by John McElroy
CHAPTER VII. AFTER THE FIRST DAY
THE DISCOMFORTS OF THAT LAST NIGHT OF 1862.
IT WAS so desperately cold and comfortless that Si and Shorty felt thatthey must do something or perish.
There were some fragments of cracker-boxes near. With these they dug ahole several inches deep, put some splinters in, and started a stealthyblaze. They were careful to sit on the side toward the rebels, thebetter to hide from them any sight of it. It was a very small fire,but there was more relief in it than Si had before gotten from thosea thousand times larger. It kept his unshod foot from freezing, andbrought the blood back to his numb hands.
"Just think, Shorty," said Si; "night before last we had a whole panelof fence on the fire, and all our blankets and overcoats, and yet youkicked. I believe this is a judgment on you for not being thankful forwhat you receive."
"Judgment be blowed," ejaculated Shorty. "This ain't no judgment; it'sjust durned luck that is, what isn't foolishness in sendin' a boy tomill. If we'd had only half as many men out there in the cedars as therebels had we'd licked thunder out of 'em. We simply couldn't whip fouror five to one. McCook didn't size up his job right."
"Well, we have something to be thankful for," said Si, determined tosee the bright side of things. "Neither of us got hurt, which is ablessing."
"Don't know whether it is or not. If we are goin' to freeze to deathbefore mornin' I'd rather've bin shot the first volley."
The misty darkness around them was filled with noise and motion. Men whohad become separated from their regiments were wandering around tryingto find them, in the bewildering maze of men, wagons and animals.Officers were calling aloud the names of regiments to bring togetherstragglers. Aids were rushing around to find Generals and Colonels togive and receive orders and instructions. Regiments and batteries weremarching hither and yon to get into position and complete the formationof the line for the morrow's battle. The 200th Ind., which had fallenback in good order with its brigade, was well together, and made anisland around which a restless sea of humanity flowed and eddied.Cheer less as was its bivouac in the cold mud, yet it was infinitelypreferable to being lost in the inextricable confusion that reigned overthose cottonfields on that sorrowful night of Dec. 31, 1862.
"I'm not goin' to freeze to death," said Si, starting up, at last. "I'mgoing to look around and see if I can't find something to make us morecomfortable. Shorty, hold on to that hole in the ground. It's all thatwe've got left in the world, and if we lose that I don't know what'llbecome of us."
"Better stay here, and not go wanderin' off into that mob," remonstratedShorty. "You'll git lost entirely, and never find your way back."{85}
"I'll not get lost," responded Si. "I've got the lay o' the ground in mymind. If I did," he continued proudly, "it'd be easy to find you agin.Everybody knows where the 200th Ind. is."
He went only a little ways, and carefully, at first.
He was rewarded by kicking against an object which upon examinationproved to be a well-filled haver sack, which someone had flung away inhis hurry. He carried it back, rejoicing, to Shorty.
FINDING A GOOD THING 85]
"Finders is keepers," said Shorty, unbuckling the knapsack. "We'll justcall this fair exchange for what we've throwed away in to-day's hustle.Let's open her up."
"Some new recruit's," said Si, as they examined the inside. "Looks likethe one I packed from Injianny. What's this? I declare if it ain'ta pair o' new shoes, and about my size; and some socks. I tell you,Shorty, I'm in luck."
He pulled the muddy socks off his shoeless foot, and drew on one of thewarm, homemade affairs, and then the shoe. Both fitted well. He put onthe other sock and shoe, and life at once seemed brighter.
"Shorty," said he, "I shouldn't wonder if I could find a blanket and anovercoat. You keep on holding that hole down, and I'll go out agin.I won't be gone long, for I'm dead tired. Just as soon as I find anovercoat or a blanket to put between us and the mud, I'll come back andwe'll lay down. Every joint in me aches."
He started off less carefully this time. His new shoes made him feelmore like walking. He was some distance from the regiment before he knewit. He found an overcoat. It had been trampled into the mud by thousandsof passing feet, but still it was an overcoat, and it was not a timeto be too nice about the condition of a garment. Presently he found ablanket in similar condition. He pulled on the overcoat, and threwthe blanket over his {87}shoulders. He felt warmer, but they were veryheavy. Still, he thought he would go on a little ways farther, andperhaps he would find another overcoat and blanket, which would fix outboth him and his partner.
All this time men were sweeping by him in companies, regiments andsquads; batteries were moving in all directions, and mounted officerswere making their way to and fro. Filling up the spaces between thesewere hundreds of men, single and in small groups, wandering about insearch of their regiments, and inquiring of everyone who would stopto listen to them as to the whereabouts of regiments, brigades anddivisions. No one could give any satisfactory information. Organizationswhich had formed a line two miles long in the morning had been drivenback, frequently in tumult and disorder, for miles through the thicketsand woods. Fragmentary organizations had been rallied from time to time.A fragment of a regiment would rally at one point with fragments ofother regiments and make a stand, while other regiments would rallyat widely-separated places and renew the fight, only to be pushedback again toward the Nashville Pike. Regiments and brigades thathad remained nearly intact had been rapidly shifted from one point toanother, as they were needed, until the mind could not follow theirchanges, or where nightfall had found them, or whither they had beenshifted to form the new line.
