Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1886-12-16
A WAR "REMINISCENCES.
How the Tennessee River Was Once Bridged
in Twelve Hours.
Baltimore Sun.

in Twelve Hours.
Baltimore Sun.
"a man could go through twenty bat
ties on 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 Capt. Jim Harper.
TO a reporter of the Sun. "One evening
about an hour before shutdown, Col
HickenIooper was called to McPheeson's
tent. and informed that it was necessary
for the entire army 10000 men to cross
the river and after the Johnnies by day
light.
'EBut general said Andy, there isn't q
stick of timber within forty miles big
enough to carry an empty caisson, and
the wagons with the pontoons are ter
miles back"
"'Can't help that replied Mcpherson
CURLY. The bridge must be built and the
army on the move before 4 o'clock to-
morrow morning. Good day, Col. Hick.
enlooper.'
g I left the tent and went down to the
river said Gen. Hickenlooper in telling
his experience, not long ago, and don't
suppose a man could be IN greater mis-
cry, mentally, than was. [ walked up
and down the bank for an hour, sizing
up the situation. knew that, as chief
of the engineer corps, | was, expected to
solve the problem IN some way; and that
to fail then was to lose all standing pro-
fessionally not only for the war, but
probably for all the future. I think /
must have sweat blood, if such thing
were possible. Finally [ wandered near
~ mile up the bank, and there, half a
mile back, came across an old gin piled
fnll of cotton. I guess there must have
been two thousand or three thousand
bales. My sharpened wits caught on
right away. Why not make a bridge OF
the cotton, using boards for roadway?
SIN thirty minutes I had a large detail
of men on the ground, and the nights
work commenced. We sunk the bales
with large stones, laying 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 toierable road
way, but at its best it was an awful scaly
Job. The top bales were only about
three inches out of water, and [ wasan't
at all sure the cables would stand the
strain, Cut at three o'clock I walked up
to McPherson's tent and routed him out
of bed. How we'll I remember him lying
there on his elbow, holding up a match
TO see my face as l approached his bunk
General, the bridge is ready Very
well, colonel had passed before the
match went oEt, and before had walked
three rods from headquarters boots Gnc
saddles had been sounded and the camp
was bedlam.
81 crossed the bridge and stood at the
edge of the water, expecting and dread
ing to see the cables part under thu
to rrible strain. Why, those cotton bales
settled down under the weight of tn,
heavy guns until the water ran into tn
mouthes of the cannon, but she stood tn,
test, and at 11:30 the last wagon has
made safe passage, and we signalet
ahead to Mcpherson: All over In
little while an orderly came back to sum
mon me to Mcpherson, who was fv
miles ahead by this time. When [ rod
up to my autocratic superior, he sal uteC
and said: That was we'll done, colonel
Now you go back and cut the bridge
loose, and I'll telegraph the gunboatt
down on the Mississippi to pick up the
cotton for you and your assistant engi
neer.' [ thought that was first elias:
reward, and of course performed N,
part of the work, concluded Hickt nIoOp
er."
"What did the cotton bring him, Mr.
Harper?'
Not a red cent. The gunboats pickeC
up the cotton all right, but Andy neve
saw any of the money for it. I
looks hard to tell a man to make some
thing out of nothing, but that's war. IT.
only In active service that fellow learn
the full meaning of the proverb. ENecess
ity knows no law AS an engineer anc
ex-soldier, I tell you I'd father be ter
times under fire than pass through ont
such snap as that which induced Gen
Hickenlooper to plan and construct
bridge strong enough to carry six mul,
wagons, loaded with subsistence and am
munition, out of cotton bales, over {
swift stream, in less than twelve hours. ,