The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-04-03

ne 0tarr OF Tne HIDE
Up from the South at break of day,
Bringing to Winchester fresh dismay
The affrighted air with a shudder bore,
Like herald In haste. to the chief
tain's door,
The terrible grumble and rumble and
roar,
Telling the battle was on once more,
And Sheridan twenty miles away"
"Um-yes, 1 guess it was something
like that only you know we couldn't
hear any terrible grumble and rumble
and roar, and that about the air shud-
dering-well, of course, it's just a poem
and don't suppose the man who wrote
it was there. You see it was like this"
and Capt. Webster Smith, formerly Of
the Sixth New York heavy artillery
volunteers, but for the past thirty
years one Of st. PauTs leading grocers,
removed his glasses and tapped the
opening stanza of "Sheridans Ride"
somewhat contemptuOusly with them.
THE night before Gen. Sheridan had
come to Winchester and put up at the
hotel there. He was calculating to
push on and join the army at Cedar
Creek the next morning. I was in
w AAAOAlCSbCA IOOhIlS dll0E I6CTUlCS IU0ES
for it was just after Lincoln had called
for 100000 volunteers. I'd been in
command Of Fort Reno, at Washing
ton, but had been ordered with my
regiment to go down into the Valley
of the Shenandoah. The regiment had
gone on but 1 was delayed picking up
the recruits.
We'll, early the next morning stray
glers began pouring into Winchester
and they told that Early's troops had
surprised Gen. Wrights forces and
that our men were on the run. The
news must have reached the hotel first
for when looked over there very early
in the morning three horses, saddIed
for riding, were standing in front, and
soon we heard that Gen. Sheridan and
two aides were going to ride to Cedar
Creek to rally the men,"
Capt. Smith slipped on his glasses
again and glanced obviously at the
second stanZa of the poem:
''And wilder still those pillows Of war
Thundered along the horizons bar;
And louder yet into Winchester rolled
The roar of that red sea uncontrolled,
Making the blood of the listener cold
AS he thought of the stake in that fiery
fray.
With Sheridan twenty miles away"
Il didn't myself hear the roar of that
red sea-" he said humorously. There
was a lot Of stragglers standing around
and some of the recruits, too, when the
general and the aids rode away and
faint cheer went up. What 1 remem-
Der most, though, is the way Gen.
Sheridan's coat streamed out behind.
1t was a windy day and his coat had
military cape and this streamed in
the wind as he rode. Even as I watch
ed him he distanced the two aids.
You know he came up with the army
long before they reached it, for he rode
a powerful horse-I don't remember
whether it was black or not-and he
was mighty good rider. Says some
thing in the poem about that road out
of Winchester, doesn't it? Yes, here
it is:
"But there is road from Winchester
town,
A good, broad highway leading down;
And there through the flash of the
morning light,
A steed as black as the steeds Of night
Was seen to pass as with eagle flight.
AS if he knew the terrible need,
He stretched away with the utmost
speed;
Hills arose and felI-but his heart was
gay,
With Sheridan fifteen miles away!'
THAT about the road is straight
enough. We could see the general and
his aids for quite awhile on the way.
All that stuff about what he felt-well,
1 guess the general was just hustling
to get there and didn't have time to
think much. But then those poet
| chaps" Capt. Smith shrugged his
shoulders.