The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-04-03
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell Of
whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire. Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonets
/ Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles
Camp Fire. Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.
= don't suppose" said the Captain
that the world will ever fully un
character of enlisted men in the Union
army There We're so many of them
coming from every walk in life
thrown together under conditions SO
entirely new that the evolution of the
soldier was curious process. I had
In my company, serving in the ranks,
men who had been my college chums,
others who were men of property,
character, and influence, and all of
whom had surrendered every thing TO
fight.
They went into the army expecting
to fight Once in battle they fought
recklessly and with fury that made
great slaughter; but they We're vOlun-
teers. They were not making n pro-
fession of soldering and they could
not understand why they shouldn't
talk with their captains on the old
terms of companiOnship and intimacy
so long as they obeyed orders and OBJ
served the forms of military discipline.
The regular officers In command Of
regiments objected to this. They held
that when admitted my old chum to
fn taI hnn,n af ffa ire
that was lowering the discipline and
encouraging familiarity that was
discreditable to the service
Some Of these regular officers We're
splendid soldiers. Others were mere
martinets, and others were insistent on
perpetuating army traditions without
understanding Mt all the character of
the men with whom they were deal
ing. The boys took kindly to regular
army officers like Grant and Sherman,
who, as they put it, did not put on any
style, but they were at first instinc-
lively hostile to those who didn't try
to understand the volunteers. In this
way the men of our regiment came to
dislike General H. NJ. Judah. who was
very tenacious as to regular army
precedent and traditions
"On one occasion between Shiloh and
Corinth General Judah went outside
the lines before the countersign for
the evening was given out He did not
return until after dark. He was halt
ed by the sentinel on outpost picket
and asked for the cOuntersign. He
explained that he had no countersign,
that he was General Judah command
ing the brigade, and started to ride
past The guard shouted, That won't
do. II you had said you were cor
poral 1 might have let you in. but to
pretend that you are the general is too
cheeky. Get right down and mark
time
In spite Of all protests General Ju-
dab was compelled to dismount and
mark time until the officer of the
guard could be found. The guard on
duty knew Judah as well as he knew
his own captain, but he took this
means Of getting even. The General
probably suspected all this. and he
was very angry. but the minute he
ceased to mark time the guard would
order him to keep his feet in motion,
and he kept him at it until the officer
of the guard came, and, recognizing
the General, passed him through the
lines. The incident gave great COM
fort to all the men and most Of the
officers In the regiment.
THAT was in 1862, but late i'm 1864
the men Of the same regiment Were
resenting the attitude of General
who was volunteer and
who cared nothing for regular army
traditions. Steedman occasionally
had the manners of a slave driver. and
he cared no more for enlisted men than
General Judah. One day, after the
battle of Nashville, our brigade was
engaged in the heavy, disagreeable
work Of repairing bridges and roads,
when Steedman came in range. Our
had been toiling in the snow
and mud for three hours and had just
been relieved by the second battalion.
I'VE had gone back few hundred
yards. built fires to dry our clothes and
keep us warm, and We're preparing to
rest, when General Steedman and staff
rode up. Steedman called for the Of
ficer in command, rallied at him for
idling away his time, and ordered him
to put out the fires and put his men to
work. Major KemmetZer, in command
Of the battalion. explained that his
men had just been relieved from a
long siege of very hard work and We're
trying to make themselves comfort
able to be ready for the next turn
Thereupon Steedman jumped from his
horse and began to kick aside the
burning wood Of the fire.
while he was doing this a private
soldier standing behind him picked up
4 ball of frozen mud and snow that
had been knocked of a mules foot and
threw it will all the force he could
at the General. 1t struck
Steedman sQuarely in the back, and,
on his staff. he asked what
IN thunder it was that hit him. Every
Of the staff had seen the sol
lier throw, but they all remained ST.
ent except one officer, who, pointing
% the ball of frozen mud and snow
still bearing the impress of mules
'oot, said that the projectile must have
,ome from mule To this Steedman
No. sir; no mule could
Kick like that but he mounted his
iorse and rode away. Now General |
steedman had no warmer admirers |
han the men of that regiment. but |
hey always took great comfort in the
hot that he got in the back"
"The volunteers" said the Colonel. |
were not OyergenerOus themselves in |
ome cases. l remember a substitute
ame to us In front Of Atlanta. We
lad thrown up rifle pits and the rain
lad made the trench n fine. sticky
MORTAR abOut knee deem The s,si,Sti- |