Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-03-20

anu duotlfef. ana we wake up.
The shells are exploding overhead,
the fragments flying past and cutting
through the leaves OF the forest fur
Their down the slope.
1t is the Good morning" salute of
the enemy. We rub our eyes. yawn.
rise up and shake the dew aud the dirt
from our blankets
Another day of the siege has dawn
ed Above the smell Of burnt powder
we detect the heavy sweetness of the
magnolia blossoms in their morning
freshness. Down the slope the sergeant
arms the little company for the
revellle RON call and the names upon
the brief list are called and answered.
Then under the steep side of the ravine
we go to iill our canteens with braI]l-
ish water from the spring which bub-
bles at the bottom. Next. from the
cook house, hidden away in the rear
in the depths OF the forest. come the
happy force" who boil the beans and
steal the sugar bringing camp kettles
filled with black coffee and Il box of
bareback for our epicurean break
fast
Seated upon the trunk of a fallen
tree, behind Il bank OF earth. Jack
Cadogan is reading from fresh num-
Der (only six weeks old OF the Cato
Vile Chronicle the local news of old
Cayuga. Just as he finishes the inter
esting paragraph which tells of the
whltewashing of Deacon Cnderhill's
dooryard fence, zip! chug and a mimic
ball Enfield rifle. caliber So, glances
from tree and cuts clean. round
hole through the center Of the paper.
stretched out IN Jacks hands.
"Hooray, boys! my ticket is punch
ed I'm all right now - and Jack turn
ed TO his tin cup and its contents 1t
was thirty years ago, but Supervisor
John Cadogan has that paper yet.
The days work of Death mas fairly
begun.
And now the sergeant cries: DE
tail for Sharpshooters Abbott, Baker,
Hudson. O'Brien, Spencer, Pangburn,
Corporal Jones Fall in, detail," And
we obey.
Along the crest of the hill a trench
has been dug four feet deep and five
feet wide leading down to the left
where the ridge is lower and where
watch the remnants of the fighting Sew
enty-hfth and trusty Twelfth In
front, on the outer edge Of the trench
logs are piled. with the excavated earth
thrown over beyond
glance through the rife port shows
first 4 sharp downward slope strewn
with abattis. then broken plateau full
of hollows. felled trees and stumps. and
beyond a line of rude earthworks. back
ed by a curtain of standing trees. The
rising sun shines slantlng across the
line of vision. Across The open ground
no living thing can be seen above the
dreary bank of earth but, dedantly
flying from the top of an almost
branchless tree, the red and white Of
the rebel rag gives a bit of color to the
view
Now. men, to your posts" is the
order, and the detail depIoys, each to
his chosen place behind the embra-
sures
A single report comes from the enc
mys line down to the left. and I'm our
pits, where stand the shaIpshooters of
the Seventy fifth, there is slight com
motion and presently a body in blue
is being carried ON blanket down the
hin TO the rear.
A shot through the port--a pool Of
blood and brains in the trench-and
there is another soldier less,
Nov, boys. watch--watch sharp -
Little need Of the counsel, for all eyes
are strained. fingers set on trigger and
every foot Of the opposite bank is close
ly scanned.
Minutes pass: but there is no sight,
no sound, no movement! Voices are
hushed, and the tigerish instinct In
each breast Is awakened. We are hunt
ing human gore to-day, The sun grows
iiercer as il rises higher in the heav-
tiAS- i nv iffsicl'Il ALUM btE tllN 10 pour
down over the bent eyebrows. but there
is no relaxing of tine gaze to the trout.
Belts blouses and boxes are discarded
and laid on the bank behind Hotter
and hotter grows the air. which seems
to pulsate I'm cal0ric waves and now
there minglcs with the odor Of the mag
nolia blossoms and burnt gunpowder
the horrible stencil from dead and de
caying bOdies-once brave men, lying
where they fell four days ago, when
we had made a night reconnaissance
across the debatable ground In front,
where no man dare set foot by day
Now and then we hear the crack Of
rifles down the left, but IN front all
Is quiet The hot air sbimmers and
quIyers and the sickening stencil grows
stronger and stronger, till temples
tfrob and stomachs almost turn. Sud
denly in front Is a fash. q puff Of
smoke. and 'ker-chug' a bullet strikes
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