Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-03-20
.sThat does not
rom Thomas' division. .aTl

am OH to Chattanooga TO telegraph the
cursed tale to Washington"
"May remain?'' almost pleaded Gar
field. r-
Gas you WILL" was the ungracious
assent, as the hero of a hundred
fights, seized with At of panic SO
difficult to understand in one with so
brilliant record, drove his spurs into
his horses flank and dashed away.
"Follow me down this road, Colonel,
as soon as you can get your men to-
In sore need of your help" Garfield
cried, as he too rode away. i
In half an hour they were ready to
advance, though their ranks were but
thinly manned.
Forward, men. At the double
quicki' and once more the Fighting
Fourth ran painting to the struggle.
They found Thomas oppressed by
superior numbers, but standing firm as
a rock, with Polk battering his center
and left, and Longstreets 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 a 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 o par
eel of boys, fresh from the plow,"
sneered an aide-de-camp, as he galloped
forward to direct their movements. But
see those pillow boys fight! 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
1.-THE River of Death"
said the Union army was not beaten
well, perhaps not in literal sense,
for the object of the contention, Chat
tanooga, still remained in their occupa-
ton, but the Confederates justly claimed
''ChiclSamauga" as victory, for they
had forced their enemy from the field,
and now held him shut up in his en-
trenchments with all communication
cut off.
Bragg had a new ally-invincible by
human hands, impervious to human
daring-the gaunt, fierce fiend, 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 hind-quarter of
lamb, which he had confiscated from an
Irishman in his company, who was car
rying it off to his quarters.
81 can't give you any mint-sauce,"
said the jovial Captain, but there's
quart of whisky won at cards from an
Iowa man, and by Hickory! old chap,
we'll make a night of it."
"An right, Jack, I'll be there; but
don't ask too many, for a lambs leg isn't a
very big bird, and a quart won't go far
in a 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, 1
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 it
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 1t to me;
as a token of their high esteem and a
consideration for two pounds of Caro-
lima cut-plug."
''Guess it's doner' Ferguson said,
opening the oven door and peeping low
ingly at the luscious joint.
sit isn't a very big one, sighed Ropes,
with lugubrious eye on the hungry
aspect of his companions.
"What didyou Uxpect?" asked Greg
DRY, Indignantly. "a six-months' sheep
isn't as bulky as a mastodon, but I
guess there's enough for all, boys, so
draw your stools around the festive
board.'
AS he spoke he plunged his knife
into the dainty Wand.
"Great Scott, but it's toughr' he
gasped, as he wrestled with it's string
like sinews.
1t was tough, but it was meat, and
those hungry men devoured it with
relish, polishing the bones till they
were as devoid of fiber as though some
naturalist had prepared them for his