The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1886-12-29
A WAR REMINISCENCE.
HOW GEN. HICKeNLOOpEa ONCE
6RlOGED THE TENNESSEE.

Capt. Jim Harper Tells n Very Interest,"
Gen. HickenIooper's Great Nerve-A
Bridge Constructed II Cotton Bales
"A man could go through twenty battles
On a quarter the cold nerve that Andy iiic.i-
enloOper had to use IN one little episode with
Mcpherson down on the Tennessee river,
where there wasn't enemy in sight, s1id
Capt. Jim Harper, the other day -One
evening, about an hour before suniown, Col.
Hickenlooper was called to McPherson's tent
and informed that it was necessary for the
entire army Of 1000 men to Ire across the
river and after the Confelerates 10y daylight
next morning.
~.But, general said Andy, there isn't
stick of timber within forty miles big enough
20 carry empty caissnn, and the wagons
with the pontoons are ten miles back
"'Can't help that replied McPherson, curt
Iy. The bridge mus. b. built and the army
the move before O'Clock to morrow morn
ing. Good afternoon, cOl HickenlooPer'
SIZING UP THE SITUATION.
~ left the tent and went down to the
river saiI Gen. Hickenlooper, in telling this
experience not long ago, and | don't suppose
a man could he in greater misery, mentally,
than was l walked up and down the bank
for hour, sizing up the situation. knew
that, a. chief of the engineer corps, was ex-
pected to solve the problem some way, and
that to fail then was To loose all standing,
professionally, not only for the war, hut
probably for all the future. l think mus.
have sweat blood, il such IA thing were posi-
Bile Finally l wandered nearly mile up
the bank, and there. half n mile back, came
ACROSS AN old gin piled full of cotton. L guess
there must hive been 900 or 800 bales.
Why not make n bridge of the cotton, using
the bohrtls for a roadway
"'In thirty minutes | Ind large detail of
men on the ground, and the nights work
commenced. We sunk the bales with big
stones, laying two tiers of four bales each
clear across the river, holding, them IN place
by two big cables stretched across On tae
lower side The boards of the gin made n
toieratle roadway, but mt the best 1t was an
awful sc;ly job. The top bales were only
about three inches out of the water, AMI
wasn't at all sure the cables would stand the
strain. But at 3 O'Clock l walked up to Mo
Pherson's tent and routed him out of bed.
How well l remember him lying there ON his
elbow, holding up n match To see my face rs
/ approached his bunk. General, the bridge
is ready Very well, colonel, had passed
before the match went out, and before had
walked three rods from headquarters "boots
and saddles" had been sounded and the camp
was a bedam.
THEY STOOD THE TEST.
II crossed the bridge and stood ut the c,lSe
of the water, expecting and dreading To see
the cable, part under the terrific strain.
Way those cotton bales settled down under
the weight of the heavy guns until the water
ran into the mouths of TIN, cannon, but they
stood the test, and ut II 80 the last wagon
had rnntis. snf,. p,lSsnyg and We siprIalg.t
ahead to Mcpherson, All over In a little
while an orderly came galloping back tn
summon me to Mcpherson, who was five
mikes ahead by this time. When L rode up
to my autocratic superior lie saluted and
said: That was well done, colonel. Now
you go back and cut the bridge loose and I'll
telegraph the gunboats down the Missis-
sppi To pick up the cotton for you and your
assistant engineer | thought that was "a
first class reward and of course performed
my part of the work, concluded Hickcn-
hooper,
What did the cotton bring him, Mr. Hair
pcrr
Not n red cent The gunboats picked up
the cotton all right, but Andy never saw any
of the money for it. 1t looks hard to tell a
man To make something out of nothing, but
that's war. Its only in active field service
that fellow learns the full meaning of the
provcrb, Necessity knows no law AS an
engineer and ex-soldier, l tell you III
rather bc twenty times under fire than pass
through one such snap as that which induced
Gen Iickenlooper to plan and construct n
bridge strong enough to carry siX-mule
wagons. loaded with subsistence and ammu-
milton. out Of cotton males, over "a swift
stream, in less than twelve hours. - Cinciu
matt Sun.