The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-02-01
THE BAITLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents of the Late War, and In Q
Graphic aud Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.

May, SO. another at Jackson on the
14th, and another at Champion Hills on
the 18th. In other words. we were
17th, about 0 o'clock, Gen. Mcpherson
sent for Col HickenlOoper. in charge of
the engineers, and said bluntly: I want
you to build bridge across Black Riv
er and have it ready at o'clock in the
morning Hickenlooper explained
there were no bridge materials at hand
and asked where he should find ma
terials.
Gen. Mcpherson, apparently not no
ticing the question, said: will expect
the bridge to be ready not later than
A O'clock Again Hickenlooper said:
But, General, where will get the ma
terialT Mcpherson replied: Make the
bridge SO that infantry and artillery can
cross rapidly and have it completed at
4 o'clock sharp HickenlOoper, at his
wits end, jumped on his horse, spurred
1t to a gallop, and gave it free rein.
There were no bridge materials with
the army, but HickenloOper knew that
Gen. Mcpherson did not propose to dis
cuss the question Of material. He ex-
pected the bridge to be built. So Hick-
enlooper let his horse go as it would.
hoping that it would take him to some
place where he would find a suggestion
or some assistance in the matter Of
building the bridge. The horse carried
him in a roundabout way to a large
cotton gin. 1t occurred at once to the
Colonel that there was his bridge.
He ordered out large force of men
and IN less than an hour the building |
was razed to the ground, and the heavy |
timbers, planks, and bales of cotton !
were soon at the river bank The cot |
ton bales were thrown in the river, |
strung together, and anchored up
stream. Stringers We're placed from |
bale to bale and on these were placed |
the planks. On the planks was thrown |
some large loose dirt to hold them more |
firmly, and the bridge was complete |
The river at this point was over 200 feet |
wide. and was very deep. but the bridge |
so rapidly constructed was pronounced |
safe by the engineers. A few minutes
before O'Clock HickenlOoper called |
Gen. Mcpherson, expecting the General
to ask il the bridge was completed. The
General said not a word about the
bridge, but, turning to a member of his
staff, said: Order the column to move
and at o'clock the corps crossed Black
River on bridge, constructed in six
hours, Of cotton bales and timbers from
a cotton gin.''
Il remember" said the Major, that
in a case of emergency We crossed the
Upper Cumberland ON what the boys |
called coon bridge. A tree on one side |
was felled so as to strike the top of a |
tree cut down on the other side. The |
interlocking branches In mldstream held
this foot bridge in place. but 1t was a
twobbly affair at best. Only the sure
footed went over in peace of mind, and
some men who could not walk a foot
log at home had to be blindfolded and
led over by those not given to dizziness.
The trouble about such makeshift
bridges was that they were almost as
dangerous to command as a battle.
On this occasion two or more men in
each company We're disabled in the
crossing, but the regiment was ready
for business and gave good account of
itself.
There were times when even the
most carefully constructed pOntoon
bridges failed us. When Sherman was
straining every nerve TO reach Chat
tanogga, in November, 1868, three of
his divisions coming up from Bridge
port, on the south side of the Tennessee,
crossed in safety 10 the north side, when |
the bridge broke. l was with Osteg-
haus' division, and our regiment had
marched on to the bridge just before the |
break. When the bridge parted in mid |
stream our company, which had expect |
ed to be on the other side in five min
utes, swung with the bridge down
stream and landed on the side from
which we started. 1t was serious af-
fair, but the boys made a joke of 1t, and
said they felt like the traditional hog
that crawled through crooked hollow
log under the fence, coming back every
time to his own pasture.
nat pt"SO, ~ way hAu UcCA
built under pressure. The rebel picket
post at Browns ferry was captured by
men who fioated down the river from
Chattanooga in pOntOOns, and who, as
soon as they had effected landing, fer
ried over Union troops waiting on the
other side, and then began the work Of
constructing a pontoon bridge. This
| was before daylight, Oct. 81, 1868. and
by o'clock in the afternoon the bridge
was complete and the artillery and wag
ons were crossing. The Union force
was never dlslodged. and the bridge did
not break until the floods came, nearly
month later. Osterhaus' division,
| that couldn't cross to join Sherman.
ioined Hooker and went up Lookout
| Mountain n.''-Chicago Inter Ocean.
| CorpOraI and the Loading Manual.
"AIost of the boys" said Capt. Lud-
| u-;y "vhen they entered the service in