The National tribune., 1890-03-27
FIGHTING THEM OVER
What Our Veterans Have 10 Say About
Their Old Campaigns
CHICKAMAUGA.
Heroic Services Of a Michigan Man In The

be nearly as fresh IN your MINDS rs VIII be The
general makeup of the writer. There are n
few heroic acts and large bundle of expert
ences Of a personal nature that should not be
permitted 10 20 down among the rubbish of
forgotten lore.
1t WAS through a concentration Of environ
ments aud circumstances over which 1 had no
control that / was drawn into that historic
battle. / was in position that did not admit
of much criticism on army movements. / had
40 access 10 military maps; j was uniformed
as 10 the real objective, and left wholly in the
lark as to when and where the battle was to
be fought. ] had no time 10 contract rheuma-
ism or double up like two-bladed jack knife
expression with pain, and an inclination 10 go
9ut aud away from the unSympathetic gaze of
my comrades. ] was too healthy 10 pass the
close scrutiny of the Surgeon for hospitable
passage TO some friendly hospital. and coud
not resign, as my commission as Major General
had not arrived, nor have been notified of its
arrival down 10 the present time. did men
ton 10 my Captain that would like TO lose my
time for a few days, and il could be deducted
from my wages next payday. Bat his vision
being dimmcd with visionary vision OF I'M
limited glory beyond the bars he wore to the
stars he wanted 10 wear he refused 10 see il in
the light held it up to him.
Therefore, after following our General up and
down the mountains of Northern Georgia in
the vain effort 10 get lost. and thereby immor-
talize our names on the page of history, or be-
come heroes Of two for ick ell novels in which
the Oncomng generations would read with
hated breath aud shiver over the sad fate of
dead or gobbled veterans, was double-guicked
past Crawiish Springs bloody pond, and held
mp IS a depository for condemned ammunition
down by the old log house of Widow Glenn.
thought it placed the old lady in an embar-
RAISING position for SO many of US 10 call on
her without due notice; and /, for one, was
enthusiastically In favor of deferring our visit
until q more convenient season. Had / been
consulted on that eYentful Saturday morning
as a. the business OF the day, / would have
IN al probability, suggested that we move
by ihe rear, stack arms and join in singing
Home. Sweet Home" or Wait Till the
Clouds Roll BY" but there weren't any clouds
10 r4sll, as ] remember, and if there were, the
p0wsrs that controlled the destinies of that
day ;did not propose TO wait to see them roll.
The ordnance officers dealt out rations of am
mG:ition with no regard to the principles of
riglB economy, and with no remarks about
cripDling the Treasury, nor of the sOundness of
the soldier rs he slowed away an hundred
rounds Of cartridges in his clothes The bOr-
roTs of that day are beyond any descriptive art
mine. The bullets fell so thick that the fall
ing leaves were pierced again ere they reached
the ground. The mOnUtOnOus roar Of mus
kets was relieved only by the murderons crash
OF artillery. Shot and shell WED with each
other IN the quantity and quality Of their bar
barC.Is work. ] looked in vain for Widow
GleIen in her old log cabin by the lane. Her
sufi. rings must have been intense. The leaden
hali battered on the shingles over her head, and
Tie old 0aken logs were being loaded down
witt ammunition that had seen It's best days.
forged 10 bear her away, far away from the
bloc i-reddened fields Of war Not that wish
cd ta absent myself from the physical discus
sion then going on, but 10 rescue a widow-a
fcm4e widow. widow without husband /
wOud have gone back tBnless necessarily de-
tair ID into line and continued the discussion
wit, our mistaken brethren on the other side.
But she had flown ere the powdered smoke
OF grim war had gathered in between the
hill4 ! bazcd away with my old Austrian
nufket, until the ed-hot barrel burned the
STOCK 70 ashes and fell in a shapeless mass At
my feet. Everything seemed bot aud excited
The only thing cool and collected about myself
was my old hagersack. liz looked as ii il had
collected its last ration Of bareback, pulled
down The sign and gone out Of business. Empty,
Eant and airy. il tapped lis ghOstly flap on the
sitting air. iuasmueh as We were one musket
short lmIne used up In actionl, our General
concluded 10 move up and beyond the hills ia
which grand strategic movement he was assisted
by the timely presence Of Gen. LOngstreet.
IL our gallant charge over the hills ! was
struck down in the prime Of ny usefulness by
3gA4A@ L4iAA4AhailDAb SUI 81 "a BtlGhEAs ana my
bones were left 10 bleach under unfrendy
skies aud on un4pPrec5atdFe soil. ] WAS un-
armed and making room Tor him as fast as pos.
ElJie. de took measly advantage Of me,
iur which j still fling TO the breeze the bloody
shiTt, 70 realind him that lie is no better than
he should lie. After calm aud deliberate dis
cEssipn On the situation for thrce-q quarters Of
second, j concluded there was neither money
nor glory ia extending the bleaching process
any iurihcr-that the choice between a live
coward and a dead hero was too one-sided 10
admit Oi debate-and wien the sun had gath
cred in Iis last lingering shadow, ] was with
my command binding up my wounds. The
sErgcon looked me over carefully 10 find the
excavations aud tunnels, Of which ] had told
hlm there were many, made by the passage Of
shot and shell, but he failed 10 find any such
gaping ehasms. On closer examination he
found that ] was struck, low down, OH the left
lAnk ~ some persistent prOjectile, which had
torn away then and forever" the heel Of my
No. ID shoe, and left me stranded aud crippIed
for life IN . hostile land. ] contracted an ex-
cruciating limp from the loss Of that heel
which cKcruciates more or less 70 this day. IL
d. limp that falls 10 extract sympathy from
the unsympaihetic or to draw out draft of
coincidence from the Commissioner Of Pensions.
IL seems To me, through all these long years,
that my personal sacrifice on the historic battle
Held 81 Ihickamauga, should have been noticed
by tie historian, and that the Commanding Cen
eral Of cur army should have asked permission
Of tbe obstinate enemy 10 search the field over
1oT that divorced piece Of sole leather Of mine
aud, u found, 10 he duly labeled aud carefully
slowed away with other relics Of the great war
o. the rebellion. j bought that shoe Of the
Government aud paid for il in wandering IN
ana down on the real estate Of JEFF. Davis
under General whose main objective seemed n
be 10 keep on the move. The shoe was warranted
70 De patriotic and 70 keep its Toe always Ia the
front IL was warranted TO keep out tie yain
when the sun sA0ne, and the sunshine WHICH IL
FaIbed and that the heel would always follow the
toe la the latter ! was b0pelessly defraudoA for
tbe heel quit the following business abOkt the
tine Of Widow GlenHs grand receptioni Tie
Government took a mean advantage. 1of my
youth aud ignorance on the staying Qualities Of
NBlie-oak tanned cGWhide shoes n Still had
some experience la the process of tanning ina
ny cblldh0ods days, but il yfgas on different
principles. Instead Of RlSte-oak bark they
used witch hazel, pcacb-tnec sprouts aud the
uBderside Of an old slipper.
have never asked tic Government 10 right
the great wrong done me on the battlefield Of
thlckananga. Ii cost me 40 cents TO get that
Ga shoe on lighting basis again, 40 cents OF
paper money that would not have been worth
Dis carriage IN your vest pocket, Mr. Editor. II
The coHee-coolers had not won the Union.1S.
w. J., Grand Rapids, Mich.
ANDERSONVILLE.