第14章

HillfirstcameintoprominenceasthevictorinthemoststubbornlycontestedfightintheprisonhistoryofBelleIsle。WhenthesquadoftheOneHundredthOhio——capturedatLimestoneStation,EastTennessee,inSeptember,1863——arrivedonBelleIsle,acertainJackOliver,oftheNineteenthIndiana,wastheundisputedfisticmonarchoftheIsland。

Hedidnotbearhisblushinghonorsmodestly;fewofarightarmthatindefinitelocalityknownas"themiddleofnextweek,"issomethingthatthepossessorcanaslittleresistshowingascanagirlherfirstsolitairering。Toknowthatonecancertainlystrikeadisagreeablefellowoutoftimeisprettysuretobreedadesiretodothatthingwheneveroccasionserves。JackOliverwasonewhodidnotlethisbicepsrustininaction,butthrashedeverybodyontheIslandwhomhethoughtneededit,andhisideasastothosewhoshouldbeincludedinthisclasswideneddaily,untilitbegantoappearthathewouldsoonfeelithisdutytoletnounwhippedmanescape,butpoundeverybodyontheIsland。

OnedayhisevilgeniusledhimtoabusearatherelderlymanbelongingtoHill"smess。Ashefiredoffhistiradeofcontumely,Hillsaidwithmorethanhisusual"soft"rusticity:

"Mister——I——don"t——think——it——just——right——for——a——young——man——to——call——an——old——one——such——badnames。"

JackOliverturnedonhimsavagely。

"Well！maybeyouwanttotakeitup？"

ThegrinonHill"sfacelookedstillmoreverdant,asheansweredwithgentledeliberation:

"Well——mister——I——don"t——go——around——a——hunting——things——but——I——

ginerally——take——care——of——all——that"s——sent——me！"

Jackfoamed,buthisfiercestblustercouldnotdrivethatinfantilesmilefromHill"sface,norprovokeachangeinthecalmslownessofhisspeech。

Itwasevidentthatnothingwoulddobutabattle—royal,andJackhadsenseenoughtoseethattheimperturbablerusticwaslikelytogivehimajobofsomedifficulty。Hewentoffandcamebackwithhisclan,whileHill"scomradesoftheOneHundredthgatheredaroundtoinsurehimfairplay。Jackpulledoffhiscoatandvest,rolleduphissleeves,andmadeotherelaboratepreparationsfortheaffray。Hill,withoutremovingagarment,said,ashesurveyedhimwithamockingsmile:

"Mister——you——seem——to——be——one——of——them——partick—e—ler——fellers。"

Jackroaredout,"By———,I"llmakeyoupartickelerbeforeIgetthroughwithyou。Now,howshallwesettlethis？Regularstand—up—andknock—down,orroughandtumble？"

IfanythingHill"sfacewasmorevacantlyserene,andhistonesblanderthanever,asheanswered:

"Strike——any——gait——that——suits——you,——Mister;——Iguess——I——will——be——

able——to——keep——up——with——you。"

Theyclosed。Hillfeintedwithhisleft,andasJackuncoveredtoguard,hecaughthimfairlyonthelowerleftribs,byablowfromhismightyrightfist,thatsounded——asoneoftheby—standersexpressedit——"likestrikingahollowlogwithamaul。"

ThecolorinJack"sfacepaled。Hedidnotseemtounderstandhowhehadlaidhimselfopentosuchapass,andmadethesamemistake,receivingagainasoundingblowintheshortribs。Thistaughthimnothing,either,foragainheopenedhisguardinresponsetoafeint,andagaincaughtablowonhislucklessleft,ribs,thatdrovethebloodfromhisfaceandthebreathfromhisbody。Hereeledbackamonghissupportersforaninstanttobreathe。Recoveringhiswind,bedashedatHillfeintedstronglywithhisright,butdeliveredaterriblekickagainstthelowerpartofthelatter"sabdomen。Bothclosedandfoughtsavagelyathalf—arm"slengthforaninstant;duringwhichHillstruckJacksofairlyinthemouthastobreakoutthreefrontteeth,whichthelatterswallowed。Thentheyclenchedandstruggledtothroweachother。Hill"ssuperiorstrengthandskillcrushedhisopponenttotheground,andhefelluponhim。Astheygrappledthere,oneofJack"sfollowerssoughttoaidhisleaderbycatchingHillbythehair,intendingtokickhimintheface。InaninstanthewasknockeddownbyastalwartmemberoftheOneHundredth,andthenliterallyliftedoutoftheringbykicks。

