The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1891-07-10

States Of the South. Still another railroad
connected Corinth with jackson, In Wsst
Tennessee.
Grant at once saw that Il he obtained pos
session Of Corinth the enemy would have
no railroad for the transportation OF armies
or supplies, until that running east from
Vicksburg was reached. In fact, IL was the
great strategic position at the West be-
tween the Tennessee and the Mississippi
rivers, and between Nashville and Nicks-
burg.
General Grant at once put all the troops
at Savannah IN motion for Plttsburg Land
ing II was his intention to march from
this position On Corinth "a soon as Buell.
with his army from the OHIO should arrive,
aud the west bank of the river was 70 be the
starting point.
Colonel Mason was thrown well TO the
front in the brigade of the brave old Gem
eral b. NJ Prcntiss. Lukcs regiment was
filled with recruits which were almost
hourly pouring into camp. Many of the
new soldiers were young men fresh from
the farms, counting houses, shops and
stores, who had never yet smelt powder,
but who were destined ere long TO learn
something Of the terrible realities of war.
Arkansaw Tom, Corporal Max, Ned Cot
ton and bill Snow, VINO were still with the
regiment, had become a sort Of self-im.
posed body-guard for the new Colonel.
Though not on his staff, they were always
near at hand in hours of danger
The Colonel came to love these four vet.
Grams like brothers, aud even though Max
did grumble he knew he could be relied on
when hard fighting was required
oval, Kernel don't yer think we're
gwine ter hev fight purity sooup' asked
Arkansow Tom one morning, strolling into
his Coloners tent.
al don't know, Tom; sit down on that
cracker box. We'll, about the fght-I
shouldn't wonder. General Johnston is
massng his forces at Corinth, and be-
lieve General Grant intends to move on
that place. There will be powder burned
when those two meet
shouldn't be s'prsed, Kernel. I've been
tellin' NV tn boys ter clt ready fur the go
darnest knock down they ever heerd on
I'VE VIII have heavy fighting soon. but
whenit will take place, and where, don't
know"
"But, say, Kernel, come in Z tell We
somethin'."
"What, Tom ~
"Don't yer remember that air dod blast
ed Niger wot yer call Black Jack ur suth-
IN o. the kind, who went on Their boat Z
Belmont, an we thort war killed n tn
swamp clus I Dorelson"
eyes, you mean B.ackhawk."
"Wa.i, he's turned up agin."
"Whcrc is hc!'
"In camp. It's a Gods fact. Saw i'm
this mornin'," said old Tom, smoking his
short pipe.
"Whcrcln
"In camp. Came past our quarters
whar our mess war"
did you speak with hImr tho Colonel
asked.
Eyes; axcd him whar he'd been, an
he said he'd b. en- layin' n tn brush ter
shoot Il cuss as he hates. He's been clar
out ter Corinth, but halnt got his man Wit.
Golly, We orter see his gun; it's great,
big, long barreled ole-fashioned rifle. Very
thing ter kill buck
"He ought to know something about
what the rebels are doing. | wish YOU
would find him, Tom, and send him to me"
I'm do 1t, Kernel. Iii go right now IN
hunt i'm up, and old Tom rose TO his feet
and started from the tent to find the mys
ferrous nerro but Backhawk, as usual
could not be found when sought, and Tom
had frultless search
That evening General Prentiss ordered
Colonel Mason 10 take two hundred men
next morning and 60 out several miles in
their advance TO reConuoter, as il Was re-
ported that the enemy had been seen In |
considerable force along the Corinth road
Almost ever since his arrival nj Pitts
burg Landing CoIolroi Mason had heard of
sklrmishing in their front, and his own
plckets had been fired on several times.
at is probably some guerrilas," said the |
Colonel to himself. "They are proving
through tho country, and the woods are |
full of them. few companies of cavalry !
can easily put them to flight"
OF course the four men who had been his |
self-constituted hody-guard formed part of |
the two hundred picked men, and with |
three days rations and forty rounds, they
set out at daylight next morning. As they |
were passing one of the outlying picket |
posts sergeant hailed them and said:
''Ye'd better look little out"
Have YOU seen any thing of the enemy
this morning' the Colonel asked
mo; but they've been a shootin, Mt us
boys all night and wounded Jack Gates"
How many times were you fired onl,
Three, The last time they gave us a
dozen shots all at once
They are only "a few bushwhackers; wa
will drive them from the woods" said the
Colonel.
With three or four exceptions Luke's en-
tire two hundred were veterans who had
been trained in the hottest fights at Bel.
mont and Donolson.
The country was undulating and covered
with dense growth Of trees and under.
brush, except whore clcarings had been
made and fields cultivated.
The Colonel and his staff were the only
mounted men in the expedition. The re-
cent rams had made the roads muddy, and
was difficult and wearisome.
TheN had como nhnut five or 81 r,il.-