Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-05-23
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies whiIed
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

AL gu - VI lAddGca Su III Altt N-dR-
tain, were represented in the old
Union army. There were men who
could repair watches, who could mend
shoes, who could make trousers, who
could shoe horses, repair wagons. and
run locomotives. l remember on one
occasion the General asked all the men
in our brigade who knew anything
about managing a locomotive To step
ten PAGES to the front Forty men
stepped forward on the instant. and
the General. nonplused, said simply;
VERY well, let me see you fix that old
engine down there In half an hour
the engine was ready for business.
The Twentieth Illinois. however
took the prize for novelty in occupa-
tions. We had two men. Henry G..
Payne and Martin Bechtel, who, after
Shiloh. made medicine of yellow dock
and some other roots. which they sold
to the natives as a cure-all for ague,
malaria, fever, headache, backache,
and what they were fond of calling
general debility They sent home for
bottles, and they sold gallons of this
medicine before the boys learned what
they We're doing Then they dubbed
them doctors and that name chung to
them, not only in the army, but after
they came home, and the last that
knew Of them they were Doctor
Payne and Doctor Bechtel.
I'VE had some rare old experiences
in campaigns after Shiloh. After the
fight at Britton's Lane our surgeons
cared for the rebel wounded as well as
our own. One rebel shot through both
legs, was brought 10 DR.. II. c. Good
brake, and while the doctor was ampu-
Eating the legs he recognized the
wounded man as one who had visited
our camp some days before selling
pies. After the operation, the doctor
said quietly: How do you sell pies?'
and realizing the full import of the
question, the poor fellow begged the
doctor not to expose him. The truth
was, he had come into camp as a spy,
disguised as n countrymau selling pies,
and the doctor, feeling that his punish
ment was severe enough, kept his Sc
cret
AT Shiloh when the men Of our di-
vision returned Monday night to the
tents from which we had been driven
Sunday morning, we came upon some
strange scenes. Or. Goodbrake went
through the hospital tent to the annex,
where his stores were kept, and was
startled to find there a rebel who had
been killed with his hands and mouth
full of dried, or eyaporated, fruit, TAX
en- from the boxes near. Our own Sib-
ley tent had 1915 bullet holes in it, and
TIE pole had been cut in two by d
/ cannon bail. This shows what a hot
fire there was at the very beginning OF
the battle.
"A great many stories OF soldiers
cruelty were told after Shiloh. one of
them was to the effect that the boys
had become so calloused. so Injured ia
horrors, that burial parties were care
less as to whether the fatally wound.
ed We're dead or not before throwing
them in the trenches for burial In
one case, it was stated that the men
of a burying squad, finding some of
the wounded still living. instead of
trying TO revive the dying men, sat
down and played cards until all were
dead.
This story had a basis of truth. A
squad from our brigade had dug n long
trench and placed in it, according to
instructions, sixty of the dead. or, rath-
er, iifty-ninc bodies had been placed
in the row, and covered with blankets
preparatory to the throwing in Of dirt,
when one of our men in lifting the six
tieth body insisted that there was still
life In it. Examination showed that
the body WAS not stiff ana cold like
the others, and the boys, sending for
surgeon, sat down, some Of them to
watch and others to play cards. while
waiting for the doctors report The
man was pronounced dead ana the
body was placed in line with others,
but the fact that some Of the mem
bers of the burial party played cards
at such a time was enlarged upon as
evidence Of barbarous instincts"
"Shiloh," said the Doctor, was a
nightmare TO the North. II was our
first great battle In the West. ana was,
In fact, one Of the bloodiest battles Of
the war. SO many conflicting stories
were told at the time that the people
were in "A frenzy and boat loads Of doc
tors and helpers and investigating com
mittees were hurried to Pittsburg
Landing. The late Or +. Z. Goodwin
and myself were among those who
went to Shiloh from Columbus. Ohio.
to do what we could for the wounded
and sick. We didn't expect the battle.
field to he SO big. and when we got
there our party started 10 walk to Ohio
headquarters.
I'VE were disappointed ut the cheer,
fulness Of the soldiers, and their in
difference toward Us and our mission.
We were depressed by the reppilant
formnlities at the several brigade
beadquarte-s, and kept moving on. At
ka1 ia rl-nngz ca rfle f4r..ft 4t.s MI ,s.,.