The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1886-12-25

- y u
"A man could go through TWEEN.
ty battles on a quarter the cold
nerve that Andy Hickenlooper had
to use in one little episode with
Mcpherson down on the Tennessee
river, when there wasn't an enemy
in sight" said Captain Jim Harper
to a reporter of the Cincinnati Sun,
one day recently. "One evening,
about an hour before sundown, Col.
Hickenlooper was called to Nc
Pherson's tent and informed that it
was necessary for the entire army
Of 10000 men to be across the river
and after the Johnnies by daylight
next morning.
"'But, General said Andy,
there isn't stick of timber within
forty miles big enough to carry an
empty caisson, and the wagons
with the pontoons are ten miles
back
".Can't help that, replied Nc
Phcrson curtly. The bridge must
be built and the army on the move
before 4 o'clock Tomorrow morning.
Good afternoon, Col. Hickenlooper.
"I left the tent and went down
to the river, said Gen. HickenlOop-
er, 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 ali hour,
sizing up the situation. l knew
that us Chief of the Engineer Corps,
was expected to solve the problem
some way; and that to fail then
was to lose all standing, profession
ally, not only for the war, but prob
ably for all the future. / think l
must have sweat blood, if such a
thing were possible. Finally l
wandered nearly mile up the
bank, and there, half a mile back,
came across an old gin piled full
of cotton. Iguess there must have
been TWO or three thousand bales.
My sharpened wits caught on right
away. Why not make bridge of
the cotton, using the boards for a
roadway
" In thirty minutes had large
detail of men on the ground, and
the nights work commenced. We
sunk the bales with big stones. lay
ing two tiers of four bales each
clear across the river, holding them
in place by two big cables stretched
across on the lower side. The
boards of the gin made tolerable
roadway, but at it's best it was an
awful scaly job. The top bales
were only about three inches out of
the water, and l wasn't at all sure
the cables would stand the strain.
But at 3 O'Clock l walked up to
McPherson's tent and routed him
out of bed. How we'll l remember
him lying there on his elbow, hold
ing up a match to see my face as ]
approached his bunk. General,
the bridge is ready" avery well,
Colonel" had passed before the
match went out, and before / had
walked three rods from headquar-
ters shoots and saddles had been
sounded and the camp was bed
lam.
"I crossed the bridge and stood
at the edge of the water. expecting
and dreading to see the cables part
under the terrific strain. Why,
those cotton bales settled down un-
der the weight of the heavy guns
until the water ran into the mouths
Of the cannon, but she stood the
test, and at IL: 80 the last wagon
had made safe passage, and we sig
nailed ahead to McPhers"n: All
over" In little while an orderly
came galloping back to summon me
to Mcpherson. who was five miles
ahead by this time. When l rode
up to nv autocratic superior ne sa.
luted and said: "That was well
done. Colonel. Now, you go back
and cut the bridge loose, and III
telegraph the gunboats down on the
Mississippi to pick up the cotton
for YOU and your assistant engineer
I thought that was first-class re-
ward. and, of course, performed my
part of the work. concluded Hick'
enloorer."
.What did the cotton bring him
Mr.. Harpcr?"
"Not red cent. The gunboats
picked up the cotton all right, ou
ANDY never saw any of the none,
for It. It looks hard to tell mar
to make something out of nothing
but that's war. It's only in activ'
field service that q fellow learns tn
full meaning of the proverb, Ne
cessity knows no law AS an en-
!. rineer and an ex-soldier, | tell yo'
i'd rather be twenty times unde
} fire than pass through one sue
snap as that which induced Genel
Al Hickenlooper to plan ana COZ
; struct a bridge strong enough
i, carry 6-mule wagons, loaded VII
! ! subsistence and ammunition, out :
! cotton bales, over swift stream,
. less than twelve hours.