The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-09-13

AAP'%
Railroads" said the Major, "brag q
good deal about their baggage system
| Compared with any other in the world
1t is certainly very satisfactory. But
whenever I hear a boast of this kind
think Of the baggage system in the old
Union army. In the summer after the
battle Of Shiloh we were ordered tc
store our knapsacks at MurfreesbOro.
think. A few weeks later we started
on the long march through Tennessee
and Kentucky to Louisville. Then we
were hustled OF to Perryville and down
to the mountains after Bragg. and then
across the country into Tennessee
again. We never expected to see the
knapsacks again, but as soon as we
were In camp at Nashville they came
to us, and so far as We could see, not
| one Of them had been opened.
Just before the battle of Stone River
opened In earnest. we dumped our
knapsacks in piles and left them under
guard. When one wing Of the army
was driven back and the other COM
PEELED to change front, we supposed,
Of course, that all our knapsacks had
been captured. But a week after the
h0ttle We were marched out to Cripple
Greek, some miles in advance Of MUIR
freesboro, and our knapsacks came to
us in the condition In which we left
them. In the campaigns Of that sum-
mer We stored them again, and didn't
see them until we were under tents in
front Of Chattanooga
"Some weeks after the battle of
Chickamauga our division. in camp in
front Of Chattanooga, was ordered one
night to leave tents standing, leave
knapsacks, and all company baggage
and march quietly across the river. The
campaign that eliminated In the battle
OF Missionary Ridge followed. and we
never expected to see tents or baggage
After the battle we were shunted down
the river to Bridgeport, and there our
knapsacks and other baggage found
us. I remember that I carried In my
knapsack. among other novels, Scott's
'IvanhOe' and Disraelf's Lord Byron
and His Daughter which l read and
re-read. They came back to me every
time.
"At Resaca we dropped our KNAPP
sacks In most unexpected way and as
a heavy storm came on a little later we
jumped to the conclusion that at last
the knapsacks were lost, but when we
returned to Resaca from the South to
take q train for the North our KNAPP
sacks were turned over to us by the
quartermaster in good shape. Now all
this required system. watchfulness,
honesty. Many times knapsacks were
lost in battle. but outside the storms Of
battle the system of the quartermas-
ter's department worked perfectly.
''The same may be said of the postal
system during the war. Letters were
addressed to the company and regiment
and often by people who were careless
in writing names and In giving the
number Of the regiment, but in some
way the letters came to hand. Often
letters sent from Germany or England
or France were a puzzle in direction,
but the army postal authorities made it
q point to have them reach their .des-
tination. The custom then was for the
soldiers letters ia be franked and for
the postage to be paid at the receiving
office.
Before this plan was generally un-
derstOod our sutler received letters
from the boys, each one paying the
postage and he guaranteeing that they
should 60 forward postage paid. Some
one discovered that the sutler would
take every night thirty or forty letters
to the Colonel's tent, have them
franked and send them forward with
out stamps. When this scheme was
exposed, the Colonel issued an order
asking the men Of the regiment to send
their letters to headquarters and not
to the sutler. l have now scores of the
old envelopes bearing the signature of
the colonel or the regimental adjutant.
1--WE didn't give much thought to the
postal or baggage system willie we
were in the army. but accepted the
promptnees and completeness as mat
ter Of course. Looking back NJ II now,
I wonder at the patience, energy and
alertness Of those who organized the
plan and carried 1t out OF course,
there were hundreds Of thousands Of
men In the service and the very best
organizing talent employed, not only
to surply them with food and clothing.
but with all possible advantages. III
believe that the patriotic i'm
pulse and the whOle-hearted sympathy
OF those intrusted with the manage
ment had much to do with the COM
pletenessof the system. This was car
ried even to letters that were captured.
"Just before the battle Of Stone River
several comrades and myself sent home |
each one inclOsing 800. The
train carrying those letters was cap
tured by Gen. John Morgan. and the
money was regarded as lost. The day |
lfter we were discharged. In 1864, at |
Newport barracks. our colonel drove to |
where We were quartered and asked |
he four or five who had lost money to
20 with him. We had no intimation as
% what was to follow. but We tumbIed
nto the carriage, because to ride with
he colonel was a great honor. We
we're taken to bank, where each one
'eceived on order of the government
100. The colonel had forwarded our
.laims. had explained the circum-
'tances, and the government had re-
placed the money.
Il cannot remember single case in
,ur company in which money was
tOlen from one soldier by another We
we're paid in new, crisp greenbacks.
ach man receiving so many five-dOllar
,ills, SO many Onedollnr bills. and so
nuch In pOStal notes. Most Of the men |