Jackwassoonsobadlybeatenastobeunabletocry"enough！"Oneofhisfriendsdidthatserviceforhim,thefightceased,andthenceforthMr。Oliverresignedhispugilisticcrown,andretiredtotheshadesofprivatelife。Hediedofscurvyanddiarrhea,somemonthsafterward,inAndersonville。

ThealmosthourlyscenesofviolenceandcrimethatmarkedthedaysandnightsbeforetheRegulatorsbeganoperationswerenowsucceededbythegreatestorder。TheprisonwasfreerfromcrimethanthebestgovernedCity。Therewerefrequentsquabblesandfights,ofcourse,andmanypettylarcenies。Rationsofbreadandofwood,articlesofclothing,andthewretchedlittlecansandhalfcanteensthatformedourcookingutensils,werestillstolen,butallthesewereinasneak—thiefway。

Therewasanentireabsenceoftheaudaciousopen—dayrobberyandmurder——the"raiding"ofthepreviousfewweeks。ThesummarypunishmentinflictedonthecondemnedwassufficienttocowevenboldermenthantheRaiders,andtheywerefrightenedintoatleastquiescence。

SergeantHill"sadministrationwasvigorous,andsecuredthebestresults。Hebecameajudgeofallinfractionsofmoralsandlaw,andsatatthedoorofhistenttodispensejusticetoallcomers,liketheCadiofaMahometanVillage。HisjudicialmethodsandpunishmentsalsoremindedonestronglyoftheprimitivejudicatureofOrientallands。

Thewrongedonecamebeforehimandtoldhistale:hehadhisblouse,orhisquartcup,orhisshoes,orhiswatch,orhismoneystolenduringthenight。Thesuspectedonewasalsosummoned,confrontedwithhisaccuser,andsharplyinterrogated。Hillwouldrevolvethestoriesinhismind,decidetheinnocenceorguiltoftheaccused,andifhethoughttheaccusationsustained,ordertheculprittopunishment。HedidnotimitatehisMussulmanprototypestotheextentofbowstringingordecapitatingthecondemned,nordidhecutanythief"shandsoff,noryetnailhisearstoadoorpost,butheintroducedamodificationofthebastinadothatmadethosewhowerepunishedbyitevenwishtheyweredead。TheinstrumentusedwaswhatiscalledintheSoutha"shake"——

asplitshingle,ayardormorelong,andwithoneendwhittleddowntoformahandle。Theculpritwasmadetobenddownuntilhecouldcatcharoundhisankleswithhishands。Thepartofthebodythusbroughtintomostprominencewasdenudedofclothingand"spanked"fromonetotwentytimes,asHillordered,bythe"shake"insamestrongandwillinghand。

Itwasveryamusing——tothebystanders。The"spankee"neverseemedtoenterveryheartilyintothemirthoftheoccasion。Asarulehesleptonhisfaceforaweekorsoafter,andtookhismealsstanding。

Thefearofthespanking,andHill"sskillindetectingtheguiltyones,hadaverysalutaryeffectuponthesmallercriminals。

TheRaiderswhohadbeenputintoironswereveryrestiveundertheinfliction,andbeggedHilldailytoreleasethem。Theyprofessedthegreatestpenitence,andpromisedthemostexemplarybehaviorforthefuture。Hillrefusedtoreleasethem,declaringthattheyshouldweartheironsuntildelivereduptoourGovernment。

OneoftheRaiders——namedHeffron——had,shortlyafterhisarrest,turnedState"sevidence,andgiventestimonythatassistedmateriallyintheconvictionofhiscompanions。Onemorning,aweekorsoafterthehanging,hisbodywasfoundlyingamongtheotherdeadattheSouthGate。

Theimpressionmadebythefingersofthehandthathadstrangledhim,werestillplainlyvisibleaboutthethroat。Therewasnodoubtastowhyhehadbeenkilled,orthattheRaiderswerehismurderers,buttheactualperpetratorswereneverdiscovered。

