The National tribune., 1892-01-21


army moved beyond the Ridge found il NOR,
30 my taste 90 keep up with the procession.
III the S4th Ohio opened up the battle o
Bentonyille, IL must have opened il wide and
got tangled in with those over on the Other
Side, Hs IL was not around when Buell's BTi
Eade, OF Carlin's Division, made its early morn
Ing charge on the 18th of March, 1865 Or
Chat eveu;ful morning ] had the honor TO take
one OF The companies OF the DIST Mich. out on
Che skirmish-line. 1t was clear, crisp frosty
morning Buell's Brigade was leading, with
The Dist Mich. in front There was not a single
print Of a Government shoe on the frosty high.
way, or in the fields, or around the bushes OF
oak grubs of the woods.
Down on the right half a mile or more an
occasional shot was heard, said nc the time ia
eOme from the cavalry. 10 might have been
the Gath Ohio. j am quite willing they should
have bHen there or anywhere else. They could
have had my position on that morning IL they
bad insisted on 10. j did not think SO highly
Df my military qualifications in engineering
Company A in skirmsh drill through the
brush swsmps, and rOeky-bottOmed creeks in
front OF the enemy at Bentonville but that /
would lave cheefully turned over the command
90 any aspiring genius that showed up with the
proper papers.
Tie FIRST charge was made by Buelps Bri-
Eade Rmd il was made before o'clock In the
morning. ID was successful, and the rebels
were driven back nearly a quarter Of a mile,
alter which other troops formed on the right
and left. and the battle was opened up TO a
hnish. In that charge SO men out Of 230 were
killed o. wounded in the DIST Mich.
There Is nothing IN the above account drawn
from imagination, or from disposition TO ele.
Sate ANY warlike deeds of mine The most
can say OF my obscure military record is that
drew my TatiOnB promptly and every time
fhere was anything 20 draw, and the drawings
were about as far apart as were those Of the
Louisiana Lottery, and many times about as
successful
j often think now, while the clearing Is being
enlarged where once my army CAP used 10 rest.
AND my teeth, which could once spoil "the
Government stamp on the rOckiest bareback"
now gone, alas that the rebellion might
have been suppressed without myself being
present, but Of course il would have taken
more time and complicated things as TO when
the cruel war would be over But, then, there
would have been more chickens and sweet 20
tat0es 10 divide, and the farmers would have
had few more top fence-rals 20 mark the
boundaries OF their cotton fields. II was said
that ] could draw my pay with the least trepi-
uall0h oil any cOmTade on the rolls, which GER
tainly was an exhibition Of bravery that every
soldier dad not possess. Aud that i could 20 10
sleep the quickest and wake I'D the slowest OF
any man in Shermans army. j always con-
tioefed that statement an cXaggeration. Ii was
also SAID that j could 60 the longest without
eating and eat the longest when there was
anything 10 eat, Of anyone In the regiment
But ] never believed that Some unpatriotic
soldier must have made that assertion after
being refused another chaW of native Mug
Vie above account embraces about all the
prominent points IN my military history. IL
10 not as startling and volumiuOus az 4 great
many Others, and 1t may not 20 laundering
down tHe ages. Still il may 90 down into the
Wasle-ia-ket without any thunder except such
euiphurous EXPLANATIONS the Editor might
choose 10 make Should il eventually appear
an the columns OF Tbs NATIONAL TRIBUNE
ano should be as long in putting IN an ap-
peaTauce as did former article Of mine, I
should wonder, a. ] did then, what blamed fool
wrote q until ] read down to the signature:
then ] would kuow.-SANFORD w. LYON
Grand Rapids, Mich.