The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1897-12-30

! Yankees, an 0ldn I believe thar WIZ any
body that could stan agin SIGH host as W
had. We wanted t go on furder, t wha
our friends wuz, an the country wuz rich an
full O. good things, jest as the ossiiers',
promised us. We kicked an Crumblel
about hayin' t work so hard, an some o th'
men throwed down their shovels an axes an
said they'uns wouldn't work no more, an
Zollieofier had { put they'uns in the gyaid
house an threaten to shoot they 'uns
'Hitd made better men o You ms If you'd
bin made t. work when you'ns wuz boys, .
remarked Robert Inrule . But yo' didn't
! git shot in the leg for refusin' t work did
yo'?"
No; tell yo', got shot in battle, when
ole Zolicoffer wuz done killed"
Every time that Hoskins repeated that
! Zollicofer had been killed his auditors hearts
! leaped i'll eXultation. There was a Joy in
| JUS saying ii over and over again.
You got the fort built" said the Elder,
impatient for the continuance of the nara
I tive. What did you 90 1hen?''
We built great big town Of houses for
the ossifers an men t live in, stables for the
bosses, an sheds for the provisions an ammy-
milton. an hospitals for the sick Why, hit
made the biggest town yo' ever seed. | de-
clar, | reckon hit wuz bigger'n Knoxville
Al hit Looked as if we meant t stay thar for
ever, an hit made the boys mad, bekase we
didn't want { stay thar. Lord, how little
| we'uns knowed"
That is true said the Elder. "But
how long did you stay there? Not long, for
you haven't been away from here but few
weeks"
Only few weeks? Hit seems t. me that
hlts bin years since we'uns left ole Tennessee.
But, then, | remember bit wuz jest beginnin'
{ he good coon-huntin' when we crossed the
mountings."
+" You were thinking more about hunting
people who served the Lord and were loyal to
their Government than about hunting rae
coons, said the Elder sternIy. "But please
90 on''
The Yankees kept a-gittin' sassier an
sassler, an thar seemed many more O. they
uns. They 'uns d come right up an shoot
right into our camps, an when we'uns ID
send out passels o men t. lick 'em they'uns
wouldn't run like they'uns useter but STAN
an fout, an sometimes drive our men back
inter camp. / didn't like the way they'uns
acted at all. 1t got to be good deal comfort
ADLER t shoot at they'uns from behind the
banks weuns ID throwed up than t. 90 inter
the woods alter they'uns"
confirmatory groan came from Hoskins's
companions, and brought a smile to the faces
of the others.
"We'uns'd skeercely got the fort an the
houses done finished, continued Hoskins.
when Jineral Zoilicoffer ordered every man
T. be ready at midnight t. march out and
drive the Yankees away Id ruther STAYED
IN the cabin that I'd worked so hard t. build.
fur cold rain wuz comm down. but KunneI
Rhpa pn' fTGyat
said that every man must 90, an they'd hold
me 'sponsible fur gittin' all my men out.
Sometime alter midnight 'uns all started
with Jineral Zollicoffer up near the front.
Hit wuz still rainin', an the mud Jest oriul.
didn't want t. 60 ont t fife a single mite"
Another confirmatOry groan from the
Others
Along about daylight thar begin t. be
lively shootin' up ahead. Jest Kunnel
Woiford's critter company sez Capt Sam
Gr1ggs. We'uns II scatter they uns monty
quick. But they'uns didn't seem t scatter
We'uns al had t. stop an stand thar in the
rain, while the shootin KEEP up. Then hit
went back, but monty slow. an we'uns went
ahead little ways, when bang went more'n
a million guns TO wunst, follered by reglar
rain o. shots.
We'uns seem tive run onter rigiment,'
SEE Kunnel Rhca. We'uns II drive 'em
without any trouble But they'uns didn't
seem t drive at all. They uns stuck right
thar, as if they ns wuz fast in the mud. an
kept up the most infernalest shootn.'
i wuz watchin' Kunnel Rhea, an see
his face look troubled. An ossifer cnm splat-
term up an seq: "Kunnel Rhea the Yam
KEGS air stubborn The JineraI directs that
yo' take yo' riiiment through the woods t.
the lett an git On thar eend' KunneI Rhea
gives the orders an we'uns start off through
the woods for the Yankees eend. We'uns
come out inter an ole field, an Jest then thar
riz up aiore we'un a hull field full o. Yam
KEGS what hadn't bin foutin at all-iest
waitin' for we'uns
Weuns double-quicked 'roun' inter line.
an begun walkin' right towards thev'uns.
shoOtin' an hoilerin' as we went Iexpected
t see they'uns break up an skip for the
woods behind they'uns. But they uns didn't
run any more'n the rail fences an the trees.
j never seed men act so queer They'uns list
stood without nlovin or shootin' back. am
watched weuns comm acTOst the field. [
wondered if they'uns intended t stand right
thar an let we'uns bayonet they uns."
Kunnel Rhea done ordered us T. fix bayo.
nets, when heared de Yankees blow horn.
MI tildl guns tDilit up III NUnSJ an ali
flashed at wunst, an hit seemed T. me that
our whole line WIZ knocked over inter the
mud at one onrul blast My Lord, hit wuz
jest turrible! i never dreamed Of ANYTHING
so fearful The ground wuz kivvered with
our dead an wounded, an the yelling o the
wounded wuz enough T. make your blood
run cold. q"
stlll deeper groan from his companions.
Ne'uns who hadn't bin hit turned an
run back t the woods wiar we'd bin. fol-
lowed by Kunnel Rhea an the rest O; the
ossliers, swearin an' cussin awful. rbey'ups !
got We uns together agin an we begun shoot |
IN acrost the field at the Yankees, who lest |
loaded up thar guns agin an stood thar still. |
waltln' Tor we uns & cane out agin
But VEINS wuzzcnt durn fools an,
we uns didn't do hit no more Nv God how
that country seemed t suddenly swarm with |
Yankees. All the woods an fields wuz fairly |
alive with they'uns. They'uns seemed /, !
rise right up outcn the ground, and alters he |
81 andin' i'll long, solid lines thatd break ont |
in reg lar whirlwinds of fire and bullets tlat'd |
sweep our men alOre they uns like ebaff alore |
the wind. Our mend yell an holler. am |
rush ut they 'uns as if they'd tear they'uns t. |
pieces. They'uns ii stan thar like rocks. an
never say nary a word till alter they uns shot. |
when they'nns d cheer
:" / felt sick when we'uns started out but /
got sicker every minute, till i conld skeerce-
y hold my head up. But Col. Rhea KEEP |
iding up an down, cussn' an SWARM |
md sbreataDin; H. kill airy man what didn't |