CHAPTERXXXIX。

JULY——THEPRISONBECOMESMORECROWDED,THEWEATHERHOTTER,NATIONS

POORER,ANDMORTALITYGREATER——SOMEOFTHEPHENOMENAOFSUFFERINGAND

DEATH。

AllduringJulytheprisonerscamestreaminginbyhundredsandthousandsfromeveryportionofthelonglineofbattle,stretchingfromtheEasternbankoftheMississippitotheshoresoftheAtlantic。OveronethousandsquanderedbySturgisatGuntowncamein;twothousandofthosecapturedinthedesperateblowdealtbyHoodagainsttheArmyoftheTennesseeonthe22dofthemonthbeforeAtlanta;hundredsfromHunter"slucklesscolumnintheShenandoahValley,thousandsfromGrant"slinesinfrontofPetersburg。Inall,seventhousandonehundredandtwenty—eightwere,duringthemonth,turnedintothatseethingmassofcorruptinghumanitytobepollutedandtaintedbyit,andtoassistinturntomakeitfouleranddeadlier。Overseventyhecatombsofchosenvictims——

offairyouthsinthefirstflushofhopefulmanhood,atthethresholdofalifeofhonortothemselvesandofusefulnesstothecommunity;

beardlessboys,richinthepricelessaffectionsofhomes,fathers,mothers,sistersandsweethearts,withmindsthrillingwithhighaspirationsforthebrightfuture,weresentinasthemonthlysacrificetothisMinotauroftheRebellion,who,couchedinhisfoullair,slewthem,notwiththemercifuldeliveryofspeedydeath,ashisCretanprototypedidtheannualtributeofAthenianyouthsandmaidens,but,gloatingoverhisprey,doomedthemtolingeringdestruction。Herottedtheirfleshwiththescurvy,rackedtheirmindswithintolerablesuspense,burnedtheirbodieswiththeslowfireoffamine,anddelightedineachseparatepang,untiltheysankbeneaththefearfulaccumulation。

Theseus[Sherman。D。W。]——thedeliverer——wascoming。HisterribleswordcouldbeseengleamingasitroseandfellonthebanksoftheJames,andinthemountainsbeyondAtlanta,wherehewashewinghiswaytowardsthemandtheheartoftheSouthernConfederacy。Buthecametoolatetosavethem。Strikeasswiftlyandasheavilyashewould,hecouldnotstrikesohardnorsosureathisfoeswithsaberblowandmusketshot,astheycouldatthehaplessyouthswiththedreadfularmamentofstarvationanddisease。

ThoughthedeathswereonethousandeighthundredandseventeenmorethanwerekilledatthebattleofShiloh——thisleftthenumberintheprisonattheendofthemonththirty—onethousandsixhundredandseventy—

eight。Letmeassistthereader"scomprehensionofthemagnitudeofthisnumberbygivingthepopulationofafewimportantCities,accordingtothecensusof1870:

Cambridge,Mass89,639

Charleston,S。C。48,958

Columbus,O。31,274

Dayton,O。30,473

FallRiver,Mass26,766

KansasCity,Mo32,260

Thenumberofprisonersexceededthewholenumberofmenbetweentheagesofeighteenandforty—fiveinseveraloftheStatesandTerritoriesintheUnion。Here,forinstance,arethereturnsfor1870,ofmenofmilitaryageinsomeportionsofthecountry:

Arizona5,157

Colorado15,166

Dakota5,301

Idaho9,431

Montana12,418

Nebraska35,677

Nevada24,762

NewHampshire60,684

Oregon23,959

RhodeIsland44,377

Vermont62,450

WestVirginia6,832

Itwasmoresoldiersthancouldberaisedto—day,understrongpressure,ineitherAlabama,Arizona,Arkansas,California,Colorado,Connecticut,Dakota,Delaware,DistrictofColumbia,Florida,Idaho,Louisiana,Maine,Minnesota,Montana,Nebraska,Nevada,NewHampshire,NewMedico,Oregon,RhodeIsland,SouthCarolina,Utah,VermontorWestVirginia。

Thesethirty—onethousandsixhundredandseventy—eightactiveyoungmen,whowerelikelytofindtheconfinesofaStatetoonarrowforthem,werecoopeduponthirteenacresofground——lessthanafarmergivesforplay—

groundforahalfdozencoltsorasmallflockofsheep。Therewashardlyroomforalltoliedownatnight,andtowalkafewhundredfeetinanydirectionwouldrequireanhour"spatientthreadingofthemassofmenandtents。

