The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1897-06-18

Three cheers for Grant and the I'm
ionp'
The tall sergeant swung his cap and
the cheers rang far over the Ohio as the
boats showed back from the wharf A
strong tenor voice in the Forty fourth
Indiana struck up familiar camp song
The Thirty-first at once caught it, and
then the KentuckiaBs, and as the boats
rounded the bend we sang goodby to
Evansville, in the roaring notes of
We'll hang JEFF Davis to sour apple
tree as we go marching on. "
We had passed a miserable winter
along Green river, where per cent of
our regiment had died of camp fever
and twice as many more were invalided.
But now we were off to join Grant
somewhere in Tennessee. Daylight
of Feb. IL found US at Paducah, a queer
old town, overcrowded and literally
blue with soldiers All day we ran up
the Tennessee river and at shutdown
reached Fort Henry, where we were
treated to a beautiful illumination of
the feet and shore. All the steamers
carried red and blue lights. In the fort
and along the bluff thousands of fires
were blazing, and family over the water
On the evening air came the songs of the
exultant soldiers, for already the capture
Of that fort had given rise to many new
versions of the old songs. 1t was soon
decided that it was cheaper for us to go
round by water, and so morning found
us again at Paducah, where we lay all
day. It was the way things were done
that whitehall movements were slow,
and nothing was done till the ffty-ninth
minute of the eleventh hour.
Late at night we steamed away, and
daylight found US ascending the Cum
berland. All day men and officers were
- the height of mirth and jollity, for
- gas the first nice travelling our bri-
Fade had had. The weather was delight
full, and soldiers soon form the habit of
enjoying the present good without
thought of the doubtful morrow. We
were paraded on the upper deck and
arms and ammunition thoroughly in
spected. Our magnificent band played
inspiring tunes, and all the soldiers
danced and sang and shouted till they
were hoarse. I came down into the
cabin, and there the surgeons had their
instruments laid out for inspection on
the long table-knives, saws, tourni-
quets, everything indicating dreadful
work at hand. A sudden revulsion Of
feeling oveTcame me. l turned cold
around the heart at thought of dread
full wound and possible amputation.
With the night came an awful change.
In two hours the mercury must have
fallen 20 degrees. had to stand guard
ON the lower deck, and there was a cold
and driving rain which changed to
sleet. As the boat turned this way and
that with the windings of the stream,
the sleet drove across the open space in
almost horizontal lines, and soon my
over coat was solid with ice Daylight
showed three or four inches of 'jsfIow.
All forenoon we toiled getting the ma
terial off the boats and at noon entered on
the march with the officers exhorting US
to speed, for the sound of cannonading at
Donelson showed but too clearly that
actual business had begun. Over abrupt
hills and through heavily timbered hol-
lows, nearly boot leg deep in places with
mud and water, we toiled ON till, reach
ing hollow which led directly to the
fort, we heard the cannOnading as loud
and clear as if it were but mile away.
Turning to the right, we rose 20 a mar
row level and a mile or so farther began
to pass behind our first line of battle.
Across the hollow to our left solid shot
from rebel batteries were striking high
in the trees, making a great crashing
among the limbs, but hurting nobody,
for there was nobody there to hurt. A
few forced a laugh at the sound of the
cannon and said it was music, but
could not see 1t in that light. have
enjoyed" the hand organ for hours and
endured boarding school practice, but
I never heard music that felt in the
knees like that. The half jocular bra
vado of some Of the men to my mind
showed fear as plainly as the silence Of
others. 1 kept my feelings to myself,
determined that no matter how badly
got scared nobody should know it. We
camped for the night III an old field,
with orders to rest on arms and in
place without sleeping"
On, the miseries of that fearful night!
Crouched down in the SNOW, with my
gun between my knees, within two
hours every inch of my body was jerk
ing with cold like the flesh of a-freshly
skinned beef. For the first time in my
life felt cold through my interior
About o'clock in the morning we We're
permitted to lie down, and did so by
threes-twO gum blankets and one wool
en- below Us, two wOolens and one gum
above. A sleet storm came ON, and I
awoke from sound sleep, with my hair
matted in frozen Jumps 1t was scarcely
light before the cannonading was re
sumed. The reveille and shouting Of
officers rose from every camp, and the
smell of powder came family on the
morning air. Raw pork and cold crack
ers were soon dispatched, and we were
In line for orders. And now the woods