The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1901-10-15

ass~a
THEIR NOSES IN WHISKY BARRELS.
rator who had handled many official
documents in the war department,
and Who was familiar with the move
ments of all union troops, remarked:
IF it hadn't been for the Sixthcorps,
major, you would have swept this
field and destroyed Sheridan's army
before he arrived"
"You are mistaken" was the sur
prising reply. SIT was the Nine
teenth corps that whooped us. OF
course the Sixth corps did lots of
good fighting, but it was your Nine.
teenth corps that did the business"
This produced a brief argument, the
narrator asserting that the Nine
teenth corps had run away from the
field early in the morning, the Eighth
corps was driven back soon after
wards, and the Sixth corps formed
an unyielding line. along the turn
pike, and thus gave Sheridan a nucle-
US for his subsequent formations.
The major ended the matter by say
ing positively, with his Virginia ac-
cent: II tell you I was thar, and I
knowit was the Nineteenth corps that
licked us. We surprised the union
left, and there was the Nineteenth
corps which ran away. If they had
stood firm, we could have swung onto
the others all right. But the Nine
teenth corps guarded all of the Yam
kee commissary stores. When all of
those stores fell into our hands our
soldiers went pillaging, and we
couldn't stop them. They were hun
CRY and thirsty. They ate up every
thing they could grab, and thousands
of them buried their noses in the
whisky bar'ls so that by noon they
were stupid with their bellies full of
food and drink. They thought the
whole union army had run away, and
they were just having a hell of a
time. The officers could do nothing
with them. Besides, hundreds of QUIZ
officers got full, too. I don't want
to say anything to detract from
Sheridan's work, for it was the work
of a good soldier and a great general
anyway. But the army he whooped
that afternoon was an army of
drunken men. 1t was the flight of
the Nineteenth corps that knocked
US out"
That version of the story had never
been heard by the writer, and it is
probably the true story. Maj. Ran
dolph was graduated from the naval
academy, but went with his state into
the ~confederacy. There being no
navy, he entered the army and rem
dered service of value to his cause on
many fields. At hat time he told a
story about Gen. Early, which was
interesting, and also true. After the
disastrous battle at Winchester, Gen.
Early had moved back to Staunton
where he attended church one Sun
day evening. Maj. Randolph satbeside
him. Although Early often attended
church he was an i%rreverent man. The
preacher delivered a m on the
resurrection, in the course of which
he told the nearer that all of their
friends lying in the churchyard would
arise. Early turned to Randolph and
whispered: 81 wish they'd rise now.
I'd conscript every mothers son OF
them, for l need men,"
Lieut. Gen. Longstreet, almost sc
years of age, is still living and resides
in this city. He is vigorous for his
| age, but very deaf. He has said to
the writer: 81 was bitterly disap-
pointed and Gen. Lee was heart
broken with our failure. The plan
was perfect and was perfectly exc
cuted. Maj. Randolph tells the cor
rect story. 1t is useless for soldiers,
or any other men for that matter,
to cry over defeat or to blame others
than themselves. But if our army had
been amenable to discipline, if the
officers and men had remained sober
during hat morning, Sheridan would
have found no army which he could
organize when h. reached the field"
However, nothing succeeds like sue.
cess; and Sheridan succeeded. The
chances of war were all against him
in the morning. The chances were
but slight when he reached the field.
He tool the remaining chances. With
marvellous energy and ability he reor-
gained a defeated army on the bat
tletield, and hurled it like a thunder
bolt against the enemy. Victory was
inevitable, because of the arrival of
a military genius. 1t was with the
stern purpose of victory that he made
that terrific ride from Winchester.
! 20 miles away" SMITH D. FRY.