"In pursuance of orders from Division Headquarters to detail squads from each of the different regiments to proceed to their respective States to bring back recruits and drafted men for the regiments, First Lieut.
Bowersox, of Co. A, and Corp"l Josiah Klegg, of Co. Q, with six enlisted men of that company, to be selected by Capt. McGillicuddy, are here by detailed for that duty, and will prepare to leave to-morrow morning."
Si clutched his partner in his excitement and said, "Shorty, did you hear that? I"m to be sent back to Injianny. Ain"t that what he said?"
"If my ears didn"t mistake their eyesight, them was about his words,"
returned Shorty. "You"re in luck."
"And you"re goin" with me, Shorty."
"The Adjutant didn"t include that in his observations. I ain"t so crazy, anyway, to git back to Injianny. Now, if it wuz Wisconsin it"d be different. If you"ve got any recruits to bring on from Wisconsin, I"m your man. I"d go up there at my own expense, though I don"t s"pose that Rosecrans could spare me just now. What"d become o" the army if he"d git sick, and me away?"
"But, Shorty, you are goin". You must go. I won"t go if you don"t."
"Don"t say won"t too loud. You"re detailed, and men that"s detailed don"t have much choice in the matter.
"You"ll probably act sensibly and do whatever you"re ordered to do. Of course, I"d like to go, if we kin git back in time for this sociable with Mister Bragg. Don"t want to miss that. That"ll be the he-fight o"
the war, and probably the last battle."
"Nor do I," answered Si; "but the thing won"t come off till we git back.
They wouldn"t be sending back for the drafted men and recruits except that they want "em to help out."
"They"ll be a durned sight more in the way than help," answered Shorty.
"We don"t need "em. We"ve handled Bragg so far very neatly, all by ourselves, and we don"t need anybody to mix into our little job. The fewer we have the more credit there"ll be in lickin" old Bragg and capturin" Chattanoogy."
The Orderly-Sergeant interrupted the discussion by announcing:
"Here, Shorty, you"re one to go with Si. The detail is made by the Colonel"s orders as a compliment to the good work you boys have been doing, and which the Colonel knows about."
"I always said that the Colonel had the finest judgment as to soldiers of any man in the army," said Shorty, after taking a minute"s pause to recover from the compliment.
The boys were immediately surrounded by their comrades, congratulating them, and requesting that they would take back letters and money for them. The Paymaster had recently visited the regiment, and everybody had money which he wished to send home. There were also commissions to purchase in numerable things, ranging from meerschaum pipes to fine flannel shirts.
"Look here, boys," said Shorty, good-humoredly, "we want to be obligin", but we"re neither a Adams Express Company nor in the gent"s furnishin"
line. We"ve neither an iron safe to carry money nor a pedler"s wagon to deliver goods. John Morgan"s guerrillas may jump us on the way home, and comin" back we"ll have to have packs to carry the truck in, and half of it "ll be stole before we git to the regiment."
But the comrades would not be dissuaded, and be fore Si and Shorty went to sleep they had between $5,000 and $6,000 of their comrades" money stowed in various safe places about their personages.
"Great Jehosephat, Si," murmured Shorty, when they sat together in their tent, after the last comrade had departed, leaving his "wad of greenbacks," with directions as to its disposition, "I never felt so queer and skeery in all my life. I wouldn"t for the world lose a dollar of the money these boys have been earnin" as they have this. But how under heaven are we goin" to make sure of it?"
"I"ve thought of a way o" makin" sure of to-night," said Si. "I spoke to the Officer of the Guard, and he"ll put a sentinel over us to-night, so"s we kin git a little sleep. I wouldn"t shet my eyes, if it wasn"t for that. We"ll have to let to-morrow take care of itself."
Shorty lay down and tried to go to sleep, but the responsibility weighed too heavily on his mind. Presently, Si, who, for the same reason, only slept lightly, was awakened by his partner getting up.
"What are you up to?" Si asked.
"I"ve bin thinkin about pickpockets," answered Shorty. "They"re an awful slick lot, and I"ve thought of a hiding place that"ll fool "em."
He picked up his faithful Springfield, and drawing an envelope with money out of his shirt-pocket, rolled it up to fit the muzzle of his gun, and then rammed it down.
