AnEpisodeoftheAmericanCivilWarCHAPTERI。
THEcoldpassedreluctantlyfromtheearth，andtheretiringfogsrevealedanarmystretchedoutonthehills，resting。Asthelandscapechangedfrombrowntogreen，thearmyawak—
ened，andbegantotremblewitheagernessatthenoiseofrumors。Itcastitseyesupontheroads，whichweregrowingfromlongtroughsofliquidmudtoproperthoroughfares。Ariver，amber—
tintedintheshadowofitsbanks，purledatthearmy’sfeet;andatnight，whenthestreamhadbecomeofasorrowfulblackness，onecouldseeacrossitthered，eyelikegleamofhostilecamp—
firessetinthelowbrowsofdistanthills。
Onceacertaintallsoldierdevelopedvirtuesandwentresolutelytowashashirt。Hecameflyingbackfromabrookwavinghisgarmentbannerlike。Hewasswelledwithatalehehadheardfromareliablefriend，whohadhearditfromatruthfulcavalryman，whohadhearditfromhistrustworthybrother，oneoftheorder—
liesatdivisionheadquarters。Headoptedtheimportantairofaheraldinredandgold。
"We’regoin’t’movet’morrah——sure，"hesaidpompouslytoagroupinthecompanystreet。"We’regoin’’wayuptheriver，cutacross，an’comearoundinbehint’em。"
Tohisattentiveaudiencehedrewaloudandelaborateplanofaverybrilliantcampaign。
Whenhehadfinished，theblue—clothedmenscatteredintosmallarguinggroupsbetweentherowsofsquatbrownhuts。Anegroteamsterwhohadbeendancinguponacrackerboxwiththehilariousencouragementoftwoscoresoldierswasdeserted。Hesatmournfullydown。Smokedriftedlazilyfromamultitudeofquaintchim—
neys。
"It’salie！that’sallitis——athunderin’lie！"
saidanotherprivateloudly。Hissmoothfacewasflushed，andhishandswerethrustsulkilyintohistrousers’pockets。Hetookthematterasanaffronttohim。"Idon’tbelievethedernedoldarmy’severgoingtomove。We’reset。I’vegotreadytomoveeighttimesinthelasttwoweeks，andweain’tmovedyet。"
Thetallsoldierfeltcalledupontodefendthetruthofarumorhehimselfhadintro—
duced。Heandtheloudonecameneartofight—
ingoverit。
Acorporalbegantoswearbeforetheassem—
blage。Hehadjustputacostlyboardfloorinhishouse，hesaid。Duringtheearlyspringhehadrefrainedfromaddingextensivelytothecomfortofhisenvironmentbecausehehadfeltthatthearmymightstartonthemarchatanymoment。Oflate，however，hehadbeenim—
pressedthattheywereinasortofeternalcamp。
Manyofthemenengagedinaspiriteddebate。
Oneoutlinedinapeculiarlylucidmanneralltheplansofthecommandinggeneral。Hewasop—
posedbymenwhoadvocatedthattherewereotherplansofcampaign。Theyclamoredateachother，numbersmakingfutilebidsforthepop—
ularattention。Meanwhile，thesoldierwhohadfetchedtherumorbustledaboutwithmuchimportance。Hewascontinuallyassailedbyquestions。
"What’sup，Jim？"
"Th’army’sgoin’t’move。"
"Ah，whatyehtalkin’about？Howyehknowitis？"
"Well，yehkinb’lievemeernot，jestasyehlike。Idon’tcareahang。"
Therewasmuchfoodforthoughtintheman—
nerinwhichhereplied。Hecameneartocon—
vincingthembydisdainingtoproduceproofs。
Theygrewexcitedoverit。
Therewasayouthfulprivatewholistenedwitheagerearstothewordsofthetallsoldierandtothevariedcommentsofhiscomrades。
Afterreceivingafillofdiscussionsconcerningmarchesandattacks，hewenttohishutandcrawledthroughanintricateholethatserveditasadoor。Hewishedtobealonewithsomenewthoughtsthathadlatelycometohim。
Helaydownonawidebankthatstretchedacrosstheendoftheroom。Intheotherend，crackerboxesweremadetoserveasfurniture。
Theyweregroupedaboutthefireplace。Apic—
turefromanillustratedweeklywasuponthelogwalls，andthreerifleswereparalleledonpegs。
Equipmentshuntonhandyprojections，andsometindisheslayuponasmallpileoffirewood。A
foldedtentwasservingasaroof。Thesunlight，without，beatinguponit，madeitglowalightyellowshade。Asmallwindowshotanobliquesquareofwhiterlightupontheclutteredfloor。
Thesmokefromthefireattimesneglectedtheclaychimneyandwreathedintotheroom，andthisflimsychimneyofclayandsticksmadeend—
lessthreatstosetablazethewholeestablishment。
Theyouthwasinalittletranceofastonish—
ment。Sotheywereatlastgoingtofight。Onthemorrow，perhaps，therewouldbeabattle，andhewouldbeinit。Foratimehewasobligedtolabortomakehimselfbelieve。Hecouldnotacceptwithassuranceanomenthathewasabouttomingleinoneofthosegreataffairsoftheearth。
Hehad，ofcourse，dreamedofbattlesallhislife——ofvagueandbloodyconflictsthathadthrilledhimwiththeirsweepandfire。Invisionshehadseenhimselfinmanystruggles。Hehadimaginedpeoplessecureintheshadowofhiseagle—eyedprowess。Butawakehehadregardedbattlesascrimsonblotchesonthepagesofthepast。Hehadputthemasthingsofthebygonewithhisthought—imagesofheavycrownsandhighcastles。Therewasaportionoftheworld’shistorywhichhehadregardedasthetimeofwars，butit，hethought，hadbeenlonggoneoverthehorizonandhaddisappearedforever。
Fromhishomehisyouthfuleyeshadlookeduponthewarinhisowncountrywithdistrust。
Itmustbesomesortofaplayaffair。HehadlongdespairedofwitnessingaGreeklikestruggle。
Suchwouldbenomore，hehadsaid。Menwerebetter，ormoretimid。Secularandreligiouseducationhadeffacedthethroat—grapplingin—
stinct，orelsefirmfinanceheldincheckthepas—
sions。
Hehadburnedseveraltimestoenlist。Talesofgreatmovementsshooktheland。TheymightnotbedistinctlyHomeric，butthereseemedtobemuchgloryinthem。Hehadreadofmarches，sieges，conflicts，andhehadlongedtoseeitall。
Hisbusymindhaddrawnforhimlargepicturesextravagantincolor，luridwithbreathlessdeeds。
Buthismotherhaddiscouragedhim。Shehadaffectedtolookwithsomecontemptuponthequalityofhiswarardorandpatriotism。Shecouldcalmlyseatherselfandwithnoapparentdifficultygivehimmanyhundredsofreasonswhyhewasofvastlymoreimportanceonthefarmthanonthefieldofbattle。Shehadhadcertainwaysofexpressionthattoldhimthatherstatementsonthesubjectcamefromadeepcon—
viction。Moreover，onherside，washisbeliefthatherethicalmotiveintheargumentwasimpregnable。
Atlast，however，hehadmadefirmrebellionagainstthisyellowlightthrownuponthecolorofhisambitions。Thenewspapers，thegossipofthevillage，hisownpicturingshadarousedhimtoanuncheckabledegree。Theywereintruthfightingfinelydownthere。Almosteverydaythenewspapersprintedaccountsofadecisivevictory。
Onenight，ashelayinbed，thewindshadcarriedtohimtheclangoringofthechurchbellassomeenthusiastjerkedtheropefranticallytotellthetwistednewsofagreatbattle。Thisvoiceofthepeoplerejoicinginthenighthadmadehimshiverinaprolongedecstasyofex—
citement。Later，hehadgonedowntohismother’sroomandhadspokenthus："Ma，I’mgoingtoenlist。"
"Henry，don’tyoubeafool，"hismotherhadreplied。Shehadthencoveredherfacewiththequilt。Therewasanendtothematterforthatnight。
Nevertheless，thenextmorninghehadgonetoatownthatwasnearhismother’sfarmandhadenlistedinacompanythatwasformingthere。
