Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1899-11-11
TA.-Is IF TIE MAR.

Il have q story OF Gen. Tnom IS, y
said the sergeant, (which l never
have heard on tside the campfires Of
our own regiment. On the 2 day of
January, 1868, at Stone river, the
Confederates hurled = tremendous
force against Rosecran's left, and
the irst brigades struck were thrown
INTO confusion and the men ran to-
ward the rear in something OF a
panic. Our division was not involv-
ed in this, but waited quietly for the
attack on the center, that came g
little later. In the midst of the ex
element one of our company, wag
and . rough-and ready fighter in
any sort of skirmish, came stumb-
ling back from the left, where he
had been scouting on his own hook,
and burst out with: Holy smoked |
saw old Pap Thou mas shoot mani
"The boys made no comment, and
Old Horse proceeded with bis story.
1t was to the effect that when the
men on the left ran back Thomas
sent some OF his staff to stop them,
but without avail. Then Thomas in
great fury rode forward himself,
refined his horse across the pathway
OF the retreating men and ordered
them to stop. When they refused,
he drew his revolver and fired at
them, and Old Horse distinctly saw
one man drop. He concluded wits:
Il never was more astonished in my
life. It was awful
Then the boys turned their heads
quietly and said: what objection
have you to that? Any blamed
soldier who would. run ought to be
shot. Old Pap was right.
That wasn't what troubled ne,'
replied Old Horse. Il didn't believe
the old cuss could hit man.
"The first time I ever saw Gen.
Graut," said the colonel, 'he was
under fire. This was some weeks
after be came to the army of the Pc.
tomac. When he and his staff rode
up to where our regiment was post.
ed we all thought Rawlins was
Grant, and the officers all saluted
and showed Rawlins great deal of
attention In the meantime Grant
himself, in simple service uniform
with no shoulder straps, had seated
himself on stump just in the rear
OF our regiment, and was writing an
order We never suspected that the
unobstrusive officer on the stump
was Grant until Gen. Hancock rode
up for consultation. His salute and
his greeting lifted Us right out of
our boots, and then we all could See
as plain as day that there were three
little stars on the generals shout
ders.
ave all turned then to look at the
man who com manded all the armies
of the Union, and as We looked a
cannon shot whixzed over us and
struck within foot OF the stump on
which Grant was sitting. He paid
no more attention than if the can
non ball had been a mosquito, but
Gen. Hancock said at once: 'Gen-
eral, you are in range. Hadn't you
better mover
To which Grant replied quickly:
oh, no; two shots rarely strike in
the same place, and he sat still.
A few minutes later he left the
stump and walked with Hancock to
where Rawlins was standing to give
some new order. Scarcely had he
left the stump when cannon ball
struck it just where Grant had been
sitting. He looked up at Hancock
and said, without the least excite
ment: There is another old saying
"A miss is as good as mile
We liked Grant from that minute
and we did not care whether he WAS
a snowy man or not. "-Chcsgo In
ter Ocean