"only 25 miles to shelbyville."
june 23, 1863, ended the army of the cumberland's six months of wearisome inaction around murfreesboro its half-year of tiresome fort-building, drilling, picketing and scouting.
then its 60,000 eager, impatient men swept forward in combinations of masterful strategy, and in a brief, wonderfully brilliant campaign of nine days of drenching rain drove bragg out of his strong fortifications in the rugged hills of duck river, and compelled him to seek refuge in the fastnesses of the cumberland mountains, beyond the tennessee river.
"now," said shorty, as they stood in line, waiting the order to move, "as old rosy has clearly waked up to business, i hope to gracious that mr. bragg will be found at home ready for callers. we've wasted six months waiting for him to get good and ready, and he certainly ought to be in trim to transact any little business we may have with him."
"i think you needn't trouble yourself about that, shorty," said capt. mcgillicuddy. "all the news is that bragg is down there in shelbyville in force, and with blood in his eye. somebody is going to be terribly whipped before the end of the week, and i'm pretty sure it won't be the army of the cumberland."
"well, let's have it over and done with," said si. "it's got to be fought out some time, and the sooner the better. i wish the whole thing could be fought to a finish to-morrow. then i'd know at once whether i'm to live through this war."
"i don't think you'll be kept long in suspense," replied capt. mcgillicuddy. "shelbyville is only 25 miles away. we can't go forward many hours with out forcing a collision as to the right of way. if we can whip bragg behind the works he has been building for the last six months, we'll settle the whole business for the southern confederacy in the west. grant will take vicksburg, and then we'll have peace."
"only 25 miles," repeated shorty. "we ought to be squarely up against them not later than to-morrow night and one or two days' lively pounding ought to make mr. bragg holler enough."
"rosenbaum is as certain as he is of his life," said si to the captain and the rest, "that bragg has the bulk of his army at shelbyville, which, as you say, is but 25 miles from here, and that he will draw the rest in and fight us behind the awfully big forts that he has been building for the last six months from shelbyville to war trace. rosenbaum says that he knows it for a fact that 3,000 negroes have been worked on the forts ever since bragg retreated there last january."
"well, 25 miles isn't far to go for a fight," returned shorty. "all that i ask is that the 200th ind. be given the advance. we'll make schedule time to ward shelbyville, and bring on the fight before early candle-lightin' to-morrow evening."
"i guess you'll have your wish, shorty," returned capt. mcgillicuddy. "we lead the brigade to-day, anyway, and we'll try to keep the lead clear through."
then the rain poured down so violently that all the conversation was suspended, except more or less profane interjections upon the luck of the army of the cumberland in never failing to bring on a deluge when it started to march.
in the midst of this the bugles sounded "for ward!" and the 200th ind. swung out on the shelby ville pike, and set its face sternly southward. after it trailed the rest of the brigade, then the ambulances and wagons, and then the rest of the division.
at times the rain was actually blinding, but the men plodded on doggedly and silently. they had ex austed their epithets at the start, and now settled down to stolid endurance.
"we've only got to go 25 miles, boys," si would occasionally say, by way of encouragement. "this rain can't last forever at this rate. it'll probably clear up bright just as we reach shelbyville to-morrow, and give us sunshine to do our work in."
but when the column halted briefly at noon, for dinner for the men and mules, it was raining harder and steadier than ever. it was difficult to start fires with the soaked rails and chunks, all were wet to the skin, and rivulets of water ran from them as they stood or walked. the horses of the officers seemed shrunken and drawn-up, and the mud was getting deeper every minute.
"lucky we had the advance," said the optimistic si. "we have churned the roads into a mortar-bed, and them that comes after us will have hard pullin'. i wonder how many miles we've made of them 25?"
