The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-03-15
FROM CAIRO TO
DONELSON.
Continued from first page.)

were still in vogue, and almost every regi-
There must have been more than one musi-
clan there that day without horn, however,
as l remember Of seeing great many brass
horns scattered over the battlefield the day
before. The bands, as they entered, all
opened out full blast with stirring airs of
National and martial music. Soldiers
yelled and cheered, and threw their hats
high in the air. The gunboats dropped
down and woke the echoes with National
salute from their big guns, firing a gun for
each State, not emitting those in secession.
Presently two long lines Of butternut SOL
with their guns stacked in front of them,
flags laid on them, and arms folded across
the breast, who had the day before done all
in their power to defeat and destroy us, met
our gaze face to face. We filed into the
open ranks along the pike between the two
tune of Hail Columbia, and gave free
matinee to about 900 curious spectators.
AS soon as we approached within speaking
distance spirited exchange or fusilade of
words, jokes, questions, ETC., ensued. Men
from both sides would halloo out, Hello
there, Bill; "What are you doing there,
Jim;" "How are you, Bob" etc, as they
recognized friends or relatives.
After the "blow outn was over my regi-
ment went into camp over on the hillside, near
little village graveyard, where we soon
received our tents and baggage. The cold
snap blew over and we had pleasant and
comfortable quarters until we embarked on
board steamers for another unknown destina-
ton down the Cumberland and up the Ohio
and Tennessee to Pittsburg Landing.
/ remember as soon as we broke ranks,
and before guards had been detailed and
placed over captured stores, that the boys
made o raid on the rebel commissary and
carried out to camp large amount of bacon,
-four, sugar. molasses, rice, etc. 1t was
nothing uncommon to see the soldiers tent
containing barrel of molasses, several sides
of bacon, a sack of rice or sugar, barrel of
flour, and so on. Soldiers began to live fat
on fap-jacks fried in bacon grease and sop
ped in molasses. But high life was nipped
in the bud one evening by an order read
to US on dress-parade, that all goods taken
from Confederate commissary must be i'm
mediately returned or charged up to COM
pany commanders. An invoice was taken
of all found in tents, and, of course, COM
pany commanders were interested in having
it hustled out and returned.
This to the soldier was
AN UPHILL BUSINESS,
as the barrels of -four and molasses had had
their heads cayed in, rice and sugar sacks
had been ripped open, and the sides of greasy
bacon seemed much heavier and harder to
carry. Our Surgeon said we had worse
dose from the commissary, if we had been
let alone, than we received in the battle. The
goods, what was left of them, was restored
Inasmuch as the Fort Donelson battlefield
was somewhat close and convenient to home,
and many persons from the North were ar
irving constantly for their friends who were
among the dead or wounded, and inasmuch
as it was cold weather and the dead froze
solid as soon as life was extinct, and there
was no smell nor stencil from them, they
were not buried Immediately, but lay on
the field for several days or q week.
/ remember seeing the rebels hauling their
dead from the battlefield in large army
wagons remember noticing how the stiff
arms and legs stuck up and projected in all |
directions as they went along with the
wagon piled full of dead men. therefore !