ers on both sides had fought with
almost unexampled courage, standing up to their work all the time,
until one third of their numbers were killed or wounded, and their
forty rounds of ammunition gone, the little companies of old,
regular Indian-fighters had been deployed as skirmishers in close
order, behind trees and bushes and hillocks, and had suffered
comparatively small losses. The following colloquy occurred between
one of them and a volunteer whose cartridge-box, as he was proud
to show, was empty. Volunteer: "How many shots did _you_ fire?"
Old soldier (looking into his cartridge-box): "I fired just
nineteen." Volunteer: "And how many rebs do you think you killed?"
Old soldier: "I guess I killed about nineteen."

One beautiful, quiet Sunday afternoon, in front of Atlanta, when
even the pickets were respecting the Sabbath day, my headquarters
band, which had been playing selections of sacred music, easily
heard on the other side of the lines, struck up a favorite Southern
air of quite a different character. Quickly came a shell crashing
through the trees far over our heads. The band as quickly took
the hint and changed the tune. Such little "courtesies" from our
"friends the enemy" were not at all uncommon in the short intervals
of rest from deadly work.

THE ASSAULT ON KENESAW

General Sherman says in Vol. II, page 60, of his "Memoirs":

"During the 24th and 25th of June, General Schofield extended his
right as far as prudent, so as to compel the enemy to thin out his
lines correspondingly, with the intention to make two strong assaults
at points where success would give us the greatest advantage. I
had consulted Generals Thomas, McPherson, and Schofield, and we
all agreed that we could not with prudence stretch out any more,
and therefore there was no alternative but to attack 'fortified
lines'--a thing carefully avoided up to that time."

The first sentence literally means that I extended my right "with
the intention," _on my part_, "to make two strong assaults," etc.
But that is a mere verbal error. General Sherman, of course, meant
to say that the intention was his.

The second sentence is, perhaps, ambiguous. At least it has been
construed to mean more than the truth. It is undoubtedly true that
"we all agreed that we could not with prudence stretch out any
more," but we did not agree in the conclusion "and therefore there
was no alt