The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1891-06-13


"Follow me down this road, Colonel, |
as soon as you can get your men to- |
gether: you viii find General Thomas
in sore need of your help" Garfield |
cried, as he too rode away.
In half an hour they were ready to
advance, though their ranks were but
thinly manned.
Forward, men. At the double
quick" and once more the Fighting
Fourth ran painting to the struggle.
They found Thomas oppressed by
superior numbers, but standing firm us
a rock, with Polk battering his center
and left, and Longstreet harrassing his
right. Assault after assault was made,
yet those immortal heroes never wav-
cred.
And now another danger threatens
them; for Longstreet has discovered a
gap in the mountain in Thomas rear,
through which he is pouring heavy
column. Surely all is lost now-but no,
Granger comes up with seven thousand
raw troops, who have never even seen a
battlefield before, and, though the hope
seems vain, the reinforcement gives the
veterans encouragement. 'Only par
eel of boys, fresh from the plow,"
sneered an aide-de-camp, as he galloped
forward to direct their movements. But
see those plow boys flghtl Had they
carried arms for years, and been Injured
to battle scenes from childhood, they
could not have shown a more deter
mined bravery. Over and over again
Longstreet charges, but he can not
break those solid ranks, and at sunset
Thomas, driven back but not defeated,
recedes to the shelter of Chattanooga,
whittier Rosecrans' scattered men have
preceded him carrying CONSERVATION
with their wild stories of defeat.
And nearly thirty thousand men
from North and South lay killed and
wounded on the blood-stained banks of
''The River of Death"
| said the Union army was not beaten
well, perhaps not in a literal sense,
for the object of the contention, Chat
/ tanooga, still remained in their occupa-
ton, but the Confederates justly claimed
! ''Chickamauga" as a victory, for they
had forced their enemy from the field,
and now held him shut up In his en-
! treDchments with all communication
cut off.
Bragg had new ally-invincible by.
! human hands, impervious to human
daring-the gaunt, fierce fend, Starva-
ton.
Once Rosecrans made an effort at
sally, but hunger had killed so many of
his animals that he had not horses
enough to drag a battery into action,
and SO thick lay the carcasses of dead
mules on the muddy roads that men
stepped on them from one to another to
avoid the mire.
Hard times indeed had settled on the
luclSless garrison, the coarsest kind of
food being precious as rubies in the
eyes of the famished soldiers, Charlie
Fulton's satisfaction may be imagined
then, when one day Jack Gregory whis-
pered in his ear the joyous information
that he had secured a hind-quarter of
lamb, which he had confscated from an
Irishman in his company, who was car
rying it off to his quarters.
II can't give you any mint-sauce,"
said the jovial Captain, "but there's a
quart of whisky / won at cards from an
Iowa man, and by Hickory old chap
we'n make night of it."
"Al right, Jack, I'll be thereI but
don't ask too many, for lambs leg isn't q
very big bird, and quart won't go far
In crowd"
"Never fear, man-just Ferguson,
Ropes, you and I-sharp six o'clock,
you know-be on time"
Charlie was on time, and so were
Jacks other two guests.
you're admiring that stove, boys,
see," Jack said, making preparations for
the coming meal, meat but not gaudy,
and not quite the thing to adorn palace
drawing-room. There's history about
it, too. Three of my fellows brought 1t
In the other day, red-hot, with batch
of corn bread In the oven. Fact, as
sure you. They'd found 1t in some
body's kitchen and presented IL TO me;
as token of their high esteem and a
consideration for two pounds of Caro-
lima cut-plug."
Guess it's done!' Ferguson said,
opening the oven door and peeptng low
ingly at the luscious joint
SIT isn't very big one, sighed Ropes;
with lugubrious eye on the hungry
aspect of his companions.
"What didyou expect2" asked Greg
ory, Indignantly. "a six-months' sheep
isn't as bulky as mastodon, but
guess there's enough for all, boys, 50
draw your stools around the festive
board"
AS he spoke he plunged his knife
into the dainty Wand.
"Great Scott, but it's tough" he
gasped, as he wrestled with its string
| like sinews.
1t was tough, but it was meat, and
those hungry men devoured it with
a relish, polishing the bones till they
were as devoid of fiber as though some
naturalist had prepared them for his
museum.
"It's the first satisfying meal I've had
for three days" Ropes declared, con-
tentedly. "Now, Jack, tip us can of
your groceries, and let as light our pipes.