The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-10-12
THE BOOMING CANNON
ReCiTALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
TILE INCIDENTS.
Survivors Of the Rebellion Relate
Many AmusinR and Startling Incl.
dents Of Marches, Camp Life, Foras.
inE Experiences and Battle Scenes.

Aho hau hearu great zeal SAID ABOUT |
escapes and attempted escapes; and |
as soon as he could get chance he
related this, which certainly has
smack Of the real thing.
All through that campaign had act
ed as mail carrier for a division of |
the Sixth corps. Everybody in the d.
vision knew me, and I never had any
difficulty In getting all the help that
l needed from time to time. could
tell great deal about what happened,
both at the front and the rear, be-
tween that July and November. 1t was
my business to get the mail for my
division separated from that Of the
rest of the corps, when 1t could be
done, as quickly as possible, and TO
make regular trips back with the out
| going mail. Many adventures hap
pened TO me in this business; none
| quite so stirring as that of the early
morning of Oct. 10, 1864.
For two days previous had been
Mt Winchester. A mail was expected,
and, as usual, | was on hand to get
what belonged TO my division. / got
1t ON the evening of the 18th, after
dark. knew that General Sheridan
had arrived from Martinsburg that
day on his way back TO his army, and
that he was passing the night at Win
chester. Everything was quiet at the
front, according TO reports that had
come In that morning. The natural
and ordinary thing would have been
for me to wait in peace and comfort at
Winchester that night, sleeping in n
good bed, eating something better than
rat1ons that night and the next morn.
ing, and then falling In with the gen
erals eccort after breakfast. and rid
ing up to the front with them.
AS it happened. should have made
about the same progress that l did
had l adopted this course; and with
somewhat different adventures, should
have got my mail up to the division
about the same time.
don't know what It was moved me
to make night journey of it, unless
1t was that was not sleepy, and felt
, great deal more like riding than
sleeping. In that restless kind of con-
, dition, it occurred TO me that l might
just as well get the mail up to the
front at daybreak as six hours later,
and 1 acted promptly on the idea. My
{, horse was poor condemned animal
? that the QuaItermaster had furnished
= me some weeks before, claiming that
It was the best he could do for me.
al have no doubt he lied; but time has
: softened his offense, II 1t las not en-
= tirely wiped it out in my recollection
Of those days. That animal was knee
/, sprung, and could not be depended
. upon for more than two miles and a
half per hour. ] had tried my best t.
i, make an even exchange with some OF
the cavalry and ordcrics (when they
were not looking). but either they
= were too sharp, or was too dull, and
a the swap was never effected. My
Rosinante was well known all through
;. the command, and | became the sub
ject of much good-humored banter On
his account
/ calculated that by starting from
Winchester ut 10 o'clock that evening
, could pass over the fifteen miles be
=. tween that place and the camp OF the
: army by sunrise. There was som'
risk of guerrillas, but / had learnet
. something of their ways and was no
fearful of their lurking along thu
;, Valley pike that night.
So l started, reckoning without my
>, host. 1t seemed to me that my poo
|. old mount never went so slow. Will
difficulty I was able to get him Off {
y walk for three minutes at time. Tht
G night was cold and clear until abou
q 4 o'clock, when fog began to rise
passed through Milltown, Kernstown
q Newton and Mlddletown, all place
q that the veterans of the Shenandoah
d campaigns will recognize by thei
Il names.
c Just beyond Middletown heard
Q noise Of mnsketry away over to tn
n left. stopped a moment and thel
rode on, thinking it was only som
casual picket firing. A half mil
further heard volley from the sam
direction, then faint sound Of wha
a we used to call the rebel yell"
e l was riding nearly in tho direction
l. of the sound, and l now turned shar
,. Off to the right. A short distance owe
l. the meadows In that direction l say
d small shed, and obeying an impulse
r rode into It. i merely wanted
q stop and think what to do, as 1t wa
o pretty plain to me that an attack ha
t. been made by the enemy, and that
II battle would follow.
I In the shed there was horse, wit
Y no equipments but headstall an
O bride, and fastened by the latter.
n was just light enough for me to see
and my eyes devoured that animal.
was Virginia thoroughbred, as hant
some piece OF horsefesh as l ha
T. ever seen.
n How did he come there? You mus
l. ask some other person; l don't know
q can only suppose that, as Mosb
"a was operating Oh our rear that morl
N ing, this animal must have been lei
NJ there for few moments by one c