Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1893-04-12
GREEN COUNTY BOYS.
Raw Recruits From Illinois Who Proved
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 eneamped on
Rock creek, just outside of the capital.
Ii had been a lovely day, not a 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 confiscated
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 a keg of
"old Crow" juSt received by the brig
adler from his "Old Kentucky Home"
Junius Brutus, his colored factotum,
had compounded a very seductive
punch, and as the samples were passed
around tongues were loosened, and
stories, jokes and songs were the order
d the hour.
ut was in the spring of 1868" 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
disembarked at Fort Donelson, garri-
soning the works. The boys were just
longing for a 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 IN abandoned tobacco
plantation. Never having seen a tobac-
90 plant, not one of them recognized
the weed, but the green's looked nice.
and soon every camp kettle contained
the prime element of a 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 lead and
wounded to be cared for by the feder-
ais, exceeding in number that of the
garrison.
The e day /, hen 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 a 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
r~smshackly old wagon, drawn by an
aged and decrepit mule hitched along
side a little red bull by a 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-
lore. Knowing that under such cir
cumstances it was worse than useless
Tor an officer wearing only the shoulder
straps of a second lieutenant to issue
orders, ! tried diplomacy. Boys said
i, 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
70 have any one teasing him
There was an immediate revolution
in feeling. The boys commenced to pet
the venerable confederate. In maudliH
tones of sympathy they pressed him tc
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. Myl what a 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 mang
Come to think ont my old woman
said; Pap. ] want Z make some jeans
and If you al get some cotton keards
IN Dover, IN be obliged"
Strengthening himself up, the ser
geant, with drunken gravity, drawing
nom the pocket of his blouse q greasy
and dirty pack of playing cards, said
with many a hic-cough:
Take these, old man Don't know