Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-04-18

the tent and making it leak, and he
often complained that he could not
move an arm or a foot or scratch his
head or take off his hat but what some
| body shouted, Don't touch the tentr
His way of getting even was, when We
were marching along in downpour of
rain, to elevate his voice and shout in
| the greatest good humor, Who in Sam
Hill touched the tent?'
ION the first day of the battle at Stone
River Old Horse was with that part of
the company carried away by stam-
| pede through our lines of another di-
vision chased by the rebels. When the
other part of the company which had
stood fast in spite Of the stampede came
up with the flag, Old Horse said he was
! like a thief caught in smokehouse
| with ham under his arm; he had no
| remarks to make. He had no excuses
to offer. He said when the stampede
struck him, he thought the world had
come to an end, and he ran like steer.
He had lots of company, and the longer
| he ran the more he felt like running.
But, he said, he had all the runnin' he
wanted for that day and he was ready
! to do his share Of fighting. And he
did.
The third day of the battle Old
Horse wandered over to a division on
our left to find boy who had lived
on the farm next to his at home. When
he came back his eyes We're large with
| excitement and he sat down to explain
to the men waiting in line that when
the division on the left broke old Pap
Thomas rode out in front of the men
| coming back, ordered them to stop, and
when they did not, drew his revolver
and shot man down. This did not
| create as much Of sensation as Old
Horse expected, and when one Of the
boys remarked that if the man was run
ming away Old Pap was right to shoot
him, Old Horse answered goOd-humOr-
eddy: That's all right; but | didn't
| think the old cuss could hit him. But
/ want all you fellows to understand
that after this. when Pap Thomas is
around this Old Horse is going to be
| very quiet
Almost at the close Of the fierce bat
| tie of that day and when our brigade
was in hot pursuit of the retreating
rebels, we came up suddenly on bat
| terry that pounded us viciously with
| shot and shell at short range. We
dropped down in the muddy corn field,
| knowing that in the dusk or gathering
| darkness the rebel gunners were get
| ting our range by the groans of the
wounded. 1t was a time to try men
severely, and most of us were greatly
excited.
''Old Horse, however, seemed to be
greatly interested in the shooting. He
called attention to the fact that the
gunners were throwing fuse shells 50
as to have them drop right into our
ranks, and he said that any man who
| said you couldn't see a cannon ball in
the air was liar. Just then shell
with short fuse came down between
my shoulder and that of Old Horse.
| On the instant Old Horse caught up a
handful of mud, clapped it on the sput-
tering fuse, and said quietly to the
other boys: Ten to one she don't bust
And she didn't.
eff this had occurred in the British
army or on shiDbOard, George wOnld
have been hero, but as it was, he was
simply Old Horse, joking and cheerful
| in the face of death. While we were
penned up in Chattanooga, Old Horse
was resourceful in eking out his half
rations, and was cheerful when others
were depressed. One day, while he was
loading crackers into a wagon to be
sent to the front, quiet officer in I'M
dress uniform spoke to him, and told
him to be more careful. This. was re-
| sented on the spot, and the blk six
footer turned toward the officer with a
roar. starting in with, No DANCED quar-
termaster's clerk can give me
There he stopped. He recognized the
officer as General Grant, and, coming
instantly to a salute, he changed his
whole bearing, and said, All right,
General Grant, we will put them in just
as you want them put in. There is
! nothing mean about us.
$50 he went ON to the end of the war.
I often wondered what kind of man
he would become in civil life. He slept
with me the night before | started
| West. and | then expected to find him
| in a. few months or in a few years on
the frontier But, instead, he drifted
| East. lived for years in Pennsylvania,
and is now, in his own language, as
quiet and peaceful as an old horse in
pasture getting ready for the bone
yard serene old man, ready and will
/ ing for the duties that come in his way,
no more and no less hero than ON the
day he said. Ten to one she don't
bust Chicago Inter Ocean.
A Rumor from Shiloh.
During Tie war it was not safe in
Kentucky for Southern sympathizers
| to rejoice over Southern successes. A