The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1898-05-12
ChiCkam auga.

I
| Kentucky feudsmen are rallyIng to the
call of a mountain Congressman; thence
slowly like wounded snake, between the
/ hills aud through a snOw-storm OF bios
soming dogwood, TO hear in civilization
at Knoxville that screech OF triumph over
the capture of pile of lumber, aud t.
pray that, if somebody he decreed a SOUND
and just thrashing, We shall give u win
/ dignity aud in silence. Knoxville had
/ some cause to be sure. Captain Maynard
was Il Knoxville man. And yet not all OF
/ that city was jubilant; one citizen was
pointed out to me who was not happy
/ lie was thc owner of the lumber, also
oddly enough, Knoxville man.
Swiftly then, through stations thronSed
with eager cOuntrymen, into river valley
and low land, and at sunset into the glory
of a Southern spring, and-Chlckamauea
! Chickamauga where certain other gallant
| Americans once ferccly fought certain
other gallant Americans forward and back
over some six thousand acres OF creek
bottom and wooded hills, and where Uncle
Sam today il pitching tents for his war
chldren-cnildren, too, OF those old enc
mics, but ready now TO ight together, ana
a near shoulder to shoulder as the modern
line o. battle will allow.
That night in Chattanooga on tue
streets gray slouched hats everywhere
hats with little brass crosses that were
not symbols Of religion, crossed rlnes,
crossed sabres tiny crossed cannon; men
with the red cross OF the hospital service
on their sleeves; troopers with big pistols
and bells of big cleaning cartridges
soldiers white and black; soldiers every
where, some staggering aud Oglins and
loud of voice, but nearly all quiet, orderly,
well behaved.
Thronging the hotel Hobbies, the officers
in uniOrm-the same slOuched hats, bu'
severely plain; The same legs, but striped
with yellow, with white, and with red; the
gray veterans Of horse, of infantry, OF
artillery: company officers in from the
Weltern service, quiet young men with
strong brOnzed faces and keen eyes, re-
newing old friendships and s"appIi )
experiences on the plains. SuballernS
down 10 the last graduating class from
West Point, eager young fellows with slim
waists, and nothing 10 swap yet 0the'
than memories OF the old school on the
Hudson. And none Sarruious OF theii
senior officers save in loyal pralse,s ana
none other than modest and beautifully
reticent about their own past deeds, ana
the deeds 10 he done in the war with
Spain. Sunday there was general move
ment to Chlckamauga from Genera
Brooke down-trom town and hotel to
tents in the old camping ground; and
SUNDAY was vast local holiday for
swarm OF curious civilians TO the same
spot: for hundreds of miles around; on
train, iarm-wagOn. sprlng-waSOn, buggy,
horseback, foot; on bicycle, IN open
landau, carriage, cart; in express wagons,
baggage wagons. Omnlbuses IN barSes
with projecting additions aud other land
craft bevOuud classification or description,
And the people. Rich whites, whites
well-to-do, and poor white trash; good
country folks, valley-fa'mers, farmers
from spurs and table lands; subjects from
the "kingdOm Of DUDE CraddOch :
mOenlaineers and Harris crackers;
darkies; and the motley feminine horde
that the soldier draws The world overall
moving along Il road between Lookout on
the right and Missionary Ridge Oh the
lett aud intersperSed here and their with
a c,anking troop OF horse or rumhllnS
anxious 10 look upon these
lOng-neelected Nar-children who seem |
now in Il fair way to come TO their at last.
And dark ies-how they hocked aud how !
they stared at their soldier brethren with |
pathetic worship, unspodkable admiration, |
and, now and then, with a resentment that |
was most curious, And how these dusky !
sous Of Mars drank deep i2to their broad |
nostrls the incense thus waited them
from hedge aud highway!
All day troops were arriving and all day |
little villages Of canvass were sprInglne |
out Of the green earth--Old- fashioned |
army tents for the officers aud marked by |
Hutlerihg guidOns; cOnical walled tents, Il
modification of the Sibley tent, that holds
sixteen men of infantry or sixteen troopers
wing like the spokes of a wheel. and with
heads out like cOyey Of cartridges; and
cunning little" shelter tents-"dog
enis," as the soldiers call them-all of
hem laid out in streets, which, in the
amp Of the trooper, were distinguished
~ long rope that runs from stake to
stake in front of the white wigwams-an
ded, understand that was borrowed from
he Indians.
Cannon and casSiOn took position at the
lOrthern end Of the park under Majors
lancaster and Dllenbeck, OF the Fourth
Artillery aud the First respectively; the
infantry gathered on the southern limits
Inder Colonel Burt of the Twenty fifth
nd Colonel Bates of the Second; while
ne cavalry, under Colonel Summer OF the
sixth and Colonel Henry OF the Tenth,
ook the middle ground between. At
east this seemed at first TO be the broad
Ian Of encampmeut. Later arrivals OF
infantry and cavalry took very many ex- {
options in favor Of better ground. Sun
ag was day of rest. Monday everybody
OF ready for work Tuesday everybody
ried to keep dry. Work began in earnest
ednesday.-John For d., in Hdrpery
Weekly.