Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-04-01
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whiied
Away Life In Camp-ForaginS Elk.
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thrii.
ling Scenes ON the Battlefield.


geon's standpoint very interesting
experiment. l never saw the exper-
iment tried until after our army had
ben driven back at Stone River. and
when 1t was proposed then TO throw
the infantry to the front of the artll-
| lery, and fire over them at the attack
ing enemy, | demurred. The idea was
TO save the artillery as well as the in
fantry the General insisting that when
the heavy guns had shattered the en-
envy line our own infantry would be
in position to finish the work.
so It happened that the men OF our
division We're formed in line in front
OF five or more batteries of artillery
ordered to he close to the ground and
await orders. The boys could see the
rebel line coming at a double quick
and they wanted to know what the
darned fool General meant. But no
sooner We're they down than the bat
teries opened on the rebels, the shot
and shell passing not more than two
feet above the heads of our own men
Most of these were stunned by the I'M
usual situation. and by the roar of the
guns SO near them.
observed those in my vicinity very
closely to note the first effect on
nerves. Most of them accepted the sit
uation in good part. and, turning their
faces to the ground, waited patiently
for the end. On few the strain was
too much, and, while not shot or
shell touched them, they were at the
end disabled and helpless. Others
seemed dazed and in a state OF col
lapse until the artillery at the signal
ceased firing and the order came to
charge; Then tie men wlo had
seemed to be on the point of collapse
went forward blindly but Justify. re-
turning to their senses as they ran.
Some of these were in the hospital the
next week. and their eases were a
mystery to me and were very difficult
on treatment"
Il speak, said the Sergeant for
those who kept their heads and who
made no complaint except on account
of the burning wadding from the guns
or the fiery flakes or sparks that fell
in showers on their backs and more
| often than otherwise burned through
| overcOat and blouse before they were
| discovered. The boys talked about
| Being held at the lannon's mouth.
] about the surprise that awaited the
| Johnnies In front, and as the perform
ance continued longer than they ex-
! pected, they wrlggled from place to
place on the ground, doing consider
able visiting
1T seems incredible ia me now, hut
| while the bombardment was in prog
ress received visits from two men Of
regiments in other divisions whom /
had not seen in the course of the war.
| One of them was an old schoolmate.
His regiment had been driven back on
our left just as we We're ordered to
| lie down In front of the guns Motto
! ing the number of our regiment. and,
as he put it, feeling a little lonesome.
he decided to join us and see the out
come of the new tactics
"When the firing began. and the
| smoke from thirty or forty cannon
settled down upon us, darkening the
air about us like a cloud, he asked
where Company G was, and, with his
nose to the ground, crept along the
front Of three companies until he
fAl1n1 1t1n A II IL
with dirt and smoke, ana when my OLD
schoolmate without looking up. spoke
my name, some one said. ioularly:
What you want, Dirty Face and,
Shaping me on the shoulder. said.
| Here is your man. We lay side 10y
side for what seemed to us a long
time, when there came creeping
toward us another figure.
The fellow was coming slowly. his
movements III the smoky gloom re
minding me Of pictures Of Indians
creeping on an enemy, Like the other.
lie asked for me, and when / said
Here! he Topped down close beside
me, speaking only one word. Teach
err, ! felt, rather than saw. that one
of the incorrigibes of my first school
had come TO me. He made mo under
stand that 1t was his private opinion
that h had broken loose and that
we We're all doomed. Oppressed by
this impression, he thought he would
like TO die with somebody who knew
him, don't you know? Therefore he
came over to bis Old teacher. After
the charge he took everything back
about the end Of the world and ali
that, and, SO far as l know, is living
to-day"
Speaking OF what cannon balls
were capable of doing. while seem
ingly harmless said Dan K. Ander-
son, brings to memory a strange case
of an Ohio soldier at the battle OF Mis-
sionary Ridge, Nov. % or q, 1893.
T. I. -