The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-06-22
A VETERANS STORY.


Ii was my fortune TO be a private in
the Union army during the last two
years of the late war. | might, with
some show Of propriety, perhaps. dub
myself q high private, inasmuch as
that myself and fifteen others were de-
tailed from our respective companies
and formed into a regimental band.
Notwithstanding the fact that such or
CARNATIONS had been done away with
I'm the volunteer service at a compara-
lively early stage of the war. My regi-
ment was the Thirtieth Illinois in
fantry. Upon veteranizing, in Janu-
airy, 1864, it was made a part of the
Tenth army corps, afterward the
Twenty-fourth corps. which latter was
formed by merging the Tenth and
Eighteenth corps into one. and that
constituted the greater part of the
Army of the James.
February, 1865, found that army in
winter quarters on the north of the his
toric James river. at a point perhaps
fifteen miles from Richmond and three
from Ben Buffers famous Dutch Gap
canal. DIR. Woodland, of Chicago. was
regiment, and al the time mentioned
was Acting Medical Puryeyor of the
corps, with headquarters and medical
supplies in barge lying in the James
at a point four miles i'm the rear of our
camp, where Four Mile run cmpties
into the James. ami which location
formed the extreme right of the Union
army defenses on the north of the
James. On the llth of February
ii was arranged that our band.
now doing brigade duty. should
visit the landing for the purpose of
serenading DIR. Woodland and Colonel
Osborne, tho last named of whom was
to be there on that evening in order to
take passage for Fortress Monroe at
four clock on the following morning
on the steamer Thomas Powell. So,
after dress-parade on February IL, our
band took up their four mile march
over a corduroy road to the landing
aforesaid We were accompanied
BY the bands best friend, our sem
Tor surgeon, DIR. Charles nj. Clark,
also of Chicago, where he still
lives. We were Hospitality received by
Dr. Woodland upon boarding his
barge. The evening passed very pleas
antly in instrumental. dramatic and
vocal selections.
Seemingly the hours passed in rapie>
succession. Out i'm the river opposite
the mouth of Four Mile run was an-
chored the United States steamer
Hunchback. double-ender, COM
manded by Captain Joseph Fyfe, From
it signals were made at about eleven
o'clock inviting our officers and band
on board, which invitation was ac-
cepted, Notwithstanding the rapid APP
proach of midnight. Soon the Cap
tain's gig and a cutter-the one for the
officers and the other for the band
came alongside the purveyor's barge,
and shortly afterward we clambered w
the side of the Huncbback, Cap
tain Fyffe was a swarthy siX-footer.
handsome as picture, anC
seemed like one born to COM
mand. His good-natured anec.
dotes, gibes. and jokes all seemed tc
be aimed at the volunteers in both the
army and navy. He made sport of re-
cruits to superlative degree, and es-
pecially of a lot which had recently
been sent from Ohio to his vessel.
''Why," said he. ''half of EN- couldn't
tell an anchor from a capstan! To-day
one OF those fellows asked another il
he knew of the amount of horsepower
In our engine. Horsepower, nOthin,
said the other fellow, the boat goes by
steam.
Our party parted the Captain
Jokes without restraint; we were his
invited guests and thought that if he
~ SSx-la that hoI
might send us ashore. In the midst OF
the hilarity l noticed Captain Fyffe
whisper to one OF his officers. That
officer in turn whispered to another,
and he to still another, when suddenly
q gong was sounded and the band was
hurriedly- escorted to position on the
larboard bow. near the capstan. All
was commotion in an instant. hun
dred marines were out of their ham
Knocks, armed and in position in less
than two minutes from the first sound
of the ..beat to quarters" And there
ON deck, i'm the moonlight, stood their
CAPTAIN. shouting commands through
his trumpet. Three platoonS OF marines
lined the opposite side of the vessel.
The foremost platoon, with sahers,
reached far over the gunwale; the
second platoon, armed with what
looked to me like heavy horse-pistols.
was Immediately behind the swords
men. while the third and rear
most platoon held muskets at a
stake aim Then in our nervous ears
resounded the commands: Repel
boarders..'' FIRE. Board with
cheersi'' And sure enough tic marines
did repel imaginary boarders from gun,
vale and wheel-house, and of cours,
they obeyed the order to fire. and theI
gave cheers that could have been easily
beard on that still night a miic from the
vessel, and in another moment two
heavy Dahigren cannon would have