The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1904-11-24
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whiled
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresomc Marches-Thril.
ling Scenes en- the Battlefield.

"The Russians and the Japs on th'
Shakhe," said the doctor. seemed fol
a few days to be getting quite socia
bic. At least, they were close enough
to each other to be sociable if sucl
fellows ever are sociable. Close n:
they were, however, they cOuldn'
have the fun we had in the old time
because they don't speak the sam'
And then it is mistake TO say tha
no two great armies ever remained il
such proximity before for so many
days without fighting. The Army OF
the Cumberland and Bragg's army re
manned. after the battle of Chicka
mauga, in easy speaking distance foI
several weeks.
After the heavy fighting at Chick
amauga Rosecrans' army, as every
body knows, withdrew to Chattanoo
ga, while the Confederate army CLOSED
up around it on three sides. But onl?
the old soldiers know the incidents oi
our withdrawal to Chattanooga. left
General Thomas late in the afternoon
of Sept. 20 10 carry a message to the
medical officer in charge at Chattanoo
ga, and to General Rosecrans, if j
could find him. l rode from the tur
| moil Of battle across Missionary Ridge
into the quiet of the plain between the
| ridge and Chattanooga. 1t was SO
quiet there and so noisy beyond the
| ridge that 1 could hardly believe my
ears. AS rode toward the town ]
met no one. and no guard G. outpost
challenged me. AS 1 joggei along
came upon n strange group, posing,
it seemed to me, for n picture.
There We're probably a dozen men
! on horseback, and all except one wer
quiet as statues, the low sun i'm til
west lighting them up in way L.
make them look like figures in tab
leau. One Of the figures was point
ing here and there, and this man was
ROSecrans. AS / came nearer 1 saw
that he was marking out positions for
the divisions of his army. In n few
minutes the group moved TO another
point and the marking out process was
repeated. Then 1 rode out to Chat
t;inooga and across the river to find
MY man, and came upon another sur
prise. Here were parked long wagon
trains with hundreds of horses MUNICH
ing corn, and teamsters going uncon-
cernedly about like men at home doing
their evening chores. And yet not ten
miles away two armies were fighting
one of the fiercest battles of the civil
war to standstill.
North of tile river there was no
confusion or disorder. The scene was
quite pastoral, and nobody seemed un-
der strain or greatly concerned about
the battle except chaplain holding
services in a forest glade, who prayed
that the God of Battles might give vic
tory to our arms. Even the chaplain
didn't seem to understand that a crisis
was at hand. Perplexei and indig-
nant, l rode back toward the front and
met our division going quietly into po-
sition in Rossville Gap. l told the
boys what had seen in town and De
yond, but they didn't believe me, ex-
cept as to Rosecrans, and they didn't
believe he meant to give up Mission
ary Ridge. They knew better the next
day, when the army retired from Mis-
sionary Ridge and our division began
10 build Fort Palmer just where Rose
Grams sat on his horse when l first
saw him on Sunday. We expected the
rebels to occupy the ridge at once anu
charge down it to our lines, and we
worked with feverish haste. After
day or two, when the Notifications
began to assume shape, we knew the
rebels wouldn't charge, and we began
to feel at home.
"We agreed, in the talk about the
camp fires, that Rosecrans might be
right about giving up Missionary
Ridge, but we bet all our money that
lie wouldn't give up Lookout Noun
tain, only few miles to the west In
agine our surprise when one afternoon
the rebels opened on us from batteries
we'll up on our slope Of Lookout. This
put heavy load on a good many
hearts, because with the rebels OF
road down the river to Bridgeport. But
as shot after shot was fired, and not
shell or cannon ball came near us,
we felt better. The bombardment WAS
Il spectacular affair, but we didr<t care
for 1t as we did for the sharpshootcrs
On our front pushing the rebel picket
line under our noses. At last we were
permitted to give these sharpshooters
serious attention, and we established
our picket line under their noses. They
kept creeping forward, and we kept
doing the same until we were in con-
versational range.
Our pickets We're in little holes in
the tall grass, and few yards away
the rebs were curled up in holes, blaz-
ing away at every Yankee who showed
his head. 1t was very exciting and I'M
comfortable for several days, but one
night reb in our front suggested con-
'
another ON the jump without doing any
good, and asked why in thunder we
couldn't be decent and quit shooting
every time a fellow sneezed. One of
our fellows sang out, "Shake on thatv'
and the outcome of the talk was that
the snipers on both sides kept on their
own ground and there was no more
shooting on the picket lines, except
when a reb or Yank intruded on for
hidden territory, or when one side or
the other moved forward on a recon-
ncissance.
LAS a rule, however, the lines were
quiet by an arrangement among the
pickets themselves. In a few days
they went further, and, meeting half
way between the lines, delegates from
outposts on either side exchanged pa
pers and traded coffee for tobacco. The
DicketS were becoming Ouite Socia bIe