The National tribune., 1901-05-02

| drowning all other noise, unless 1t was
| the thousands of voices of ContrabandS IN
and the pickaninnies cried and beloved.
refusing to be comforted, while the Old
| mammies. aroused and angered by their
| offsprings' wailing, scOlded and shouted IN
| glorious unison.
All the time the rear of the train kept
crowding in, not knowing what was ahead
| of them. and for miles up and down on
each side of the road it was one huge
jam: those caught in it could not get out;
| no moon, and under the thick WOODS. IL
| was darkness so thick it could be felt;
| the Dutch drivers and teamsters, unable
to go head or back out, or even make a
| retreat themselves. through the awtul
| lam, simply sat down and swOre, appar-
emily, in more languages than there were
stars in the heavens.
1t was good luck on our part that we
| had gone back several miles in the rear
before camping; this prevented our BENG
caught in the Jam, and gave us large
fields of corn to forage in-the harder
ears for the horses, and the greener Tor
the men, SO that both were satisfied, ana
the men had parched many quart ana
slowed it away in haversackS Tor the
morrow's eating. as hardtack and sow
belly had about disappeared. Belore
midnight our command had grown weary
of the confusion and noise, and had maze
beds underbusheS and trees, LAYING Diah>
kets and rubber ponchoS on the leaves,
upon which they stretched their tired bod
les and were soon sleeping the sleep OF
weary patriots. Pickets had been posted
along the first line of old-fashioned worm
rail fence. which separated one planters
cornfield from another. with orders TO
keep u sharp lookout if any enemy at
tempted to approach from rear or SIDE
through the dense cOrnhelds.
A NIGHT ALARM.
Away down to the left of the road, in
an old, unused field. which was still full
of standing dead timber. our little bat
terry of four steel-rifled guns was parked
These were the especial pet and PRIDE OF
our Colonel. Rev. w. W. Wood. who
started out as Chaplain of the regiment,
but being Il retired English army officer
had been promoted to Lieutenant Colonei
and was now in command. The night be-
ing y,grm and the covering trees thick,
nearly all hands had stripped off coat ana
trousers, leaving most of them with moth
ing but shirts. Every soldier when he
laid down placed his arms and ammuni-
ton by his head, while clothes were care
lessly laid one side or hung up on limbs
of bushes. Suddenly, just past the
witching hour of midnight, our line OF
pickets across the cornfield fence opened
out, and crack, crack. crack, all along the
fence the sharp ring of shot after shot
was borne on the midnight air. QUICKER
than thought our commanders were on
their feet, while our buglers were blow.
irg all down the company rows. Fall in!
Fall inr' But here was the dilemma
Just awakened out of a sound sleep, their
hands naturally grabbed arms and cart
ridge box, and jumping up and perhaps
turning around once or twice, they, IN the
thick darkness, forgot where their clothes
had been placed, and the nearer approach
of the picket shots and urgent appeal Of
officers to hurry up and fall in still added
to their confusion. So, hastily buckling
on cartridge belt and seiZing carbines and
revolvers, they fell in line without more
ado.
Col. Wood. too, was stripped to the
waist, and his first thoughts were the
guns. Guessing from the noise and firing
that the attack was coming through the
cornfields, away he few down the old
field, in the lower end of which lay his
pet guns.
What cared he if bramble and black
berry briars blocked his way? His shirt
briers blocked his way? His shirt-tail
was soon ribbons, while legs, feet and
lower part of body were soon streaked
with blood, while briars and thorns were
sticking all over him thicker than pins in
a pin-cushion. But he knew it not. BE
had one thought-to get these guns into
action.
To reach the supposed enemy he had
to fire over the old field, which was full
of standing dead timber, over our regi-
mental camp, and falling in ground and
into the cornfields beyond our picket lines,
and soon boom! boomi boomi as piece af-
ter piece was brought into action, the
shells screeehing overhead, looking and
sounding like the artillery of heaven had
indeed opened out, while ever and anon
a shell would strike some gaunt arm of
a dead tree and with a derisive sound
burst into dozen pieces, scattering
sparks and fire in every direction. In the
meantime one of our Majors, taking
few men, was creeping along the outside
of the cornfield in the shadow of the
woods, going toward the picket-firing try
ing to find out what it was all about. He
soon caught on. The enemy were a large
body of negroes, who, thinking the time
the better way was to wait until mid
night, and when the Linkum troops were
all asleep slip through the cornfelds, and
once within our lines all would be well.
The poor negroes had no idea that this
stealing among us was the surest way of
being detected, and quite number lost
their lives in the attempt. The mass of
them were told to lie quietly in the corn
burrows until daylight, and then send in
two or three to report to the officers,
which they did, and many OF them did
hard days work the next day in helping
Our Major sent his guards in every di
rection with an explanation of the causes
Of the alarm. One of Col. Woods shells
had buried itself in dead tree
just behind our command and exploded.
The dead tree slowly caught fire and
lighted up dimly the surroundings. The
sight Of our command drawn up in battle
array, not one in five with anything on
hut a short shirt, was a sight to see.
Even some Of the officers strutted around
with sabers on striking against their bare
shins.
As soon as the excitement was over,
Col Wood discovered his real condition
He found it impossible to walk, with
seemingly a thousand briars in the bottom
of his feet. He dispatched one of the
cannoneers to camp with orders for his
servant to bring down his clothes, and
stretching himself at full length he or
dered one of the cannoneers to speedily
make several torches out of the old pine
rails, and two men worked an hour or
more digging and gouging the briars out
of the bottom of his feet, and then his
servant worked on him the balance OF
the night to get them out OF his legs and
body. Altogether, he was very much
demoralized man-sore, stiff and lame for
days afterwards.
When daylight came two Illinois regi-
ments were detailed TO take charge of the
train and get it back out of its tangle,
and corduroy the swamp and bridge the
stream, which took them nearly all day
| Just time enough left to march over a
couple of thousand men q mile or two
and hustle everybody over next day and
-