The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1883-05-10
A WAR REMINIsCENOE.
First Meeting at Gettysburg-Sscond at
the Dardanelle Rock.

First Meeting at Gettysburg Second at
the Dardanelle Rock.
L met him at ''the rock Just above
town. He was punching two yoke OF
bulls and whistled merrily as he punch
ed. Such wondrous happiness struck
me as strange for this serious and busi-
ness like community, and | accordingly
sought its cause.
Beautiful weather?n
Yes, sir, allus have fine weather in
this yer country. Pears TO me you
mought be stranger hyar. WhauI
may We come from now?" and yelling to
the cattle, he turned around, disclosing
the loss of an arm. Being interested as
to the cause of his loss | questioned him,
and found had been within two hun
dred yards of him when he lost it.
Let him tell the story. .Whaur did
lose itp Well, stranger, it's right
smart o time since this yer happened,
but don't mind telling. Ye see twas
at the Gettysburg fight in Pennsylvania.
We was thaur under Longstreet, an be
sort O thought as how he'd git up on
the ridge Cemetery ridge, and drive
every last one O. the Yanks Off n thau,
ef it took all night. Wall, yer see the
Yanks in thet part NV the field was pur-
ty plenty. so to speak. an we stood q
right smart chance of getting the wust
Nv it, but we wasn't scarin them very
bad, so we lit up on to 'em, an never
seed sech work fore nor sence. They
was game, them Yanks wos, an fit like
he lions, tell ye; but Lord o massy we
had 'em whaur the ha'r were short and
driv' 'em down off n ther mill an through
the graveyard for all thet were out.
The speakers eyes lighted up with the
enthusiasm born of genuine experience
in the field under fire, and placing his
hand upon the stump he continued:
''Wall, stranger, a piece of shell tub
this yer away, an left me on the ground
in tol' able bad fix, but could see lots
o. the Yanks all around me an | felt
sort O satisfied at thet thaur. 1t was
| pow'ful hot thet day, an l was awful
| thirsty, but We see l waur so weak from
| blood runnin' Ghet | couldn't stand up
so | cooned over to a dead Yank, es
thought, and cut his canteen of''n him
but cut into his flesh, an he warn
dead, ne jes' raised up an sez he: .Wha
regiment do you belong TOP / b'long tx
the Tennessee rangers, sez |. Are yor
a rebel sez he. Thet's just whaur ye
hit it, sez [. You're bleeding to death,
sez be. 'let me bind up your arm. An
curse if thet thaur little chap Che waul
only a boy) didn' fix me up slick an h
couldn't get off'n the ground. either
Wall, / was pow'ful mixed like, an
asked him waur he ever hit, an he sale
his left ankle waur broke, an soft waur
an | ups an fixed him all | could, an
| so we wus friends. Inever believed the
| could be friendly to a Iank, but tha
| ther boy he won ME sure, an he laiJ
thaur with rae all thet day in the glarin4
sun, an all thet night in the cold dews
an neither of us could stan up. So ht
told me all bout his friends, and how
his mother would pray fer him, an jes
thought pow ful like o my boy Jim c
| home waur just about his size, an
warmed to this yer little Yank main
an when the boys come for US, mex
mornin', | asked 'em to put the littl,
| Yank along with me, an ciley did, ant
] sorter thought I'd never be alive NJ
how for his help"
| he looked meditatively at the river
What became OF the little Yank? Iasked
wall. stranger, donno, fur they sen
| him to Richmond, an | never herd o
him again"
| Well, my friend, said /, you are nov
| talking TO the indentical little yank il
propria persona. He was staggered, h'
looked searchingly into my face, bu
failed to find any resemblance to tn,
fair-haired boy who bound up his bleed
| ing stump; but, upon an exchange o
notes. proved to him that | was tn,
| person, and he was delighted.
side of the story is soon told.
was in the second brigade, second div
| ision of Doubieday's first army corps
and in the carnage at the cemetery wa
cut in the head and had my leg broker
| by shell. On returning.to conscious
ness l found a Rebel near me, as
| thought, about to dispatch me. We be
came friends in our misfortune. AnC
| through the endless day of roasting anC
night of chills, while the horrors of bat
tie were, ever and anon, around, before
and behind us, my Johnny Reb frient
actually made me laugh in my pain ant
suffering by his droll anecdotes of South
ern life, and but for his assistance,
must needs be minus leg by amputa
| ton.
Fortune has not smiled on either since
those memorable days-he going witt
his belongings in a bull cart to Kansas
there to spend the remainder of his days
while | drudge and fret out my days try
ing to fill the capacious NAV of th'
foreman with ''copy.' .''-Harry ashton
| IN the DGrdunel}e ArbaRSlan.