The National tribune., 1900-10-18
After Some Tribulation the Boys Start for
the Front.

| NOT gong! won't take us! shouted
Pete Skidmore, in his shrill treble, aS he
| flung his canteen and haversack on the
door. Il don't believe the roads bin cut.
It's all trick to leave us behind, and take
somebody else instead"
That's just what it is echoed Sandy,
Salnming his things down. Il know it. l
saw that other detachment snickering at
MS as they marched up. They're going in
our place. We've been cucheled.'
Blame, condemn, denounce and other
wise upbraid, reproach and censure stay
ing here this Winter to guard prisoners" :"
yelled Monty, giving his thiags a kick as
he pitched them on the floor and tryif 6
to vie with ShOrty's fluent profanity b.
long, SOnorous words. I'VE belong W tn
our regiment. and not back here with these
soft-bread bomb-proofeTs."
We're under the orders of our own
Colonel, and nobody else,' argued Harry
Joslyn. Hes ordered us to join him. and
we must obey him, no matter what any
body else may say"
busted rebels" roared Shorty. "Our b 81
ness is where there's live, fresh ones 10
bust them"
No chance here to see anything but
common, everyday, feyer-and-ague and
diarIhOea," grumbled Alf. Russell, angri-
ly, adding his load to the pile on the Fl or.
II want to go where | can study n hot
wounds and general surgery"
Here, boys, stop that" sharply COM
manded 81. the instinct of good order and
| discipline asserting itself. Stop throw
| ing your things around. You must not
waste Government property that way.
! Every one of You pick up his things at
once, and put them carefully and properly
in his bunk. Clear up the floor at once,
and put your bunks in shape. I'm not go
ing TO have it look :; like grocery store
struck by lightning
Sis neverfailing disposition to make
the best of things dominated his acute dis
appointment. He had his fathers trait
Of doing well and strongly that which lay
nearest his hand and trusting the fu u e.
| He would listen to no angry complaints,
| but moved around through the room, blsy
| ing the boys with putting their hunks n
order and arranging their things neatly in
| them. When this was done he sent for
brooms. and had the floor swept. the bar
racks tidied up, and was cleaning the
street. while Shorty slipped off to find
Serg't Ike Deebe and get further news.
He found the whole camp as gloomy and
eXasperated as those whom he had just
left. No cheers or laughter broke the sui
len silence. Even those belonging to the
regular guards of the prison Were no less
soured. They had hoped that the viii Il
gig would in time come around to th,m,
and they be relieved from the tiresome
monOtOny OF daily guard duty, dry, warm
beds and soft bread.
THE roads cut sure enough said Ike
Decide Sloomily, as they lighted their
pipes for calm discussion of the situa-
ton. I've seen the dispatches myself.
The question is whether the rebels We
done it or old Sherman. If he has. th
it's all day. At headquarters they think
he has. because it's south Of Chattanoo a.
On the quiet. | don't think it is, for Shad
Graham's down at Jeffersonville getting
u.
to have. and i got letter from him only
this morning saying that he wouldn't sta
till the end of the week. IL / couldn't do
any better | was going with him, as he
wants me to. though I'd a blamed sight
rather he Orderly-Sergeant of my com
pany than bucking around in the mud and
water with lot of canvas bottomed
scows. think that only lot of them
measy guerrillas have rolled some rocks
down on the track or caved in a tunnel.
1t can't be a bridge for old Shermans g t
duplicate for every bridge on the road
stored up at Nashville and Chattanooga,
and they'll put up new one before the
er matter, though. and mighty ugly one,
sometimes"
Why don't they get up duplicate tun-
nels, tooY' asked Shorty, meditatively.
We've got feIlers smart enough for any
thing"
Il don't see just how they could, but
mebbe they could. AS you say, our fel-
lers are smart enough for anything. I've
wondered sometimes if they wouldn't be
furnishing us with wings some day to fly
over the mountains and rivers and get at
the rebels. Somehow the rebels never can
get anywhere that we can't get at them.
If Sherman's really cut the road. I've
notion to go over there and take a commits
sion in a niger regiment. They're rails
ing cavalry regiment which they say is
going into East Tennessee. / believe
they're planning to so up from East Ten
nessee and take Richmond from the rear.
It'd be more fun than circus to lead n
company Of Niger cavalry into Richmond;
but I'd rather be with he boys of my cd
straps anywhere else.
mo niger in mine," said Shorty deci-
sively, "and no other regiment than the
200th Ind. There's where | belong, and
there's where I'm going to stay until this
cruel war is over, and no Irish need an
ply. I'd a heap rather have my chevrons
there than n sardine-box label in any 9th T
regiment, and rather foller Col. McGli-
cuddy than be boss of 10-acre lot full of
other soldiers, And Pm going to get b TX
to the 200th Ind. If ! have to walk all the
way. You hear mer'
Il believe I'll 90 inside little while,
and find out if there's anything new Stay
here till come out again.
He came back presently, and said:
Worse and worse. Hoods whole army
seems to be across the railroad and lust |
tearing up things. Nothing can be a d
of Sherman. They're talking now over
the wires about sending men forward to
defend Nashville. Murfreesboro and Dera- |
tur. But the officers OF these two regi- |
ments here are making the point th7t rs |
the squads of recruits cannot get t. Sher- |
man. and probably will not be abe to for |
a long time. ii is better to keep them hire |
to guard prisoners, and send on the two |
regiments instead. which will be mu h |
more seryiceable than unorganized new
recruits, who win simply be in the way" |
Damn thenI," snorted Shorty.
$50 say. But I'm afraid they're hav-
ing the best of the argument And the, e |
a whole lot of officers who've been lay-ne |
around Indianapolis, who're backing them |
up. Some of them are really too weak r |
active duty; some have the 'shel-fever,' |
and don't want to go to the field. and |
some have other reasons for being away |
from their regiments. They all want to |
get assigned to duty commanding these re-
cruits and returned furloughs, and stay |
here in Indianapolis
damn them," snorted Shorty again.
Ditto and amen. Let them go out and |
recruit men of their own kind to guard |
rebel prisoners, and not try to sneak into
it men enlisted for better business"
Several officers Of the guards passed out
with visible elation in their faces.
''They think they've won out" said
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