Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1901-07-21

Eyes, | had few war experiences,
said Martin Thornton, the well known
business man, yesterday, when caught
in a reminiscent mood. 81 served clear
through the war, and caught one North
ern bullet in my left arm, but 1t for
tunately did not strike the bone. 1t
laid me off five months, however l
enlisted at Little Rock, Ark, in April,
1861, in Hindman's Legion, the COM
mand numbering 800 strong. One OF
our first experiences was a march 10
st. Louis, which we fondly but errone-
ously hoped we could capture. l recall
an amusing incident on the way. We
were little green as soldiers, and some
wag told some of the boys that en- route
we would probably meet with lot Oh
Indians, who would be dressed up IN
imitation of hogs and who would come
at us on all fours. A good many or
the boys believed the yarn, and as
result we shot every hog that came
in our way, and good many, 1t must
be admitted, that did not, much to the
dismay and loss of the farmers. who
could not relish the joke, although we
did the meat. There was a good Joke
on General Marmeduke on that march,
and, by the way he was as line an
officer as ever went into battle. One
evening we halted for the night and the
boys were preparing beds OF leaves on
which to rest their weary bones, when
the General stirred up yellow Jackets
nest and would have been stung 10
death had he not had presence of mind
enough to dive into hay stack. IL
was great fun for the boys. and they
never forgot the General. He was al
terward transferred to General Price
army in Arkansas, and we felt that
we had lost a brother. He was elected
Governor of Missouri after the war;
Patrick Cleburne was a private in
our command, and on that never-to-be-
forgotten march he was elected cap
tain by one of the companies of the
Third Arkansas regiment. He was af-
terward a General, and was killed at
Franklin. Tenn, November 80, 1864. He
Vas II ullt OluCtl, UChb op sup ~
step from sheer merit. When Ma
jor General he commanded a division
that was never known to be defeated,
and to that command l am proud to
say | belonged.
After our campaign on the west side
of the Mississippi we crossed into Ken
lucky, and fought at Green river. We
fell back to the Mammoth Cave region,
and while | was on the advance skir-
mish line near what was called Horse
Cave | saw a finely uniformed Confed-
crate officer approaching. Our orders
were strict, and | halted him with:
Who comes there?' Friend without
the countersign' was the answer
'Dismount, friend, replied, and took
my prisoner to General Hardman' S
headquarters, where he turned out to
be none other than General Basil Duke
brother-in-law of General Morgan The
prisoner was turned loose and l was
complimented for attention to bust
ness.
Il was wounded at Perryville. in
charge on battery. which we captured,
being struck when right near one of the
guns. / went to Atlanta, where | was
laid up for five months, and then re-
Joined my command in Tennessee. We
fought the war out. and surrendered at
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, in the
spring of 1865. l went to Atlanta.
where. with sixty-five dollars capital, |
went into the grocery business, and re-
NAMED there three years, wearing my
because l had no money to buy
other clothes with. l was then in the
same business in Louisville for six
years, and then removed to Wheeling,
where have been since. | have many
"reminiscences of the four years or more
l spent in active service, and some of
these days may possibly relate some of
them, for instance the time. I laid
down in the road. in the dark, and
woke up in the morning to find myself
lying between two dead Northern SOL
diers. There is also a story about a
pair of boots will relate at another
time"