Theweatherbecamehotterandhotter;atmiddaythesandwouldburnthehand。Thethinskinsoffairandauburn—hairedmenblisteredunderthesun"srays,andswelledupingreatwaterypuffs,whichsoonbecamethebreedinggroundsofthehideousmaggots,orthestillmoredeadlygangrene。Theloathsomeswampgrewinrankoffensivenesswitheveryburninghour。Thepestilenceliterallystalkedatnoon—day,andstruckhisvictimsdownoneveryhand。OnecouldnotlookarodinanydirectionwithoutseeingatleastadozenmeninthelastfrightfulstagesofrottingDeath。

LetmedescribethesceneimmediatelyaroundmyowntentduringthelasttwoweeksofJuly,asasampleoftheconditionofthewholeprison:

Iwilltakeaspacenotlargerthanagoodsizedparlororsittingroom。

Onthiswereatleastfiftyofus。Directlyinfrontofmelaytwobrothers——namedSherwood——belongingtoCompanyI,ofmybattalion,whocameoriginallyfromMissouri。Theywerenowinthelaststagesofscurvyanddiarrhea。Everyparticleofmuscleandfatabouttheirlimbsandbodieshadapparentlywastedaway,leavingtheskinclingingclosetotheboneoftheface,arms,hands,ribsandthighs——everywhereexceptthefeetandlegs,whereitwasswollentenseandtransparent,distendedwithgallonsofpurulentmatter。Theirlividgums,fromwhichmostoftheirteethhadalreadyfallen,protrudedfarbeyondtheirlips。TotheirleftlayaSergeantandtwoothersoftheircompany,allthreeslowlydyingfromdiarrhea,andbeyondwasafair—hairedGerman,youngandintelligentlooking,whoselifewasebbingtediouslyaway。TomyrightwasahandsomeyoungSergeantofanIllinoisInfantryRegiment,capturedatKenesaw。Hisleftarmhadbeenamputatedbetweentheshoulderandelbow,andhewasturnedintotheStockadewiththestumpallundressed,savetheligatingofthearteries。Ofcourse,hehadnotbeeninsideanhouruntilthemaggotflieshadlaideggsintheopenwound,andbeforethedaywasgonethewormswerehatchedout,andriotingamidtheinflamedandsuper—sensitivenerves,wheretheireverymotionwasagony。

Accustomedasweweretomisery,wefoundastilllowerdepthinhismisfortune,andIwouldbehappiercouldIforgethispale,drawnface,ashewandereduncomplaininglytoandfro,holdinghismaimedlimbwithhisrighthand,occasionallystoppingtosqueezeit,asonedoesaboil,andpressfromitastreamofmaggotsandpus。Idonotthinkheateorsleptforaweekbeforehedied。NexttohimstaidanIrishSergeantofaNewYorkRegiment,afinesoldierlyman,who,withpardonablepride,wore,conspicuouslyonhisleftbreast,amedalgainedbygallantrywhileaBritishsoldierintheCrimea。Hewaswastingawaywithdiarrhea,anddiedbeforethemonthwasout。

Thiswaswhatonecouldseeoneverysquarerodoftheprison。WhereI

waswasnotonlynoworsethantherestoftheprison,butwasprobablymuchbetterandhealthier,asitwasthehighestgroundinside,farthestfromtheSwamp,andhavingthedeadlineontwosides,hadaventilationthatthosenearerthecentercouldnotpossiblyhave。Yet,withalltheseconditionsinourfavor,themortalitywasasIhavedescribed。

Nearusanexasperatingidiot,whoplayedtheflute,hadestablishedhimself。Likeallpoorplayers,heaffectedthelow,mournfulnotes,asplaintiveasthedistantcooingofthedoveinlowering,weather。

Heplayedorrathertootedawayinhis"blues"inducingstrainhourafterhour,despiteourenergeticprotests,andoccasionallyflingingaclubathim。Therewasnomorestoptohimthantoamanwithahand—organ,andtothisdaythelow,sadnotesofaflutearetheswiftestremindertomeofthosesorrowful,death—ladendays。

