The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-05-28
WINS pouy-- ana k1nored melodies OF

|
The river was unusually high and the
spring was unusually early, and with that
strange and noisy party of invaders II
seemed a very pleasant trip. Some miles
above the then miserable town of Savannah
our boats poked their noses into the mud
of the banks, and we disembarked in the
woods. This was Pittsburg Landing. Up
! to that time history records nothing OF 1t.
! There was not house in view. A few
| early birds chirped in the trees, here and
/ there gray squirrel ran before us, or
rabbit darted frightened out OF the jungle
at the top of the banks. On one SIDE the
| forests at the top of the rlver bottom
seemed interminable and almost lmpasS-
able. On the other side was partial clear
ing in which q miserable crop OF rye or
oats was coming up among the stumps.
The wilderness echoed with astonlshment
at this sudden appearance OF lO,OOO men,
landing with extraordinary tumult where
there was no enemy and where desolation
had reigned SO long.
! don't think any of us newspaper men
had a very clear idea Of the campaign.
General Sherman at that time was not
communicative with us. He had been
abused like good many other of our gen
erals in the impatient newspapers, and he
chafed under it considerably. Somewhere
to the west of this wilderness we knew was
the town of Corinth, and that there had
gathered large rebel army That it was
our objective point seemed certain, but by
what route or in what combination was
not clear to US.
Our environments were made in the
woods, and there we remained for three
weeks. There was not an intrenchment
thrown up or any attempt made TO protect
our position. General Sherman says in his
account that he did not intrench his force
because he was not ordered to do SO, and
believed that it was campaign OF lnva-
sion. Something of his buoyant confidence
spread through the camp. When we got
''good ready" we'd take bright morning
and go over and capture Corinth, and
gobble up General Beauregard, who was
making himself entirely too fresh. think
the teamsters and crowds of stragglers
around the Landing had some sort of a no
ton that that would settle things.
You see we had very narrow war per
spective at that time There was feel
ing rather than a knowledge that Buell.
was to make junction with US and then
where between Nashville and Savannah.
So the boys made themselves as comforta-
bic as they could. There was not much
chance for dress parade, and picket duty
for quite awhile was not dangerous, and
except for the mud not very uncomforta-
BILE There was some pretty good fish in
the river and some small game down at
Owl creek. On the whole, it was detail
duty and little else, and pretty much every
body was hauling supplies and consuming
them.
The fact is, we were not to be gradually
initiated into war, we were TO have it fall
on us like an avalanche All the bivouac
stories around the wood fires were to be cut
short, and great many of the pleasant ac-
quaintances made there in the drama of
"As You Like 1t" were to be snapped off
over night. So we rolled over in our blue
surtouts and went to sleep, with the merry
sound of the card players in our ears and
the mellowed sound OF a comfortable host
coming to US through the sprouting aisles
of that forest.
At least that was my experience, and it
was headquarters experience. l was mess
ing with as fine lot of fellows as ever
dreamed of drawing a sword, and on the
9Th we made night of it over a hamper
of wine that had come from Crump's,
where Wallace was.
There was Blaisdell, of the Fifty-fifth
Illinois, and Caruthers and Mason, an Or
binary of the Seventy-frst Ohio, and Ban
mister, of the Fifty-fourth. No more eager
thoroughbreds ever came exultant out of
the north afame with the ambition and
the promise of youth.
] remember / threw myself down about
l O'Clock in the morning with the refrain
of an old college song on my lips, and
heavy with wine was curling myself for a
snooZe, when an orderly came to the door
of the tent and handed a note to Ordway
/ just got a glimpse of the fellows face at
the parting of the canvas, lit by the glow
of a camp fire somewhere outside, and
saw it was my farmer boy of the Invinci-
bles. Then / went off into heavy sleep
with that sad, determined face Pickering
vaguely in and out of confused fancies of
home and echoing strains of old songs.
1t seemed to me / had not been asleep
more than ten minutes, when / became
conscious of something unusual going on.
It's strange, dull clamor was annoying, for
l wanted to sleep. AT first | thought it
was the reckless hilarity of my eompan-