The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-09-10
FRANKS OF SOLDIERS
INCIDENTS THAT LENT VARIETY TO
THE LIFE OF THE FIGHTERS.


INCIDENTS THAT LENT VARIETY TO
THE LIFE OF THE FIGHTERS.
Times During the War Between the
States When Discipline Was Fer
gotten and the Generals Found II
Wise to Ignore the Fact.
discipline didn't count" said the ser
geant, "in the matter of pranks. There
were not better soldiers in the army than
the boys of the Eighty-fifth Illinois, and
none yielded more readily to discipline or
ripened more rapidly in the rough school
Of experience. But the men of the Eighty
fifth were, after Stone River, Chickamau-
ga, Kenesaw, Peach Tree Creek, Atlanta
and the march to the sea, as much given
to pranks as they were in their first
march in Kentucky in the summer Of
1862. We arrived at Richmond on the
long march from the Carolinas early in
May, 1865. Our brigade was made up OF
seasoned soldiers if there were any In the
army, but they came north in the belief
that General Halleck or Secretary Stan
ton had put slight on General Sherman.
and they were looking for trouble.
1.-THE march from North Carolina after
the surrender of Johnston had been a
sort of picnic for the boys, but discipline
was as strict as it was In front Of Allan
ia, and it was needed when we came to
Richmond. Halleck, then In command
of the department Of the James, directed
that Sherman's army pass In review be-
fore him as 1t marched through Rich
mond. Sherman forbade the review, and
Halleck refused to permit any Of Sher-
mans men to enter the city. Exon
federates and citizens came and went at
will, but when Sherman's men attempted
to visit the city they were met at the pom
toon bridge by provost guard and turn
ed back.
"Sherman's men resented all this, and
they were furious over the intimation
that they were kept out Of the city In the
interests of good order and because they
could not be trusted. The boys talked
only among themselves and organized to
carry out a plan to see the city. One
day a large crowd of unarmed soldiers
assembled at the south end Of the bridge
and at a given signal rushed upon the
guards, pushing many of them into the
river and overwhelming the others by
sheer weight of numbers. In short, Sher-
mans men, acting without orders and
without officers, seized the bridge and
held 1t while the boys went over and
looked about the fallen Confederate CAPT
tai So far as ! know, Halleck made no
complaint of this irregular proceeding,
and Sherman did not notice it.
"After the grand review at Washington
the Eighty-fifth Illinois, with the other
regiments of the brigade, went into camp
near the Soldiers home, and the men
were permitted to roam at will over the
city. One morning some Of the boys dis
covered a soldier at Fort Slemmer walk
Ing up and down In front Of an officers
tent carrying log on his shoulder. One
of the boys was sent over to investigate,
and when he reported that the soldier at
the fort was carrying the log as punish
ment for a very trivial offense the men
decided to interfere. They went in force,
but without arms, over to the fort, took
charge, dismissed the log carrier to his
quarters and jovially informed the officer
in command that the punishment was
contrary to the regulations and Sher-
mans men didn't want him to let 1t oc-
cur again.
"At the close OF the interview they pick
ed up the log and brought it at the head
Of an orderly column into our camp. AT
the beginning Of the war such proceed
ing would have thrown army headquar-
tiers into a panic. But then the war was
over, and Sherman's men were in great
favor, and the case was not even report
ed"
II remember a case" said the major,
Sin which soldiers who came to frolic re-
NAMED to work. One night our brigade
camped at Tullahoma, and IRE called
the men to the crossing of the principal
streets. The boys were at first greatly
amused at the efforts made by home tai
ent to put out the fire and were free with
the most absurd suggestions. But when
the matter became serious and the few
citizens were bewildered and helpless the
soldiers fell into ranks, organized quickly
a dozen fire brigades and, under the direc-
tion of men who had fought big fires at
home, worked half the night to save the
of their enemies. They checked
and after a time mastered the fire, but
from first to last they bore themselves
like soldiers on a frolic, except that they
made business Of putting out the fire.
"That same brigade after the terrific
battle of Jan. 2, 1868, at Stone river, re-
turned from the last charge against
Breckinridge's corps to their bivouac of
the morning to find Negley's men carry
Ing off the rails out of which they had
built rude shelters the night before.
Palmer's men hurriedly stacked arms and
by common impulse surrounded, at full
run, the rail experts of the other division.
Both divisions had participated in the
charge, and had marched back in the
dusk Of evening with the battle spirit on
them. Palmer's men came on the scene
at the swinging, exultant step Of victory,
like regiments on review. But
no sooner did they see Negley's men
carrying off their rails than they dropped
the soldier and bore down on the raiders
like football players In a rush. The
movement was SO spontaneous and the
Numbers were SO great that Negley's men
were overwhelmed, and Palmer's men
carried back the rails frolicking like mad.
"The scene was as tumultuous as q
hundred football struggles compressed in
10 one and the uproar was terrific. Neg
ey's men were forming for counter
rush when Generals Palmer and Negley
came on the scene, the one bareheaded
and the other disheveled. Negley COM
planned jocularly that 1t was a pretty |
howdy do when he couldn't confscate
rails enough to shelter his headquarters
rom the rain without Palmer turning out |
from 5000 to 10000 men to prevent the
,onfscation. Palmer replied that he had
no rails himself to lend, but his men |
might have If they were approached in
The right way, but, by the great horn
spoon,, nobody could steal the rails which |
his men had stolen with infinite trouble
TWO days before. In this spirit the affair
was settled, each general ordering his
men to quarters II they could find them"
Chicago Inter Ocean.
What Oyster "seed" In.
BY seed" of oysters is meant the
milk" or spat or spawn, which Is de-
posted during the breeding season Gn
summer), and adheres to some object or
other In the water Of the "beds." As
soon as the milk" finds resting place,
helped by the action Of the sea water, It
begins to harden and to take form. Just
as the white liquid china clay of the
pate sur pate china decorator In its eleva-
lions and Expressions hardens upon the
side of a cup or vase, and by the different
Weaknesses of its hardened layers forms
The lovely figures we see in art collec-
ions, so the milk" of the oyster grows
INTO the shape intended for 1t by nature.
Though the oyster shell is 20 uncouth and
tough In outline, yet what wondrous
liehsny y thisl -.--