The National tribune., 1901-05-16

Commissary goods and its replacement by
the best The command was relieved from
all general duty for three weeks, that they
might be taught battalion drill and the
essentials that would fit them for battle.
The Colonel told me kindly that he knew
j could not cure these men, but that he
could. Never was there a sterner doubter;
but 10; the work promptly began with bat
TALON drill.
Never have l seen such definite display
of the power Of mind over matter. AS
manly pride Increased, dependency and
complaints Of illness and Illness itself de-
clined, and the Colonel. who had been such
terror, became quickly the idol of the
command.
At this camp occurred many sudden
deaths from unusual causes. Men dropped
dead while walking around camp. An
order was issued at Division Head
quarters requiring me to make a post NOR
ten in every case dying in camp. 1t was
a ghastly camp duty, but was promptly
Obeycd and report made.
In every case | found massive heart clot
extending above and below into the vene
cava into the pulmonary artery and en-
tangled in the chorade tendence filling the
auricles and vcntricles so that their fur
ther action was impossible. How many
post InOrtems | made l do not know, but
no doubt over dozen. This work soon
became so shocking to the men that the
Colonel got the order withdrawn.
Whether this work turned any light
onto the subject at headquarters I do not
know. as | heard nothing, but it showed
the deplOrabe physical condition of the
men when the life-giying fluid would
spontaneously undergo this remarkable
change in the blood vessels. | afterwards
became satisfied, as l am now. that it was
owing to the absence of acid vegetable
salts in the food, and went hand in hand
with the intOlerable and incidentally in
durable camp diarrhoea as a part of sour
vey. The men improved as | have de-
Ecribed, but never really recovered until
they got the food elements above noted,
and even then some, if living are today
inYalids from the cause.
At last came orders to send disabled
soldiers to hospitals at Nashville and pre-
pare 10 march.
We had improved in every way under
the management of our new Colonel, but
We're weary Of camp monotony and were
delighted with the orders As TO myself
debated what had better do. was not
well enough to undertake the march, but
decided TO go with the command. We
were to start early. Everything was
packed and loaded; down came the tents:
there had come on driZZling rain, and
ahen came some hours of delay. In due
time. however, with clothes soaked, we
took the road. A couple of days march
brought Us in the early part of the night
into position before Braggs army as it
Being frail, slept from sheer exhaus-
tion between two rows Of corn on the
point Of land said to be now used rs
cemetery that lies between the Nashville
Pike and the railroad, just north Of the
river. In the morning | became aware Of
the proximity of the enemy and the prob
ability of urgent business all around.
J cannot refrain from noting fact or
two that had some bearing on my personal
comfort, as well as serving others when
In need. My mother about this time sent
me hand-trunk containing some canned
apple butter and dried peaches that she
had pared with her own hands.
! was fortunate in having an enterpris-
ing Hospital Steward who managed on
the march to take four or five dressed
mutton. ! had bought of one of my men
haif barrel of nice butter made by his
mother, and somehow was in possession
OF lot Of bakers bread
a slice cut fresh from one of those
sheep held in a fame on a ramrod, was
the first mOuthful / had relshed for
weeks. For the time / was probably the
best supplied man in the Army Of the
Cumberland.
FACING BRACES ARMY.
The cOmbatants were arrayed facing
each other in an irregular line, the gen.
eral direction OF which was east and west;
but OF the field operations l do not pro-
pose 10 write further than to say that on
the first day the rebels attacked our right
In force, really surprising and routing that
portion until the bre3kaway reached the
point where Phil Sheridan's Division
stood, he having had Judgment enough to
construct defensive works, and ''the line
Of retreat was checked there. because the
hand of master compelled il TO pause y
and when the line was reformed it was
somewhat in the shape of huge letter l.
the upright portion east and west and the
Shorter north from the point of junction
The curtain had risen on the first bat
fle IN which l participatedI had rolled Ut
In the thunder Of cannon, the crash Of