Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-03-10
A STRAY SHOT.

A STRAY SHOT
1t was early in '64 while our brigade
(Hood's) was still in Tennessee, that one
morning we received orders to be ready to
march at moments notice We had
been idle for some time and the prospect
for action was not unwelcome Besides,
brush" meant a possible supply of blankets,
clothes and commissary stores-of all OF
which we were in sore need Those of us
who had them rolled up our ragged blan-
kets; the bugles sounded ''faI in" and we
were on the march.
We learned presently that the Federals
were advancing by Cumberland Gap,
where We had about regiment of cavalry
and battery of light artillery. 1t was
spendid day; the ground was covered with
fresh fall of snow that glistened in the
cold sunshine, and melted away here and
there, showing patches of warm-looking
brown earth. The sky was 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 regular swinging
step, and there was no struggling.
We had tramped steadily forward for
some time when we heard, all at once, a
sharp firing of small-arms ahead, and rapid
work by the battery. 1t seemed to be a
short hot fight without the usual skirmish-
ing, and we were put at once on double
quick. But much to our disappointment
when we came to the bit of open country
where the firing had seemed so brisk. save
for the trampled snow and one or two
wounded men and few dead horses, a
broken-down caisson, a saber dropped here
and there, or blue or gray cap caught on
bush or tossed on the ground, there was
no evidence that regiment of cavalry and
a battery of artillery had here met an
enemy in hand-to-hand conflict. The Fed
eral troop, which proved to have been a
single regiment out on scout, had retired
beyond the Gap, and our own force had
followed in the direction of its former po-
sition.
We were grumbling loudly at having
come so far for nothing when a woman,
mounted ON an old sorrel horse, and wear
ing blue homespun sunbonnet, came gall
looping down the road She dismounted at
a 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 agonized
face upon us. They had been perched
upon the fence when the rebs began form
ing in line just across from the cabin, and
the older one, a lettle turned O six" had
taken his little four-year-old brother by
the hand and run out into the road to look
on. Then, in moment and before any,
body could cry out to them even, the
Yanks had come laundering along and
they had been caught between the lines
and swallowed up in the rush and roar of
battle. When the short tussle was over
they were nowhere to be seen. She had
gone on to where our lines had been re-
established, and had there got ready leave
to pass over to the Federal camp; but no
one had seen or heard anything of the
missing children. Would we help her
hunt them?
Wouldn't we, Every man volunteered
with whoop. We formed a long line
like skirmish line-and started, search
ing every foot of ground carefully, and call
ing out cheerily as we went. We peered
under the edges of fallen trees. We
turned over the brush-heaps We scat
tered the dead leaves that had drifted into
root-bound hollows. We dragged the lit
tie pools of water made by the melting
snow.
We had gone over two or three miles in
this way. The short afternoon was wan
ing, and the wind was growing sharp and
keen with the lengthening rays of the sun.
A halt was called. Some of the officers
and older men consulted hastily together,
and were about decided to beat around in
the opposite direction, when suddenly a
shout came:
"Here they arep'
The shout was caught up and turned into
a glad yell as it rolled along the line. /
had heard the "rebel yell" before; and l
heard it many a time after, when il meant
victory at the close of a life-and-death
struggle; but | never heard our bows in
gray sound such note of triumph as went
up from their Threats that day, as they
double-quicked it to the spot where those
two little runaways were lyingl
1t was in an old field, whose lonp-ne-
elected burrows were covered with thick
growth Of yellow sedge all wet with melted
snow and shining in the soft red rays of
the setting sun. A bushy squat pine had
shot up here and there; the rotting rail
fence was overrun with blackberry vines.
AhN oAhiOSL iOoI III Vi DTOWD
withered mullen and pokeberry stalks
that gew in its sheltering corners.
The children were in one of these moist,
tangled fence-corners. Their little blue
homespun frocks-for they both wore
dresses-were all torn and draggled.
Their chubby faces were brier-scratched
and dirty. Their bare heads were matted
with dry leaves and straw But / reckon
every man Of us thought that Gods blue
sky never looked down upon prettier
picture than they made lying there, fast
asleep, and clasped closely in each others
| 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 tremble in
their boots, stepped toward them with soft
| almost bashful smile on his lips, and stopped,
we all took off our caps and leaned eagerly
| forward. How we all envied big, burly,
| tender-hearted Tom j when the SER
| geant beckoned him and laid the oldest
boy, all rosy and flushed with sleep, into
his arms The little fellow opened his
blue eyes and stared vaguely around, then
clasped his arms about Toms neck, and
gave long sigh of content.
The Sergeant stopped again with low
chuckle of satisfaction. THE little-un is
asleep for sure p' he said, as he lifted him
gently and turned. The next moment he
staggered under his light burden and al
most fell. A hoarse groan burst from his
lips The little head, with its tangled
mass of yellow curls, rolled heavily to one
side; the little arms hung inertly down;
the Sergeant's hands, where they supported
the tiny neck, were all dabbled in blood
The stray shot had done its cruel work
we'll 1t had plowed across the small
white throat, and the baby head was al
most severed from the little body. The
"little-un" was indeed asleep for surel
A kind of frozen horror swept over the
group gathered in that old field. No man
| dared for awhile to look his neighbor in
the face, and when he did he saw there an
expression that he has not forgotten yet if
he lives.
| Ten minutes before we were all ready to
toss up for the privilege of carrying those
little chaps home. But now every man of
US hung back, dumb and unnerved. And
the Sergeant and Tom turned slowly and
tramped away through the fading shadows
to lay the living and the dead together, in
that waiting mothers arms. We followed
silently with uncovered heads.
| w