The National tribune., 1899-12-28
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What the Veterans Have TO Say
About Their Campaigns.
WARTIME CHRISTMASES.

WARTIME CHRISTMASES.
How Veteran Spent Them From 1861 to
1865.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: My
first wartime Christmas was in 1861. |
was private of Co. G., Both Ohio. stationed
at Syracuse, Mo, station on the Pacific
| Railroad from st. Louis to its terminus,
at that time at Sedalia. 1t showed Christ
mas Eve to the depth of foot and when
at our morning roll-call the wind was
I blowing the snow into our faces, it was
bad enough, but when my name was called
TO do guard duty 1T capped the climax"
| resortcd TO that great prerOgative that
no President, no Senate, or House of Rep
reSentatives; no Supreme Court, nor writ
of habeaS corpus can deprive an Ameri-
can volunteer of-the inherent right to
growl, and did so to my hearts content and
to my own satisfaction. Since the close of
the war heard the story of bronzed and
battered veteran of the Regulars, who had
| been Gen. Harney'S First Sergeant when he
was Captain, that while ON the Utah ex-
petition in 1857. and while crossing an
alkali desert, he suddenly mutinied, saying
to his then Captain that this was cruelty to
animals etc. His Captain expostulated
with him to no avail, not wishing, on ac-
count of his past services, to place him under
arrest He sent for Gen. Harney. The
General said: Sergeant, you must obey
this order, but give you the right to growl,
and l say to you, grOwl like hell while
you are at it."
My detail, however, proved blessing
| in disguise. Our commsSary stores were
kept in an old blacksmith shop, which had
ground floor. It's smithy, with bellows,
were in perfect order. The head man OF
me his orders, ] having been placed in COM
mand of our detail. After giving me in
Istructions to protect the stores, not allowing
anything to be taken except by order OF
the Commissary, he told me that we were
allowed to keep fire day and night in the
smIthy. He also told us privately that
there was u bag of onions amongst the
stores, and that we should use them spar
ingly, so that the COmmissary would not
detect his or my detail. Suffice it to say,
1t was to us a regular onion day, we not
having seen an onion since we enlisted,
July 3, 1861.
Onions hot, and onions cold;
Onions young, and onions old;
Onions strong, and onions tough;
., Lord, we had onions enough"
We kept up the fire all day and night.
and were sorry to be relieved. The same
instructions were given to the detail that
relieved us. 1t came to pass that some of
the detail took more than they ought to,
and nothing was left except the bag. The
first detail coming on duty when all were
gone took the bag, and to their sorrow, for
one OF them used it to help his mud chimney
draw. About this time the CommiSsary
wanted to issue onions for hospital pur-
poses, and found no onions. The detail on
duty said they knew nothing of any onions
An inspection was had of the camp, and
10 and behold. they found the bag upon
the chimney of one of the detail Of the day
previous, doing duty as a drawing plaster"
The comrade was placed in the guard
house, protesting his innocence, which
did him no good. Those of us who had
been the beneficiaries called at the guard
house to pay our respects, asking him
how he liked onions.
Ny ysecond Christmas-that of 1S62-Was
spent on the march from Coldwater, Miss,
to Davs's Mills, | having been detailed
as clerk in the Eighth Division of the
Army of the Tennessee. For. variety
sake had tooth pulled in the morning,
and had the pleasure of sleeping in clean,
tidy bed at the mills.
These mills had been the scene of as gal
liant fight as was ever made few days
before by two companies of the 25th Ind. |
and two companies of the 5th Ohio Cav,
under command of Col. w. Fl. Morgan,
against. Van Dorn's entire cavalry force,
amounting to 1000, who had played sad
havoc with our line of communications by
destroying our depot at Holly Springs, |
Miss, thereby causing our whole army to
retrace their steps while en- route to take
Vicksburg by the inland way. Morgan
had successfully defended the large trestle |
bridge over Wolf River, Miss
These mills escaped the ravages of the |
war through the diplomacy Of its owner, |
Judge Davis, but finally succumbed to its |
stern realities in 1864, when Smiths |
Guerrillas" had to clean out Forrest
My third Christmas that of 1863
strange to say, was at La Grange, Tenn, |
only eight miles from Davis's Mills. During |
the year the division had participated in
that most memorable Of all campaigns
Vicksburg- again had been ordered |
to defend the line of the Memphis & Charles |
ton Railroad.
Nothing unusual occurred, but that it |
was celebrated by the boys with the re
sources they had on handy dances,
etc, and if they could not obtain for part
ners Caucasian bellies" they selected
Ethiopian"
My fourth Christmas-in 1s64-was
spent at Natchez, Miss. | had been pro-
NOTED to First Lieutenant and Adjutant
OF the 10th U. S. c. T., after participating
in the Red River campaign, being one of
Smiths Guerrllas" who saved Banks's |
army, and when [ say saved mean every
word. This was no fault of the brave
boys who composed Banks'S army, for
they were just as good bone and muscle
as God ever made man WITH but we can
say, as TopSy said, that 'it just happened"
On this Christmas | invited some of my
Cincinnati acquaintance who belonged to
the SD Ohio, stationed at NatcheZ to
break bread" with me, which they did to
their hearts content, | furnishing them
with something stronger than water to go
with the bread A few who were my
guests that day are still here in Cincinnati,
broken down in health. while the majority
have gone to join the silent army, where
Calm in the bosom Of thy God,
Young spirit, rest thee now,
Even while with us thy footsteps trod.
His seal was on thy brow"
Ny fifth and last wartime Christmas
in 1S65-Was at Winchester, Miss, a sta
ton on the Mobile d Ohio Railroad, where
my regiment was doing garrison duty,
and in the neighborhood OF which the Con
federate deSerterS during the latter part
of the war congregated and deted the rebel
authorities.
Our colored boys were relieved from all
duties during Christmas week. Following
the custom of ante-bellum days while in
slavery, they improved the opportunity, |
and such shouting, dancing, eating and
general merry making was never before
heard or seen in a wilderness.
=. S.-If the comrade who held the bag
-"Old Onions," as we rechristened him
is still living, would like to hear from or
of him, provided he enters into bonds to
keep the peace.-F'RANk BRUNER, Gin
cinnati, o.
MORE AROI|T WOI FORD'S MEN