The National tribune., 1900-06-28
i, TRIALS OF A N0N,YETERAN.
The Graphic and Moving Story Of Brave ssldies
By B. F. B0RIN1, Co. o. aptb ILL.,

I1flendS Tor 1err6 HauUe 10 lake Cne a1IeIIlOOn
train west for Spring I'D, Ill.
Without stopping in Marshall to eat or
to rest, resumed my tactics, running and
riding, east, over the National road for
Terre Haute, 20 miles away. A little
before 3 p. m. the National road bridge over
old Clark House, foot of Ohio street in Terre
Haute, Ind, where most all persons from
the west put up those days:
Scanning rapidly the column of names
in the register open on the counter, came
to the name of Capt. Wesley Martin, Nicks-
burg. Miss, plainly written there. Rush
ing up stairs and into his room, behold
my Captain. could have kissed his hand,
so glad was to see him. But there was
no time for formalities of any kind. The
bus was at the door. l barely had time to
turn my faithful old horse over to the land
lord, with explanations to return by stage
coach 10 Mr.. Merrick, at Hutsonville, take
my seat in the 'bls and whirl away to the
depot for the 3 o'clock train to Springfield,
where we arrived sometime that night and
went to the barracks. HereI enjoyed around
meal of hardtack, coffee, pork and beans,
dinner and supper both together.
| l arrived at Vicksburg with my cut
one dollar bill still in my pocket. In due
| time received modest little dun for 81. so
from the livery man at Hutsonville to pay
board at Terre Haute and for the stage
man leading him back home behind his
time than he did taking me up. OF course,
| l RENTED.
All this has been said to show why or
how 1t happened that l did not re-enlist.
| The veteran fever broke out in camp while
l was at home having a good time, eating
at the table from plate, with knife, fork,
spoon, etc, sitting on chair, sleeping in
| bed in a bedroom, under a roof, having a
stove to warm by, etc. All these luxurieS
consplred together to wean me away from
camp-life and the army. Had / been in
camp all this time with the boys living as
they We're, would have gone in with them
for another three years.
| After the muster rolls had all been signed
and everything readjusted, the old term
OF enlistment wiped out with the new,
our corps (the Seventeenth) embarked on
board steamers at Vicksburg and the whole
the veterans, as they were now called,
came home on a 30-dayS' furlough, leaving
us poor old non-vets to hold the fort in
camp at Cairo.
After the return of the veterans we went
on board fleet of steamers, veterans and
non-veterans together, and sailed away up
the Ohio and Tennessee, past Fort Henry,
Pittsburg Landing, and on up to Clifton,
Tenn. where we went ashore again about
the first week in May, '64. From this
point we launched forth upon the cele-
brated Georgia or Atlanta campaign,
and burned our first gunpowder Of the
campaign at Big Shanty Station, on the
Georgia Railroad, about one month after
leaving Clifton. From the beginning of
June until the first of September we were
under fire, or in hearing of it, almost in
cessantly, day and night.
l will insert little incident right here
that occurred while on our up-trip from
Ficksburg to Cairo, which l remember, but
never understood, and perhaps it may strike
a responsive chord in the memory of some
.ll G.,
or explain it. l was on the large, broad,
capacious, commodious steamer Illinoisan,
which, like the grand old Commonwealth
whose name il bore, was loaded to the
guards with Lincoln men. AS we came
around the bend small hospital supply
steamer, called Mill Boy, hove in sight,
piled high with cots, mattresses, bundles of
lint. bandages, etc.
Ours being the ascending boat, whistled
for sides, and was promptly and correctly
replied TO by the other boat In the act Of
passing, and almost abreast our boat, the
Mill Boy suddenly sheered across our
front. and the bow of the nlinoisan struck
her side, caying it in, and creating a scene
| of the widest confusion on board the little
boat, among whose passengers were a
large number Of women. The Mill Boy
was under good headway and ran into
| shallow water, where she sank on bar.
The surface Of the river, however, was
strewn with floating bundles. like a flock
| of geese or ducks. Our boat never stopped,
nor even slowed up, but left the Mill Boy to
his fate. Reader, were you along. or do
you know anything about this little dis
aster on the lower Mississippi?
think | have now said enough, per-
hapS, TO enable the average reader to under
stand why did not re-enliSt variations and
digressions considered, and am ready to
| take up my main subject, Getting home
| from the army" NV three years term of
| cor raA ArEfr r E,I
| been counting months, weeks and days all
Summer, and had finally gotten down to
| hours, and was in = place that day when
hours counted. Still, ] did not much
expect TO be relieved until that campaign
was ended. But promptly at u O'Clock.
our big-mouthed Sergeant-Major, passing
along IN rear Of line, sang out:
| All non-veterans whose term of service
| expires Aug. 20 are hereby relieved from
duty, and viii report to the Colonel in rear
OF center Of regiment Immediately"
| We We're behind a line Of breastWorks
with a line Of sharpshooters and skirmish-
ers actively engaged in our front. Atlanta
| was IN view, and the very atmosphere
blue with smoke, lead, iron and death,
bullets, shot and shell singing, fiuttering
and whizZlng both ways close over head,
and from my point Cf observation il look ed
to me as if the war was no nearer a close
| then than when it first began; and | will
say further, that | would not, right then
and there, have taken the whole State of
Georgia for my release from that line and
pace that day. ! remember we had our
hardtack in our haversacks, and the
colored boy had Just crawled up through a
rayine and arrived in our company with
Iaess-kettle Of pork and beans and big
pot Of coffee, and, hungry as / was, this
announcement from the Sergeant Major,
took my appetite quicker than meal s
victuals ever did; | could not force a bite.
There were boys in tina. mess and COM
pany with whom, during the past long and
bloody three years, l had undergone every
exposure to toll, privation and danger.
and 10 whom ! was bound by filial ties.
} stronger, if possible, than that of brother.
hood. Yet / must confess, that [ never
once thought Of formalities, or Of parting
ceremonies of any kind, but simply grab
bing my gun, and in a STOPPING posture,
took turkey-trot for the rear, where
turned over my gun and accouternents, and
received a pass from Col. Sledd, command
, ing the regiment, through the lines back
} 10 Marietta, on the Chattahoochie,. four OF
five miles TO the rear, which was then our
base Of supplies and railroad station
although trains crossed the Chattahoochie
and the shrill whistle Of the iron horse was
heard close up to our lines.
BY the time | got 10 this dashing little
I mountain stream ] was in q squad If 20 OF
% non-vets like myself. who had gravita.
: | ted together from the regiment on theiI
way home; there we're something like a
I dozen non-veterans in my COMPANY. two
2 others and mVself being all who shared