The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1891-12-11

Just On even hundred men answered
"Herel" ae the sergeant called the r0l
on the morning We awoke beside th
Potomac. There were young men, mid
dle-aged men, men from The town snt
men from the farm. Men Who 70 Il
war 60 fight and die beside each oths
form strong attachments Companie
and regiments resolve themselves int
communities which do not look with n
vor upon intruders. There was an ever
hundred - We marched away-as vi
took our first torn at picket-as We flrs
sighted the enemy -as We went into bat
lie for the fret time. After the roar ol
the guns had died away and The dead
bad been buried only 90 men answered
"Here y to the sergesnt's morning roll
call. The Others were covered up in the
long trenches, and their loss drew the
living closer together.
A few weeks went BY and we stood
shoulder to shoulder IN battle line again.
There wore charge and couotercharge
men screamed ont - they we're
w0unded-men fell dead and uttered no
cry. In the gloomy f0rssi. BY the light
OF camp nrs, the sergesnt called the
roll, and now only 70 men answered
"Hersi" The red earth trenches bad
claimed moro victims, and the ties be-
tween the living were drawn ssiIl closer.
When man has braved death with you
thst excuses hundred shortcomings In
camp or on the march.
Then came Cold Harbor and the fall
ing back TO Malvern Hill. Csnnon
doomed and musketry cracked al day
long and fer into The night. Wounded
men cursed and groaned % they limped
away or fell helpless men pitched for
ward with but single cry and died
With their faces hidden in The weeds and
grace. After Mslvern Hill the sergeant
called the roll again mot the same SER
gesnt as before, but another had taken
his place. He Wss lying dead 10 the
thickess st Fair Oaks and this time
only Sc men answered "Herei"
And % could you wonder that when
recruits came down to us we looked
upon them @ intrudere, even though b
they were good men and true. snd had
como 70 help us Win victories7 What
did they know Of oUr dead, OF our Weari-
some marches, Of touching elbows With
us o We waited for the words 70 charge
tho flaming guns2 Their nsmee we're
called with onrs. and We heard them an
swer "Here r. But they wsre only with
ne; they could not be Of Us. They had
come too late.
And after South Mountain and An
'tietsm sDd Second nsnsssss and Fred
|ricksburg and Chsncel!orsvilIs and
Geusy bnrg and The Wilderness the roll
wss called. and our dead were covered
up and other men we're cent down 20
take their places We shook hsnds with
them and pretended TO be com rsdes, but
We had no ties with them. They had
not learned war With ne. They could
not 60 back TO the beginning : 10 our
fret dead. Aud at last came Appomat-
tox and the surrender and then peace
and the return to Washington. We
we're almost full company sgain O. we
turned out on the mesdoWs Of Arling-
ton for the last roll-caIl. Upward OF
seventy living men could have answered
Here" 10 their names.
Fall in. Company Gl Attention to
roll-caliw
II Was not the sergeant Who had called
the roll after Fredricksburg, after Chan
cellorsville. after Gettysburg. after the
awful grappls In the thickets and
swamps Of the Wilderness. II Wsa .
new man one who had been promoted
before bic cheeks had scarcely been
burned by the southern suu. But be hsd
heard Of the ties which bound the old
veterans together-he realized what this
last roll.call meant TO tho survivors
And from the musty archives Of the past
he took the roll Of the dead and called !:
"Anson- Armstrong - Armitsge-
Aladorfr
No one replied
Berry Bloomingdale-- Benz Bar
stow- Benhsm!r
No one replied
"CAry--Csrtef-- -Carnshsn-. Cummings
Comstock u
No one replied
And he called. snd 50 The siIence or
the dsath-roll grew deeper and deeper,
until the living felt chill creep over
them.
young Yosmans- ~ agarlv
No one replied
york."
"Herelr
And % he OF 81 VS. The sole survivor
1.-The last living man Of Company c.
The only one Who had the right 10 stand
there in thar line and ans swer to the last|
roll.call. The oshers--ninety snd nine,
--wers cripples st homo or sleeping their
last sleep on the hiIlsides. in the valleys.
In the forests and the thicksts Of vir.|
ginis.
The line cheered him q be stood
apart - the lest survivor Of : RIosiooe|
hand which had fought IN . dozen hat
tles but he turned away bic head and
wept. Ex