"i feel that we've already gone full 25," said shorty. "but tennessee miles's made o' injy-rubber, and stretch awfully."
they were too ill-humored to talk much, but stood around and sipped their hot coffee and munched sodden crackers and fried pork in silence. pork fried in the morning in a half-canteen, and carried for hours in a dripping haversack, which reduced the crackers to a tasteless mush, is not an appetizing viand; but the hunger of hard exercise in the open air makes it "go."
again the bugles sounded "forward," and they plodded on more stolidly than ever.
increasing evidences of the enemy's presence be gan to stimulate them. through the sheets of rain they saw a squad of rebel cavalry close to them. there was much snapping of damp gun-caps on both sides, a few unavailing shots were actually fired, and they caught glimpses between the rain-gusts of the rebel horsemen galloping up the muddy road to ward the rising hills.
they pushed forward with more spirit now. they came to insignificant brooks which were now raging torrents, through which they waded waist deep, first placing their treasured ammunition on their shoulders or heads.
as they were crossing one of these, si unluckily stepped into a deep hole, which took him in over his head. his foot struck a stone, which rolled, and down he went. shorty saw him disappear, made a frantic clutch for him, and went down himself. for a brief tumultuous instant they bobbed around against the legs of the other boys, who went down like tenpins. nearly the whole of co. q was at once floundering in the muddy torrent, with the captain, who had succeeded in crossing, looking back in dis may at the disaster. the orderly-sergeant and a few others at the head of the company rushed in and pulled out by the collars such of the boys as they could grab. si and shorty came to the bank a little ways down, blowing and sputtering, and both very angry.
during the halt for dinner. 19
"all your infernal clumsiness," shouted shorty. "you never will look where you're goin'. no more sense than a blind hoss."
"shut up," said si, wrathfully. "don't you talk about clumsiness. it was them splay feet o' your'n that tripped me, and then you downed the rest o' the boys. every mite of our grub and ammunition's gone."
how far the quarrel would have gone cannot be told, for at that instant a regiment of rebels, which had been pushed out in advance, tried to open a fire upon the 200th ind. from behind a rail fence at the bottom of the hill. only enough of their wet guns could be gotten off to announce their presence. the colonel of the 200th ind. yelled:
"companies left into line!"
the soggy men promptly swung around.
"fix bayonets! forward, double-quick!" shouted the colonel.
it was a sorry "double-quick," through the pelting rain, the entangling weeds and briars, and over the rushing streams which flooded the field, but it was enough to discourage the rebels, who at once went back in a heavy-footed run to the works on the hill, and the rebel cannon boomed out to cover their retreat.
"lie down!" shouted the colonel, as they reached the fence, and a shell struck a little in advance, filling the air with mud and moist fragments of vegetation.
as they lay there and recovered their breath there was much splashing and splattering of mud, much running to and fro, much galloping of aids in their rear. the 200th ind. was ordered to hold its place, and be ready for a charge upon the hill when it received orders. the brigade's battery was rushed up to a hill in the rear, and opened a fire on the rebel guns. the other regiments were deployed to the right and left to outflank the rebel position.
si and shorty and the rest of co. q put in the time trying to get their guns dry and borrowing ammunition from the men of the other companies. both were jobs of difficulty and doubtful success. there could be no proper drying of guns in that incessant drench, and nobody wanted to open up his stock of cartridges in such a rain.
in the intervals between the heavier showers glimpses could be had of the "kankakee suckers" and the "maumee muskrats" working their way as fast as they could around toward the rebel flanks. the rebel artillery, seeing most danger from them, began throwing shells in their direction as they could be caught sight of through the rain and the opening in the trees.
"why don't they order us forward with the bayonets?" fretted si. "we can scatter them. their guns ain't in no better shape than ours. if they hold us here, the illinoy and ohio fellers 'll git all the credit."
"the colonel's orders are explicit," said the adjutant, who happened to be near, "not to move until the head of one of the other regiments can be seen on the hills to the right or left. then we're all to go forward together."
"yes," grumbled shorty, "and we'll jest git there in time to see them illinoy suckers hog everything. you kin see 'em limberin' up and preparing to git. just our dumbed luck."
it turned out just as shorty had predicted. the rebel commander had kept a wary eye on the other regiments, and as he saw them gain the point of vantage in the open, where they could make a rush upon him, he ordered a quick retreat. the other regiments raised a yell and charged straight home. by the time the 200th ind. could reach the gap the other regiments were in full possession, and the rebels out of musket-shot in the valley beyond.
"i told you so," snorted the irate shorty. "now we've lost the advance. to-morrow we'll have to take them other fellers' mud, and pry their teams out o' the holes."
"i wonder how many o' them 25 miles toward shelbyville we've made to-day?" asked si.
"i heard the adjutant say," said one of his comrades, "that we'd come just six miles."
"jewhillikins," said shorty sorrowfully.
thus ended the first day of the tullahoma campaign.
