Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1900-06-07
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES or
the WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell Of
whistling Bullets, Bright Bay0nets,
Burstin9 Bombs, Rloody Battles.
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.

Burstinw Bombs, Rloody BATTLES.
Zone story brings another said the
Colonel. II went down the other night
to the meeting Of Encampment No. 102,
Union Veterans Legion, held in Me-
mortal Hall. There were present
men who had worn the blue as well as
men who had worn the gray, and 1t was
great night for stories. After the adj
dresses and the music and the recita-
lions had stirred the boys up we could
scarcely mention general or a brigade
or q division or a regiment, without
calling out story of stirring incident
or adventure or without bringing to the
front an anecdote.
"a member Of the Fifth New York
Cavalry, Clusters division, smiled at
some reference to General Jubal Early,
and said: i was present at the capture
of the remnant Of General Early's Con-
federate army at Waynesboro in
March, 1865. My most vivid recollec-
tons are of the muddy roads between
Waynesboro and Staunton. Early had
marched his army over the route, and
was followed by General Sheridan's
army In pursuit, and the roads were a
Bed of mortar from fence to fence, and
the fields on either side were almost as
impossible. General Sheridan had
made special detail of well-mounted
men to guard 1900 prisoners back
down the valley to Winchester, and
was with this detachment.
1.-The people told us that General
Imboden would capture the prisoners
before we reached Winchester, but
neither the guards nor the prisoners
believed it. , The latter were in the
most distressing and hopeless frame of
mind, and we fell to comparing notes
as to where we had met them in pre-
vious campaigns, and we soon cheered
them up and they seemed to us like old
friends. We gave them hand to pull
them out Of the mud and to keep them
from drowning when fording the
swollen streams. We gave them plen-
ty Of good rations, and we all felt an
interest in these fellows who had
fought us so valiantly on so many
fields.
LAT Roods Hall Flat, as we We're
marching down the valley, 1mboden,
who had been following us all the way,
practically surrounded us and took
possession of all the fords except one.
We availed ourselves Of this ford,
which the rebel general had overlooked,
got our prisoners across the river, and
prepared to give General lmboden re-
hinder that Clusters cavalry was still
in the valley. When Imboden's men
charged on us we held our fire until
they were less than 100 feet away.
Then we let them have it, made coun-
ter charge and drove them back three
quarters of a mile. The major of
New Hampshire regiment told me that
it was the loveliest fight he ever looked
at. To me it was exciting mainly be-
cause / was interested in the welfare
of the prisoners we were guarding
Scarcely was the cavalryman's story
well out of his mouth when another
Union Veteran Legion comrade said:
DO any of you boys know how General
Early escaped after that battle of
Waynesboro, in March, 1865? When
old lube saw the day was lost he
boarded freight train attached to an
old, wheezy, woodworking engine on
the Chesapeake and Ohio Railroad,
| and, with a few of his staff, struck out
for Richmond. Sheridan in the mean
time had dispatched some cavalry to
hold the gap through which runs the
railroad and under which is the big
| tunnel.
LAS this cavalry command neared
the west mouth Of the tunnel they
heard Early's train coming, and deploy-
ed along the side of the road. AS the
train passed the boys pegged away
with their carbines, galloping along
side. Finally it got SO hot that Early
climbed over the tender into the engine
cab. The cars were cut loose and Early
and his staff crouched on the engine
and escaped through the tunnel, simply
by outrunning our cavalry. General
Early does not appear to have reached
General Lee, as the records do not men
ton that he was found in the last
ditch, but | certainly saw him go into
the tunnel
Speaking of General Early said
| the Major i saw at General Sheridan's
headquarters n day or SO after the fight
at Cedar Creek, Oct. 10, 1864 forty-two
cannon captured from the rebs, on
which was written with chalk Prom
the G. s. A. arsenal, Richmond, Va, for
General Phil Sheridan, u. S. A, care Of
General Jubal Early, G s. A." and one
OF the boys who went along and parked
these same guns at the War Depart
ment yards at Washington said the
guns bore this motto when they were
turned over to the custody of the War
Department
This story stirred up an ex-Confed-
crate who served as courier on General
Longstreet's and Early's staff, and he
said: When / was in Staunton, just
prior to the evacuation Of that place by