Chapter 1 The cold passed reluctantly from
the earth 0
, and the retiring fogs revealed
an army stretched out on
the hills 2
1 , resting .
As
the landscape 3
changed from brown to green ,
the army 1
awakened , and began to tremble with eagerness at the noise of rumors .
It 1
cast
its 1
eyes upon
the roads 4
, which were growing from
long troughs of liquid mud 5
to
proper thoroughfares 6
.
A river , amber-tinted in the shadow of
its 7
banks
7 , purled at
the army 1
's feet ; and at night , when
the stream 7
had become of
a sorrowful blackness 8
, one could see across
it 7
the red , eyelike gleam of hostile camp-fires set in
the low brows of
distant hills 10
9 .
Once
a certain tall soldier 11
developed virtues and went resolutely to wash a shirt .
He 11
came flying back from
a brook 12
waving
his 11
garment bannerlike .
He 11
was swelled with a tale
he 11
had heard from
a reliable friend 13
, who had heard it from
a truthful cavalryman 14
, who had heard it from
his 14
trustworthy brother , one of
the orderlies at
division headquarters 17
16 .
He 11
adopted the important air of a herald in red and gold .
"
We 18
're goin ' t ' move t ' morrah -- sure , "
he 11
said pompously to
a group in
the company street 20
19 .
"
We 18
're goin ' ' way up
the river 7
, cut across , an ' come around in behint 'em . "
To
his 11
attentive audience
19he 11
drew a loud and elaborate plan of a very brilliant campaign .
When
he 11
had finished ,
the blue-clothed men 19
scattered into
small arguing groups 21
between the rows of squat brown huts .
A negro teamster who had been dancing upon a cracker box with the hilarious encouragement of
twoscore soldiers 23
22 was deserted .
He 22
sat mournfully down .
Smoke drifted lazily from a multitude of quaint chimneys .
" It 's a lie !
that 's all it is -- a thunderin ' lie ! "
said
another private 24
loudly .
His 24
smooth face was flushed , and
his 24
hands were thrust sulkily into
his 24
trouser 's pockets .
He 24
took the matter as an affront to
him 24
.
"
I 24
do n't believe
the derned old army 1
's ever going to move .
We 18
're set .
I 24
've got ready to move eight times in the last two weeks , and
we 18
ai n't moved yet . "
The tall soldier 11
felt called upon to defend the truth of a rumor
he 11
himself 11
had introduced .
He 11
and the loud one came near to fighting over it .
A corporal 25
began to swear before
the assemblage 19
.
He 25
had just put a costly board floor in
,
he 25
said .
During the early spring
he 25
had refrained from adding extensively to the comfort of
his 25
environment because
he 25
had felt that
the army 1
might start on the march at any moment .
Of late , however ,
he 25
had been impressed that
they 27
were in a sort of
eternal camp 28
.
Many of the men 29
engaged in a spirited debate .
One 30
outlined in a peculiarly lucid manner all the plans of
the commanding general 31
.
He 30
was opposed by
men who advocated that there were other plans of campaign 32
.
They 33
clamored at each other , numbers making futile bids for the popular attention .
Meanwhile ,
the soldier who had fetched the rumor 11
bustled about with much importance .
He 11
was continually assailed by questions .
" What 's up ,
Jim 11
? "
"
Th ' army 1
's goin ' t ' move . "
" Ah , what
yeh 11
talkin ' about ?
How
yeh 11
know it is ? "
" Well ,
yeh 11
kin b ' lieve
me 11
er not , jest as
yeh 68
like .
I 11
do n't care a hang . "
There was much food for thought in the manner in which
he 11
replied .
He 11
came near to convincing
them 33
by disdaining to produce proofs .
They 33
grew much excited over it .
There was
a youthful private 34
who listened with eager ears to the words of
the tall soldier 11
and to the varied comments of
.
After receiving a fill of discussions concerning marches and attacks ,
he 34
went to
and crawled through an intricate hole that served
it 36
as a door .
He 34
wished to be alone with some new thoughts that had lately come to
him 34
.
He 34
lay down on a wide bunk that stretched across the end of
the room 37
.
In the other end , cracker boxes were made to serve as furniture .
They were grouped about the fireplace .
A picture from an illustrated weekly was upon the log walls , and three rifles were paralleled on pegs .
Equipments hung on handy projections , and some tin dishes lay upon a small pile of firewood .
A folded tent was serving as a roof .
The sunlight , without , beating upon it , made it glow a light yellow shade .
A small window shot an oblique square of whiter light upon the cluttered floor .
The smoke from the fire at times neglected the clay chimney and wreathed into
the room 37
, and this flimsy chimney of clay and sticks made endless threats to set ablaze
the whole establishment 36
.
The youth 34
was in a little trance of astonishment .
So
they 38
were at last going to fight .
On the morrow , perhaps , there would be a battle , and
he 34
would be in it .
For a time
he 34
was obliged to labor to make
himself 34
believe .
He 34
could not accept with assurance an omen that
he 34
was about to mingle in one of those great affairs of
the earth 39
.
He 34
had , of course , dreamed of battles all
his 34
life -- of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled
him 34
with their sweep and fire .
In visions
he 34
had seen
himself 34
in many struggles .
