Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-02-07

I Confederate infantry had been fording
the French Broad for an hour. Arm
strong's men had built rite pits to
strengthen their position. and SturGis
was in danger OF being cut on from
his route back TO Knoxville.
Sturgis Retreats.
+ Sturgls could only save himself by
retreat and pressed the attack Of Wol-
for,l's line to cover the withdra wal
Lonrstrcct. with his headquarters dag
and stan. rode ont To Armstrong;
front Just rs band OF Federal troop
erS broke through ON desperate
charge. one boy in blue Gallopcd Into
I.oncstreet's party. bent on capturing
the hag Seeing the reckless Federal
running amuck Colonel Fairfax OF
Longstreet's military family put spurs
10 his horse aud rode at the Intruder.
nistol IN hand. Before the trooper
could level his gun the nimble Nir-
g!nian covered him and called out.
Surrender AstoniShcd at being let
on So easily when on murder bent the
Federal dropped his carbine and went
To the rear rs a Confederate trophy
from the last dash nj Fair Garden.
The retreat OF Sturgis left the Con
rederates in possession OF the foraSing
grounds. There were looms in the
country. and sometimes Longstreets
soldiers were given a bolt of cloth by
citizens in sympathy with their cause.
II the owners OF the cloth were not
patriotic in that direction the stuff
was taken anyway as a necessity OF
war. LonEstreet's men belonged In
Virginia and had been long from home
on many weary tramps. They We're
nearly barefoot. II was the boast OF
the Yankee soldiers that they could do
anything in emergencies. For once the
Confederates displayed a versatility
not looked for among the sons of gen
tlemcn planters. Soldiers in gray tan
ned the hides from beeves killed for
food. They made shoe pegs and shoe
lasts and turned out a hundred pairs
Of shoes Il day for the covering OF the
feet Of the most needy.
Naturally the Federals didn't look
calmly on while the enemy from Viz
Ginia reveIed ian the fat of the land.
In fact they needed some OF the good
things themselves. being far away
from their supply depots. with rugged
mountains intervening. Their horses
were dying for lack of forage: the men
lived on part rations. which had Ia be
hauled by wagons from Chattanooga.
Confederate Field Strength.
Early in 1854 the Confederate au-
tLorities began TO give attention to
their depleted army. \ conScriptiun
law WIS being rigidly enforced. but
there we're many exemptions. \ law
was in force prohibiting men liable 10
service from sending substi-
tutes. and on Jan. = this was strength |
encd 10y au enactment that no person 1
liable To military service should be ex- I
empted 10y reason. of his having FUR /
liShed substitute" At that date the 1
draft took only ablebudied men be- I
tween the ages Of eighteen and forty T.
i've
The number Of the Confederate troops 1
n the field known as veterans at the
BEGINNING Of 1874 was about 32j.OOO of
no arms These were distributed from
be Atlantic coast To Texas. General
Robert T., Lee had under his command
approximately 100000 men. including
he corps Of Lonsstreet. which was i'm
asst Tennessee. and the command of
General sam Jones i'm southwest Vir-
.inia. at Richmond and Petersburg