"Good gracious, it is noon," answered Si, looking up at the sun. "I believe I do want some dinner."
They had scarcely finished dinner-eating when the 200th Ind. was ordered to move over toward Stone River. It halted on a little rise of ground on the bank, which commanded an extensive view on both sides of the river.
There was a portentous flow in the great, dark-blue sea of men. The billows, crested with shining steel, were rolling eastward toward the river.
"Something"s goin" to happen; meetin"s about to break up; school"s goin"
to let out," said Shorty eagerly. "Isn"t it a grand sight."
"Gracious me!" said Si, devouring the spectacle with his eyes. "How I wish that father and mother and sister could see all this. It"s worth going through a great deal to see this."
It was by far the most imposing spectacle they had yet seen. The whole Army of the c.u.mberland was crowded into the narrow s.p.a.ce between the Nashville Pike and Stone River. Its compact regiments, brigades, and divisions showed none of the tearing and mangling they had endured, but stood or moved in well-dressed ranks that seemed the embodiment of mighty purpose and resistless force.
Around its grand array, a half mile away, lay the somber, portentous line of brown-clad men. Beyond them rose the steeples and roofs of the sleepy old town of Murfreesboro", with crowds of men and women occupying every point of vantage, to witness the renewal of the awful battle.{111}
It was now long past noon. The bright sun had long ago scattered the chill mists of the morning, and radiated warmth and light over the dun landscape. Even the somber cedars lost some of the funereal gloom they wore when the skies were lowering.
"There go two brigades across the river," said Si. "We"re goin" to try to turn their right."
They saw a long line of men file down the river bank, cross, and go into line on the high ground beyond. Their appearance seemed to stir the brown ma.s.s lying on the hights a mile in front of them to action. The rebels began swarming out of their works and moving forward into the woods.
Presently a thin line of men in b.u.t.ternut-colored clothes ran forward to a fence in front, and began throwing it down. Behind them came three long, brown lines, extending from near the river to the woods far away to the left. Batteries galloped in the intervals to knolls, on which they unlimbered and opened fire.
It was an overpowering ma.s.s of men for the two little brigades to resist. Si"s heart almost stood still as he saw the inequality of the contest.
"Why don"t they send us over there to help those men?" he anxiously asked. "They can"t stand up against that awful crowd."
"Just wait," said Shorty hopefully. "Old Rosy knows what he"s doin".
He"s got enough here for the business."
The artillery all along the line burst out in torrents of sh.e.l.ls, but Si"s eyes were glued on the two little brigades. He saw the white spurts from the skirmishers" rifles, and men drop among the rebels,{112} who yet moved slowly forward, like some all-engulfing torrent. The skirmishers ran back to the main line, and along its front sped a burst of smoke as each regiment fired by volley. The foremost rebel line quivered a little, but moved steadily on.
Then a cloud of white smoke hid both Union and rebel lines, and from it came the sound as of thousands of carpenters hammering away industriously at nails.
Presently Si was agonized to see a fringe of blue break back from the bank of smoke, and run rapidly to the rear. They were followed by regiments falling back slowly, in order, and turning at the word of command to deliver volleys in the faces of their yell ing pursuers.
Si looked at his Colonel, and saw him anxiously watching the brigade commander for orders to rush across the river to the a.s.sistance of the two brigades.
Suddenly there was a whirl in front. A battery galloped up, the drivers lashing the horses, the cannoneers sitting stolidly on the limbers with their arms folded. It swept by to a knoll in front and to the right, which commanded the other side of the river. Instantly the gunners sprang to the ground, the cannon were tossed about as if they were play things, and before Si could fairly wink he saw the guns lined up on the bank, the drivers standing by the horses" heads, and the cannons belching savagely into the flanks of the horde of rebels.
Then another battery swept up alongside the first, and another, until 58 guns crowned the high banks and thundered until the earth shook as with the ague. A deluge of iron swept the fields where the mighty{113} host of rebels were advancing. Tops were torn out of trees and fell with a crash, fence-rails and limbs of oak went madly flying through the air, regiments and brigades disappeared before the awful blast.
For a few minutes Si and Shorty stood appalled at the deafening crash and the shocking destruction. Then they saw the rebels reel and fly before the tornado of death.{114}
A great shout arose from thousands of excited men standing near.
Regiments and brigades started as with one impulse to rush across the river and pursue the flying enemy. The 200th Ind. was one of these. No one heard any orders from the officers. The men caught the contagion of victory and rushed forward, sweeping with them the lately-defeated brigades, hurrying over the wreckage of the cannon-fire, over the thickly-strewn dead and wounded, and gathering in prisoners, flags and cannon.