Whenhehadreturnedhomehismotherwasmilkingthebrindlecow。Fourothersstoodwaiting。"Ma，I’veenlisted，"hehadsaidtoherdiffidently。Therewasashortsilence。"TheLord’swillbedone，Henry，"shehadfinallyreplied，andhadthencontinuedtomilkthebrindlecow。
Whenhehadstoodinthedoorwaywithhissoldier’sclothesonhisback，andwiththelightofexcitementandexpectancyinhiseyesalmostdefeatingtheglowofregretforthehomebonds，hehadseentwotearsleavingtheirtrailsonhismother’sscarredcheeks。
Still，shehaddisappointedhimbysayingnothingwhateveraboutreturningwithhisshieldoronit。Hehadprivatelyprimedhimselfforabeautifulscene。Hehadpreparedcertainsen—
tenceswhichhethoughtcouldbeusedwithtouchingeffect。Butherwordsdestroyedhisplans。Shehaddoggedlypeeledpotatoesandaddressedhimasfollows："Youwatchout，Henry，an’takegoodcareofyerselfinthisherefightingbusiness——youwatchout，an’takegoodcareofyerself。Don’tgoa—thinkin’youcanlickthehullrebelarmyatthestart，becauseyehcan’t。Yerjestonelittlefelleramongstahulllotofothers，andyeh’vegottokeepquietan’dowhattheytellyeh。Iknowhowyouare，Henry。
"I’veknetyeheightpairofsocks，Henry，andI’veputinallyerbestshirts，becauseIwantmyboytobejestaswarmandcomf’ableasanybodyinthearmy。Whenevertheygetholesin’em，I
wantyehtosend’emright—awaybacktome，so’sIkindern’em。
"An’allusbecarefulan’chooseyercomp’ny。
There’slotsofbadmeninthearmy，Henry。
Thearmymakes’emwild，andtheylikenothingbetterthanthejobofleadingoffayoungfellerlikeyou，asain’tneverbeenawayfromhomemuchandhasallushadamother，an’a—learning’emtodrinkandswear。Keepclearofthemfolks，Henry。Idon’twantyehtoeverdoany—
thing，Henry，thatyehwouldbe’shamedtoletmeknowabout。JestthinkasifIwasa—watchin’
yeh。Ifyehkeepthatinyermindallus，Iguessyeh’llcomeoutaboutright。
"Yehmustallusrememberyerfather，too，child，an’rememberheneverdrunkadropoflickerinhislife，andseldomsworeacrossoath。
"Idon’tknowwhatelsetotellyeh，Henry，exceptingthatyehmustneverdonoshirking，child，onmyaccount。Ifsobeatimecomeswhenyehhavetobekiltordoameanthing，why，Henry，don’tthinkofanything’ceptwhat’sright，becausethere’smanyawomanhastobearup’ginstsechthingsthesetimes，andtheLord’lltakekeerofusall。
"Don’tforgitaboutthesocksandtheshirts，child;andI’veputacupofblackberryjamwithyerbundle，becauseIknowyehlikeitaboveallthings。Good—by，Henry。Watchout，andbeagoodboy。"
Hehad，ofcourse，beenimpatientundertheordealofthisspeech。Ithadnotbeenquitewhatheexpected，andhehadborneitwithanairofirritation。Hedepartedfeelingvaguerelief。
Still，whenhehadlookedbackfromthegate，hehadseenhismotherkneelingamongthepo—
tatoparings。Herbrownface，upraised，wasstainedwithtears，andherspareformwasquiver—
10REDBADGEOFCOURAGE。
ing。Hebowedhisheadandwenton，feelingsuddenlyashamedofhispurposes。
Fromhishomehehadgonetotheseminarytobidadieutomanyschoolmates。Theyhadthrongedabouthimwithwonderandadmiration。
Hehadfeltthegulfnowbetweenthemandhadswelledwithcalmpride。Heandsomeofhisfellowswhohaddonnedbluewerequiteover—
whelmedwithprivilegesforallofoneafternoon，andithadbeenaverydeliciousthing。Theyhadstrutted。
Acertainlight—hairedgirlhadmadevivaciousfunathismartialspirit，buttherewasanotheranddarkergirlwhomhehadgazedatsteadfastly，andhethoughtshegrewdemureandsadatsightofhisblueandbrass。Ashehadwalkeddownthepathbetweentherowsofoaks，hehadturnedhisheadanddetectedheratawindowwatchinghisdeparture。Asheperceivedher，shehadim—
mediatelybeguntostareupthroughthehightreebranchesatthesky。Hehadseenagooddealofflurryandhasteinhermovementasshechangedherattitude。Heoftenthoughtofit。
OnthewaytoWashingtonhisspirithadsoared。Theregimentwasfedandcaressedatstationafterstationuntiltheyouthhadbelievedthathemustbeahero。Therewasalavishex—
penditureofbreadandcoldmeats，coffee，andpicklesandcheese。Ashebaskedinthesmilesofthegirlsandwaspattedandcomplimentedbytheoldmen，hehadfeltgrowingwithinhimthestrengthtodomightydeedsofarms。
Aftercomplicatedjourneyingswithmanypauses，therehadcomemonthsofmonotonouslifeinacamp。Hehadhadthebeliefthatrealwarwasaseriesofdeathstruggleswithsmalltimeinbetweenforsleepandmeals;butsincehisregimenthadcometothefieldthearmyhaddonelittlebutsitstillandtrytokeepwarm。
Hewasbroughtthengraduallybacktohisoldideas。Greeklikestruggleswouldbenomore。
Menwerebetter，ormoretimid。Secularandreligiouseducationhadeffacedthethroat—grap—
plinginstinct，orelsefirmfinanceheldincheckthepassions。
Hehadgrowntoregardhimselfmerelyasapartofavastbluedemonstration。Hisprovincewastolookout，asfarashecould，forhisper—
sonalcomfort。Forrecreationhecouldtwiddlehisthumbsandspeculateonthethoughtswhichmustagitatethemindsofthegenerals。Also，hewasdrilledanddrilledandreviewed，anddrilledanddrilledandreviewed。
Theonlyfoeshehadseenweresomepicketsalongtheriverbank。Theywereasun—tanned，philosophicallot，whosometimesshotreflectivelyatthebluepickets。Whenreproachedforthisafterward，theyusuallyexpressedsorrow，andsworebytheirgodsthatthegunshadexplodedwithouttheirpermission。Theyouth，onguarddutyonenight，conversedacrossthestreamwithoneofthem。Hewasaslightlyraggedman，whospatskillfullybetweenhisshoesandpossessedagreatfundofblandandinfantileassurance。Theyouthlikedhimpersonally。
"Yank，"theotherhadinformedhim，"yerarightdumgoodfeller。"Thissentiment，floatingtohimuponthestillair，hadmadehimtempo—
rarilyregretwar。
Variousveteranshadtoldhimtales。Sometalkedofgray，bewhiskeredhordeswhowereadvancingwithrelentlesscursesandchewingtobaccowithunspeakablevalor;tremendousbodiesoffiercesoldierywhoweresweepingalongliketheHuns。Othersspokeoftatteredandeternallyhungrymenwhofireddespondentpowders。"They’llchargethroughhell’sfirean’
brimstonet’gitaholtonahaversack，an’sechstomachsain’ta—lastin’long，"hewastold。Fromthestories，theyouthimaginedthered，livebonesstickingoutthroughslitsinthefadeduniforms。
Still，hecouldnotputawholefaithinveter—
ans’tales，forrecruitsweretheirprey。Theytalkedmuchofsmoke，fire，andblood，buthecouldnottellhowmuchmightbelies。Theypersistentlyyelled"Freshfish！"athim，andwereinnowisetobetrusted。
However，heperceivednowthatitdidnotgreatlymatterwhatkindofsoldiershewasgoingtofight，solongastheyfought，whichfactnoonedisputed。Therewasamoreseriousproblem。Helayinhisbunkponderinguponit。Hetriedtomathematicallyprovetohimselfthathewouldnotrunfromabattle。
Previouslyhehadneverfeltobligedtowrestletooseriouslywiththisquestion。Inhislifehehadtakencertainthingsforgranted，neverchalleng—
inghisbeliefinultimatesuccess，andbotheringlittleaboutmeansandroads。Butherehewasconfrontedwithathingofmoment。Ithadsud—
denlyappearedtohimthatperhapsinabattlehemightrun。Hewasforcedtoadmitthatasfaraswarwasconcernedheknewnothingofhimself。
Asufficienttimebeforehewouldhaveallowedtheproblemtokickitsheelsattheouterportalsofhismind，butnowhefeltcompelledtogiveseriousattentiontoit。
