Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-03-27

NAN - oShICilS ny ing past iIO 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 and 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
forms the little company for the
reveille roll call and the names upon
the brief list are called and ansW cred.
Then under the steep side of the ravine
we go to fill our canteens with brack
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 box of
"hardtack'' for our epicurean break
fast.
tree, behind 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
Whitewashing of Deacon Underhill's
dooryard fence zip! chug. and mimic
ball, Enfield rifle, caliber SO. glances
from a tree and cuts a clean, round
hole through tue 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. It
was thirty years ago, but Supervisor
John Cadogan has that paper yet
The days work Of Death has 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
feet wide leading down to the left,
where the ridge is lower and where
watch the remnants of the fighting Sew
enty-fifth and trtfsty Twelfth In
front on the outer edge of the trench,
logs are piled with the excayated earth
thrown over beyond.
A glance through the rife port shows
first sharp downward slope strewn
with abattis, then 4 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 slanting across the
line of vision. Across the open ground
no living thing can be seen above the
dreary bank of earth; but defiantly
flying from the top of an almost
branches 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 deploys, each to
his chosen place behind the embra-
sures
my's line down to the left and In our
pits, where stand the sharpshooters Of
the Seventy fifth, there is a slight COM
motion and presently body in blue
is being carried on a blanket down the
hill to the rear.
A shot through the port-a pool of
blood and brains in the trench-and
there is another soldier less
Now, 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
tiercer as it rises higher in the heav-
ems The perSpiration begins to pour
down over the bent eyebrows but there
is no relaxing of the gaze to the front
Belts, blouses and boxes are discarded
and laid on the bank behind. Hotter
and hotter grows the air, which seems
to pulsate in calOric waves; and now
there mingles 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 might 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 shimmers and
uuivers and the sickening stencil grows
stronger and stronger, till temples
throb and stomachs almost turn. Sud
denly In front is a flash, puff Of
smoke, and ''kerchug" bullet strikes
in the check Of an embrasure close to
ritleman's ear! Instantly the trigger
is pressed, his trusty Springfield barks
and over the red bank beyond pair
of hands throw a rife convulsiyely
aloft There iS the vision of a face