Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-11-29
THE BATrTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARasT EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.

'Our first teamster," said the Ser
geant, was German named Hette-
sheimer. He enlisted as a teamster.
be was ON the rolls as a teamster. and
long before we had any wagons in the
regiment he declined To perform any
duty except that of teamSter He was
SO obstinate and so we'll fortified with
old world presidents, and our officers
were so uncertain of their ground.
than Hcttesheimer carried the day. and
after serving with us III our first cam
paign in Il way to cause almost con
slant friction was transferred and
transferred again until his name dis
appeared from the company roll.
Our next company teamSter was Il
country boy. with Il natural love for
horses who found in the care of his
mnle team and wagon an antilotc for
homesickness. and who through good
service was advanced to the rank of
division wagonmaSter. No one had
clear understanding OF the matter.
He was carried ON the company rolls
as private on detached duty. and yet
we saw him nearly every day direct
ing the movement of trains. and when
We didn't see him we knew he was
off ut MurfrcesbOro or Nashville or
Chattanooga, under orders of the Cen
eral.
The fact that our old tcamSter from
the ranks had horse to ride while
the rest of us, company officers ana
all were compelled 10 trudgc along
on foot in all sorts of weather. led
to II feeling of irritation against the
wagonmaster The Captain talked Sc
riouSly of ordering him back to the
company, and the boys intimated that
III clinging TO what they called a soft
place the old-time teamSter was get
ting the big head, and was Sinking
his plain duty. The minated also
that he was afraid to go into battle.
but nj Stone Riyer all this feeling was
diSpelled.
The boys noticed that our division
Wagonmaster was, on the first day of
the battle, well TO the front Some of
'iAtii W lO Iutt btttl dttlilS us tram
guards reported that on the preceding
days he had been in three fights be-
tween Lavergne and our line. At all
events, he was very busy. and after
the rebels had broken the right wing
he was buster than ever. | happened
to be one of the men left on the field,
and as night came on | was very des-
olate. could not help myself. and
| could not help any OF the other
wounded near me.
Il could not see any way out of the
trouble. i could not see how any help
could come to me except from the rebel
lines, and l did not care to have il
come from that quarter. When NV
spirits were at the lowest our division
wagOnmaster came by in great
hurry. | had hardly strength enough
to call out, but he saw me. He dis
mounted, took me up without word,
lifted me bodily into the saddle.
climbed up behind me. and galloped to
where the headquarters wagons were
parked.
He put me in one of these. left me,
and in half an hour returned with
our division surgeon, Il doctor who had
been our regimental surgeon when we
entered the service | found in those
wagons four other men who had been
carried off the field by that wagon.
master. and when | went back to the
company wagOnmastcr stock was at a
premium.
The Captain, however. held the
wagonmaster responsible for inducing
some of the best men in the company
TO leave the ranks 10 become team
sters in the division or Headquarters
train. The wagonmaster wanted good
men, kc knew where to find them and
after his explanation to the General
commanding the division the Captains
protest against the transfer of his
men amounted to nothing The BOYS
left In the company resented the going
of the others, and they held stoufIy
to the theory that the men detached
as transfers had got more fighting
than they could digest, and were glad
to be away from the company when a
battle was imminent.
This theory was put out of countc-
nance at Chickamauga, where. when
their train was overwhelmed our
teamsterS reported with their rifles TO
the company and fought through the
battle. While we were at Chattanooga.
and when they were not on duty as
feansterS, they volunteered to help us
build forts, dig bitches, and cut down
trees and when they learned that
there was to be a great fight at Mis-
sionary Ridge they gave mp their
places as transfers and were with
the company in their great charge that
broke General Bragg's line.
Our company at one time was rep
resented in four different divisions by
Transfers. The men transferred at
first to our own division train were
transferred by trainmasters or wagon
masters 10 special duty, and sometimes
n man from our company was serving