The National tribune., 1897-02-25
FIGHTING THEM OYER
What Our Veterans Have to Say About
Their Old Campaigns
PERTINENT POINTS.

Comrade Brogan Illustrates His Position
as Cedar Creek by Strong Arguments
Graphic Anecdote.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Inc pri-
gade to which my regiment was at'aeheu .
was. for some wise and sufficient reasers OF
.be War Denartment. sent 10 Johnsons Is
land in Lake Erie. for the purpose of guard
inc 2 prison in which were confined some
500 rebel officers. This was, 1 believe
some time in January, 1864. had an ex-
reriepce whilst there which bears remotely
on a few passing occurrences, but Will serve
as a horrible example to anyone who may
be tempted to do likewise.
We had been at the prison but a short
while when thePaymaster made us a long
deferred visit. Passes to Sandusky were at
q premium, on account OF some llttle cohfe-
temps between our men and the Ohio Home
Guards, assisted by their allies, facetiousiy
dubbed Condemned Yankees"
To my sorrow, / stood in with our Cap
tain and secured pass and proceeded TO
get all the good out OF 1T possible IN ~
hours. was. as Mark Twain would say,
"a kind of a literary cuss." / fOraged
among bookstores for secondhand volumes;
and what between the patriotism of their
owners and certain commercial instincts OF
the buyer succeeded in amassipg for little
money quite a respectable collection OF the
best authors. 1 Rugged myself when L
thought how my company boys would take
on when / returned.
The next morning, packing my books IN
a dry-goods box, consigned them to the
care of the expressman and, as the Lake
was frozen some II inches in depth, started
for the Island.
Before taking to the ice / ran across
little bookstore near the landing and found
a large assortment of old magazines, which
/ traded for on advantageous terms. Tying
them up, knapsack fashion, i siung them on
nv back and struck for quarters, with the
thermometer at 10 below zero. Halfway
across noticed a powerfully-b built soldier
coming in my direction. His overcoat was
open, his arms were working like the
driying-cranks of locomotive, and his step
was as light and springy as two-year-oid.
As we came closer moved one side to give
him plenty of room TO pass. de didn't pass,
however: but, flingipg off his overcoat, he
made side leap, and, letting out with ms
left as a feeler, he gave me drive with MS
right in the ribs and landed me in 4 snow
bank 10 feet distant.
There was disseminating of magazines In
way he eminent publishers never dreamt
of. Was / mad? / would have charged
Longstreet's Corps, with a couple of Jack
sons brigades thrown in, but the giant
grasped me by both arms and jerked me on
my feet. Holding me at arms length, he
roared out:
Don't say word, pard. I'm going over
to Sandusky to have a little fun with the
boys. wanted 10 get my hand in. You'll
hear from me in the morning. Intended no
offense, sonny. So long" And Singing his
overcoat over his shoulder, he started on a
run for the desired haven, leaving me in a
frame of mind and the owner of a circulat-
ing library that would circulate wherever
the bowling Canadian blizzard listed.
The comrades who may read this can see
where one of my earliest attempts ut dissem-
mating information came near 10 an ig-
nominous end and whether it was another
mans thoughts or some of my crude illusions
the same fatality has invariably followed
and my philanthrophic attemts 10 throw
light on dark places don't seem to bt
thoroughly appreciated. Might not The
comrades who have taken the job of holding
me mp as 4 falsifier halt little? For moth
ing in the Official Records prove any allega
ton made by me in my letter of Dec. IL
wrong in single iota. ] certainly never
slur on any man or organization that upheld
in those days the starry flag of our glorious
Republic.
Comrade Porter, of the 18th Vt, make:
the statement that the Second Division O
the Sixth Corps was on the left of our corp!
the morning of the fight at Cedar Creek, an6
says The Third and First Divisions were in
line before his division. Granted. And
that they were marched to our left to pro
long the line. Take one of the maps ISSUED
with the Official Records and see how yor
connected The right of your division los
all touch with the First and Third, ant
stumbled over Meadow Run with an inter
val of over one-half mile between our divis
ion (Wheatons) and yours. Consequently
this left gap for Kershaw's and Gordoni
men to pour through, taking us in left fianl
aud rear and forcing us to fall back out o