The National tribune., 1898-08-25
Il BOY SOLDIER.
Some Of His Experiences Early In the
Civil War.

Some OF His Experiences Early In the
Civil War.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: A few
words from one who made few tracks in
the so-called Confederacy in the eventful
years of 1S61-'65.
When but boy few months past II
years, only weighing 121 pounds, five feet
five inches high, at the beautiful Quaker
city of Richmond, IEd., on Sept. Is, 1861, in
company with Is others, / enlisted in Co.
f, 36th Ind, to serve three years or during
the war. Looking at the thing as only boy
could, l thought it mere frolic. Before
many months L was sadly undeceived.
On the 10Th day of September we were
mustered into the United States service by
Maj Wood, then on the staff Of the noble
and never to be forgotten by the soldiers of
the grand old Hoosier State, Gov. o. p.
Morton, and drew caps and blouses and be-
gan to look somewhat like soldiers.
In our company was an old neighbor of
mine, who had been in the Mexican war. He
thought it would be a good joke to have
little fun at the expense of the boy soldier.
So one very dark, rainy night was on guard,
and the Mexican campaigner was Corporal
of one relief of the guard. He tried the
courage of bis boy comrade by attempting to
cross the beat, and came near getting run
through with the bayonet on the old U. S.
musket used to stand guard with.
In few days we were ordered and went
to indianapolis and to Camp Morton. In a
few days we drew guns and other aceouter
ments of the soldier. After a few weeks,
may be abOut three, we were sent to Camp
Jo Holt, ne2r Jeffersonville, Ind, near the
Ohio River, q much larger body of water
than many of US who had been brought up
on the tablelands Of eastern Indiana had
ever seen.
There we found that noble regiment, the
1st Wis, than whom none were more noble,
in camp awaiting orders to go to the front
In that part of the country were large
pools or ponds of water. One day when out
on regimental drill near one Of those pools,
We were ordered to charge towards it. The
boys, who were yelling at the top of their
voices went right through the water, knee
deep, and halted on the other size, only to
see the Colonel and other regimental officers
almost splitting their sides with laughter.
The boys were about as mad set as one
would want to see, thinking that the thing
had been done On purpose. When the Col
onel could get his breath long enough to ex-
plain, he said that he had given the command
to halt before we got to the pool, but we did
not hear it.
Many had the measles, and several died
before we left our homo State. Here the
writer lost his dearest friend, James B.
Wright, with whom he had been brought up,
the loss of whom made the boy-soldier very
homesick. When told OF the death of Wright,
he felt like he could not stay in the service any
longer, and so wrote his mother to take him
out of the service, he being under age. But
before the matter could be brought around
he had gotten over his homesiekness, and so
when the letter came asking his release from
the service he declined to leave the other boys,
of which he is now, as he has always been,
very proud.-PREsLEY E. JOHNSON, Co. E,
36th Ind, Spurrier, Tenn.