The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-07-17
CAMPAIGNING T RAIN
NEW IN THE EXPERIENCES
OF OUR TROOPS IN LUZoN.
How In Soldiers OF the Civil War
Met and Ovcrcame the Difficulties
Caused by Heavy Rains.
Chicago Inter Ocean.

Chicago Inter Ocean.
These fellows who are making light of
the complaints of dust at Chickamauga,'
said the major. don't know what army
dust is. Many feet make much dust on dry
roads, and when mule teams, cavalry, ar
tillery and infantry use the same road there
is dust to the depth of two or three inches.
| There Is no escape for soldiers marching in
| ranks. no picking the way. In the old days
dust didn't bother us as much as mud.
Given a rain of two or three hours and the
average road in the South and ten thou
| sand men with their wagon teams and ar
tillery could turn out the worst variety OF
| mud ever catalogued by a mudologist.
LAS bad luck would have IL. heavy rains
generally came when long and important
marches were to be made. In the summer
of 1863 the Army of the Cumberland started
on what promised to be one Of the most
brilliant of its campaigns. The men had
had a good rest and were In high spirits.
1t rained ten or twelve days. and that high
spirited army was sorely beset. Small
streams became roaring rivers. Brigades
and divisions were separated by unfordable
streams. Provisions and ammunition teams
were isolated. The men huddled in camps
like half-drowned chickens or padded along
the sloppy roads with yells of derision. On
the first days march / heard only one jocu-
lar remark. A downpour of rain had come
on us suddenly. fairly taking the breath of
the men marching along the road. when a
droll fellow shouted at the top of his voice.
Who in Sam Hall touched the tent?' The
| fun of this was in the fact that to touch
the inside of a tent in time Of heavy rain
was to make 1t leak, and in the further
1 faot that the pnon ~ho ~rola 81. r1,n.r
had been scored a hundred times for touch
ing the tent.
Our brigade broke camp at Cripple
Creek, south of Murfreesboro, Tenn, June
"a. 1t began to rain as we struck tents and
rained all day and night. There was rain
on the 18th, heavy rain all day on the
2eth. showers on the 9th. rain in the
afternoon of the 18th, heavy rain all day
on the 18th, showers on the Both, no rain
July and 2. but heavy rain July 3. showers
on the 4th and 5th, rain all of the fore
noon of the 9th, heavy rain all day on the
9TH and rain in the forenoon, July s.. Here
of the fourteen days rainy A part of this
time we had overcoats and knapsacks, but
no tents; The greater part of the time we
had nothing but blankets. Crackers crum-
bled in the damp atmosphere, sugar and
salt became unmanageable and ammunition
was protected with the greatest difficulty.
THE WORK WENT ON.
"Yet. in those two weeks the army
Unanswered Bragg out of his fortified
camps and drove him to the line of the
Tennessee. Harassed as they were by
storm and flood the men were not per-
mitted to lose sight of the purpose of the
campaign. The regiments were in the
presence Of the enemy all the time, and
every function Of army life was performed.
If the wagons did not come up at night half
the rapipnept arpood r;tl, ,;olxS -
long ropes, went back for them. If an old
ford In a stream could not be used the
banks were cut down at another place and
a bridge thrown across. If artillery stuck
In stream or swamp the men waded in and
pulled IL out. If a river could not be crossed
In the morning the regiments bivouacked
near until the waters receded, and then
Waded in.
Nearly every day there was skirmishing
In front, and tor three or four days there
Wa almost constant heavy artillery firing
on some part OF the line. In the first week
out We crossed Duck river and Elk river.
pioneers, pontoon men, cavalry, artillery
and infantry, all persisting in spite of the
RAIN. camp life was not as dismal as any
mere description of the experience of the
soldiers would imply. There was variety
e ea1us the a mem bu Inc e pay' dT aed t Taen c, night
as well as they could. and, sticking their
guns, bayonets down, in the ground.
There was everything in the weather to
discourage the men,. but everything in
events TO encourage them.
I'VE knew when we struck the fortifca-
tons of the Confederates that we had won
the objective point of the campaign. Then
a few days later the firing of a salute told
us of the victory at Gettysburg and the
capture of Vicksburg. The boys decided
that under the circumstances rain didn't
often as the men moved forward in the line
of battle they would gather from the
huckieberry bushes enough TO supply them
for the day. They came, too, on the most
beautiful forest lands of Middle Tennessee,
and fnally came out of the campaign with
no pitter memories OF the country except,
The mud was such as few Chicago men
have ever seen. 1t was frequently knee
they drew the long army stockings up over
the trousers, and when night came these
were incrusted with mud. Stockings were
stripped off and washed and were ready for
the next days tramp. In fording streams
the men would sometimes be in the water
to the armpits, would come out with a yell,
start on a quick march and trust to luck to
get warm. In fact, they practically gener.
ated steam as they moved along, and if the
greeted with cheers: All this time our mail
came to us regularly. We had papers Civ
ing an account of the operations of the
Army OF the Potomac and Of Grant al
Vicksburg,. and had no more men on the
sick list when we came out than when we
went in.
AMUSING INCIDENTS.
There were, Of course, many ludicrous
Incidents which gave spice to life in camp
One night myself and partner made our BED
on a foundation of rails on the sharp incline
of a ridge. The rain during the night wa:
so heavy that 1t washed the foundations on,
and we rolled down the hill, probably TWEEN.
ty yards. A favorite plan at that time was
to put gum blankets on the ground, d wooler
blanket over this, then two men would LID
down close. putting a wooden blanket and q
gum blanket over them. taking care 10 leav,
the upper blanket project beyond the blanke
on the ground. One night we were disturbed
py a most terrific yell. Some man who haf
mat day been reading Victor Hugo's lie,
Mlserables' dreamed that the sewers OF
HarlS were running in at one ear and out a
the other. He woke with a scream 10 fnf
mat in turning and twisting the lower gun
blanket on the ground had become exposed
Inc rain had fallen on this in torrents anC
[ ran under him so that he was right in
pool Of water. This probably induced hi
dream and caused the boys 10 believe tina
the fellow had lost his mind.
Another plan was TO use the small shell
ter tents stretched on poles close enough Il
the ground TO shut out at least half OF tn,
rain; but with these tall men were at a grear
, disadvantage. They would make a little
flooring OF rails up 4 few inches from thS
ground, stretch their shelter tent over tina
and count themselves comfortable for IN,
night; but when sleep came and the,
stretched out their feet would project from
six TO twelve inches in the rain, and tn,
Waketul men in cdmD made III a Dractice ~