The National tribune., 1899-08-10
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
A CLOSE SHAVE.

William Ferguson, Sergeant, Co. K,
51St b. Mo. M. writes: 81 never see anything
in THE NATIONAL TRIBUNE from this
part of the country, so will say few words
war, and lived four miles northwest OF Cam
den, Ray Co., Mo-, and after the war started
it was pretty hot for a Union man there.
After the battle the north side Of the Mis-
souri, River was overrun with the over
joyous enemy. After the battle OF Lexing-
ton my father-in-law sent me for. some
whisky, as there was none in the house.
got a half-gallon jug and started for
Camden. AS l pursued my way there l
had to cross bridge, and it was very dark.
When got on the bridge heard a grating
sound and rattling, as if some wagons were
on the bridge. To my surprise Is or 20
horsemen came in sight / could hear the
me. They advanced and asked me where
was going. / told them, and after max
ing inquiries they asked me if | knew OF or
had seen a Col. Parker. There was a
Union Col. Parker and Confederate Col.
Parker, but l soon sized them up and told
them that heard they were at Albany. /
went into the town, woke up the saloon
keeper, who was a good Union man, aud a
friend of mine, and asked him for the
whisky. He looked surprised and told me
that was on dangerous ground, as Prices s
men had been there that day, and had
taken WIldU UleY WdtlUSu WlL1OuI
for it, and said that they would kill every
Union man in town on sight"
FIGHTING AROUND JACKSON.
G.. J. Jordan, Co. C, 33d ILL.,, Grandin,
Mo-, writes: "Dr. J. P. Cannon, in his narra-
ton, Inside of Rebeldom,' a short time ago.
speaks of the enemy charging Stoval's
Brigade and being handsomely repulsed
with the loss of three stands of colors, $50
prisoners, and 600 or 800 killed and wound
ed and states that the colors belonged to
the 2Sth, 33d and 41st ILL.,, beautiful silk
flags, two of them blue, the others Stars
and Stripes. l was member OF Go. &,
33d ILL.,, for over three years, and know
that the old 33d, though it had two flags,
blue flag and the Stars and Stripes, both
beautiful silk flags, presented by the noble
ladies of Illinois, and carried on many
bloody fields, yet the enemy never cap
tured them. No, Doctor, you are away off
for the 33d never lost flag. We lost
many men on bloody fields, and our ranks
were thinned almost to Corporaps squad
but we stayed with our colors and brought
them off every field. Tuesday, July Ia,
he says, a flag of truce was raised, and
preparations made and accepted to cease
firing and bury the dead. 1 may be mis-
taken, but if memory serves me right,
early in the morning, a little after daylight,
we moved forward past the mansion of
an old planter to the skirmish line. do
not know whether there were any troops on
the right of our division (Carr's), but
think we were near the extreme right of
the army at Jackson. Now, when we got
to the front l got up in tree-one of those
long leaf or needle pines-to see what they
were doing over in the Johnnies' camp, and
as was reporting from time to time, saw
them placing battery and asked permis-
sion to try a shot at them. 1 fired, and it
seemed to be pretty close from the way
they acted, so 1 tried another shot, and just
then they sent a shell over my tree.
tried once more, and they reciprocated,
cutting some limbs off my tree below me-
The way got down from that tree was just
fun for the other boys. I had not more
than hit the ground when they shot off the
whole top of the tree.
ave advanced to ditch or sunken road,
when the reserve stopped, and we advanced
to a point where the timber had been cut
down We held our ground till late in the
evening. When the enemy advanced and
our ammunition was all gone we fell back
to the ditch. Ihelped to carry Billy Bishop
off the field, and afterwards | was recon-
mended for bravery and gallant conduct
on the battlefield at Jackson. Miss, July
IA, 1853. This is my recollection as to
July ID Imay be mistaken as to the date,
Int do not think SO"