The National tribune., 1899-09-28

we've bin doin' for the last few days.
| can't make head nor tail of it, and cam
find nobody else that kin"
81 can't make it out no more than yoU
kim" assented ST. "And Pve thought O
that crazy idee, too. You know them boys
over there in Rousseau's old division was
under Sherman once before, when he was
in command at Louisville and they say
that he got craZier'n a locoed steer-actu.
ally looney. SOS they had TO relieve him and
send him back home to git cured. They'd
be really scared about things, but their
officers heard old Pap Thomas say that
things wuz goin' along all right, and that
satisfied 'em. L amt goin' to worry so
longs old Thomas is in command O. the
Army o the Cumberland, and we're in it.
He'll take care that things come out
straight"
"You bet" heartily agreed Shorty.
"The Army o the Cumberland'n be all
right as long as he's on deck, and he kin
take care o the other armies, too. if they git
into trouble. | struck some o the Army O.
the Tennessee when [ went back with them
prisoners today, and got talkin' with 'em.
1 asked 'em if Sherman wasn't subject to
crazy fits, and they said yes, he had 'em,
but when he did he made the rebels a
mighty sight crazier'n he was. They
went on to say that we'd git used to Sher-
man after awhile. and he'd show us some
kinks in Soljerin that we never dreamed of. ,
"Sich plaguey conceit," muttered ST.
81 should say so. But never. seen any
body so stuck on themselves as them Army
o. the Tennessee fellers. Just because they
took Vicksburg"-
with all the navy to help 'em," inter
jectcd ST.
"Yes. with more gunboats than we have
army wagons. They think they know more
about solierin than anybody else in the
world, and ackchelly want to give us p'ints
l., Il
"The idee," said ST scornfuily. "Talkin'
that way to the best soljers in the world
the Army o the Cumberland. hate con-
ceit above all things. Pm glad | hain't
none of it in me. 'Tain't that we say it,
but everybody knows it that the Army o.
the Cumberland's the best army in the
world, and the 200th Injianny"-
II told 'em that the Army O. the Cumber-
land was the best army. because it had the
2OOth lnjianny in it. and, would you believe
me, they said they'd never even heard O.
the 2OOth Injianny?"
"Sich ignorance" groaned ST. Cant
they read? Don't they git the papers?"
''There'd bin a fight right there, if it
hadn't bin for the officers. | wanted aw-
fully to take a fall out of a big Sergeant who
said that Thomas might be good enough
man for Chairman of a convention O. farm
ers, but when he went to war he wanted to
have sich leaders as Sherman, Mcpherson,
anu Logan, ana OSpeIuduS. buC he III
keep. We agreed to see each other later,
when we'll have private discussion. and
if he has any head left on him he'll freely
acknowledge that nobody in the Army O.
the Tennessee is fit to be named in the same
day with Gen. Thomas"
"Better turn him over to me, Shorty"
said ST, meditatively. Il think Pm in
better shape for an argument just now than
you are. You've bin doing good deal in
the last few days, and Pm afraid you're a
little run down."
mo; he's my meat. / found him, and
I'll take care O. him. But there's just one
thing that reconciles me to this business.
In spite o all this sacheZing and monkey
ing we seem to be continually edgin' up
closter to them big cliffs where the rebels
are, and something's got to bust purity
soon. It's jist like it was at llyhomy,
but old RoSecrans amt runnin' things
now"
But Thomas is in the center, as he was
them and we're with him." said ST hope
fully. There's tattoo. Les crawl in."
The other boys had been affected accord
ing to their various temperaments by the
intricate and bewildering events of the past
few days. The first day or two they were
all on the tenter-hookS of expectation and
Every bugle-call seemed to be a
notice for them to rush into the great battle.
they expected to follow and fall into line
with it. They wondered why they were not
sent in after every skirmish-line they saw
When rebel battery opened |
out in the distance they girded themselves |
in expectation of an order to charge it. |
But ST and Shorty kept admonishing them |
hat it would be time enough for them to get |
excited when the 20Oth Ind. was called on |
by name for something; that they were