The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-17

mountain. During the var, when those two
regiments met each other, the Indiana boys
never lost an opportunity to remind them of the
murdered goose"
at was a little while after that broke in an
other story-teIler, "when the Fourteenth lay
ragged. starving. and suffering with the cold at
Huttonviile. One day Colonel Kimball rode
through the camp, and the men were very aggra-
waiting in making known their wants. Crack
ers,' crackers crackers yelled the whole 1eei-
ment. Kimball became furious, and, with drawn
sword, rode into the group and threatened to cut
of the head of any did rascal who would cry
crackers again."
u. 81. Simpson OF that regiment has graphic
ally described the fight at Kernstown, commonly
known as the first Winchester battle" said an
other of the party. II have a little scrap Of it in
my pocker, clipped from Philadelphia paper sew
eral years ago. Let me feAd to You how one
mans bravery inspired that of hundreds in that
bitter contest Here it is:
Already one Of our regiments had melted away like
there. were thick along the line, and I remember
thinking, as We stood there, that this little field came
nearer filling my boyish ideas of a battlefield than |
consider the hero of that battle-if I may make a dis
tinction-the gallant old Paul Truckee. private of
Company g. of the Fourteenth Indiana. AS we stood
IN the whitening blast and fired and loaded once we
had time to think-and enc reasons like a fash at such
moments-that one brave regiment had failed after a
great loss. Our fire effected but little. while that of
the enemy was so deadly that in less than FIVE minutes
we should be In the condition of the regiment whose
places we had just taken. We felt that it was a waste
from such . place without dishonor. We had not been
IN the roaring place more than a third of a minute
to toI lose J" six tO S mem ,0aa We SaS mr,s 90 y fo was ,0ns or rn bsail
just at the critical moment out sprang Paul Truckee
in front of our line. Waving his gun over his head
and shouting: Come on, boysl' he dashed at the
stone wall 1t was not much to say, and but few could
hear him, but his action was an inspiration. Our
regiment charged as one man, and the stone wall and
the hill beyond were ours almost before the enemy
knew what was the matter.
"Did you ever hear of Lieut. Taylor Elliott's
narrow escapei' asked q veteran.
Now, don't force me to tell that story again,
Colonel. modestly-pleaded Elliott.
go on. go on; let's have il" was the wish Of
every one.
1T doesn't amount to much, but I was as near
death as / ever want to be again. / was in Com
pany G, One hundred-and-twenty fourth Indiana,
you know. After the battle of Franklin, our
company was left to do picketing and sKirmish-
i aesos ss'r sss s shs p 1lsss s u i c0i a. assh r :
us along. We went to Meridian,
Columbia, and thence to Andersonville.
1t is not necessary TO tell you of our treatment
at the latter place. Just before the surrender
we had been sent to Vicksburg as paroled pris-
oners. At that point we heard of the assassin.
alton Of Lincoln, and a few days
later we were put on board
Ohio. There was a large number of passengers
on board. AS far rs Memphis / had a cot d.
rect!y over the boiler that exploded, but as
several passengers got off at that city I took a
cot in the rear cabin. Within an hour after I
had lain down the explosion came. Had l slept
in the place 1 did the night before l
would not be here to tell this story.
| staid on the boat until it caught fire, and then
jumped into the river. | was one of four lucky
enough to catch onto some floating steps. For
seven miles we foated down the river. One,
after going half that distance, was drowned. /
was picked up just below Memphis. at 8
o'clock the next morning. and did not
have a stitch Of clothing on me. When
of Charity came into our midst, l beat a hasty
retreat for the nearest covering. but another
came upon me from an opposite direction. The
good woman suggested / needed more clothing.
l thought so too, and blushingly told her l would
wear anything to cover my nakedness. The
clothing was supplied. and that closed my narrow
escape"
Speaking about prisons and narrow escapes,
reminds me of an incident after the battle Of
Monocacy," said another, who calamity wore the
blue as a private. w had fought all day, but
worn and hungry as we were the retreat had to
be made. We took great risks to escape, for
there was ever present the stories of Libby and
Andersonyille fortunes. / have no doubt
but that the dread of those prisons
has saved many a man from being captured.
When it became necessary he would work
for liberty to the best of his ability rather than
to 60 South as a prisoner. But on this July even
inc altar Monncacv our hastv ratraaf led RIO into
roads bordered by trees from which hung bright
red cherries and other tempting fruit They
| were too much for US, and some, myself among
them, stopped long enough to climb a few
trees and eat, eat, eat away the hun
ger that was nearly driving us
made. We were at the joyous climax of the
feast when a long, gaunt hundred-day man came
down the road with seven-league strides. He
had in each hand lunches of cherries. and was
busily eating from one and now the other
bounteous supply. Without lessening his rapid
gait or losing a bite at the cherries he looked up
at us and cried out:
Here, you fellers; git down from there. eau
Sims rebs are riding like HI after US, and cut
ting slashins of rashins from every Yank they
I'VE went with him. By the way. the Monoc-
acy fight, on the 9th of July, 1856, was not
or only no an other important ensassm.n snsa g mt D but
did the Union forces show TO
better advantage as to pluck. endurance and
courage. There were at the best only 6, 900 of
our troops, of whom not more than 2. 800 were
veterans. The rest were hundred day men.
Ricketts, division of rebels had come down from
the Chambersburg raid, twenty thousand strong,
on the road to Washington. Our troops sent
out frt m Baltimore met them at Monocacy. and
from early morning until late in the
evening checked the enemy's progress. The
retreat followed, but in the meantime Grant had
been informed Of Washington's danger, and
sent there the remainder of the Sixth and part
of the Nineteenth corps. When these troops
reached the city they were put on t he double
quick from the transports to the forts. Ricketts,
had come down against the city at
about the same time. perhaps a short time
before. He had been maEeuvering and
skirmishing with the Invalid corps. by which
alone the forts were manned until the rein
forcements came. That night he drew off and
Cedar Creek We captured many of Ricketts,