Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-01-26
THE BOOMING CANNON
REClTALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, Forag-
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.

"Yes, said the Captain, II saw the
sun rise in the west, and | was never
worse ratified in my life. We started
on the Tullahoma campaign with good
weather, and our battalion. scouting in
advance, changed directions good
many TIMES. However, we could see
the sun in the daytime. and the stars
at night, and we generally knew where
we We're. After two or three days it
rained steadily day and night and we
found we didn't know much about the
country when it was wet.
One morning we received definite
instructions to march south so many
miles and then due east on croSsroad
to river. which we were to cross and
take position on the east side, so as
to protect the ford. 1t rained all day
and most Of the night and it was after
dark when we reached the river The
officers decided to let the men rest and
cross over to the east bank at daylight
the next morning. 1t rained steadily
until after midnight, and then the
clouds broke away.
Il was on guard from to 4. and
kept my eyes open for the first signs
of day across the river TO the east.
| The darkness seemed to thin out Il
| little. but there was no light in the
! east. There was. however. growing
| light in the west. and / called the at
| tention of the officer of the guard to
it. He thought it was the moon, but
1t was not. When daylight came all
the men were awake and all were look
ing toward the west with troubled
| faces.
AT the appointed time the sun came
up in the west, or what seemed to us
to be the west. The impression was
50 strong on our minds that the river
! was east of us that we could not rea-
son our way out of it. If the river was
not TO our east, if the sun hadn't come
up in the west we were not where we
ought to be- we were not on the right
side Of the river, and not a man had
the remotest idea where we were We
talkc l and swore about the situation
for an hour, and then it clouded up
again.
by sheer force of win power we
marched toward where the sun came
up, but when the clouds obscured the
sun, will be hanged if the old impress
sion didn turn our feet the other way,
and, after laundering around in the
woods for some hours. we came to the
river we had left in the morning. \
farmer tried to explain 20 us that we
were lost, but we hooted at him. The
next morning, however, when the sun
came up again in the west. we went
to him in humble spirit and he guided
us to where our division was stuck In
the mud. The Colonel was very gem
erouS and in his official report never
said word about the wanderings of
his scouting battalion"
THAT reminds me- said Dan r. An
derson, ''that the Nineteenth Illinois
had IN the earlier months of the serv-
| ice one of the most conSideTate Colonels
in the army. / wonder K the boys of
the Nineteenth remember the raids they
made at Athens, Ala, In 1862? | re-
member one in particular made while
Colonel Turchin was asleep. The boys
banked on the mapping habit of the
Colonel, and timed their raid so that
the complaining citizens would reach
the Colonel'S headquarters when the
gaurd had instructions not to awaken
him for two hours.
lon this occasion the citizens made
such noise that Colonel Turchin came
out of his tent in no pleasant frame of
mind. He asked what was the matter,
and the citizens shouted that his COM
mand was made UP of thieves, who
stole everything they could carry off
or drive off Turchin listened for some
minutes. affecting great sorrow and in
/ dignation as specification after speci-
fication was presented. Then, straight
ening himself, he said: 'Gentlemens.
my men do not steal. l viii prove to
you that you are mistaken
"Thereupon Turchin ordered the
bugler to sound the assembly, and
when the regiment was formed it was
marched to the fair grounds and
brought to a front face near the grand
stand Turchin, With the complaining
citizens, took the position of reviewing
officer, and as tie men stood at shout
der arms the Colonel said: Boys, these
mems here say you are a lot of thieves
and that you stole everything you could
carry off,
THE citizens nodded approval of
this. and greatly enjoyed the blank
looks on the faces of the boys. Then
the Colonel continued: Now. / know
you are not thieves, but there may be
some among you who did take some
little thing. and if there is such man
In the ranks | want him to step right |
out when l tell him Turning to tie |
citizens, Turchin said Now you will |
see; if any Of my men has took any
thing of yours. he will step right out. |
Then, turning to his men. the Colonel |
said. sternly: If any man has stolen |
anything. let him step four PAGES to |
the 'front.' Not a man moved and the |
Colonel. turning to the citizens, said, |
tIiumphantly: What | told you; not |
one of my mems is a thief
"A charge Of the same kind against /
the First Kentucky was managed as
smoothly In another way With three
others / had captured and dressed a |
porker, and we were carrying the ear /
cass 10 our camp in blackberry patch /
near Athens. when we encountered the |
planter who owned the hog. The plant /
er went to Colonel Enyart and we /
went 10 quarters, divided the hog into /
four pieces, explained the situation to /
the boys, turned in. and awaited re-
suits. Soon came an order from the /
Colonel for all the companies to form.
and roll was called. / was excused /
from roll call because 1 was just off /
guard, and my brother answered for /
me The complaining citizen said,
That's the name, but not the man
'Thereupon the Colonel ordered me