Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-06-27

same Datlle.-rheir Experiences.
Fourteen men were sitting in front o
q Willow SoIngs boarding house O
hotel" Is ,.ey call 1t in the suburbs
when the ssiest one in the group said;
That was good paper Colonel Johl
s. Cooper had on the battle Of Por
Republic. | was down there with Johl
G. Reid when the fight came of"
$50 was H. said the next man t
him. A third man ventured the SAINT
information. Finally the fourteen ros'
solemnly from their chairs on learning
that each and all Of them had been witt
Mcclellan in the Peninsula campaign
Working together for many of the past
months, not one of the fourteen hat
thought b discuss army life with hi:
compancns. Brave men usually have
little to say about their personal wal
experiences. The bes. war stories, like
that of Colonel Cooper, have never beer
in print
The first speaker whose name was
Hasey, started the conversation again
with the remark.
II read a story the other day of an
entire Illinois regiment having got full
ION stone fence in the Tennessee cam
palgn. That's funny, but not so funny
as the fact that in 1862 Blenker's divis-
ion Of the army of the Patomac, COM
prising nearly 10000 men, with three
batteries of artillery, got lost going
from near Manassas Junction across the
mont. 1t was lost so long, was so COM
mont. 1t was lost so lonk, was so COM
pletely swallowed up, that General
Rosecrans was finally sent out after
several weeks with large body OF cav
airy to find out what had become Of the
division.
"You could hardly believe that was
true, but there are plenty OF men to
substantiate the statement that nearly
10000 men of our forces were absolute
lost to the main army for over two
weeks, and neither the war department
nor the commanding officers In the
field knew where they were. 1t was
about this .ine that the movement on
Richmond ~as checked for the purpose
of attending 10 Stonewall Jackson's
operations III lhe SHENANDOAH v.ile',
ne was twenty llles lIoh o''s so",, any
we naa 4o'ooo men vi MS ha MN anu
rear wilhin slrlKils INSTANCE. we ous .
numbered ms iofce lwo W ohe VI NV, VIZ -
"our OBJECT was u cap'u'e nin'' Ao'
remember lllal - ,s,, nh,
The thirteen listeners nouueu' ine
lourleentn continued;
he aldh appear 10 care d rap ANU.
our opJect. we uia recapsule rIon ,
Royal whlch ne nau lahen l,on No. a.. p .sa
theh ailer Iha' we were SCI uoMh IN 'ne
sun anu allowed 10 pahe lnere wni,e
Jackson le,su,e,s ,hos1u "ma wy. IAN am,,I w.
was IN ohlelu ) DIVISION, Mnicll iina.s
curly IN June was sem a..e, '' nN,''a
OF al NM 10 snect HIS capLure' n' .1.So
uier deherai odrro,i was 'ne on' WY
got tne famous oruer llul'i o,iielu' w W
save the prlage al ror, nepupio, 'as
one across lhe ohehanuoai' Which ~ u,
MS laghl IL was leafeu 'acAsoi "ou'u
Destroy
"When General Carroll rot to the
Port Renubllc bridge Jackson wa,
across it and in the town with his wag-
ON trains His troops were on the op.
nosite side of the stream. Carroll real.
lied the situation at once, and he order.
ed his artillery into position, where they
would command the bridge, and direct
ed the officer commanding his cavalry
10 take possession of the bridge. Cap
tain Reid aided in the execution Of this
command and the bridge was taken
In accomplishing this one of Jackson's
stafY officers Lieutenant Douglas. was
cantured
81 saw him wounded and then brought
in" said one of the group.
"Well y said Hasey. "Captain Reid
ordered him to sit down at the west end
NJ The bridge until the fracas was over
and then his wound would be attended
70 Inst then a mounted officer came
along wearing a hanging overcoat and
riding from Port Republic across the
bridge TO It's west end. He stopped his
horse and asked Captain Reid in short
grufY manner.
"'Wbat are Won doing here?
"cantain Reid thought he was one oil
our cavalry officers First Virginia men
and be answered,
"T,m attending TO nv business.
damn vou and Won had better 20 on to
vour command and attend to yours
"Tbo officer excused himself and rode
M the west end of the bridge, putting
,nurs m hls horse and galloping ND the
hin Just then CAPTAIN Reid noticed
his nrisoner having a hearty laugh tc
himself and asked him what 1t was
about
] "ryvfy said Lieutenant Douglas, 4
was met thinking how funny Il all was