The National tribune., 1901-10-31
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>,1Shortt
On the March to the Sea
Copyrighted 1899, BY the publishers OF THE NATIONAL
tribune
The 20oth Ind Gets the Post of Honor-En-
trance into Savannah-An Unsubjugated
Ironclad.

4 Sis first thought was for the honor OF
his regiment He and the rest hurried
the boat over to the staging, onto which he
lifted Harry and bade him
Rush back, Harry, as fast as your
legs1l carry you, and tell the Colonel
Bring the colors. We want our Colonel
and our fiag first in the works around
Savanny. Jump, now
The alert Colonel. and the eager Color
Sergeant had already started, and were
about to try to wade across the field when
Harry shouted to them:
This way, Colonel. Here's a foot
bridge running clear across"
Come on, boys" shouted Shorty to
those Of Go. = on the boats; lets corral
their grub the first thing"
He rushed ahead of everybody, and
found the log house where the Colonel and
officers kept their supplies. 1t was pad
locked, but musket-butt quickly smashed
the lock, and Co. = was in possession of
the hams, meal, mOlasSes, rice and sweet
potatoes before the rest of the regiment
could file over the foot-bridge.
Certain kegs and jugs Shorty ruth
lessly smashed, after a brief examination
| "Pine-tOp-sorghum swill, he said.
'Vilest stuff that ever rip-sawed mans
innards. a fight in every spoonful, and
secession in every dram. I'm going to
advance the cause of temperance and
good morals. No one shall put any of
that chain-lightning into his mouth to un-
joint his thinkery, and burn section out
OF his grub-fiueS.''
81 arrived with the Colonel, the Adju-
tant and the Coor-Sergeant. The Ad-
Jutant made Il careful notation of the mo-
ment they crossed the works, while 81
and the Sergeant fastened the 200th Ind. y
| flag to the halyards and hoisted it to the
top of the pole, amid the cheers of the
regiment.
Il suppose there's no use pursuing
them" said the Colonel, looking longingiy
in the direction of Savannah.
| Pursue be blessed" answered the Ad-
Jutant Those fellows got away good
before they began blowing up things.
They're not fools. They know that that
would be signal for us to rush the lines
Let some of these that haven't been do
ing anything chase, if they want to. 1t
would be cruelty to push our men far
ther, after all they've done today"
Tint is So answered the Colonel
According to my way of thinking they
have done big days work about every
hour that was tolled off by that town
clock. They have earned a rest il ever
men did. Let2them go into bivouac and
make themselves as comfortable as pos
sibIe." = fgE
The whole place was soon agIow with
fires, by which the men cooked a warm
midnight supper and dried themselves
| from the penetrating damp which seemed
to reach their very marrows.
Head-logs, braces. revetments. gun-plat-
forms, sheds, stables, all helped to feed
the great fires.
! The delicious warmth aud the flight of
the enemy Immediately produced a. relaxa-
| ton from the long and intense strain.
| Boys sat down around the fires with q
! cup of coffee in one hand and an appetiZ-
ing piece of broilcd ham in the other, and
! fell asleep between bites
Si had fiXed-h eye on Il shed in which
| the rebel Colone's horses had been
stabbed and which contained n quantity
of dry rice straw There his squad made
a most comfortable bed and were soon
sleeping as only those sleep whose minds
and bodies have had happy deliverance
from hours and days of an intense strain
Of physical toll and mental anxiety.
Shorty threw his whole soul into get
| ting as much sleep as he could each min
ute, to such an extent that he even neg
lected to snore.
In the morning the reveille sounded
blithely and promptly in the camps of the
| regiments still behind on the bluffs, and
soon they were scenes of bustling activity.
But the wearied 20Oth Ind. slept on.
The Officer of the Guard, tired of his
lonely vigil, sent an Orderly to wake up
the Adjutant and rouse the camp.
''Reyeille be blessed, and you, too,"
murmured the Adjutant GROSSLY, turning
over in his blankets. ''Reveille's suspend
ed on account of the requirements of the
service. Go to the devil"
The bugles chippered out the merry
breakfast call, but still the 200th Ind.
slept on.
Here, you snoozers, wake up," said a
sentry who had Just been relieved, punch
ing 81 with the butt of his musket. Get
a move on yourselves. We want to come
off guard and go in to town. Wake up.
Turn out, It'll be guard-mount soon."
Go and mount your old guard"
grumbled 81. Il amt mountin' nothing.
Tell the Commissary to issue three days
rations o sleep to everybody in the regi-
ment Go way and don't bother me-"
1t was SO all through the regiment.
Everybody was unutterably tired, and the
enemy was gone. What need for ever
waking up?
Only the Officer of the Guard and the
men who had been on duty all night
thought otherwise. They wanted some
body to wake up and take their places SO
that they could have an opportunity to
sleep.
They fumed and fretted, but only got
grumbling and cursing for their pains.
Presently a mounted Orderly clattered
noisily up the plank road leading from
the rear of the works.
He was greeted with the usual remarks
from Il camp of sleeping infantry, at the
sound of an Aids or Orderly's approach:
Jerusalem crickets, an order to move"
Run him out o camp, why don't you?
xiii him, why don't you?'
lie me git my gun and blow the head
often that son-of-a-gun of a cavalryman."
The Orderly received the grOans and
the curses with the usual Indifference of
his class to the feelings of infantrymen
Where is the Colonel or the Adju-
tant?' he asked.
Though the Officer of the Guard wanted
sOrely to be relieved, yet he sympathized
with his sleeping comrades to the extent
His sense of duty prevailed, however, and
he said: -IET'
You'll find them in that little log
house near the flagstaff"
The Adjutant grumbled and swore at
being reused, but the sight of the big
white official envelope, marked Head
quarters of the Corps" opened his eyes
respectfully. He signed the receipt slit
1t open. read, and was instantly and joy
fully awake.
Where in thunder is that bugler?' he
shouted. Find him at once. officer of
the Guard, have reveille, roll-call and
breakfast sounded at once, and be quick
about it. Turn everybody out, and do it
in a hurry"
What in the Nation could that have
been?' muttered the Officer of the Guard
becoming very much alive. Cant be
the enemy. Nobody else seems disturbed"
He rushed off to find the Bugler and
shake him into wakeful activity.