Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1891-11-05
"WHO COMES HERE?"
Halt Who comes here?n

countersign.n
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 battle
field of the whole war-in the Wilder
! ness. From right to left fank-from
! front to rear-we were hemmed in by
J forest and thicket. There were swamps
Ii 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 woodmans axe.
We had fought from tree to tree,
from thicket to thicl1et, from glade to
glade, pushing back the gray linen
here, haffied and compelled to give
ground at other points. Lees lines
barred the way. Never a man in his
whole army whose musket-bar was
not hot that day. Never a man who
did not feel that he was fighting for
the life of the confederacy.
! 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 powdersmokes settling down! The
dead outnumbered the bushes; the
wounded walled and cried as | never
heard them before or after. There was
, something SO sombre-sO gruesome-
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 a low
growl. Grant had failed to drive Lee
We knew that from flank to flank. If
he could not force a passage way
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 begun,
but my division would be one of the
last to move and we must hold our
ground and prevent the confederates
from discovering what was taking
place. It was curious coincidence Of
war that Lee was also moving by the
flank, both armies marching in parallel
lines from a battle field which had
yielded neither victory nor defeat to
either side.
Post No. Z was under large tree on
the edge of thicket To the south
there was a strip of open ground. then
thicket, then an old field, i'll which
stood 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 a bluff-a bit of acting to
cover the real design. | had been
nearly an hour on the post without
anything happening to alarm me, when
heard person moving in the thicket
across the open strip.
Was it persona Riderless horses
had galloped about that day almost
without number; this might be one
which had found shelter in that thicket.
Rustic. Rustic! Step. Step!
1t was a cautious movement. Who
ever it was hoped to reach me without
discovery but there were dead leaves
underfoOt and the thicket was dense.
A hare could not have moved without
betraying its presence.
Rustic! Rustic!
Kneeling down so as to see under
the darkness. as it were, | suddenly
made out black object against the
dark background, It is neither horse
nor mule; it is human being. A scout
from the enemy's picket post, only a
quarter OF mile away! A wounded
man hobbling about to find succor.
One of our own scouts returning,
''W no comes here?'
There is a silence for fifteen seconds,
and then q woman's voice answers:
81 can't find the place! 1t is so dark
can't fad the placer
Aye! it was woman's voice, and it
had sob in it, too. A woman there
in the darkness between the hostile
ines-with powder still in the air, with
stray bullets darling through the
thickets with whizz, as of some great
insect stirred to anger!
'WhO comes here?"
Il wish it wasn't so dark I am so
tired-sO tiredi'
And then she came across the open
strip towards me, making no stop,
never hesitating, walking straight up
to me, as if she could see as well by
night as in the sunshine OF day.
ii can't find the place" she sobbed,
as she came to a stop within arms
length.
Good God, woman. but what are
you doing here?" I gasped, almost
terrified at her presence.
See! See!'' she replied, holding a
bundle out towards me. ''One time I
saw beautiful spot in the woods, and
said to myself that if he died I would
bury him there, but l can't find it
can't find it!''
What is it woman What have
you got there?'
See! see! Don't be afraid. He's
dead. He can't speak or move. Take
him!''
She put a bundle into my arms and
L cried out and let fall my musket. 1t
was the body Of baby about a year
a half old. Dead? Yes! Dead from a
cruel bullet which had pierced its lit
tie body and left great wound which
looked horrible to me in the dim light!
Dead and cold and bathed in its blood
dead for hours. And when I reached
out and touched the shawl or wrap
worn by the mother my fingers burned
at the feel of blood.
Il have carried him such a long,
long way" she moaned, land 1 have
seen so many dead men and heard SO
maOu r11pcf You,11 holm mo 1rop.4