THE WISCONSIN FARMER.                               
              205

tifal tables, it seems of little consequence faction the fact, so often stated,
ithat Ciieat riv-
whether a slice of pork is boiled, fried, or raw; er, quite a large and deep
stream, rnns very
but when a soldier is camping out, with the nearly along the summit, and
to examhie the
prospect of sleeping in the rain, and has set fortifications where, the winter
before. a por-
his heart upon a bit of broiled meat to eat with tion of our grand army gave
proof to the world
his hard bread, there is a real difference be- that a soldier may suffer
as well as fight with
tween a smnudge and a nice bed of coals. We right good cheer.
ladies did all we could, and none more than  A little time had been allowed
iu  : make
the happy child, to see each soldier had SOtie ourselves, we who had not
been there 'efore,
little aid and attention, and added froii ouir familiar with a place which,
beside- eng in
own huge provision basket such nick-nacks as itself grandly picture the,
had become historic
made the lations seem quite a luxury, despite in the military history of
the country. andl to
the smioke in the pork, the ashes in the tea. allow our lady puisoners to
prepare th- nn-elves
and iio ereatii for coffe.                   iand children, about twenty
in all, ftr tie lay's
  Supper being over, the preparations for hacd journey, of whlichi every
roll of' wheel and
were far less embarassing.  It is as easy as tramp of horse would take us
farther into the
anythiig cen bhe f.i a real sotaltl  to vial)p lhiui,- 1 ;ll of the rebellion.
self in his blanket :nd find a place to lie douit.,  Antd faini wotld I have
lingered longe:. but
and if easy anywhdere, how adnmirable an r- the Colotuel's promptness of
character woas sub-
rangement here where the greensward was so stalitial as the New England granite
of which
fresh and the forest trees so convenient wit lie came; so, at 8 o'clock,
precisely, all things
their drapery of boughs.                     I were in reaiine-s, and our
faithful guide. Sley-
  I was amused to see the disposition these ton with a mliqll ndvance ,unrdV
tocu'c postinn



young gallants made of their horses. Instead
of leaving them one side, or further out, they
were brought, one might say, within the lines.
The ambu'anee in which we ladies slept, with
the Col. wrapped in his blanket camped on the



ground underneath, being counted headquar-
ters, a guard took up position at a respectable
distance, next in order being the horses, which
were of the best blood, and owned by their
young masters whose love tor the noble steeds
that had served them in so many battles would
have prompted this care, had not the fact that
we were in a country infested with guerilla
hordes dictated it as a matter of prudence.
Outside of all, with only a picket guard be-
tween them and the rebellion of Eastern Vir-
ginia, our little army slept upon its arms.
  The morning broke with unclouded skies;
and during the preparations for breakfast,
which were more efficient and less temper-try-
ing than those of the previous night, we had
leisure to take a general survey of the country
upon which Cheat Mountain looks down as



upon the only plank left on the thunat river
bridge and sonic distance ahead: then. two and
two, the cavalry, in midst of which was a
mountain howitzer, ammunition, and gunners;
next the ambulance, followed by the C(ol., my-



self, and several aids on horseback: after these,
our prisoners, in sundry vehicles, which with
baggage wagons and a special guard of both
foot and cavalry brought up the rear.
  To my eyes that kad never seen even thus
much of the circumstance of war, this very
small cavalcade of less than one hundred sol-
diers with the paraphernalia of all appropri-
ate outfit, and, standing in the glory of that
morning sun waiting orders, was a novelty I
shall not soon forget.  A moment after, and
just as my impatience was asking of the Col.
" Why don't they start? " I was again remind-
ed that army regulations are realities, and or-
der here, as in heaven, a first law, as the word
"Advance! " went down the line, and, in an
instant up went the colors, and through that
mountain swept the bugle blast, and every



might a monarch, to investigate to our satis-



hoof and every wheel moved onward.