The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-02
WHO COMES HERE?"
"Halt! Who comes here?"

terSlSp!
1t was the relief going the rounds to
change the pickets, and l was dropped
out at post No. z. We had fought Lee
all day long ON the strangest battlefield
of the whole warm the Wilderness
From right to left flank, from front to
rear, we were hemmed in by forest and
thicket. There were swamps in which
lizards and serpents lurked, thickets in
which the coy whippoorwill built its
nest, dense spots of forest which seemed
never to have echoed the ring of the
woodlands ak.
We had fought from tree to tree, from
thicket to thicket, from glade to glade,
pushing back the gray lines here, baffied
and compelled to give ground at other
points. Lees lines barred the way.
Never a man in his whole army whose
musket barrel was not hot that day.
Never man who did not feel that he
was fighting for the life of the Confed-
eracy.
How the forest shook and trembled as
the great guns sent their deadly missiles
crashing through the foliage! How the
thickets blazed up in flames, the severed
limbs crashed down, the sunny glades
turned dark as night with the powder
smoke settling over themi The dead
outnumbered the bushes. The wounded
walled and cried as l never heard them
before or after. There was something
SO somber-so grewsome-so unearthly
in fighting a foe unseen in the semi
darkness that the shouting and cursing
usually heard in the lines gave place to
silence and pale faces.
Darkness had come at last, and the
roar of battle had died away to low
growl. Grant had failed to drive Lee.
We knew that from flank to flank. If
he could not force passage through
those gray lines he could flank them.
Before the sun went down we knew that
he would do it. 1t was not yet night
when the movement began, but my divi-
sion would be one of the last to move,
and we must hold our ground and pre-
vent the Confederates from discovering
what was taking place. 1t was Curl
ous coincidence of war that Lee was
also moving by the flank, both armies
marching in parallel lines from battle
field which had yielded neither victory
nor defeat to either side.
Post No. 7 was under a large tree on
the edge of a thicket. To the south there
was strip of open ground, then a
thicket, then an old field, in which stood
a log cabin. 1t was lonely place, well
away from the camps, the dead and the
dying, but was glad to be alone. All
along the lines there was growing of |
musketry; but this was but blutf-a |
bit of acting to cover the real design. 1 |
had been nearly an hour ON the post
without anything happening to alarm |
me, when l heard a person moving in
the thicket across the open strip.
Was it a person? Riderless horses had |
galloped about that day almost without
number; this might be one which had |
found shelter in that thicket.
Rustlel Rustic! Step! Step!"
1t was a cautious movement. Who |
ever it was hoped to reach me without
discovery, but there were dead leaves
under foot, and the thicket was dense. A
hare could not have moved without be-
traying its presence.
Rustic! Rustlel
Kneehng down so as to see under the
darkness, as it were, suddenly made
out black object against the dark back
ground. 1t is neither horse nor mule; it
is a human being A scout from the en-
emy's picket post, only quarter of a
mile away? A wounded man hobbling
about to find succor? One of our own
scouts returning?
"Who comes here"
There is silence of fifteen seconds,
and then woman's voice answers:
Il can't find the place! 1t is sodark
can't find the placer
Ay! it was woman's voice, and It
had a sob in II too. a woman there in
the darkness between the hostile lines
with powder smoke still in the air, with
stray bullets darling through the thick
cts with q whizz, as Of some great insect
stirred TO anger!
''Who comes here?'
Il wish it wasn't so dark / am so
tired-so tired" And then she came
across the open strip toward me. max
ing no stop, never hesitaung, walking
straight up to me as if she could see as
well by night as in the sunshine Of day.
Il can't find the place." she sobbed. as
she came to stop within arms length.
Good God, woman! put what are
you doing here?' l gasped, almost terri
fed at her presence.
See! seer she replied, holding bun
die out toward me. lone time | saw
beautiful spot in the woods, and said to
myself that if he died l would bury him
there, but l can find it, can't find it!7
What Is it, woman? What have you
got there
''SeeI seal Don't be afraid Has
dead He can't speak or move. Take
himF
She put bundle into NJ arms, and I
cried out and let fall ny mlsket. L
was the body of baby about year and
, half old Dead? Yesl Dead from
cruel bullet which had pierced its little
body and left a great wound which
looked horrible 10 me in the dim light,
Dead and cold and bathed in lis own
blood. Dead for hoursi And when
reached out AID touched the shawl CT
wrap worn by the mother my fingers
5EzrnAd Al sns fsal az hlz-a1s