Alittlepanic—feargrewinhismind。Ashisimaginationwentforwardtoafight，hesawhide—
ouspossibilities。Hecontemplatedthelurkingmenacesofthefuture，andfailedinanefforttoseehimselfstandingstoutlyinthemidstofthem。
Herecalledhisvisionsofbroken—bladedglory，butintheshadowoftheimpendingtumulthesuspectedthemtobeimpossiblepictures。
Hesprangfromthebunkandbegantopacenervouslytoandfro。"GoodLord，what’sth’
matterwithme？"hesaidaloud。
Hefeltthatinthiscrisishislawsoflifewereuseless。Whateverhehadlearnedofhimselfwashereofnoavail。Hewasanunknownquantity。
Hesawthathewouldagainbeobligedtoexperi—
mentashehadinearlyyouth。Hemustaccumu—
lateinformationofhimself，andmeanwhilehere—
solvedtoremaincloseuponhisguardlestthosequalitiesofwhichheknewnothingshouldever—
lastinglydisgracehim。"GoodLord！"here—
peatedindismay。
Afteratimethetallsoldiersliddexterouslythroughthehole。Theloudprivatefollowed。
Theywerewrangling。
"That’sallright，"saidthetallsoldierasheentered。Hewavedhishandexpressively。"Youcanbelievemeornot，jestasyoulike。Allyougottodoistositdownandwaitasquietasyoucan。Thenprettysoonyou’llfindoutIwasright。"
Hiscomradegruntedstubbornly。Foramo—
mentheseemedtobesearchingforaformidablereply。Finallyhesaid："Well，youdon’tknoweverythingintheworld，doyou？"
"Didn’tsayIkneweverythingintheworld，"
retortedtheothersharply。Hebegantostowvariousarticlessnuglyintohisknapsack。
Theyouth，pausinginhisnervouswalk，lookeddownatthebusyfigure。"Goingtobeabattle，sure，isthere，Jim？"heasked。
"Ofcoursethereis，"repliedthetallsoldier。
"Ofcoursethereis。Youjestwait’tilto—morrow，andyou’llseeoneofthebiggestbattleseverwas。
Youjestwait。"
"Thunder！der！"saidtheyouth。
"Oh，you’llseefightingthistime，myboy，what’llberegularout—and—outfighting，"addedthetallsoldier，withtheairofamanwhoisabouttoexhibitabattleforthebenefitofhisfriends。
"Huh！"saidtheloudonefromacorner。
"Well，"remarkedtheyouth，"likeasnotthisstory’llturnoutjestlikethemothersdid。"
"Notmuchitwon’t，"repliedthetallsoldier，exasperated。"Notmuchitwon’t。Didn’tthecavalryallstartthismorning？"Heglaredabouthim。Noonedeniedhisstatement。"Thecav—
alrystartedthismorning，"hecontinued。"Theysaythereain’thardlyanycavalryleftincamp。
They’regoingtoRichmond，orsomeplace，whilewefightalltheJohnnies。It’ssomedodgelikethat。Theregiment’sgotorders，too。Afellerwhatseen’emgotoheadquarterstoldmealittlewhileago。Andthey’reraisingblazesallovercamp——anybodycanseethat。"
"Shucks！"saidtheloudone。
Theyouthremainedsilentforatime。Atlasthespoketothetallsoldier。"Jim！"
"What？"
"Howdoyouthinkthereg’ment’lldo？"
"Oh，they’llfightallright，Iguess，aftertheyoncegetintoit，"saidtheotherwithcoldjudg—
ment。Hemadeafineuseofthethirdperson。
"There’sbeenheapsoffunpokedat’embecausethey’renew，ofcourse，andallthat;butthey’llfightallright，Iguess。"
"Thinkanyoftheboys’llrun？"persistedtheyouth。
"Oh，theremaybeafewof’emrun，butthere’sthemkindineveryregiment，’speciallywhentheyfirstgoesunderfire，"saidtheotherinatolerantway。"Ofcourseitmighthappenthatthehullkit—and—boodlemightstartandrun，ifsomebigfightingcamefirst—off，andthenagaintheymightstayandfightlikefun。Butyoucan’tbetonnothing。Ofcoursetheyain’tneverbeenunderfireyet，anditain’tlikelythey’lllickthehullrebelarmyall—to—oncetthefirsttime;butI
thinkthey’llfightbetterthansome，ifworsethanothers。That’sthewayIfigger。Theycallthereg’ment’Freshfish’andeverything;buttheboyscomeofgoodstock，andmostof’em’llfightlikesinaftertheyoncetgitshootin’，"headded，withamightyemphasisonthelastfourwords。
"Oh，youthinkyouknow——"begantheloudsoldierwithscorn。
Theotherturnedsavagelyuponhim。Theyhadarapidaltercation，inwhichtheyfasteneduponeachothervariousstrangeepithets。
Theyouthatlastinterruptedthem。"Didyoueverthinkyoumightrunyourself，Jim？"heasked。Onconcludingthesentencehelaughedasifhehadmeanttoaimajoke。Theloudsol—
dieralsogiggled。
Thetallprivatewavedhishand。"Well，"saidheprofoundly，"I’vethoughtitmightgettoohotforJimConklininsomeofthemscrimmages，andifawholelotofboysstartedandrun，why，I
s’poseI’dstartandrun。AndifIoncestartedtorun，I’drunlikethedevil，andnomistake。Butifeverybodywasa—standinganda—fighting，why，I’dstandandfight。Bejiminey，Iwould。I’llbetonit。"
"Huh！"saidtheloudone。
Theyouthofthistalefeltgratitudeforthesewordsofhiscomrade。Hehadfearedthatalloftheuntriedmenpossessedagreatandcorrectconfidence。Henowwasinameasurereassured。
chapter02
CHAPTERII。
THEnextmorningtheyouthdiscoveredthathistallcomradehadbeenthefast—flyingmessen—
gerofamistake。Therewasmuchscoffingatthelatterbythosewhohadyesterdaybeenfirmadherentsofhisviews，andtherewasevenalit—
tlesneeringbymenwhohadneverbelievedtherumor。ThetallonefoughtwithamanfromChatfieldCornersandbeathimseverely。
Theyouthfelt，however，thathisproblemwasinnowiseliftedfromhim。Therewas，onthecontrary，anirritatingprolongation。Thetalehadcreatedinhimagreatconcernforhimself。
Now，withthenewbornquestioninhismind，hewascompelledtosinkbackintohisoldplaceaspartofabluedemonstration。
Fordayshemadeceaselesscalculations，buttheywereallwondrouslyunsatisfactory。Hefoundthathecouldestablishnothing。Hefinal—
lyconcludedthattheonlywaytoprovehimselfwastogointotheblaze，andthenfigurativelyto18
watchhislegstodiscovertheirmeritsandfaults。
Hereluctantlyadmittedthathecouldnotsitstillandwithamentalslateandpencilderiveananswer。Togainit，hemusthaveblaze，blood，anddanger，evenasachemistrequiresthis，that，andtheother。Sohefrettedforanopportunity。
Meanwhilehecontinuallytriedtomeasurehimselfbyhiscomrades。Thetallsoldier，forone，gavehimsomeassurance。Thisman’sse—
reneunconcerndealthimameasureofcon—
fidence，forhehadknownhimsincechildhood，andfromhisintimateknowledgehedidnotseehowhecouldbecapableofanythingthatwasbeyondhim，theyouth。Still，hethoughtthathiscomrademightbemistakenabouthimself。
Or，ontheotherhand，hemightbeamanhere—
toforedoomedtopeaceandobscurity，but，inreality，madetoshineinwar。
Theyouthwouldhavelikedtohavediscov—
eredanotherwhosuspectedhimself。Asympa—
theticcomparisonofmentalnoteswouldhavebeenajoytohim。
Heoccasionallytriedtofathomacomradewithseductivesentences。Helookedabouttofindmeninthepropermood。Allattemptsfailedtobringforthanystatementwhichlookedinanywaylikeaconfessiontothosedoubtswhichheprivatelyacknowledgedinhimself。
Hewasafraidtomakeanopendeclarationofhisconcern，becausehedreadedtoplacesomeunscrupulousconfidantuponthehighplaneoftheunconfessedfromwhichelevationhecouldbederided。
Inregardtohiscompanionshismindwa—
