The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-05-30
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR,
The Veterans Of the Rebellion Tell of
whistIin& BuIIet-. Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs. Bloody Battles,

It was when we We're stationed at
Harrodsburg. Ky. in 1863. Our regi-
ment. the Seventh Ohio. was pitted
against John Morgan and his follow
ers, and We Were kept as busy as n
nest of wasps.
| DeserterS and stragglers from his
| command vece continually coming to
us with reports that the forces of tler
chivalrOus chieftain were fading away,
and that only Il handful of Ten were
with him. Ills raiders We're always
''goin' home" and comm back aud ii
did seem to us as IL they all returned
before we found them
| To tell Just now social game was
interrupted one night in HarrodshIIrg
by two of them comm lack ui.an-
nounced is the object of this 'ower
true tale The writer, Il real sergeant.
| but brigadier general in his mipd.
sat playing euchre with the sister of
two of Morgan'S fiyers-rhe latter sup
posed at the tine 10 he with their chief
somewhere il the mountainous portion
of the State. Hand after nand in the
seductive game had been played, when
the conversation turned upon the war
and its terrible consequences
Just think of it," said the fair sister.
Here you are tonight in my house,
processing the greatest friendship for
me. and yet the fates may compel you
to engage in mortal combat with tlcse
dearer TO me than life.''
The sergeant hoped the fates might
always hurl him against some other
girls brothers.
But you can't tell" said the sister,
whom you are fighting. and you might
kill both my brothers before the week
ends
The sergeant here glanced at the
chevrOns on his cavalry jacket, and
said il he did kill them he hoped he
would never know 1t.
Or your regiment might capture my
brothers and hold them as prisoners of
war, right here in sight of their Own
house, continued the girl.
The sergeant said that if the last pic
ture ever came to be a reality. the sis
ter should see her brothers every night;
and that, if he could help 1t, they
should never be sent away to a mill
tary prison. so help him Moses, or
words TO that effect.
That settles it, said deep, quiet
voice from behind the sitting-room
door, and both brothers stepped into
tbc parIor orp,a1 hootod opd cpurra1
but smiling exceedingly "childlike and
bland"-two handsome and good ma
tured looking raiders as could be found
between the Potomac and the James
For once in his life the sergeant felt
as If his chevrons indicated as much.
If not more. than all the military rank
he possessed. He declared himself as
having always been in favor of that
factor which in due time is not only to
be the salvation Of individuals but of
nations as well. namely, arbitration.
The big brothers did arbitrate. and to
such an extent that four-handed
game of euchre, a social lunch, and the
firing Of jokes instead Of pistols was
the consequence for the evening.
Months afterward the Seventh Ohio
met Morgan in battle at Cynthiana.
and captured many of his command.
driving the raiders, including the chief.
into and across the river Among the
captured were the two brothers, and,
though the sergeant did what he could
to prevent it, both of them were sent
away with the rest of the prisoners to
Camp Chase. Ohio. Another unroman-
tic truth which We are obliged to re-
cord, and which is out of the usual vein
of story-writing, is that the sister never
became the sergeants wife.