The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1899-07-13
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Ted OF
Whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonsts,
bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.

Il went over TO see General Ander-
son the other day." said the Colonel
and in some way he reminded me of
his Uncle, General Robert Anderson.
AS lie stood talking to visitor. tri1
md erect. the scenes and incidents cf
he weeks that followed the surrender
If Fort Sumter came up before me-
Robert Anderson was the first popu-
ar hero of the civil war, and tie peo-
Die We're wild over him. When he
:ame North after the surrender, dis
couraged over the turn in his own for
.unes, dismayed by the strength of the
'ehellion, the undeinonstrative major
If the regular army was almost
stunned by the frenzy of enthusiasm
hat met him at every point.
When he left Charleston harbor Ma
ior Anderson possibly felt that his
career was ended. When he arrived at
Washington, sick as he was, it must
nave seemed to him that his career
lad only begun. He was at once made
Brigadier General and was urged to
take command III Kentucky. He was
lot assigned to the command OF a
brigade or division, but to a depart
ment, and in the first hour of his new
'ank and dignity he sent for an old
Cincinanti friend and confided to him
lis plans. He had decided to recon-
mend the appointment of four Briga
der generals for duty in Kentucky.
These were Don Carlos Buell., William
L. Sherman, George II. Thomas, and
Simon Bolivar Buckner. His idea was
that by giving Buckner such an ap-
Dointment he could be saved to the
Union. but the Ohio friend insisted
that Buckner was already committed
10 the Confederacy and his name was
eft off the list.
Buell. and Sherman were appointed
Brigadier Generals under date of May
II. Thomas was made q Brigadier
General three months later, and Will
am Nelson, a naval officer from Ken
lucky, took the place of Buckner in
Major Andersons list. 1t so happened
that when General Anderson retired
from the command of the Department
of the Cumberland, William T. Sher-
man succeeded him. When Sherman
retired, Buell. succeeded, and when
Buell. retired the command was offered
10 Thomas, who, after the retirement
IF Rosecrans, did come into full COM
mand of the Army of Cumberland.
Nelson, the fourth man on the list, be-
came one of the most conspicuous di-
vision commanders in Buelfs army.
Before Major Anderson came West,
in 1861, the simple announcement that
he was to command brigade of Ken
tuckians carried hundreds of the best
Young men in Ohio into Kentucky regi-
ments. They broke away from Ohio
organizations, left their home COM
panies, and drifted in squads and COM
panies to the rendezvous of the Ken
tuclliap regiments, influenced by the
thought that they would be under the
command of the officer who had made
so gallant fight at Sumter. AT that
time the country was full of praise in
verse and prose of Major Anderson. l
can remember that in our regiment ev-
cry man repeated day after day a
poem, of which the last line in each
verse was The nation gives welcome
to her gallant Major And her son."
'.As a matter of fact our regiment
was organized cn the condition that
Major Anderson should command the
brigade. but we had had but two
glimpses of the hero of Sumter. One
was when the men were formed in
line along the railroad to shout well
come to him as the train steamed by to
Cincinnati Another was when, pale
faced and serene, he walked along the
lines of our brigade, made up of wOr
Slippers of himself, and shook hands
with many of the enthusiastic vOlun-
teers. At that time no man in the
United States seemed to have greater
future before him than General Ander-
son, but sickness came and our brig
ade was led by other soldiers. Chi
cago Inter Ocean.