Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-06-09

& came nm Irresistible desire to follow
that hand and TO see battle Sew,
= eral months later snnb nosed lad
With fresh, ruddy complexion and
4 merry, dark eyes, was living In tho
trenches with the besleging army IN
front of Vicksburg. With ten other
4 boys he had learned, on the top OF
an npturned Larrel under the eye of
q an irrltated drum sergeant, to beat
{ tie long roll, to wake the camp, mount
the guard, and to play for hours Mt
q stretch "rhe Girl | Left Behind
/ Me- in front of tho marching column.
This WAS enough. in camp and on
the road UIow could drill and dis.
&cipline go on without the drums?) But
whom the fighting began. at Big Black
and Champions Hill, the boy found
he had nothing to do but sit on his
srsciess drum, whilo the ranks OF en-
listed men streamed past, rushing for
ward, except to watch for chance
Z to help with stretcher or rim an err
rand to the surgeon ut the ambulance
i park in the rear.
The Value Of prummers.
His Colonel, indeed, had said that
\ In tlmo OF an engagement the drum.
mers were to help in this way, and
that they were doing, rs much for the
I country as II they fought with guns
lin their hands. But In actual battle
: 1t was not easy to remember what
the Colonel Ind said, when one could
hear the charging cheers of the SOL
Il diers away to tho front, and thunder
4 GUS roll Of musketry; and when, more
over the frightful conical shells, aim
led too high. 40 that they flew over
the battle line, descended close by,
ant lin. mi h, tuI,t ak
warning n shower OF mud commlngled
with steel. After Champions Hill,
Sthe boy determined that In tho next
battle he would stay with tho men
OF his company, whatever might come
of It..
The next morning while 1t was still
dark, he was awakened by tho drivers
OF "a battery hitchlng in their horses.
The army was In motion. The boy
fell In beside the infantry, and heard
the men talking in low tones. livery
one seemed to know what they were
going to do,--that Grant had ordered
Sherman to take the Relal works by
assault. The veterans who had fought
Mt Donelson and Shiloh swung along,
with their arms at will. They grlm-
hled, growled. swore. The boy imi-
tated them in all that they did. He
cast aside his knapsack, left his drum.
and, finally, when his short sword
trippled him ns he was scrambling
up the steep side OF n gully, he tore
it out and threw 1t from him as far
Z aa he could. At last they reached
their place in the battle line facing a
deep raYine. above which loomed the
Confederate baton. In the gray light
, could be seen the high earthworks,
I nf No nnn
now und then Confederates stood UP
M tna rifle pits. n slight smoke was
seen, and bullet whlstled past. .
g gLie down." shouted a voice. Get
out of the line of fire!"
The boy, instead of lying down.
stroiled over to the artillery, where
they were beginning to serve the.
guns. 1t was n sultry morning, and
some of the men We're still Bitsing
about the gun trails or leaping against
s the cool, ponderous wheels, The hoy
watched with intense interest the
! young officer who was sighting one
OF the pieces. He saw the man with
4 the lanyard step back quickly and an
enormous jet OF flame shoot out. lie
followed the young officer to the next
cannon. and started to talk with him.
He was told lmpatiently to get away.
In a short time the whole place be-
came darkened with gunpowrier
smoke. and shot came screechlng
among the men, all of whom were
] busy passing the powder and shot,
swabhing out the guns, which were
fired rapidly. The boy made mis- way
back to the infantry, passing num-
II her of these increased as he neared
1 HIS own regiment. There he found
the men lying behind low earth
work, many of them bloody, and the.
sound OF their musketry was steady
roll His Colonel was there, anu
glanced at him once, hut without say
ing anything.
Getting Ready to Charge.
Suddenly the soldier next to him
got up on his feet. aud at the same
instant the whole line rose and start
) ed. They were going,to charge. The
regiment had to move along the edge
d OF the ravine, past the artillery, to
reach the place where crossing had
been prepared, and, rs the battery
4 became silent and the smoke drifted
y away, the enemy, having n fair marx,
! poured In terrible fire. The hoy
felt himself growing cold with fear.
He looked at the Colonel, Who was
! marching quite near him. with set,
IS grim race, ana mNlterln;s, STEADY
men-steady!"
The soldiers became so crowded in
the narrow path that finally they
were forced to halt. He heard the
Colonel speak to him in n harsh tone
OF voice. This Ia no place for you'll"
he said. Just ut this moment bull
let stung the boy In the leg; but he
paid no attention to 1t, feeling in
stinctively that the Colonel was go.
ing to address him again. And in
So % OF tho INnlnnnl WIN hnd k.ann lnnl.-