New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1876-04-02

MATTHIAS HINOJOSA,
In behalf Of the Rifemen of Lola;
And many others.
A Reminisceace Of Bristow.
An Indiana solder writes the following
interesting sketch to the Cincinnati Com
mercial;
Bristow stock is way up in this section.
| the Republicans are not quite 80 sus.
| p;cious Of Southern men as in the upper
| counties, and his military record ia we'll
this reminds me that l enjoyed ~ the dis
tinguished gentleman's acquaintance for
| two exciting minutes cnce-though till
| learned the tact here l had no idea this
| Bristow was that Brist0w. Though l was
| a private and he colonel, and I was get
ling out of range pretty fast when he ran
| his horse across my path, and halted me
| with many emphatic words Theological.
but not logically arrsnged), still l think l
| who is so emphatic. He was, on that 0cca-
sion. regret to say, rather profane. They
| cav he has since Joined the Presbyterians
| and Quit swearing; but in my mind he is
still photographed IS big sngry man on
horseback.
Our very brief acquaintance was on this
wise: When the Thirty first Indiana Regi-
i
kentucky in the fall of 1861, our principal
occupation was to guard the locks on Green
river and We were assisted by the Twenty
fifth Kentucky, of which General j. NJ.
Shackelford NOW Of this c;ty) was colonel,
and B. H. BrIs.Ow lieu.enan. colonel. That
regiment was MADE up in Todd. Christian
Hopkins, Webster, anu Henderson counties,
and contained some of the best fighting ma
terlai ever saw. When they Came to US
H., Sous thax- haR
set of men that ever came out of the brakes
of Green river. out by the time We went to
Fort Donelson they were almost equal to
veterans. The regiment was never quite
full, and was eventually consolidated
with the Seventeenth Kentucky. These
two and the Thirty-irst and Forty fourth
Indiana composed brigade. which went
into It's first battle a. Fort Donelson with
about 300 effective men. When the battle
opened on the fifteenth of February. 1862,
we were ordered to 60 in on the extreme
right, but the staff officer who was to have
guided US this l afterward learned), left Us
at the head of q rav;ne, full halfa mile from
the destined point. and left the colonies to
find their way in as best they could. We,
therefore, marched by the right down the
ravine and went into action on the upper
Dover road. The Kentuckians went on
ahead of Us, their line extending along the
rtUS6 auU l6Cluk tUc 5AupC " tuC AOEtus Up
which the rebels were advancing. The men
were in good spirits, all the officers in place,
and everything working beautifully. While
We lay on the ground few rods behind
them, expecting every moment to be called
into action their wounded passed our
line in considerable numbers; and
green as l was l saw that things
were getting hot. Under fire for the
first time, it's wonder men stand it as
IL. 81. a. En- <hn .ADn
of the shot came low enough to endanger
US, but about twenty feet above it ratified
through the trees and brush in way that
was CHILLING to young hearts" l remem-
Der that had begun to feel easy and was
taking quite an artistic interest in the way
the boys in front handled their guns, when
there suddenly burst forth from our right
a roar which could then have sworn came
from Al, 900 muskets. 1t afterward proved
staff officer. We had turned too far to the
left, and got quartering nearly between
two rebel brigades. At this new discharge
l saw four or five kentuckians drop all TO-
gether, and one quite near me jumped high
in the air, his blood and brains spattering
the snow. 1t is, perhaps. unnecessary 10
say that was ''denoralized."
For one minute the kentuckians stood.
Then the first two or three men on the
then the first company. and Immediately
both regiments run right over us-this SO
suddenly that some of cur men were
trodden on. and instantly We wsre up and
after them all in a mad rush tor the rear.
For five minutes the hollow was filled with
disordered mass, in which neither COM
pany nor regiment was distinguishabie.
The officers then exerted Themselves, and,
as the men were soon out of breath run
~, ~ tLnr ell h.
little into ranks, mechanically, as we'll
drilled soldiers Will. Even in that dis
tressing time l remember that one ex-
preston was common: "Whe. vii 49,
saw of US st home e. Trampled by the
first rush ami left behind in the
hollow, l was Eth making good time up
the slope. whel l ran against Colonel
Bristow, who hal rallied a platoon or two.
Fixing a blazing eye on US, he remarked
emphatically: This is ID pretty con-
duct. and the fr-t time Hoosiers have run
recognize. in the emphasis on this" that
delicate allus:on 70 Buena Vista, which was
a sore subject 9TH us before the late war.
Well, we reformed az the top of the ridge,
wen. into act N, and l believe the
official report says the brigade behaved
well. But rem nber another saying that
went around the brigade, both among Ken
tuchians and HOLSTERS: ut was shame to
run, but Colonel Croft lof the Thirty-frst)
And, for aught know, this is the first men
ton of it in print. 1t was thought great
disgrace then for troops to break q. all
We learned better later in the war
Our little ''sked addle" did no harm. The
post surrendered next Cay. and the brigade
went on to Mississippi. The next summer
Mr. Lincoln sent authority. to Colonel
Shackelford to raise a cavalry regiment,
and Colonel Bristow followed him Into that
service. In two weeks they had 1000 men
offered them From these they selected that |
splendid body of riders and fighters, the |
Eighth Kentucky Cavalry. In fact, all the
Union troops from that part Of Kentucky |
ought TO have been cavalry. for they were
reared on horseback, while some of our East |
ern cavalry regiments spent their first six |
months in learning how 20 sit on and quiet |
their horses. When -he rebel cavalry from
Southwestern Kentucky bore down on us it |
was different. sort of riding we saw from
that exhibited by cavalry from New Eng
land factory towns. OF the Eighth, one
battalion was raised in Todd, Logan and
Christian counties; one in Henderson, Hop
kins. Webster and Davies and the rest in |
Lincoln county. which had been Colonel
Shackelford's home. When he was pro.
noted, Bristow became colonel and to- |
gether they went through the thirty days
ride after John Morgan & Co. Ii is pleasant |
in the sunshine of peace to revert to those |
stirring times when we made great men so
fast, and mado corpses a great deal faster.
After TIVE years service Colonel Bristow
was made district attorney at Louisville,
since which time his career is historic.
+ rom these imperfect sketches one may
guess the grounds of his popularity in Indi-
ana.
weather Miss Lily refused to get up and
be washed. Her aunt, who follows the
modern mode of dealing with children, and