Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1901-05-09
THE BOOMING CANNON
REClTALS OF CAMP AND BAT
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors Of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, ForaR.


dents of Marches, Camp Life, Forag.
Ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.
During the war l was member of
Company e, Eighth Ohio Infantry. Our
camp was at first at Cleveland, May
II, 1861. We left the LIST Of June for
Camp Denison. When we arrived
there not tent nor shanty was wait
ing for us, but near the railroad track
was plenty of lumber, and we were or
dered off the cars and told to take the
lumber and make something to stay in.
1t was raining hard and we landed
in a wheat field. We had to back the
lumber forty rods, in mud knee-deep,
but we went to work with will, and
by nine o'clock there we were, wet and
muddy, not mouthful to eat, no wood
to make fire. Oh, what night we
had in those wet shanties. Some Of
the boys thought they must have some
thing to eat, so they started and soon
came back with plenty of chickens.
Then we drew cuts to see who should
get the wood, and I was one that was
chosen to go. | went to one of the
companies of the Seventh Ohio, and
said:
"You are fresh fish; we have none to
spare"
But we got the wood all the same,
and a camp kettle to cook our chickens
in; then we dressed some Of them, and
after they were cooked we found we
had no salt, SO we drew cuts again to
see who would get the salt. Fate seem
ed against me, for l had to go again.
This time l did not ask for it, but
walked into one of the cook shanties
of the Seventh and got what ] wanted.
l was about to leave when l came face
to face with the guard at the door.
''What are you doing here?" he de-
manded.
Well, / was caught, and to get out
of it l told him pitiful story, and he
let me go, and gave me some bread to
take along with me. SO about midnight
we had our supper and spent the re-
mainder of the night in telling tales
and thinking of home.
The next day we drew rations and
camp utensils and wood. l was de-
tailed to go on guard that morning, and
1 will never forget the weapon that l
received to stand guard with. 1t was
cornstalk about four feet in length.
We had no uniform, and we had gotten
pretty ragged.
The boys would come out and run
our beat We would halt them, but
no halt. l threw my cornstalk after
one, and the officer of the day saw me
do so, and asked me why l did SO, and
told him the man would not halt, and
the cornstalk would not go off unless
| threw it off. The next day when re-
lieved that officer came to me with a
corporaPs stripes. l asked him how
that come
'For merit while on guard" said he.
About the 18th of June we enlisted
for three years, and then we got our
uniforms and ten days furlough to go
home. When we got back to camp
again we drew guns and left for West
Virginia. They put us in the stock cars
and shipped us to Grafton. We got off
the cars and encamped in a strip of
woods.
] was on guard that night, with or
ders to shoot anything l heard APP
preaching | took my station about
II o'clock, and it was not long before
l heard something in the brush, and
fired. The relief guard came running
up to me to see what was the matter.
l told him l had shot Johnny. The
sergeant reported it to the Colonel, and
he called out the regiment in line, and
sent out skirmishers to find out where
the enemy were.
They had not gone far until they had
found the mule had shot-a mule be-
longing to a man living close to the
camp. This was the first gun that was
fired in our regiment, and l was given
double rations the next day for bray
cry.