The National tribune., 1901-11-21
A NIGHT MARCH.
Reminiscenss of the vicksburg Campaign.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: l sat
down in the barber's chair few days
ago, in an old comrades shop, and as he
ran his comb through my hair the comb
struck n knot on my head. Och. OH
said Joe. What made that?'
"Well, I'll tell you the story while you
do this iob-just how it happened. You
know, | belonged to Co. A, 11th Ind, and
We were in the Vicksburg campaign. We
had laid on the banks of the river and
watched the boats run the blockade at
Nicksburg, and watched the gunbOats try
to shell the rebs out of their Notifications
at Grand Gulf, and been ferried over the
Mississippi River at Hardtimcs Landing,
and marched all the afternoon through
the lowlands and at night struck the foot
hills. You know how this night-march-
ing goes when the enemy is close in
front, march little way and stop; then,
Just as fellow is getting pretty well
fixed for q little sleep, fall in and go a
few rods farther; and so we go all night.
We marched that way all night until the
darkest hour, just before day, when we
crossed an old wooden bridge at the foot
of the hills. These hills are of yellow
clay soil, and the bitches on the sides Of
the road wash out very deep. Just where
our regiment stopped the bitches were
about six feet deep. We were sitting
down, and most of us asleep or nearly so,
when some staff officers rode up on the
old bridge, where some of the boys were
lying asleep. AS the horses feet struck
one fellow he jumped up, and such yell
as he gave would almost raise the dead.
Then another yelled: Look out for the
cavalry and about that time 'bangr went
some fellows gun. The first thing we
thought of was to clear the road, and we
jumped to the sides, not knowing the
bitches were there, and as l raised up
my file leader swung his gun around in
such q manner as to strike me on the
head, and | landed clear over one ditch =;
and there is where | got that bump on
my head. 1t was as dark as Egypt. The
officers cali to fall in, that all was right,
| got back into the road, and went to the
south side to the ditch where most of the
company had gone. Down in that ditch
was a terrible cOmmotiOn. The language
used was not very chOice-only for such
occasions. | could hear Serg't Rinklc,
who semed to be in the bottom layer. say
in a smOthered voice (which he told me
afterwards was made with a mouth full
of clay, Take your - knee off my
ear 1t was sG.-cthing like a modern
college football game going on down in
that ditch.
After time we got back into ranks,
and daylight soon appeared, and such a
sight and appearance that regiment made.
The mud and water i'll the bottom of the
bitches was about six inches deep, worked
into fine batter, and we had a large
amount of it distributed over the regi-
mcnt We moved on until we came to a
creek, just as the sun was coming up,
and we built fire of rails and put on
the coffee-pot to boil, and as Serg't Car
pentcr and | We're washing off some of
the clay in the brook nearby the John
nies gave us n morning call with bat
terry on the hills about a mile off, and
about the third shot struck our rail-pile
fire and away went our coffee, which put
US ont Of humor all day with them, and
the battle of Port Gibson was o.. That
is how it happeued."-WILL c. PHIPPs,
Co y, 11th Ind, S02 f. 11th St, In
diaIapOlis, Ind.