Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1892-08-04
GREEN COUNTY BOYS.
Raw Recruits From Illinois Who Proved
to BE Fighters.


to BE Fighters.
The grand review at Washington was
a thing of the past. We had marched
northward with Sherman from Savan-
nah, through the Carolinas and Vir-
ginia. We were now encamped on
Rock creek, just outside of the capital.
1t had been a lovely day, not cloud
marring the sky, and we were enjoying
the first square rest after many a
long month of campaigning. A gentle
and refreshing breeze came from the
west, supper had been disposed of, no
enemy was near, and the only sign of
activity was the steady monotonous
tramp of the camp guard. The men
were gathered in groups about the
camp fires. singing in low tones gossip
ing and smoking.
AT brigade headquarters, before
which a cheerful fire of confscated
fence rails was burning, a number of
veteran officers were seated on camp
stools, cracker boxes and other impro-
vised seats. We had convened as
the invitation said to sample key of
''Old Crow" just received by the brig
Junius Brutus, his colored factotum,
had compounded a very seductive
punch, and as the samples were passed
around tongues We're loosened, and
stories jokes and songs were the order
of the hour
1T was in the spring of 1863 said
Capt. Joe r., that our regiment, the
Eighty-third Illinois, as green a lot of
country boys as ever marched from
native prairies, left Cairo by boat and
diseInbarked at Fort Donelson, garrl-
soning the works. The boys We're just
longing for mess of green's to cook
with their bacon, when some wag sug-
gested that they could get a wagon
load half a mile away. Early next
morning fifty men were cutting off the
young sprouts in an abandoned tobacco
plantation. Never having seen tobac-
co plant not one of them recognized
the weed but the greens looked nice,
4 soon every camp kettle contained
prime element of boiled dinner.
While the boys were smarting
over this practical joke played on them,
a large force of confederates put in an
appearance and demanded the surren-
der of the garrison. Being invited to
come on and take what they wanted,
they attempted to carry the works by
assault
The verdant boys from Illinois
proved to be fighters from Fightstown,'
and the attacking force was not only re-
pulsed, but routed, leaving dead and
wounded to be cared for by the feder-
ais, exceeding in number that of the
garrison.
The next day l, then a lieutenant,
was sent into the neighboring town of
Dover to look after some of the stray
glers who were celebrating their vic
tory by an old-time country hurrah'
l found party under the lead of a stall
wart sergeant, all drunk, worrying and
batting an old confederate farmer, who
had driven in from the country in a
ramshacl1ly old wagon, Drawn by an
aged and decrepit mule hitched along
side little red bull by nondescript
rope harness.
The old man was eagerly seeking
news as to the fate of his son, who was
one Of the attacking force the day be-
fore Knowing that under such cir
cumstances it was worse than useless
for an officer wearing only the shoulder
straps of a second Lieutenant to issue
orders, | tried diplomacy. Boys, said
l. don't be hard on the old man Sup
pose this fight had taken place in your
county town, and your poor old dad
had come in to see how many limbs
you had lost. or where your corpse had
been planted, it would be pretty tough
to have any one teasing him
There was an Immediate revolution
in feeling. The boys commenced to pet
the venerable confederate In maudlin
tones of sympathy they pressed him TO
go TO camp and get dinner, and all
offered to escort him from hospital to
graveyard in search of news.
He was surprised at the generous
supply of mess stores. Who gives
you-uns all these things?' Uncle Sam
was the answer. My what lot of
store coffee and salt We amt had
only parched rye and salt dirt dug from
the bottom of the smoke-house for nigh
on to a year
put some coffee, salt and sow belly
into his wagon, boys said the repent
antly generous sergeant
IS there anything else you want,
old an?
ONE to think ont my old woman
said Pap want to make some jeans,
and if You can get some cotton zeards
in Dover. IN be obliged ="
Strengthening himself up. the ser
geant. with drunken gravity. drawing
from the pocket Of his blouse a greasy
ana dirty pack 81 playing cards. said
with many hic-cough;
Take these. old man Don: know