The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1904-08-04
THE FIELD OFBATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell OF
whist1inx Bullets, Bright Bayonetsr
BurstinE Bombs, Bloody Battlss
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.

isiana to stir up the JOhnnieS tnat
were supposed 10 be sleeping along
the Red river. We went into camp
one night after a hard days march.
and l, very tired and hungry. as l usu-
ally was after taking care of my horse.
built little fire and commenced to
prepare some coffee. when along came
a comrade and stood by my fire. l
noticed he had in one hand a nOsebag,
which seemed to be filed with some
thing. He was a very large. man, but
his heart was too small and altogether
out of proportion for so large body.
l said:
Hello. What have you got in that
nosebagT'
He put his hand down into the bag,
took out a handful of something, open
ed his mouth, gave a grunt and a
couple of winks and suffered out:
'Shugarr'
Give me some.'
Il wont either. Go and get it where
l did"
Where did you get it,
He tried to tell me, but he could
not let go of his words. Finally, point
ing in the direction from which he
came. he stammered out: "Y-you can
get there before Iii can t-t-t-tell
you"
l went in the direction indicated,
and soon came TO a building which
afterwards found to be sugar mill.
l opened the door, looked cautiously
in. and saw light down at the lower
end, and around 1t several soldiers
who seemed to be very busy. l start
ed in the direction of the light, but
had gone only a few PAGES when l
stepped into vacancy aud commenced
to go down. Oply man who has been
in like circumstances can imagine
how much a fellow can think of and
how far he is falling in descending
but few feet. I thought of every
thing that 1 had done wrong in my
brief, innocent life, and even the ques-
ton occurred to me IL l would have
to square up any of the accounts OF
nay ancestors. l thought l had found
the bottomless pit. In the course of
time l struck something. ker-splash.
When l collected my bewildered
thoughts l found myself in vat Of
at the top of my voice for help, but
the only response that came back to
me was, .'Shut up your id mouth;
the officers will hear you and come
and drive us OUT
Well, out" at that time, was what
l wanted, and l didn't care who got
me out so long as got out and if us
ing my lungs would help the matter.
yelled the louder.
Finally two of the comrades came
over with light. One of them look ed
down in the vat and said, Where are
you?'
Here l am" l answered. Won't
you please help me out:' q had good
reasons for being polite to him.
He turned to the other and said.
THAT id fool is in the molasses up
to his ears!"'
20 no." l said. Il am only up to my
shoulders. Won't you please help me
out?"
He reached down as far as he could,
but was not long enough, and. after a
great deal of skirmishing around, they
got pole that did reach me. 1 did
not have to be told to hold on. They
pulled and yanked and twisted, but so
firmly was l embedded in the molasses
that they found it no easy matter to
start me. After great deal of per-
sua sion they got me lOosened up, when
discovered that l was leaving my
boot behind. l said, Hold on, you
| are pulling my boots OF"
20! d-n your boOts!' was the re.
ply.
l could not afford to leave my boots
behind, so l let go of the pole and
sank back into my boots. 1 was al
| last drawn out, boots and all, and
! when l left the molasses it was some
thing like a cork out of pop bottle
1 went flying to the top OF the vat and
once more landed on solid footing.
don't know whether it was for joy Ol
because of my sad plight, but l was
crying. and one OF the comrades said
to me: Who are you, anyway
Il am a bugler,'' l said.
| well. you are the sweetest bugiel
/ ever saw. You better go and wasf
your clothes"
Il don't care. anyway" l sobbed.
slowly wended my way TO my sad
die, where l had small piece of soap
and started for the river. only to NEE
new trouble in the shape of mosaui
| toes. They bit and whiZzed anf
| whizzed and bit, and in trying to keer
| them off from natures uniform. los
my soap in the river. and for the frs
time in my life 1 realized how hare
| it was to wash clothes without soap
l got the thickest of it off and wen
and laid down for the night. The mex
morning we resumed march. and in ,
few hours my clothes were thorough,
dry Talk about starch! Why, wate
and molasses thoroughly dried il
makes clothes sitter than any starcl
l ever heard of, but the principal oh
lection is it draws flies. especially il
warm weather.
Although nearly a half century ha
passed over my head since that time
l can hear those flies buzzing an,
humping around me yet. 1t was ful
for the boys. but not for me-
In conclusion l would ask. do yo,
blame me for not liking New Orlean
molasses. If any one can cOnscien
tiously say that he was ever sweete
than was at that time. am in favo
OF giving him a pension and sendin,
him to Congress.-American Tribune
| Mercy of Wirz.
Well do | remember those rainy day
of June. 1864. in AndersOnville-wit]
many unpleasant incidents. In March
1864, at Andersonville. while 100 slave
were completing the first stockade. an
rhe only dead lines we yet had wer
stakes driven in the ground two fee
high and twenty feet apart. and Will
| was gathering q few chips and min