veredbetweentwoopinions，accordingtohismood。Sometimesheinclinedtobelievingthemallheroes。Infact，heusuallyadmittedinsecretthesuperiordevelopmentofthehigherqualitiesinothers。Hecouldconceiveofmengoingveryinsignificantlyabouttheworldbearingaloadofcourageunseen，andalthoughhehadknownmanyofhiscomradesthroughboyhood，hebe—
gantofearthathisjudgmentofthemhadbeenblind。Then，inothermoments，hefloutedthesetheories，andassuredhimselfthathisfellowswereallprivatelywonderingandquaking。
Hisemotionsmadehimfeelstrangeinthepresenceofmenwhotalkedexcitedlyofapro—
spectivebattleasofadramatheywereabouttowitness，withnothingbuteagernessandcuriosityapparentintheirfaces。Itwasoftenthathesus—
pectedthemtobeliars。
Hedidnotpasssuchthoughtswithoutseverecondemnationofhimself。Hedinnedreproachesattimes。Hewasconvictedbyhimselfofmanyshamefulcrimesagainstthegodsoftraditions。
Inhisgreatanxietyhisheartwascontinuallyclamoringatwhatheconsideredtheintolerableslownessofthegenerals。Theyseemedcontenttoperchtranquillyontheriverbank，andleavehimboweddownbytheweightofagreatprob—
lem。Hewanteditsettledforthwith。Hecouldnotlongbearsuchaload，hesaid。Sometimeshisangeratthecommandersreachedanacutestage，andhegrumbledaboutthecamplikeaveteran。
Onemorning，however，hefoundhimselfintheranksofhispreparedregiment。Themenwerewhisperingspeculationsandrecountingtheoldrumors。Inthegloombeforethebreakofthedaytheiruniformsglowedadeeppurplehue。Fromacrosstherivertheredeyeswerestillpeering。Intheeasternskytherewasayel—
lowpatchlikearuglaidforthefeetofthecom—
ingsun;andagainstit，blackandpatternlike，loomedthegiganticfigureofthecolonelonagigantichorse。
Fromoffinthedarknesscamethetramplingoffeet。Theyouthcouldoccasionallyseedarkshadowsthatmovedlikemonsters。Theregi—
mentstoodatrestforwhatseemedalongtime。
Theyouthgrewimpatient。Itwasunendurablethewaytheseaffairsweremanaged。Hewon—
deredhowlongtheyweretobekeptwaiting。
Ashelookedallabouthimandpondereduponthemysticgloom，hebegantobelievethatatanymomenttheominousdistancemightbeaflare，andtherollingcrashesofanengagementcometohisears。Staringonceattheredeyesacrosstheriver，heconceivedthemtobegrow—
inglarger，astheorbsofarowofdragonsad—
vancing。Heturnedtowardthecolonelandsawhimlifthisgiganticarmandcalmlystrokehismustache。
Atlastheheardfromalongtheroadatthefootofthehilltheclatterofahorse’sgallopinghoofs。Itmustbethecomingoforders。Hebentforward，scarcebreathing。Theexcitingclickety—click，asitgrewlouderandlouder，seemedtobebeatinguponhissoul。Presentlyahorsemanwithjanglingequipmentdrewreinbe—
forethecoloneloftheregiment。Thetwoheldashort，sharp—wordedconversation。Themenintheforemostrankscranedtheirnecks。
Asthehorsemanwheeledhisanimalandgal—
lopedawayheturnedtoshoutoverhisshoulder，"Don’tforgetthatboxofcigars！"Thecolonelmumbledinreply。Theyouthwonderedwhataboxofcigarshadtodowithwar。
Amomentlatertheregimentwentswingingoffintothedarkness。Itwasnowlikeoneofthosemovingmonsterswendingwithmanyfeet。
Theairwasheavy，andcoldwithdew。Amassofwetgrass，marchedupon，rustledlikesilk。
Therewasanoccasionalflashandglimmerofsteelfromthebacksofallthesehugecrawl—
ingreptiles。Fromtheroadcamecreakingsandgrumblingsassomesurlygunsweredraggedaway。
Themenstumbledalongstillmutteringspecu—
lations。Therewasasubdueddebate。Onceamanfelldown，andashereachedforhisrifleacomrade，unseeing，troduponhishand。Heoftheinjuredfingerssworebitterlyandaloud。A
low，titteringlaughwentamonghisfellows。
Presentlytheypassedintoaroadwayandmarchedforwardwitheasystrides。Adarkregimentmovedbeforethem，andfrombehindalsocamethetinkleofequipmentsonthebodiesofmarchingmen。
Therushingyellowofthedevelopingdaywentonbehindtheirbacks。Whenthesunraysatlaststruckfullandmellowinglyupontheearth，theyouthsawthatthelandscapewasstreakedwithtwolong，thin，blackcolumnswhichdisappearedonthebrowofahillinfrontandrearwardvanishedinawood。Theywereliketwoserpentscrawlingfromthecavernofthenight。
Theriverwasnotinview。Thetallsoldierburstintopraisesofwhathethoughttobehispowersofperception。
Someofthetallone’scompanionscriedwithemphasisthatthey，too，hadevolvedthesamething，andtheycongratulatedthemselvesuponit。Buttherewereotherswhosaidthatthetallone’splanwasnotthetrueoneatall。Theyper—
sistedwithothertheories。Therewasavigorousdiscussion。
Theyouthtooknopartinthem。Ashewalkedalongincarelesslinehewasengagedwithhisowneternaldebate。Hecouldnothin—
derhimselffromdwellinguponit。Hewasde—
spondentandsullen，andthrewshiftingglancesabouthim。Helookedahead，oftenexpectingtohearfromtheadvancetherattleoffiring。
Butthelongserpentscrawledslowlyfromhilltohillwithoutblusterofsmoke。Adun—col—
oredcloudofdustfloatedawaytotheright。
Theskyoverheadwasofafairyblue。
Theyouthstudiedthefacesofhiscompan—
ions，everonthewatchtodetectkindredemo—
tions。Hesuffereddisappointment。Someardoroftheairwhichwascausingtheveterancom—
mandstomovewithglee——almostwithsong——
hadinfectedthenewregiment。Themenbegantospeakofvictoryasofathingtheyknew。
Also，thetallsoldierreceivedhisvindication。
Theywerecertainlygoingtocomearoundinbehindtheenemy。Theyexpressedcommisera—
tionforthatpartofthearmywhichhadbeenleftupontheriverbank，felicitatingthemselvesuponbeingapartofablastinghost。
Theyouth，consideringhimselfasseparatedfromtheothers，wassaddenedbytheblitheandmerryspeechesthatwentfromranktorank。
Thecompanywagsallmadetheirbestendeav—
ors。Theregimenttrampedtothetuneoflaughter。
Theblatantsoldieroftenconvulsedwholefilesbyhisbitingsarcasmsaimedatthetallone。
Anditwasnotlongbeforeallthemenseemedtoforgettheirmission。Wholebrigadesgrinnedinunison，andregimentslaughed。
Aratherfatsoldierattemptedtopilferahorsefromadooryard。Heplannedtoloadhisknap—
sackuponit。Hewasescapingwithhisprizewhenayounggirlrushedfromthehouseandgrabbedtheanimal’smane。Therefollowedawrangle。Theyounggirl，withpinkcheeksandshiningeyes，stoodlikeadauntlessstatue。
Theobservantregiment，standingatrestintheroadway，whoopedatonce，andenteredwhole—souleduponthesideofthemaiden。Themenbecamesoengrossedinthisaffairthattheyentirelyceasedtoremembertheirownlargewar。
Theyjeeredthepiraticalprivate，andcalledattentiontovariousdefectsinhispersonalap—
pearance;andtheywerewildlyenthusiasticinsupportoftheyounggirl。
Toher，fromsomedistance，cameboldadvice。
"Hithimwithastick。"
Therewerecrowsandcatcallsshowereduponhimwhenheretreatedwithoutthehorse。
Theregimentrejoicedathisdownfall。Loudandvociferouscongratulationswereshowereduponthemaiden，whostoodpantingandregard—
ingthetroopswithdefiance。
Atnightfallthecolumnbrokeintoregimentalpieces，andthefragmentswentintothefieldstocamp。Tentsspranguplikestrangeplants。
Campfires，likered，peculiarblossoms，dottedthenight。
