The National tribune., 1901-06-27

peared, but the chill, drenching rain
showed no signs of abatement. They all
stood to horse to wait the onset of rebel
cavalry, which would be made then il
ever. None came, however. but as the
| light grew stronger they saw their old
acquaintances gathering on the hill in tho
rear. with little show Of desire for closer
| company.
Tired and hungry as they had ever been
| in their lives, 81 and the rest waited pa
| the regiment and get their breakfasts.
At last Pete appeared, and ne was in
! such a rage that he began shouting as
soon as he came in sight:
Say, do you know what that blasted
( old dOdderer of Colonel of the 1st Osh-
| kosh has went and done? Well he pre-
| tended that there was q lot of rebels out
in his front somewhere, and the first thing
| this morning he pushed out after them.
| He's miles away, somewhere, and can't
| be got back, so the orders come that
we've got to bring up the rear today,
| again, or until we come to him. None Of
| us believe that there's any rebels out there
and that it's only a trick of his TO get OUT
of doing rear-guard today. The Colonel's
| hOtter'n a hornet about it. But he says
you've got to stay where you are and look
| out for that cavalry. Uncle Eph's bring
ing you back some grub"
A yell of rage went up from every
! nunclation of the tricky Wisconsin men
| by distinct promise TO maui the head OF
| Of the first list Oshkosh man he could
| find.
Just then Uncle Ephraim came up with
| camp kettle of hot coffee swinging from
pole, and balanced across his horse by a
| hickory basket full of hardtack and fried
| pork. For awhile they all forgot their
rage in the avidity with which they at
| tackled the grateful viands. Then they
| found struggling corn-feld near, which
| was too unpromiSing to attract the atten-
ton of the fOragers, but which yielded
them enough to give their horses a good
| breakfast.
Now" said 81. ''if those whangdoodle5
out there could be got in range of a good
| volley which would scatter them, I'd feel
| like life was worth living again"
| The rebels continued as ofIish as ever,
| and the same dreary program of the day
before began to be carried out in the
same pelting rain.
The rebel cavalry was growing stronger
| from hour to hour. and as there would be
| frequent rusheS forward of little groups,
| 1t seemed to act a little more boldly,
though never within good musket range.
| 81 became worried at what they might
| do, and besides was getting so savage over
the annoying duty of bringing up the rear,
that he thirsted to hurt somebody, by way
of diversion. He rode forward to the
Colonel, and unfolded plan for trapping
the rebels. The wagons were then cross
ing creek with a wide margin of swamp
and thick woods on the far side. The
| trains were to go on over the next rise,
| and the Colonel was to leave the rest Of
20. y hidden behind the crest, while 81
| was to file to the right, Immediately after
| crossing, go down and hide in the thicket,
and wait until the rebels should come over,
when he was to make rush, and get be-
tween them and the swamp, when, at the
sound of the boys yells, Co. Q would ad-
vance up the hill and catch the rebels be-
| tween two fires
It'll be pretty risky business for you,
Sergeant" said the Colonel. THE rebels
may wipe you off the face of the earth, in
spite of all the rest of the company"
Let us look out for ourselves, Colonel"
said 81, confidently. We're in the habit
Of getting out of bad scrapes, and one of
them will be relief to this beastly work"
Go ahead, then," answered the Colonel.
Il feel that way myself, just now. It'll
be great relief to shoot somebody"
81 led his squad through the swamp,
turned off to the right a half-mile below
the crossing, concealed his men and horses
in a dense brake of cane and young sap
hngs, and waited. The rebels watched the
column labor over the hill and disappear
leaving no one on the summit.
81, watching cautiously through the
and advance slowly toward the rise be-
yOnd. He waited till they had all, cleared
the swamp, and there was quite a strip of
open pine-woods between them and the
covering thickets. Then he gave the order
to mount, and they dashed out for the
rebels, yelling like Indians. The rest Of
Co. Q appeared on top Of the hill, and
opened fire. When 81 got near enough to
see clearly the stampeded mass he was
amazed at the sight. There was no thought
Of resistance on the part of the rebels.
Many of them, as soon as they saw their
retreat was cut off, had slipped from their
horses, and were kneeling in the mud,
with their hands uplifted, begging that
their lives might be spared 81 checked
his squad at the strange sight, and looked
the crowd over carefully. 1t was mostly
poor old white men, in all possible stages
of decrepitude, with q few negroes among
them. What guns appeared were squirrel
rifles and shotSuns, some of them flint.
locks. The horses were all old, and bad
specimens of bone-racks. But each was
loaded down with the most astonishing col.
lection of things thrown away by soldiers
on the march or in camp. There were
buckles and bits OF harness broken in the
struggles of the mules with the bad roads
and obdurate crossings; broken whitfie.
trees, pieces of chains, mule-ShOes, Inch
pins, saddles, brides and lines, blankets,
haversacks, canteens, boots and shoes,
coats and pantaloons, hats, caps, under
clothing, cups, knives, cooking utensils,
pieces of tents, and so on through the
whole litter to be found in the camps and
line of march Of a large army. Many Of
the things had been thrown away as use.
less, and others had been lost in the strug-
giles with the roads and crossings. But
anything that was either cloth, iron, or
leather was a treasure trove to the poor
whites of the South. They could make
use of it somehow or somewhere. Every
thing had been eagerly hunted down, and
the lucky finder had bound it securely to
his saddle with strips of paw-paw bark
and withes.
For Gods sake, don't hurt we'uns,
Mister" begged an old man, whom 81
recognized as somewhat the leader of the
crowd. "We'uns haint bin a-doin' nothin'
wrong. We'uns wuz a-follerin' you'uns
up to gether the things what you'uns
throwed away. We'uns haint stole moth
in, nor hurt none o you'uns, nor didn't
intend to. We'uns II give all this truck
back, if you'uns say so. Only don't hurt
none o. we'uns." Please don't, Mister
1.-The devil" said Shorty, in deep dis
gust, giving a kick to a pile of the olG
trumpery. 'All this flummery over a gang
of spawned, windsucking old camp-follow-
ers. Say, III kill the first galoot that lisps
a word of this to the 1st Oshkosh"
'You can't always fool other people"
echoed 81 in deep detection. Sometimes