The National tribune., 1894-01-25
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades All Along the
Line
Who Was the Johnny?

|
which battle was tonight principally by the
Pa Reserves, under Gen. Mccall, on June
30, 1862, after making several charges and
taking many prisoners, an order was given
to take no more prisoners. suggestion COM
| ing with the order to destroy the weapons
| of all falling into our hands and letting the
| prisoners go.
In subsequent charge, when the recall
was given, | observed one of my company
returning in charge of two prisoners, both
| fully armed. Seeing this, / called his atten-
ton to orders, and suggested that the
weapons be destroyed and the prisoners
| allowed to go.
"This he proceeded to follow out, but hav-
| ing disarmed the one and broken his musket
| by clubbing it round tree, the other per-
| sistently refused to give up his arms. A
struggle followed, of which / was a mere
spectator, for / doubted not the outcome.
NJ. NJ. Miller, of Gettysburg. was the man,
and tough and why as hickory wiihe.
"Just at this jun cture observed move
ment on the part of The dIsarmed rebel, who
stood a little to my left, and on turning
upon him observed him in the act of draw
ing weapon upon Miller. Having mus
ket in my hands, held in a dubbed position,
fortunately, / acted quickly, for with a
spring and yell i struck his uplifted arm
below the elbow, breaking the arm entirely
off so that it hung at an angle, the weight
of the revolver doubtless assisting in the
result of the blow.
"The weapon, Colts revolver, with five
chant ers, three Of which contained charges,
flew into the air and fell at my feet. The
Southern soldier was a mere boy, bat tall and
lank, as they generally were. With cry
nt in haf odd at 6o6
and in deep anguish said: Why did you
do that?" Others, under the same circum-
stances, would have answered with another
blow, which would have settled the earthly
career Of the rebel, but concluded he was
sufficiently punished, and let HIM 20.
Can it be possible that this Confederate
soldier, who beyond a doubt ceased then to
do duty in the field, is now living? The
weapon knocked from his grasp is in my
possession, and though valuab as a relic,
yet ] will restore it TO its original owner.
Can this man be found?"
Not a New idea.
John G. Sias, Co. !, 155th Pa, 105 South
Eighteenth street, Pittsburg Pa, writes:
" In your issue of Jan. see that the new
tactics adopted for the Army contemplate
the giving of commands by whistles, under
certain circumstances. For the quick trans
mission of an order to a regiment in action,
who are properly drilled, it certainly would
have a great advantage over the command
given by word; but as the reading of great
many interesting articles in THE NATIONAL
TRIBUNE reireshes the memory Of the SOL
der of the sixties this one reminds me of an
incident of the second day in the Wilderness
where the whstling idea probably began
to shoot.
"In the Winter of 1863, '64 the 155th Pa.
(Zouaves) were thoroughly drilled in the
skrmish drill by bugle calls only. Col. 4.
l.. Pearson giving special attention 10 this
movement, the regiment attained under his
command high degree of perfection. Dur
ing the second days fight in the Wilderness
Col. Pearson deployed the regiment in heavy
skirmish order, advancing into the heavy
underground for the purpose of drawing the
enemy out from his masked position. l
have a distinct recollection in the action
that followed of the Colonel giving several
commands that were promptly executed by
whistling the bugle calls for skirmishers."
Last to Leave.
G. L. Camp, Co. G. Cpd Ohio, 305 South
Fourteenth street, Seattle Wash, writes:
60 In your issue of Dec. % the Cd Ohio
claims the honor of being the last regiment
to leave Chickamauga or Rossvile Gap on
Monday morning at daylight. l beg leave
to put in claim for the 92d Ohio. Our bri-
gade, consisting in part of the 92d, 11th and
Both Ohio participated in Gen. Turchin's
famous charge, cutting through the rebel
lines on Sunday evening, and reached Rss-
vile Gap some time that night. We lay
there all day Monday, and about noon the
rebels began firing on us, but got into no
regular engagement
"Ou Tuesday morning at / o'clock we
started for Chattanooga, passing through the
Gap, and arriving at the breastworks near
Fort Negley, or, as the rebels called it, Star
Fort, little before daylight. / have the
time and dates in my daily diary kept at the
time.
las to brothers in companies, my COM
pany cannot boast of the numbers of sets,
but we had one set which will come up to the
best of them in numbers, there being five of
them by the name of Croy-Robert, William,
David, Duncan, and Calvin. Then they had
another brother. Grier Croy, who was
member Of the 36th Ohio"
Brutal Treatment.
Thomas Burrell, Melville. Ala SAYS that
at Houston, Ala, on Aug. "a. 1864, Joel J.
Curtis was taken bodily possession OF by
men named Hill, GOODWIN, ben franKIln,
Watley and Will Kilgo, and was carried 25
miles TO Jasper, Ala, to the Jail, in which
they confined him until Aug. %. Then
these SecessioniSts took their victim seven
miles on the Elyton road, declaring they
were going to put him in the army. While
on the road they suddenly shot him, stripped
him, dug shallow grave and left his body, to
be found three days afterward by his wife,
and taken to Union County and reinterred
at the Union Grove Churchyard.
Thomas p. Curtis, Probate Judge, was
taken pris ,ner at Houston on or about the
10Th day of January, 1864, by Watley, Will
Kilgo, and two others, and carried about
Is miles on The CULTS of Clear Creek and
shot. They robbed him of $35 in money,
threw his body off bluff rock 20 feet high
in a branch of water, leaving it there until
found by friend several days later. The
only fault Of these men was that they were
Unonists."
Let the Eleventh Corps Alone.
r. d. O., Co. F, 1924 N. Y, Newburg,
N. Y, read Comrade SandersOn's account of
the Charlottesville battle az seen by one of
Sykes's Regulars. He thinks the Eleventh |
Corps ought to be left alone. If they were !
it was not their fault; and they |
have been not only criticised, but vilely |
abused, and it is time to drop it. The |
blame ought to be placed where it belongs, |
ON the commanders, not ON the men. Any |
other corps would have done the same thing |