Theyouthkeptfromintercoursewithhiscompanionsasmuchascircumstanceswouldallowhim。Intheeveninghewanderedafewpacesintothegloom。Fromthislittledistancethemanyfires，withtheblackformsofmenpass—
ingtoandfrobeforethecrimsonrays，madeweirdandsataniceffects。
Helaydowninthegrass。Thebladespressedtenderlyagainsthischeek。Themoonhadbeenlightedandwashunginatreetop。
Theliquidstillnessofthenightenvelopinghimmadehimfeelvastpityforhimself。Therewasacaressinthesoftwinds;andthewholemoodofthedarkness，hethought，wasoneofsympathyforhimselfinhisdistress。
Hewished，withoutreserve，thathewasathomeagainmakingtheendlessroundsfromthehousetothebarn，fromthebarntothefields，fromthefieldstothebarn，fromthebarntothehouse。Herememberedhehadoftencursedthebrindlecowandhermates，andhadsometimesflungmilkingstools。But，fromhispresentpointofview，therewasahaloofhappinessabouteachoftheirheads，andhewouldhavesacrificedallthebrassbuttonsonthecontinenttohavebeenenabledtoreturntothem。Hetoldhimselfthathewasnotformedforasoldier。Andhemusedseriouslyupontheradicaldifferencesbetweenhimselfandthosemenwhoweredodgingimp—
likearoundthefires。
Ashemusedthusheheardtherustleofgrass，and，uponturninghishead，discoveredtheloudsoldier。Hecalledout，"Oh，Wilson！"
Thelatterapproachedandlookeddown。
"Why，hello，Henry;isityou？Whatyoudo—
inghere？"
"Oh，thinking，"saidtheyouth。
Theothersatdownandcarefullylightedhispipe。"You’regettingblue，myboy。You’relookingthunderingpeeked。Whatthedickensiswrongwithyou？"
"Oh，nothing，"saidtheyouth。
Theloudsoldierlaunchedthenintothesub—
jectoftheanticipatedfight。"Oh，we’vegot’emnow！"Ashespokehisboyishfacewaswreathedinagleefulsmile，andhisvoicehadanexultantring。"We’vegot’emnow。Atlast，bytheeternalthunders，we’lllick’emgood！"
"Ifthetruthwasknown，"headded，moresoberly，"THEY’VElickedUSabouteveryclipuptonow;butthistime——thistime——we’lllick’emgood！"
"Ithoughtyouwasobjectingtothismarchalittlewhileago，"saidtheyouthcoldly。
"Oh，itwasn’tthat，"explainedtheother。"I
don’tmindmarching，ifthere’sgoingtobefight—
ingattheendofit。WhatIhateisthisgettingmovedhereandmovedthere，withnogoodcom—
ingofit，asfarasIcansee，exceptingsorefeetanddamnedshortrations。"
"Well，JimConklinsayswe’llgetaplentyoffightingthistime。"
"He’srightforonce，Iguess，thoughIcan’tseehowitcome。Thistimewe’reinforabigbattle，andwe’vegotthebestendofit，certainsure。Geerod！howwewillthump’em！"
Hearoseandbegantopacetoandfroexcit—
edly。Thethrillofhisenthusiasmmadehimwalkwithanelasticstep。Hewassprightly，vigorous，fieryinhisbeliefinsuccess。Helookedintothefuturewithclear，proudeye，andhesworewiththeairofanoldsoldier。
Theyouthwatchedhimforamomentinsilence。Whenhefinallyspokehisvoicewasasbitterasdregs。"Oh，you’regoingtodogreatthings，Is’pose！"
Theloudsoldierblewathoughtfulcloudofsmokefromhispipe。"Oh，Idon’tknow，"heremarkedwithdignity;"Idon’tknow。Is’poseI’lldoaswellastherest。I’mgoingtotrylikethunder。"Heevidentlycomplimentedhimselfuponthemodestyofthisstatement。
"Howdoyouknowyouwon’trunwhenthetimecomes？"askedtheyouth。
"Run？"saidtheloudone;"run？——ofcoursenot！"Helaughed。
"Well，"continuedtheyouth，"lotsofgood—
a—’noughmenhavethoughttheywasgoingtodogreatthingsbeforethefight，butwhenthetimecometheyskedaddled。"
"Oh，that’salltrue，Is’pose，"repliedtheother;"butI’mnotgoingtoskedaddle。Themanthatbetsonmyrunningwilllosehismoney，that’sall。"Henoddedconfidently。
"Oh，shucks！"saidtheyouth。"Youain’tthebravestmanintheworld，areyou？"
"No，Iain’t，"exclaimedtheloudsoldierin—
dignantly;"andIdidn’tsayIwasthebravestmanintheworld，neither。IsaidIwasgoingtodomyshareoffighting——that’swhatIsaid。AndIam，too。Whoareyou，anyhow。YoutalkasifyouthoughtyouwasNapoleonBonaparte。"
Heglaredattheyouthforamoment，andthenstrodeaway。
Theyouthcalledinasavagevoiceafterhiscomrade："Well，youneedn’tgitmadaboutit！"
Buttheothercontinuedonhiswayandmadenoreply。
Hefeltaloneinspacewhenhisinjuredcom—
radehaddisappeared。Hisfailuretodiscoveranymiteofresemblanceintheirviewpointsmadehimmoremiserablethanbefore。Nooneseemedtobewrestlingwithsuchaterrificper—
sonalproblem。Hewasamentaloutcast。
Hewentslowlytohistentandstretchedhim—
selfonablanketbythesideofthesnoringtallsoldier。Inthedarknesshesawvisionsofathou—
sand—tonguedfearthatwouldbabbleathisbackandcausehimtoflee，whileothersweregoingcoollyabouttheircountry’sbusiness。Headmit—
tedthathewouldnotbeabletocopewiththismonster。Hefeltthateverynerveinhisbodywouldbeaneartohearthevoices，whileothermenwouldremainstolidanddeaf。
Andashesweatedwiththepainofthesethoughts，hecouldhearlow，serenesentences。
"I’llbidfive。""Makeitsix。""Seven。"
"Sevengoes。"
Hestaredatthered，shiveringreflectionofafireonthewhitewallofhistentuntil，ex—
haustedandillfromthemonotonyofhissuf—
fering，hefellasleep。
chapter03
CHAPTERIII。
WHENanothernightcamethecolumns，changedtopurplestreaks，filedacrosstwopon—
toonbridges。Aglaringfirewine—tintedthewatersoftheriver。Itsrays，shininguponthemovingmassesoftroops，broughtforthhereandtheresuddengleamsofsilverorgold。Upontheothershoreadarkandmysteriousrangeofhillswascurvedagainstthesky。Theinsectvoicesofthenightsangsolemnly。
Afterthiscrossingtheyouthassuredhimselfthatatanymomenttheymightbesuddenlyandfearfullyassaultedfromthecavesoftheloweringwoods。Hekepthiseyeswatchfullyuponthedarkness。
Buthisregimentwentunmolestedtoacamp—
ingplace，anditssoldierssleptthebravesleepofweariedmen。Inthemorningtheywereroutedoutwithearlyenergy，andhustledalonganarrowroadthatleddeepintotheforest。
Itwasduringthisrapidmarchthattheregimentlostmanyofthemarksofanewcom—
mand。
Themenhadbeguntocountthemilesupontheirfingers，andtheygrewtired。"Sorefeetan’damnedshortrations，that’sall，"saidtheloudsoldier。Therewasperspirationandgrum—
blings。Afteratimetheybegantoshedtheirknapsacks。Sometossedthemunconcernedlydown;othershidthemcarefully，assertingtheirplanstoreturnforthematsomeconvenienttime。Menextricatedthemselvesfromthickshirts。Presentlyfewcarriedanythingbuttheirnecessaryclothing，blankets，haversacks，canteens，andarmsandammunition。"Youcannoweatandshoot，"saidthetallsoldiertotheyouth。
"That’sallyouwanttodo。"
Therewassuddenchangefromtheponderousinfantryoftheorytothelightandspeedyinfantryofpractice。Theregiment，relievedofaburden，receivedanewimpetus。Buttherewasmuchlossofvaluableknapsacks，and，onthewhole，verygoodshirts。
Buttheregimentwasnotyetveteranlikeinappearance。Veteranregimentsinthearmywerelikelytobeverysmallaggregationsofmen。
Once，whenthecommandhadfirstcometothefield，someperambulatingveterans，notingthelengthoftheircolumn，hadaccostedthemthus：
