The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-04-21
TETE AND TIE TURKEY.


raids on, pigs and chickens. No one but
he who had lived Of moldy bacon for six
months can appreciate Ietes situation.
Pete was one OF The best mel il the serv-
ice, never disubeyed an order-that' 5
what made the boys wonder. going back
To camp. how he was going To reconcile
the order with the fat turkey hanging
over hi: shoulder.
Gen. Sheridan, riding alongside the col
umn. saw the bird. TO use Il soldier $
term. lie ''cut loose on Pete. The turkey
soon danglei from an orderlys horse. and
Pete marching to the rear. said: Its the
first time I've served on Little PhiTS
staff That night lie shiveTed ill the d-
vision guard tent. and next morning wit
messed the Generals contraband prepare
that say-plumaged gobbler for dinner.
The General had forgotten Pete. who
shivcred away the morning hours over Il
few pieces of green wood that smoked
but never blazed. The Generals cook was
great on turkey dinners. Pete saw him
strip off the feathers, throw the heart and
FILINGS into pan of water. then he
pounded up days rations of bareback
with the back of an AK in 4 trough cut
i'm the top of log. A lot of chestnut>
picked up near by were roasted and mike.
with the broken bareback. chopped fine
Then Il little water. Il lot of commlssar!
whisky. some salt and pepper. and the
gobbler was stuffed full and place i'll Il
bake kettle over the Goals. with little
water added to make steam. that escaped
i'm thin. aromatic miStS from the edge of
the cover. All the time the cook was sing
ing ''chune' that set the birds to twit-
tering in the trees. Staff officers came out
that way. smelling the happiness in the
air. 1t was n time of great anticipation
They witnessed the lifting of the cover
and the filing of all the vacant places in
side with sweet potatoes. Then helped
to put more Goals on the cover. Pete had
no college education. but knew a good
thing when he saw it, if it was 30 feet
away.
The General came out also TO get
Wifi Of the steam. 1t went to his heart
Pete'S guard was relieved. and Pete was
told to 90 and sin no more. The General
said lie believed lie was an honest man.
Pete nodded his head and said lie was
Shivering with cold. he went over to the
cooks fire and begged permission to warm
himself
lob cose you kin warm yo'self' said
the cook. Use gwine to fix de table in
de tent: you watch the fire a bit and he
disappeared in the mess tent.
Pete had plans of his own. Off came
his blouse. with which the Goals We're
brushed from the top of the oven. Hastily
wrapping up the bake-kettle, he started
with it through the woods, down the hill,
across the creek. along the bank hidden
by the willows. But the darky was OH
his trail. He had come out just i'll time to
get Il flying glimpse, and was in hot
chase. Pete doubled along the briers of
a fence row, whose top rails had disap-
peared with the coming of the soldiers.
but he could not throw the outraged cook
off the scent of that steaming hot kettle.
1t was neck and neck when they arrived
at the company's quarters. where pete's
comrades put the c0lored man under ar
rest FOR chasing and swearing at a Union
soldier.
After a council of war. they marched
him straight away from headquarters.
down through the woods and fields half
mile to the picket. lines: and there they
told him to "skedaddle." never to show
his form in camp again under the penalty
of death. As far as they could see The
was running yet" The men who carried
1i1uskets picked the bones clean before
they hurled them deep beneath the ashes
of their tent. That night they snapped
the bake kettle to some fellows in the
3Gth III. for a frying pan and two tin
cups.
There is another chapter to this story:
none but one of the Generals staff can
give you the details.
STONE RIVER.
Christmas morning of 1862 came bright
and cheerful. but without a visible sign
of Santa Claus Muskets were freshly
cleaned, new ammunition filled the car
fit. Orderlies went gallOping through the
camps, and supply trains loaded to the
canvas tops came down the pixies from
Nashville. Next morning before daylight
the division was out on the road headed
south towards the Confederate army i'm
every way stronger than our own forces
and only 80 miles away.
The next three days were alike. AS
soon as the artillery began firing the rain
began to fall, and for four days we
marched. skirmished and slept in the rain
and mud.
through the fields ankle-deep in mud
the 10Th Pa. Cav. gay i'll buff-trimmed
oyerc0ats, came gaI1oping by down the
pike. Then we wondered why we did not
have the sense to enlist in the cavalry and
have horses to ride.
Soon from the front came the rattle of
musketry, and forward we went on the
''double-quick," the humping of our
hearts almost shutting off all other noise
A moment later out of the woods came
frantic horses and struggling men.
''On the right, forward into line"'
woods we charged, where we found high
rail fence, up to which the cavalrymen
had ridden. From behind this, where
they had lain concealed, a line Of gray
arose: single volley and the deed was
done, One Major killed and the other ia
Soldiers lay about on the ground. We did
not know single man, yet mourned them
as our brothers, our ideal soldiers. The
enemy had vanished; SO we gathered up
those gallant fellows and placed them
side by side. that they might not be lonely
In the woods. Who cares TO go through
that next day. Dec. 81, 1862: With the
old year went ont thousands Of our
bravest men. That is history written
many times, the battle in the cotton fields
and i'll the cedars. No more desperately
fought action in all the war, unless it was
that Sunday at Chickamauga.
At every turn that day the regimental
lines grew shorter, until night came as "A
relief. The next morning 50 men of the
regiment answered at roll CALI OF the
"one hundred" the original company for
duty, there were eight all told. The Cap
tain wounded, the Orderly Sergeant killed,
and the Fourth Sergeant in command.
Not all had been killed or wounded
one at least had run away from the com
pany. as it lay in front of the brigade bat
terry in the cottonfield. This man had
his blanket about his shoulders like an In
dian. While We lay fiat upon the ground
we We're comparatively safe from the
countless shells passing both ways over
our heads. To rise would be suicide Jus,
when the air seemed full Of missiles, the
man started for the rear, that blanke