Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-06-04
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies whiIcd
Away Life In Camp-ForaginG Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-ThriI-
ling Scenes ON the BsttIeReId.

toIu. Ihey come up in an unexpected
way at unexpected places. For exam
pie, at an AppomattoX dinner or ban
quet Il few weeks ago | expected the
story of the evening 10 come from Gen
eral Henderson. His tribute 10 Grant
was, To my mind. the feature of the
banquet, but there was no story Aft
or Manderson'S eloquent stirring
words wondered how the ex.Confed-
crate who was Ia follow Henderson
could meet the expectations of the
listeners raised to the highest point
by Manderson's eloquence.
lie began with story He said
that few days before the affair at
AppomattoX General Robert +. Lee
ordered that all the mail at certain
post office near AppomattoX be brought
TO his headquarters. \ corporal and
ten men were sent under Lees orders
to take possession of the post office
and the mall. The postmaster resist
ed, and in the melee was shot and
killed, The corporal, however, car
rled the mail as ordered to Lees head
quarters and reported the circum-
stances to his immediate superior.
Then came the last battle aud the
surrender OF Lees army. In the con
fusion incident to the surrender the
post Office incident was not made Il
matter of record, and after the surren-
der some of the postmaster's relatives
and friends. finding the corporal who
had commanded the squad on the day
Of the shooting among the prisoners,
pointed him out to the officers in
charge, preferred the charge Of muir
der against him. secured his trial by
court-martial, the trial ending in
verdict of guilty. with death sen
tence.
The court-martial proceedings, with
a statement Of the case by the pris-
oner, were sent to General Grant to
be passed upon. The General disap-
proved the sentence, and ordered the
prisoner set at liberty. iIuidiug that the
corporal. acting under orders OF his SUI
perlOr, had simply performed his duty
as soldier. IL he had failed TO cap
ture the mail through resistance OF the
postmaster he probably would have
been shot for disobeying orders. Gen
eral Grant added that it was contrary
/ TO all preccdents TO say that the cor
poral should be shot for obeylng or
ders. II General Grant had not in
/ terfered In that case said the Virgin
ian. i would not be here tonight To
speak to YOU From that minute the
I ext confederate was master of the sit
/ uation.'
I THAT reminds me. said the Major.
of Il story that Governor Oglesby
! used TO tell OF one Of his boy soldiers.
/ John Bryner, who had been Lieutenant
| Colonel OF the Forty Illinois
and had resigned In 1863, was elected
Colonel by the reOrganlzed or veteran
lied Forty early in 1865, and
was commissioned by the Governor at
the unanimous request Of the veterans.
/ Colonel Bryner. however. died sudden
/ ~ in March. 1865, before he joined his
regiment, and his son ClOyd, then a
boy OF lG, went over to the Governors
office TO report his death.
'Oglesby was greatly shocked at the
news, but proceeded to talk the sltua-
ton over with the boy in his kind
hearted way, In the course OF the con
yersation he asked Cloyd IL he had
ever heard his father express n choice
as to his successor. Cloyd remem-
bered that he had heard his father say
/ that he would rather see the Forty
seventh in charge Of Lieutenant Colo
mel David w McGec, Of the Eighty
sixth Illinois, than any other man.
Thereupon Oglesby said the commits
sion should he made ont mt once, and
| 1t was. The Governor then asked the
boy what he was going TO do, and said
he would appoint him adjutant OF one
OF the new regiments.
"Cloyd answered that he would
rather go back to his fathers regiment,
and he went carrying commission ms
Sergeant Major from Colonel MCGEE.
On arrival In camp he was Informed
that the regiment already had Ser
geant Major, and he asked for an in
terview. The Sergeant Major was a
veteran with four years service TO his
credit, and the newly appointed ser.
geant was n boy Ii years old, The lat
! ter. however. took the Initiative, told
the older man there need be no feel
ing one way or the other because he
would then and there tear off his chev-
rons and serve anywhere This set
tied the question, relieved the Colonel
from all embarrassment, and made
Colonel Bryner's son great fayorite
In the regiment"
Speaking Of the Eighty-sixth Hi
nOis." said the Captain. recalls an ad-
venture Of Captain J. l.. Burkhalter.
Of that regiment. The Eighty sixth,
by the way. was IN Colonel Dan Nc
Cooks brigade or the Third brigade
Of the Second division Of the Four
teenth army corps. On the 10th Of Az
gust 1864. while Sherman's army was
besieging Atlanta, our division. then
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