The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-04-06
OF SHILOH
CONTINUED from page I'D


Along the sheltered strip Of beach
between the river bank and the water
was a confused mass of humanity
several thousands of men. They we're
mostly unarmed; many were wound.
ed; some dead All the campfollow-
ing tribes were here; all the towards;
a few officers. Not one of them knew
where his regiment was nor if he had
a regiment Many had not These
men were defeated, beaten, cowed.
They were deaf to duty and dead to
shame. A more demented crew never
drifted to the rear of broken batalions.
They would have stood in their tracks
and been shot down to a man by a
! provost-marshal's guard, but they
could not have been urged up that
bank An army's bravest men are
| its towards. The death which they
would not meet at the hands of the
| enemy they will meet at the hands of
their officers, with never a flinching.
This abominable rout, whenever a
steamboat would land, had to be kept
off her with bayonets; when she pull
ed away they sprang on her, and were
pushed by scores into the water where
they were suffered to drown one an
other in their own way. The men
DISSEMINATING insulted them, showed
| them, struck them. In return they
expressed their unholy delight in the
certainty of our destruction by the
enemy.
BY the time my regiment had reach
ed the plateau night had put an end
to the struggle A sputter of rifles
would break out now and then, fol
lowed perhaps by spiritless hurrah.
Occasionally a shell from a far-away
battery would come pitching down
somewhere near with a whirr cres-
cendo, or fit above our heads with a
whisper like that made by the wings
of a night-bird, to smother itself in
the river. But there was no more
fighting. The gunboatss however,
blazed away at short intervals all
night long, just to make the enemy
uncomfortable and break him of rest.
For us there was of course no rest.
Foot by foot we moved through the
dusty fields, we knew not whittier
There were men all about US, but no
campfres; to have made a blaze
would have been madness. The men
were of strange regiments; they men
toned the names of unknown gen
erals. They gathered in groups by
the wayside, asking eagerly our mum
bers. They recounted the depressing
incidents of the day A thoughtful
officer shut their mouths with sharI
word as he passed; cynical one com
ing after encouraged them to repea
their doleful tale all along the line.
Hidden in hollows and behint
clumps of rank brambles were large
tents, dimly lighted with candles, bu
looking comfortable. The kind o
comfort they afforded was indicated
by pairs of men entering and reappear
Ing bearing litters; by low moan
from within and by long rows OF tn
dead with covered faces outside. Thes
tents were constantly receiving tn
wounded, yet were never full; the
were continually ejecting the dead, We
were never empty. 1t was as If tn
HELPLESS had been carried in and mul
dered that they might not hampe
those whose business it was to ia
tomorrow.
It was now pitch dark, and, as
usual after a battle had begun I
rain. Still we moved; we were D'
ing nut into position by somebod!
Inch by inch We crept along, treadin
on one anothers heels by way
keeping together. Commands WEI
passed along the line in whispers
, more commonly none were glVel
! When the men had pressed so clos
" together that they could advant
no further they stood stock still, she
tering the locks of their rifles wit
their ponchos. In this position man
fell asleep. When those in front su
denly stepped away those in the rea
reused by the tramping, fastened q
ter with such zeal that the line WI
soon choked again. Evidently Il
head of the division was being pIlC
n cd at a snail's pace by some one WI
:, did not feel sure of his ground. We
n often we STRUCK our feet against &
y dead; more frequently against tho
u who still had spirit enough to
!, sent it with a moan. These were Ii
Dr ed carefully to one side and aband(
OF ed. Some had sense enough to a
!. in their weak way for water,
Y surd! Their clothes were SOAK
their hair dank; their white fac
n dimly discernibIe, We're clammy a
cold. Besides none of us had any
II ter. There was plenty coming, thou
for before midnight a thunder sto
q hrOke uDOn us with great ViOlen