Daily Yellowstone journal., 1884-11-16
A SOLDIERS SAD STORY.
A Sirievous Mistake which a Fed
crai SharPshOoter Made.

lSouthern Trade Gazettr.l
After the battle Of Stone river. and
the Confederate forces had fallen back
10 Tullahoma, Tenn, General Rosecrans,
then in command of the Union army
operating in Tennessee, proceeded to
fOrtify around Murfreesboro while the
COnfcderates were engaged in strength
ening the defenccs at Tullahoma.
Our army, which had done but little
fighting after the battle OF Stone river,
moved upon Tullahoma in July. 1863,
expecting to find the 'lohnnies pre-.
pared 10 receive them with open arms
and bloody hands.
1T was there that | witnessed the
saddest event of the war" said VET
eran soldier TO us while talking of the
trip from Murlrccsboro 10 Tullahoma,
and he proceeded Ia relate substantially
the following.
"Thc 1hirty-ninlh Indiana was in
advance, and moved cautiously upon the
town. aud found that the enemy had
evacuated. leaving nothing bui a rear
guard to cover their retreat. The regi-
ment then pushed on into the heart of
the place. driving the remalnding rebels
out and across small river beyond. at
which our troops came TO a halt: and
seeing the enemy on the opposite side of
the river. they awaited for our sharp
shooters Ia come up before ,enturing
across
THE Confederate, could br seen rid
ing around the woods and fields six or
seven hundred yards away. and Just as
they passed through gap in fence
near farm house, man was ,srcn tc
cross the road and enter the house, but
soon came out again in plain view of our
men. He was too far away TO be- reached
with any common gun, and was not fired
upon.
1T Was not long before The sharp.
shooters came up 10 the river with their
long rang. globr.siglIr rifles The man
could yet plainly Ia seen near The house.
seeming 10 defy our guns. DGr of the
dead shot >llar,,>hooler, brought his gun
up To his shoulder and fired. The man
fell 10 the ground. and in a iew minutes
time woman and several little children
were seen about the fallen man.
The enemy had now disappeared. and
our troops crossed the river and moved
on down thu road. feeling their way.
When they came up Ia the spot where
the soldier had been killed. there lay in
deaths rmbracc-nOt Confederate
soldier but an innocent little la-year.
old boy. and his poor. hcaribros,n
mother and little brothers and sisters
weeping over him, and PRAYING that
God might bring him back To them
again.
The boy was engaged ia putting up
the fence near his home thai The army
had thrown down to pass through ia
their retreat. and WAS mistaken by our
men for a Confederate soldier.
1T was truly scrrOwful event: but
the soldier who killed the little fellow
would have laid down his own life as
sacrifice IL il would have brought the
boy back to life again, 10 comfort his
mother. who had already been robbed
of a husband and an older son by the
cruel war.
The regiment passed on in pursuit Of
the flying enemy. and left the poor
woman weeping aud wailing over the
death of her dear boy.
several days afterwards. when the
soldiers of the Thirty ninth regiment rc-
turned Ia TullahOma and passed by The
house where the sad affair occurred. and
saw a little mound in the front yard near
the road. feeling OF sadness crept over
the hardened veterans, and they could |
not keep back the tears that chased each |
other down their brOnzed cheeks.
Though twenty summers have come
and gone since the death Of the boy. that
little mound near the door Of his home.
where he had spent many happy days,
is still green IN the memory Of those
who saw him shot.