Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1901-08-16
INSANE SOLDIERS EXPLOIT.
Crazy Fellow Does what Hundreds
of Men Had Been Trying
Four Days to Do.

"a queer thing happened at Kene-
saw" said the colonel, ,1h the Chicago
Inter Ocean. "On July !, 1864, we
intrenchments, holding the position
reached in the charge of June 81. BY
this time we were used to the confed-
crates, and they had become aecus-
toned to our presence and pernicious
activity. This day they suddenly be-
gan to throw stones, and the range
was SO short they hurt many of our
men. Occasionally a cold orn-dodger
would come over with the stones, and
our boys would shout: For Gods
sake, Johnnies, throw rocks, but don't
throw any more cornbread!' And
then some of our men threw hard
tack at the rebels, and the Johnnies
called for more. All this time there
was a brisk rife fire, but the flying
stones and cornbread, and. hard tack
gave to the scene the appearance of a :
frolic, and there was considerable hi-'
larity and confusion. -.
'In the midst of the excitement a
soldier with tin bucket in his hand
stepped over our works. and marched
straight over to othecunfederate works.
He was stranger in onr, regiment.
and none of the men seemed to know
where he came from. Suspecting' that
he was a spy, 1 ordered some of the
men near me to shoot him. But be-
fore they fired he climbed up the con.-
federate works and was pulled inside.
While we were in a state OF. wonder
ment over the strange affair the con-
federates asked us what. we. sent such
a blamed fool over to them. for. The
man, who belonged TO the Second
brigade of our division, had Become
insane during the battle, and he went
into the confederate works raving
maniac. We afterward found him in
the hospital, where. the confederates
in our front had hurried him as soon
as they discovered his condition. -
"The strangest thing about the ad-
venture was that hundreds OF men had
been trying Sor four days to DO what
this crazy fellow did, and had been
killed or wounded, and yet this man
with mind astray walked deliberately
hcross the narrow zone of fire, climb ID;
| up lHC4I DTtdslNOIhS, anu WIS HOC lIl-
iured. On the day of the charge ,aRd
the night after the rebels hauleds a
! good many of our boys over their
Notifications, so that part of the busi-
ness was not new. But that a man
should leave our works and march
straight oyer to theirs was Il new ex-
perience to all. of us, and we could
scarcely believe our eyes. But for
that matter the whole experience of
Kenesaw was new to us. We had
charged right up to the confederate
works and had remained within ,27
steps of their rifemen and dead and
wounded lying between the lines.
81 know it was just 27' steps, be-
cause. 1 counted them June 27 when
the confederates and ourselves bur
led the dead. The armistfce was asked
for by the confederates, and Gen. j fl
C. Davis sent an officer halfway to
make terps. Our prieer went, for
ward 13 steps, and ne seeod within a
foot of the confederate; whohad taken
Just IA steps from theirline. The con-
federates at tliis conference claimed
the arms that lay .|1tefaenrd daad and
wounded had dr5ppes them. a.. Gen.
Davis replied that the arms were ours
and would be ours ds long as we could
fight for them. He would not con.
semitic an armistice unless this point
was conceded, and after parley il