Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1903-04-04
THE BAT'rLE-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

the Professor, "and | was greatly in
terested In the bearing of children I'M
der the unusual excitement. OF group
Of boys nearest the scene of trouble
all scurried away except two. One Of
these faced, In a daZed, mechanical
way, toward the smoke, brought his
heels together, and stood in the posi-
ton of a soldier, straight and stolid,
awaiting developments. The other
threw himself fiat ON the ground, and
with head slightly raised watched un-
excitedly the turmoil about the scene
Of the explosion.
II knew both boys well and their
fathers before them. Going out from
Nashville along the Murfreesboro pike
on the Goth Of December. 1862, our
brigade, part Of Rosencrans army
moving On Stone River came sudden
ly on the rear guard Of the enemy.
Our company was marching at the
| time in two ranks, in the middle of the
| white road, while other companies
and battalions were in order of battle
on either side of the road. AS the adj
vance, we were pressing forward, not
anticipating any serious resistance,
when we saw on a rise in front Of us,
and beyond our skirmishers and vi
dettes, the flash Of brass field guns,
going into position.
"a minute later three cannon balls
struck in quick succession on the road
| not three feet to the left Of the center
Of our company as it halted in two
| rank formation, extending back along
the pike. Every one was taken by
surprise by the suddenness and
viciousness Of the attack, but not a
| man moved. The man nearest the
spot where the shots struck the hard,
macadamized road, and whose face
| and clothes were covered with the
dust and gravel thrown up, looked
neither to right nor left, but straight
ening his figure, stood at attention,
| facing squarely to the front. The
next shot might strike him, and it
might come In an instant, but instinct
lively he faced the danger, whatever
| it was.
l y ,
noticed the bearing of the men with a
| CLEAN of pride in his eyes, and then
said in matter of course way: They
have your range, men. Move off the
road before they fire again The men
moved deliberately to the line Of
fence on the roadside and "a minute
later three cannon balls were planted
just where the company had stood,
and again my .stolid man faced to the
front and said unexcitedly: There
they go. They have skedaddled
Four days later I saw this same man
in the panic hour of days battle and
In the midst of the terror and con-
| fusion he stood, stolidly facing to tho
front, and other men fleeing from
crumbling lines, aligned themselves
upon him.
$50 it happened that he became the
center Of new line, of desperate
| fighters looking for something to rally
upon, for something to cling to in the
storm of battle, for somebody who
would stand against the pursuing
enemy He stood and, they stood, and
later it became habit With all of
them when confronted by danger to
face. as he faced that day, and to con-
| fidently await developments. The
boy who faced the smoke on the day
Of our small explosion was the young
est son of my, stolid soldier friend and
my theory is that he did as he did be-
~ 10 a.
and that the instinct of facing to the
| front In time Of danger will go down
| to his sons and grandsons.
'"The. other boy was the grandson Of
one Of the best skirmishers in our
regiment. Brown came into the army
with some training. and took more
kindly to skirnish drill than to any
other. He developed system Of his
own and in the era Of individual re-
Sourcefulness he became an expert.
He knew how to use a tree or a log
or rock as shield, and If fighting in
the open he knew just the time to
fall and just the time to rise. He al
ways stood up boldly when an enemy's
line was coming forward at run, but
dropped suddenly when there was a
halt and the guns came to ready
He followed the same tactics with the
enemy's sharpshooters.
ION one occasion as we entered a
| field OF standing corn we came upon
an advancing rebel line. The regi-
ments were marching in columns Of
four on a line parallel to our front.
All of our men except our skirmish-
ers were fat on the ground he
stood up smiling and went forward
four or five PAGES to observe more
clearly the marching rebels. They
came into line by the left flank with
sharp suddenness and fred almost
In our faces. Brown, standing In
front, and a dozen others, went down
at that first fire and as our line gave
back slowly. there was not sound
to indicate that one of the fallen men
was alive But In half an hour, Brown
and two others came back to us to
report that the rebels had swept on
"a the cost and had left only q few