Evening star., 1898-05-21


| inside the entrenehments at Chattanooga
with ditch water to drink, and your only
sustenance the stray grains o. corn you
could steal from the mules. when Gen.
Grant telegraphed Thomas, October 19,
1863. Hold Chattanooga at all hazards.
What would you have lone then, you dis
loyal little cub? Would you have sent
back word. as old Pap Thomas Gid We
will hold the town until We starve.' or
| would you have crawled out of the trench
es over into Bragg's camp and begged for
pudding and tea? Or would you have shut
your teeth. taken cinch in your belt SO
you wouldn't feel the painful snawing of
munger, and then gone on that forlorn hope
to storm Mission Ridge. which will be the
theme for poet and song writer, historian
and romancer as long as wars are known?
My boy, that was the awfullest rout that
an tnsolent enemy ever suffered in the his
tory OF the world, but you will never paral-
lei II TILL you forget your own puny exist
ence and remember that you are lust one
OF the little bolts in the vast ma chinery of
the military of this great nation. and that
your only part is to work with as little
friction as possible so that the gigantic
engine that is moving steadily onward for
the freeing of a downtrodden and enslayed
people may do its perfect work. One speech
hht, ,,he yours OF moment ago might infect
nan regiment in time. One refractory
regiment would ruin a whole brigade and
SO the preach would widen, till mutinous
oisaster might overtake a wing of an army
Just at critical moment and lose us a vic
tory 49, - "
About this time the young wearer of the
o.ue SUNK away to his tent with the sound
OF applause for the old soldier and Kisses
Tor his own selfish talk ringing in his ears
These boys, CT some Of them. remind me
OF some Of those who enlisted with me-"
tne veteran went on ."rhey growled at
eHerythlng. They were on the sick list
whenever they thought they could make it
WIN and something particularly palatable
nad been sent by some good woman at
NJ nome: They shirked all hard work. and
IN the end they usually deserted Complain
OF the grub here" he exclaimed, as he
passed the meat commssary. why, that
peer IS mt for king. Wait till there is
Juss one bacon rind to a company fer meat,
ana the boys take turns waiting for it to
grease their old pie pans with to give some
sort or taste to the four-and-water slap
Jacks that Is all they have left to eat
Not even black coffee without sugar to
moisten their parched throats after a long
march. Pudding pie! Why, blankity blank
1t all, l have paid dollar in good green
PACKS PACKS and once paid bushel of thousand
ooilar confederate shinplasters for lust
one rub over my frying pan of n bacon
rlnd that had been used for a month! When
these boys have to tie their feet UP in cof-
zee SACKS and have no coats, with only
pair of worn-out trousers and a string for
suspender to hold them up over the tail
OF shirt made by sewing two flour sacks
together, without sleeves then thew can
oegln to Kick. BY that time, however, they
Wlii nave learned enough to refrain from
kicking. Measly hardtack indeed! Why
the hardtack furnished now is doughnuts
10 asphalt as compared with that we got
l. ~ was SO hard that we couldn't break it
Win an AK We soaked 1t in coffee or wa
ter IN self-defense. Broken up after soak
Ing In coffee. and fried in good bacon
grease, II was dish for Luculus / re-
memper tlmes, however, when it was soft
enough. Hardened as we were huneriIy a g
our stomachs cried for food, we waited till
aIter daTk to eat the crumbling, wriggling
mass OF wormy army biscuit
These boys will never have to encounter
such horrible hardships as we did how
ever Ior the conditions are entirely differ
eht. Inc government will care for its army
In more systematic manner than II did IN
the war of the rebellion. 1t has learned
now by sad experience"
Sad Partings.
AS the sun was setting over the wes+err
hills. and sent long tongues of light tbronpb
the dancing leaves of the woods MANY cad
partlnss were seen. One young father.
with his dainty little first born's arms light
twisted around his sun-burned neck walk
ed slowly beside his sad-faced wife whose
eyes were bright and dry with heroic deter
hlnauon- Inc baby cooed and kissed him
and Its soft white dress was dampened with
the tears of the brave young fellow who
was hero to the hearts core .Youu get
my pay, all right" he finally said to his
Wle, as they stopped in the shadow of a
tree by the entrance. I'm not thinking Of
money she said, her voice trembling a
little Just you be brave, and come lack
TO baby and me with honorable record.
ana IL 90 the rest. l can't fight. but 1
can be brave for man who will. and
that Is all that woman is expected
to do" Then he kissed the woman and the
baby, and they went out in the shadow of
the trees along the roadside the baby cry
ing pitifully for 'Dadda' and holding out
its chubby little hands to him through the
sunset glow. For an instant he stood and
looked after them, and then with a dash
OF his hand across his eyes he started back
to his tent with a swinging step and a set
Ting of his shoulders that boded no good
for the skulking enemy
Suddenly the sun slipped clear down be-
hind the trees, and the cool gray of twi-
light began to steal on. Here and there
tWlnKhng nres told of cosy groups among
the tents, then all shapes faded out but the
cleaning white of the tents, which stood
like specters against the dense dark blue
or the sky. Through the night came the
sound of the bugle, and one day in the his
tory Of Camp Alger was ended