The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1901-06-06

'sAk es o'0
"AIy little granddaughter, said the
Major. asked me the other day how I
felt the night before battle. This set
| me To thinking | couldn't remember
any night which | knew ut the time
was the night before a battle. There
We're nights before battles, of course,
but the men in the ranks, Judging by
preparations and maneuvers, were as
often wrong as right in their guesses as
to when Il battle would open. and so
they came to feel on the night before
battle very much as they felt on any
other night
THE night of Dee. 20, 1860. was
scheduled for all the men of Critten-
den's corps. Army of the Cumberland.
as night of battle, but the boys didn't
know 1t, and they didn't act up TO the
battle standard. We had been march
ing in battle order all day, moving to-
ward Murfreesboro. This means that
we did not march along the roads in
column of fOurs, nor yet in line of bat
tie, but with each brigade massed in
close order, three regiments on the first
line, each at double company front
marching at half company distance, and
two regiments Oh second line, marching
In same formation. In this order the
regiments We're ready to fly into line Of
battle or to form hollow squares, and
each brigade was fighting unit.
This order of march carried us
through the fields and over the rough
country. and when night came we were
tired. not with marching. but with skir
mishing and standing and fidgeting. We
were halted in a lonely stretch of clean
woods and We're ordered to make coffee
at once, put out fires, and be ready to
move at n moments notice. This seems.
at long distance. very disturbing, but
In the dusk of that evening it disturbed
no one. We knew there was Il river
a short distance in front and somebody
said the rebs were on the other side. As
they had been on the other side of every
stream we had crossed that day. the
circumstance of their being OH the 9th
er side of this one called out no COM
ment.
Coffee was made and disposed of.
fires were put out and the boys were
told they would move in an hour. They
We're betting ten to one they wouldn't
when civilian employed in the divis-
ion quartermaster's office. and an old
acquaintance of mine. rode through the
woods to where our men We're frolick-
ing or getting ready for sleep. He called
me aside and told me that our division
had been ordered to go into Murfrees-
boro that night and that he had come
over to go in with us. This meant
business, and some of the boys sneaked
down toward the river to verify the re-
port. They reported that Crittenden.
Palmer and others were in conference
down the road. and we were all on the
alert when an orderly rode up and in
formed the colonel that we would
bivOuac for the night where we were
I'VE slept quietly until nearly day
light on the 30th, when we formed in
line of battle and awaited develop
ments. There were none. and we re-
mained lounging in line all day while
the artillery thundered. An occasional
forty pound cannon ball rolled through
our ranks. but for the most part of the
day was like picnic. That night was
the night before the battle of Stone
River, but we didn't know it. and the
men not on guard took things as easily
as the men in a logging camp. The boys
slept in twos and threes. one blanket
over them, one under them, and with
Overcoat capes turned up over their
heads. One of our corporals was in the
color guard, and he came over to sleep
between myself and my chum, because
he had only one thin blanket and had
a large gum blanket lined with wool.
when we We're routed out in the
morning the corporal said he had never
slept more comfortably in his life, and
he spoke for the middle bunk for the
next night. Two hours from that time
he held the flag of a broken regiment
In the face of the charging rebels and
was shot dead. a score of the company
Were left on the field. The battle had
come like a hurricane and we didn't
believe it was coming until we were In
the midst of it. That was a sore day
fnr fhn 4 of hn ~, har bod
When night came the boys bivouacked
without any remarks as to the alb
sentees. They slept without alarms un-
til 3 or o'clock the next morning,
when the brigade was ordered forward
to stand in line of battle as a sort of
grand picket for the army.
This was on the 1st of January, 1863.
The night was cold and very dark.
Reused from sleep on the ground, the
boys We're stiff and sore and went for
ward shivering and irritable. We
moved over a field that seemed to be
strewn with logs and brush. and were
halted in what appeared TO be a series
of log heaps or clusters. The boys
crowded into line as best they could.
stumbling over the logs and swearing
at the stupidity of the officer who in
sisted on forming the line in such a
place. So we stood, shivering and dis
consolate, for an hour. or until 1t grew
light. Then We saw that what we sup
posed to he logs were the dead bodies Of
men killed the day before.
First the ghastly array showed forth
dimly. but minute by minute the details
became palmer and palmer, until the
picture was complete and we realized
that we were standing OH the line of
the hardest fighting of the day before.
and we saw that we We're looking
across the wreck of battle into the faces
of cloudlike mass of shivering men
In gray, standing for their army as we
stood for ours, a guard against surprise.
AS the sum came up we moved to our
old bivouac and not a rifle cracked.
This we all believed foreboded fierce
hot .1,,N ,la.,