The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1886-06-09
ExpLoDxD sHELLs.
a sOldlsrS Lively E1psrisnoO-wakipE
Camp 10,

a sOldIsr'S Lively EEpsriSnOo-wakipE q
Tsltdo Blaac, w.
Will you kindly permit me through the
columns Of the Blade to answer two ques.
tons which l often see asked about old
shells being kept as relics OF the late war.
William H. Underwood, Of Cleveland, o.,
asked the question a short time ago, stat.
ing that he had such relic and wanted
to know II he could remove the powder
from 1t, and II that would render It harm.
less in case OF fire. 10 this first question
every man belonging to a battery would
answer, 'yes, but to his second will EN-.
phstiCally answer mo" and will endesvor
to prove the fact TO all, In June, 1864,
when l came 10 the old Gold Harbor bat.
tie held, our battery, the First New York
Veteran Volunteers, CHANGED to 20 into
position near an old cherry tree that still
mad sticking In 1t one Of our unexploded
shells, that was shot during '82, when We
were on the same field under "Little
Mac" while unexploded shells lay around
US like the stOns in Vermont.
New modes OF cooking were being in
vented every day by the soldiers, and a
new method first introduced at Cold
Hsrbor contains the proof OF my story.
a soldier started to bake some beans, and
oy digging q hole two feet deep and
twenty inches wide in the ground, and
chen hlling 1t with dry wood. He started
his fire, and set over 1t his large camp
kettle Of beans and pork to parboil. He
chen picked up a quantity Of old unex.
ploded shells, washed them out well on
the inside, brought them TO his fire, which
by this time had got down TO a nice bed OF
Goals. He took oil his kettle, poured of
the water, laid his washed shells in on
the hre aud placed the kettle OF pork and
beans back on the top Of the shells In.
tending as soon as they were hot enough
to take them out and put across the kettle
to bake the beans well on the top.
A Comrade came to the fire about
this time to toast some bareback In
order to kill the grubs therein, but seeing
the shell In the fire, he sprang back, ex.
claiming, what In hi have you got In
that fire under that kettle?" The cook
said ho was going to show the boys how to
cook baked beans well on the top, and
said there was no danger from the shells,
for he had cleaned them out we'll. But
his Comrade said that he had rather eat
raw meat than take the chances OF toast.
ing hard bread there. l heard these re.
marks as | was passing for water to
spring. Just in front OF me, at nv right
hand, were several army wagons, and be.
hind the one nearest mo were four mule
drivers playing poker on the hind end.
board OF one OF tho wagons, Between
them lay aquantity OF Uncle Sans paper
gold, for which we bud enlisted in 1861,
and which at this time was worth about
thlrty.three and 0ne.third cents on the
dollar 10 the OOndholder, while nothing
short Of dollar for dollar to the enlisted
man would do for Uncle Sam.
But to my story. Just at that time /
heard a terrible explosion In the rear OF
the battery, and when looked back /
could see nothing in the air but dirt
camp kettle and pork and beans. An
unexploded shell passed me with whirr
and dropped between two OF the parties
playing poker. 1t began to hzz, fzz,
Some ofthe money caught fire, but not a
soul by this time could see around me.
Several Of the heated shells lay about
Sizing and sending forth blue smoke,
such as most Of the boys did not care TO
parley with. DO you think stood still
all this time and let that hind end board
up, when enlisted to save Government
property guess not; but have never
heard Of anyone that had anything to do
with that bean bake being promoted for
meritorious conduct, and now believe
that old unexploded shells are dangerous
around any fire.