They went on so, nearly to the breastworks behind which the rebels were seeking shelter.
Si and Shorty were among the foremost. A few hundred yards from the rebel works Si fell to the ground without a groan. Shorty saw him, and ran to him. The side of his head was covered with blood, and he was motionless.
[Ill.u.s.tration: SI KLEGG FELL WITHOUT A GROAN 113]
"Stone dead--bullet plum through his head," said the agonized Shorty.
But there was no time for mourning the fallen. The pursuit was still hot, and Shorty"s duty was in front. He ran ahead until the Colonel halted the regiment. Fresh rebels were lining up in the breastworks and threatening a return charge which would be disastrous. The Colonel hastily re-formed the regiment to meet this, and slowly withdrew it in good order to resist any counter-attack. After marching a mile or more the regiment halted and went into bivouac. The rejoicing men started great fires and set about getting supper. But the saddened Shorty had no heart for rejoicing over the victory, or for supper. He drew off from the rest, sat down at the roots of an oak, wrapped the cape of his overcoat about his face, and{115} abandoned himself to his bitter grief.
Earth had no more joy for him. He wished he had been shot at the same time his partner was. He could think of nothing but that poor boy lying there dead and motionless on the cold ground. He felt that he could never think of anything else, and the sooner he was shot the better it would be.
The other boys respected his grief At first they tried to tempt him to eat something and drink some coffee, but Shorty would not listen to them, and they drew away, that he might be alone.
He sat thus for some hours. The loss of their st.u.r.dy Corporal saddened the whole company, and as they sat around their fires after supper they ex tolled his good traits, recounted his exploits, and easily made him out the best soldier in the regiment.
Presently the fifes and rums played tattoo, and the boys began preparations for turning in.
Shorty had become nearly frozen sitting there motionless, and he got up and went to the fire to thaw out. He had just picked up a rail to lay it on the fire in better shape, when he heard a weak voice in quiring:
"Does anybody know where the 200th Ind. is?"
Shorty dropped the rail as if he had been shot, and rushed in the direction of the voice. In an instant he came back almost carrying Si Klegg.
There was a hubbub around the fire that kept everybody from paying the least attention to "taps."
"Yes, it"s really me," said Si, responding as well as he was able to the hearty handshakings. "And I ain"t no ghost, neither. I"ve got an appet.i.te on me like a prairie fire, and if you fellers are really glad{116} to see me you"ll hustle up here all the grub in the Commissary Department. I can eat every mite of it. I was. .h.i.t by a spent ball and knocked senseless. But I ain"t going to tell you any more till I get something to eat."
{118}
CHAPTER X. THE VICTORIOUS ARMY
SI AND SHORTY FINALLY SUCCEED IN GETTING OUT OF THE WET.
THE BOYS were so glad to see Si back again alive that they robbed themselves of any choice morsel of food they might have saved for to-morrow"s delectation.
"Here, Si," said one, "is a nice knuckle-bone o" ham, that I pulled back there at the General"s when his cook returned to the tent for something.
You ought t"ve heard the n.i.g.g.e.r cussing as I walked away, but he couldn"t recognize the back o" my head, nor see under my overcoat.
Me and my chum "ve had supper off it, and we wuz saving the rest for breakfast, but I"ll brile it for you."
"Some of them Kentucky fellers," said another, "found a sheep in the briars and killed it. I traded "em my silk handkerchief for a hunk o"
the meat. I"m going to cook a slice for you, Si."
"Si, I"ll bile some coffee for you," said a third.
"I"ll toast some crackers for you," added a fourth.
Shorty roused. He felt so much gladder than any of them, that he was jealous of their attentions.
"See here, you fellers," said he, "this is my partner, an" I"m able to take care of him. I"ll bile all the coffee an" toast all the crackers he kin eat; though I"m much obliged to you, Jim, for your ham, and to you, Billy, for your mutton, though I"m afraid it"ll taste too much of the wool for a wounded man."
"Don"t mind about that," said Si; "I"m hungry enough to eat the wool on the sheep"s back, even. Hand over your mutton, Billy, and thankee for it. My appet.i.te"s not delicate, I can tell you. Woolly mutton won"t faze it more"n bark would a buzz-saw." Si didn"t over-state the case. He ate everything{119} that was cooked and offered him, until he declared that he was so full he "could touch it with his finger."