The National tribune., 1900-04-19

matter so long as We were moving We
went up the timbered portion of the ridge,
on the left of the Nebraska boys, in line of
battle, with rebel shells screeching all
around us.
While riding under low-lying branches
of tree, one of these screaming missiles
clipped limb just above my head and
switched the leaves in my face. just then
felt sharp pain in the right side Of my
neck and thought / was hit. i remember
putting up my hand to feel the wound and
was surprised to find there was no blood
on it. Then | looked to see if any one
noticed me. Col. LaGrange was laughing,
and said:
you better not dodge like that again,
Mat, for you are just as liable TO dodge
against shot as away from one"
/ concluded my dodge was so vigorous
that it gave me stitch in my neck which
/ thought was Il wound, and resolved to
quit dodging then and there.
About the time We reached the crest of the
hill, and were preparing TO charge down the
sloping field, we were called off from the
left flank to protect the right and it seems
TO me we were all over several square miles
Of timbered country, hills and valleys,
hitting the rebels here and there, before we
again took our position near camp.
All the time the forts were actively en-
gagged and making things interesting for
Marmaduke and his army. Between
y
| awfully tired, and fearing the rebel com
mander would make good his threat to cat
supper in Cape Girardeau, we heard "A
steamboat whistle. Soon after we could
hear fife and drum beating quick time, and
knew reinforcements had come. Never
| before had music sounded quite as sweet
TO me as did those drums with long, swing
| ing line of troops behind them coming up
| the street from the levee.
| Cheer after cheer echoed and re-echoed
| through hill and vale as we welcomed
| them and they returned the welcome
presume those cheers were heard by Mar
maduke, and led him to change his mind
about that supper, for he did not
come into the city that time but during
that night, or early morning of April 26,
Withdrew his army from our front. We
were q tired and sleepy lot that night, hav-
busy all day.
| A FOOLISH EXPERIMENT.
That night n member of our regiment,
George Bradficld, detailed with the wagon
| train, and with an inquring bent of mind
picked up one Of the rebels percussion
shells which had not exploded, and pro-
ceeded TO disSect it. He sat on wagon
tongue, with tn" shell between his legs
He unScrcwcd the cap and undertook 10
churn its contents with a wagon hammer,
but at the first stroke of his improvised
| udSiicT tlls Silell pEplDltt. III WAS 0lf-
| ficult TO find enough of him TO bury, and a
knot Of comrades around n fire nearby
We're badly shaken up by his foolhardy
experiment and some of them severely
injured.
Marmaduke learning that Gen. Van
deTer, with his Iowa Brigade, was march
| ing to reinforce Gen. Mcneil. fell back, and
was attacked by Nandever at jackson, the
/ 9th.
On the afternoon of the 9th, Gen. Nc
| Ncill took up the pursuit. In our close
acquaintance with the 1St Neb on many
weary janntS, in which we often dismounted
and let them ride our horses, where il be
came the rule for number four 10 take the
horses back, after we had crossed, and thus
ferry them over swamps and streams, a
strong friendship had sprung up between
the regiments. This feeling was 50 strong
that one would fight for the other as they
would for themselves. We started about
noon, but the Nebraska boys We're not TO so
till the next day.
just aJ We We're going into camp that
night. straSglcrs began TO pour in from all
directions, mounted on anything that
, could travel, and loaded with forage. We
soon learned they We're our Nebraska
; friends. They said they found out we had
gone, and We're determined TO go with us.
; Along in the night their officers joined
; us. This regiment was made mp OF from
, tierSmen, Indian fighters, hunters and
trappcrs, and would not brook the restraints
of discipline, though ready 10 fight ut the
drop Of hat and 10 the bitter end. Their
officers said that at rOll-call there were
none to answer TO their names, so, know
ing that we had left, they knew where T.
their men and followed on.
! On the 2Sth we had arace for the bridge
, over the Whitewater, but Marmaduke
reached it first, crossed, and destroyed the
most of it. Maj. Torey, OF our regiment,