"That"s Jim Meddler"s $10," he said. "I"ll know it, because his mother"s name"s on the envelope. Here goes Pete Irvin"s $20. I know it because it has his wife"s name on it."
He continued until he had the barrel of the gun filled, and then stopped to admire his cunning.
"Now, n.o.body but me"d ever thought o" hidin" money in a gun. That"s safe, as least. All I"ve got to do is to stick to my gun until we git acrost the Ohio River. But I hain"t got the tenth part in; where kin I put the rest? O, there"s my cartridge-box and cap-box. n.o.body"ll think o" lookin" there for money."
He filled both those receptacles, but still had fully half his money left on his person.
"That"ll just have to take its chances with the pickpockets," said he, and returned to his bed, with his gun by his side, and his cap- and cartridge-boxes under his head.
The morning came, with their money all right, as they a.s.sured themselves by careful examination immediately after reveille.
As they fell in under Lieut. Bowersox to start, their comrades crowded around to say good-by, give additional messages for the home-folks, and directions as to their money, and what they wanted bought.
But Shorty showed that he was overpowered with a nervous dread of pickpockets. He saw a possible light-fingered thief in everyone that approached. He would let n.o.body touch him, stood off a little distance from the rest of the squad, and when any body wanted to shake hands would hold him stiffly at arm"s length.
"Gittin" mighty stuck-up just because the Colonel patted you on the back a little, and give you a soft detail," sneered one of Co. Q.
"Well, you"d be stuck-up, too," answered Shorty, "if your clothes was padded and stuffed with other folks" greenbacks, and you was in the midst o" sich a talented lot o" s.n.a.t.c.hers as the 200th Injianny. Mind, I ain"t makin" no allusions nor references, and I think the 200th Injianny is the honestest lot o" boys in the Army o" the c.u.mberland; but if I wanted to steal the devil"s pitchfork right out o" his hand, I"d make a detail from the 200th Injianny to do the job, and I"d be sure o" gittin"
the pitchfork. I"ll trust you all when you"re 10 feet away from me."
The others grinned and gave him a cheer.
When they went to get on board the train Shorty had to change his tactics. He got Si on his right, the Lieutenant immediately in front of them, and two trusted boys of the squad directly behind, with strict injunctions to press up close, allow n.o.body between, and keep a hawk"s eye on everybody. But both Si and Shorty were breathless with apprehension till they got through the crowd and were seated in the car, and a hasty feeling of various lumps about their persons a.s.sured them that their charges were safe. They were in a pa.s.senger car, for luck.
The Lieutenant sat in front, Si and Shorty next, and the two trusty boys immediately behind. They breathed a sigh of relief. As they stood their guns over against the side of the car, Si suddenly asked:
"Shorty, did you draw your charge before you rammed that money in?"
Shorty jumped to his feet in a shudder of alarm, and exclaimed:
"Great Jehosephat, no. I forgot all about it."
"What"s that you"re saying about guns?" inquired the Lieutenant, turning around. "You want to load them, and keep them handy. We"re liable to strike some guerrillas along the way, and we must be ready for them."
"You fellers"ll have to do the shootin"," whispered Shorty to Si. "It"ll be a cold day when I bang $150 in greenbacks at any rebel that ever jumped. I"m goin" to take the cap off en my gun. The jostlin" o" the train"s likely to knock it off at any time, and send a small fortune through the roof o" the car. I"d take the money out, but I"m afraid o"
tearin" it all to pieces, with the train plungin" so."
He carefully half-c.o.c.ked his piece, took off the cap, rubbed the nipple to remove any stray fragments of fulminate, and then let the hammer down on a piece of wadding taken from his cap.
The long ride to Nashville over the ground on which they had been campaigning and fighting for nearly a year would have been of deepest interest to Si and Shorty, as it was to the rest, if they could have freed their minds of responsibilities long enough to watch the scenery.
But they would give only a cursory glance any say:
"We"ll look at it as we come back."
In the crowded depot at Nashville they had an other panic, but the Provost-Guard kept a gangway clear as soon as it was discovered that they were on duty.
"You can stack your arms there, boys," said the Sergeant of the Guard, "and go right over there and get a warm supper, with plenty of coffee."
All but Shorty obeyed with alacrity, and stacked their guns with the quickness of old and hungry vet erans.