Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1900-10-31

Mcdaniel house the last day of the bat
tie shell came down in front of us,
and evidently struck the end of stick
of cordwood about four feet long. The
wood ricochetted, swishing through the
air like spent she'll We all twisted
our necks to watch the supposed shell,
which. it seemed. would explode in our
ranks, and Rugged the ground close.
When we saw the whizzer was only n
piece of cordwood. and could not ex-
plode, we joined in a roar of laughter.
As that was after the right had been
broken, and at the most critical mo-
ment of the battle, the laugh amazed
the sorely beset troops of the other regi-
msDts."
Before Gen. Grant arrived at Chat
tanooga," said another of Dan Me
Cooks boys, the grub question was
the paramount issue. 1t was under
stood that when regiment was detail
ed for outpost duty there was to be
foraglng. On one occasion we were sent
up the river above Chattanooga to an
advanced position. If attacked at
night we were to fall back over the
ridge to our reserve. a distance of sew
era miles. Just across the river were
tho rebel outposts, and between us was
corntield running down on their side
to the river bank.
..At night my chum and myself
rolled / log into the river, got astride
Of it, and padded across to the south,
or rebel, side We landed in the corn
field. My comrade held the log while
l went out into the corn. | was pulling
off the ears, husk and all, and cram
ming them into grain sack, when a
rebel sentry cautioned me to keep
quiet, saying, the noise would arouse
the Yankees across the stream, and
they would suspect movement to sur
prise their outposts. | was startled at
the reb's proximity, but got over my
scare while he was speaking.
'Iansweredin lazy, Indifferent tone,
and worked more quietly. The reb said
he belonged to Pat Cleborn's command.
and, fearing that he might ask me EN-
barrassing questions, / worked away
from him. | hustled until had filled
my grain sack, made a circuit TO the
rear, and then fell back until | reached
my chum. W. straddled the log. car
rying the sack of corn between us, and
padded back to our lines. We boiled
the corn, and I have never eaten meal
that | relshed more
''About that time said Jerome Mill
er. of Company G, Fifty second Ohio,
! was pretty sore. was only pri-
yate to begin with, but under the err
cunstances | felt hurt, as man would
feel who had been reduced to the ranks.
Ihad volunteered to carry the colors at
Louisville and carried Old Glory
through the campaign and through the
battle of Perryrilic | was young and
spelling for fight. ard in the battle |
waved the color. and led the advance
with all the pride and ardent spirit of
youth.
My highest ambition then was to
carry the flag. was perfectly content.
didn't want to be a captain, or a colo
mel. or brigadier general 1 simply
wanted to carry the flag. But, not being
non-commissioned officer | was ill.,
eligible under an order issued AT Crab
Orchard. A sergeant and eight corpor
els took charge of the col0rs, and had
to surrender the flag. Feeling that
had done my duty under trying circum-
stances, when l had to return to the
ranks felt | had been reduced from a,
position of the highest honor. | felt
hurt, and | wasn't over my hurt ut
Chickamauga.
Il like that" said a captain of the
Nineteenth Indiana. 1T would have
been easy for the colonel or the cap
tain to have made you a sergeant, and
in this way have given you the privil-
ege of carrying the flag. But there
were men in all regiments who never
wanted to carry the flag in battle, and
who made ii a point to be as far from
it as possible. | remember that at home
we had in our neighborhood regular
bully, and thought to myself if l had
as much courage as he | wouldn't mind
going to war. We both went into the
army and he ran away the first fight
we had He came back and begged the
Colonel TO give him another trial He
said that it was his first fight and he
was nervous. He was taken back, but
in the next fight he ran away again.
should have said lie was an officer and
the General gave him just one day to
hand in his resignation.
I'VE had a sentry who when on picket
duty. if he heard the crack of rifle.
would tremblc like a leaf. The copper
heads and Sons of Liberty were doing
a great work in those days. They would
write to the soldiers and tell them If
they would desert and come home they
would be taken care of One of our
men deserted, went over to the Confed-
crate side, got a Confederate uniform
and attempted to escape, but was cap
tured. sentenced TO death. and shot.
Whenever think Of his case 1 think Of
what Lincoln said about the poor boys
whc were induced to desert by the COP
perheads Of the North.
"Forty Rounds, L. ="
Capt. J. McAssey. who during the
Civil War served in the Nlnetieth Iii
nois. which was in the Fifteenth Army
Corps under Gen. Logan. tells the
story of how that famous corps got rs
motto NY regiment" he says. was
recruited in Chicago. and went 10 the
front as tile Irish Legion. We We're
made a part Of the Fifteenth Army