At last Si succeeded in picking up another over coat and blanket out ofthe mud, and started to go back to the regiment.{88}
But where was the regiment? He had long since lost all track ofits direction. He had been so intent upon studying the ground forthrown-away clothing that he had not noticed the course he had taken.
It suddenly dawned on him that he was but one drop in that great oceanof 35,000 men, surging around on the square miles lying between theNashville Pike and Stone River. He looked about, but could see nothingto guide him. His eyes rested everywhere on dark masses of moving men.Those immediately around him were inquiring weariedly for their ownregiments; they had no patience to answer inquiries as to his own.Discouraged, he determined to walk as straight ahead as possible in thedirection which he had come, and see where that would bring him. Hewas so tired that he could scarcely drag one foot after another, but heplodded on. At length he drew out of the throng a little, and saw thathe was approaching the banks of a large stream. This disheartened him,for they had not been within miles of Stone River during the day. He sawa group of men huddled around a larger fire than had been permitted nearthe front. This, too, was discouraging, for it showed that he had beenforging toward the rear. But he went up to the group and inquired:
"Do any o' you know where the 200th Ind. is?"
The men had become wearied out answering similar questions, and were ascross as soldiers get to be under similar circumstances.
"The 200th Ind.," snapped one; "better go back to the rear-guard andinquire. The straggler-ketchers 've got 'em."{89}
"No," said another; "they skipped out before the rear-guard was formed,and were all drowned trying to swim the Cumberland."
"They say the Colonel went on foot," said a third, "and was the firstman in the regiment to reach Nashville. Made the best long-distance runon record."
"You infernal liars," roared Si; "if I wasn't so tired I'd lick thewhole caboodle of you. But I'll say this: Any man who says that the200th Ind. run, or that our brave Colonel run, or that any man in itrun, is a low-down, measly liar, and hain't a grain a' truth in him, andhe daresn't take it up."
It was a comprehensive challenge, that would have met with instantaneousresponse at any other time, but now the men were too exhausted for suchvanities as fisticuffs.
"O, go off an
d find your rattled, lousy Hoosiers," they shouted inchorus. "Go talk to the Provost-Marshal about 'em. He's got the mostof 'em. The rest are breaking for the Wabash as fast as their legscan carry them. Don't be bothering us about that corn-cracking, agerycrowd."
"Where'd you leave your regiment, you chuckle-headed straggler?"
"You were so rattled you couldn't tell which way they went."
"Where's your gun?"
"Where's your cartridge-box and haversack?"
"Where's your cap?"
"You were so scared you'd 'a' throwed away your head if it'd beenloose!"
"Clear out from here, you dead-beat."{90}
SI'S CHALLENGE 90]
Si was too sick at heart to more than resolve that he would remembereach one of them, and pay them off at some more convenient time. Heturned and walked back as nearly as possible in the direction in whichhe had come. He knew that his regiment was at the front, and he had beenforging toward the rear. He knew vaguely that the front was some wherenear the Nashville Pike, and as he wearily wound around and through thebewildering masses, he inquired only for the Nashville Pike.
He reached the Pike, at last, just as he was sinking with fatigue. Thedreary rain had set in again, and he had determined to give the thingup, and sit down, and wait for morning. He saw a feeble glimmer of lightat a distance, and decided to make one more effort to reach it, andinquire for his regiment.
"Partner, have you any idee where the 200th Ind. is?" he said meekly tothe man who was crouching over the fire in the hole.
"Hello, Si," said Shorty. "I had given you up long ago. Of course, youwent off and got lost in that mob, as I told you you would. Next timeyou'll have sense enough to mind what I say."
"O, Shorty," groaned Si, "don't say nothing. I've nigh walked my legsoffen me. I think I've tramped over every foot of ground betwixthere and Overall's Crick. But I've brought back two overcoats and twoblankets."
"That's bully," answered Shorty, much mollified. "Say, I've got an idee.D'you see that white thing over there? That's a wagon. The mules 'vebeen taken away, and it's been standing there for an hour. I've seen theLieutenants and the Orderly-Sergeant sneak back there, and I know whatthey're up to. They're goin' to sleep in the wagon. Of course, they'reofficers, and got the first pick. But we kin{92} lay down under it, andget out of the rain. Be sides, it looks as if the ground was drier upthere than it is down here."
They slipped quietly back to the wagon, and were lucky enough to finda little hay in the feed-box, which they could lay down to spread theirblankets upon. They pulled the tail-gate off and set it up on the sidefrom which the rain was coming.
"There," said Shorty, as they crawled in. "Si, what'd you do without me?Ain't I a comfort to you every minute of your life?"
"You certainly are, Shorty," said Si, as he fell asleep.
