The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1895-05-22

Army Of the Republic. Col. Musse,
had met many old friends whom he hao
not seen for a quarter of century.
But when Jack Adams came into the
office the scene was dramatic beyond
description. Col. Mussey acted like a
man whose dearest brother had come
back from the grave. He said:
''Why, my dear boy, saw You killed.
I saw a six-pound cannon bail cut you
Ia two in front of Baton Rouge. We
were in charge. and ] pressed on with
the regiment Other fellows were fall
;ng all around us, some of them killed,
but nearly all OF then wounded. We
accounted for all of them, buried the
dead and sent the others To hospitals.
/ supposed that fragments of your body
were buried, for I never saw you after
that cannon ball struck you"
Eyes, Fred, YOU are right about that
cannon bali hitting me" said Adams
with smile. But it didn't cut me in
two. As matter of fact, It was q spent
ball, and only grazed my right hip.
suppose it appeared TO go clear through
me. But you must remember that
there was some little excitement just
then, and maybe you got ratified.
There was enough fighting and enough
danger to rattle the bravest fellows that
day. Well, the spent ball paralyzed
me, and bruised me, and nearly killed
me. But / was breathing, although
unconscious, SO they picked me up, put
me in an ambulance and sent me to a
Sill ~ I ,1I -
a hospital steamer, taken TO q general
hospital at New Orleans, and finally
recovered. !! never went to the front
again, and Il was many day and MANY
a month before L was sound and well
again. Bus here L am again, in tho
body, and mighty glad TO see my old
friend and comrade again"
Col Mussey had a similar singular ez-
perience about the same time. We had
desks in the same Office room, and one
evening he came over to see me. and
said. with considerable excitement: 4
have discovered my brother, Al Mus
sey, after nearly thirty years OF silence
on his part. He left our Vermont homo
after the ear, saying he would never
come back until his fortune was made
We have never heard Of him since; and
now J have discovered him"
Where s ne. and how did you find
him?" l inquired.
1T IS pr1vidential, said Col. Mussev.
''The pension Office sends typewriter
slip every day giving the names of Ohio
and Indiana soldiers to whom pensions
have bee1 issued. l never received
California slip before, because my paper
does not circulate in California And
tonight IN my envelope. by an error
of some clerk. l found the California
pension Est. / was about TO throw it
In the waste basket when [ saw ths /
name of Albert ". Mussey. That must (
be my brother He is in California. !
He has applied for pension II has /
been iss1ed, and this slip bearing his !
name, the only California slip | have /
ever seen. has been waited into my of |
fice- viii write to him"
The result of this peculiar incident 1
was that Col. MuSsey wrote to the PEN /
sioner, received a reply and then sent /
word TO his venerable mother in YER /
mont that her eldest boy was still alive. 4
al Mussey had become prosperous
rancher. He had been silent for many
years and dreaded to write to his home. /
lest sad news of the deaths of his kim !
dred might come to him But, after |
all, the family was reunited. and they
all look upon that stray California pen /
sion list as a providential occurrence. /
More remarkable than the story of .
Jack Adams IS a thrilling romance I
which the records of the pension Office .
disclose concerning Hugh Thompson.
of Van Vert, O, a farmer lad who had
enlisted in the Fifteenth Ohio infantry.
September l, 1862. and marched away
20 the front with the tens Of thousands
OF other farmer laddies who COMPRISED
the bone and sinew of the rank and file
of the armies of the union. At the
battle of Chiclamauga. as a comrade
relates, while they were living or the
ground At the front 20 escape the tenn
pest Of balls that swept the thin woods
where his regiment was engaged, a
case shot, probably detected from
tree. struck him in the head. and his
face was instantly covered with blood.
His companion spoke to him. but he
10 fall back was given. He was assist
ed 10 his feet. staggered a few feet in =
dazed kind Of way, and feIl in : heap
as confederate brigade syvar7ned into
the woods, and his comrades were
forced TO leave him. evidently diving
from mortal wound He never -
loined them. The regimeutal report az
the adjutant for September, tSt,s. bears
the note opposite his name: Wounded
and missing in the battle Of Chiclza-
manga, September 19. 1865" And so
he disappeared from comrades and
friends and home. one Of the unknown
dead, remembered only rs an interer
component Of the myriads Of soldier
boys who gave their Young lives for
fheir country. His father. vears after
Sard- annliad for a r,ensinr, on =ceopD.