The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-10-06
THE G. A. r. TRIP SOUTH
"REMINISCENCES AT A RECENT
MEETING OF THOMAS POST.
Recorder shilling Tells How He
Found His Brothers Grave-Capt.
Armstrong; Story.

last meeting of Thomas Grand Army Post.
but IL the members had known that sew
eral comrades would be telling their expert
ences and impressions during the recent
visit to Chickamauga and other localities
in the arena of the war, there would have
been a large attendance. 1t was not ex-
pected; indeed. the commander was about
to close the meeting, when Recorder Shill-
ing rose and said that he desired to tell
his experience at Murfreesboro He began
by saying that for more than thirty years
he had desired to locate the resting place
of his brother. who was mortally wounded
at Stone River. The comrade proceeded,
in part, as follows: :
MY brother and 1 were members of the
same regiment, and were doing picket duty
on the morning of Dec. 81, 1862. We were
OF Mccook's NINA and were stationed
on his right. This was his weakest point,
and shortly before daybreak we were at
tackled by the rebel forces under Pat Gle
burne. My brother was fifteen or twenty
feet from me-, and fell mortally wounded. I
was unable TO get 10 him, and was driven
was over / could not find him on the battle
field or amongst the wounded in the field
hospitals, and / knew he had been captured
/ heard nothing of him until after the
rebels evacuated Murfreesboro, when /
learned he was in a hospital in that place.
l obtained permission 10 nurse him, and
stayed IN the nOSpltal until his death. Be
ing unable to send his remains to the
North, l buried him in the Presbyterian
cemetery at Murfreesboro. / took the pre-
caution to mark his grave with a cedar
slab, inscrlbing the date of his death, his
name and the number of his regiment. Dur
ing the last thirty-two years 1t has been
my great desire to know that he was NOT
buried In an unknown grave. When the
National Cemetery was opened l knew he
would be removed to the government off,
Gals, and that if they did not know his
no M fhnyr ur0rrI6 daGaafhn rhn In0o n n
the grave from which he was taken and the
number OF the new grave. l did not sup
pose the cedar slab 1 had placed at his
served, but when / went 20 the cemetery
and looked over the record almost the first
name 1 saw was his. l got the number or
trouble. On a beautiful tombstone was the
same inscription / had placed on the CEDAR
slab. The National Cemetery is In one OF the
most beautiful spots l have ever seen, and
the stones are all fine marble. Some one
inquired If / would remove my brother
North. 1 replied that. / would not, as 1
in that beautiful place, so near the spot
where he fell.
FINDING HIS BROTHERS CRAVE
Il want TO mention especially the cordial
way in which we were treated. The citi-
zens Of Murfreesboro got up a white satin
badge. 1t had a picture Of a. globe sur
mounted with the national flag with the
words, Our Country printed on the globe.
Below were the words, We are Brothers.
Johnny and Yank.' 1t was too late when
we arrive for us to try to look through
the cemetery and we went out and mingled
with the citizens. / learned there was no
Grand Army post, and inquired If there was
an Odd Fellows lodge. / was informed
hat there was by a Colonel Brown, who
also told me the lodge meeting was then
In session. I did not have a card, but
he took me to the lodge room and in
troduced me to the city marshal. a Mr..
Nancy. who afterwards introduced me
to every one in the room. He
words fer every one. He would say:
.Yapk. here is a Johnny you tried to
get or Johnny, here is a Yank you tried
to shoot One time he said: .Yank. here
is another Johnny; you shot his leg Off
I told him I was there hunting my BROTH
ers grave. He said he had opened a street
short time before and that If / would call
at his office the next morning he might
find something on his records that would
aid me. After left he told the postmas-
ter. Mr.. j. II. Chritchlow, the object of
my search. We went to the cemetery at
5 O'Clock the next morning and while there
located my brothers grave. When L re-
turned for breakfast l found a card Mr..
Critchlow had left during my absence,
stating that if l would call on him he
me in my search. / called on him and in
formed him tina L had already found my
brothers. grave. He knew the number Of
Indiana, and took me to the store
room that had been the hospital in which
my brother died. 1t seemed as II they
no Ill feeling in any way, shape or form.
/ told them 1 did not care anything about
their religion or politics and that all 1
one country and one flag They stated
that that was their sentiment. l know
s~atisied our going did them good. 1 shall
ALWAYS have different feelings regarding
the men who fought on the other side"
CAPT. ARMSTRONG; EXPERIENCE.
.I will tell my experience at Chicka-
manga at a Confederate reunion" said
Capt. w. H. Armstrong. He went on to
say that with S. Sheerin, a L~ogansport
Judge and another Hoosier, he attended
a Confederate reunion at the Brotherton
House on the battlefield. There were two
or three thousand people there. Confeder-
ate veterans, their wives, sons and daugh-
tiers. They came from the country in all
sorts of c~onveyances II was generally a
country crowd. I'VE went about among
them telling them hat we were the other
fellows" said Captain Armstrong. 'They
were a little distant for the most part
as if they did not quite know about us.
After a while a young man, a representa-
tivesof the Atlanta Constitution, was called
upon TO make an opening address-to give
the visiting ex-ConfederateS a welcome,
He made a rafting good speech. 1t is
not a question now he said, whether
you were right when you fought on this
ground In 1868. Well say you were right;
well say you and my father were beaten
because the North had the most men;
but / will say this, and l believe all OF
you feel IL, ii was a good thing that you
were beaten. There is room for but one
government on this continent and the one
we have is the best
IT cannot give you anything like his
style. The ex-Confederates and their sons
stared at him, but made no sign of dis
approval. When he closed there would
have been no applause If us four had not
begun il. We started 1t in good earnest
and the crowd followed. To one old man l
were a Confederate soldier How do you
know that 1 was in the rebel armyg he
demanded. Know Ii, why you have the
bearing Of an old soldier; confess now that
you can show scars of battle And he
did show the scars: We talked a bit and
and we did. Thus we spent an hour
mingling with the crowd. All were court
eous. but all were not cordial. AS we
passed a seat on which were several
women, a tall and graceful girl stood up
and with a not ungracious toss OF the
old Confeds best 1 did hear, and lifting
my hat, | said: so do l. As we came
away, a man who had fought at Chicka-
manga was proving that ii was not a
drawn battle. These people were from
the country where the spirit of the new
south. which is found / in all the cities, has
not reached. But IL will come. The words
of Lincoln will come true; our better