The National tribune., 1900-03-15
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.

CAPTURING GUNS AT CHAMPIONS
HILL.
b. Rushton. Co. f. 18th Iowa, Union
ville Mo, asks Comrade Conner what was
the Seventh Division of the Seventeenth
Corps doing at Champions Hills; Comrade
Conner doesn't say where they were. Now,
we were there, the 18th Iowa and 10th Mo,
on the extreme end of Grants army, and we
got the flag OF the 31st Ala and two pieces
Of 32-pound artillery of HaddeIl's Alabama
battery. Pemberton, in his report Of Ed
wardSs Station, says they lost all their
artillery except three pieces. There was
enough glory to go around"
4 comrade of Co. f. S1St H.. Thornton,
Wash, would like 10 ask Comrade T. p
Conner. of Philomath Ore, who wrote an
a ticle III reply to Corpl Mitchell, 18th Ohio
battery, i'll regard To the capture of II bat
terry by Stepbenson's Brigade at Cham
pion'S Hills, how he lost sight of the S1St Ill.
They were IN SteyenSon's Brigade, had
quite number of killed and wounded. and
one shot from the battery went through
their flag, besides a number of mIiSket balls.
He remembers well the railfence at the edge
of the field His regiment was there VIXEN
the charge was ordered. The commander
of the battery Oh the white horse, who made
himself conspicuous and was finally placed
hors du combat, he remembers. The COM
rade stopped over night at Little Rock.
Colo, in 1872, and met Sergeant of the
battery named Richardson, and they had
lolg talk about it. We captured him. he
says, and treated him well, and he he'd not
forgotten it.
q. NJ GalIegly, Co. Z. S1st ILL.,. Regent,
H.. says that he would like to tell Conrade
7. =. Conner and f. II. Hays, 32d Ohio,
who stood by them when they captured that
battery at Champions Hill-both in
writing about the affair have brought i'll
the Sth Wis. and 18th lll.-exactly where
the S;h and Slst Ill. We're. Stevenson's
Brigade was made up at that time of those
two latter regime; t the 32d Ohio and the
Sth Mich. battery, and IL is strange to him,
he says that the comrades can tell so much
about the capture of that battery and not
recollect who We're there at their elbows.
The S1st Ill. was on the right of the 32d
Ohio on the extreme right of Grants line
The S1st, with the Sth Mich. battery, was the
first TO cross Bakers Creek on the jackson
road and get TO see away TO the Union left
the enemy i'll full retreat; the battery drop
ped shells among the enemy. Il have
nothing but praise for the 32d Ohio, but
when members of that regiment OF any
other undertake to write history they
should be sure they are right before they go
ahead"
DIDN'T BELIEVE. IN CAMPGUARD.
G. +. C. Meyer, Co. X, 18th Ind, Cor
nelius, Ore, says the article by Comr ade
McCoack reminds him of the last camp
guard his regiment had. 1t was near
Cleveland, Tenn, on a cold December night.
AS the boys on the guard thought there
was no sense in being on such duty, al
though our Colonel had orders to put guards
on, we lighted fires and kept them burning
all night, and stood over them; but when
ever the relief would come around every
man was walking his beat. Nothing was
said by the officers about the fires. Once
at Scottboro Ala, we put up our Winter
quarters north of the town; Col. Loomis,
of the 26th ILL.,, was brigade commander.
When We got our camp in good shape he
asked our Colonel why he did not put on
camp guards. "Why." returned Col Will
liams. "if | put guards around my men.
they slip out, go down town and may come
back drunk. If don't put guards around
them, they come back sober"
SCATTERING.
A. d. Narrower, Rome, O., served in the
29th Ohio, and tells of some hard marches
his regiment had, and of various hardships
and uncomfortable situations in which
they often found themselves; such as going
to sleep on the frozen ground and waking
up in IA bed of four or five inches of snow.
He tells of some not unenjoyable foraging
experiences, however, which occasionally
lead. His regiment saw some hard fight
ing, too, and helped To make some bright
spots in history for the Union arms.
Thomas WiSher, WetSel, o., was zone of
the youngest" He carried gun and
knapsack all through the war. He was
born May 10, 1S4S, and enlisted Sept.
Z, 1861, in Co. ii, ed Ohio. He was dis
charged June 1, 1865.