Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-07-25
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Whistling Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Rtc.

ne Ietter writers or the old Mon
srmy," said the Major. were a queer
lot. Not a dozen men in a company
had been in the habit of writing let
tiers. Scarcely one man in a company
had had training that fitted him to
write for the press. And vet all the
home newspapers wanted letters from
the soldiers The first efforts of most
OF the men were queer specimens of
letter writing, but the boys developed
ms rapidly on that line as they did
In learning the trade Of tho soldier.
and not few Of them became well
known as newspaper correspondents
before the war was half over.
We had one man in our regiment
who wrote regularly for two years
TO leading newspaper without being
found out, He was Lieutenant.
with inclination toward literary work.
and with liking for the study of
tactics and strategy. He wrote the
Stories of Campa gnS and battles with
a desire simply to have the people at
home get 4 fair idea of military opera
tions. and his letters were as popular
in our own brigade as they were at
home,
One day he wrote Il letter on the
eamnaign for his newspaper ana Il
little later wrote a letter to a young
lady friend at home The latter was
as long as his newspaper letter and
even more interesting in its details
of everyday army life. in his hurry
TO get the letters over to headquarters
In time for the carrier. he incloSed
the letter intended for the young lady
to the newspaper, ana tile letter writ
ten for the newspaper to the Young
lady. He was greatly surprised few
days later 10 receive a newspaper con
tanning not his regular letter but his
private letter, beginning Dear C.
The publishers, under ordinary cir
cumStances, would not have used q let
ter coming into their hands in this
way. but in this case they were guided
by the law of military necessity Their
readers We're hungry for news from
was published, creating sensation
I'm the neighhorhood where the parties
Were known. Later the young lady
forwarded TO the newspaper the letter
she had received. and that was pub
lished also. the two taken together he
traying the identity of the cerrespon-
dent
NO. there was no romance The
young lady in her next letter to her
E2iend in the army. explained that she
had received his letter by way of the
newspapers, and also his letter for
the newspaper hy mail She thanked
him for double measure of news. and
he in turn thanked her for taking his
hlunder in SO pleasant way lie
continued his correspondence to the
lady he had addressed lnrough the
newspaper untll after her marriage.
lie. In the meantime had made q repu-
tation rs q correspondent and had be
come associated with one Of the most
brilliant newspaper men Of the day.
Il remember case" said the Cap
tain, ''in which man who carried a
rife took ranks ms a newspaper cor
respondent on single letter hastily
written on the battle field. our
wagon-master had ridden over 10 the
company to inquire how many Of the
boys had been aimed or wounded say
Ing that he was going to Nashville
that night, and would send word from
there to the friends AT home.
"0ne of the sergeants heard this re-
mark and said he would write a letter
TO his father which could he read ut
the home village, giving news If the
boys and an idea Of the battle. 4 col
lection was mace Of odd scraps If
paper from the men. and the sergeant.
seating himself. wrote for an hour in
spite of the turmoil about him. He
described briefly how we went into
the fight just where Jack. Bill Joe
and Tom fell. described the charge
aud retreat and spoke Of the relations
our own fight bore to the movements
Of the division aud army.
The letter, u 50 happened. carried
the first details Of the bartle 10 the
people Of central Ohio. II was read
aloud at the two stores in town Men
hearing Of It in the country came gal
Looping into town TO read II for them
selves Some man carried It. aS fas
~ his horse could take him 10 the
nearest daily newspaper There is
was copied end printed that afternoon.
and SO. q week later. the writer Of
II received three offers tn act as special
war correspondent for rs many dlf-
ferent daily newspapers, He accepted
one Of the offers and entered upon a
newspaper career Of adventure and
hard work. Chicago Inter Ocean
No Use to Go 70 the Rear.
T4ftritaer fIp FIRST fguf hoftre ~ M.