Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1904-08-26
THE BATrTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.

the Sergeant went to war well equip
ped as to arms and ammunition. That
is more than can be said for scores of
regiments sent to the front in the first
year Of our civil war. For example,
two regiments of the kanawka divi-
sion went up 20 the Ohio from Clncin-
natl in boats. We were armed with
old smooth bore muskets and we had
never seen a cartridge. 1t was sup
posed that there were at least one
thousand cartridges on the two boats
for two thousand men.
There was great rejoicing along
shore as the two boats, crowded with
soldiers and with bands playing and
flags flying, steamed slowly up the
river. On the Ohio side men on
horseback followed us for miles, cheer
ing and waving flags, and every town
made demonstration. There was
also some enthusiasm on the Ken
lucky side, but as we neared Guyan-
dotte on the Virginia shore warnings
came to US from both sides Of the
river that Captain Jenkins, guerrilla,
had force massed near Guyandotte
to attack US.
"The boats were tied together, the
men were massed on the upper deck,
each man proud of the one cartridge
given into his care, and we moved
cartridge to a man, and all the men
exposed to artillery or rife fire. AS
the sun went down we moved slowly
to the Jenkins landing. And no soon
er had the boats touched the landing
than a thousand men were on shore
eager for fight. Fortunately, Jenkins
and his men were not there and we
escaped slaughter. If the Japs moved
on the Russians as we did then thouS-
ands of them would be killed.
"By George" said Dan B. Anderson,
~ remember that expedition well. l
remember how the 1000 men of the
First and Second Kentucky regiments
looked in the sunset glow as the boats
turned toward the Virginia shore and
l remember the disappointment when
the cartridges We're distributed. Com
panies III and G, First Kentucky, We're
ordered to draw ammunition and the
orderlies received 100 rounds for 200
men. The same rule held good with
hundred men received 200 cartridges
and at once divided themselves into
heavy and light infantry. The heavy
infantry was composed of those who
had cartridges and bayonets, as well
as guns, and the light infantry in
Guided those who had only guns and
bayOnets.
II was in the heavy infantry class,
and l remember how superior l felt
to my messmate, who had no cart
ridge and was as full of fight as |
was. l had visions Of killing several
rebels with my one cartridge, and my
chum, after trying to trade me out of
my one cartridge, confded to me his
belief that he could kill more men
with his bayonet than 1 could with
my precious cartridge. l didn't be-
lieve this, but to fortify myself against
mischance l rammed six buck shot
down with the cartridge. When we
We're in line on land we were instruct
though we had a fish net and to pre-
serve our intervals at all hazards.
There we We're, in the dark. Not
a man in the command except a citi-
zen guide knew anything of the place
or the surroundings. 1t was SO dark
that we couldn't tell a shock of wheat
from a stump or stump from a man.
Jenkins men might be behind the
stumps or in the barn or in the house
ready to fire, but we were ready,
heavy infantry and light infantry, to
go in, and in the first clash there was
reckless use of bayonets ON the
wheat shocks, as we went forward at
q double quick.
II was on the extreme left of the
advancing line, and in the swing to
encircle the house / had to step live
lier than the men in the center. We
we're again urged to preserve our i'll
tervals, and we charged forward.
| came to a fence made of boards nailed
on horizontally, which leaned accom-
modatingly the way l was going. And
right there I lost my interval. The
! fence being sbaky, l did not stay
on it long enough to reconnoiter-it
was too dark to see anyhow-and
! Jumped down on what 1 expected to
| be the other side. But it seemed there
was no other side to speak Of, and
! l felt like a man going down a GOA
! shaft.
Il began to get excited, and wonder
| ed what | could do with my interval
| in the region l was headed for. After
! quite spell l landed, Or, rather,
struck soft earth, veered from the
! direct line of descent, and kept or
/ toward China in a sort of toboggaT
slide I landed finally, my feet in the
air and my gun imbedded in soft
earth up to the middle band. AS
Looked up to see where l had come
from Ed Maley of my company, WHIT
had been next short on intervals, bu
discovered that we had accumulated
enough Of the sacred soil of old Vir
ginia on our clothing and in our gur
barrels to start us in the real estate
| business. We could find no way t.
get up the hill, SO followed the vale,
| and came out on the river severa
miles above our landing place. II
fact, that long jump broke our inter
walls, and put us out Of action"
| ssrTbaf no redo of mon IN tho Sfpa IN