The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-06

INK UtNlUu III true HNNOlNlNNlI"UH NI
htaYng Of brass bands 90 appraisa
the enemy no firing and DRUMMING tJ
amuse him; no ostentatiou Of guudy
flags. no nonsense This was "a mat
ter of business.
In a few moments we had pas e o
out Of the singular oasis which ha
Sc marvelously escaped the desolatiou
Of battle, and now the evidences OF
the previous days struggle Wee pres
ent in profusion The ground was
tolerably level here, the forest less
dense, mostly clear of underground.
and occasionally opening out into
small natural meadows. Here and
there were small pools-mere discs Of
rain.water with a tingc of blood Riv-
en- and torn with cannon-shot the
holes of the trees protruded punches
of splinters like hands, the fingers
above the wound interlacing with
those below Large branches had
been Topped, and hung their green
heads to the ground, or swung crit.
cally in their netting of strong moss
as in a hammock. Many had been
cut clean off, and their masses of TO
ltage seriously impeded the progress
of the troops The bark of these
trees, from the root upward to a
height Of ten or twenty feet, was so
thickly pierced with bullets and
grape that one could not have laid
a hand on il without covering several
punctures None had escaped. How
the human body survives storm like
this must be explained by the fac.
that it is exposed to it but a few
moments at a. time. whereas these
grand old trees had had no one to
take their places, from the rising t.
the going down of the sun. Angular
bits of iron, concavo-conveX, sticking
in the sides of muddy depressions
showed where shells had exploded
in their burrows. Knapsacks, can
soaked and swollen biscuits, gaping
to disgorge, blankets beaten into the
soil by the rain, muskets with bent
barrels or splintered stocks, waist
belts, hats and the omnipresent sar-
dine-boX-all the wretched debris of
the battle still Uttered the spongy
earth as one could see in every di.
rection. Dead horses We're every.
where; few disabled caisson, ."
limbers, reclining on one elbow, as it
were; ammunition wagons standing
disconsolate behind four or six
men enough; all dead, apparently, e.
Cept one, who lay near where ] had
halted my platoon to await the slow
| er movement of the line-a Federal
sergeant, variously hurt, who had been
a fine giant in his time. He lay face
upward, taking in his breath in con
vulsive, rafting snorts, and blowing ii
out in sputters of froth which crawl
ed creamily down his checks, pinn'
itself alongside his neck and ears. 4
bullet had clipped groove in his skull
bove the temple nom r. the brGil
protruded in bosses, dropping off il
flakes and strings, | had not previ
ously known one could set on ever
in this unsatisfactory fashion, WITH S
little brain. One OF my men Whor
| knew for a womanish fellow, aske
if he should put ais bayonct throug
him. Inexpressibly shocked dt tn
cold-blooded proposition, told him
thought not; it was unusual, and to
many were looking
VIII
| 1t was plain that the eremy ha
Ietreated to COrinth. Ice arrival {
our fresh troops and their successfl
passage of the river had disheartel
D a. him. Three 81 far of his gra
4 cavalry vedettes moving amongst IL
q trees on the crest of a hill III o.
:. front, and galloping out of sight
a the crack of our skirmishers' rifle
e confirmed us in tie belief hat 9
n army face to face with it's eneu
+ does not employ cavalry to watch i
n front. True, they might be gener
S and his staff Growing this rise, v
II found level field, a quarter of mi
t. in width; beyond it a gentle accliyi
e covered with an underground
n young oaks, impervious to sight. Y
D. pushed on into the open, but the di
y sion halted at the edge, Having
n ders to conform to its movemen
IS we halted too; but that did not sui
=" we received an intimation to proceC
n | had performed this sort of seryi
in before, and in the exercise of my d
to erection deployed my platoon, push
in it forward at a run, with trail
arms, to strengthen the skirmish Iii
lg which | overlook some thirty or t
ly ty yards from the wood Then
ok can't describe 1.-THE forest seen
le- all at once to flame up and dis