The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-05-22
Fighting for His Boots.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The Win
| ter of 1S63-'64 is remembered by all sol
diers engaged in the East Tennessee cam
paign as being one of the coolest Winters
during the civil war. The 14th Ill. Cav.
were without tents, and while marching
and fighting nearly every day with Long
streets army rations were very scarce,
and we had to forage for ourselves or go
without Our Regimental Commissary,
Lieut.. Payne, took a small squad of men
! to a mill, and while we were waiting to
have some corn ground we were surround
ed by q company of Gen. Longstreet's
command. There was an exchange of
shots, but the rebels having the greater
number Of men, soon compelled our squad
to surrender. The Lieutenant managed to
slip out a window and concealed himself
| behind the large waterwheel, but the rest,
about 10 in all, were captured. Among
| them was Corp1 William Smith, who wore
good pair of cavalry boots. One of the
rebs seeing these boots ordered Smith TO
give them up, but Billy" as we always
called him, told the reb that it was cold
weather, and he needed the boots. The
reb insisted, and while the argument was
going on the rebel Captain came up, and
after listening for few moments said to
| his soldier: If you get the boots you will
have to fight for them" So the reb start
ed for Billy to take the boots, but Billy
| fought him until the reb was whipped,
and his Captain pronounced Billy best in
rough-and- fight, and said he
should keep the boots. BY this time other
prisoners had been brought in, until there
were now 90 or So in all. The first night
after being captured the prisoners were
turned into church near Bean Station
for safekeeping. They were counted as
| they passed into the church at night, but
when they passed out in the morning and
/
guards were closely questioned, but could
not account for the shortage; they had
been on guard all night, and We're sure
none had escaped. Now, the shortage
came about in this way: Billy and Lieu
| tenant Of the 18th Tenn. began looking
for some way to escape, and discovered
that the pulpit of the church stood upon
a raised PLATFORM so they pried up one of
| the boards in the platform, and crawled
under the pulpit and remained there, after
pulling the board back in its place. One
Of the rebel officers went back into the
church, and getting up on tho pulpit, look
/ ed behind the seats, but OF course discOv-
cred nothing, so finally decided to go on
with the remaining prisoners.
! After waiting for a short time for the
rebs 10 get out of hearing the two missing
"Ianks." came out of their hiding place,
and while looking around to see that the
coast was clear, they saw a man and beck
oned him TO them, and on finding him n
| loyal man told their story. The man told
them where to find place Of safety and
promised TO bring them food. On going
where they were directed they found a
cave well up on top a bluff. Their new
friend soon came with a good supply of
food. We remained in this hiding place
four or five weeks, and were reinforced
nearly every day by one or more men I'M
I'll we numbered %. We then concluded
TO go in q body TO our lines. The head
quarters Of COrp'l Smiths command were
at Madisonville. Tenn, the companies of
the regiment being on guard duty at diff
ferent places. Co. G was on duty at u
gap on Dry Creek, where Billy rejoined
, them after an absence of about six weeks
He remained with his company until the
regiment was ordered to the Nashville
campaign, with the 18th Ill. as advance
guard, to meet Gen. Hoods army at
Waynesboro, Tenn. Here Corpl Smith
had one eye shot out, on Nov. IS, and the
ball is supposed to have remained in his
head until his death, "a years later. After
Corpl Smith was shot we were ordered by
Lieut.. L. W. Boren to charge on the town
of Waynesboro, which we did, and drove
Hoods advance. Netfield and / then re-
turned TO where COrpl Smith had been
shot, but found he had been removed TO
a farm house a half mile away. Billy
was taken IN an ambulance TO Columbia.
Tenn, where he and many other wounded
soldiers were loaded into stock cars and
sent TO our hospitals in the North. While
On the way these wounded men suffered
greatly with the cold, and two of
the number died. Billy finally recov-
cred enough to be discharged from the
hospital and from the service. and was
placed on the pension list at the rate of 81
per month. In short time this was raised
TO Sc, again to S14 and finally to $24
which amount he was drawing at his
death, which occurred Dec. y, 1901
serg't G. w. Norris, Co. G, 14th ILL.,
Cav, Anna. Ill.