The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1892-04-03


preach. for they had become fearless Of or
indifferent to living men. On heavy wing
the loathsome buzzards lowered over the
huge chimneys from which the wooden
| houses had been burned away, or here and
there rose slowly from the carcass of a
horse or mule, only to return when we
had passed on.
Frequently by the roadside between We'll
ton and AcWorth we came upon mounds re-
Gently thrown up, sometimes the width of
one man, and again long enough to hide a
score. The soil of that land is particularly
red, but it needed no activity of the imagin-
alton Oh this occasion to force on our minds
another reason for the sanguinary hue of
the earth.
The clearipgs bordering the roads were
pltted by the hoofs of the cavalry horses,
The trees back of hastily constructed OBJ
structions had mapped on their bullet
SCARED sides and blistered armes the story
OF stubborn assault and desperate defense
The roads were now red and rutted riffs.
streWn with the debris of broken wagons
sPlintered gunstocks and the f1otsam and
letsam that mark the cob and flow of the
battles tide. There is q sublimity in thu
desolateon of the DESERT where nature
erects her arid barriers against mans pos
session; but there is horror understandable
in the desolation of war when witnessed by
one who has had no hand in the destruc-
ton.
On the afternoon of August 3, and when
nearly starved into insanity, my stout
hearted friend and myself came on an ash
! heap in the woods. About the place were
pieces OF broken crockery, rusty culinary
tins, blankets hastily abandoned, child's
hood, pair Of little shoes much worn nj
the toes and dilapidated doll with one red
! stocking on its remaining leg Evidently
this had been the camp of family flying
from the army, and they must have been
/ hurried from the place. The child's shoes
and the doll told all this and much more.
In our search we found about peck OF
sweet potatoes few ears of unhusked
corn and about six pounds of bacon tied ur
in corn sack. We devoured some of the
meat and corn raw, and it was not till our
! burning hunger was partly appeased that
! Bell recalled he had flint and steel, and
! that this would be an excellent place tc
camp for the night.
1t was now near sunset, and while nv
companion was making a fire, which wa:
! to be eXtinguished as soon as all the pro
visions were cooked, l went off to examine
/ the surroundings
1t was so near night when. l returned tc
| Bell that could see the glow of the Gang
! through the trees far in front, yet this as
surance of his safety and whereabouts did
! not draw me away from q caution that haC
become habitual. l kept in the shadow OF
the trees in advancing, as if we were pick
cts of the opposing armies. When within
apout q hundred J ards of the fire [ heard
! loud voices. and with my heart leaping like
a wounded tiger, l halted and compressed
my lips to get my hair and brain under con
! troll.
Prepared for fight if the situation should
warrant it | dropped on my hands and
! knees and "snaked" toward the fire. Two
men in ragged confederate uniforms, one
| with bandage about his head and the other
and younger of the two with his arm in q
sling, were lying down and looking u at my
companion, as l had often seen wounded
prisoners looked up at their captors Bel
moved about and kept on talking like a man
who was master of the situation. | ad.
Yanced at once 20 the fire, assured that
! these men were wounded deserters from
| Hoods army, and my surmise proved to be
right.
When I came up Bell introduced me to
/ the strangers, OF whose names l took nc
note. They were confederate cavalrymen
! from Meridian, Miss. They had recently
| been wounded by General Garrard's troop.
ers in the attack on Decatur, and were now
trying to make their way back to their old
homes. The poor fellows were thoroughly
| licked, One of them, who bad been at
Center college, Kentucky, when the war
broke out, and who was fine young fell
low of unusual intelligence, as he pressed
both hands to his wounded head-though !
am sure it was not 10 ease the pain of the
saber cut-said
''Since the day Joe johnson left US I'Ye
! felt that the game was up. Every death in
battle after this is q murder. Myself and
my friend want to get home and to stay
there till our wounds are healed, then, as
we no longer have country, we'll make
our way to Mexico and fight a5ainst Maxi
milan. My God 1t would have been
better for both of US if we'd been planted
on the field"
The certainty of final success made lie
forget my own suffer1ngs and anxiety, in
sympathy with these brave fellows. Each
had a good supply of bread and meat in his
haversack, so Bell had no trouble in getting
us up fair supper. After it was over
got can of water from the spring near by,
and, as was somewhat vain of my surgi
| cal skill | washed out the stiff bandages
and dressed their wounds, neither of which
were serious enough to prevent travel For
! this attenti our confederate friends were
| full OF gratitude.
Up to this time the fugitives took US tc
! be confederate dsserters, for, as one OF
them said: 1.-THE woods are full of us. u
| But thought the time had come to tell the
truth in our own interest. After whisp-
cred consultation with Bell told the men
who we were and of our anxiety to get ba ok
to our own lines, and | asked them to ad
wise US as to the best course to take. Tc
our surprisene of our visitors showed
any annoyance at my disclosure; indeed
! they seemed freer and franker than before
The young man With the wounded head
drew in the ashes map Of the country