The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1903-02-19

The defeated rebels sullenly retired into
the dark recesses of the woods, doggedly
pursued by5 the Union soldiers. Deep in
their cover'the rebels came to the line OF
works from which they had sailed. There
they rallied, and opened fire upon their
pursuers, who halted, made line OF
works and barbados, and went into
watchful biyouac.
The moment the pursuit was arrested,
the Union soldiers felt the strains of the
awful day of lighting and of struggling
with the rain, and became intoierably
fauSued. Throwing up works and pre-
pairing for the night were most exhaust
ing labor, and they dragged themselves
about with the greatest effort to carry up
logs, rails and chunks to the line, and do
| other necessary things.
The rain diminished to drizzle.
Huge fires flashed up in the bivouacs
for miles to the rear, around which men
gathered to dry themselves and their
blankets, take account of the losses and
events of the day, and collect their wound
cd comrades.
| Around other fires, with their light aid
ed by lanterns hung from trees, the sur
geons were busy alternating as far as hui
man skill could the awful injuries inflict-
ed by that day of savage conflict.
The open ground was n sea of bobbing,
staggering, wavering lights-men from
every regiment carrying torches of fat
pine, searching for their dead and wound
ed friends.
Like lurid will-O'- the-wisps these lights
danced through the woods in every direc-
ton in search of those who had fallen in
the various stages of the battle.
Streams of men carrying in blankets or
between them men wounded and MANNED
i'll every conceivable way, focused on the
surgeons fires from all directions, and the
mass of human suffering constantly and
fearfully augmented.
The Duke of Wellington used to say
that there was nothing on earth so awful
as a victory, except defeat. The Four
teenth Corps had tasted both on that ter
rible March day, and every form of terri
BILE pain and suffering had swept through
it since it had marched out of camp in
the morning. OF the 1900 men who
had rolled up their tents then and taken
their places in the column heading up
the muddy road, nearly 1000 were now
dead, wounded or missing. Death had
had such q harvest among them as he
had not reaped since that glorious Sep
TENDER day, more than six months before,
when they swept in irresistible tide over
the works at Jonesboro, and ended the
long campgain for Atlanta in victory. 1t
was n dismal sunset for the corps, for they
could only know that they had so far been
terribly manled and beaten back, and
though they had recovered their ground,
they could not be sure of what the next
hour might bring. Joe Johnston had
sprung one awful surprise unon them.
Though the, rest of the army had come or
was coming to their help, they could not
he sure that the last blow of the rebel
army had spent itself, and that the bat
tie was really won. They were not to
know this for two days yet.
The men at the barricades and works
were sullenly determined; those in the
rear were grief stricken and sympathetic
over their comrades who had fallen.
All were in tense expectation, and the
breaking of a twig or the popping Of the
fire made their iearts leap, for it limited
of the reopRning Of the battle.
Shad Graham had fallen in faint al
most as SOON as he had ceased speaking
assurances Of victory TO 81. ST and
Shorty sprang to his assistance.
Don't raise him up. Let him lie.
He'll lose less blood that way" admonish-
ed ALI. who was using all his growing
surgical knowledge for the benefit of his
wounded comrades. "Put him so that he
will lie easy, and I'll see whether I can
do anything for his hurt"
He opened Shad's clothes, found the
ugly bullet-hole through his breast, cleans
ed it a little, and drew around his body
strip of the wet tent. The cold shock
brought Shad to.
"Ifs no use, my boy" he whispered
family. Don't waste any time on me.
I'm done for. ] only want to live till
morning to see that Joe Johnston's set
tied. and then I'll he satisfied TO go. I'll
manage to live till then. Drop me and go
back little ways and find Tom Tamp-
my teamster-splendid fellow. Took a
gun and came along to help. Always
ready to do that. He got bullet through
his thigh. back there n piece. I'm afraid
his thigh is broken. Find him at once.
You may save his life. Take couple Of
my men with you"
All took two of the pontoniers and hur-
ried away.
sit is dead useless to go back for an
ambulance" remarked Shorty, adjusting
the strip of tent about his wounded arm.
I'VE couldn't possibly get one mp here to-
night. There isn't one ambulance where
100 are needed"
Eve probably couldn't get within 100
yards Of surgeon either, if we did take
the boys back" echoed 81 with some
touches of seeing that the bandage about
his wounded shoulder was in place. The
hurt was beginning to pain him severely.
"All the boys need surgeon at once
and very badly" continued 81, "but the
best thing is to do what we can to make
them comfortable tonight and wait till
morning. They still suffer less here than
if we tried to get them back"
"Just the conclusion I have come to-"
responded Shorty. "Your game shoulder
knocks you out, but am still in the ring.
and you bet your life I'll hustle around
as much as l can, and, besides, we can
get these pont0niers to help"
zt,,S& ~
ST. 81 can do great deal yet" and he
moved over to dig with n stick little
ditch to drain away the water from the
spot on which Shad Graham was lying.
"The first thing to do is to build fire"
The pontoniers were willing and ready
to do all they could. The defenses were
left intact. for fear that some new emer-
gency might. arise to make them necessary,
but enough stuff was gathered mp in the
woods about to start a bright fire. which
soon diffused q considerable feeling of
cheer. re
Tom Rathbon, Gid. and Sandy were
placed where they could get the most
benefit of it, while Aft and Monty and
Pete were forgetful Of their own hurts |
in trying to find some way to administer
TO those who were worse off than they. |
There was little that could be done. A
cup Of coffee would have been of inesti- |
mable value, but, alas! all their haver-
sacks, tents, and blankets had either
been left on their horses or had
been torn away in the rush through |
the woods, and there was abso-
lutely nothing TO meet the hunger which |
suddenly seized Them or to brace them up
with hot drink of the soldiers constant
Lo.l FrsA hn CT MI tsrr