The National tribune., 1895-11-28

We couldn't keep up the noise over five to
ten minutes, owing to the casualties in ouI
own ranks Why, when squad of us
armed with those muskets marched by a
corral the train mules hung their heads with
shame when they beheld the inanimate
rivals of their own peculiar rear-end powers.
There meyer was question that the butts
of those muskets did more damage than the
muzzles and I've often wondered why our
officers and file-closers We're not promoted
for gallantry on the field in remaining be-
hind our line-of-battle during an engage
ment.
But let us return to orr battle. The
steamer Continental, in addition 10 our regi-
ment, which bad not yet been depleted by
disease and battle, had on board battery
of artillery and large cargo of commissary
stores. The river was very low, the boat
was large, and consequently it stuck on
every sandbar between st. Louis and He
lena, Ark, our destination. This made our
voyage slow and irksome, but nothing re-
markabe happened until we arrived at a
point about so miles above Memphis, Tenn,
when
OUR BOAT RAN ONTO A BAR
and hung there for about 4S hours. There
seemed 10 be no prospect of getting off, I'M
less we could tighten the boat. About even
ing Of the second day smaller steamboat
going up the river light was hailed and
came tc our assistance. 1t was soon deter
mined that our regiment should be landed,
the artillery to remain on board; / suppose
because the guns were too valuable TO exp pose
them to the risk of capture. The small
steamboat soon put US ashore at a place
called Wood Lake Landing, near by, on the
Arkansas side Of the river. This did not
Tighten the Continental sufficiently and
thereupon the crews of the two boats began
to transfer part of the cargo to the smaller
boat.
About this time the horrible idea entered
our minds that we would be compelled to
remain on shore in an enemy's country all
night. 1T is true that is what we enlisted
for; but the stern reality stripped the frui-
ton of our desires Of all its glory, and one
and all heartily wished we were some place
else. IL didn't require any reflection to
convince us that the distance which "lends
enchantment TO the view" was vastly pref
cradle to proximity.
The position, with the exception that
there would be no chance to retreat if we
were whipped, was admirable but we
didn't know it, In our state of blissful
ingnorance at that time, we wouldn't, from
the Colonel down, have known a good mill
tary position if some one had hit us with it.
In year from that time the most idiotic
private we had would have been tied up by
the thumbs had he failed TO recognize as
good thing as the position we then occu-
pied. Parallel with the bank of the river
and about $50 TO 200 yards from it, was the
leyee, an embaDkment of earth 8 or 10 feet
high designed to keep the river from over
flowing the plantations beyond. Even in
the pristine purity of our ignorance we
recognized this as pretty good thing to be
behind if we were attacked from the in
terror. To our right, and between the levee
and the river, were two vacant log cabins,
partly sheltered from any possible artillery
fire by the leyee, in which few men
could have covered our right flank To our
left there had been gully in the bank,
which had been partly filled with logs-I
suppose when the leyee was made-and had
grown up with willows and young cotton
wood. half hours work would have
made an excellent little traverse covering
our left flank, but at that blissful period we
wouldn't, if we had seen them. have known
the difference between traverse and a fric-
tion-primer. Outside the levee extending
about quarter of a mile to a clearing, was
a dense -canebrake with canes 10 or IL feet
high, constituting pretty fair abatis. OF
course, most of us had no more sense than
TO object to it on the ground that we couldn't
see the advance of an enemy through it, al
though that was the last thing any of us
wanted TO see at that particular time.
FORTUNATELY, BY SOME LUCKY ACCIDENT,
we were drawn up in line-of battle close to
and facing the levee. I've never for a mo-
ment thought that we were placed in that
position Intentionally, OF that it ever entered
any body's head that it was the thing we
ought TO do. 1t was simply one of those
unprecedented and happy accidents which
often decide the fate of nations and of
battles.
A council of the officers was called. and
after mature deliberation IL was decided
that it would be wise to put out guards.
How this bit of military sense ever happened
TO be knowingly adopted has always passed
Hy comprehension. But, more surprising
still, after considerable debate, it was deter
mined that the guards should load their
muskets. A detail was made and brought
TO The rear Of our line. 1t was divided into
three reliefs, and the first relief was taken
out and posted like n camp guard about SO
yards in front Of the line, while the reserve,