The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1894-12-25
ONE CHRISTMAS.
t was enpt
J. s. PERDINE.

You would hardly believe how cold
and dreary it was in the old union
depot at Indianapolis the days before
Christmas during one of he first years
of the war. Everything was pinching;
the times as well as the wintry air.
Way up high in the cloudy sky, a few
snow flakes wandered, not knowing, l
suppose, where to alight and be sure of
Il welcome. No one did welcome even
a single fake, for the frozen ground
itself was bad enough, and as l said,
the pinching times were worse. The
night before, Phil BoyntOn, coming in
from the north with his train loaded
with soldiers hurrying to the front, had
to be carried from his engine, where
he had been found, his hand frozen TO
the throttle.
OH but it was dreary. The sixty
days men, the three months men. and
even those enlisted for year. had all
re-enlisted. and the hearts of the poo
pie stood still with apprehension. rs
they realized that the rebellion was
not near an ending.
The women whose fathers and hus-
bands had gone ms If to merry max
ing, and had not yet returned. filed i'm
the hours of day and night with work
for the companies constantly leaving
fut the seat of war
A eoinnnht Of the Thirteenth. which
was lighting ht day ana sleeping ht
night Uil the hehlotk beds IN Cheat
Mountain Pass. ~ the Wiids or West
Virginia. was sheltered ht tents. ahd
covered 10y night with spreads. mhde
ht ,hH iBthi WHhpn ef thpif town
itBNii 81 Tho Atihhie hhutH ihe Both
Whs sieehihH ~ The ttish sireWi sahts
Nilhih sishi of Fortress NiHhruu 'ihH
Nihd iil lhriii Ahh ilp shhtn dhhh
ate penetrated ihpip rinlhinH, iNii ihn
llhH lhAi marked lhn position W Niirnfa
hpAhniafiHtn hHra nHt u stitch ihhi
wac nNi piaeeh lhnpa hp iaring mnda
VI NiNpa and danghIers
Way dawn w MO,lo0k's division az
ihn Army ~ ihe bnmherlnh knlllpplfnp
had hern driven lrnm Wilt ,'Al and
ilopk Castle Hills AMI Was ramppd
near bnWllng hrepn, hpneHl Thomas
trying Va step hls advance, The Alph,
under Colonel Nnhnrn, was near prah
Orchard, The alst was cnr oii by For
rests men, ani wagons and supplies
We're hnrnedi ana burned win them
were the Christmas b0Nes sent from
h0me, with new hopts "a take the place
nf those worn % rags on the hurried
march over the frozen ground, the
packages Ut tobacco for their pipes,
and, worst calamity of all, the barrels
Of picked cabbage which the noble
Governor Morton had asked for, for
the men sick with scurvy,
ON these days before Christmas that
| am telling You about, it was not very
pleasant in any of these places, And
at home, hearts We're aching because
Christmas could bring no cheer tn
those whose friends were nj the front,
Fear and alarm and broken hearts
are not pleasant things for the holy
Christmas time
Besides the men who had enlisted,
there were more men wanted. Hunger
and cold and the enemy had decimated
the ranks of the Indiana soldiers. as il
had all others. and if there could be
found no more volunteers, then draft
would be ordered. and all dreaded the
situation which made Il draft neces-
sary.
\ train came from the south bearing
scores OF sick and wounded. Their last
rations had been consumed twenty
hours before. but they We're hurried
through Indianapolis. which was al
ready so crowded with soldiers that
there was no chance for food. They
would reach P at l o'clock in the
morning, and no food OF course at that
hour. But yes \ telegram from
Governor Morton asks for food even ST
that hour for his men. The village is
asleep when the message comes. but
the news is spread. fires are lighted.
ovens are set going. and people pack
into hampers the hot food. load them
selves down with pots Of steaming
coffee, and men and women alike make
their way in the dark 10 the tiny sta
ton where the train soon rolls IN.
Those who can, pour out of the cars
aud eat and drink in the dark and