The National tribune., 1900-08-16
TRIBULATIONS OF A CONSCRIPT.
he Had a Hard Time In Getting Away to Join
the Union Army.


us had to go through during the war. Ii
July, 1862, l was conscripted into the
Confederate army. My father and | wer,
branded with loyalty to the Union.
was sad when l told my folks good-by
The last advice my father gave me was
Don't fire n gun for the Confederacy
there is no honor in il"
The nearest place to the Union troops
was Springfield, Mo, 200 miles away
The country was full of Confederate sol
dicrs and desperadoes. In July, 80,
and others We're caught and driven to
Fort Smith, Ark. On the road we loyal
ones agreed among ourselves that we
would let them put us in prison before We
would go into the army for the rebels,
but we changed orr minds when we got
there and saw what miserable place we
had to go into. Older ones thought il
best to enlist, for they thought good luck
would be with us, and when the blue
| coats came we could get away and hight
under Old Glory.
| We began to watch our chance to get
away; the first time l deserted was with
| in 20 miles of Fort Smith, Ark. Our Off
GERS thought we would desert; they told
us if we did and went to the Unionists
they would know we were loyal, but
| would send us to Alton to prison; we
would be exchanged and the Confederates
would get us back.
l deserted in December, '62. / lay in
the brush till they got so hot after me
| had to go back. In March, '63, we went
to Little Rock, Ark. Then our mess was
true blue. We talked so freely they over
heard us and reported us to the Captain.
| In May or June our company was de-
tailed to guard prisoners--Union soldiers.
| They were ill and had nothing to eat. We
| Stinted ourselves of our corn-mcal and got
the town cows to stand still while we
MIXED them in the bushes. When we
MIXED the cows some of the boys were
butchering hogs for the poor, starving
| on guard we would slip in our provis-
ions. How l would like to strike hands
| with some of the Illinois soldiers that
were there in prison at that time.
In '63 l deserted again, 125 miles from
home. l and others went through the
| wilderness and mountains of Arkansas,
and our food was roasting ears and wild
| berries. AS soon as we deserted they
| started men after us. We made it through
| all right, except one of our boys.
When | got home, to the brush | had
| to go. Shortly after that 1 happened to
| be at the house. The rebels hoped to run
in on me. They got two fair shots at
me, but l made my escape. 1t would
| have been degih to be caught. The next
| time they made a raid for me they did
not get me, but took my fathers stock
| and wagons.
l enlisted in November, 'G3, in the Sd
Ark. Cav, Go. a. [ fought 20 months
| under the Stars and Stripes. My loyalty
| for the Union was never doubted except
by the Pension Office authorities.
If any of the Union soldiers who were
in prison at Little Rock, Ark, in '63, that
we fed, see this they would confer great
favor by writing to me.-HENRY G.
SMITH, Gumlog, Ark.
GREEN MEN AT FORT bq,apE
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: VIII
some one please tell me what regiment
occupied Fort Reno, d. c., July, 1864,
when Early tried to take Washington
City by way of Fort Stevens? l lived
| at Fort Reno; was a little boy then. They
were, l think, New Hampshire 100-day
men, and l remember they tumbled out
of the barracks in shirtsIeeves, bare
headed, barefooted, in fact just as they
happened to be, some with guns, others
without, and so on. The soldiers fami-
lies were hurried up to the fort and got
in the bombproofs for safety. l didn't
like that way, so mother allowed me to
go out with the boys.
l was on the parapet when the officers
had to take charge of the 100-pound can
non and fired it several times at rebel
battery that was two Or three miles away
that was destroying DR.. Dayis's house and
some other Union mems property. The
men at the cannon were in their shirt
sleeves and rammed the powder down all
right. Then two others put in at the
muzzle long percussion-capped shell.
The men put the ramrod against it and
pushed it down, Just as the officers told
them to, and when the shell was down
they pulled the rammer back and were
just going to send it down on the shell to
push it further it when the officer on the
parapet yelled out: Hold on, there,
men! Don't you know any better than
to ram percussion SHELF"
The other officers and all others who
had any sense fell down on their faces
on the ground. The officer on the parapet
dropped down, and as | stood just to his
right side and little back of him, /
dropped down, too. / was so near the
edge l rolled off and down in the ditch
on the outside. 1t was very steep and
well-sOdded with grass, and l should
think 20 feet or more from the top to the
bottom of the ditch.
/ scrambled back and stood there all
through the exciting time of silencing the
rebel battery, which was done in fine
style. The officers took charge of the
gun there, and no one was afraid. The
third shell fell right in the battery of
three guns and smashed two of them,
when the rebels hitched on the other gun
and the way the dust flew was n eau
ton. You could see just which way they
went by following the dust they kicked
up. They went back toward Fort Ste
yens.
l wish to know the officers name who
was in command and stood on the para
pet. AS for the two scared fellows who
were loading the old gun the first time,
l don't suppose they will say who they
are.
My father, Thomas Stafford, was
member of Co. X, 7th N. Y. III. A., and
we lived at Fort Reno for over three
years. was born just before the war
and brought up among the soldiers. The
old soldiers all ought to spend 81 and
take this paper, the only paper in the
whole country that is really and truly
their friend, the only one that is fighting
for just pensions. If person thinks so
much of friend for helping him, why
don't they all return the compliment and
help the friend when they get chance to
do soI Buy for the family The Ma
TIoNAL TRIBUNE books. They are the
very best ones l have read, and have the
advantage of being the cheapest in price
Boys in blue, keep the young folks inter-
ested in your soldier life. They will be
proud Of you when they grow older and
become voters, when they can do you
good.
Get the books on Andersonville, and
III bet your sons will wake up My
father died there. Just tell us your own
war experience: don't always tell what
your brigade, division or corps did so
much, but what you did, what you saw.
Interesting bits Of your experience will
be lots Of satisfaction to us sons to read.
Just tell what you know, then stop. Now.
bOyS. / hone vou will rolJy wound tbo