The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1878-02-15
THE THREE SHOTS.
SOLDIERS "REMINISCENCES OF The LATE
CIVIL WAR.

war. Did | say story? No, it is no story
but a fact actual as that the war com
menced and ended. An additional fact is
that it will give to the coming historian of
the great rebellion an interesting Incident
TO grace his pages, and some data to help
his judgment. The writer was personally
present., and was modest participant in
the scenes he describes and can and will
vouch for the truthfnlness of his recollec-
tions 1t is aslo written in furtherance of
that spirit of harmony which is beginning
now to be the blessing of the country, and
to do justice to the memory of some brave
men who are now in that cond ition which
Colonel o Hara so feelingly describes, that
On Fames eternal camping ground
Their silent tents are spread;
And glory guards with solemn round
The bivouac of the dead.
The scenes and incidents of these mem
orable days should be. by all who partici.
pated in them, committed TO imperishable
print, and not left to the misconstructions
of the misiiness and uncertainties of tra-
dition.
The seventh day of November. 1861. was
gloriously beautiful. Long before the usual
time for reveille, the officer of the day had
notified the proper persons and soon our
chcory was boiling, the whole camp was
on the qni vive, and as each one of us drank
our, hot liquid out of our tin cups, we
asked each other "What is Up now 81 1t
was only the cavalry that was aroused.
PIcket's regimenU of infantry, the First
Tennessee, lay beautifully snoring in their
bivouac. The Tennessee Mountain Rifles
Capt. White, the Memphis Light Dragons,
under Logwood, aud the gallant company
of Ballentiue every one of whom was a
gentleman and a soldier) were soon ready
for action. The morning broke bright and
beautiful. l recollect the day well. No
vember has been universally abused for its
inclemency. This day did not deserve il.
Nature certainly was in her and yell
low leaf, but the air was as balmy as the
last kiss of spring on the brow of summer.
We waited a few weary minutes, when
we smeIt the religious presence of a staff
olhcer, (foik was i'll command and soon
the racket of ''boots and saddles sent
every man into stirrupS, aud the battle of
Belmont, on the Confederate side had
begun. News had reached Gen. Polk that
Grant was approaching Columbus by the
Paducah road, while the fact was that hat
gentleman was quiet. dropping down his
force on The Mississippi on transports, un-
der the convoy Of the gunboats Conestoga,
Tyler and Lexington. Well, the Tennes-
see Mounted Rifles were ordered out on the
Paducah road, and after brisk gallop OF
hye miles found nothing on shore, but saw
plenty on the water to have the order given
to change the head of column and so came
report at the Episcopal residence, Grant
had come around Milliken's bend, and re-
ported IN person, we might say, to the
Bishop 10y landing his troops just above a
small hamlet named Belmont
THE BATTLE.
The Bishop thought he was fool, and
paid no attention to things in the bend for
some time, as he supposed, as the country
had all been secuted over, there was no
passage for artillery through the morass,
oehlnd Belmont, where camp of about
1,5O0 men aud Belzhoover's battery was
stationed. 1t is low country, and a com
mon joke among us was that they were
sent over there TO keep uS from shak ing. as
a large number of .bem had the fever and
ague, and the Arkansas variety of it at
that. We were wrong in this, for when
the time came for work we shook more
than they did, and no men ever stood
more nobly to their guns until driven into
the Mississippi 10y those fighting devils
from Illinois and Iowa, under McClprnard,
Buford. Logan and Foulker. They fought
for every inch of ground until they had TO
go over the banks, and any one who has
ever boen there knows that only Cough
could stand such water. even under the
pressing influence Of cannon and rifle balls
Soon Polk came to his senses and learn
ed, too late, that Grants advance was Sc
rious, and on the wrong side of the river
for him. He was again
Mounting in hot haste the steed,"
and we were ordered across the river,
which we crossed under a murderous fire
from our own captured battery and the
guns which had been brought by Grant.
Frank Cheatham led the advance and the
Federals soon found themselves i'm the tolls
and the victors of but an hour ago found
themselves the vanquisheG. and had liter
ally ~ cut their way through the trans
ports, under the protection of the gunbuats,
which kept up an incessant shelling. The
| Tennessee Rifles were early in action, and
followed closely the flying enemy. The
Sixth Iowa fought like devils, but had to
give back. Three skirmishers of the rifles
soon came within range of the transports.
and hot work ii was, as tue double-ended
gunboats were belching shells every in
stant Crash after crash down came the
| limbs of the trees the rifle bullets added
their spitefuI whiz 70 the thundered tones
of the Columbiad, and Colts revolver spoke
to the Sharpe's carbine. 1t seemed as if
pandemonium had got on a pyrotechuic
spree, aud that fire and lead had seized the
world. Still the three skirmishers had
pushed on. but finally dropped behind
large cypress log. It was safer to stay
where they were than get back. This con-
diticn of things could not last long. Up
spoke one of the dare-devis: sI'm coin'
to have a shot at that fellow who's doing
all the smoking and bossing, if l catch a
full shell the mex; instant"
So saying lie leveed his Sharpe's rifle.
which had never before failed him, and
blazed away. The bullet cut the standard
of the deck within half all inch of its Oh
.iect.
"Tn take another one. What's the
matter with me ?'
Once more the barrel crossed the log,
and this time the bullet must have gone
through the clothing of the imperiurbar. e
! smoker, as he slightly changed his position
to give some orders, but to the marksmau
exposing the brass buttons on his waist.
Never a better mark in the world al
most yelled the desperate mar ksman, land
| that mans my meatr'
Carefully, calmly, coolly, that rifieman.
who had and could take off turkeys head
at two hundred yards with his rifle, drew
bead upon his target-the six inches be-
| tween the buttons behind-abd missed
just then a she'll came crashing TO the spot.