The National tribune., 1899-03-09

been ordered to leave all baggage, they sup
posed they were merely going ont for an es-
| peditIon OF day or so, and al extra clothing,
blankets, etc, were left in their camps. In
| steai of returning to their comfortable quar-
teis in a couple of days, they were marched
| up into East Tennessee and passed the Winter
in the vicinity of Strawberry Plains, Blaine 8
Crossroads, and Knoxville, shi,ering in
| their Summer biouses and reduced TO rations
of less than a pint of unsited cornneal a
cav, for days at q time. The country had
h-en completely stripped by the coniendng
armies SD there was nothing eft to forage
and great numbers of the inhabitants had TO
depend ON what the soldiers could spare from
their scantv ratious for subsistence.
Four of the members of the battery were
fortunate enough to posscss three saddle
blankets and one infantry blanket, and bv
bunking together in close quarters they man
aged to get aioBg very we'll. They built
themselves q sranty.
Three siies wcr. constructed OF logs. The
shanty WAS rooted with boughs. The fourth
side WAS oFen, and in front of il the soldiers
kept up big ire, aid 80 were e,mpara,i, civ
comfortable. Tiis WAS all very nice. bot
one night IL they we're having a cosy game of
CARTS, with rousing fire outside. tine hames
caught their root of boughs and that game
of cards came To Sudden t4r,nnation ami
there WAS Soaie lively scrambllng on the part
Of the players TO ges out.
Much of The time ite ground was covered
with deem suow, adding TO the discomfort
OF the shoeless assd scIBtIiv-.lai inhabitants.
When the rebeE reported advancing in
large fo'te in January, the battery was
ordered TO tall back to Knoxville The
people, having nothing to live on, accom-
p;inied the tro1Is in Llrse numbers, marching
along beside the settlers through the snow,
women and children, many OF them, bare
foot
II he Confederate forces under Iongstreet
were in great distress lOr want of sh ,es and
clolhing. and ones rect begged the au-
tIOri;ies at RichHo4d 10 furnish him with
hides. and he would get tie shoes uiade in
his army. In the early Winter ne requested
leiniorcemcnts. and among the troops sent
him WAS tine % h Va. IA member OF which
regiment relates ms experience as follows:
Loncsir' sen, to Lee for some fresh
troops. and we were the tres lest to he hti,
81 thev sent us out We entered Tennessee
IN the nei.hborhool of Beams Station.
had no sh.es and scarce any clothes.
marched hrougn The now barefoot Scarcely
an, OF our mcn had shoes We lay neir
Beams Statio-, and Lon.street came to our
camp. lie booked at us aud tod Ia stay
there; he w.t-t nnr hsh, With men WHO had
no sho or Cia;ues We lav there several
weeks. The people IN lhat valley knew only
Mistuh e. and AilStun Lincoln Tn v
saisi Alstasj Lee and Mis-, nil Lincoln
hid eot la;o some KIND OF Il quarrel, and had
sent hi shgre asei. go1 all their young hue,
10 20 an, il mt iDr them. They wanted 10
know wilet ser tei1uyed 10 Nj sub
Lee Or NJ ssh Lincoln. aud we told them
I" mi>tun e. ! he people male shoes
and clio hes iot u-, and gave us something 10
eat. lie Union iol5ls also helped; they sIid
they wouidH'l ut IL 20 BAREFOOT and without
clpihes, no,,a, +. u. kEaGUsoN, st.
LOUIS, Mo.