The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-07-16
bold the fort till we starvc TO death Ut

! lenders must give up their hopeless
struggle. jefferson Davis himself came
20 gloat on the prize SO near his grasp,
and was 50 delighted with the prospect
that he withdrew Longstrccts corps
| from the field, and sent him eighty
| miles away to wrest Knoxville from
! the clutch Of burnside.
Int Grant and Hooker have come to
the relief Of the beleagucred force. and
Sherman tramped by forced marches
two hundred miles from Inka to share
in the gallant struggle for victory.
What lovely day was the sd of No
vcmber. Who. that was present. will
forget the glorious sun. that glinted on
Thomas division. as his regiments mus
tered, as If on parade. dressed in their
best uniforms. with flags flying and
martial music filling the air with boast
ful strains? The Confederate pickcts
leaned ON their muslxets on Lookout
mountain and Missionary Ridge, and
smiled as they behcld the picturesque
display. But suddenly their smiles arc
turned to looks Of alarm: for in min
ute the Union line breaks into double
quick, and the gay review is changed
into battle. and ere they can recover
their surprise. they are driven back. and
Orchard Knob is in tho hands Of Union
force.
The next day Hooker charged the for
tifications on Lookout mountain, and
drove them beyond its crest. winning
the famous battle above the clouds;
while twenty-four hours later he
charged their lines on Missionary
Ridge, with Sherman pounding on their
| flank
Grant stood on Orchard Knob watch
| ing the turns of battle. With eagle eye
| he saw that his enamy's weak spot lay
in his center. as he had to sacrifice its
strength to support his TANKS. On this
he determined to launch Thomas corps.
The signal of attack was arranged
six cannon shots, fired at intervals OF
two seconds.
Then. in the words of Ii. f. Taylor,
/ the poet-soldier: The moment arrived.
Strong and steady the order rang ont:
Number one. fire. Number two. fire.
1 Number three. fire. 1t seemed to me
like the tolling of the clock of destiny.
And, when at Number six, fire. the
roar throbbcd ont with the flash. you
should have seen the dead line, that had
been lying behind the works all day,
came to resurrection in the twinkling of
an eye, and leap like blade from its
scabbard.''
The order has been to take the rifle
pits Mt the foot of the hill, but the
Fighting Fourth and all those glorious
heroes with them forget to stop and
rally. and sweep with shouts Of victory
up the steep ascent. All falls before
them. Grant catches the inspiration,
and orders n charge along the whole
line; and dashing with broken ranks
across rocks and chasms, following the
bullet-torn flags that lead them, they
still go onward needless of the tempest
hurled upon them. The battle is won.
That night the Union camp-ires glis-
tened along the heights about Chatta-
nooga, and Bragg's men were hurrying,
under cover of darkness, southwark.
For Sherman's brave fellows, who
seven days before had marched two
hundred miles on two days rationS.
without change Of clothing, tent or
second blanket to any man from COM
mander to private, even now there was
no rest. for Grant ordered them, bleed
ing and barefoot as they were, to march
over terrible roads ninety miles, to the
relief of burnside, when they drove
Longstrcet's equally ragged and hungry
host in confusion after Bragg's retreat
ing thousands.
''And all this for love of fatherland.''
Frank sighed. as from an eminence he
had watched the devoted line of patri-
OTIS winding their way down the valley
in the distance.
Thomas and his men reoccupied Chat
tanooga, and supplies began to pour
into the place. much to the qualification
of the men, who of late had almost real
lied the solution of the problem of how
little food was necessary to sustain
human life; but Frank Besant hailed
with more intense delight than any
amount of good living could give him, a
batch Of letters from Mcltonburg. With
what JOY he retired to his quarters.
and, denying himself to all Corners, set
tied to the delightful task of reading
them. There were two from Mr..
bIGLtWO0u. 1ull III ROOu ddVIces Ouc
from Miss Ruth, short and chirpy, and
chiefly relating to damp socks and re-
cipes for sore throats: three dainty,
affectionate ones from Grace, all about
nothing. but very prettily worded, and.
which am ashamed to say, the
foolish young fellow read and re.
read till they were frayed at the edges
by constant reference; one from his
cousin, written simply with the design
as it seemed to him. to induce him to
let Mark Henderson know, if he
CHANGED to meet him, what an uncom
monty fine young man she thought him
and four from his mother, long, earnest
loving ones, full of interest from first to
last. One of these, of the latest date
especially claimed his attention and
produced many CALCULATIONS of surprise
Your cousin Kate" she wrote, 'ha.
taken pity on my loneliness, and, as hel
father has married again, has consent
ed to remain with me until your return
Grace and she are bosom friends, whose
affectionate sympathies are more keen
~ pronounced because each of then
AIN ~ EM