Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1867-10-28
For the PUBLIC LEDoER.l
Reminilcenees Of the War.

hctuth anu itb mhuJ hmusihk ihSAuShso'
Go where you would, companies and
squads Of soldiers could be seen march
ing in every direction, and drilling in
almost every block and open lot
Reader, if you were in Memphis at
this time, you must recolect what ter
rible names some of these companies
had, and the Importance the men at
tached to them. 0ne-I remember it
well-was called the Advance Guard. "
To this company ! had the honor to be-
long; and / and many others fully ex-
pected to have the honor (which |, for
one, would willingly have declined), OF
being the advance guard Of the army,
and always the first in every fight. l
think this caused many to withdraw, and
probably prevented many joining who
would have done so had the company
been named the Rear Guard. And
what curious maneuvers some of these
companies were sometimes made to exc
cute. / recollect one in particular that
our captain was very expert at: he
would form the company in single rank; ;
then, think, he halted the rear. man,
moved the head of the company round
in circle, until he had wound it up
around the eenter-somehow, like a
carpenter winds his tape line around its
axle. l have forgotten the commands,
never having heard them since. This
improvement on Hardee was generally
performed for the benefit of the ladies,
and was by them generally very much
admired. Some would ask what kind of
movement it was, when the captain
would inform them that it was an
imitation of the coiling and uncoiling
of the serpent. When coiled he likened
the center man to its head and the orderly
sergeant to its tail, and thought the whole
very much resembled that Shiny reptile.
| used to think / could have made a
very good porcupine, had | been per-
mitted, by fixing bayonets and elevating
them aloft. Irecollect hearing one ofthe
men say, from amidst the coils, that he
did not think they would ever have to do
that in a fight" He was promptly ST.
fenced by the Captain replying that he
was the Captain, and he knew what move
ments to put the company through to fit
it for active service" Although he exc
cuted movements to fit it for action that
would have surprised Hardee, yet when
he got into action he stuck to us with
commendable tenacity, and was twice
wounded before he left. What strict
orders we had when guarding camp. l
remember when camped at the Fair
Grounds, previous to leaving Mem
phis, a poor, supplemented Dutch
man coming around there hunting his
COW. Thinking it might have strayed
inside the groundE he peeped through
the cracks between the boards to ascer-
tain. Unfortunately for him, he was
caught in the act, promptly arrested,
conducted into cam ., and into the pres
ence of the captain, and accused of being
a spy. Although he told his simple story
in straightforward mann er, and with
many tears protested his innocence, yet
he had to produce many witnesses to
its tr nth before he could obtain his re-
lease. Then how watchful and attentive
we had to be on guard. Since then |
have seen men sleep soundly within a
few hundred yards of the enemy to the
music of their constantly whzzing bul,
lets. 1t would not have done to have slept
thus when on duty at the Fair Grounds.
l recollect how annoyed / have been
when some of the sergeants, watching
their opportunity, wonld pass beyond
me unnoticsd. remember one of these
sergeants partio ulsrlY well. He had
been a frontier man, and many
a hard brush had he had with the
Mexicans and Indians" So he said. l
sat for hours, almost entrunced, listeu-
ing to him relate his adventures. How,
snake-like, he had crawle1 among the
tall grass or under brush, and for days
lain there wat ching the movements ofthe
enemy-snd how, many time when
fighting the wild Camsnches, he had
thrown himse If 3 full length by the side
of his horse, antl supporting himself by
one stirrup, ha from this Il should
think very uncomfortable position,
" dropped man big Injin " at full
speed, by a shot fred from beneath the
neck of his horse. Sometimes, after re-
lating his adventures, he would fetch a
rope, make moose at the end and catch
one Of us while running. After perform
ing this feat, b would inform Us that he
had "cI cI.ught the wild buffalo in that
and o OCCASIONALLY, big lnJin.
At tbs { time, in my opinion, captain
John Smiths skill aud prowess we're
nothing in com oarison 20 this man s.
such high opinion had l formed OF his
cunning expertne ss and daving that
coTfess at that time would TSther have
eU countered any other three men than
tLis man alone. 1 expected great things
from him when th,s fighting should com
mence; but, alas, old father Time, how
many Of my youthful idols hast ,'hou
shattered Many a beardless, bashful
youth who could not boast Of killing ~
thing larger than a rabbit, and who sal
silently in the back ground. attentiVely
listening to his ! Fell told whether true or