Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1902-03-20
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and In
Camp-veternns of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences of Thrilling Nature.

Witnessed on the Battlefield and in
Camp-veternns of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences of Thrilling Nature.
mo stories" said the Doctor, give
the men who served in the ranks more
comfort than those in which high pri-
Yates in the rear rank came in conflict
with colonies and brigadier or major
generals. | know a fellow who to this
day reJolces over the fact that he had
tilt with General Nelson and got off
with sword spanking. My old friend,
Judge Blume, can tell you Of another
who was padded with a sword by Gen
eral Rosecrans and boasts of it.
"In another case an orderly sergeant
who went to his colonel's tent to pro-
test against the punishment of one of
his men by an officer outside his COM
pany, and who was peremptorily or
dered to his quarters, said, Take off
your shoulder straps for Ave minutes,
colonel, and let us discuss this question
man to man The colonel, misunder-
standing the remark, flung Off his coat
In wrath, and striding up to the SER
geant, Numbered: What do you mean,
sir? That / am afraid of you or any
living man? BY all that's good, young
man, | will throw you out
81 don't mean anything OF the kind
replied the sergeant. What l wanted
to say to you, with all due respect for
your rank and courage, is that the man
put in the guardhouse by that old
steamboat captain and treated no bet
ter than a roustabOut or deserter, Is n
gentleman born and bred; Is a South
ern boy who left his own people to fol-
low me into the Union army to do his
full duty for the sake of the old flag.
and | wanted to say that you and |, In
the absence Of our captain, who was
captured yesterday, are poor, miserable
towards If we permit an officer of an
other regiment to unjustly punish one
of our truest and best men.
"'rhats what | wanted to say, and,
by George, | have said it, concluded
the sergeant, and what are you going
to do about itY For a minute the col
onel glared, and then putting on his
coat, said, Il will go with you and we
will have that man out in ten min
utes,' and he was as good as his word.
Months after that, saw that sergeant
and his Southern protege leave re-
treating line of battle and run back in
the very face Of the enemy to drag the
colonel from under a fallen horse and
fight their way back to their own line.
For a time, the colonel, stunned by
his fall, took no part in the melee. Then
he caught up Il musket and struck out
as viciously as his reScuers, and the
three made what the boys called a
beal iful running fight, dozen of the
sergeant's company running back to
bring them in. When they reached our
sorely pressed line the colonel seemed
to forget that he was in command and
fought among the men as one Of them,
until the sergeant, shaking him, said,
Remember your shoulder straps, man;
remember your rank The colonel took
this in high dudgeon, but, finally. mus
ket in hand, took command, reformed
his regiment, and took position from
which he was not driven"
"On the march to the sea-" said the
Major, 'when the Twentieth army
corps was in the vicinity Of Milledge-
vile, Ga, and our division commander,
General John w. Geary. and our brig
ade commander, General George s.
Greene, were riding together, an Incl
I,nt L. 4
for good many years. AS the two
generals, their staff officers, and escorts
were passing a house an alert Irishman
bolted out OF the front door with three
chickens strapped to his knapsack and
many colored patchwork silk quilt
thrown across his arm.
HE was pursued by a young but
matronly looking woman, bewailing the
loss of her silk quilt. Spying General
Geary, the woman ran to him and ask
ed his interference to save her quilt
The general dismounted quickly, grab
bed the lrishman by the shoulder,
turned him about in rough manner.
and said: Here, my man, return that
truck. The Irishman dropped the
truck and said: IF you were not a
general | would like to see you rob me- ;
"Thereupon the general dropped his
dignity, made IL rush for the Irishman,
the latter, to the establishment of all the
staff officers, unslinging his knapsack
and peellng for fight. In the mean
time the general was cutting him as he
would schOOlbOy. He had no thought
of resistance, when the Irishman back
ed off like blllygoat, made a run and
a jump and delivered blow sQuarely
on the generals left jaw, Taken I'M
awarcs, the general fell, dragging his
assailant down with him. The latter,
carried away by the spirit of battle,
was striking at the general after the
manner of "A trained pugilist, when the
/ staff came to the rescue. When all
were on their feet, General Geary px-
| tended his hand to the puGliStic private
and said with grim smile, L guess you
| got the hest OF it,,