, and I begin to think that it was
all foolish for the old mothers and the
wives to be er grieving, for, I thought to
myself, if I; could call hack twenty years
and was clear OF the rheumatics thar
wouldn't be no better fun for me-"
TIE old man stopped talking, loosened
another button ofhis pants, remarking
81 bleve eat to much of that melon"
and then proceeded.
"The next time seed that regimenti it
was different and if any one had er told
me that fourteen months would Ell
brought> such a change l wouldn't el
believed it.
sOn my first visit l had seed white
tents er looming up erlong in straight
rows long before / goL to the camp, and
big log heap fires we're burning aud ]
could smell the cooking, the men were
we'll dressed and fat and joking and kick
ing up their heels and prancing GROUND
like young 6llies and some we're wrest'
ling and some or hollering, and over at
another place there was singing going on
and when they seed me they come Ell
running and picked me up and made
loud demonstrations, but this. time, my
second visit, it was different, and it was
so different till it has impressed me from
that day to this.
aThey were at the front now--they
were In. the trenches, and as l passed
over the hill I saw down in the valley
another camp of these same soldiers. !
stopped for breath.
s'Little smouldering fires were burning
here and there seeming to struggle
against the misty rain that was falling.
.asDingy brown blankets and oilcloths
were stretched over bended bush under
which two men were expected to shelter,
by laying close. These had taken the
placs,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 oi
cooking meats, but as followed my
guide on through the dismal camp
could see the solitary camp kettle by the
smoulderiug FIRE, and the feet of two men
coming out to the edge of the stretched
blanket with seeming desire to bask by
the little fire"
"I've seed 'em," interrupted Brown
awhen they had to lay with their feet in
the branch to keep the green rawhides
that they wore for shoes from drawing ur
aud getting as hard as er bone."
"Well," returned Plunkett, without
taking notice of Browns remarks, 81
went on to the old Niuth's camp, or where
was said to be their camp I found a fev
wagons aud few sick men-all strangers
to me-and vas told that the regiment
was over the bill in the trenches, bu
that they would be relieved as poon as i
got dark-as they had been in there
twenty four hours. Que of the drivers
got up and give me chunk of wood tha
he had been setting on and drawed i
over under one edge of wagon aue
poksd my feet out to the small FIRE tha
had been burning.
ri didn'. have to wait long, for prett!
soon it was so dark that you couldn't SCI
a gray mule ten feet of, and directly
heard the rumbling Of Walking men com
ing down through the woods that lay ou
toward the trenches. Everything wa
quiet, nothing but the tread and now ant
then a stumble over chunk of som'
tired soldier could be heard, but in
minute, without any command beinl
given that I could hear, little fires begar
to dot the woods all over, and l wondered
how it was done with the wet wood.
"The men had their blankets rolled VI
into a tight roll not much bigger tina.
your arm and tied together at the end til
they were in the shape of horse cola
as they hung over their shoulders. Thi
was all they had, except haversack
cartridge box, frying pan and gun. Th
little brown blankets were soon beiDl
stretched-two men to a blanket, thi
giving them one to kiver with-and thel
there vas scramble for minute or tw
to draw their rations. The beef vas Gu
up by one of the men and placed in a
many piles as there we're men, and thel
q fellow would turn his back with lis
of names and another fellow stood by tn
piles of beef with stick in his hand and
touching a pile, he would ask who shal
have this, and the fellow with his bacl