The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-06-26
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies WhiIed
Awsiy Life i'm Camp-ForaEinc Ex-
periences. Tiresome Marches-ThriI-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

My granddaughter" said the Ser
geant asked me the other day if
Wore Il hat or Il cap in the army.
wore both. but just when | wore til,
one and when the other | couldn't re
member at first. But l remembered :
day on the long march from Tennessee,
TO Louisville in 1862. when | carried
water in my hat TO battle the face oi
an exhausted comrade l remembered
that ut Stone River l slept with my
hat over my face one night. and thai
when came TO lie down the next might
there were three holes in the crown OF
the hat l Wore and piece out of the
rim, and l thought some of the boys
had taken my hat and left ragged
one in its place.
My memory was little haZy in the
matter of hats at Chickamauga. but
remembered that while We were a'
work on the forts in front of Chatfa-
nooga two days later the rebel sharp
shooters put two bullets through the
upper part of the hat l Wore, without
my knowing it. and that all the boys
thereupon pushed the crowns of their
hats up to their full height. l remem-
Bridgeport broke. and l went into the
water, my hat floated and was not two
feet from me when came up from my
journey TO the bottom.
Il remember that in starvation times
at Chattanooga one of the boys brought
in about peck of shelled corn in his
hat. l remember that just before the
| battle of Stone River rode into Nash
vile and wore Il cap. But l remember
also that on the first day of hard fight
ing at Stone River l clapped my hat
down over a squirrel which. craZed by
| fear. ran over me two or three times
| trying to get into my pockets. l re-
member that l lost my hat going up
Missionary Ridge. and that the Colonel
called me down week later for wear
ing an officers cap. l remember that
on the night of the big snow in May,
1864, at Ooltewah. slept in comfort
with my hat over my face. In fact.
must have worn hat good deal of
the time
a hat" said Fourteenth Kentucky
man. "was serviceablc in more ways
than cap. 1t was better in the rain,
and more protection against the sun.
1t could be jammed and beaten into
many shapes. an. could be used in dis
guises to better advantage than cap.
A fellow could break guard with high
peaked hat, and change it in Il minute
to low-crowned fedora-like head
piece. A prisoner could wear his hat
jauntily fiaring over his face one hour,
and make his escape the next with
hat slouched like an old farmers, and
when it was necessary TO deceive the
enemy as to re-enfOrcements or as to
the strength of n defensive line a few
deft pats and bangs at the hats of n
squad or company made great change
in the appearance Of men.
In August. 1862, our brigade, COM
posed of the Thirty-third Indiana. For
ty-second Ohio. and Fourteenth Ken
lucky, and commanded by General
John f. De Courcy, was stationed at
TaZewell courthouse. Tennessee When
General E. Kirby Smith advanced TO
Richmond, Ky. and moved toward
Frankfort with intent to inaugurate
Richard Halves Governor of the State.
our brigade fought General Stevenson's
division at Tazewell. The instructions
We're to hold Stevenson as long as pos
sible. and General De Courcy proceed
ed TO do it in his own way.
The Forty-second Ohio and the
Fourteenth Kentucky formed the line
of battle to resist Stevenson's advance.
and while We We're skirmishing with
the enemy General De Courcy would
march the Thirty-third Indiana quietly
around our flank and then noisily in on
the Bulls Gap, or Cumberland Gap.
road. with drums beating and flags fly
ing. and we in line would cheer as if re-
ceiving re-enforcements. Then the In
diana boys would give their hats and
caps a new twist. would again move
around the flank and in new formation
would come in as another REINFORCE
ment.
This was kept up until Stevenson
his whole division to at
tack what we had made him believe |
was strong Union force We paid |
dearly for our deception in the end. be- |
cause Stevenson attacked with troops |
enough to overwhelm us. At the first |
onset the Forty-second Ohio and the |,
Fourteenth Kentucky were driven back
in such haste that We lost our haver-
sacks and blankets. We fought all |
day without food. falling back foot by
foot, but maintaining our line of bat
tle
Late in the afternoon the Thirty
third Indiana men, who. being in our
rear at the beginning of the battle. had
saved their rations, heard that we were
lighting on empty stomachs. and came
close to us. We were under fire. but
the Colonel of the Thirty-third ordered
The first line of his regiment to move
forward and diviued rations with the
irst line of the Fourteenth Kentucky.
Then the first line retired and the sec
md line of the 1n.,,y-third ran for
ward to the second line Of the Four
eenth, the men dividing rations.
In each case the men moved for
ward with precision and in order. and
here was no confusion and no inter
-uption of the firing. 1t was not only
IN exhibition of discipline, but of gen
erosity and good fellowship. and we
If the Fourteenth Kentucky fought the
letter for the rations, and had from
hat hour great pride in the De Courcy
brigade. In the end We retreated. as
lid General Morgan at Cumberland
zap. but we did our part in spelling the
,lans of the enemy"
Il remember" said the Captain.