The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-12-10
WE LIVED WELL ON REBEL FooD.

WE LIVED WELL ON REBEL FooD.
Our progress was very slow. Hook
er's ascent of Lookout Mountain was a
picnic in comparison. Besides, our orders
were TO not get far ahead of the battery.
After getting half way up. the monotony
of the climb was relieved by the guns
from one of the rebel forts dropping
shot and she'll in our direction, cutting
off limbs of trees In uncomfortable prox-
unity to our heads. This served more
to relieve the monotony of the climb
and to help us to forget our fatigue than
to obstruct our advance, for We were
spelling for business and things looked
as though our desires were to be fully
grati6ed.
To our great relief our climb came to
an abrupt close by our coming out OF
the brush In plain view of the rebel forts,
one of them not more than half q mile
away. We lay down upon the ground,
clad to rest after oae of the hardest
climbs it was ever my lot to take part
in. We bad climbed over nearly two
miles of obstructions such as only can be
found in a mountain region, with our
knapsacks. cartridge-boxes and 100
hounds of ammunition, to the top of the
mountain, 1000 feet high So here We
were at last, In plain view of the game
we had marched 100 miles to see, with
faces and clothes torn by the briars,
brush, and rocks with which we had
come In contact
WE WERE SORRY Lor.
A brief view cf our game in his den
cooled our feverish ardor for conflict
with him. We felt somewhat like the
hunter who found the bear he had been
looking for. He was larger than we,
and we should like to have let him
alone. The loss Of our appetite for rebel
gore made room for another kind of ap-
petite. We were terribly hungry. Our
one DAYS rations received at Barbours-
vile were gone, with the exception of q
little sugar The supply train had been
left there, consequently there was no inn
mediate prospect of getting anything
from that direction. We longed for a
conflict with pork, beans, and hardtack.
But it seemed more remote than the
one for which we had lost appetite. We
tried to satisfy our hunger with mount
ain birch and saSafras bark.
Our battery was soon up and In posi-
tion. By this time it was night, and We
were glad to lay our weary bodies down
to rest. We were ordered not to build
any fires. as they would make too
conspicuous marks for rebel gunners
but as we had nothing to cook and the
weather was warm we did not need any
fires. We slept the sleep of the weary,
If not the RIGHTEOUS. We were ordered
into line at daybreak on the 9th, weary,
sore, and hungry, and not in very
pleasant state of mind nor body, with
our clothes torn and our faces and hands
scratched with briars, the result Of yes
terday's climb over the mountains. But
as we were all about in the same condi
tion no one found fault with his com
panions.
We had been ordered to . new posi-
ton. We left the battery and marched
in a northerly direction, don't know
how far; then, in an easterly direction
to the Manchester road then, south
westerly, to point where ridge juttet
out from the mountain, and aroun.
which the road wound.
We heie formed line at the foot Q
the ridge, fixed bayonets, and advance
halfway up the ridge. We halted an
piled our knapeaeks, then moved up
the crest, where We were ordered to Ii
down. Our right rested on the road, an
our left extended southeast along til
ridge and side of the mountain. w
were within few rods of line of rebel
just over the crest Of the ridge. Thin
they were the 55th Ga. We were no
about the same distance from the reb'
fort as on the night of the 9th. w
were in position about s o'clock q m.
Cumberland Gap n situated at Il
southwest corner of old Virginia, and
enteIed from the north by the MAJ
chester road in southwesterly directio
along the State line between KentucI
and Virginia, and from the west by Il
Cumberland Ford road, which runs SOU
to the Kentucky and Tennessee Sta
line, and east TO the Gap. The thr
States join about 60rods from where Il
road enters The Gap is 1000 fe
above the general level of the countr
and the mountains rise about G thousa,
feet above the Gap.
1t was defended by four forts, one
the Gap, mounting four 12-pound
brass guns; one fort halfmile sout