The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-04-01
Two Artillery Shots,


was he, indeed? Pardon me. but he
was not"
1t was a delightful little Nashville lady
who quite startled her listeners. made up
largely of northern visitors spending a
brief season in the south. who liked all
eyes upon her by the remark.
Her emphatic exclamation and equally
emphatic denial opened the way for the
story, one in which both men in blue and
gray figure.
Early in October. 1853. A. 2. Converse,
Company D. Fortieth Ohio, visited Sam
uei Vandervoort, a former Ohio neighbor
and also a soldier. The latter was quite
noted for his sketching Of battlefeids and
camp scenes. The young man. upon the
| occasion of this visit. which was on a
pleasant afternoon. was on Moccasin
Point. opposite Chattanooga. under the
shadow of Lookout Mountain. For time
Converse watched him as he sketched the
valley overlooked by Moccasin Point
Heights
A portion of the force defending that
| locality at that time was the Eighteenth
! Ohio battery of light artillery. For quite
a spell the gunners had made unsUccess-
full efforts to drive couple of confed-
crate signal corps men from a prominent
point on Lookout Mountain. They were
signalling news and general information
gathered from the union army in and
about Chattanooga to General Braxton
Bragg, then in command of the southern
forces in that department whose head
quarters were on Missionary Ridge, some
miles away.
The federal officers, realizing the mis-
chief that those two young fellows were
doing with their flirting signal flags. were
ready to resort TO almost any means to
drive them away. General Whitaker was
watching the artillery sending shell and
shot at them, but not to them. He nearly
| lost his patience at the failure to accom-
| plish the much desired object. Approach
! ing the captain of the battery, he rather
| petulantly said TO him that he ought to
| be able TO find some one who could drive
those young fellows from that point of
rocks. The captain expressed the belief
| that he could not reach them with his
guns.
Then we will get some better guns"
said Whitaker.
This remark Of the half-enraged general
was heard by Jacob Houston, the bugler.
who had previously served as a gunner
| in another battery, and he at once volun-
teered 10 try his luck with the saucy flag
swinging confederates.
1T is no use" said the captain.
TRY your skill and luck" snapped out
the general
Houston's first shot fell a little short.
The second one hit the bulls eye-struck
| the rock on which the signal men were
standing, and the flag went tumbling
down, and so did the men.
General Whitaker was delighted, and
pronounced it a blank good shot.
The bugler was told to lay aside his
musical instrument, and then and there
was placed on duty to see that no more
signals were sent from that part Of Look
out Mountain. He obeyed orders so well
that they never again signaled from that
rock
| One of the party asked Converse, who
was telling the story If they heard wheth-
| er Houston's shot killed or only wounded
| the signal men.
1.-THE one who was handling the flag at
! the time was killed, undoubtedly, for he
dropped instantly when his flag fell"
It was this answer of the Ohio soldier
| that brought the remark which heads this
chapter-"Was he, indeed? But he was
not"
How do you know?' some one of the
party asked the Nashville lady.
Il have the best reason in the world
| for knowing for that signal sergeant has
| been my husband for good many years. -
That was the signal for smiles and
| hand-clapping.
| Mr. Eastman had told, in his wife's pres
ence, on several occasions the story of
| his experience as a signal sergeant on
| Lookout Mountain. He said that when
/ that shot struck the rock he dropped in
! to assure for protection from the pieces
/ have been torn to pieces. Mr.. Eastman
/ would have been torn TO pieces. Mr.. East
! man also explained that only a short time
! before Houston's dead sure shot was fired
| Jefferson Davis, president Of the confed-
eracy, and commander-in-chief OF it's
| army, accompanied by dozen civil and
! military officers, had stood on the rock
! with himself and his signal associate and
carefully surveyed the valley taking notes
on the federal army. 1t was while there
! that Mr.. Davis said, I'VE can bag them
when we get ready Eastman had twice
warned Mr.. Davis and his party OF the
great danger of standing there and point
| ed out to them the battery that had
| been Smelling them.
If Houston had taken charge of that
| Eighteenth gun a dozen minutes earlier
/ he would have brought down some pretty