Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1902-10-18
THE BATTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl
dents of the Late War, and in
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.

uShts OF tuc LATE war; ana IN a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.
Thomas Bailey Aldrich.' said the
Doctor, tells a story in the Atlantic to
this effect; jefferson Kane, a Southern
man in the senior class at West Point
in 1861. joined the Union army and
became distinguished for his dash.
courage and soldierly qualities. On
one occasion when he was leading his
company, a Confederate officer raised
his sword TO strike him and Kane
stumbled back as If daZed and fright
ened and the enemy escaped. The in
cident unpleaSantly affected the men
and officers in his regiment, all believ-
ing that Kane had shown the white
feather in the midst of an engagement.
While the captains OF the regiment
were in conference over the matter
Kane shot himself. II appeared later
that the Confederate officer whom he
met in battle was his own father. Rut
this was not known until thirty years
atterward
The weak point IL the story is that
Captain Kane should have committed
suicide rather than to say frankly to
his men, That was my father and |
couldn't strike him There would have
been nothing disgraceful or humiliat-
Ing in such a confession. There were.
IN fact, good many cases of the kind
during the war. remember that while
in the hospital at Gallatin. Tenn, just
before the battle of Stone River. 4 man
named Robinson told me that in one
of the hottest fights in Missouri he had
shot several times ~ rebel behind q
tree and the rebel had shot several
times ut him, I'll the bullets cutting
close
"One of his own shots that knocked
the chips from the tree behind which
the rebel was hiding caused so much
e%@tement on the part of the Shootee
that the shooter saw that the man at
whom he was shooting was his own
father. He felt q little shaky over
that close shot, hut after he rcgained
his nerve shouted out to the old gen
tleman that he knew him. that he was
in tight place, and be could save his
son from Il good deal of emharrass-
luent if he would come in and surren-
der. The father announced his will
ingness 10 do SO, and did surrender TO
his own son.
There was the case OF Colonel Craig
hill, a SOutherner who was ut West
Point in 1851 and entered the Union
army, taking service in the engineer
corps. lie remained throughout the
war in that corps, and finally became
chief of engineers in the United States
army. He was as active and as ag-
gressiye as any man in the service. and
yet opposed to him in Stuart's Black
hTIarse Cavalry were his brothers. Rob
ert 7. and Edward A. The chances
favored a meeting Of these brothers
on the field in almost every campaign,
and if they had met and had acted
Queerly the simple statement of the re-
lationshlp would have been excuse for
the action. Remembering these eases,
| cannot see for the life of me why
Captain Kane, when he met his father
III that picket fight described by Al
drich, did not turn 20 his men and saw,
Boys, that was my father; YOU can
understand the situation and they
could have understood it,
There We're a good many cases Of
the kind" said the Sergeant, "but as Il
rule meetings OF relatives who were on
opposite sides during the war were
attended by circumstances that de
barred any mention Of them In reports.
For example, there was Frank Blazer
Of our regiment. There was a First
kentucky regiment in the Army Of the
Cumberland OF the Union side, and
First Kentucky regiment in the Con
federate army. and there were times
when Kentuckiau was matched against
hentuckian, and the BOYS knew it,
Frank Blazer Of our company had
liking for sk!rmish work. He would
volunteer any time 10 20 to the front
as a skirmisher, and he developed into
one of the most effective mon on the
skirmsh line in me regiment. On one
occasion lac was considerably In nd
vance of the other shirmiShcrs. and.
Using tree a. shelter, was striving to
drive 4 Confederate shirluisLcr firing
from behind a trcp about thirty feet In
his front toward the Eight. SO tAlt our
own skirmishDr neat Frank could
plunh him.