The National tribune., 1900-11-15
A KID" SOLDIER.
Some of His Experiences With the 57th Ohio
for Nearly Four Years.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Allow Ms
space to give your readers and the surviy
ing members of the 57th Ohio history OF
my service with and in that regiment, anC
especially Co. /, from Jan. 81, 1862, al
Camp Chase, until Aug. 8, 1865. We left
Camp Chase, o., March 16, 1862. Pitts
burg Landing was our first engagement
April g and Z. The first man to fall OF
our regiment was at Paducah, where on,
fooled with an old flintlock musket that
had been captured, swapping it at first one
and then another until it exploded, killing
instantly a messmate.
Here are the engagements that we took
part in: Shiloh, Corinth, Chickasaw Bay.
on, Arkansas Post, Haine's Bluff, Black
River, Vicksburg MAY 10 and %, the en-
tire siegey, Jackson, Missionary Ridge
Chickamauga, Kenesaw Mountain (whert
cur most noble Colonel, A. Y. Rice, lost
his leg. May God bless him in his old
age), and Atlanta.
L think some of the boys will recollect
when we were fir ID on while guarding a
wagon train, going from COrinth to Mem
phis. The Johnnies fired on us about
halfway between schoolhouse and q
farmhouse. The schoOlhouse was on
the left, on hill; the farmhouse
on our right, about three quarters
of mile from the schoolhouse. There
with two men in it. They showed up a
second time just as the firing was finished.
One of Co. | and myself made prisoners
of the two men. If / recOllect right he
belonged to Co. A. He started for the
regiment and l guarded the men. One
of them said to the other, Lets go; the
boy won't shoot" Just at that moment
L cooked the old Austrian rifle and stepped
behind the buggy, putting them between
me and the regiment. They stood quietly
without any further cOaxing, and when
Col. Rice and Col. Mungin returned with
the regiment L turned them over to Col.
Rice as prisoners. We always understood
that one of the prisoners proved to be a
Northumberland in the rebel army. We
reached Memphis without any more trou-
bic. We were not long in Memphis when
an old farmer came in with q load of ap-
pies ana wouldn't take anything but Con-
federate money. We had none of that
brand, but had to have the apples. We
apples all right, and, OF course, enjoyed
them.
While was taking the coupling-pin out
of the hind part of the farmers wagon
other boys We're stealing a linch-pin out of
the wheels. Great was the spill of apples.
Il. Il. Root ordered the old man to move
on; of course, he went, but the fruit
stayed. He went to Morgan l. Smith.
Brigadler-General, and complained of his
loss. lie told the General that a little
Yankee dumped his apples out there in
that ''goldarned outfit on the right of his
quarters" So | was sent for and reported
and told just how the trick was turned
and got out of it all right. l was not out
long before | found that could have more
chance to escape punishment by telling the
truth than by fibbing.
We were mustered out at Little Rock.
Ark. Boys, l often see, in imagination,
mat masked battery grinning in our faces
as it did over 30 years ago at Arkansas
Post.
L was known during my service as pat
sy the Kid" and served with both the
Did and new organizations. l never missed
march or an engagement the regiment
was in from Shiloh to Atlanta. l was
90 young to enlist, but was there" dur
ng the entire service of the Fourth Bri-
sade, Fourth Division, Fifteenth Corps. II
was wounded at Vicksburg May %, 1862,
IN the right breast, the bullet passing
through the right lung at the top. During
an engagement l was sometimes caring
Tor the wounded and at other times
handled musket at the front, doing duty
Ike regularly enlisted and paid soldier
have bill pending in Congress now,
having as It's sponsor and originator Hon.
D. X. Ridgley, Representative from my
district, providing for an honorable dis
,harge as soldier and for a place on the
oils of Go. /, 57th Ohio, from January,
1862, until Aug. 8, 1865, to which l am
and rightfully entitled. 1 want
he assistance of my old comrades in my
case. Will they not write to me-? 1 was
'orn in Columbus, o., on March II, 1850.
md served for nearly four years without
'ay or other reward, and l am still ready
It any time my country calls to go to her
lldwPATRICK CoNLIN Tor PATSY the
Nid'0 Weir CITY, Kan.