Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-09-18


Waiting the signal trump to sound,
some comrades still the vigils keep
BEFORE they clay them down to sleepn
Where all is WE'LL
His First Battle.
NV r TOW did you feel in
,gA n your first battle?" was
N - 4 asked of veteran. now
SG with the record of forty battles
sS~ behind him.
~ ~ g well, I was fright
"a " ened, I suppose, re-
E[ plied the soldier.
n. 2M n "Tell us about it. !"
-MA.I6S@,oY He was by no
wv E means anxious for
w. ES&' the task, but they
xEo-|s4B1I urged him, and h e
e>Af Il was with the
army of General Thomas there at
Chattanooga in the fall of 1868, when
General Bragg, with splendid army,
had us cornered and was slowly starv-
ing us to death. When Grant came
we were told there would be plenty of
fighting. We were in no condition to
fight, for we were in rags, and many
were sick with scurvy. There was no
ammunition, and we did not possess a
single position from which the enemy
could be attacked. 1t seems as Grant
was coming forward he telegraphed
back for ammunition, clothing, and
small rations, and the very day of his
arrival these were issued to the army.
You can have no idea how it strength
ened and encouraged us. Where we
had been weak and dispirited before,
we were now active and full of energy,
and all We asked was to be led against
the enemy.
But really, when orders came to adj
vance, I confess the courage was cooled
very noticeably. One thing was that
the movement began in the night.
Along in the evening our company was
ordered TO report for rations, and the
first hint we had of how long the fight
would last was when we received ten
days rations. Ammunition was next
issued, and we were kept moving. I
we'll recollect I mad left a waterproof
blanket behind, intending to get it be-
fore we finally started. But as soon
as the cartridges were drawn, and with
out breaking ranks, they marched us
straight down to the river. Many a
night afterward wanted that blanket,
but I never saw it again. Down the
river and along the rocky bank, over
road that was difficult enough in day
time, we went tumbling along.
Presently, as I rose to the top of a
little hill saw lot of boats just
ahead at the rivers edge, and the
soldiers climbing into them. There was
a jam of men before me. They could
not embark rapidly enough. Some
were in the water wading and trying
to Chamber first into one boat and
then another. Some lost their guns.
After a while we were afoat and drift
ing down, crowding together-the
whole riy er full. No one knew where
we were going.
"Some one said: IT is getting day
light The east was becoming red.
While I watched it. cramped, half
kneeling in the boat, I heard some fir
ing just above on the left bank, and
then there was a rush of the boats
ahead and loosening of oars. Pretty
soon every one was along the shore and
climbing up on the bank. Not even
the company officers knew where we
were going. But there we were, all
ashore. and forming in something like
q line, but irregular and crowded. and
with companies and companies that I
had never seen before. No one heard
a command. but yet we were going for
ward. Just before sunrise I passed a
group of rebels. There must have
been fifty. That's the picket guard
we captured some one said. hadn't
known we had captured any one. At
daylight we were stopped, though there
had been no formal orders that any one
heard. Men ahead we're sitting around
on the ground and fences and rock eat
ing. We all fell to eating, too. Then
there was q forward movement, and
all the army-it looked like 5000 men
was marching rapidly. Lookout
Mountain lowered up there on the left.
Rebel works reached clear down the
valley. The sun was very hot. Some
of the men wanted water. Ny can
teen was quite empty. wondered
why 1 had not filled it r. the river.
CAL of a sudden the dir seemed to
burst, to shatter, with volley Of ar
tillery. A hill on our left, half way to
the mountain, was occupied by rebel
bat,e.y. They were firing right into
our column. The soldiers just ahead
of lis were running out of the road up
toward the cannon. Our company ran
out of the road, too. The ground
8 oped up easily. The guns were about
q quarter of mile away. They kept
on firing. Now, for the first time, 1
saw ZONE oEe was hit here and there
in our troops. could tell by the lit
tie diversion it would cause. Men
woul, look to u common center, where
all Behind would part and hurry
aromtl, looking at the ground in that
center. Just before US stretched a
thick piece Of low. stunted timber. |
could no: see the bas' ery, but heard
it c.n,:an:t.. The shcts were tearing