Ihadanillustrationonemorningofhowfardecompositionwouldprogressinaman"sbodybeforehedied。MychumandIfoundatreasure—troveinthestreets,intheshapeofthebodyofamanwhodiedduringthenight。

Thevalueofthis"find"wasthatifwetookittothegate,wewouldbeallowedtocarryitoutsidetothedeadhouse,andonourwaybackhaveanopportunitytopickupachunkofwood,touseincooking。Whilediscussingourgoodluckanotherpartycameupandclaimedthebody。

Averbaldisputeledtooneofblows,inwhichwecameoffvictorious,andIhastilycaughtholdofthearmneartheelbowtohelpbearthebodyaway。Theskingavewayundermyhand,andslippedwithitdowntothewrist,likeatornsleeve。Itwassickening,butIclungtomyprize,andsecuredaverygoodchunkofwoodwhileoutsidewithit。Thewoodwasverymuchneededbymymess,asoursquadhadthenhadnoneformorethanaweek。

CHAPTERXL。

THEBATTLEOFTHE22DOFJULY——THEARMSOFTHETENNESSEEASSAULTEDFRONT

ANDREAR——DEATHOFGENERALMCPHERSON——ASSUMPTIONOFCOMMANDBYGENERAL

LOGAN——RESULTOFTHEBATTLE。

Naturally,wehadaconsuminghungerfornewsofwhatwasbeingaccomplishedbyourarmiestowardcrushingtheRebellion。Now,morethanever,hadwereasontoardentlywishforthedestructionoftheRebelpower。Beforecapturewehadloveofcountryandanaturaldesireforthetriumphofherflagtoanimateus。NowwehadahatredoftheRebelsthatpassedexpression,andafiercelongingtoseethosewhodailytorturedandinsultedustrampleddowninthedustofhumiliation。

Thedailyarrivalofprisonerskeptustolerablywellinformedastothegeneralprogressofthecampaign,andweaddedtotheinformationthusobtainedbygetting——almostdaily——insomemanneroranother——acopyofaRebelpaper。MostfrequentlythesewereAtlantapapers,oranissueofthe"Memphis—Corinth—Jackson—Grenada—Chattanooga—Resacca—Marietta—AtlantaAppeal,"astheyusedtofacetiouslytermaMemphispaperthatleftthatCitywhenitwastakenin1862,andfortwoyearsfellbackfromplacetoplace,asSherman"sArmyadvanced,untilatlastitgaveupthestruggleinSeptember,1864,inalittleTownsouthofAtlanta,afterabouttwothousandmilesofwearyretreatfromanindefatigablepursuer。Thepaperswerebroughtinby"freshfish,"purchasedfromtheguardsatfromfiftycentstoonedollarapiece,oroccasionallythrownintouswhentheyhadsomespeciallydisagreeableintelligence,likethedefeatofBanks,orSturgis,orBunter,toexultover。Iwasparticularlyfortunateingettingholdofthese。Becominginstalledasgeneralreaderforaneighborhoodofseveralthousandmen,everythingofthiskindwasimmediatelybroughttome,tobereadaloudforthebenefitofeverybody。

Alltheolderprisonersknewmebythenick—nameof"Illinoy"——

adesignationarisingfrommywearingonmycap,whenIenteredprison,aneatlittlewhitemetalbadgeof"ILLS。"Whenanyreadingmatterwasbroughtintoourneighborhood,therewouldbeageneralcryof:

"Takeitupto"Illinoy,""andthenhundredswouldmassaroundmyquarterstobearthenewsread。

TheRebelpapersusuallyhadverymeagerreportsoftheoperationsofthearmies,andtheseweregreatlydistorted,buttheywerestillveryinteresting,andaswealwaysstartedintoreadwiththeexpectationthatthewholestatementwasamassofperversionsandlies,wheretruthwasaninfrequentaccident,wewerenotlikelytobemuchimpressedwithit。

Therewasamarleddifferenceinthetoneofthereportsbroughtinfromthedifferentarmies。Sherman"smenwerealwayssanguine。Theyhadnodoubtthattheywerepushingtheenemystraighttothewall,andthateverydaybroughttheSouthernConfederacymuchneareritsdownfall。

