The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1900-06-14

appointed to take care of them. None
Of the steers were to be killed when
other supplies were at hand or could
be secured. We left Clifton May 5,
1864. and marched by way Of Atlanta
to Huntsville, Ala, crOssed't the Tennesh
see at Decatur, and moved by way of
Warrenton. Rome and Kingston to
Sherman's position in front Of Kene!
saw Mountain, where we arrived June
8. During this month the cattle. hav-
ing good pasture, We're in good cOndi-
ton.
During July We moved to Sweet WH1s
ter. to Marietta. and Decatur, and par
ticipated in the battles about Atlanta,
and after the capture OF the city re-
mained in the vicinity until Nov. Is.
All this time the boys herded theirthou.
sand cattle, to the great sport Of our
own and other divisions. On the 18th
of November we started from Atlanta
on the march to the sea. We entered
Savannah Dec. p. and entered upon
the Carolina campaign Jan. 13, 1865.
III tHtSt NtChS VI thC AOn6 AnaANA
to the sea and of the marches In the
CarOlinas the cattle were still with us.
but they had been getting poorer and
poorer day by day, and. as the boys
said. tougher and tougher. and the
army decided unanimously to call the
herd Uncle Billy's dried beef on the
hOOf.'
''The men in the ranks hated the sight
Of those steers. On long march they
would see a great cloud Of dust miles
away, and they would argue with each
other as to whether the dust was
caused by rebel cavalry or the cattle.
They seriously discussed whether It
would not be good idea when the liv-
ing skeletons came along the read to
pretend they We're cavalry and shoot
at BentOnville, Wade Hampton cap
tured the whole herd. and he probably
never did anything that took him near
er to the hearts of the men Of Sher-
mans army. Hampton, possibly.
thought at the time that he had inflict-
ed-a hard blow upon Sherman, but
when he looked over the cattle he must
have changed his opinion.
The men who were detailed from
companies to act as cattle drivers be-
came experienced herdsmen, and they
were the only ones who grieved over
the capture. Some of those fellows
could turn their hands to anything.
When, in April, 1863, Logan called for
volunteers to run the blele at W.
burg. some Of these men were among
those who went down on the trans
ports. They knew as little about navi
eating boat as they did about driving
steers, but they had no hesitation in
tackling the job. Fifteen transports
and barges. loaded with supplies gath
cred at point above Vicksburg, were
sent down past the Confederate batter
les to point below where they were
to assist In the crossing Of Grants
main army.
The transports were fitted out with
cotton bales and hay bales to shelter
the men on board. They went down
around the bend, conveyed by four gun
boats One Of these gunboats was dis
abled. but not a single transport was
injured, yet they were under fire all the
way around the bend in the river. OF
course, they hugged the Louisiana
shore pretty closely and went at full
speed. The rebels fired as rapidly as
artillery could fire. and set fire to
houses to make light, but not a man
Of the volunteers and not a transport
was seriously injured. Grants main
army crossed in these transports to en-
ter actively on the campaign that re-
suited in the capture of Vicksburg."-
Chicago Inter Ocean.