The National tribune., 1893-08-03
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
;iaaaLine.
"A Ride for Life.

~
capture OF Mobile, his command
followed Gen. Taylor's army some $50 miles
up the Tombigbee River. The Second Bri-
gade, Third Division Thirteenth Corps, I'M
der Gen. Benton, was in the advance, with
one battalion of the I'd ILL., Cav as scouts
| The troops were about one days march in
the rear of the rebels, and the cavalry had
many skirmish with them. The writer
was in charge of tie corral in the rear of the
moving command, and the foraging was
always poor, because the advance got the
best that there was SO Comrade Fitzpat-
rick and the Trainmaster decided that they
would 20 ahead and try to get something
good for once. Early one morning they
started ont They went about Is miles be-
fore finding place that the rebels them
selves had not cleaned out" There the
lady whom they saw gave them good din
ner, so on leaving they bought a corn pOne
and some chickens of her. They started on
the back track, on road that the lady said
| would bring them to about where the Union
army would camp that night.
Every thing went well until we reached
the main road, says Comrade Fitzpatrick,
| when, to our surprise, we struck the reb'S
| rear-guard AS soon as they saw us squad
of cavalry wheeled and took after us, and
| we found we had race on our hands. The
Trainmaster was mounted on brown mare,
| and soon left me in the rear, but / could see
the rebs were not gaining on me yet. After
we had gone about two miles they COM
menced to gain, and had got so close that
their bullets whstled past me. Then l
concluded that my corn pone would Tighten
my mules load, so pitched it out side of the
road. But they still gained, and l could
hear their commands to halt, and their bull
L. Al. IL, II Al y,
was goner. Suddenly my mule gave n
bray, and looked up just in time to guide
my mule out of the road to let squad of
the I'd III. Cav. pass. When | got my mule
stopped and turned around, our boys had
met them and were using the saber on them.
They did not let one get away.
1.-THE Trainmaster had met our boys and
told them of the circumstance, and it did
not take them long to save me. i lost my
corn pone though the Trainmaster saved his
chickens and we had chicken stew for
supper"
Homes for Settlers.
W. T. Fogle, Myrtle Creek, Ore, writes:
"We have one of the finest climates imagin-
able-nether too hot nor too cold, no cyclones
or bliZzards-and there are no miasmatic
swamps here TO give one the chils. This
country is very hilly, yet the hills are very
productive. Grain is raised on the bottom
lands. There is wheat grown here over six
feet tall, having heads six inches long. Corn
grows 80 bushels, shelled, to the acre. But
this country will, in the course of time, be
given over to fruit raising, as it is naturally
one of the finest fruit countries on the coast,
not excepting California. Our prunes are far
superior to the California product. There
will be Is or 20 carloads of dried prunes
shipped from this point this season. Fine
prune land can be had for $50 an acre up,
but bearing orchards are hard to get hold of,
one man refusing 81 900 an acre for his
orchard when The trees were but two years
old. A well-cultivated orchard 10 years old
will pay 10 per cent. interest on $1,000 per
acre; or, in other words, the net profit from
an acre is $500. There is plenty of wood and
water, and tame grasses are about the only
kind there is here. There is some stock
raising done here. Hops do well where they
have been tried.n
Cordial Approval.
J. E. Carmichael, Co Fl, 65th ILL.,, Chilli
Gothic, Mo-, writes: 1--WE are very much in
terested in reading the steel-pointed, heavy
slugs that you so accurately throw into the
camp OF the soldier-haters. Keep them fly
ing / hope these fellows will allow us poor
Lincoln hirelings to live awhile longer.
Taps for the last of us will soon be sounded"
why Don't They Write?
Alfred Turner, Sand Hill, w. Va, writes
Human nature appears to be about the
same everywhere. The undersigned has re-
Gently received scores of letters from old
comrades and ex-prisoners of war from the
East, West, North and South; some of the
boys intimate that they would dearly like
to enter the Fighting Them Over and Picket
Shot columns with their war "reminiscences,
but forbear, as they have mortal fear of
the too sharp-stick criticism. Comrades,
let's drop this sharp-stick business, but
rather give place to F., G. and L.; for we are
brethren, and need all the sympathy we can
get, for there seems to be breakers ahead,
and not since the war closed is more cool
ness and patience, as well az skillful plotting
for our disabled comrades interests than
now, thanks to the stanch and untiring sup
port of our grand soldier paper, THE Ma
TIONAL TRIBUNE"
No 1OO-Days Men There.
VIII i. WEIGH, Boston, Mass writes:
The article on Sherman's bummers reads
pretty well, but G.. l.. Camp Sergeant, Co.
G, 92i Ohio, draws on his imagination when
he says the provisions at Kingston we're
guarded by 100-days men. There was moth |
lug there less than tlree-years men; 100 |
days men did not get into North Carolina. |
The troops left at Kinston mot kingston to |
guard the property were not enough to go |
around, so that it happened that it was just |
as easy Tor hummer to steal hams as any |
thing of less value. The steamers Gen. |
Berry and Gen. Shepley mot Gen. Shirley |
were two huge stern-wheel steamers, built |
in Maine, aud named for two Maine SOL |
diers; they drew no water forward and little |
aft With these slight inaccuracies Sergt |
Camps story reads nicely, but / could not |
resist replying to the 100-days men at Kin
ston." ~
More About Zollicoffer's Death.
r. r. Risley, Co. f, 10th Ind, st. Johns,
Mich, writes: "When my regiment left the |
State Morton gave US State militia suit |
of light gray, with black velvet collar and |
cuffs. On the morning of Jan. 10, 1862,
shortly alter daybreak, we were camped so |
rods south of Logan's Crossroads, toward Mill
Spring. Before sunup one of Wolfords men
from an outpost came dashing along in front
of the officers tents shouting The JOhnnies
are coming!' In o short while one-half |
mile from camp we formed a line across the
main road, and then deployed. The rebs
advanced and began to turn the Union left.
Capt. Vanosdall, Co b, asked the privilege of
firing, as the JOhnnies We're SO near, so the