The National tribune., 1893-10-12

Showing Ground Over
shot through the head, and after dark he
was carried off on a stretcher.
The rebel rife-pit that the ID Mich.
charged on was not more than 80 rods from
my post, and all day the boys were talking
back and forth.
Last night about 10 o'clock / was relieved,
and came up to camp pretty well tired out
/ had been in that lille pit "a hours with
out mOuthful to eat, and it was quite cold.
As to raticns. it is not much better here than
it was there, for we are living on one-iourth
rations. and small at that. If it was not for
buying bread in town we would starve. We
have been on one-half rations and some
times on one-fourth, ever since we came to
Tennessee.
1t takes all my wages 10 live here. i can't
starve, and everything we get here sayors
very strongly of money. Cheese 60 cents,
crackers so, butter 75, and everything else
in the same proportion. Rather than 60
without we have to bay these, and they
could get even larger price.
THE men were paid s13 month, but
ewing to the depreciation in the value of
greenbacl1s at that time really received less
than SO per month, for the high privilege of
acting as targets for rebel batteries.
This morning heard that Sherman was
coming on the rebs in their rear to
HELP Us OUT.
We are hoping for the best. All the boys
are cheerful, and say they won't give up as
long as they have a mouthful to eat or a
cartridge left
ParsOn BrOwnlow is in this place, and has
issued two numbers of his paper. ] hardly
like them; they are too rabid. 1t seems Is
if there were not words strong enough in
the English language for his use in express
ing his hatred and contempt for the rebels
] will try TO get one of the papers and send
you.
Nov. %, o'clock p. N. (12th day).-To-
day it has rained all day, not very hard, but
just enough to make it disagreeable. We
have to stay in the trenches. A man who
gets out in the daytime does it on the
peril of his life, for he is sure to draw the
fire Of the rebels
Right back of the rihe-pits we have dug
square holes in the ground, so that the bot
tom is almost even with the pit, and with
the front opening into it, and then have
pitched our tents over them. This brings
us so low that the dirt thrown up in front Of
the pit protects us from bullets. We build
little fires in front of the tent in the pits
and can only sit around them or lie in our
tents. Only one man is allowed to 60 away
st q time.
Last night we drew tO-day's rstions Of
bread, and two days ratiOns Of boiled meat
II all made a scant supper for me. All W,
draw here now is bread and meat, and you
can judge of the amount we get. To-day
one OF The boys went to town and man
aged to get few biscuits for so cents
dozen (they wouldn't be recognized in Mich
gan as the article) ] expect in few day
we will get two months pay, and as long a
shere is any hing TO eat ! will try to get it
Last night the rebels crowded up and duy
some new pits as much as 10 rods nearer ou
line, and have covered the top over with pin
boughs. To-day it is very cloudy, aud ex
pect it will be very dark again. shouldn'
be surprised if they advance their pits again
By-andby our skirmishers will have to fal
back in the rifs-pits if the rebels keep ad
vancing, for they will pick off our reIiei
when they go around. Last night the reh
brought brass band close 10 their outpost
and they played quite while The rebel
cheered them. 1t was as fine band as
ever heard.
To-day our batteries fred number {
times, but without getting any answe
They have not fired more than five or 81
cannon-shots since we came here. 1t seen
queer that they keep so still. Some thin
they are going 10 leave us, and some thin
they are goiug 10 starye us out To-day
the 18th day Of the siege, and nothing mol