Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-10-08
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and In
csrHp-yetersns of the RebeIIion Re-
cite Experiences of Thrilling Natzra.

vigorous HooSier, was ut work OH his
fathers farm near Attica. Ind, and
like many others, felt it 10 be his duty
/ TO join the army and do his part in
saving the Union, Being an only son,
/ and his services almost Indispensable
/ on tue farm, his father for Il time pre-
vailed upon him 10 remain at home.
but In 1867 after the wheat and the
corn were harvested and the more
pressing farm work was out of the
way, Tom could no longer be restrain
/ ed, and 80 into the service he would
/ and did. Making his way to Indianap-
/ oils, he duly enlisted, was sworn into
the service, and at his request was as
signed rs recruit to Company A. Eff
! tenth Indiana, which company was
raised in and near Attica. In due time
he Joined the regiment. then in camp
near Nashville, Tenn. and. clad in
new suit of blue and armed with a
Springfield rife, was declared ready
| for Initiation into the miserieS and de
/ lights Of soldering. Very soon after
Toms arrival the army marched upon
/ Murfreesboro. and Tom with the rest
of the Fifteenth boys. plodded his
weary way along the pike. across the
fields and through the cedar Tickets
until brought up face to face with
| Braggs army at Stone River. Our
| hero had had no time to learn the drill
and but few of the ordinary military
/ sle
sion knew no more about the duty OF
/ Il soldier than Adams off OK" He
accepted all the harlships in good part,
| was always good natured and willing.
but the distinctions of rank had no
! terrors for his patriotic soul. He was
not educated up to the point where he
/ could understand why the Sergeants
! and corporals of \ Company had the
right to order him about. when he
knew these same boys at home and
was rs good ms they We're. He gave
! his captain and lieutcnantS all due re-
! spect, but made life a burden for the
non-commiSsioned officers by his neg
! lcct 10 obey orders. and as n cousc-
! quence was almost perpetually on cX-
| ira duty. This. too. was taken good
naturally and in spite of his way
wardneSs it was impossible To bear him
amy malice.
The Fifteenth Indiana was III
Woods division of the left wing. and
when McCook's command, ON the right.
was swept away. the left wing was
soon called into action Tom watched
the fugitiyes streaming back from the
broken right, saw batteries hurrying
! into action, mounted aids and orderieS
/ daShing over the field. wounded men
being carried To the rear. heard the
terrible upr0ar of artillery and mus
! kerry, all with placid and unmovcd
/ composure. So far as he knew, this
| was the regular thing. and lie did not
/ propose to worry until he had To.
! When his regiment moved forward,
/ Tom, of course. went along but by no
means did he confne himself to the
ranks of Company . With the spirit
| of IN American freeman, he felt that
I he was entitled to the whole field, and
honored with his presence. The rcgi-
ment halted. but not SO with Tom
Ahead of him he saw a thin line of
men apparently standing or lying about
as they pleased, and as this seemed
more like his kind of soldering he shot
ahead and joined them. They were
the skirmishers Of the regiment, but
Tom did not know ii. which was per
haps just as well. He could not find a
place to suit him. ana seeing a rail
fence some distance i'm front, dcliber-
ately walked up 10 it and enscOnced
himself in corner. Just about this
time General Dan Adams Confederate
brigade was moving to attack the posi-
ton held by the Fifteenth and Fifty
seventh Indiana. That worthy was
holding his position utterly unconscious
of the fact that such distinguished Wis.
TORS were bearing down upon him,
when. happening 10 glance through the
cracks between the rails, he espled the
stars and bars directly in front In a
moment. after asc( ndine slight rise
gray came In sight, and Tom realized
that trouble was brewing for him. TAX
Ing careful aim at the man who carried
the flag he blaZed away and over went
the color-bearer. There was no time
to reload. and Tom concluded he had
better rejoin the skirmishers, but on
looking around found to his amazement
that they were gone They had fallen
back on the main line. and the rcgi-
ment were in line Of battle awaiting
the threatened attack. The question
then was how to get out Of the scrape.
and for a moment Tom was non-pIused-
He reasoned il he ran In a straight
line he would be sho down In 10 time.
50 he decided that a zlg-zag sldewise
retreat would be the safer plan. This
he promptly put into execution, and
amid a shower Of bullets he went to
the rear in n slightly undlgnified man
ner One bullet Clipped of a lock OF