The National tribune., 1904-04-28
VETERAN FURLOUGH.
A Home-Go as Fad as Campaign

Home Going as Dad as Campaign.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In the
Fall and Winter of 1868 our regimen
was ut Little Rock. Ark. when we were
Informed that if We would veteranlze w
would be paid big bounty and get 81
days furlough.
For many Of the boys the thought OF
seeing home and kindred and friends was
enough; the money consideration was not
soldiers of that day. Let it be written
to their credit. They were not soldiers fol
money: they were not ''mercenaries,' hired
by tlle head to KILL they were men who
because they believed in the principles foi
which the Government fought. and be
cause they loved their country and its Ill
Istitutions. freely entered the fighting ranks
fully knowing that liz doing they gave
their lives and gave mp all that they loved
all that made Fife Il joy.
Well. we rC-enliSted, and on top Oh
freight cars and in freight trains we pro
cecded to the White River and went by
III old boat to- iiemphis-after loading 500
cords of wood OF the boat to use as fuel
the work occupying lis through the night
Of Christmas Eve, ana the start being
made Christmas morning. 1863. How the
mccking birds did sing that morning.
~ Memphis we changed boats. embark
Ing on the James Raymond. which was
eminent OH the river as the Slowest steam
er aaoat. She towcd two great barges
loaded To the sinking point with junk en-
gineS and freight cars, going North to DC
rebuilt
We arrived ut Cairo. ILL.,. about ) p. M.
New Years Eve. in Il heavy fog that de-
layod landing til s p. III. 1t was expect
ed that we would go from Cairo to Column
bus. o., by rail, but We were not allowed
to leave the boat.
Sleet and SNOW began to fall about mid
night. and the weather got very cold. Tn
able to endure the cold on the decks. the
boys about 3 a. H.. forced entrance to
the cabins. reserved for the officers. and
under the weight Of the crowd the cabin
floors gave way, sinking to the boilers
below.
That disaster compelled the men to
move to the !evee. a bitter. biting wind
driving cutting sleet, utterly precluded
any approach to comfort there. No fire
could make or keep us warm outside of
shelter in the cold and storm prevailing.
We were driven to seek shelter up town.
and when refused admittance found it by
force of the butts of our muskets upon
the reluctant doors of inhospitable citizens
The storm blockaded the railways, SO
that we could not proceed by cars. and the
regiment boarded the steamer New Ken
tucky, to go, to Evansville. Ind, The Off
GERS of the boat did not desire to carry
u.s. and when compelled by military force
to proceed, said that their pilots were too
drunk to be effective: but they were forced
to start. Opposite Mound City we stuck
in midstream on a drift-ple and remained
fast there AZ hours. although other boats
endeavored to phil us off. We had to wait
till the rising food floated us free. Then
Il guard with loaded gun was stationed i'll
pilot house with orders to shoot the pilot
without parley if the boat stuck again o..
anything whatever
Floating ice forced the boat to seek shell
ter of the shore of an island where a crib
had to be built to prevent the ice from
gouging the hull to spiinters.
When able to escape from there we
moved again, but at Mount Vernon, 3:
miles below Evansville, the Captain OF
the boat reported to our officers that his
boat was disabled and could not proceed
We started to march to Evansville
through 10 inches of snow and sleet. We
had to move all the time to keep from
freezing, and it was an all-day and all
night march; no protection in shelter was
found on the way.
AT Evansville the people opened their
houses to US and gave US plenty of hot
coffee and an abundance of things COCO
to eat. Everybody seemed to wish tt
Guido all the rest of the country in doing
good to the Union soldiers.
with side doors and small square open
| ing near each end as windows. There
was a sheetiron stove in each car to pro
vide warmth. We thus loaded two train.
that set out for Columbus.
Everything went we'll until Piqua grade
about 40 miles from Columbus, wa!
| reached. The train was running at a;
miles an hour down this grade when tn,
| front axle Of our car broke and threw u.
off the track. The car turned end-abou
! and Oh its side, with the door locked ant
no way to get out but our small window
and the car was on fire, and we were ou
| in the snow and cold again, about 4
O'Clock in the morning, for an hour OIL
the other cars.
About the time our train was wrecked
the other was derailed and one car wa.
| thrown down an enbankment and some
of the horses killed. but none of the mel
| were hurt We did not get off so luckily
| however, as several Of our company wer,
badly burned, and one of them died in tn,
hospital at Columbus-so near home, ye
| without seeing the friends and loved ones
We arrived at Columbus without further
accident and were soon at home in thu
warm barracks at Camp Chase. There
the only thing that occurred to mar the
| pleasure of our stay until we received ou
| Burroughs, was the fights we had with tn,
SSth Ohio, which was on guard duty there
| and did not want us to have enough woot
| to keep the rooms warm. We We're II
the barracks until our furloughs wer,
ready, which was on the 22d of January
from which time they were dated. Wer,
We glad to get the furloughs? l thinl
yes.-GEo. w. PITNER, Co. +, 18th Ohio
Bridgeport, Ohio.