The National tribune., 1904-06-16
PICKET SHOTS.
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
HIS WOUND NOT rENs1oSApLE.

HIS WOUND NOT PENsIoNABLE.
Comrade James ii. Powell, 18th Tenn,
writes from Bertram, Texas: "Will some
of you comrades tell me-so that l can
see the force of your view-why you favor
the service pension bill that discriminates
against me: l think that the G. A. r.
bill favors the rich and discriminates
against the poor boys-there were thou
sands of them-who enlisted at ii to II
years of age and are now in poverty with
out education as one result, and in bad
health as another result. Take my own
case as example; it is not unique; it has
thousands of parallels. We had a pleas
ant home in Shelby County, Tenn: my
father had three boys; l was ii and the
Youngest. The four of us had to go into
the rebel army refugee. My brothers
went into the rebel army; my father and
made our way to the Union lines l joined
the camp of the 7th Iii. Cav; the boys fed
me; captured a horse for me and gave me
a gun; participated in the fight at Col
| linsviile, Tenn, and was wounded; before
recovery took measles and had close call.
On recovery l enlisted for three years in
the 11th Tenn. and served till the end of
the war; | did not find that the boys were
told to play in camp while the men did the
camp fatigue work or while the men stood
on guard duty: or while the men did the
severe and deadly work of the picket posts
and the skirmjsh lines or while the men
fought the battles; nor did l ever know
OF march, however hard, where the boys
were told to climb into the wagons and ride
while the men walked; or where the men
had to carry their knapsacks and arms
while these were hauled for the boys. In
all of my experience and observations there
IN rivnIy f,x - h.
either on account of age. stature or weight
they. worked in the trenches and in camp,
marched, fought, suffered endured AMI
dared exactly as the men did. Then why
discriminate against them in service pen
sion! Was not the service of the boy as
valuable to Uncle Sam as the service ef
the man! l am now % years old, with
not one chance in 5000 of seeing 62 years
of my age. | am broken down, cannot earn
a living-in which | am like thousands of
Others-and l get pension Of SO month
under the Act of June q. 1890. can not
get pension for my wound. since it was
not received in line of duty! Great Heaven
was not an enlisted man nor hired
man: l was only a loyal American boy,
proud of my country and | had courage
enough to fight for it Even had l been
enlisted, | must wait 4S years to become
worthy of a service pension Oh, comrades
of the G. A. X. Committee how just you
are! Now. would amend that bill would
strike out all age limits and insert pro-
yiso: That no person whose income ex-
ceeds $500 a year-or $400-shalI receive
a service pension
TIE FIGHT AT PIEDMONT
Comrade T. w. Hibbs, Co. F. 10Th w.
Va, writes from II. +. d., II, Pennington.
w. Va: "Now about Piedmont fight and
how Gen. Jones was killed! l know better;
but | don't wish to be called another, for
| don't want to fight, and can't run; but
] know that there are mistakes in the let
ters telling how Gen. Jones was killed. He
was brave soldier. We had but two bri-
gades of infantry, one or two batteries and
a small force of cavalry. Ours was Second
Brigade-1st and 18th W. Va, 18th Conn,
Bath Mass. The 1st w. Va, was detached
as skirmishers for the whole line; the bri
gade was the left of our line. The First
Brigade did all the fighting in the early
part of the day. Col. Thoburn, LIST w. Va,
was in command of the Second Brigade.
He was afterward killed at Kernstown.
Va. He asked Gen. Hunter to let him go
in with the Second Brigade and dslodge
the enemy, who were in timber and behind
rail breastwerks. Gen. Hunter told Col
Thoburn that he might try, but that he
would not succeed. The rebels We're pre-
pared, and just the point of charging.
but we started first and went over their
works. They had three lines formed to
make their charge. and we fought them
hand to hand with bayonets and dubbed
rifles. We captured about l 800 men.
do not know what their loss-or ours-was
in killed and wounded; theirs was fearful
and ours was very heavy. | was told af-
terward by clerk on Hunters staff that
the First Brigade had charged and was
repulsed and that Gen. Hunter was pre-
/ ell l. -
Now, Gen. Jones was shot from his gray
mare while trying to stop his men from
running. That was after we were over the
breastworks. A bullet entered above his
left eye. He was not behind or close to
a tree when shot. His mare ran about 20
yards and fell dead. being shot"
TIE SOLDIERS LOT NOT A HAPPY ONE.
John Curtz, Co. f, 7th Ohio Cav, surely
had some severe experiences while serving
his country. He writes from Ottawa, o.:
II enlisted in the Spring Of 1862, and went
through the war, doing faithfully my duty
as soldier. In November. 1864. my real
prisons s-Meridan. Miss: Cahaba, Ala.
and Selma. Ala. Was exchanged at Vicks-
burg. and started up the river on the steam
er Sultana. / was on the hurricane roof
when. between 3 and 4 o'clock in the morn
ing. April q. 1865. the steamer blew up.
between l,SUU ana L.Uun were klileu.
was blown quite distance and lit in the
water. sustaining severe injury to my left
foot and my back. / grasped debris that
drifted to me and hoated IL miles when Il
citizen rescued me and l was sent to hos
pital: whence l was sent to Camp Chase:
thence. home on furlough and discharged"
DE GLAD TO HELP YOU.
Comrade ]. Fl. Wilber. Co. G., 51st n.
Y, writes from Fergusonville, n. Y: Il
was Hospital Steward at Foster Hospital.
New Berne. N. c.; Beaufort Hospital
Beaufort, n. c.; Mansfield Hospital. More
head City, n. c.: Smithville Hospital.
Smithville. n. c. l remember very great
many of the comrades who were in those
places. and if l can be of use to any of
item in their applications for pensions
shall be glad to help them as far as my
memory can recall them"
FOUND HIS BROTHERS.
Comrade F. w. Call. Co. D, 7th Me-,
writes from Eastport, Me-: II want to
tell you what good our family got from The
National Tribune. Five brothers of us
went into the Union army; four came home
alive-or next thing to it-but the other
was lost in the horrors of the inferno called
Andersonville. and for IL years we thought