The National tribune., 1901-02-07
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The 200th Ind. Is at Last Found, It Has a
Pleasant So.ree With Railroad, and the
Boys visit Oid Friends.


1t was easy enough to find the Four
teenth Corps. 1t seemed to hii the whole
of that part of Georgia with its endless
columns of marching men, its miles of
light batteries, its immense droycs of cat
tie, its interminable strings of whlte-top-
ped wagons, its lOns-drawn-out pontoon
and ambulance trains.
1t WAS quite another thing to tlnd the
2OUth Ind, which, with all the Importance
attached to it by ST and the rest, was yet
but Il small unit Of the mighty whole. Its
less than $40 effective men We're but
MINOR traction OF the great corps 1o,uOO.
Besides, i'll the months that 81 and Shorty
had been away the casualties of the Serv-
Ice had swept away or changed the corps
old landmarks. There had been sweeping
changes III officers of all grades, from the
MAJOR General commanding the corps,
down. MaJ.-Gen. JEFF Z. Davis now rode
at the head of the corps, instead of MaJ.-
Gen. John NJ. Palmer, who had succeeded
Gen. George III. Thomas, and was in com
mand when the boys We're captured. DIyi-
sIons had been remodeled, brlgadcs trans
ferred, regiments changed and consOii-
dated. Old ones of imposing size had
shrunken to battalions, and new ones, as
big as the whole of the rest of the bri-
gades, had been added. The smooth faces
of young officers had become heavily
whiskered; trim, natty fellows, looking like
fashion plates, and brilliant with gold lace
and buttons, had become bronZed and rug
Sed campaigners, who did not care much
now they looked, so long as they got there.
Nobody knew where the 20Oth Ind
could now be found; nobody knew to what
brigade it belonged now; nobody knew
what division it was in. If they did know
these things, there would be no telling
where to look for it, because the order of
march had not become familiar to the men.
The corps had been scattered about a good
deal lately, and it would take day or two
of marching and camping before they
would get shaken down into regular shape
again. Besides, everybody was TOO full
just now Of the Objectiyes of the great
movement to have much thought Of any
thing else.
Those who thought they knew were still
worse, for they gave absolutely misleading
directions, which sent the boys OFT On VAIN
journeys, with wearisome struggles with
the Swift-marching columns, the traius and
the batteries.
In the course of these they separated,
Jake Dye taking his squad off in a diff
ferent direction, in search of the 1st 0sh-
kosh; Shad finding another clew to his
regiment, and leaving 81 and Shorty to fol-
low their own Judgment as to the where
abouts of the 2O0th Ind.
1t was very disheartening- To them the
whole universe revolyed around the 20Oth
Ind. The rest of the army were mere ap-
pendages to their regiment, and its posi-
ton and moyments should have been of as
much interest to everybody as those of
Gen. Sherman himself. They grew angry,
and said insulting things to men who did
not know anything about the 200th Ind,
did not know whether it belonged to the
corps now, did not remember to have seen
it since the army left Chattanooga, and
were Indifferent as to whether they should
ever see it. One man was impudent enough
to say that he supposed that the war
might possibly go right along without
being seriously .hindered if the 200th Ind.
was still back in Chattanooga, or some
other safe place.
Shorty would have thraShed him then
and there, but his partner pulled him
away. 81 was reaching that point of view
which showed so much to do in the world
that he hated to see energy wasted on III
consequential things.
Don't lick him, Shorty" he remon-
strated. Save ourself for something more
important. We seem to'ye struck the
back townships of the corps. They've
never heard of the 200th Injianny, and
we've never heard o their regiments. It's
about quits. Let's stop here and make
straight for corps headquarters. They'll
know there where the regiment is
But Corps Headquarters are 10 or -
miles from here" grumbled Shorty. '.And
it'll take us all day and all night to go
that far through this freshet of regiments
and trains. By that time Corps Head
quarters will have picked up its feet and
gone on another 10 or ID miles, and we'll
be as bad off as before. That looks like
,,t1 I,.v,gs Al,
that other hill. I'm sure L know them
headquarters wagons and teams"
Another toilsome march of three or four
miles, only to find when they had come up
to the column that the 200th Ind. did not
belong to that division, and no one knew
exactly to which one, if any, it had been
assigned in the last shuttle.
Then 81 led his weary men back toward
the railroad, to execute his first plan of
going directly to Corps Headquarters. He
presently saw that the army was halting
and going into camp. He decided that it
would be the best plan to halt, too, and
wait till things had settled down little,
when he could move about more freely,
and get certain direction as to the precise
location Of the Corps Headquarters.
Then he found an Aid, who informed
him that Headquarters had been estab-
lished four or five miles ahead. but could
tell him nothing of the 200th Ind.
''Of course, he don't know anything
about the 200th Injianny," said Shorty, in
deep disgust. did you ever see an Aid
that knowed anything useful or that he
ought to? He wouldn't be allowed on the
staff if he did,"
"Well, let's waste no more time" said
81. He's told us the way to Headauar-
ters, for which we're obliged to him. Fall
in. Forward-March."
II was a weary trudge to Headquarters.
but it was easier going now, with every
body pulling off the road into camp. They
reached their destination about sundown,
and found the; Adjutant- General of the
corps standing outside in his shirt sleeves,
superintending the arrangements of the
tents.
1.-The 20Oth Ind.," he answered prompt
ly. "Yes; its coming UP by way of Snap
finger, and will strike the railroad about
four or five miles back. You 90 right down
the railroad and you'll come to it, 1t ought
to be there about this time"
''Why, we Just came from there" gasped
81, amazed at the easy certainty with which
the Adiutant-General kept the movements
of every regiment in mind, contrasted with
the exasperating ignorance of eyerybodv
else, especially Aids, and disgusted at the
same time with the idea of having 10
march back. '''We were right at the
railroad, about five miles back, when we
started for Headquarters"
''Too bad" said the Adjutant-G General.
nonchalantiy. ''ff you'd only STAYED there
your regiment would have come IN to vou
I+ ,ront 1or,J nv Spopfnror a. -