Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1891-07-16
IN THE TRENCHES.

A Confederate Soldiers stories OF the
Atlanta Campaign.
"Virg Nose" has some lively rem
iniscenoee of the days when the Yam
KEGS were encamped round and about
Atlanta His adventures in that local
ity are very interesting. But let him
tell his story in his own way:
Our rifle pits were about ten feet
long, four feet wide and five feet deep.
The dirt was piled up on rails. and I'M
der them was a small hole to shoot
through. Those pits were twenty feet
apart, and in each of them we had three
men. Our main line was two hundred
yards in the rear of the rifle pits, and
we always had one-half of our men on
picket The pickets were relieved every
night at midnight On the night of
August 5, Yankee exclaimed: John
ny, stop your shooting and let's be
friendly" We said: "All right, " and in
less than ten minutes we were all mix
ed up together and chatting pleasantly.
We exchanged tobacco for coffee and
other stimulants | remember convers-
ing with two Yankees of Indiana, who
were of middle age, on their rife pit.
They said to me: you seem to be very
young; were you conscripted and made
to go to the ware" no" said l, II
volunteered. where do you live?"
said one of them. About seventy-fve
miles north of here, saidI. They then
asked me what l was fighting for My
answer was that l was fighting for
Georgia, to drive the invaders from her
soil.
Those Yankees looked upon each
other and said: This boy don't know
what he is fighting for We don't care
a cent for the negroes, but we want the
union, and we are going to vote for
Gen. Mcclellan for president and stop
this bloody war, and if the private SOL
diers would do it on both sides the war
would end before daylight" and they
at last asked me to go with them to
their headquarters and they would as
sure me that / would be out of the war
for all time to come if / would take the
oath and go north and hire out and
make money, etc. | commenced to tell
them what | would submit to before |
would do a thing like that, when the
Louisianians on our right took notion
to charge them. The firing was heavy
and the yelling was awful. jumped
up to run to my hole and ran against a
Yankee who had been on our side, and
we both fell backward. As we rose we
could tell each other by our uniforms
both apologized and went on. That
was the hardest jolt Yankee ever
gave me in the war
The midnight charge did not last
more than half an hour, and we were
all together again next day and night
all friendly-not gun fired, when on
the third day of our armistice the
enemy brought line of battle up at
once and charged our picket line, and
but five of our piciets got away in
our brigade. But we dug new pits that
night under heavy fire, when several
of our men got killed. From that time
on there was no more friendship be-
tween us. l remember next day hav-
ing shot eighty rounds of cartridges,
and awhile before night the tube of
my gun burst and l asked Lieut. Nc
Gee, who was in command of the pick
cts, what to do about it. He said it
was dangerous to go to the rear for an
other gun; and if they charged US 1 was
in no fix to be there without gun. 1t
was some distance to our line and
through an old pine field; but thought
/ would risk it and outrun the bullets
AS got out of the rifle pit it seemed as
though thousand went to shooting at
me. ! never could remember how | got
TO the line of breastworks, but think
the bullets were so thick that got on
top Of them and rode out 1t was dark
when l went back and found Lieut.,
Niece very anxious about me
The following day Lafayette
Chambers, of our company, was
killed-a shot in the head. went over
to the LIST Georgia TO tell his brother
John, who afterward took charge Of
his clothing. John wore his brothers
hat. and was informed by Frank Ar
rendale, who was in the same company