Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-02-27
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account of Stirring Scene.
Witnessed on the Battlefield and in
Camp-Veterans If the Rebellion Re-

fences at bloody angles in StorminS
forts. charging breastworks. and in
breaking through abatis and other Oh
strnctions in front of the enemy. This
Is natural and creditahle. because. as
rule. the great things Of war We're
done i'm the heat of such conflicts. But
the finest exhibition OF courage and
daring and cool medicines that came
under my notice during the war was
not in fight at bloody angle. nor
IN the turmoil and excitement of a
charge,
In May. 1864. our brigade was at
Resaca and had just changed camp
from the north side OF the river to the
south side when Il furious storm broke
upon us. our regiment was not far
from the railroad sheds in which were
stored the ammunition of Sherman's At
lanta campaign Boxes of cartridges
and shells of all sizes and kinds. kegs
If powder We're piled high in the large
shed. and were closely guarded. We
knew that the safety of that amuni-
ton meant the success of Shermans
campaign, and fell in with all the
strict regulations looking Ia its safe
ty.
''On this day, as was busy securing
my tent. which had been pitched. there
was q binding flash of lightning and
al appalling crash of thunder. As
looked out from my tent | saw hum
dreds of men moving off In crouching
position. with faces dazed and eyes
turned backward toward what all
seemed to regard as point of common
danger | stepped ont and saw that
the great pile of ammunition had been
struck by lightning that the boxes
IN top had been thrown helter-skelter
and that the tow in some of these torn
open was burning.
Il knew then why the soldiers of our
and stunned by the thought of what
might happen. / awaited stOlGly the
explosions that were TO DESTROY Sher-
mans chances FOR success in great
campaign. and possibly the lives of
myself ana all about ne. But there
scale the pile of ammunition, and anoth-
or come 20 his assistance | saw one OF
them snatch the smoldering tow from
the box of shells and wave it as
signal to the dying men that the dau-
ger was over.
To my mind the man who climbed
up that pile of explosives and put out
the fire that endangered Sherman's
ammunition supply did asnotablean act
as any one who fought under Hancock
at the bloody angle 1T Spottsylvanin
or charged with McCook nj Kenesaw.
And yet no mention of the net is made
in any report Sherman does not re-
fer to ii in any of his memoirs. and,
so far MS | know. only one army CORE
spondent made any reference 10 tue
incident in his letters. and he did not
give the name of the hero of the ocCa-
sion Who was be? The world ought
to know | saw The affair al long
range. There must be some one living
who saw it nj close range"
There u.s." said Dan r. Anderson
of Lafayette Ind. but this version
of the story is little different from
that of the Captain. As | remember
it. the great pile OF ammunition extend
ed from the depot south far enough 10
envelop two telegraph poles 4 private
soldier Of the First Kentucky infantry,
carrying two camp kettles Of water
had reached the depot when the thun-
derstorm burst on camp. The soldier
left his kettles on the platform and
lodged under ~ covered army wagon
standing near He was scarcely under
shelter when the lightning struck the
telegraph pole nearest the depot It
ran down the pole among the boxes
throwing them this way and that. ana
firing two or more boxes of rifle ammu-
milton which in exploding added to the
smoke and confusion.
"The soldier recognizing that his 20.
sition under the wagon was uHtenable
caught up his kettles Of water aud was
fleeing from flC wrath to come. when
IN ordnance officer interviewed. grabbed
one Of the kettles and starting for the
smoking pile Of ammunition. shouted
Come on" The soldier did not hes
tate Up the two went. one on the
outside Of the pie aud then down into
inc smoking. br59StoHc smelling. he'll
in the center
Some Of lie boxes were on fire. ana
the danger Of general explosion seem
ed imminent But the officer said cool