The National tribune., 1901-02-07

"IN WINTER QUARTERS
day or two, but as it has been raining
steadily we supposed we would not have to
90, as there seemed no particular hurry
about it. Contrary to all expectations, we
received orders to go, rain or shine, and
we commenced packing up, always diff
cult to do, after being in any camp for q
| long time. There are but few wagons,
and nothing must be taken that we can
get along without. The wagons are finally
| loaded solid with all that is of service, and
only the wreck of our camp remains. The
| boys seem to have no desire to leave any
| thing they have made for anyone else to
enjoy, and they proceed to tear down and
burn up their huts, being particular to
knock down all chimneys, that they Ia
bored so hard to build. The regiment was
| formed and we marched out. Marching
| through the rain, we crossed the muddy
| bottom and over the pontoon bridge and
passed through Chattanooga, which has
been quite a business town at one time
and has substantial railroad depots. and
| it will be great place some day, no
doubt, when the war is over and Yankee
| IDEAS get chance to work.
| We had a long and tiresome trip to the
| foot of Missionary Ridge. We crossed the
two lines of long rebel rife pits ard their
\ old campgrounds and commenced the as
| cent of the hill.
How our men ever managed to climb
this hill, when it was defended by rebel
batteries and infantry, one can hardly tell.
| The camps and batteries that were To-
Gated here | had inspected many a time
| with a glass from our camp, five miles
distant. We resumed our laborious climb,
passed over the summit and on the road
that led to Ringgold, through the Chicka-
manga country, which is a dense wood for
miles around; but few houses are to be
seen.
1t was dark when We halted at the place
selected for our division, and We went tn
| work building fires to dry off. All around
| was dense forest, and we had no shelter,
our wagons having gone around through
| Rossville Gap. Word came that our wag-
ons had been stuck in the mud, and we
were without anything to eat. covered
| myself with gum blanket and lay down
| before the fire to try and get sleep. About
| II o'clock the wagons came iii and we
proceeded to put up what shelter we could
| from the rain.
This is Sunday. The rain continues,
and hundreds of axes are at work, and
trees are falling in all directions; the men
are preparing Winter quarters.
A COLD NEW YEARS DAY.
Camp near Rossville, Ga, Jan. !, 1864
We awoke to find it the coolest weather
we have yet experienced in the Sunny
South" We are pretty comfortably fixed
up in Winter quarters. The weather re-
quires US to keep up good fires. We had
good New Years dinner, and altogether
| a satisfactory day. l hope another New
Years Day will find me at. home and
| among home scenes.
We have been busy for a few days, cut
| ting down trees, building log cabins and
chimneys, and il the Government can sup
IL ,,,,n hn.v
times just now provisions are scarce.
Many mules are starving TO death, as it
seems almost impossible to bring in
enough to feed them and the army, too.
1t seems hard that soldiers-for all they
do-cannot be supplied with rations, and
it is regarded here as good living il we
get half of the regular articles allowed.
! went out yesterday to visit the Chick
amauga battle-ground. 1t was the usual
| sight, and such as one wants to see
but once. With party we passed over
the ground on which our regiment fought.
Trees were everywhere cut off and shot
through and through. In some trees more
than u hundred bullet-holes could be
counted. In one small tree about six
inches through ] counted 30, and it would
seem q mystery how anyone escaped in the
open ground. Cartridge boxes, belts,
knapsacks, canteens, hats, shoes and all
such articles were yet strewn over the
ground. In every direction was cartridge
paper, where our boys had loaded and
fired their guns. | was shown where the
different ones had fallen Of our regiment;
where Smith, Lilly and others were killed
We found two large trenches where it is
supposed the different ones of the 9Sth
had been buried. So lightly had they
been covered over that portions of their
bodies were visible.
Jan. S.-We had our first snow last
night. We have had ice two inches thick;
all this in the Sunny South" This dark
and bloody" Chickamauga country, where
we are making our home, is beginning to
be attractive to us, and we can look ahead
and see our way to Atlanta in the next
campaign.
In the dense woods our division was