Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1892-08-25
WAR "REMINISCENCES.
QUEER THINGS IN WAR.


No participant in the first battle Of
Bull Run was able TO tell how the mem.
morable panic started. II should never
have been. There wasn't the slightest
reason for a panic. Although the federal
troops were outnumbered when the con-
federate endorsements came from the
valley, they could have fallen back in
good order and formed new line 10 the
rear.
burnside should never have attacked
Fredericksburg Every soldier Of promi-
hence in Europe and America have 20
declared There weren't an even hum
bred private soldiers in his command
who believed an attack would be sue
cessful
Gen. Hooker went down into the
Wilderness to take Lee in the rear.
Before he was ready Stonewall Jackson
was almost In his rear. Word was sent
10 Hooker early in the day that jackson
was passing along his flank. lie pre-
ferred TO believe that the willy confed-
crate was in full fight toward Rich
mond. Had he not put his own opinion
against facts as stated by prisoners
captured he might have bagged Jack
son and Lee right there and then.
All military students believe that Lee
made mistake in ordering the memoir
able charge at Gettysburg instead Of n
flank movement, while Beauregard
rested an hour too soon 10 complete the
disaster at Shiloh.
When one knows how thin Lees
right was at Antietam, some of the
batteries having no support whatever,
he can reason that had burnside
charged at the hour ordered by Nc
Clcllan the result of that battle would
have been far different.
Thousands lay in camp at Shiloh for
days without protecting their 'front.' in
the slightest. A great army marched
over the country TO attack, but there
was not even cavalryman out to sec
and hear and bring the news The bio
graphers have furnished plausible ex-
cuses and the historians have sought to
cover up mistakes, but one needn't to
have fought in the ranks TO realize
that IL was a war in which many queer,
strange things came to the surface.
They used TO be called blunders, but
that term is too harsh for these piping
days Of peace. There are old histories
which tell of Gen. Butler being bot
tied up" at Bermuda Hundred. The
new ones refer to his position there as
an error of judgment
One of the stupendously queer things
OF war was Banks great move on Texas,
and the queerest thing about 1t all was
the fight at Sabine Pass. To reach Sa-
bine City fort at Sabine Pass had to
be captured. The federal force COM
prised four gunboats and about four
thousand infantry. II could plainly be
seen that the fort was small affair,
and II was just as plain that infantry
could be landed below IL To make an as
sault Prisoners captured In that
neighborhood gave the strength of the
defenders at less than three hundred
men, although there was another force
manning three or four river steamers
above. Half a regiment of infantry
could have carried the fort by dash,
but not a man was landed. II was de-
cided TO let the gunboats go up and
knock the fort TO pieces before any mer
were put ashore.
II win hardly be accredited, but it Is
fact surrounded by hundred proofs
that there were less than fifty confed
crates in the fort. They did not expect
a victory, but were determined not tc
leave without a fight. There wer,
twenty-seven guns on the three gun
boats which finally moved up to the at
tack, while the fort mounted only
seven. At the very first discharge o.
the latter two of the gunboats wer,
disabled by shots penetrating theil
boilers The third fired half dozef
shots and then got around and drew
out Of the fight as soon as she coult
| pull out of the mud The fourth tool
no part. Seventeen minutes after the
first gun was fired the confederates had
possession Of two Of the gunboats, and
the other two, together with transport:
carrying four thousand men, were in
full retreat down the river,
IL was the quickest, queerest victory
of the war. In the fort not a man WA
scratched, while the federals lost ovei
two hundred in killed and prisoners
and two crafts armed with fifteen rifet
guns Each one OF the defenders wal
subsequently presented with a medal by
the confederate president, and was af
terward known as n Davis guard"
| have seen half a dozen of these medali
here and there, and perhaps one or two
can be found here In New York.-M
| Quad, in N. Y World.