Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-11-07
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys Of Both Armies whiIed
Away Life in Camp-ForaginE Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-ThriI.
hing Scenes on the Battlefield.

Some time ago" said the colonel
there was story told Of an officer
who rode his horse up the slope OF the
rebel breaStworks at the bloody angle
at Spottslyvania No one knew who
he Was or what became of him. Now
/ have story or an officer who rode
his horse straight against the dead
angle Of the rebel breaStworl1S at kene-
saw mountain, June -. 1864. and il
came to me ia a strange way. Last
September, the survivors of Colonel
Dan McCook'S brigade. which led She
assault on that day. held q reunion
on the ground they fought over in
1850.
Previous TO that members of the
brigade had purchased the ground
about the dead angle. and at the meet
ing last year those present decided
to erect monument at the angle in
memory of Colonel ham McCuok ard
others Of the brigade who fell there.
They invited through the Nashville
and Atlanta newspapers. the Confed-
crates who We're IN their immediate
front June q. 1864. to mark with
monuments the positions occupied hy
the men who defended the works and
10 give any incidents of the battle
seen from their side which would shed
light CT the engagement In anSwcs
TO this invitation several Confederate
officers wrote. and to one OF them,
Spencer Eakin of the Twenty seventh
Tennessee, was sent the proceedings
of the reunion OF Colonel han Nc
Cooks brigade at Chicago in 1900.
After reading the recollections Of
the men on The Union side and study
ing the maps made ny Union officers,
marking positions and the spot where
J Cook fell, Major Eakin wrote. re-
CT Hing many things that the men of
McCook's brigade had forgotten.
Among these was the story Of an Off
Ger on horseback who rode a dark
chestnut horse TO within ten ftcps of
the rebel breastworks, where his horse
was Shot Major Eakln and his men
watched this officer closely as he raj.
y lied his men after the first repulse and
have always believed that he was Col
onel Dan McCook
Noticing, however. that Colonel Me,
Cook was shot at a different point In
the line and that not one of the brigade
at the reunion in 1900 mentioned such
an officer, Major Eakin asks. II the
gallant fellow was not Colonel Me-
Cook, who was he? All the boys of
the Fifty-Second Ohio know that Col
onel Dan McCook was on foot during
the charge, and that he was shot al
the top of the rebel breastworks. II is
certain that the officer was not Me-
Cook, and no one Of our regiment
seems to have seen any officer at the
point where Major Eakin saw his
man.
Major EakIn's letter. however set
the boys to thinking. and $. w. Rllea
of the Eighty-Slxth Illinois remem-
bcrs that after our brigade had fallen
back twenty-seyen steps an officer on
horseback passed from the right TO the
left just in the rear Of our position.
The men were busy throwing up rifle
breast works, and few noticed him. In
a, few minutes a man came from the
left and rear with a buckskln gaunt-
lei on the cuff OF which was written
in ink the name Of Colonel Charles q.
H3rkeT, who, he reported. had been
killed. The question Is. Was the Off
Ger Rlea saw the officer referred TO
by Major Eakin, and was he Colonel
Harker commanding the brigade on
McCook's left?
This question remains TO be answer
ed 1t Is desirable that some of Hark-
cr's brigade mark the exact ppot where
their commander fell This may an
swer the question but Major Eakin's |
description OF the officer reminded |
Colonel ] T. Holmes of the Fifty
Second Ohio, that he had heard a mum.
Der Of his men in discussing the bat |
tie between June u and July .. 1864, |
refer frequently 10 q mounted staff |
officer who appeared III the thick OF the |
fight near three large trees which stood |
to the right Of The dead angle. lie |
Of MeCook's brigade as Il advanced |
and while ne spoke TO 10 one he was
rs cool as man could bc He dlsap-
peared when the assault failed No
one recognized him, and Colonel
Holmes supposed be vas staff off
eer acting under orders from sherman
% Thomas But who was he?
Colonel Allen J. Talucsjock. who /
TIE Eighty Sixth Illinois at
Acnesaw, is positive tAat there were
10 mounted officers in MeCook's bri-
sade at the time Of Tire charge. lie
suggests that Major Eaka may have
seen some officer Of Colonel !. G. Nit
ehelfs brigade Mitchell had better
ground 10 charge over than McCooa's
lrigade and many Of bis officers were
mounted. Much depends on Major
lakin's position aud rs relations to
ditchells position Who was 10 the
light Of McCook If the officer seen
- Major Eaklu belonged 10 Mtchclrs