The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1875-06-03

posts improvised on the spot. Mos
of the general officers, except Thorn
rs, followed my example strictly; bu
he had regular headquarters camp
| frequently called his attention t
the orders on this subject, rather jest
inglv than seriously. He would breal
out against his officers for having sucl
luxuries, but, needing tent himself
and being good-natured and slow ,e
act, he never enforced my orders per
fectly. In addition to his regular
wagon train, he had big wagon
which could be converted into an Of.
fce, and this we used to call Thomas
circus. Several times during the
campaign found quartermasters hid
away in some comfortable nook to the
rear, with tents and mess fixture,
which were the envy of the passing
soldiers; and / frequently broke them
up, and distributed the tents to the
surgeons of brigadeS Yet my or.
ders actually reduced the transporta
ton, so that doubt If any army ever
went forth to battle with fewer i'm.
pediments, and where the regular and
necessary supplies of food, ammuni.
ton, and clothing were issued, as
called for, so regularly and SO we'll
CAPTURING MULES.
Rousseau, when he reported to me
in person before Atlanta, on the 23d
OF July, stated his entire loss to have
been only twelve killed and thirty
wounded. He brought in four hun.
dred mules and three hundred horses,
and also told me a good story. He
said he was far down in Alabama, be
low the Talladega, one hot, dusty day,
when the blue clothing of his men
was gray with dust; he had halted
his column along road, and he in
person, with his staff, had gone to the
house Of a planter, who met him
kindly on the front porch. He asked
for water, which was brought, and as
the party sat on the porch in CONVEX
sation he saw, III stable-yard across
the road. quite number OF good
mules. He remarked to the planter,
"My good sir,I fear must take some
of your mules" The planter renon-
s,rated, saying he had already con-
tributed literally to the good cause;
that it was only last week he had Civ
en- to General Roddy ten mules
Rousseau replied, "Well, in this war
you should be at least neutr4l-that
is, you should be as liberal to US as to
Roddy" a rebel cavalry generaD =
"Well, amt you on our side::" mo"
said Rousseau; 81 am General Rous-
seau, and all these men you see are
Yanks." Great God! is it possible:
Are these Yanks? Who ever suppos-
ed they would come away down here
in Alabama" Or course, Rousseau
took his ten mules.
DEATH OF MCPHERsoN--AL LAST INTER-
VIEW.
Mcpherson said he could put al
his pioneers to work, and do with
them in the time indicated all had
to do with General Dodge's
two divisions. Of course l assented
at once, and we walked down the
road short distance, sat down by
the foot of tree where l had my
map, and on it pointed out TO him
Thomas position and his own. / then
explained minutely that, after we had
sufficiently broken up the Augusta
road, wanted to shift his whole army
around by the rear to Thomas ex-
.reme right, and hoped thus to reach
the old railroad at East Point. While
we were there we could hear lively
skirmishing going on near US (down
about the distillery), and occasionally
round shot from twelve or twenty
four pound guns came through the
trees in reply to those OF Schofeld,
and we could hear similar sounds all
along down the line of Thomas to our
right, and his own to the left; when
presently the firing appeared little
more brisk Especially over about G.
A. Smiths division), and then we
heard an occasional gun back toward
Decatur. | asked him what it meant
We took my pocket compass (which |
always carried), and bv noticing the
of the sound, we became
satisfied that the firing was too far to
our left rear to be explained in these
known facts, and he hastily called for
his horse and staff, and his orderlies.
Mcpherson was then in his prime
(about thir,y-four years old), over six
feet high, and very handsome man
in every way, was universally liked
and had many noble qualities. He
had on his boots outside his panta-
looms, gaun,lets on his hands, had on
a major-general's uniform, and wore a
swordbelt but no sword. He hastily
gathered his papers( save those which
now possess), into pocket book,
put it in his breast pocket, and Jump
ed on bis horse, saying, he would
hurry down his line and send me back
word what these sounds meant. His
adjutan,-general Clark, inspector gen
eral Strong, and his aids, Captains
Steele and Gile, were with him. AL
though the sound of musketry on our
left grew in volume, i was not SO much
disturbed by it as by the sound of
artillery back toward Decatur. l or
dered Schofeld at once to send a
brigade back to Decatur (some five
miles), and was walking up and down
the porch of the Howard House, lis
tening, when one of McPherson's staff.
with his horse covered with swea,
dashed up to the porch, and reported
that General Mcpherson was either
"kiled or prisoner" He explained
that when they had left me a few
minutes before, they had ridden rap.
idly across to the railroad, the sounds
of battle increasing as they neared
the position occupied by General G.
A. Smiths division, and that McPher-
son had first sent one and then anoth-
er of his staff to bring some of the re-
serve brigades of the Fifteenth Corps
over to the exposed left flank; tina,
he had reached the head of Dodge's
corps (marching by the flank on the
diagonal road as described), and had
ordered it to hurry forward to the
same point; that then, almost if no,
entirely alone, he had followed thi.