Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1884-08-28
A WAR REMINISCENCE.
How Private Nash Surrounded and Capt
ured Eleven Rebels.

ured Eleven Rebels.
1t was along in the afternoon. on
Wednesday, Nov. %, 1868, that our
boys were massed in front of Mission
Ridge. The day was like most of the
autumn days in that country, pleasant,
chilly, but not too cold for comfort.
The Fifty-seventh II diana, of which
regiment the writer was a member, was
located at the foot of the Ridge, where
the rebels had thrown upa slight earth
work, something in the nature of rifle
pit.
since the morning of the Monday pre-
yious, and the rebels had been slowly
forced from their position. About 3
o'clock grist of mail was distributed
to the Fifty-seventh Regiment, and as
this was the first mail that had been re-
ceived for over six weeks most every
one got some word from home There
was one exception, though. Private
William Nash, of Company l, looked
Respondent when his name was not
called, and he was observed to fix his
bayonet AMI quietly walk over to the
foot of the Ridge; every one who saw
be killed. In a few minucs he was seen
returning driving before him number
of Johnnies. When he got back to the
company we found that he had ten men
and lieutenant that he claimed he had
surrounded He took his catch" to
the Prov st Marshal, got receipt for
them, and was back with the regiment
in time to assist in storming the Ridge
which we occupied that night.
At the last reunion Of the Fifty-sev-
enth Nash was called on to tell how he
surrounded eleven prisoners, and he
said:
We'll, there amt much to tell; you
see the mail came into camp that after
noon, aud every man III my company
got letter, some of them two or three.
| did rot get any, and, not having heard
from home for nearly three months, /
felt down in the mouth, and said to my
self that didn't care d--n what
became of me-. SO fixed the bayonet
on my musket and went over to the foot
of tho bluff, where a breastwork had
been thrown up by the rebels. | went
up to the rise i'll the ground and peeped
over, and saw parcel of men and an
| officer, brought my gun to charge,
jumped over the rampant, and yelled,
Get out of here, you id rebels.
The Lieutenant presented his sword
and said, we surrender / ordered
the men to throw down their arms and
march over the rampant, which they
did. From there | marched 'em back
to the Captain of my company, Capt.
| Summers, who, when he learned that
| | had brought them all in alone, sent
me to Col. Lennerd, who sent me to the
| Provost Marshal in the rear. / turned
! the squad over to the Provost Marshal,
taking his receipt for EN-, which | still
! hold. The Lieutenant presented me
| with his sword. When / returned to
the regiment we went mp and camped
on the top of the Ridge. The rebels
had thirty-two pieces of heavy artillery
there that morning, but we moved 'em
| and camped on the spot.
Here is a copy of the receipt that
Nash values SO highly:
HEADpU ARTEHS DEFr. CUMBERLAND.
/ CdATrANOOGs. NOV. %, 1868.
Received of William \. Nash, private Com,
pany /, rfty-sevcnth Indiana Volunteers,
eleven prisoners OF war, including one lieu
tenant Thomas J. Shipman, SXtieth North
! Carolina, who in my presence presented pri-
yate Nash with his sword as captor.
ELIAS CASPER, Captain and A. p. NJ.
For his gallant conduct on this occa-
sion Nash was offered commission as
captain, but he firmly declined to ac-
cept it. He was made sergeant, retain
ing that position till the final muster
ont in the fall of 1860 He now resides
on the Bluff road, near Ger ter Church,
some three or four miles south of Indi
annapolis Indiana Pharmacist.