The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-28
GOOD STORIES OF THE WAR.
How Davis Looked When the War Began,
and How Harris Fled from Nashville,
Scenes in the Telegraph Office at Bull Run
Pope's Negligence-What Caused EoClel-
lands DismisSal-LincOln's Lunch.
Carp" In Cleveland Leader.

career Associated with the Geographic service
at washington and on the field. he came in con-
tact with the leading generals of the army and
with President Lincoln. I chatted with him
about war times yesterday. Said he: II was
telegraph onerator at Oberlin, o., in the winter
OF 1893, and when the Wellington rescue case
occurred, Professors Bushnell, and Peck, and
Langston, who afterwards became minister to
Hayti, were arrested for helping slave off by
the underground railroad. and they were put in
jail at Cleveland. l used to carry the letters of
their families to them.
From ODerlin went to Tennessee, and I was
stationed for time at Stephenson Ala While
there met jeff Davis, Judah P. Benjamin and
Senator Yancy. 1t was in the latter part Of 1859
and 1860. JEFF Davis was still Senator. and he
stopped, on his way home at Stephenson to send
message. He also delivered a speech at
Stephenson on his way to be inaugurated as
President of the Confederacy. This speech set
the country wild, and in it he stated that he in
tended to carry the war into the North re.
ported the speech, and sent it to the Associated
Press. l kept full diary at this time, and
noted the circumstances within it. After the war
was over Davis denied making any such speech
when Governor Creswel of Maryland, charged
him with It. published the fact that reported
the speech. and [ showed that Davis lied. Davis
then said was Northern spy, and was not en-
titled to credence. l brought forth my diary.
and have never heard anything more from
him."
jeff Davis" continued Mr. Rosewater, twas
between fifty and fifty-fve years of age at this
time lie was slim man, of about five feet ten
inches, and he wore common cloth suit, with a
shawl and soft felt hat He had light brown
chin whiskers a blonde complexion and light
blue eyes, He looked more like Yankee than
Southern freeater His features are much
the same as those now published. His speech
was very pathetic and eloquent and it was ap-
plauded to the echo.
Judah P. Benjamin was short, stout, fat fell
low, with curly black hair and broad low fore
head. He was a Jew, and he had very clear
voice. The first time / saw him was when 1
carried message to him as he was passing
south through Stephenson. | found him in q
baggage car of the Nashville & Chattanooga
railway playing cards for twenty dollar gold
pieces.
Howell Cobb Buchanan's Secretary of the
Treasury. came to Stephenson the night after
Lincoln had been inaugurated, and made q
speech. I remember he said What are these
Lincolnites going to Washington for2 They are
going there to get the money. did not intend
to leave them any. If our wives and daughters
cannot whip these Yankees out with broom
sticks L want this generation discontinued.
Cobb was short, fat, smooth faced man, with a
big head, and big window Of q stomach.
He changed his Boosting to crying before the
war was over, and these Yankees which the
Southern wives were going to whip with broom
sticks made him run several miles"
Where did you go after you left Stephen.
son7' asked.
there till after the battle of Donelson. Senator
Isham G. Harris, man who ia now mixed up in
this Pan electric telephone business, was then
Governor of Tennessee, and remember he was
the first man to skedaddle after the battle of
Donelson. This battle was fought on Sunday,
and as soon as the news was received by tele-
graph, Harris picked up his traps and ran He
created panic in the town, and people rushed
from the churches to pack up and go South. AT
this time the horses about Nashville were being
pressed into the service, and remember that
some people kept their horses In their bedrooms
to conceal them from the officers. 1t was a full
week after Harris ran from Nashville before the
Union army reached there. I saw the entire
Nashville, and | then went North and put the
first wire across the Cumberland river.
l then enrolled in the Union army as
telegrapher and went into the field
with Fremont in his West Virginia
campaign. ! was then ordered to Washington
and set to work at the navy yard telegraph Office.
At the end of twelve days I applied to accom-
pany General Pope on his famous march to Rich
mond, Bull Run campaign. General Pope has
since said that he expected TO be defeated in this
campaign. This is not true. asked to be ap-
pointed on this campaign for the reason he had
said that it was to be saddle march. and they
did not intend to dilly-dally or shilly -shally.
came in close contact with Pope as his tele-
grapher, Iheard some of his councils of war, and /
know that he expected TO capture Richmond and
that he had no idea of merely making diver
sion. as he now says, in favor of Mcclellan. Gen.
Pope was Bombastes Furioso. His battle plan
was to engage Lee at Warrentop, and he made
all his plans with this in view. Jaekson's flank
movement, however, compelled Pope to fight at
Bull Run. While the battle was in progress he
was sending flying dispatches to the War De-
partmont stating that he was bagging the enemy,
when, in fact, he was being bagged himself. He
displayed the grossest negligence as to the get
ting of information. The operator at Manassas
notified us at noon, three days before the battle,
that the rebels were coming in large force Still
it was Sunday night before any attempt was
made by Pope to ascertain the number of the
enemy or their purpose And then, instead Of
ordering his cavalry or scouts to reconnoiter, he
loaded railway train of four cars, two fat and
two box-cars, with infantry. and directed them to
proceed to Manassas and find out what was the
trouble. l accompanied the infantry on these
cars. We travelled very slowly because it was
very dark. All other trains beside this one had
passed through dense woods, and we we're
liable at any moment to be wrecked or
fired into. By daylight the train reached Bris-
tow bridge, within FIVE miles of Manassas. We
found the bridge burning and the whole country
in blaze. Two or three million dollars worth
of commissary stores was being destroyed by
Jackson / tried here to communicate with Gen.
Pope by wire. But could not make the connec-
ton, and soon the rebel artillery opened upon
u.s. It's balls plowed the mud and dirt all round
the train, and the confederates were in sight.
We here picked up Union conductor whose
train had been captured by the rebels He got
on our train and went back with us. We reached
headquarters at 10 p M. That night, twenty
two hours after jackson had struck Manassas,
there were present in the telegraph Office Gen.
Pope, Mcdowell, Burnside. Hooker, Fitz John
Porter, Heintzelman and Reno, and they held a
general council of war Pope CONTEMPORARY
said: 1T is nothing but a cavalry raid
"After the battle of Bull Run came to Wash
ington, and entered the telegraph Office of the
War Department, under Generals Stager and
Eckert. The telegraph Office was in the library
of the department We did all the dinners OF
the Secretary of War and the President. Gen.
Eckert at that time looked very much like
HeeLan, the prize fighter He good story.
Ill -