The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-10-30
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.

| WhistIing Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
| Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.
They are going to build Il monument
to General William II. Gibson in Ohio
said the Major land it ought 10 he Il
| big one ! rem nmber Gibson before the
war; when he ranked as the most e!o-
| quent man in The new Republican par
| ty. My boys heart Went out to him
when he was dismissed from the State
| Treasurer'S Office because of the defal-
cation of another man. There were
Il lot of us youngsters who grieved
over the enforced silence of Gibson in
the campaign of 1860. and who rejoiced
when the cloud lifted from his person.
ality in 1861.
when Gibson announced that he
would raise regiment for the Union
service over 100 men in his county
| came To him. His fervid. picturesque
oratory was heard again in central
Ohio. and over 100 Ohio born men
served In his regiment The Forty
ninth Ohio. under Gibson. was the first
fully organized Union regiment To enter
Kentucky. and the survivors of the reg
iment remember with thrill the en-
thuSiastic reception ut Louisville.
There were speeches by men of the
| South. who could speak well. but not
one could speak as did Colonel Bill
Gibson on that day. He was revela-
ton 10 the Kentuckians, and he was
the pride of his own men. who chcered
themselves hOarse over his triumph as
| an orator. The Forty-ninth was a
fighting regiment, and, re-enlisting.
the men served under their eloquent
Colonel until November. 1860. doing
duty in the last month under Sheridan
in Texas
when Gibson returned to his old
home in Tiiiin there was no cloud on
his name, but he was inclined to keep
out of the political field. l heard him
for the first time after the war ut Il
night session of the Ohio Agricultural
convention in the Senate chamber of
the capitol. The main question before
the convention WAS the permanent To-
cation of the State fair at Columbus.
and we who We're in favor of the propo-
sition felt sure we had won the day.
There had been a long. stormy debate.
with strong speakers on our side, when,
just before midnight, we demanded a
vote.
Just then member of the State
Do, ,,.I -
with General Bill Gibson and asked
that the General be permitted to saw n
few words in the interest of Seneca
County. There were loud protests, but
an old soldier cried Shame on YOU,
When General Gibson speaks Ohio lis
tens l Joined in the call for the Cen
eral. although l knew that if he spoke
we were beaten. Many of the lights in
the large. high-ceilinged room had been
turned out, and the General stepped for
ward in the circle of light from the CEN
tral chandelier
He knew the convention was against
him. and for a minute he seemed to hes
itate. Then he began TO speak in his
old way, ana in ten minutes the crowd
was with him and our cause was lost.
did not care. 1t was like the taking of
wine TO hear Gibson's voice. He ap-
pealed TO us in the name of the country
people, saying. among other things:
Men! Think OF 1t! What are you pro-
posing TO do? Ignore the wishes OF
those who make the fair and consult the
convenience of those who profit by its
location:'
AT the close of his short address he
put on his overcoat and started out. We
voted against permanent location and
surrounded Gibson. Later l heard him
at many political meetings. In the first
Mckinley campaign in Ohio l heard
him in church in remote village.
where men of all parties gathered to
greet him. He began to talk to them in
a neighborly way and worked along un-
til he was speaking after the manner of
an exhorter urging men to save their
souls.
HE knew his men and he was after
the Democrats in his audience He could
talk as rapidly as Ingersoll or as delib-
erately as Conkling. And in this speech
he talked rapidly and deliberately by
turns, frequently asking the Democrat
lc soldiers how they could vote the Dem
ocratic ticket when they thought of
1861 and 1864.
Turning TO group of old Wings, he
said: Boys, how can you bear to think
of Old Tippecanoe and Tom Corwin and
Henry Clay and vote against Major Ne
Kinley? You can't. boys, because can
remember when you We're sick for
week because the locos defeated Clay.
Think of that. Remember how sick
you We're, how you loved the man who
stood for what Mckinley stands for
now And ut the close of the meeting
the rheumatic and stubborn old Wings
promised their old friend. General Bill
Gibson. they would vote for Mckinley"
Chicago Inter Ocean.
\ War Story from Texas.
General ii. commanded the Depart
ment of Texas for some time during the
war. says Il writer in the Detroit Free
Press. He was Il pompous character.
His chief pleasure seemed TO lie in the
direction of Il special car for himself
md family. TO the exclusion of even his
staff officers. He generally took week
ly trip from Houston, his headquarters,
TO Galveston. and on such occasions he
Invariably monopolized a special. In
the limits of all the Confederacy.
coaches were then Il scarce commodity.