The National tribune., 1899-08-17


narrow space. He may have seen larger
not many-but he had
never seen 100, 900 such veterans as those
originally of IS fine raw material as ever
gathered under a banner, and trained to
war by nearly three years of as arduous
as men ever knew, which sifted
out the weaklings, the incompetents, the
feeble-willed by the boisterous winnowing
of bitter war.
Thither had been gathered $4,000 of the
Army of the Tennessee, who had Fort
Donelson," shiloh" "Corinth.' "Chicka-
saw Bayou" big Black" jackson" and
"Vicksburg' in letters of gold on their
Sherman proudly boasted were "the best
soldiers on EARTH" The courtly, idolized
Mcpherson was their leader, with such men
as John A. Logan, Il. E. G.. Ransom, Frank
z. Blair and p. J. Osterhaus as lieu
tenants and subordinates.
There was the Army OF the Cumberland,
1000 strong, from which all droSS had
been burned by the fierce fires of Shiloh.
Perryville Stone River and Chickamauga,
and the campaigns across two States.
The noblest Roman of them all" grand
old Pap" Thomas, was in command, with
Howard, Stanley, Newton, Wood, Palmer,
Davis. Joe Hooker, Williams and Geary as
his principal lieutenants.
And thither came-15.0 900 strong-all of
the Army of the Ohio who could be spared
from garrisoning dearly-won Kentucky
and East Tennessee. They were men who
had become Injured to hunting their enemies
down in mountain Businesses, and fighting
them wherever they could be found. AT
their head was Gen. j. M. Schofield, whom
the Nation had come to know from his
administration of the troublous State OF
Missouri. Gems. Hovey, HaScall and Cox
were division commanders.
With what an air of conscious power; of
evident mastery of all that might confront
them; of calm, unfiinching determination
for the conflict, those men moved and acted.
They felt themselves part of a mighty ma
chine, that had its work before it. and would
move with resistleSS force to perform the
appointed task.
The men fell instinctively into their
ranks in the companies. Without an ap-
parent effort the companies became regi-
ments. the regiments quietly, but with
swift certainty, swung into their places in
the brigade, and the brigades massed up
noiseess!y into divisions and corps.
And whIle the 100, 900 veterans were drill
ing, organizing and manuvering the rail
road was straiuing every one of its iron and
steel tendons to bring in food and ammuni-
ito to supply the mighty host, and provide
a store from which it could draw when it
went forth upon its great errand. There
were 35, 900 horses to be fed, in addition to
the 100,0 900 veterans. and SO the baled hay
made heaps that rivallei in size the foot
hills of the mountains The limitlesS corn
fields of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois heaped
I'D their golden harveSts in other hillOckS.
Every mountain pass was filled with in
terminable droveS of Slow-footed cattle,
bringing forward "army beef on the hoof.' "
Boxes of ammunition and crackers, and
barrels of pork covered acres, and the rail
road brought them in faster than the hum
dreds of regimental teams could haul them
out.
There is no place in the world where the
assembling of such mighty host could be
seen to such an advantage as at Chatta-
nooga. The mountains that tower straight
up into the clouds around the undulating
plain on which the town stands form a
glorious natural amphitheater about an
arena for gigantic dramas.
Naturally, the boys were big-eyed all the
time with the sights that filled the land
scape near and far. Wherever they looked
they were astonished, and when in march
they came out on crest that commando
a wide view, they could not help halting, to
drink all its wonders in. Even the eX-
perienced ST and Shorty were as full of
amazement as they, and watched with
fascination the spectacle of mighty prepa-
ration and concentrated power.
neday they got a pass and took the boys
over to Lookout Mountain, for a compre-
hensive survey of the whole scene. They
OSol bic Stccp, WltiuiHS IOdu
up the mountain side, and made their way
to Pulpit Rock, on the nose" Of the mount
ain, which commands view that is hardly
equalled in any country. From it they
overlooked, as upon a map, the wide plain
around Chattanooga, teeming with soldiers
and horses, and piled-up war material, the
towering line of Mission Ridge, the fort
crowned hills, the endless square miles Of
white camps.
"'The King sat on the rocky
That looks DER Sea-born SalamiS,
And ships by thousands lay below,
And men in Nations, all We're his
murmured Monty Scruggs. IL didn't sup
pose there was as many soldiers in all the
world before"
"Si," said Shorty, I'VE thought old Rose
Grams had heaped up the measure when we
started out from Nashville for Stone River.
But that was only the beginning for the
gang he got together for the Tullyhomy
campaign, and 'taint more than onct to
what old Sherman's goin' to begin business
with. like it. like to see any man start
into "A game with a full hand and a big stack
o. chips"
well, from the talk that comes down
from headquarters said 81, "he may need