The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1898-04-06
WAR STORIES.
Tales Told by a Southern Soldier.
st. Louis Republic.

george larry ESSleSCOn IS tne du
thor of volume of short stories which
he has called Southern Soldier Sto
ries. (The Macmillan Company.
Some of the sketches are very short
but all of them breathe the spirit Of
contest and of endurance. The author
dedicates his book to the Joe" sc
often mentioned in these stories
He was my loved comrade in arms, ano
a sharer in all my war experiences
He is now DR. Joseph W. Eggleston
of Richmond, Va
In one story Joe is the hero. He
was troublesome hero, it appears
The author says: "Joe was very
much in earnest at Pocotaligo, S. C..
where great little battle was fought
on the 22d of October, 1862.
:sThat is to say, Joe was not quite
II years old, was an enthusiastic sol
der, and was as hot-headed as boy
we'll can be-
Joe had command Of gun. His
men fell about him; presently there
were but three left. "The other bat
terry was that of Captain Elliott Of
South Carolina and Captain Elliott
had just been designated Chief of
Artillery. Elliot's battery was really
not in action at all. Joe, seeing Cap
tain Elliott. and being himself full OF
the enthusiasm which insists upon
getting things done, appealed to the
Chief of Artillery for the loan Of some
cannoneers with whom to work his
gun more effectively. Captain Elliott
declined. Thereupon Joe broke into
a yolley Of vituperation, calling the
Captain and his battery towards, and
by other pet names not here to be re-
ported.
'sI, as Joe's immediate chief, as
we'll as his elder brother, commanded
him to silence and ordered him back
to his gun
The elder brother worried about
Joe. He mad visions of court martials
and other disagreeable things. When
morning came he appeared at Captain
Elliott's headquarters at sunrise.
II entered headquarters with de-
gree Of trepidation which | had never
felt before.
Captain Elliott was performing his
ablutions as well as he could, with a
big gourd for basin. He nodded and
spoke with his head in the towel.
Good fight, wasn't it? We have
a lot Of those fellows to bury this
morning. Pretty good bag for three
hundred and ffty-one Of us, andit was
mainly your battery's canister that
did it,
II changed feet and said, Yes
"I thought to myself that was about
the way 1 should take to let man
down easy in hard case.
'.The Captain carefully removed the
soap from his ears then, turning to
me, said: That's a fighter, that
brother Of yours.
"'Yes,' replied; but, Captain, he
is very young, very enthusiastic, and
very hot-tempered; l hope-I hope
you'll overlook-his--e r-intemper-
ateness and
Thunder, man, do you suppose
I've got any grudge against fellow
that fights like that?' roared the gal
liant Captain.
Gas l rode back through the woods,
it seemed to me about the brightest
October morning that [ had ever seen,
even in that superb Carolina climate. .
In the story GA Family That Had
No Luck the Southern Soldier says:
S'There were two instances Of supreme
heroism in the Civil War. One was
upon the one side, the other upon the
other.
'sOne was the charge Of Picket S
Southerners at Gettysburg. The other
was the heroic series Of assaults made
by the Northern troops on Marye S
Heights, at Fredericksburg.
There are few words Of apt and
stirring description Of the assault in
the Iast-named battle, and then the
writer proceeds to his story Of the un-
lucky family In the interval between
the charges "an old man came in bear
ing an Enfield rifle and wearing an old
pot hat of the date Of 1851 or there
abouts. With gentle courtesy that
was unusual in war, he apologized to
the two men between whom he placed
himself, saying l hope l don't crowd
you, but l must find place somewhere
p Ill Loo.