"Hey，fellers，whatbrigadeisthat？"Andwhenthemenhadrepliedthattheyformedaregimentandnotabrigade，theoldersoldiershadlaughed，andsaid，"OGawd！"
Also，therewastoogreatasimilarityinthehats。Thehatsofaregimentshouldproperlyrepresentthehistoryofheadgearforaperiodofyears。And，moreover，therewerenolettersoffadedgoldspeakingfromthecolors。Theywerenewandbeautiful，andthecolorbearerhabitu—
allyoiledthepole。
Presentlythearmyagainsatdowntothink。
Theodorofthepeacefulpineswasinthemen’snostrils。Thesoundofmonotonousaxeblowsrangthroughtheforest，andtheinsects，noddingupontheirperches，croonedlikeoldwomen。
Theyouthreturnedtohistheoryofabluedem—
onstration。
Onegraydawn，however，hewaskickedinthelegbythetallsoldier，andthen，beforehewasentirelyawake，hefoundhimselfrunningdownawoodroadinthemidstofmenwhowerepantingfromthefirsteffectsofspeed。Hiscan—
teenbangedrhythmicallyuponhisthigh，andhishaversackbobbedsoftly。Hismusketbouncedatriflefromhisshoulderateachstrideandmadehiscapfeeluncertainuponhishead。
Hecouldhearthemenwhisperjerkysen—
tences："Say——what’sallthis——about？""Whatth’thunder——we——skedaddlin’thiswayfer？"
"Billie——keepoffm’feet。Yehrun——likeacow。"
Andtheloudsoldier’sshrillvoicecouldbeheard："Whatth’deviltheyinsichahurryfor？"
Theyouththoughtthedampfogofearlymorningmovedfromtherushofagreatbodyoftroops。Fromthedistancecameasuddenspatteroffiring。
Hewasbewildered。Asheranwithhiscom—
radeshestrenuouslytriedtothink，butallheknewwasthatifhefelldownthosecomingbehindwouldtreaduponhim。Allhisfacultiesseemedtobeneededtoguidehimoverandpastobstruc—
tions。Hefeltcarriedalongbyamob。
Thesunspreaddisclosingrays，and，onebyone，regimentsburstintoviewlikearmedmenjustbornoftheearth。Theyouthperceivedthatthetimehadcome。Hewasabouttobemeasured。Foramomenthefeltinthefaceofhisgreattriallikeababe，andthefleshoverhisheartseemedverythin。Heseizedtimetolookabouthimcalculatingly。
Butheinstantlysawthatitwouldbeimpossi—
bleforhimtoescapefromtheregiment。Itin—
closedhim。Andtherewereironlawsoftradi—
tionandlawonfoursides。Hewasinamovingbox。
Asheperceivedthisfactitoccurredtohimthathehadneverwishedtocometothewar。
Hehadnotenlistedofhisfreewill。Hehadbeendraggedbythemercilessgovernment。Andnowtheyweretakinghimouttobeslaughtered。
Theregimentsliddownabankandwallowedacrossalittlestream。Themournfulcurrentmovedslowlyon，andfromthewater，shadedblack，somewhitebubbleeyeslookedatthemen。
Astheyclimbedthehillonthefarthersideartillerybegantoboom。Heretheyouthforgotmanythingsashefeltasuddenimpulseofcuri—
osity。Hescrambledupthebankwithaspeedthatcouldnotbeexceededbyabloodthirstyman。
Heexpectedabattlescene。
Thereweresomelittlefieldsgirtedandsqueezedbyaforest。Spreadoverthegrassandinamongthetreetrunks，hecouldseeknotsandwavinglinesofskirmisherswhowererunninghitherandthitherandfiringatthelandscape。
Adarkbattlelinelayuponasunstruckclearingthatgleamedorangecolor。Aflagfluttered。
Otherregimentsflounderedupthebank。Thebrigadewasformedinlineofbattle，andafterapausestartedslowlythroughthewoodsintherearoftherecedingskirmishers，whowerecon—
tinuallymeltingintothescenetoappearagainfartheron。Theywerealwaysbusyasbees，deeplyabsorbedintheirlittlecombats。
Theyouthtriedtoobserveeverything。Hedidnotusecaretoavoidtreesandbranches，andhisforgottenfeetwereconstantlyknockingagainststonesorgettingentangledinbriers。
Hewasawarethatthesebattalionswiththeircommotionswerewovenredandstartlingintothegentlefabricofsoftenedgreensandbrowns。
Itlookedtobeawrongplaceforabattlefield。
Theskirmishersinadvancefascinatedhim。
Theirshotsintothicketsandatdistantandprominenttreesspoketohimoftragedies——hid—
den，mysterious，solemn。
Oncethelineencounteredthebodyofadeadsoldier。Helayuponhisbackstaringatthesky。
Hewasdressedinanawkwardsuitofyellowishbrown。Theyouthcouldseethatthesolesofhisshoeshadbeenworntothethinnessofwritingpaper，andfromagreatrentinonethedeadfootprojectedpiteously。Anditwasasiffatehadbetrayedthesoldier。Indeathitexposedtohisenemiesthatpovertywhichinlifehehadperhapsconcealedfromhisfriends。
Theranksopenedcovertlytoavoidthecorpse。
Theinvulnerabledeadmanforcedawayforhim—
self。Theyouthlookedkeenlyattheashenface。
Thewindraisedthetawnybeard。Itmovedasifahandwerestrokingit。Hevaguelydesiredtowalkaroundandaroundthebodyandstare;
theimpulseofthelivingtotrytoreadindeadeyestheanswertotheQuestion。
Duringthemarchtheardorwhichtheyouthhadacquiredwhenoutofviewofthefieldrapidlyfadedtonothing。Hiscuriositywasquiteeasilysatisfied。Ifanintensescenehadcaughthimwithitswildswingashecametothetopofthebank，hemighthavegoneroaringon。ThisadvanceuponNaturewastoocalm。Hehadopportunitytoreflect。Hehadtimeinwhichtowonderabouthimselfandtoattempttoprobehissensa—
tions。
Absurdideastookholduponhim。Hethoughtthathedidnotrelishthelandscape。
Itthreatenedhim。Acoldnesssweptoverhisback，anditistruethathistrousersfelttohimthattheywerenofitforhislegsatall。
Ahousestandingplacidlyindistantfieldshadtohimanominouslook。Theshadowsofthewoodswereformidable。Hewascertainthatinthisvistatherelurkedfierce—eyedhosts。Theswiftthoughtcametohimthatthegeneralsdidnotknowwhattheywereabout。Itwasallatrap。Suddenlythosecloseforestswouldbristlewithriflebarrels。Ironlikebrigadeswouldap—
pearintherear。Theywereallgoingtobesacrificed。Thegeneralswerestupids。Theenemywouldpresentlyswallowthewholecom—
mand。Heglaredabouthim，expectingtoseethestealthyapproachofhisdeath。
Hethoughtthathemustbreakfromtheranksandharanguehiscomrades。Theymustnotallbekilledlikepigs;andhewassureitwouldcometopassunlesstheywereinformedofthesedangers。Thegeneralswereidiotstosendthemmarchingintoaregularpen。Therewasbutonepairofeyesinthecorps。Hewouldstepforthandmakeaspeech。Shrillandpassionatewordscametohislips。
Theline，brokenintomovingfragmentsbytheground，wentcalmlyonthroughfieldsandwoods。
Theyouthlookedatthemennearesthim，andsaw，forthemostpart，expressionsofdeepinter—
est，asiftheywereinvestigatingsomethingthathadfascinatedthem。Oneortwosteppedwithovervaliantairsasiftheywerealreadyplungedintowar。Otherswalkedasuponthinice。Thegreaterpartoftheuntestedmenappearedquietandabsorbed。Theyweregoingtolookatwar，theredanimal——war，theblood—swollengod。Andtheyweredeeplyengrossedinthismarch。
Ashelookedtheyouthgrippedhisoutcryathisthroat。Hesawthatevenifthemenweretotteringwithfeartheywouldlaughathiswarn—
ing。Theywouldjeerhim，and，ifpracticable，pelthimwithmissiles。Admittingthathemightbewrong，afrenzieddeclamationofthekindwouldturnhimintoaworm。
Heassumed，then，thedemeanorofonewhoknowsthatheisdoomedalonetounwrittenre—
sponsibilities。Helagged，withtragicglancesatthesky。
