The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1904-08-04

tablsh the Southern Confederacy in tri-
umph. The men who charged Marye's
flights were old enough soldiers to know
that it had hardly a chance of success, and
they were simply going to destruction.
Yet they drove forward to within 100
yards of that stone wall, and left scores
of their dead there to mark their farthest
advance. Nothing in the history of war
shows such desperate, unhestating valor,
and ii proves the American soldier to be
the finest in the world. There is nothing
that he will not dare whenever duty seems
to call"
''No one has learned that better than
l." answered the Major. I'm my three
years service l never found any duty SO
desperately dangerous that my men would
not attempt it upon the instant of men,
tionng what was wanted to be DONE
Yes, We have always had more vol
unteers than we needed agreed the Ad-
jutant.
The march for the next two days was
over the Plains of Manassas, only less
dreary and depressing than that through
the colossal Golgotha of the campaign
from the Rapidan to the James. Before
the war the Plains of Manassas We're Il
fair spot of earth to travel over They are
to-day. From the lOwlying, blue Bull Run
Mountains on the west, their SUBMITS
melting in blue haze, to where the granite
foundation sinks abruptly into the Val
leys of the Potomac and the Rappahan-
mock, is a broad, undulating expanse. just
broken enough to give it pleasing variety.
Filling the landscape are fields, meadows.
pastures with grazing cattle, stretches of
verdant woodlands. orchards. winding
creeks running in crystal flow over white
pebbles, comfortable farm houses, some
times pretentiOus mansions, narrow
yellow bands of roads running to towns
s<.1, hop lopr IN, h;,.tor
So it appeared before the war. So it
appears now.
1t was and is region where men and
women can grow to their best. and get
out of life what ever there is in them to get
out. 1t was the home of many of the
greatest men that Virginia produced, and
whence went some of the best regiments
in the Confederate army.
When the 2OOth Ind marched across it
had been for years the camping place. the
manuvering ground and the battlefield of
two immense armies, and the runway for
bands of guerrillas and the swrling cav
airy of both armies. Every rood of the
soil had felt innumerable times, the tread
of armed men and the hoof-beat of the
hospitals had sheltered the battle-stricken,
pickets had stood, lines-Of-battle had
formed, cavalry had charged.
All had left traces Of ruin, mementoes
of struggle and death, to mark their
presence
AS far as the eye could reach there was
not a tree, not even a clump of bushes.
Nothing that would make fire had es-
capped the weary, hungry soldier, eager to
boil his coffee and cook his meat.
In their frequent marches and counter
marches a bit of wood was lucky find.
and was picked up and carried along to
where Il halt was made for camp.
A piece of woodland that escaped one
march was sure to be selected on the next
by the first Colonel looking for a place
to camp his regiment near wood and
water"
ut looks n thousand times worse war
swept marching through it than it did
when we went on the railroad" re-
marked 81, who as ranking Sergeant now
marched on the right of Co. Q. Shorty's
place, as the second ranking Sergeant.
was on the left of the company, but he
ing Monty Scruggs and Pete Skidmore
to bring up the left There was no trouble
about this, however for everybody was
too keen to get on to Washington to think
of struggling.
something was said about it. Great Je-
hosephat, a man who'd struggle in this
country, where there amt a chicken in
10 Counties, nor a smOke-house between
this and the Fourth of July, would do it
from pure wickedness. l don't wonder
that the rebels fought so hard to keep the
Army of the Potomac in here. Three
finest army ever organized. It's heap
worse than Chattanooga"
They camped ut night ut Fairfax Court
House. which had once been n town of