He 34
had imagined
peoples secure in the shadow of
his 34
eagle-eyed prowess
40 .
But awake
he 34
had regarded battles as crimson blotches on the pages of the past .
He 34
had put them as things of the bygone with
his 34
thought-images of heavy crowns and
high castles 41
.
There was a portion of
the world 42
's history which
he 34
had regarded as the time of wars , but it ,
he 34
thought , had been long gone over the horizon and had disappeared forever .
From
his 34
youthful eyes had looked upon the war in
with distrust .
It must be some sort of a play affair .
He 34
had long despaired of witnessing a Greeklike struggle .
Such would be no more ,
he 34
had said .
Men 45
were better , or more timid .
Secular and religious education had effaced the throat-grappling instinct , or else firm finance held in check the passions .
He 34
had burned several times to enlist .
Tales of great movements shook the land .
They might not be distinctly Homeric , but there seemed to be much glory in them .
He 34
had read of marches , sieges , conflicts , and
he 34
had longed to see it all .
His 34
busy mind had drawn for
him 34
large pictures extravagant in color , lurid with breathless deeds .
But
had discouraged
him 34
.
She 46
had affected to look with some contempt upon the quality of
his 34
war ardor and patriotism .
She 46
could calmly seat
herself 46
and with no apparent difficulty give
him 34
many hundreds of reasons why
he 34
was of vastly more importance on
the farm 47
than on
the field of battle 48
.
She 46
had had certain ways of expression that told
him 34
that
her 46
statements on the subject came from a deep conviction .
Moreover , on
her 46
side , was
his 34
belief that
her 46
ethical motive in the argument was impregnable .
At last , however ,
he 34
had made firm rebellion against this yellow light thrown upon the color of
his 34
ambitions .
The newspapers , the gossip of
the village 49
,
his 34
own picturings , had aroused
him 34
to an uncheckable degree .
They 50
were in truth fighting finely down there .
Almost every day the newspaper printed accounts of a decisive victory .
One night , as
he 34
lay in bed , the winds had carried to
him 34
the clangoring of the church bell as
some enthusiast 51
jerked the rope frantically to tell the twisted news of a great battle .
This voice of
the people rejoicing in the night 52
had made
him 34
shiver in a prolonged ecstasy of excitement .
Later ,
he 34
had gone down to
and had spoken thus : " Ma ,
I 34
'm going to enlist . "
"
Henry 34
, do n't
you 34
be a fool , "
had replied .
She 46
had then covered
her 46
face with the quilt .
There was an end to the matter for that night .
Nevertheless , the next morning
he 34
had gone to
and had enlisted in
a company that was forming
there 54
55 .
When
he 34
had returned
home 56
was milking the brindle cow .
Four others stood waiting .
" Ma ,
I 34
've enlisted , "
he 34
had said to
her 46
diffidently .
There was a short silence .
" The Lord 's will be done ,
Henry 34
, "
she 46
had finally replied , and had then continued to milk the brindle cow .
When
he 34
had stood in the doorway with
his 34
soldier 's clothes on
his 34
back , and with the light of excitement and expectancy in
his 34
eyes almost defeating the glow of regret for the
home 57
bonds ,
he 34
had seen two tears leaving their trails on
's scarred cheeks .
Still ,
she 46
had disappointed
him 34
by saying nothing whatever about returning with
his 34
shield or on it .
He 34
had privately primed
himself 34
for a beautiful scene .
He 34
had prepared certain sentences which
he 34
thought could be used with touching effect .
But
her 46
words destroyed
his 34
plans .
She 46
had doggedly peeled potatoes and addressed
him 34
as follows : "
You 34
watch out ,
Henry 34
, an ' take good care of yerself in this here fighting business --
you 34
watch , an ' take good care of yerself .
Do n't go a-thinkin '
you 34
can lick
the hull rebel army 58
at the start , because
yeh 34
ca n't .
Yer 34
jest
one little feller amongst
a hull lot of others 60
59 , and
yeh 34
've got to keep quiet an ' do what
they 60
tell
yeh 34
.
I 46
know how
you 34
are ,
Henry 34
.
"
I 46
've knet
yeh 34
eight pair of socks ,
Henry 34
, and
I 46
've put in all
yer 34
best shirts , because
I 46
want
to be jest as warm and comf ' able as
anybody in
the army 62
61 .
Whenever they get holes in 'em ,
I 46
want
yeh 34
to send 'em right-away back to
me 46
, so 's
I 46
kin dern 'em .
" An ' allus be careful an ' choose
yer 34
comp ' ny 63
.
There 's lots of
bad men in
the army 62
64 ,
Henry 34
.
The army 62
makes 'em wild , and
they 64
like nothing better than the job of leading off
a young feller like
you 34
65 , as ai n't never been away from
home 66
much and has allus had
a mother 67
, an ' a-learning 'em to drink and swear .
Keep clear of
them folks 64
,
Henry 34
.
I 46
do n't want
yeh 34
to ever do anything ,
Henry 34
, that
yeh 34
would be ' shamed to let
me 46
know about .
Jest think as if
I 46
was a-watchin '
yeh 34
.
If
yeh 34
keep that in
yer 34
mind allus ,
I 46
guess
yeh 34
'll come out about right .