The Portland daily press., 1890-01-21

derous columbiads These black monsters,
for some reason, kept up their fire all through
the night, and the roar Of this cannonading
and the shrieking of the shells, mingled with
the thunders Of the rain storm, gave very
little opportunity for slumber. Still, man
aged to doze very comfortably between
broadsides, and my recollection Of the night
is that from these peaceful maps was
aroused every now and then by what APP
peared to be tremendous fash Of lightning,
followed by the most awful thunder ever
heard on the face Of the earth. These dis
charges seemed to me to lift me four or hve
inches from my water soaked couch, and, TO
add to the general misery, the transports
which were bringing over Buells troops had
a landing within twenty feet of my lodg-
ment.
All night long they wheezed and groaned,
and came and went, with their freight OF
humanity, and right by my side marched all
night long the poor fellows who were being
pushed out to the front to take their places on
the battle line for the morrow. By this time
the roadway was churned into mud knee
deep, and as regiment after regiment went
by with that peculiar slosh, slosh of marching
men In mud, and the rafting Of eanteens
against bayonet scabbards, so familiar TO the
ear OF the soldier, could hear in the inter-
walls the low complainings of the men and the
urgings of the officers: "Close up, boys, close
up, until it seemed to me that il there was
ever such thing as pandemonium was IN
the fullest enjoyment of it. As fast as
transport unloaded its troops the 4angway
was hauled in, the vessel dropped out, and
another took the vacant place and the same
thing was gone over again. Now and then
battery OF artillery would come OIL the boat,
the wheels would stick in the mud and then
grand turmoil of half an hour follow, during
which time every man found in the neigh
borhood was impressed to aid in relieving
the enlarged gun. The whipping of the
horses and the cursing of the drivers was less
soothing if anything than those soul shatter-
ing gunboat broadsides. There never was a
night so long, so hideous or so utterly uncom-
Portable.
DAWN AND "M TRovAToRE."
As the gray streaks of dawn began to APP
pear the band of the Thirteenth regulars on
the deck of one Of the transports came into
the landing playing magnificent selection
from "Il Trovatore." How inspiring that
music wasl Even the poor wounded men ly-
ing in the front on the shore seemed to be
lifted up, and every soldier seemed to receive
an impetus. Soon there was light enough to
distinguish objects around, and then came
the ominous patter of musketry over beyond
the rivers bluff, which told that the battle
was on again. 1t began just as a shower of
rain begins, and soon deepened into terrible
hail storm with the booming artillery for
thunder accompaniment. I was up and
around and started Immediately toward the
front, for everybody felt now that the battle
was to be ours. Those fresh and sturdy troops
from the Army of the Ohio had furnished a
huge bulwark, behind which the incompara-
BILE one day fighters of Grant and Sherman
were to push to victory. The whole aspect
of the field in the rear changed. The skulkers
of the day before seemed to be imbued with
genuine manhood, and thousands of them re-
turned to the front to render good service.
In addition to this 5000 fresh men under
Gen. Lew Wallace, who had marched from
Crump's landing ten miles away, and who
should have been on the field the day before,
had arrived during the night, and the tide of
battle was now setting toward Corinth. I
met a comrade driving himself out bv a log
fire about a Quarter of a mile from the land.
ing. who had by some process secured a can
teen of what was known as commissarv
whisky. He rave me one drink of n and
that constituted INV breakfast. Cold. wet and
depressed as 1 was. that whisky. execrable
though it was brought me such Consolation
as T had never found before. have drank
champagne in Eperuay. have sipped .Joban-
nisberper at the foot Of its sunnv mount T
have tasted the regal Monte Pulsiano. hut NV
Lowell 7 never enioyed a drink as Aid that
swio of ordinary whisky ON the morn;ro, ~
the 7tb of Anrii 1852 while drvine, r,9ssIs
NV this fire saw q motley crowd Of Confad-
crate prisoners march mast under puard As
thew ygadad along the muddy road eonoa ~ tbs
cowardlv slrnlkers induloed in tba bad;naoa
uspal. on s,,cb occasions and ono ~ ory fol'
lows called ont IN know what comnanv that
WAC nrond vo,no char, in e,r.y tbra,v he
head hack and ranlied. nCyomnanv q az tha
Southern Invincibles and be damned 70 Vol, D
That was the snirit of that dav and bouf.
TIVE rpAcrs on rur pArrTr
At 10 O'Clock the sound of the battle indi.
Gated that ON. 1;nas ware ha;ro- ,,rsbad for-
~vars, a.,d .,.ab ,r my mind to go to the
front. started with my companion end in a
very short time we began to see about us
traces Of the terrible battle of the day before.
We were then on the ground which had been
fought over late Sunday evening. The under
brush had literally been moved off by the
bullets, and great trees had been shattered by
the terribleartillery fire. In places the bodies
of the slain lay upon the ground so thick that
one could step from one to the other. This
without exaggeration. The pallid faces of tho
dead men in blue were scattered among the
blackened corpses OF the enemy. This to me
was horrible revelation, and have never
yet heard scientific explanation of why the
majority OF the dead Confederates on that
field turned black. All the bodies had been
stripped OF their vaiuables, and scarcely pair
OF boots or shoes could be found upon the feet
of the dead.
In most instances pockets had been cut
open, ana one OF the pathetic sights that !
remember was poor Confederate lying on
his back, while by his side was heap of gin
ger cakes and sausage which had tumbled
out OF the trousers pocket cut by some in
famous thief: Inc unfortunate man had evil
dentiy nned MS pocKet the day before with
the edipies found In some suffers tent, and
mad been Killed before ne had an opportunity
TO ENJOY MS pounutui store. There was
something SO SAD ABOUT TINS that 1T brought
tears TO my eyes.
Further on passed by the road the corpse
OF neautiiui boy In gray, who lay with his
blonde curis scattered about his face, and his
nanos loioeu pes,ceiuny across his breast
-o "as 80 IL " anu nea' UNIFORM,
wen garhisneo Win goio' wnich seemed TO
tell the story OF loving mother and sisters
VINO nao sent s''eir nousenoid pet to the Held
VI wa. LIP neao nsNe zap !ying pesioe MN
nau tne number Oh georgia regiment en-
oroidered, am sure, by some tender fingers,
ana nus wa4en race washed oy the rains OF