The National tribune., 1902-05-01

3 troops, leaving their camps near Brandy
Station at , o'clock in the morning. had
/ been marching all day, with few halts,
/, never more than 10 minutes at n time.
| and, now, in the darkness of early even
! ing. the soldiers were busily preparing
coffee and roasting slices of salt pork.
. Innumerabe little camp-fires lighted up
/ the gloom, all showing the same scene.
I Everywhere were swarthy, tanned veter-
J ans busily engaged in preparing their sim
pie meals \ little later, from larger
/ group. came the sound of singing. men 5
voices full resonant, and full of feeling:
Am a soldier of the Cross,
\ follower of the Lamb
Coming from men wearing the white
Greek cross, the badge of the Second Di-
vision. Sixth Corps, these words seemed
significant.
Standing on an empty bareback box, Il
slender. almost boyish figure, in the uni
form of a Chaplain, appeared as the lead
er of the meeting. Apart from this
group other soldiers regarded the meeting
with UndiSguised hostility.
There 90 the pSalm-SingerS: the Chap
lain has taken them on his string again
it ought to be stopped; men who have
marched for IS hours ought to be in their
blankets resting for what's coming to-
morrow, and not stay up yawping and
keeping the whole brigade awake. If
was Officer of the Day I'd sound taps
right now and stop ali that foolishness."
q So said Sergt Leonard, of the nth.
a Chaplain, in my opinion cOntin-
ned the Sergeant, 'is worse than a dog
robber" IA common contemptuouS appel
latiOn for an officers servant; ''of all the
useless men in the army. and there's lots
of them, Chaplain is the worst. | have
no use for a Chaplain.
Sure, Sergeant" said a broad-shoul-
HpFpU npWprfuI fallpu- ''ou tho
Chaplain's the sky pilot; and be to-mor-
row night, mabbe. some of thin byeS a
singin up there may be in Purgatory or
a-playin' on gooldin harps, jist as yez
chuSe to behave; an althO' I'm not ey~
actly the same way of thinkin' as the
Chaplain Il little religion of ony sort
won't hurt the Sivinty-sivinth. She nades
it,
we all know know what tomorrow
may bring" answered the Sergeant
that's all in the three years. but what
good has that little white-faced upstart
of Chaplain ever been or ever will be to
the regiment. He draws a Captains pay.
and once Il week he breaches us a sort
of sermon, talking to us as if we were
baby class in the Sunday school,
In that last sentence the Sergeant had
exposed the Chaplain's deficiency. Chap
lain Morris, young theological gradu-
ate. had lately been appointed to the reg
on familiar ground, and remembering the
advice of an old Doctor of Divinity, mot
10 put the hay too high for the sheep he
had overshot the mark, so to speak, and
had adopted line of discourse that
might be called kindergarten This was
resented bitterly by many of the soldiers.
and some like Serg't LeOnsrd did not he's
ltate TO show their dislike. Others, recog-
nizing the earnestneSs of his endeavor
rallied to the Chaplain's support, and a
regimental church had been organized
Sure. an the Chaplain's no upstart."
said Tim Melany warmly. ''Do ye moind
the tonne that | got dhrunk an raised
ruction: they sat on me wild a coOrt-mar-
tial. an held out two months pay on me-
an gave me tin days standin' on barrel
The Chaplain. he comes along, and he
sees me on the barrel, an he chases up
the Colonel. an he goes TO brigade head
quarthers, an he gets me off that barrel
an has me set to work a chopin wood
'Somethin' useful an not degradin' to his
manhood seq he. an he gets the stop
page taken off me pay, to sind to his oud
mither.' seq he, and whin I'm returned to
july he goes over 10 the Irish Brigade an
brings over Father Moroney. an calls me
up 10 his tint. an thin, like the jintleman
that he IS. he clears out an layeS me an
Father Moroney TO ourselves"
Why don't you 20 over there and join
IN his prayer meeting. if you think so
much Of him. retorted the Sergeant.
Don't We think for n minnit that it's
stayIn away because it's afraid | am
said Tim. holly. ITS Inc brogue an
blunderin' Irish way that wud make the
byes laugh. It's betther for thin an for
me that stay away. Sure, an the Chap
lain'S all right. Sarge"
oh, he has good Methodist voice.
aud he can sing all right; but I've no use
for Chaplain; none whatever" repeated
ri ha 1
blanket upon the ground.
The next morning the terrible battle
OF the Wilderness began. In the manuyers
for position the nth was marched from
place 10 place. They built breastworks.
only TO leave them in n short time Late
ut night, just as the tired men had lain
down TO rest, they We're ordered to an
other position. and more breastworks were
built Before daylight the men were
reused and ordered forward. The nth
was "skirmish regiment and they were
soon deployed IN single rank, as n heavy
skIrnliSh line, the men thought. In real
ny their line had been stretched ont TO
cover gap between the Sixth and Fifth
Corps. 1t was well named the Wilder
ness that horrible tangle of miles of I'M
hills
The morning light was barely stream
ing through the tangled forest, when ont
ers. \ popping Of rifles that quckened
into roar, and onward, close behind the
sklrmIshers, came the solid battle line OF
the enemy.
The men of the nth were seasoned vet
Grams. The stcadineSs Of their fire caused
the enemy 10 recoil. Forward dashed the
iith, only 10 be checked in their turn and
Obliged 10 fall back to their first position
where their ranks were quickly closed ant
the line was reinforced by other regiments
The enemy Were following closely aftel
them; then n crashing volley, and tn,
enemy went back, followed by the exuIt
ant nth. Back and forth the opposin.
lines Surged, until. some distance in ad
vance, and on higher, drier ground, tn,
Federal soldiers found themselves con
fronted 10y line of log breastwork!
crowded with trOops-a position tot
strong TO, be carried by direct assault
Lie down, men, and hold your Iiner
shouted the officers. And the men of til,
9TH fell fat, seeking every shelter pos
70 sible. From under the head-logs of III,
eRemys rIde-pits came a fringe of flame
and their bullets splintered and whippe,
into basket-Stuff the branches of the an
derbrush over the heads of the Union sol
diers. The nth returned the fire witt
energy for time; then their yoleys grey
lighter, and were reduced to the poppini
of the rifles Of the sharpShOOters Gar
tridges! Give us cartridgesw was the or
all along their line. The so rounds De
man taken into the battle were nearly ex
pended. Hardly soldier had five round
remaining. With anxious looks the OF
ntgI,a i I. A