ThosefromtheArmyofthePotomacwereneversohopeful。TheywouldadmitthatGrantwaspoundingLeeterribly,buttheshadowofthefrequentdefeatsoftheArmyofthePotomacseemedtohangdepressinglyoverthem。

Therecameaday,however,whenoursanguinehopesastoShermanwerecheckedbyapossibilitythathehadfailed;thathislongcampaigntowardsAtlantahadculminatedinsuchareverseundertheverywallsoftheCityaswouldcompelanabandonmentoftheenterprise,andpossiblyahumiliatingretreat。WeknewthatJeff。DavisandhisGovernmentwerestronglydissatisfiedwiththeFabianpolicyofJoeJohnston。ThepapershadtoldusoftheRebelPresident"svisittoAtlanta,ofhisbittercommentsonJohnston"stactics;ofhisgoingsofarastosneeraboutthenecessityofprovidingpontoonsatKeyWest,sothatJohnstonmightcontinuehisretreateventoCuba。ThencamethenewsofJohnston"sSupersessionbyHood,andthepaperswerefulloftheexultingpredictionsofwhatwouldnowbeaccomplished"whenthatgallantyoungsoldierisoncefairlyinthesaddle。"

AllthismeantonesupremeefforttoarresttheonwardcourseofSherman。

ItindicatedaresolvetostakethefateofAtlanta,andthefortunesoftheConfederacyintheWest,uponthehazardofonedesperatefight。

WewatchedthesummoningupofeveryRebelenergyfortheblowwithapprehension。WedreadedanotherChickamauga。

Theblowfellonthe22dofJuly。Itwaswellplanned。TheArmyoftheTennessee,theleftofSherman"sforces,wasthepartstruck。Onthenightofthe21stHoodmarchedaheavyforcearounditsleftflankandgaineditsrear。Onthe22dthisforcefellontherearwiththeimpetuousviolenceofacyclone,whiletheRebelsintheworksimmediatelyaroundAtlantaattackedfuriouslyinfront。

Itwasanordealthatnootherarmyeverpassedthroughsuccessfully。

ThesteadiesttroopsinEuropewouldthinkitfoolhardinesstoattempttowithstandanassaultinforceinfrontandrearatthesametime。

Thefinestlegionsthatfollowanyflagto—daymustalmostinevitablysuccumbtosuchamodeofattack。ButtheseasonedveteransoftheArmyoftheTennesseeencounteredtheshockwithanobstinacywhichshowedthatthefinestmaterialforsoldierythisplanetholdswasthatinwhichundauntedheartsbeatbeneathblueblouses。Springingoverthefrontoftheirbreastworks,theydrovebackwithawitheringfiretheforceassailingthemintherear。Thisbeatenoff,theyjumpedbacktotheirproperplaces,andrepulsedtheassaultinfront。Thiswasthewaythebattlewaswageduntilnightcompelledacessationofoperations。OurboyswerealternatelybehindthebreastworksfiringatRebelsadvancinguponthefront,andinfrontoftheworksfiringuponthosecomingupintherear。Sometimespartofourlinewouldbeononesideoftheworks,andpartontheother。

Intheprisonweweregreatlyexcitedovertheresultoftheengagement,ofwhichwewereuncertainformanydays。Ahostofnewprisonersperhapstwothousand——wasbroughtinfromthere,butastheywerecapturedduringtheprogressofthefight,theycouldnotspeakdefinitelyastoitsissue。TheRebelpapersexultedwithoutstintoverwhattheytermed"agloriousvictory。"TheywereparticularlyjubilantoverthedeathofMcPherson,who,theyclaimed,wasthebrainandguidinghandofSherman"sarmy。Onepaperlikenedhimtothepilot—fish,whichguidesthesharktohisprey。Nowthathewasgone,saidthepaper,Sherman"sarmybecomesagreatlumberinghulk,withnooneinitcapableofdirectingit,anditmustsoonfalltoutterruinundertheskilfullydeliveredstrokesofthegallantHood。

Wealsoknewthatgreatnumbersofwoundedhadbeenbroughttotheprisonhospital,andthisseemedtoconfirmtheRebelclaimofavictory,asitshowedtheyretainedpossessionofthebattlefield。

