Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-07-23
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
crsphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed ca the Battlefield and In
Camp-Ystsrans of the RebeIIIom Re-

IRON the officer who saved Sherman's
ammunition at Resaca. Comrade Dan
h. Anderson, OF Lafayette, Ind, tod
The story of an artillery officers ex-
plot as gallant as anything in mill
tary history, and asked: Who was the
officer? | know who the private was
wno Went with him into the smmuni-
ton crater. but who was the officer
Iii command of the expedition? IL
living, he can't he ashamed of thu
part he played that day If dead. mis-
cniidren must have heard him tell The
story. Let MS have the name
This stirring appeal, following
| graphic narrative of the incident. eau-
ed out an answer have the officers
nafne. His own story OF the AFFAIR at
| Resaca is like this: The day follow
ms The battle OF Resaca he was de.
tailed by order Of General Thomas 10
report 10 Colonel Baylor. chief ord
| nance officer OF the army of the Cum
| herland. Colonel Baylor turned over
TO him the ammunition and ordnance
stores on hand The ammunition sup
/ ply was piled up on the outside of an
ole building between il and the rail
/ way track at ReSaca. and covered with
large tarpaulins to protect ii. tele-
graph pole stood within this pile of
ammunition and around this twelve.
pound Borman fuse fort ammunition
was piled eight boxes high.
Six days after taking charge of
this depot the officer found he had
on hand 3.Oo0,ON rounds Of infantry
ana 100000 rounds Of artillery ammu-
milton. One day about 3 y. III. thuh-
der storm struck Resaca. and the
lightning Went down the telegraph
pole into the ammunition. causing the
explosion OF twelve boxes Of fuse am
mnniti0n, each having in it eight
rounds. The lids of other boxes were
lifted, and the tow set on fire The
ordnance officer in charge WIS stand
ing in the old freight building when
the lightning struck. He realized what
the destruction of that ammunition
would mean TO Shermans army, then
advancing on Kingston and Carriers.
Vile, and he acted promptly
lie seized camp kettle OF water
and mounted the smoking pile of am
munition. Every one seemed to have
run away except private, who had
taken shelter under wagon at the
rear of the old building The officer
asked this private soldier to help him.
Tile latter came at once, and the two
went down into the crater about the
selegfaph pole. pulled out the burning
4 tow, and with the water in the camp
did not know the private. aud never
saw him afterward. The private did
lot know the officer. aud never saw
him nor heard of him afterward.
II heard this story seven years ago.
At { reunion of company G. First
Kentucky Regiment. held at Kent0n
Farm. near Springfield. Ohio. I'm Octo-
bar, 1896, several Of the men Spok =
If the incident. and one of them said
that years after the close Of the war
meIaberS OF another regiment told
him that the man who put out the fire
= r.,
inst Kentucky. Not man of the
company had ever heard Jinesse say
word about the exploit. and the story
was told To illustrate the modesty Of
tue volunteer soldier who did things
"The publication Of this story called
out letter from $. q. Grub, Of
Che ey, Wash, who stated briefly
that as lieutenant in battery Il. First
Illinois Light Infantry, he was in
charge of the ammunition stores ut
/ Eetaca in May, 1864, aud that he aud
a private soldier put out the fire as
/ oescribed by Comrade Anderson.
Under date Of February II, 1904.
+ lieutenant :. g. Grubh writes from
Dls North VI street, Tacoma. Wash. /:
In The Chicago InterOcean some one
describes the putting out of the fire
/ IN The ammunition pile at Rcsaca very
| correctly. The writer seems Ia have
been an eve witness to the whole af
/ fair, and asks who was the officer who
! ed the way into the crater. | was the
officer IN charge. under detail by spe-
ciaI order Of General George II
/ Thomas. and in 1897 | gave full and
complete history OF The incident Mr.
Anderson describes the scene more
graphically than ! am able 10 do.
did not know before that any one wit
messed the act except the private Of
/ tire First Kentucky. who accompanied
me- Surely we saw no one until after
the FIRE was ont and the storm had
passed
4 reported tie affair to Colonel
Baylor. chief OF artillery at depart
Inent headquarters, and was compli-
mcuted for my courage and efficiency
and that was all that was ever said
about it except what has been said
! in the Inter-Ocean. am now 70 years
/ 81 age aud fairly well used up. /
have always thought that myself and
/ the hoy who assisted me should have
I Lad honorable mention by the govern
ment for what we did on that day.
49,. Ri. 9.