The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-04-11
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans Of the Rebellion Tell of
Whi.tlinR Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fir>. Festive Buss, Etc, Etc.


inois. We had been talking of the
death of Maurice Thompson, of his de-
scription of the march of Col. George
Rogers Clark's command from Kaskas-
kia to Nincennes, and had been dwell
ing with soldier pride on the high spirit
and endurance of the men who waded
SO many days through water and who
forded SO many rivers under the most
trying circumstances, when FoXey
broke out with: THAT was 4 great
march, but do you know 1t always re-
minds me of some Of our own great
marches in the civil war.
I'm the march from Savannah
through the Carolinas our brigade COW
cred 4 distance of 500 miles in a cam
paign of sixtytwO days, crossing ten
rivers and participating in two battles
and dozen skirmishes. I remember
that as we approached Averysboro in
March, 1865, we marched for hours ut a
time through swamps always ankle
deep and sometimes knee deep IN mud,
waded rivers swollen by heavy rains
anu an tht ldIoSStu Dt ItptiG
hanging on our fianks or concealed in
our front. Our ambulances were over
crowded with wounded and some of the
poor boys had to be carried forward on
army wagons.
''On the night of the 18th of March
we went into camp five miles or more
from Bentonville, at point near the
crossing of the Clinton, Smithfield, and
GoldsbOro wagon roads. General Sher-
man had Travelled with our part of the
army up to the morning of the 10th of
March, when he went to General How
ards command, thinking Hardee would
make no further resistance TO our en-
trance into Goldsboro. But Hardee
was of a different mind, and on this
morning there opened one of the blood
lest battles into which our brigade ever
rushed. We were in the second divis-
ion of the Fourteenth army corps. The
first division was driven back peli-mrll
by the furious attack of the Confeder
ates.
In their retreat they caught our
brigade on the flank or at least opened
the way for the rebels to make flank
attack. We were driven back short
distance, but the boys rallied and made
as hard fight as they had done years
before at Chickamauga. The other
brigades held their ground from start
to finish, giving the Johnnies fearful
drubbing. During this terrific struggle,
the train of some 200 wagons and thirty
ambulances had been pushed ahead I'LL
til the ambulance division Of the train
had penetrated the line of battle.
Il was on that day In charge of the
stretcher-bearers, and, noticing the way
in which the ambulances We're becom-
ing involved. set to work to get them
back to safer position. But there fol-
lowed one of the most tremendous
stampedes of the war. Teams and
wagons and ambulances were mired in
the sand and mud, and mules foun-
dering and wailing in fright. the driver
swearing, everything in confusion. Fl
nally, l succeeded in getting the head
ambulance started 10 the rear and to-
ward the spot where DIR. Charles
Payne, of the Tenth Illinois. had de-
cided to establish the field hospital.
stood at the turning point and gave
every ambulance its direction for the
home run.
"The bullets were flying like hail
stones The air seemed to be filled
with them. Several of the drivers were
hit, and we lost two or three mules, but
we succeeded in getting back TO the
hospital with all the ambulances. After
resting a few moments, asked the doc
On my way l came across companies
+ and c, of the Eighty-sixth Illinois,
with the regimental colors. They had
been carried in one direction by the
rush earlier in the day, while the other
companies had been carried in another
direction. 1 acted as the guide of COM
panies L and c to where l had seen the
other companies in line of battle, and
the full regiment made as good a rec
ord as it ever did in any battle"
thc StidhSCSt tulhSS III tut
march to the sea- said the Doctor,
"and in the march through the Caro-
Iinas, was the multitude of slaves that
followed or hovered about Sherman's
army. General Sherman could not.
from the necessities of the case. encour-
age the negroes TO follow the army, but
in spite of orders thousands did follow
us. some of them in independent de-
tachments, living off the country: 9TH
ers. in organized bodies, for pioneer
work; all looking forward TO freedom.
At the beginning of the war the rela-
tions between the army and negroes
were very different.
While Fremont was In command in
Missouri he issued a proclamation that
brought Il great many slaves 10 camp.
When he was succeeded by Halleck
very strict orders Were issued TO the
effect that all slaves coming To the
army should be returned TO their own
ers. This went against the grain. par
ticularly in one case. One battalion OF
our regiment stationed at an outpost
was taking things easy one night, when
colored man came in from a planta-
ton ten miles distant, and stated that
his master at the head of superior
force was coming by secret march to
capture the camp. Preparations We're
made and when the attack came. Just
as the colored man said 1t would. the
enemy were repulsed, because our men
were ready for them. The next day
a demand was made on the Colonel that
the colored man who had given us the
notice that saved a part of the regiment
should be surrendered 10 his owner.
Our men were never so close to mutiny
as on that day, but the slave was given
up."'
4 Chew of Tobacco in Battle.
Before we had learned the value Of
scouting" said the Captain, "the ne
groes in the South saved US from many
an ambuscade. A good many of us
had cause to be thankful for warn
l.. IL.