Aboutthe1stofAugustalargesquadofSherman"smen,capturedinoneoftheengagementssubsequenttothe22d,camein。Wegatheredaroundthemeagerly。AmongthemInoticedabright,curly—haired,blue—eyedinfantryman——orboy,rather,ashewasyetbeardless。Hiscapwasmarked"68thO。Y。Y。L,"hissleevesweregarnishedwithre—enlistmentstripes,andonthebreastofhisblousewasasilverarrow。TotheeyeofthesoldierthissaidthathewasaveteranmemberoftheSixty—EighthRegimentofOhioInfantry（thatis,havingalreadyservedthreeyears,hehadre—enlistedforthewar）,andthathebelongedtotheThirdDivisionoftheSeventeenthArmyCorps。Hewassoyoungandfreshlookingthatonecouldhardlybelievehimtobeaveteran,butifhisstripeshadnotsaidthis,thesoldierlyarrangementofclothingandaccouterments,andthegraceful,self—possessedposeoflimbsandbodywouldhavetoldtheobserverthathewasoneofthose"OldReliables"withwhomShermanandGranthadalreadysubduedathirdoftheConfederacy。Hisblanket,which,forawonder,theRebelshadneglectedtotakefromhim,wastightlyrolled,itsendstiedtogether,andthrownoverhisshoulderscarf—fashion。Hispantaloonsweretuckedinsidehisstockingtops,thatwerepulledupasfaraspossible,andtiedtightlyaroundhisanklewithastring。Anone—too—cleanhaversack,containingtheinevitablesootyquartcup,andevenblackerhalf—canteen,waftslungeasilyfromtheshoulderoppositetothatonwhichtheblanketrested。HandhimhisfaithfulSpringfieldrifle,putthreedays"rationsinhishaversack,andfortyroundsinhiscartridgebog,andhewouldbeready,withoutaninstant"sdemurorquestion,tomarchtotheendsoftheearth,andfightanythingthatcrossedhispath。Hewasatypeofthehonest,honorable,selfrespectingAmericanboy,who,asasoldier,theworldhasnotequaledinthesixtycenturiesthatwarhasbeenaprofession。

Isuggestedtohimthathewasratherayoungstertobewearingveteranchevrons。"Yes,"saidhe,"Iamnotsooldassomeoftherestoftheboys,butIhaveseenaboutasmuchserviceandbeeninthebusinessaboutaslongasanyofthem。Theycallme"OldDad,"IsupposebecauseIwastheyoungestboyintheRegiment,whenwefirstenteredtheservice,thoughourwholeCompany,officersandall,wereonlyalotofboys,andtheRegimenttoday,what"sleftof"em,areaboutasyoungalotofofficersandmenasthereareintheservice。Why,ouroldColonelain"tonlytwenty—fouryearsoldnow,andhehasbeenincommandeversincewewentintoVicksburg。IhavehearditsaidbyourboysthatsinceweveteranizedthewholeRegiment,officers,andmen,averagelessthantwenty—fouryearsold。Buttheyaregray—houndstomarchandstayersinafight,youbet。Why,therestofthetroopsoverinWestTennesseeusedtocallourBrigade"Leggett"sCavalry,"fortheyalwayshaduschasingOldForrest,andwekepthimskedaddling,too,prettylively。ButItellyouwedidgetintoaredhotscrimmageonthe22d。

ItjustlaidoverChampionHills,oranyofthebigfightsaroundVicksburg,andtheywerelivelyenoughtoamuseanyone。"

"Soyouwereintheaffaironthe22d,wereyou！Weareawfulanxioustohearallaboutit。Comeoverheretomyquartersandtellusallyouknow。Allweknowisthattherehasbeenabigfight,withMcPhersonkilled,andaheavylossoflifebesides,andtheRebelsclaimagreatvictory。"

"O,theybe—————。Itwasthesickestvictorytheyevergot。AboutonemorevictoryofthatkindwouldmaketheirinfernaloldConfederacyreadyforacoroner"sinquest。Well,Icantellyouprettymuchallaboutthatfight,forIreckonifthetruthwasknown,ourregimentfiredaboutthefirstandlastshotthatopenedandclosedthefightingonthatday。

Well,youseethewholeArmygotacrosstheriver,andwereclosinginaroundtheCityofAtlanta。OurCorps,theSeventeenth,wastheextremeleftofthearmy,andweremovinguptowardtheCityfromtheEast。