The National tribune., 1899-10-12

Orderly" said Shorty in his most con.
ciliatcry way. IF you want To do me favor
make Pete Skidmore one Of the detail"
Il amt asking suggestions from YOU"
said tie Orderly, still surly But / shall
detail Baker and SkidmOre for the duty
The boys. f'ung their things of with
something like desperation in their looks.
1t WAS row daylight. but u dense fog
prevented seeing more than a few feet.
We can't wait any longer said tho
Colpucl "PJSs tho word down the lire
I 10 move forward. Make no noise till the
enemy opens tifr. Then everybody push
/ forward rs rapidly rs possible for the
works
The first fire will probably go over our
I heads and do little damage" said Capt.
/ Mctiilicuddy, stepping down to the center,
SO that his whisper could b" heard by ali
I It's always s. when men fire dOwI-hilI.
/ Thcn. you all want 20 be careful and fire
| low, so as To hit rs many as possible, and
rattle them IN their future firing. The
| more of them We can nit the less of us will
be Int afterward. Forward-Guidc right"
| IL seemed as If the crashing of their
marching feet was so loud that the rebels
/ on the hill could not fail to hear it. and they
held their brcaths in painful expectancy
of the vollcy. But they had gotten a rod
or more into the entangling brush of the
| abatis. and were stumbling and crashing
amid the battling branches, before they
heard the voice OF the previous night com
mand:
/ "Ready-Aim-aim low-Fire,"
The rebel ,muskets crashed together in
4 terrific vollcy, which generally passed
over the heads Of the 20Oth Ind. though a
few men fell into the brush with wounds
| 81 had gone up the path that he had
found the night before, and therefore had
no struggle with the fallen trees to shake
his nerves and disturb his aim. He had
calculated upon this. He brought his
musket down deliberately and took good
aim at the point whence the voice of COM
mand had come. As his gun cracked he
heard voices cry:
'The Kmnel's shot. Look out for the
Kunnel, thar"
Another voice Immediately spoke up in
command:
4 STEADY. mcnI Keep cool, Fire low,
and give it to the blue-b -bellied scoundrclsi"
| Then broke out mad rage of death and
destruction, III which both sides seemed
in the ferceSt insanity Of murder. The
200th Ind, encouraged by the shouts of
their officers, pressed forward through the
battling tree-tops, stumbling, falling, ris-
ing again, firing as fast as they could load
their guns. and yelling like demons. They
, were frantic to get through the obstructiol's
and come to hand-to-hand struggle with the
? fiends who were yelling and firing from
the top of the breastworks.
: The rebel battery in the fort began hurl-
ing tornado of shells as near as they
J could bring their guns to bear on the yell
2 ing. This aroused its enemy battery of
the night before, and it opened up viciously.
The regiments to the right and left of the
200th Ind. moved forward at the sound of
: the firing, and added to the dinning tur-
bulence.
: ST had kept to the path, firing coolly and
with deadly. aim as he kept pace with the
r line, which was fiercely forging through
the brush. There had gathered behind
him Jim Humphreys, Harry JosIyn, and
t Gid Mackall. The rest had gathered over
| toward Shorty. who was raging through
the abatis, tearing aside the branches
which impeded the others, yelling, swear
ing most horribly, and firing Il loaded
gun would be handed him. He happened
to look around to see who was handing him
guns, and saw that it was Pete Skidmore
and Sandy Baker.
"I thought you little brats was ordered
2 to stay behind with the things" he gasped.
| 81 know we was" whimpcred little Pete
: as he capped a gun and handed it to Shorty;
8 but We couldn't stay when we heard the
, yelling and shooting. We was so scared
e that We was afraid to stay there, so We
hunted you up, and'-
3 through, and then We'll salivate them
e whelps Of damnation."
A bullet came so nigh Sis face that il
! seemed to burn him, and then he heard it
/ strike. Jim Humphreys fell without q
groan-a bullet through his brain.
3 Don't mind that Forward, boys
? shouted ST. Here's the end of the abatis."
r Gid Mackall fell, and Harry Joslyn
turned to help him.
! sDon't mind him. Come on" ST called
E over his shoulder, as he rushed in the clear
place, Just at the edge Of the shallow ditch
e in front Of the works. Every body this
/ way"
| All that was left of the regiment was
, now through the abatis. The fog sud-
L nd hafa nfo
/ face to face, with only the ditch and tho
t bank Of earth between them. The sight
was so startling that both sides paused for
an instant.
8 colors" rang out the clear, sweet, pene-
trating voice of the Colonel, as he snatched
the colors from the hand of the third man
t who had borne them since the regiment
s moved forward, and sprang up the side of
4 the works.
r OF the pandemonum that reigned inside
the rebel works for the next few minutes
9 ST only recollected seeing the Orderly
Sergeant, bareheaded, and with bayonet
i fixed, leap down from the bank and trans
fix man who tried to snatch the flag from
g the ColonePs hand. 81 arrived just in
time to shoot the rebel officer who was
/ striking at the Orderly with his sword,
while Shorty came up, knocking down a
windrow of men with his gun swung by
the butt as club, TO rescue ST from three
| iOUCiS wiz "cic iLS W Dsiy
) All at once the entire rebel line broke
l and ran down the hill in a wave of dingy
brown, while another wave of blue rolled
! over the works to the right and left OF the
r 20Oth Ind.
D Il hope you amt hurt, Orderly" said
9 ST, dropping the butt of his musket on
the ground, and wiping his flushed face.
Il thought that officer was goin' to git
you, sure"
2 "He would, if it hadn't been for you, ST.
| yJa in, 5lo hut ,t,,tf
much. l think. But Shorty helped you
: out of tight box"
, "Yes; Shorty generally does that" said
ST. with a beaming look on his partner.
Hes the best soldier in the regiment, and
) kin always be trusted to git in on time
anywhere"
, aWell, I'm afraid it ii be short roll I'll
have to call this evening"" said the Orderly,
, with sorrowful expression. 81 suppose
, we'd better go back through that brush
and look up the boys that were dropped
(To be continued)