Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1900-03-15
THE Battlefield
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The BIue and the Gray Review Inci-
densa of the Late War, and an
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.

Il think our boys succeeded In the OLD
times" said Capt. Ludwig, because
they didn't know the military Difficult
ties in their way and didn't care to
know. As individual soldiers they were
always ready to take the initiative, and
if officers were shot or disabled, or even
il a regiment was scattered by
charge, the men rallied on their own
responsibility and took up the fight
where they left it. In this particular
think the soldiers of the old Union
army were different from those of any
of the modern European armies.
Not long ago I introduced Maj.
Evans, of the Twentieth Illinois to
Charles Cannon, Of the Chicago bat
terry. Cannon at once asked If Evans
had been with the Twentieth at the bat
tie in front of Atlanta. He then ex-
planned that the battery was on the
right Of the Twentieth and that the
skirmish line of the latter regiment
held the strong rebel force back for
two hours. 1t was a remarkable fight.
and the men Of the battery watched the
progress with the greatest interest and
anxiety.
In the midst of the fight the men Of
the battery, who knew if the skirmish
line was driven back that the battery
must go back. saw one of the Twentieth
men bleeding from a wound in the head
coming unsteadily TO the rear. He
walked as though weak from loss Of
blood or blinded by blood running in his
eyes, and they wondered if he had
strength enough to reach place of
safety. He came to the dead body of
comrade, turned the body over, took
the cartridges from the box, and re-
turned to his place in the skirmish line.
He wasn't thinking of the tremendous
odds in front nor of his wound. He
had come back for ammunition, and
when he had secured the cartridges he
took up the fight again.
When we were at Lake Providence,
above Vicksburg, in April. 1858, Gen.
Logan, commanding the division, called
for volunteers to run the blockade at
Vicksburg. The men We're expected to
have some knowledge of boats and
were to man the transports. The order
calling for volunteers was read before
every regiment Of Logan's division at
dress parade. Each colonel asked that
the men of his regiment who cared to
volunteer for such service to step four
PAGES to the front. Instantly every
man in line stepped to the front.
'Then an explanation was made as to
the character of the service: that it was
necessary that the men have confidence
in their ability to do the work required
Of them; that in addition to the danger
Of the enterprise, success depended on
the efficiency Of the volunteers. After
this explanation, those men wlro felt
that they were qualified to do the work
demanded were told to step four PAGES
to the front. Again every man in line
stepped to the front. That is to say, of
that division Of 5000 men every man
volunteered to run the blockade. When
the case was reported to Gen. Logan
he burst out with characteristic re
mark: The darned fools don't know
any better. Detail six river men from
each regiment
'In the march to the sea the self
reliance of commanding generals and of
privates and the general responsiveness
and trust were strikingly illustrated.
Not every one knows that in that
march Sherman's army was in line of
battle every night. Each corps marched
during the day to the point designated.
IL it didn't reach that point at shutdown
it marched rmticsit did, Every private
knew the place al which his regiment or
division would camp that night, and if,
for any reason. he fell out. he made it a
point to reach the camp some time dur
ing the night
He was rarely at fault. because the
pioneers Of each corps blazed the trees
along their line of march, and biazed
the trees at the points chosen for
camps, so that If detachment or a |
regiment lost its way it was guided to
the right or left by the blazes on the |
trees, and it knew just where to find its
camp. For example, the Fifteenth
Corps marked it's path by a blaze cut
the tree; the Sixteenth Corps by blaze
and a notch at the bottom: the Seven |
teenth Corps by blaze and a notch at |
the top; the Twentieth Corps by a blaze |
and notch at the top and bottom. /
''Gen. Sherman never boosted of this |!
plan. | never have seen it mentioned |
in any report or in any book, but it |
not only the capacity of |
Sherman. but his wonderful attention |
to details of practical character, and |
also his trust and confidence in the pri- |
yate soldiers of his army. Under this |
plan he was always sure that his army |
would be ready for any attack made by
the enemy, and he was always conf
dent that every private soldier has as
much pride in meeting the enemy as
himself /
NO one contends said the Doctor,
that every soldier in the Union army
had the soldierly spirit, but most OF I
even the most eccentric had infinite
trust in Uncle Billy. as they called
Sherman, and in addition to that each I
fellow held firmly to the belief that