The Guns of Shiloh

the enemy. They had plenty of good tents to fend them from the winter weather which had often been bitter. Throughout the camp burned large fires f

riting dispatches at a rude little pine table, rose to receive them. He did not seem to Dick to be more than thirty, and he

ely done, but you will reach General Thomas in another day, and he needs y

f the tent was entirely open, facing a glowing fire of oak logs. Dick and Warner sat down on the stumps and spread out their hands t

the numerous and pertinent questions of Colonel Garfield. He listened attentively to the acco

, but what you say only confirms my own opinion. The war is rapidly spreading over a much g

Dick greatly. He seemed to him scholar and thinker as well as soldier. He and Warner

his command soon reached the main camp under Thomas. Here they were re

hickamauga," was then in middle years. Heavily built and bearded, he was char

I don't think you'll have long to wait. We're expecting

emarked Dick to Warn

h from his very silence? I should say that in his make-up he is five per cent talk, tw

town called Somerset, which Dick had visited once, and near by, too, was the deep and swift Cumberland River, with much floating ice at its edges. When the

ught by boats on the river. As I hear it, Crittenden and Zollicoffer are afraid that our general will advance to the river an' cut off these supplies. So they mean to

they rolled themselves in heavy blankets, and, pointing their feet toward a good fire, slept on the ground.

dy seen many Kentuckians in the army of Thomas and he knew that they would be numerous, too, in that of Crittenden and Zollicoffer. To some extent it would be a batt

, and he was ready and eager the next morning, when the serge

perience in the mountains," said Major Hertford, "and I

boys together. The sergeant

a distant relative. In those days nearly all Kentuckians were more or less akin. The kinship was sufficient for Markham to keep the two boys on either sid

ight of kinship, "you've been for months in our own c

y in his voice, and the young ca

by guerillas who are hanging on the fringe of the armies here in Eastern, or in Southern and Western Kentucky. The war for the present at least h

which pulled hard at the hoofs of their horses. The country was rough, sterile, and inhabited but thinly. They rode many miles without meeting a single human being. About the third hour they saw a ma

aid Captain Markham with a vexed laugh. "We mean

f kinship, even though distant. "I fancy that the people her

ney, and Captain Markham felt sure that they could obtain information from its inmates. Dick, at his direction, beat on the door with

wners been gone long. Besides the fire to prove it, clothing was hanging on

assed ahead of us, and that we'll not get within speaking distance of a sin

dering in our name," said Dick. "Skelly and

m to be our allies are going to do us a great deal of harm. Well, we'll turn

Southern artery, bringing stores and arms for the army of Crittenden and Zollicoffer. Even here, hundreds of miles from its

e passage of boats on this river and for that reason, so General Thomas concludes, t

his reasons are good. Here it is the dead of winter, with more mud in the roads than I ever saw before an

t county and knew that region well. Two miles east of them and running parallel with the road o

it contains more mud than th

t if the rebel army is advancing

east we'll go there and see. Can you

e was Carpenter. "But on the way we'll have to ford a creek

said Captain M

he had told, was running bankful of icy water, but their horses swam it and they kep

rode slowly forward. Before they had gone many yards Dick heard the heavy clank of metal, the cracking of whips, the swearing of me

e bushes grew on a hillock they had a downward and good look into the road, which was fairly packed with men in the gray of the Confederate army, some on hor

en thousand men here," he

ttack ours, but the badness of the roads operates against the offense. We shall r

d toward Thomas, elated at their success. They swam the creek again, but at another point. Carpenter told them that the Southern army wo

although they were now miles ahead of it, and, covered from head to foot with the

should imagine that complete preparation had a gre

sixty per cen

oad makes at least eighty per cent of o

nies rest. Here they were fired upon by Confederate skirmishers from a hill two or three hundred yards away

lk by the side of the road, leading their mounts. Sergeant Whitley, with his age and experience, was most useful now in rest

said Captain Markham, sighing deeply. "Confound such ro

but, after all, that will be early enough. If I judge him

he takes such good care of us-and I think he is going to be one of the biggest generals in this war. Alway

," said Dick, as he remembered that marching army behind th

dark in a few minutes, and at the rate we're going

night deepened and darkened, and a chill wind whistled down from the ridges. The officers were silent now, but they looked eagerly for the first glimpse of th

ahead of the others, a thickset strong figure walked forwa

aid Gener

pon us in full force, sir

uted tho

whole army u

think they co

dawn,

men have done well. Now, find food and rest.

