Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-01-21
CHAPTER XXI.
Reinforcements for Early.


along the white wall told me the day must
be already well advanced. and saw the
lieutenant Of my troop, Colgate, bending
over me, attired in service uniform.
What is it, Jack?'
| 1--WE have been ordered north on forced
march to join Early, and the command has
already started have delayed calling you
| until the final moment, but knew you
| would never forgive being left behind"
| Before he had finished 1 was upon the
| floor, dressing with that rapidity acquired
by years of practice, my mind thoroughly
aroused to the thought of active service
| oEce more.
WAS it the news 1 brought in yester-
day. Colgate, which has stirred this up?"
1 questioned, hastily dipping into a basin
| Of water.
Il imagine it must have BEEN SIR" replied
| the lieutenant, leaning back comfortably
| upon cracker box which formed our soli-
| tary chair. Things have been on the move
ever since, and it certainly resembles an adj
vance of some Importance. Staff officers at
| 1t all night long, McDaniers division off at
| daylight. while we go out ahead of Stay
| toms troops. Reede was in beastly good
humor when he brought the orders: that
| usually means fight"
| ANY artilleryf'
"Sloan's and Rockies batteries are with
| us; did not learn who went out with Nc
| Daniels. Longstreet has crossed the White
| Briar."
| Yes, know" 1 said, drawing on the last
OF my equipments and quickly glancing
| about to assure myself had overlooked
nothing likely to be Of value. "An ready,
Jack, and now for another dance Of
DEATH"
Our regiment was drawn up in the square
of the little town, and as we came forth
| into the glorious sunlight the stentorian
voice of the colonel called them into column
| of fours. Staff officers gray with dust
! from their all-night service, were riding
| madly along the curb, while at the rear Of
Doh fVrr fr&.-
side streets, appeared the solid front of a
division of infantry. We had barely time
| to swing into the saddles of the two horses
awaiting us, and ride swiftly to the head
| of our command when the short stern
orders rolled along the motionless line of
troopers, and the long, silent column swung
out to the northward, the feet of the horses
raising a thick cloud of red dust which
fairly enveloped us in its choking folds.
With the ardor of young manhood look
ed forward to the coming battle when l
knew the mighty armies of north and south
would once again contest for the fertile
Shenandoah. 1t was to be American pitted
against American, a struggle ever worthy
of the gods. Slowly / rode back down the
mes OF my men, marking their alignment
ana Announcements with practiced eve smil-
Ing gr1mly as noted their eager faces war
worn and bronZed by exposure, vet reani-
mated by hope of active service. Boys half
| Oh tnem appeared to be, yet 1 knew them
as nre-tested veterans Of many hard
| fought fields, lads who would die without a
murmur beneath their beloved southern flag
as undaunted IN hour of peril as were the
Old Guard at Waterloo. In spite of frayed
and ragged uniforms, furnished battered
| facings, dingy, Tapping hats, they looked
| stanch and true, soldiers every inch of
them, and l marked with the Jealous pride
| OF command their evenly closed ranks and
| upright carriage. How like some giant ma
chine they moved-horses and men-in train
| ed and disciplined power!
AS L watched them thus I thought again
| Oh those maQV t1fhnr faces Wb
as these men did now, but who had died
| for duty even as these also might yet be
called upon to die. One hundred and three
strong, gay In bright new uniforms, with
unstained manner kissing the breeze above
| our proud young heads. we rode hopefully
forth from Charlottesville scarce three
| years before, untried, undisciplined I'M
known, to place our lives willingly upon the
| sacred altar of our native state. What
| speechless years Of horror those had been:
what history we had written with our ma
| ked steel; what scenes of suffering and death
lay along that bloody path we Travelled! To-
| day, down the same red road, our eyes
| still set grimly to the northward, our flag a
torn and ragged remnant, barely forty men
| wore the d. between the crossed sabers on
| their slouched brown hats, in spite of all
| recruiting. The cheer in my heart was for
the living; the tear in my eye was for the
| dead.
Colgate" I said gravely. as I ranged up
| beside him at the rear of the troop, "the
men look exceedingly WELL and do not ap-
| pear 10 nave suffered greatly because of
| short rations."
ooh. the lads are always In fine fettle
when they expect a fight" he answered
! his own eyes dancing as he swept them over
that straight line of backs in his front
| They'll scrap the better for being a bit
| hungry-it makes them savage. Beats all
captain. what foolish notions some Of those
| people on the other side have of us SOUTH
| erners. They seem to think we are en-
tirely different from themselves; yet reck-
| on 1t would puzzle any recruiting officer up
| yonder to show finer lot of fighting men
| than those fellows ahead there. Food for
POWDER Why, there isn't a lad among
them unfit for command
In spite of the Indignation In his tone,
| his voice had the lazy, southern drawl, and
somehow. as he spoke. l thought Of my
| fair prisoner In the mountains and Of how
| disdainfully she treated me on the occasion
| of our first meeting. 1 sincerely hoped her
| conception of the southerner had received
| partial revision since.
| "Well, yes" I answered thoughtfully
| Doubtless those who have never visited
| the south. and who form their conception
| Of US from northern newspapers and aboli-
| ton orators, get hold or our worst charac-
| terlstics, and judge accordingly. I some
| times feel that the whole trouble between
| the sections Is merely such a mfsunder-
standing on large scale, ana that mad
| we only intermingled more freely. many of
| our differences would have disappeared. In
| this we are fully as wrong as those OF the
| other side-narrowness OF thought ana life
|
| war. Partisans upon both sides have fg-
| nored the fact that we are all of one blood
! and one history. But In this repect the
| tendency of the conflict has been to
| broaden out the actual participants, and
| teach them mutual respect. L imagine Wo-
| men are at present more apt to retain this
prejudice, women. whose loved ones are In
| arms against U.s."
Il was thinking about woman when l
| spoke" he explained gravely. "She was
certainly beauty, and nursed me In the
| hospital at Baltimore. Oh, you needn't
| smile; she was married-her husband was
| on Sheridans staff; saw him once, Dig
| fellow with black mustache. or course
| we all looked alike lying there In those
I COTS and she very naturally supposed was
| one of their wounded until after the fever
| left me, and became able to converse
| bit, and then you ought to have seen the
| expression In her eyes when l confessed
| the truth. Actually she cried out, You
| rebels? and gazed at me as II l had been
some dangerous wild animal. Truly be-
| lieve she nearly looked upon herself as
| traitress because she had nursed me and
| saved my life. Yet she was wonderfully
tender-hearted and kind You see she
wasn't a regular army nurse, and l was
| probably the first confederate soldier she
| had ever come in close contact with.
| Ibid you become friends?"
| Most certainly: at least In way, Tor