The National tribune., 1903-07-30
A Yankee Boy in Dixie.


Yankee Boy in Dixie
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The let
tcrs from the ''old boys are read eagerly
every week by the writer. who lives away
down among the hills of Arkansas, in the
northwest portion of the State, the
Ozark Region where the finest apples.
peaches, berries and vegetables grow in
great profuson. if helped along by little
labor. Quite a number of ex-Un:On soldiers
reside i'll this vicinity, and there is aSo
Il number of "ex-Johnnics," and many
stirring yarns are told By some of these
gray-headed ''boys." who now live as
neighbors, but who We're bitter foes Il
generation ago.
The letters of Geo. d. Mosgroye are
very interesting, for some of our relatives
rode with Morgan and several of our
present neighbOrs gre staid old fellows
now, but We're once registering lads who
followed when Morgan led the ''Yanks'
the long chase across the States of In
diana and Ohio. Some of these old fel-
lows were along when the end came for
Morgan at Greenville, Tenn. SD the story
Of the old days, as described by the versa
tile MoSgrOve, is quite interesting for
these old fellows, who swap" yarns with
the old fellows who wore the blue and
who followed the gray riders over the
dusty, hot roads during the long raid that
ended so disastrousiy for Morgan at Buff
fngton Island.
A few days ago an old "eet" spent sew
eral pleasant hours with us. He was a
member of the 10th Ind, and had marched
with Grant from Grand Gulf to Ficks-
burg The yarns of the siege days were
vividly recalled by Comrade Younts who
was one of the first to reach the Black
River bridge when Pemberton's men set
it on fire while retreatinS before Grants
cOnQuering columns, after the fierce battle
of Champions Hill. The bridge was set
ablaze before all of the Johnnies had
crossed, and Comrade YOunts and a squad
of the 10th Ind. disputed the passage of
the river with Il bunch of Johnnies who
refused to surrender, but plunged in and
swan across in spite of all that the
HOOsiers could do to keep them from re-
joining their comrades who had headed
for the Notifications at Vicksburg. Com
made YOunts met one of that band of gai-
liant ''rebs' short time ago. The
johnny described the scene accurately.
and said that he thought that he was a
''goner' sure before he could get over the
river, as the bullets We're pattering all
around him. He caught up with his COM
mand, and came near starving to death
before the surrender. YOunts was in the
hotel at Louisville. Ky, when Gen. Jeff
C.. Davis shot and killed that valiant Ken
lucky UniOniSt, Gen. Nelson.
Another comrade living here says that
his cousin was near Gen. Grant that Sun
day morning when the storm of battle
opened at Shiloh Church. Gen. Grant
was breakfasting at the home of Judge
Cherry, at Savannah, and was in the act
of taking a cup of coffee when the sound
of battle was heard. Grant set the coffee
down. listened Il moment, then arose with
the expression that The battle has open
ed and hurried out to make preparation
to get to the army.
The doings of 81 and Shorty are very
interesting. We have followed their ca
reer from the first chapter long years ago,
and have enjoyed many hearty laughs at
the many scrapes that the boys met up
with while helping Uncle Billy" Sherman
conquer the rebel hosts who opposed his
legionS.
The late war with Spain cemented the
friendships of the former enemies in this
section. and regiment of old veterans,
both blue and gray, could easily have been
raised here. As the news came from the
boys who were camped at the various rem
devious awaiting orders to go to Cuba,
or any other old place, the loudest grum-
blers among the listeners of the letter
reader We're the fathers of the boys who
went from Arkansas. They wanted their
boys to get out and wipe up the DOns who
were Dragging of their fighting qualities.
and several of the Arkansas boys from
the Ozark region were in at the Santiago
roundup.
The battlefelds of Prairie Grove and
Pea Ridge are near this place, but there is
little there now to show of the fierce fight
ing that. occurred away back when the
Yankee armies swept down from Missouri
and brought the flag back to the mountain
patriots who had been enduring long
months of persecution. Big things wers
happening about that time in the country
beyond the Mississippi, and the battles in
northwest Arkansas attracted but little at
tentiOn. There is a whole lot of local
history concerning those two battles:
but our letter is too long already. Yes,
COmrade Peck, the old Regular cavalry
man, can renew the former friendship that
he wrote of in his story of Life on the
Plains 30 Years Ago. by writing to his
old comrade, Thomas Slower, the religious
soldier. who resides at Henderson. Okla.
Long may The National Tribune banner
wave!-M. ID. MASON, Johnson, Ark.