The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-07-24

How the Civil War Was Fought witt
Chess and Checkers.

Chess and Checkers.
New York Sun.
I'VE had two strategy boards in our town
when Grant and Sherman were in the South
and Mcclellan, Burnside, Hooker and Meade
on one side and Lee on the other, were in
Virginia. We did not call Them strategy
boards, but / know now that is what they
WERE One board played chess, the other
one played checkers. The chess board was
composed of the lawyers and doctors, who
had their offices huddled in one part Of the
town. The checker board was composed of
the justice of the peace, preacher, the SUI
perintendent of the Sunday school and some
of the clerks in the stores. There were no
bulletins then. There was no afternoon
newspaper When there was big fight
on slip of paper the width Of the papers
column, and long according to the news, noI
to exceed one column. The extra sold for
cents; If the purchaser did not have the
exact price he could not get the extra.
Change was that scarce.
After the issue of the extra the people in
what had been the business center doubted
the news or accepted it according to their
wishes, and then went to the chess players,
who were SouthernerS The extra was
read, and the players, never raising their
eyes from the board, would speak and move
in about this way:
Grant couldn't get into vicksburg as
that dispatch says he did. Here's Vicks-
burg'-pointing to a king or castle, or some
other titular dignitary-'and here's Grant
He could no more take Vicksburg than 1
can take that castle with this bishop until
have an open sweep across the board
Probably at that the adversary would
knock off a pawn with knight, which
would cause the first player momentary
surprise, but as the latter captured the
knight Immediately he remarked: And IL
Grant did undertake to do what that extra
says he did he would make just such mis-
take as Doc Brown made when he cap
tured that pawn This pleased the men
who had brought in the extra until the adj
versary, knocking out another pawn with
his bishop, announced check Then there
was a pause and Judge Jones twisted his
= lral bod urn
come out straight. But in q few minutes
he had interposed, or 'transDosed, or
moved his king one square. Then he looked
around for the box of sand on the floor and
said to the committee with the extra
a" Grant cant get Pemberton by any any, such
tactics. Might as we'll say that Sheridan
could catch Stonewall Jackson You fell
lows on Fourth street don't understand war:
War is a science. All right to have plenty of
soldiers. but soldiers are not everything.
Strategy is the winning piece. You know
when somebody told Napoleon, when he was
talking about invading another country,
that he couldn't do ii on account of the
amt no Alps" or 1.-The Alps be damned,
or something-did you move Doc?'
DOC had moved While Judge Jones was
explaining the strategy of war Doc Brown
had showed in bishop, which was support
ed by knight, and again called check.
" Say Doc Judge Jones would remark,
'drawgon if I didn't lose sight of that
knight l surmised you were going to at
tack with your bishop, and thought I could
4
knight is bearin on that very square.
THE next move only delayed the inevita-
BILE. For when Doc Brown followed he am
nounced mate and the committee with
the extra went away. the Southerner con-
Tossing that if Pemberton didn't know any
thing more about war than Judge Jones
knew about chess the game was up. And
! the result Of that game of chess was talked
about in connection with the news from
Nicksburg the remainder of the day. And
in every game that followed the finish of the
war was demonstrated by a player to his
own satisfaction at least
The checker board strategists in the of
fee of the justice of the peace confined
themselves to The movements of the militia
at home and the home guard. The justice
was jolly soul who weighed about four
hundred pounds the year round, and every
time he got into the king row he would
Pawson, tha's no use talkin'. yo can't
keep Joe Shelby out o Missoury any mon
20 kin keep me from jdmpin' into that
king row.
But the parson would explain after the
game, TO his admirers. that the squire
moved some of his men both ways before
| they were crowned. And his admirers were
| FOND OF telling what the parson would have
| done IT the squire had played fair"