Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1904-08-20
THE BATTLE FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The BIue and the Gray Review Incl
dents of the Late War, and in a
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle.

''Fhe Russians and the laps" said
the Sergeant. went TO war well equip
I ped as to arms and ammunition. That
Is more than can be said for scores of
regiments sent To the front in the first
year of our civil war. For example,
two regiments of the Kanawka divi-
sion went up TO the Ohio from Cincin-
matt in boats. We were armed with
old smooth bore muskets and we had
never seen cartridge. 1t was sup
posed that there We're at least one
thousand cartridges on the two boats
for two thousand men.
/ There was great rejoicing along
shore as the two boats. crowded with
soldiers and with bands playing and
| flags flying, steamed slowly up the
river On the Ohio side men on
4 horseback followed us for miles, cheer
! ing and waving flags, and every town
4 made Il demonstration. There was
/ also some enthusiasm ON the Ken
/ tncky side, but as we neared Guyan-
dotte on the Virginia shore warnings
came to us from both sides OF the
river that Captain Jenkins, guerrilla.
| had a force maSsed near Guyandotte
| TO attack us.
THE boats were tied together, the
men were maSsed on the upper deck,
/ each man proud of the one cartridge
/ given into his care. and we moved
1 Forward to attack. Think of it, one
/ cartridge 10 man, and all the men
/ exposed to artillery or rifle fire. AS
| the sun went down we moved slowly
to the Jenkins landing And no soon
er had the boats touched the landing
than ii thousand men were on shore
eager for fight. Fortunately, Jenkins
and his men were not there and we
4 escaped slaughter If the Japs moved
on the Russians as we did then thous-
ands of them would be killed"
by George said Dan h. Anderson,
II remember that expedition well.
remember how the 1000 men of the
First and Second Kentucky regiments
looked in the sunset glow as the boats
turned toward the Virginia shore and
4 remember the disappointment when
! the cartridges were distributed. Com
panies Ii and c. First Kentucky, were
ordered to draw ammunition and the
/ orderles received 100 rounds for 200
men The same rule held good with
the thanking companies, A and Il. Four
hundred men received 300 cartridges
and at once divided themselves into
heavy and light infantry. The heavy
infantry was composed of those who
had cartridges and bayonets. as well
Ms guns, and the light infantry in
Guided those who had only guns and
bayonets.
II was in the heavy infantry class.
and | remember how superior ! felt
to my messmate, who had no cart
ridge and was as full of fight as
was. | had visions of killing several
rebels with my one cartridge and my
chum. after trying to trade me out of
my one cartridge. confided to me his
belief that he could kill more men
with his bayonet than i coulG with
my precious cartridge. | didn't be
lieve this. but to fortify myself against
mischance | rammed six buck shot
down with the cartridge. When we
were in line on land we were instruct
ed to swing around the house. As
though we had fish net and to pre-.
serve our intervals at all hazards
"There we We're, in the dark. Not
a man in the command except citi-
zen guide knew anything of the Place
or the surroundings, 1t was SO dark
that we couldn't tell shock of wheat
from II stump or stump from n man
Jenkins men might be behind the
stumDS or in the barn or In the house
ready to fire. but we were ready
heavy infantry and light infantry, tc
20 In, and in the first clash there was
a reckless use Of bayonets on the
wheat shocks. as we went forward al
a double quick.
II was on the extreme left of the
advancing line, and in the swing tC
encircle the house | had to step live
Ier than the men in the center We
were again urged to preserve our in
telyals, and we charged forward.
came to a fence made Of boards nailed
on horizontally. which leaned accom-
modatingly the way | was going, And
right there / lost my interval. The
fence being shaky, | did not stay
on it long enough to reconnoiter--it
was too dark to see anyhow--and
Jumped down Oh what | expected 4
be the other side But it seemed Their,
was no other side 10 speak Of, anf
i felt like a man going down a Goa
shaft.
q began to get excited, and wonder
ed what could do with my interva
in the region / was headed for Afte
quite a spell | landed. or, rather,
struck soft earth veered from tn,
direct line Of descent, and kept OF
toward China in a sort of toboggaI
slide. | landed finally. my feet in tn
air and my gun imbedded in sof
earth up to the middle band. As
looked up to see whore | had COM
from ED Malpy Of my company. VIII,