American Boys' Life of William McKinley. Stratemeyer Edward

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      CHAPTER VII

       Table of Contents

      Winter in Camp — Dividing up with the Soldier Boys — A Disagreeable March — Battle of Cloyd Mountain — A Teamster's Tribute

      Having assisted in the defeat and capture of Morgan and his raiders, the Twenty-third Ohio returned to Charleston, Virginia, and there went into winter camp, where it remained until the end of the following April.

      The days proved long and dreary to the soldier boys, especially to those who could not obtain furloughs for the purpose of seeing their folks at home. There was a great deal of sleet and rain, and often a chilling wind would come up calculated to freeze the marrow in one's bones. Truly war isn't all glory, and Lieutenant McKinley found it so. But he stuck to his duty, and his old army friends say that he tried to make the best of the situation.

      In those days delicacies were hard to get, and those who managed to obtain them were reckoned unusually fortunate. When a box of good things came in for anybody, the others would gather around, hoping for a share.

      One day a small box came in for the second lieutenant, and was carried to his tent, to be opened in private.

      "We won't get any of that," said one of the privates, a young man from Poland. "Mac's an officer now."

      "Yes, but he's not the one to go back on his old friends," answered another. "You ought to know that as well as I."

      "Ordinarily, yes; but we haven't had anything but bacon and hardtack for a week now, and I reckon he's as crazy for some good things as any of us," returned the first speaker.

      By this time a little group had formed around those who were talking. They were all men from Poland, Niles, and the vicinity, who had known McKinley for years. Would he keep all his good things to himself, or would he "divide up," as had been his habit when in the ranks?

      Presently one of the soldiers saw him come to the door of his tent and beckon to him. The private ran over. In his hand McKinley held a large round cake, out of which he had just cut one fair-sized slice.

      "Just got this from home," he said. "You boys can divide it up between you. There are the other things I got." And he pointed to them, lying on his cot, — some new underwear and half a dozen pairs of heavy socks, made by his mother and sisters.

      "Thank you, lieutenant," said the private, and hurried back to the crowd with the cake. "Told you he wouldn't go back on us," he said to his fellow-soldiers. "He's got some homemade socks in there, and I'll bet if any of us needs 'em, he'll divide up on those, too."

      Early in February, 1864, there was a vacancy among the first lieutenants of the command, and some speculation was indulged in concerning who would obtain the coveted commission. But the speculation did not last long, for the honor went to McKinley, much to the satisfaction of his many friends.

      "He deserves it," said an old veteran of several wars. "Watch him, and some day you'll see him a general."

      A few weeks later, orders came to break camp, and move to the Kanawha, at a point a few miles above Brownstown. Although it was now the first of May, the ravines in the mountains lay deep with snow, and the weather was anything but springlike. For three days it rained and the sleet came down, and scarcely enough dry wood could be found with which to build a camp-fire. The long winter's inactivity had not put the men in good marching condition, and it was with much toil and pain that they fought their way through the great snowfilled hollows, and up the bleak and slippery mountain sides.

      Veterans tell many tales of that march, which lasted the best part of a week. "I was used up by it," said one. "It was so cold at times I couldn't tell whether I had my nose or feet left, or not. When we laid down to sleep, our blankets would often freeze fast during the night, so that we'd have to take an axe and chop them loose in the morning.

      "I remember McKinley well on that march. He had just been made a first lieutenant, and I imagine he had his eye on a captaincy — anyway, he did his full share toward hustling us along and helping stragglers. There was one poor chap who got dead beat out and in climbing the mountain side he slipped and rolled into a hollow at least two hundred feet out of the way. There was no ambulance corps around, and no doctor within call, and the sergeant detailed to look after stragglers was about as fagged out as the man who took the tumble. I was looking at the poor chap when McKinley rushes up to me, and cries, 'Come on, let's help him up!' And away he goes, and me after him. I can tell you it was a tough climb down into the hole, and a worse climb back. But we got him on his feet, and then two or three others joined hands with us, and in that way we got him up to the path. We made some hot coffee for him, and gave him some liquor, and helped him along, and by and by he was all right again. But he didn't forget what we did for him, and since then he's voted for McKinley six or seven times."

      General Grant had now become lieutenant-general of all the Union forces, and the Union army had been increased by the addition of several hundred thousand men. Steps were taken to advance upon the Confederates from a number of points at once, and this included СКАЧАТЬ