The National tribune., 1900-08-16
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
A hot TINE AT vIcKsBURG.

ton, d. c., writes: I've been in some hot
places in my time, such rs Yuma, the
Staked Plain and Mojave desert, but the
hottest time l ever had was in the vicinity
of Nicksburg i'll May, 1868. We were
| camped at the foot of a hill which lay be
tween us and the enemys works. Close
by We're the other regiments of the bri-
gade, a part of Osterhaus's Division. We
were called into line about $50 o'clock in
the morning somewhat unexpectedly.
Smith Eaton handed some greenback
money to an officer who was on the sick
list, remarking as he did so: Captain,
take this and give it to my wife If YOU
ever get back to Kentucky, for I'll never
come down from that hill alive He had
presentimcnt of death. Every man
looked as though he was about to face
some terrible danger, the exact nature of
which he did not distinctly comprehend.
For my part it never occurred to me for
moment that L would lose my life in
that charge. As we climbed the hill in
column of company / could hear Lieut.
Col. Lucas believing, Forward away
back in the rear. The order was (by the
way, orders seem to be the simplest things
imaginable on occasions like this to form
line of battle on top of the hill and then
charge, but a storm of bullets, grape and
canister forbade the execution of any mill
tary movement. The roar of artillery, the
whlzzing of thousands of bullets, the burst
ing of shells, the groans of the wounded,
and the curses and jeers of rebels within
talking distance make day like that one
never to be forgotten. Smith Eaton was
stricken down within a few feet of me.
First Lieut.. Buchanan was mortaIly
wounded, and Lieut.. Harman had his leg
shot away, all within the space of few
minutes. Through the haze only a few
men could l discern on their feet. l went
down the hillside as fast as the nature
Of the ground would permit. The brush
and scrub timber had been previously cut
down in anticipation of an attack, and
formed, In conjunction with innumerable
ravines, an impossible barrier, not very
unlike cactus thicket. | stumbled head
foremost into ravine. John Cole, First
Sergeant of Co. A, tumbled in after me.
We lay there till nightfali. The ground
all around us looked as if lot of hogs
had been roofing there or 4 brush scythe
had been to work. Late in the day Cole
proposed that we venture down the hill
as the safest way to escape. He started
out, but almost as soon returned and
tried another exit in a different direction
The hospital tent next morning looked
like a slaughter house. OF course 1 do
not pretend to say that we were designed
for target, but the chances of battle ac-
complished what design failed to do"
NOT AT SHILOH.
]. NJ. Barnes, Band, 23d Ky, Walls
burg, y. c., writes: "a recent statement
mentions the 23d Ky. as present at the
battle of Shiloh. Being a member of
that regiment at that time / can say that
such was the intention. Orders had been
received to march there, but for some
cause we were sent to Pulaski, Giles Co.,
Tenn. Our Colonel, John p
Jackson, who was home on furlough, re-
ported at Shiloh, and was assigned to the
command of the 24th Ohio, upon the death
of its Colonel, so l was told, and was the
only member of our regiment there.
1.-The late Comrade Branum's diary says
that Gen. Polk was killed after we had
invested kenesaw Mountains Allow me
to correct. Polk was killed on Pine Knob
by shot from n steel rifled Sin. Parrot
in our brigade before we reached Kene-
saw. The day after / saw the stump on
which he was standing and the blood
smeared surface, and if any one who saw
it, too, will testify to the bark being
chopped off one side, and a notice to the
'Yanks' in foul language written there"
THE TAKING OF FAYETTEVILLE.
L. B. Marsh, 41st ILL.,, Bloomfield, Mo-,
writes: Il read the writings of the late
j. NJ. Branum and was very much in
vile, l will say that on Friday, March
10, 1863, all regiments belonging to the
First Brigade, Fourth Division, Twen-
tieth Corps, were assigned to detail, one
man from each company, with one nom
commissioned officer, to report at Gen.
Potts's headquarters on March II, at day
light, well mounted, for the purpose of
foraging. Capt. Guthrie, Assistant Ad-
jutant-General of Potts'S staff, took COM
mand, and we were in Fayetteville by one
hour after sunup. We saw several dead
soldiers from some Wisconsin regiment
lying along the sidewalks as we passed
Capt. Guthrie made for the court house.
driving the rebels out, and the Mayor
came out with his handkerchief on his
cane and surrendered the city. The rebels
fired two cannon-shots up the street after
the surrender. Capt. Guthrie was in
command of the town about two hours,
and then some cavalry Colonel came up
and of course took COMMAND. We were
in the city about two hours and of course
had all the provisions we could carry, and
left for our respective commands two
tered the city. This Is as l saw it. Com
rade Branum may have seen it differ
emily"
FALL OF RICHMOND.
W. a. Findal, Co. D, 11th Ind, Clyde
River, n. d., writes: II saw in your is
sue Of July IL statement of J. W. NJ,
in which he refers to his recollection of
the fall of Richmond, as seen by boy, |
wherein he speaks Of the first Union
troops to enter Richmond, on April 9,
1865. / too passed through Richmond
ON that date, as pioneer, who, with $50 |
others, more or less, was captured at
Hatcher's Run, April 1, 1865, and paroled |
on a street in Richmond on the I'd. After |
this we were marched aboard steamer |
and soon after the prisoners in Libby |
were liberated and boarded steamer with |
us, and were landed with us on the same |
day within our lines. No doubt Lees |
army had evacuated the city on the I'd, |
but the incidents that ]. w. NJ. mentions, |
such as setting fire to the business build |
ings, blowing up tug boats, and the entry |
Of Union soldiers, could not have Oc-
Cured till April 3. If this comes to the |
notice of a comrade either captured with |
me or one liberated from Libby, will he
please inform me-"
]. S. Weaver. Mapleton, Kan, writes:
The Fall of Richmond by j. w. NJ, in
THE TRIBUNE of the 18th ult., is quite
out in a date or two. April 1, 1865. was
Saturday, not Sunday. Richmond fell |
Monday morning, April 8, 1865"
BIT OF SERVICE.
W. Fl. Havens, Co. I, 37th ILL.,, Benton
Harbor, Mich, writes:
"In the Spring of '64, after we got
back from furlough home, we went up