The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1904-11-10
THE BOOMING CANNON
RECiTALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
a TILE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents Of Marches, Camp Life, Forag-


"Riflemen going into a fight at
close range of two miles, as the Rus
slams and Japanese did at Liaoyang.
| don't see how soldiers could get up
any battle enthusiasm at that distance
from an enemy. In our time close
range meant getting up so you could
see the color Of the hair of the man
who was shooting at you and count
the buttons on an otncer's coat. OF
course, when we got that close it was
very exciting,
He was generally coming straight
at us in line, and there were so many
of him that nobody felt lonesome.
remember once when Charley Banks,
pur best shot, was in funk. We had
been in one of those big corn fields
which abound in battlefelds, and In
line along the north side of the field
were pegging away at the rebs, shoot
Ing at us from the southeast corner,
when there came into the field from
the distant southwest corner several
regiments, whose flags showed above
the dry corn still standing In the hill,
but whose men were hidden in the
corn.
Those fellows with the flags came
through the corn as though they
owned the whole plantation. 1t was
tramp, tramp, tramp, swish, swish,
snap. snap, for the whole width Of
tile field, but not man could we see.
not a voice could we hear. Charley
Banks, always on the skirmish line,
asked: why doesn't some man who
carries field glass report on those
flags? If they are the Stars and
Stripes, the fellows in our front are
busted. If they are not, then we are
in a bad hole We watched the flags
fiuttering and swapping over the corn
tops. but could not for many minutes
tell whether they were ours or the
enemy's.
Meantime the firing from the south
east corner of the field kept up, and
four Of our boys toppled over without
a word, and died without a struggle.
and four more went down with uul-
lets in their legs and crept out of the
corn. One poor fellow, resting MS
head, near stump, said, oh. say
boys! Can't you see through the
smoke whose flags those are And
Charley Banks said bluntly, 'Rebs. Ali
you wounded fellows get out Of this.
They are going to run over u.s. Then
there was a bugle order. which caused
a great commotion in the corn to our
right, and we turned our guns that
way. Soon the heads of columns
p,arching In four ranks came in sight.
but changed direction so as to pass our
front instead of striking it. We fired
as rapidly as we could at the march
ing men, the nearest column not TWEEN
ty yards away, but the men in the
ranks never looked our way.
Zone officer on horseback looked In
our direction with quizzical smile on
his face, and with plying, contempt
uous look In his eyes. Then came a
sharp order for us to retreat at a run
and we made rood time. until we
struck our reserve regiments. When
we turned to look back the rebs were
still marching in column OH the edge
of the corn field, but as soon as the
rear company had come on a line with
ours they come into line and we heard
the order to charge We fell back.
firing. and the charging line came
down to a walk, dressed itself as If on
parade, and came on. A reb directly
in front of me wore an oldfashioned
red comfort around his neck, the ends
crossed on his breast and caught un-
der his belt. To his left was man
wearing q blue cap, and on his right
a man with a SLOUGH hat.
'eThe three seemed to be blazing
away at me, and l devoted myself to
tho man in the red comfort fired at
him a dozen times, but after every
shot he came striding on in full enjoy
ment of the situation. Finally called
TO Charley Banks and asked him to
shoot at the red comfort man. He was
the best shot in the company, and
expected him to put bullet at the
spot where the two sections of the
comfort friend, as good as new, He
He blazed away, and on came my red
COMFORT riend, as good as new. He
fred again and again. taking deliber-
ate aim each time, but on came the
man of the red comfort, smiling be-
cause the next man in line had his
hat shot off.
II began to feel queer by this time,
and / looked at Banks in fear and
amazement. He said, family: Hold
me. Joe. | am going to run; L am
going to bust this darned old blunder-
buss over a tree and run like deer.
l feel it in my bones. 1 never missed
man before, and I can't stand it.
| would as soon chew paper wads and
call it eating as to shoot at man and
miss him. About that time the boys
were getting stubborn, and were slow
ing their step. The color bearer was
the most stubborn Of all. He was
nearer the enemy than any other man
In the regiment, and seemed intent on
getting close enough to flirt the flag
in che faces of the rebs. He went
down with a bullet hole between his
eyes. The corporal who caught up
the flag was wounded twice in two
minutes. Charley Banks caught up
the Gag, and with every wave Of it
yelled savagely at the man Of the red
comfort