Hewassurprisedpresentlybytheyounglieu—
tenantofhiscompany，whobeganheartilytobeathimwithasword，callingoutinaloudandinsolentvoice："Come，youngman，getupintoranksthere。Noskulking’lldohere。"Hemend—
edhispacewithsuitablehaste。Andhehatedthelieutenant，whohadnoappreciationoffineminds。Hewasamerebrute。
Afteratimethebrigadewashaltedinthecathedrallightofaforest。Thebusyskirmish—
erswerestillpopping。Throughtheaislesofthewoodcouldbeseenthefloatingsmokefromtheirrifles。Sometimesitwentupinlittleballs，whiteandcompact。
Duringthishaltmanymenintheregimentbeganerectingtinyhillsinfrontofthem。Theyusedstones，sticks，earth，andanythingtheythoughtmightturnabullet。Somebuiltcom—
parativelylargeones，whileothersseemedcon—
tentwithlittleones。
Thisprocedurecausedadiscussionamongthemen。Somewishedtofightlikeduelists，believ—
ingittobecorrecttostanderectandbe，fromtheirfeettotheirforeheads，amark。Theysaidtheyscornedthedevicesofthecautious。Buttheothersscoffedinreply，andpointedtotheveteransontheflankswhowerediggingatthegroundliketerriers。Inashorttimetherewasquiteabarricadealongtheregimentalfronts。
Directly，however，theywereorderedtowith—
drawfromthatplace。
Thisastoundedtheyouth。Heforgothisstewingovertheadvancemovement。"Well，then，whatdidtheymarchusoutherefor？"hedemandedofthetallsoldier。Thelatterwithcalmfaithbeganaheavyexplanation，althoughhehadbeencompelledtoleavealittleprotectionofstonesanddirttowhichhehaddevotedmuchcareandskill。
Whentheregimentwasalignedinanotherpositioneachman’sregardforhissafetycausedanotherlineofsmallintrenchments。Theyatetheirnoonmealbehindathirdone。Theyweremovedfromthisonealso。Theyweremarchedfromplacetoplacewithapparentaimlessness。
Theyouthhadbeentaughtthatamanbe—
cameanotherthinginabattle。Hesawhissal—
vationinsuchachange。Hencethiswaitingwasanordealtohim。Hewasinafeverofim—
patience。Heconsideredthattherewasdenotedalackofpurposeonthepartofthegenerals。
Hebegantocomplaintothetallsoldier。"I
can’tstandthismuchlonger，"hecried。"I
don’tseewhatgooditdoestomakeuswearoutourlegsfornothin’。"Hewishedtoreturntocamp，knowingthatthisaffairwasabluedemonstration;orelsetogointoabattleanddiscoverthathehadbeenafoolinhisdoubts，andwas，intruth，amanoftraditionalcourage。
Thestrainofpresentcircumstanceshefelttobeintolerable。
Thephilosophicaltallsoldiermeasuredasand—
wichofcrackerandporkandswalloweditinanonchalantmanner。"Oh，Isupposewemustgoreconnoiteringaroundthecountryjesttokeep’emfromgettingtooclose，ortodevelop’em，orsomething。"
"Huh！"saidtheloudsoldier。
"Well，"criedtheyouth，stillfidgeting，"I’dratherdoanything’mostthangotramping’roundthecountryalldaydoingnogoodtonobodyandjesttiringourselvesout。"
"SowouldI，"saidtheloudsoldier。"Itain’tright。Itellyouifanybodywithanysensewasa—runnin’thisarmyit——"
"Oh，shutup！"roaredthetallprivate。"Youlittlefool。Youlittledamn’cuss。Youain’thadthattherecoatandthempantsonforsixmonths，andyetyoutalkasif——"
"Well，Iwantadosomefightinganyway，"
interruptedtheother。"Ididn’tcomeheretowalk。Icould’avewalkedtohome——’roundan’
’roundthebarn，ifIjestwantedtowalk。"
Thetallone，red—faced，swallowedanothersandwichasiftakingpoisonindespair。
Butgradually，ashechewed，hisfacebecameagainquietandcontented。Hecouldnotrageinfierceargumentinthepresenceofsuchsand—
wiches。Duringhismealshealwaysworeanairofblissfulcontemplationofthefoodhehadswal—
lowed。Hisspiritseemedthentobecommuningwiththeviands。
Heacceptednewenvironmentandcircum—
stancewithgreatcoolness，eatingfromhishaver—
sackateveryopportunity。Onthemarchhewentalongwiththestrideofahunter，object—
ingtoneithergaitnordistance。Andhehadnotraisedhisvoicewhenhehadbeenorderedawayfromthreelittleprotectivepilesofearthandstone，eachofwhichhadbeenanengineer—
ingfeatworthyofbeingmadesacredtothenameofhisgrandmother。
Intheafternoontheregimentwentoutoverthesamegroundithadtakeninthemorn—
ing。Thelandscapethenceasedtothreatentheyouth。Hehadbeenclosetoitandbecomefamiliarwithit。
When，however，theybegantopassintoanewregion，hisoldfearsofstupidityandin—
competencereassailedhim，butthistimehedog—
gedlyletthembabble。Hewasoccupiedwithhisproblem，andinhisdesperationheconcludedthatthestupiditydidnotgreatlymatter。
Oncehethoughthehadconcludedthatitwouldbebettertogetkilleddirectlyandendhistroubles。Regardingdeaththusoutofthecornerofhiseye，heconceivedittobenoth—
ingbutrest，andhewasfilledwithamomen—
taryastonishmentthatheshouldhavemadeanextraordinarycommotionoverthemerematterofgettingkilled。Hewoulddie;hewouldgotosomeplacewherehewouldbeunderstood。
Itwasuselesstoexpectappreciationofhispro—
foundandfinesensesfromsuchmenasthelieu—
tenant。Hemustlooktothegraveforcompre—
hension。
Theskirmishfireincreasedtoalongchatter—
ingsound。Withitwasmingledfar—awaycheer—
ing。Abatteryspoke。
Directlytheyouthwouldseetheskirmishersrunning。Theywerepursuedbythesoundofmusketryfire。Afteratimethehot，dangerousflashesoftherifleswerevisible。Smokecloudswentslowlyandinsolentlyacrossthefieldslikeobservantphantoms。Thedinbecamecrescendo，liketheroarofanoncomingtrain。
Abrigadeaheadofthemandontherightwentintoactionwitharendingroar。Itwasasifithadexploded。Andthereafteritlaystretchedinthedistancebehindalonggraywall，thatonewasobligedtolooktwiceattomakesurethatitwassmoke。
Theyouth，forgettinghisneatplanofgettingkilled，gazedspellbound。Hiseyesgrewwideandbusywiththeactionofthescene。Hismouthwasalittlewaysopen。
Ofasuddenhefeltaheavyandsadhandlaiduponhisshoulder。Awakeningfromhistranceofobservationheturnedandbeheldtheloudsoldier。
"It’smyfirstandlastbattle，oldboy，"saidthelatter，withintensegloom。Hewasquitepaleandhisgirlishlipwastrembling。
"Eh？"murmuredtheyouthingreataston—
ishment。
"It’smyfirstandlastbattle，oldboy，"
continuedtheloudsoldier。"Somethingtellsme——"
"What？"
"I’magonecoonthisfirsttimeand——andI
w—wantyoutotaketheseherethings——to——my——
folks。"Heendedinaquaveringsobofpityforhimself。Hehandedtheyouthalittlepacketdoneupinayellowenvelope。
"Why，whatthedevil——"begantheyouthagain。
Buttheothergavehimaglanceasfromthedepthsofatomb，andraisedhislimphandinapropheticmannerandturnedaway。
chapter04
CHAPTERIV。
THEbrigadewashaltedinthefringeofagrove。Themencrouchedamongthetreesandpointedtheirrestlessgunsoutatthefields。
Theytriedtolookbeyondthesmoke。
Outofthishazetheycouldseerunningmen。
Someshoutedinformationandgesturedastheyhurried。
Themenofthenewregimentwatchedandlistenedeagerly，whiletheirtonguesranoningossipofthebattle。Theymouthedrumorsthathadflownlikebirdsoutoftheunknown。
"TheysayPerryhasbeendriveninwithbigloss。"
