The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-04-06
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and In
camp-veterans of tho Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences Of Thrilling Nature.

Camp-Veterans Of tho Rebellion Re.
cite Experiences Of Thrilling Nature.
"The new artillery" said the Major,
''is good deal like the old when II
comes to a daily bombardment. There
was an all-day artillery duel at Stone
River Dec. 80, 1862, but so far as
know the bombardment Of our lines
didn't scare n single man in our d.
vision. The shells that tore through
the tree tops and the sixty-pound cam
non balls that came rolling toward
our lines at regular intervals caused
considerable excitement at times, but,
as one of the boys put it, nobody had
his feelings hurt.
EARLY in the morning when the
rebel artillery opened on us we
thought it meant business. But the
boys soon discovered that the shot
and shell that reached us came from
very heavy guns firing at long range.
For example, the largest cannon balls
would strike the ground two or three
hundred yards in front OF us and
come rolling easily toward us, bound
ing over logs, breaking through fences
and barking trees. The boys thought
the first one was n rabbit as it came
rustling through the dry leaves.
1T did not have rapid forward
movement, but had a revolving mo
ton like a spinning top, and looked
as harmless. The ball was so large
that the men could not believe it came
from a cannon, and were getting
ready to stop it when it struck rock
ten feet in front of us, scared into the
air, cut limb off tree. and went
crashing through the cedars behind
us. A dozen men who had made
ready to stop the ball with their feet
gave the next one wide berth, al
though it looked as smooth and HARM
less as the first.
1.-THE men soon became engaged In
warm discussion as to how the rebels
came into possession Of so large a
gun, and the third ball was almost
upon us before we saw it. Three men
were restrained with difficulty from
giving the ball a kick as 1t rolled
through our line. In another division
two men lost their legs, each under
the fascination of the spinning ball,
putting out a foot to stop it. In our
own division we looked for the sixty
FOUNDER every twenty minutes and
avoided an issue.
"Most of the field gun prOjectiles
fell short of us, and the boys had little
use for the cNnical shells, anyhow.
There was some fun in chasing an old
fashioned round cannon ball and in
speculating as to what would happen
when it struck a tree, but there was
small basis for speculation in the
work of the cap shell. We were in
line all that day, but not excited. as
the men understood it was only pre-
liminary bombardment, and that there
were as yet no indications of when
the real fighting would begin. Like
the Russians and Japs over in Man.
churia, they did not rgard a mere
Us a SClIOuS lhdllCl.
During the day the rebs must have
made some demonstration with infan-
try, for battery Of ROdman guns
went into position near lis and fired
spitefully for half an hour. Our bri-
gade battery was of bronze guns and
the boys were not used to the short,
sharp bark of the Rodmans. Scarcely
had the battery opened when three or
four men who had been asleep sat up
and swore, expressing the hope that
the rebs would get every blanked
Rodman in the army.
The next day, however, when ev-
erything was going wrong and the
enemy's guns were pouring shot and
shell into our depleted ranks at short
range there was a commotion in our
rear, sharp voice said, Lie close
to the ground, men, and the same bat
terry of Eodmans barked out in spite
full fury behind us, the guns firing
over us. Then there was a cheer for
every bark, and as other batteries
came up and thirty or forty guns,
brass, Rodman, and ParrOtt, sent
hurtling shot and shell over us into
the rebel ranks, we realized what a
difference there was between artillery
In a 'bombardment' and real fight.
"The Rodmans and other guns of
the same material were trial to the
ears sHd nerves of men trained to the
roar of the field pieces in common
use. but the swearing at item that
day was in the tone Of rider petting
high mettled horse. We hugged the
ground close while the guns pounded
the enemy, each man with his nose
close to the ground, feeling that at
last the turn had come in the tide of
battle, and that the furious advance
of Bragg's army had been checked"
Chicago Inter Ocean.