The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-07-24
THE BOOMING CANNON
ReCiTALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
TILE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, FOraE-

Survivors OF the Rebellion Relat
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, ForaE
"Queer things" said the Major. "hai
pened in the old army. In December
1862, l was at Holly Springs. Miss
looking after the business on the sey
eral Southern railways just opened b.
Grant. Holly Springs ut that time wa
Grants secondary base of supplies. an,
was well 10 the rear or his division
marching southwark. 1t was crowde
with military stores. and was guarde'
by about 1.500 men under the comman,
Of Col. Murphy. On the night of Dec
10 was sleeping with Nichols. lele
graph operator, in a room above tn
telegraph Office, near the depot, whel
Col. Murphy walked us up.
This was about 3 o'clock on th'
morning of the 10Th. and the Colone
was very angry because Nichols di,
not answer promptly. He said Val
Dorn's cavalry had driven in his pick
cts. and that the rebels would attacl
In force at daylight. He wanted TO re
port the situation 10 Gen. Grant, ant
Nichols began to call U. s.. the sigma
for Grants headquarters. but got no re
sponse- Nichols repeated that call u
8. a thousand times, 1t seemed to me
when at last Beckwith, the operator a,
Grants headquarters. answered, and
we shouted in gladness. Murphy die
tated dispatch to the effect that he
would be attacked by daylight by a SUI
perior force. and that all was lost.
"As the Colonel turned to leave the
Office l called his attention to n large
force Of cavalry in blue coats dashing
toward us in the dim light of the early
morning. and told him with such a
force at his command all was not lost
He said We had no cavalry outside the
lines. and swore the men riding toward
US We're rebels. Then he and Others
ran from the building, while Nichols
and my old colored servant, Moses. and
myself remained. The cavalry in blue
NOotS 0AShC0 uP " tue uCROl, Whckt
two or three hundred unarmed Union
soldiers were sleeping. and sabered the
poor fellows as they came from their
blankets. We were soon in the midst
of a hot fight, and, remembering
Grants order to never let a telegraph
instrument fall into the hands of the
enemy. 1 caught up heavy club and
smashed every instrument in the room
Then Nichols and l hid in a closet,
while old Moses prospected. We soon
smelled smoke. and discovered that the
rebels had Set fire to the building. Look
ing out. We saw Col Murphy at the
head Of about hundred men charging
the rebel lines. He would break their
line. then charge back, and strike at
another point He kept this up longer
than L thought any man could, but at
last was surrounded and forced TO sur
render. At this juncture decided to
surrender myself, and was soon one
OF 200 prisoners sent out by the road
ON which Van Dorn's mounted men
were still pouring in.
They were nondescript lot, infan-
trymen mostly, mounted on farm
horses and mules. most of them
riding without saddles or brides, and
hundreds Of them with only rope halt
ers- But they We're as noisy as wild
Indians. and they soon had full fifteen
hundred prisoners. When they came to
parole us. they made each man write
his own parole from a printed form.
and in writing mine 1 scheduled myself
as civilian and promised not to bear
arms against the 'so-called Southern
Confederacy.' The officer in charge
objected to the 'sO-called' and crossed
1t out They paroled all the whites,
but carried Off all the negroes, and /,
with Others. proceeded to Corinth,
where1 found old friends in the Sew
enth Illinois. Scarcely had l reported,
however, when the Colonel sent me
out with foraging expedition to Tu-
pelo, some twenty-five miles away.
That night l realized that 1 was
again in the enemy's country fully arm
ed and equipped for a fight and with
parole in my pocket This had a
serious look when the pickets were
driven in by great crowd of men bear
Ing down on camp. We soon discoy-
cred the supposed rebels Were colored
men who had escaped from Van Dorm.
and among the first to come in range
was old Moses. He was wild with de-
light when he saw me, and L felt bet |
ter over my parole. In time reported |
to Gen. Grant, who refused point blank
10 recognize my parole, as it was issued |
to a civilian. l preserved the docu-
ment. however, and have it YETI
Il had a queer experience at kene-
saw" said the Captain. "A sergeant
In one of the left companies of the Fif.
ty-secOnd Ohio. as the regiment came
under the direct fire of the enemy turn
I'd pale as death and faced to the rear.
As he made few steps to the rear he
:ame face to face with his commanding
'ficer. The Colonel caught the SER
Ieant by the shoulder, and said: Face
he other way, Joe' At this the SER
geant turned mechanically, led the
:harge on the enemy's works, rallied
the wavering line. and seemed indif-
'erent to danger. He was, in fact. the
most conspicuously courageous man ON
he line.
Years later the story of his facing
o the rear was told to the sergeant and
le said in wonder that he had absolute
= no recollection of the occurrence.
He was not sensitive on the question.
because he missed not single fight in
lis three years service, but he could
lot understand 1t. He had no recollec-
ion Of being afraid. or of facing to the
ear. or of the Colonel speaking to him
md yet he never thought of disputing
he correctness Of the story told by my
elf and Others. l have often wonder
d where Joe's mind went in the mo-
aent Of panic and have wondered If his
when he faced to the rear
vas not similar to that OF man