"Yes，Carrottwentt’th’hospital。Hesaidhewassick。Thatsmartlieutenantiscommanding’G’Company。Th’boyssaytheywon’tbeunderCarrottnomoreiftheyallhavet’desert。
Theyallusknewhewasa——"
"Hannises’batt’ryistook。"
"Itain’teither。IsawHannises’batt’ryoffonth’leftnotmore’nfifteenminutesago。"
47
"Well——"
"Th’general，hesesheisgoin’t’taketh’hullcammandofth’304thwhenwegointehaction，an’thenheseswe’lldosechfightin’asneveranotheronereg’mentdone。"
"Theysaywe’recatchin’itoveronth’left。
Theysayth’enemydriv’ourlineintehadevilofaswampan’tookHannises’batt’ry。"
"Nosechthing。Hannises’batt’rywas’longhere’boutaminuteago。"
"ThatyoungHasbrouck，hemakesagoodoff’cer。Heain’tafraid’anothin’。"
"Imetoneofth’148thMaineboysan’heseshisbrigadefitth’hullrebelarmyferfourhoursoveronth’turnpikeroadan’killedaboutfivethousandof’em。Hesesonemoresechfightasthatan’th’war’llbeover。"
"Billwasn’tscaredeither。No，sir！Itwasn’tthat。Billain’ta—gittin’scaredeasy。Hewasjestmad，that’swhathewas。Whenthatfellertrodonhishand，heupan’sedthathewaswillin’
t’givehishandt’hiscountry，buthebedumbedifhewasgoin’t’haveeverydumbbushwhackerinth’kentrywalkin’’roundonit。Sehewentt’
th’hospitaldisregardlessofth’fight。Threefingerswascrunched。Th’derndoctorwantedt’amputate’m，an’Bill，heraisedaheluvarow，I
hear。He’safunnyfeller。"
Thedininfrontswelledtoatremendouschorus。Theyouthandhisfellowswerefrozentosilence。Theycouldseeaflagthattossedinthesmokeangrily。Nearitweretheblurredandagitatedformsoftroops。Therecameaturbulentstreamofmenacrossthefields。Abatterychang—
ingpositionatafranticgallopscatteredthestragglersrightandleft。
Ashellscreaminglikeastormbansheewentoverthehuddledheadsofthereserves。Itlandedinthegrove，andexplodingredlyflungthebrownearth。Therewasalittleshowerofpineneedles。
Bulletsbegantowhistleamongthebranchesandnipatthetrees。Twigsandleavescamesailingdown。Itwasasifathousandaxes，weeandinvisible，werebeingwielded。Manyofthemenwereconstantlydodgingandduckingtheirheads。
Thelieutenantoftheyouth’scompanywasshotinthehand。Hebegantoswearsowon—
drouslythatanervouslaughwentalongtheregi—
mentalline。Theofficer’sprofanitysoundedconventional。Itrelievedthetightenedsensesofthenewmen。Itwasasifhehadhithisfingerswithatackhammerathome。
Heheldthewoundedmembercarefullyawayfromhissidesothatthebloodwouldnotdripuponhistrousers。
Thecaptainofthecompany，tuckinghisswordunderhisarm，producedahandkerchiefandbegantobindwithitthelieutenant’swound。
Andtheydisputedastohowthebindingshouldbedone。
Thebattleflaginthedistancejerkedaboutmadly。Itseemedtobestrugglingtofreeitselffromanagony。Thebillowingsmokewasfilledwithhorizontalflashes。
Menrunningswiftlyemergedfromit。Theygrewinnumbersuntilitwasseenthatthewholecommandwasfleeing。Theflagsuddenlysankdownasifdying。Itsmotionasitfellwasagestureofdespair。
Wildyellscamefrombehindthewallsofsmoke。Asketchingrayandreddissolvedintoamoblikebodyofmenwhogallopedlikewildhorses。
Theveteranregimentsontherightandleftofthe304thimmediatelybegantojeer。Withthepassionatesongofthebulletsandthebansheeshrieksofshellsweremingledloudcatcallsandbitsoffacetiousadviceconcerningplacesofsafety。
Butthenewregimentwasbreathlesswithhor—
ror。"Gawd！Saunders’sgotcrushed！"whis—
peredthemanattheyouth’selbow。Theyshrankbackandcrouchedasifcompelledtoawaitaflood。
Theyouthshotaswiftglancealongtheblueranksoftheregiment。Theprofilesweremotion—
less，carven;andafterwardherememberedthatthecolorsergeantwasstandingwithhislegsapart，asifheexpectedtobepushedtotheground。
Thefollowingthrongwentwhirlingaroundtheflank。Hereandtherewereofficerscarriedalongonthestreamlikeexasperatedchips。Theywerestrikingaboutthemwiththeirswordsandwiththeirleftfists，punchingeveryheadtheycouldreach。Theycursedlikehighway—
men。
Amountedofficerdisplayedthefuriousangerofaspoiledchild。Heragedwithhishead，hisarms，andhislegs。
Another，thecommanderofthebrigade，wasgallopingaboutbawling。Hishatwasgoneandhisclotheswereawry。Heresembledamanwhohascomefrombedtogotoafire。Thehoofsofhishorseoftenthreatenedtheheadsoftherunningmen，buttheyscamperedwithsin—
gularfortune。Inthisrushtheywereapparentlyalldeafandblind。Theyheedednotthelargestandlongestoftheoathsthatwerethrownatthemfromalldirections。
Frequentlyoverthistumultcouldbeheardthegrimjokesofthecriticalveterans;buttheretreatingmenapparentlywerenotevencon—
sciousofthepresenceofanaudience。
Thebattlereflectionthatshoneforaninstantinthefacesonthemadcurrentmadetheyouthfeelthatforcefulhandsfromheavenwouldnothavebeenabletohaveheldhiminplaceifhecouldhavegotintelligentcontrolofhislegs。
Therewasanappallingimprintuponthesefaces。Thestruggleinthesmokehadpicturedanexaggerationofitselfonthebleachedcheeksandintheeyeswildwithonedesire。
Thesightofthisstampedeexertedafloodlikeforcethatseemedabletodragsticksandstonesandmenfromtheground。Theyofthereserveshadtoholdon。Theygrewpaleandfirm，andredandquaking。
Theyouthachievedonelittlethoughtinthemidstofthischaos。Thecompositemonsterwhichhadcausedtheothertroopstofleehadnotthenappeared。Heresolvedtogetaviewofit，andthen，hethoughthemightverylikelyrunbetterthanthebestofthem。
chapter05
CHAPTERV。
THEREweremomentsofwaiting。Theyouththoughtofthevillagestreetathomebeforethearrivalofthecircusparadeonadayinthespring。Herememberedhowhehadstood，asmall，thrillfulboy，preparedtofollowthedingyladyuponthewhitehorse，orthebandinitsfadedchariot。Hesawtheyellowroad，thelinesofexpectantpeople，andthesoberhouses。
Heparticularlyrememberedanoldfellowwhousedtosituponacrackerboxinfrontofthestoreandfeigntodespisesuchexhibitions。A
thousanddetailsofcolorandformsurgedinhismind。Theoldfellowuponthecrackerboxap—
pearedinmiddleprominence。
Someonecried，"Heretheycome！"
Therewasrustlingandmutteringamongthemen。Theydisplayedafeverishdesiretohaveeverypossiblecartridgereadytotheirhands。
Theboxeswerepulledaroundintovariousposi—
tions，andadjustedwithgreatcare。Itwasasifsevenhundrednewbonnetswerebeingtriedon。
Thetallsoldier，havingpreparedhisrifle，pro—
ducedaredhandkerchiefofsomekind。Hewasengagedinknittingitabouthisthroatwithex—
quisiteattentiontoitsposition，whenthecrywasrepeatedupanddownthelineinamuffledroarofsound。
"Heretheycome！Heretheycome！"Gunlocksclicked。
Acrossthesmoke—infestedfieldscameabrownswarmofrunningmenwhoweregivingshrillyells。Theycameon，stoopingandswingingtheirriflesatallangles。Aflag，tiltedforward，spednearthefront。
Ashecaughtsightofthemtheyouthwasmomentarilystartledbyathoughtthatperhapshisgunwasnotloaded。Hestoodtryingtorallyhisfalteringintellectsothathemightrec—
ollectthemomentwhenhehadloaded，buthecouldnot。
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