ul figure, standing by one of the fires and looking gravely into the coals. More than ever the man with the strong, patient lo

had also glanced back at the strong figure. "Do you remem

ng, an army nothing or

one hundred per cent and an army none. It was a figure of speech so to say, but I imagine tha

g his lines in the wintry darkness. He occupied a crossing of the roads, and he posted a strong battery of artillery to cover the Southern approach. Around him were men from Kentucky, th

l very early in the morning, and then, when nothing more remained to be done, save to wait for the decree of battle, he sat before his tent wrapped in a heavy military overcoat, silent and watchful. Scou

t dark, and throwing off t

stretched to left and right along a great front. Near him was the battery with most of the men sleeping beside their g

ot hear the sound of human voices and there was no stamp of horses' feet. They, too, were weary

t can't be more tha

t that I s

s as far as we can see

ut stood a long time l

very far in this silence just before the dawn. I thou

ser at hand than we thought. Look at those cold rays over there,

is is the vanguard o

words quickly an

ly had come into contact with the Union sentinels and skirmishers. After the first shots there was a moment'

fire like red dots appearing on the horizon, and then the sound of the rifles came again. Warner was with him and both stood by the side of Majo

them, in order that they might have a fair target in return. Fighting in the night was scarcely fair. One never knew what to do. But Thomas, the future "Rock of Chickamauga," was already showing himself a

a sharp conflict, and the shouts of the combatants increased in volume. Then the cold sun swung clear of the earth, and its wintry beams lighted up both forest and open. The whole Southern army appe

it!" said Warner, as he watched the st

his thoughts ran back to the i

ll save us

hat one vast sheet of light like a sword blade suddenly shot forward, and then a storm of lead, bearing many messengers of death, beat upon the Northern army, shatterin

n battle, yielded not an inch. They formed a core of resistance around which others rallied

of smoke, through which fire flashed and bullets whistled. He heard men around him uttering short cries of pain, and he saw others fall, mos

the men to stand firm, that they would surely beat back the enemy. That film of fire and smoke was yet before his eyes, but he saw through it the faces of his countrymen still coming

t the enemy, almost in their faces, and the Southern li

portion of the Northern army which was standing upon another low hill and struck it with great violence. It was wavering and would give way soon. But Thomas, showing

e, and bring up our reserve, the brigade under General Carter. They ar

ched the brigade of Carter, already marching toward the thick of the conflict. One entire regiment, composed

al shiver beneath him, and he leaped clear just in time, the horse falling heavily and lying quite still. B

d they had gained, received them, and there began a confused and terrible combat, shoulder to shoulder and hand to hand. Elsewhere the battle continued, but here it raged

ot haze of smoke. The back of Warner's hand had been grazed by a bullet. He had not noticed it himself, but the slow drip, drip of the blood held Dick for a momen

and shouts of men fighting face to face. Some one reeled and fell against Dick, and for a moment, he was in horror lest it should be Warner, but a gla

side gained. In the fiery struggle a Union officer, Fry, saw Zollicoffer only a few feet away. Snatching out his pistol he shot him dead. The Southerners seeing the fall of the general who was so popular among

ps to help his weakened center. He reformed his lines and was about to restore the battle, but Thomas, silent and ever watchful, now rushed in a brigade of Tennessee mountaineers, and as they struck with all their weight, the new line of the South was compelled to giv

of the advance. The two young aides carried away by success and the fire

rom so much shouting. But he was conscious only of great elation. "This is not an

hurried every man into the attack. He was showing upon this, his first independent field, all the great q

ontinuous blows. Driven hard on every side they now retreated r

d turned to face their enemy. But the cautious Thomas stopped. He had no intention of losing his victory by an attack upon an in

down on a fallen tree trunk and drew long, panting breaths. He saw War

unded, George?" he said. "Lo

noticed the red stripe.

f a bullet created no sensation. I have figured it out, Dick, and I have concluded that seventy per ce

calculation is

ose merely.

hed. He had escaped without harm and he saw with pleasure that

r some time. But I can tell you that I don't think Gene

m, knowing that another brigade of Northern troops was marching to his aid. The brigade came, but it was now dark and he would not risk a night attack. But some of the guns were brought up

rd to Dick. "But I think our general is right in not making any attack upon their

ing to pierce the darkness with trained eyes, altho

risky, an' most of all, sir, when troops are new like ours, although they're as brave as anybody. M

n that they are not in any condition to come out and attack u

ntrenchments. They were exultant, but they were not boasting unduly. Night, cold and dark, had shut down upon them and was taking the heat

or years before. They merely kept away from the side on which the Confederate intrenchments lay, and brought in the wood in great quantities. A row of lights a half mile long sprang up, giving forth heat a

crossed the river in boats, which they destroyed when they reached the other side. Then, their defeat being so sever

the South cea