Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-07-15

speech. He said the assertion was
nonsense. "What do we want with
cannon. We want no cannon: we
lie knives" - : - -"
This IS about the idea OF the war
many OF our people had.
:. Inc hrst time we were under artillery
hre' that same mania by my side. 1t
was an awful sensation to be fired at for
tle hrst time with cannon. The shells
shfieked over US and crashed through
the trees, and We were frightened
out OF our wits. We lay on our faces,
ana probably all of you have had ex.
perience OF how close you can get to
the ground under fire. don't think
was an inch thick. Just after a ire
mendous crash and roar, B. reach
ed out and touched me and said,
Iaptain, guess you were right about
those cannon. We ought to have
fought this out inside of the Union"
was Captain OF battery soon
alter that, and was engaged in fierce
night where many OF my men were kill
eel or wounded. During the fighting |
often admired the cool, brave conduct
OF stalwart six-foot gunner named
Jones. After the fight said to him,
Jones, where are you from?"
FROM Vermont" he answered, 81
have recently settled in the South"
Vermont" said / in amazement.
Are there any more soldiers like you
In Vermont"
"fes, plenty of them, and, seriously,
don't be deceived by these stories
about the Yankees not fighting. The
north is full of just as good and better
soldiers than am. They'll give you
all the fighting you can attend to-"
THAT made ME rather weak in the
knees, said Captain Howells laugh
ing, "and / began to question as to
whether we had not bitten off more
than we could chew.
while | thought in the beginning
that one southerner could whip ten
Yankees, before we got through | was
willing to tackle one at time, and |
didn't mind if he had been in the hos
pital.
Captain Howells is so witty and
brilliant talker that what he says
loses half its attractiveness liz repeat
ing it. He tells these old war stories
IN manner iIfimitable, and it is
worth the price of admission to hear
him tell OF the time he and a lot of
other young roosters, who were con-
federate officers, volunteered to sug.
gest some formal advice to Stonewall
Jackson.
Howell was made the spokesman,
and when be concluded his little speech,
shaking IN his boots, and handed over
the advice" Jackson took the paper,
dropped it in the waste-basket, and
hardly moving muscle of his stern
face, said, good night, gentlemen.
When L want some more advice will
send for you"
DIR. Todd, a one-armed confederate,
said the Union flag was all right and
satisfied him. Sometimes he thought
he would like to have two flags. 1t
was hard to give up the one they sac,
fificed so much for. He echoed what
Capt. Howells said about the south
erners being taught to believe they
could each whip ten Yankees. Hesaid:
There was Rice. He declared that
the Yankees could be licked with pop
guns. After the surrender he was ask
ed about that remark and declared it
to be true; but, said he, the doggoned
Yankees wouldn't fight that way"
Then Jesse Robson, a one-legged
man, described his capture, single
handed, of company of Union sol
diers at Cedar Creek, through ruse
aided by darkness
Col. Reed was sitting by and Iasked
him where he lost his foot He an,
swered with pardonable pride, fifty
feet in front of the stone wall at Get
tysburg." 1t was IL statement any
man could make with pride. 1t told
the story of his participation in a
charge that makes one of the most
brilliant pages in military history.
and showed that he went across that
valley of the shadow OF death through
that awful fire, and fell at last close
up 20 the line they had come to meet.
Said he, II did not 90 into the war
willingly. thought it sad mistake,
but once in did all could to win. |
am good deal reader now to fight
for the Union than was for the Con-
federacy then, and none of us here
would like anything better" To
which all said amen.
There were some other good stories
told in the party not strictly war
stories.
The colored people furnish the great
staple for funny stories in the south.
One gentleman told how after Cleve-
lands election the negroes were terri
fed at the idea of being put back into
slavery, and the whites hectored them
with all sorts of stories to that effect.
4 group of men were standing on n
street in Atlanta and among them
was an old broken-down plant
er who was rich and owned many
slaves before the war, but who is now
chiefly solicitous about how to pro-
cure another drink. While they were
talking colored man, who has built
up a fine property and become COM
paratively wealthy, came along. Old
Judge F-hailed him.
"See here, John" said lie, "you
know Cleveland is elected and all you
niggers will be put back into slavery,
| expect i'll a few days to have chance
to bid on you"
"All right, Judge" responded John,
good naturally. II reckon / can put
up dollar for dollar wild YOU"
f. d. NJ.