The weekly Oskaloosa herald. [volume] (Oskaloosa, Iowa) 1855-1885, 1876-08-03

after thay had surrendered. AS to the
first: That was an accident of our trip
as we first went to the front. The town
was on the Hannibal 4 St. Jo. Road. The
Second Iowa was the first regiment that
made the trip along the whole length of
that line. Others had gone part of the
way, but the Second made the whole trip,
and were the first Union troops that the
rebels down there had seen. As We
came up to this little town rebel flag
was streaming from poll in door yard
1t was the first rag Of the Confederacy my
boys had seen, and they said it must come
down. Cheers. / anticipated no troub-
le, but after the boys went up there
heard some shots, then went up. A
young rebel had heard Of our coming to
the town, and had raised the flag az a de-
fance and menace, and said it should
float If he had to protect it with his life.
He got a chance. He said, with his re-
volver drawn, as the boys came up, that
the first man who laid hands on that
flag he would shoot dead. The boys pro-
ceeded to take the thing down, and he
got killed. How he got killed / don't
know exactly. Philo there, (polnting to
Mr.. Case again, sitting near by, holding
the same old drum that he drummed on
through the war; can tell you more about
it than / can. ..... .s..
[Mr. Case-The fellow said he would
shoot the first man who dared even to
touch the flag or the staff, and the boys
went for it. He tried to shoot swapping
his revolver twice. He didn't get q chance
to snap it again, his flag came down and
SO did he. Cheers. s..l ...r,-.. ........
The General-Well, that's the story Of
it. didn't see that part of it. 1 saw
the flag after it was down, and saw the
foolish young rebel lying there dead
That's all l know about it, and perhaps ]
am responsible If SO, have nothing to
take back. Our business down there
was to put down the rebel colors, and Of
course we commenced as soon as we saw
where the work commenced. Cheers
The boys in taking down the rebel flag
had to shoot the rebel to do it, and to
save their own lives to do it, and SO am
charged with numbering him. s. -
SHOOTING REBEL BRIDGE BURNERS.
AS to the shooting of men after they
surrendered, these are these facts, The
rebels had been burning the railroad
bridges and tearing up the track to keep
the Union troops from getting to the
front They were trying to throw trains
off the track, and weaken bridges, SO az
to let whole regiments down into cuts
chasms and rivers, hoping thus to Kill
them. Well, l sent Lieut., McKenney
NOW Gen. McKenney, who was command,
ing Company A. of the Second then, as
gallant soldier, and as noble man as
ever lived, but who always meant bust
ness as much as any man l ever knew to
stop these murderous depredations BY
little strategy he managed to catch lot
of them in the very act. [Laughter.) A
lot Of them were tarring railroad bridge
ready to burn it just before train com
ing with large number of soldiers on il
reached it. Well, in catching the fellows
at it he hurt some of them. Laughter
and applause. .......
The first reports got of the affair
were from some Of the rebels. "Mac,
after attending to this gang, had gone on
catching others. The rebels came in
whining, and complaining that my de
tatchment Of troops had murdered some Of
their friends, or shot them after they had
surrendered. l told them to wait while
and would enquire into it. Pretty soon
Mac and the boys came in. 1 saw that MAJ
had blood in his eye. Laughter.
asked him what he had been doing, and
he said he had caught some of the devil:
and had stopped them. Laughter HI
said he had caught them tearing dowr
and burning bridge, and they had go
hurt. Laughter. ] asked him if h'
had killed them, he said he guessed So
they didn't move afterwards. / asked
him if it was 30 that he had shot them Of
ter they had surrendered. He said i
was not so that he wouldn't let them sur
render. CCheers.] He said, "Do yo,
think l would let those fellows, who had
already murdered some of our UnioI
troops. and were trying to do it again
come up to me.with their hands all tar
red over in an attempt to do it again, sur
render? No, sir; I couldn't do it. and
/ didn't do it. One lot Of them hav,
stopped there deviltry now that know Of
and more of them will if / catch them
[Applause.l What did | say? did I re-
buke Mac and his his gallant squad2
said: "You have done right, and do i
again, whenever and wherever you Car
catch any fellow at the same kind Of dev
iltry." These were the fellows I an
charged with having murdered after the,
had surrendered. Mac wouldn't let them
[Cheers.] There twas no more bridges
burned on that line while ! was in com
mand of the road. Soon after we lef,
they burned bridge and threw . traiI
into the water, killing q number womer
and children. They thought they wer,
laying trap for soldiers train. Blu
the night passenger train happened Il
come first, and SO the soldiers escaped.
only wish that Mac and his squad hat
been there, and caught them setting it OF
fire. ..-. -, .. s..........
-,..... ANONYMOUS LETTERS.
These, fellow citizens and neighbors
are some OF the many charges mad
against me, and sent to me daily by tn
score, in anonymous letters. i cannot re
fer to all Of them, They can prove VI
many like things on me, and any Uniol
officer or soldier who was in the army ant
tried to do his duty. We were dow
there to make war---not merely like Be-
Hills rebels, to hug the constitution. Il
having done my duty as soldier, in m,
humble, and yet earnest and, well meaning
way, / am now called after have left tn
Democratic party, u robber, y burner o
houses, murderer Just as Gen. LC
gan, honest, noble, true hearted and pat
riotic, was so stigmatized after he left tn
same party. Do you wonder, gentlemen
that l have been stang into making pub
| liely the remarks that / have made here
/ have no abuse to q make of any one. q
cali no one by name, i state simply tn
general facts, that others may see as we
as myself that the war and the hate O
Union soldiers did not die, as the 81
Lo uis platform says, eleven years ago.
| THE ST. LOUIS cONvENT4oN. t
That convention did not look as thoug
treason was an odious thing, nor that rel
els were any the less to be honored tha
patriots. That gathering proved agai
what the Democratic House had alread
] proved, that the old rebel element is run
ming the Democratic party, and that it
whole hope Of success is staked on the
solid support. They were all there at 8
Louis, and were the lions Of the day, e.
pecially honored and cheered by the co.
vsntion, and honpred and iouized BY th
sama oangs of rebels who waro snou,;n