The Yale expositor., 1894-12-07
ABOUT THE CAMPFIRE
TALES THE VETERANS TELL OF
CAMP AND FIELD.
How the Fifteenth Corps Fell Into Con-
fusion at Midnight Charge
of the Mule Brigade--Hancock at
Gettysburg.
Fell Into the Tran.

on the road toward Bentonville, n.
c., going through the town of Cheraw,
arriving at the Pedee river about 10
o'clock in the forenoon. The first
division was in the advance, COM
manded by General C. II. Woods.
The First brigade led the advance of
the First division, and consisted Of
the 27th Mo-, 10th Ohio, 18th Ind,
Goth Iowa and 32d Mo.
On arriving at the Pedee river we
found the bridge had been destroyed
by the enemy, which necessitated its
reconstruction before our command
could cross. A halt and several hours
delay was the consequences. The di-
vision was drawn up en- masse on the
most available ground near the APP
proach to the bridge, ar a bluff over
looking the Pedee. The first brigade
occupied the ground near the cut in
the bluff through which the road to
the bridge led. This cut was about
twenty-five feet deep. In our front
was bluff some sixty or seventy feet
high, under which the river flowed,
and on our left was a ravine or de-
preston in the ground, leading TO
the river, and still further to our left
and rear, across the ravine, was an
old warehouse, in which the enemy
stored fixed ammunition, shot and
hell and gunpowder.
On our approach to Cheraw the
enemy destroyed the bridge and dis
tributed the shot and she'll in this
ravine, and scattered large quantity
IF gun powder broadcast amongst it.
They knew we would have halt TO
build bridge and that we would
occupy this ground with our train, it
being the most available, and hence
aid the trap for us.
When our command stacked arms
The men set about cooking coffee. and
N hunting up material for fuel made
The discovery of the fixed ammunition
the ravine, and also that it had
,ecn stored in the old warehouse. the
loor of which was nearly covered
)ver with loose gunpowder and a
rain laid to the ravine, and in the
warehouse yet remained quantity
If shell and gunp owder. ON. Serg't
Marvin Trott, of the eth Mo-, first
.alled my attention to it.
This trap was not over - feet from
where my company was, writes James
CConnor in the National Tribune.
vent with Trott, ana found the ar
'angement for our destruction as here
,tated. several of the men of our
brigade were passing TO and from
he warehouse across the ravine,
uniting fuel to build fires. and
cautioned my company of the danger
We were in.
1t was not over ten minutes after !
eturned to my company that the eX-
)losion occurred. Someone dropped
ire in it, probably from his pipe. Tho
,hells commenced exploding very
asst something after the fashion OF a
parrel of free hackers set off. l hal
owed to ray company to drop fat on
he ground
The supply train was drawn up en-
nasse close in our rear, facing the
! .round the m n occupied the team
tiers net in their saddles, but pre-
)aring some coffee. The mules took
right and general stampede of
cams commenced. The direction in
which the animals went was directly
,ver the ground occupied by the First
brigade AMI right on to the men, the
most of whom dropped on the ground.
A grand scramble for dear life now
| nsued. Between the running wild
teams and exploding she'll the danger
was fearful.
4 80 1,a., hnf
the teams. while many were run over
Ir caught amongst the mules and
wagons. Some of the teams tore lose
from the wagon by running into one
| another. The men in hundreds
Jumped and tumbled down the cut
eading to the bridge to the road be-
low, the most of them falling in the
scramble and rush down, and many of
the teams came dashing down on top
of them before they were able to re-
| gain their feet. General j. A. Logan
and General C. r. Woods and General
| William Il. Woods were down where
the bridge was building at the time
of the explosion. think there were
more shells exploded il ten minutes
here than was exploded by the artil-
lery of both armies on the memorable
18th of May at Resaca, or was ex-
ploded n few weeks later at the ar
tillery duel at Kenesaw mountain.
This was the first time l ever saw
any of the First brigade run for safe
ty, and the only stampede ever saw
in the Fifteenth corps.
Midnight Charge of the Mule brigade.
During the advance of General
Hooker's comma nd upon the enemy,
near Lookout mountain, an incident oc-
Cured which caused much merriment
at the expense of the rebels Hooker
moved to Lookout mountain very
cautiously hon the west side; and it
was when engaged in the movem mt
up the valley, that great stampede
among the mules took place. 1t was
in the deal of night when both arm
les were resting fro m the fatigues of
the previous day, and the sentiners
tread was the only sound that dis
turbed the universal quiet.