The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-02-23
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING REMINiSCENCEo
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and I'm
Camp-vetsrans Of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences Of Thrilling Nature.

Camp-vefsrans Of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences of Thrilling Nature.
''That story of the Thirtieth Iowa
comrade," said the Sergeant, about
moonlight nights at Jonesboro, remind
ed me of an incident on that field. Our
regiment, the Forty-fifth Ohio, was
IN the firing line in close touch with
the Confederates. The minnies were
coming so thick that thought all 1
would have to do to gather a hand
full would be to stand up and open my
hand. At this juncture we saw In the
space between the lines an object
lodging and scrooching down and
coming obliquely toward Us. Our Ma
jor stood up to set better view, or
dering us lie down. The rebs got
sight Of the object and opened n f'i-
rious fusillade. The Major called, or
dering the object to come In. A voice
answered, Don't shoot, boss. Use
comin'.'
'It turned out to be saddle colored
negro boy about twelve years old,
who, bewildered, had wandered in be-
tween the lines In his right hand
he had a new steel colored Colts navy
revolver, which he said he found cross
ing the field, and for which the Major
paid him $40. 1t has always been a
mystery how he escaped between two
fires, but he was unhurt. The boys
decided he was the 'Artful Dodger,'
and we so named him."
Speaking Of the Forty-fifth Ohio"
said the Colonel, "calls to mind an odd
adventure. As Major Nelson Frank
lin, commanding that regiment, was
passing through Franklin, Tenn, rid
ing at the head of his regiment, fol-
lowing General Hood from Nashville,
he heard voice calling, Hello, Nelse.'
Thinking it was some acquaintance
calling one of his chums, he did not
heed the repeated calls until the voice
said, Hello there, Nelse Franklin
Then he turned and looked at the
man calling his boyhood name, which
he had not heard since the war be-
gan. The man who spoke the name
was a Confederate in the uniform Of
q hospital steward, with a Sergeant's
yellow stripes on his arms. The Ser
geant came up, saying, How are you,
Nelse? Don't you know me? This
IL Ed Sawyer and then followed ex-
plantations.
when the war broke out Ed Saw
yer, an Ohio boy, was in Mississippi,
and was a member of local militia
company. Believing it was not going
to be much of a war he drifted along
with the company until he found him.
self one of the rebs, sure enough, and
then pride and associations impelled
him to go on, but he added: 'Nelse,
this army is routed and l am here in
charge of the wounded and sick. 1
reckon we will be prisoners, and l
am mighty glad to meet YOU After
the war Sawyer returned home, but
there was an arrangement His neigh
bors and boyhood chums could not
bridge the past, and he drifted back
to the Southland lost sight of him."
when we were In front of Spanish
tort in April, 1865" said Comrade Dan
r. Anderson, 1--WE had in our company
recruit whose time was nearly out
His name was Job Jennings, and he
came from the Sixty-eighth Indiana.
He was detailed to go out In the
trenches, and that was extra danger
Gus, as the rebels had got the range
ON the zigzag we were making to-
ward their fertilization, and were drop
ping all sorts OF shells for our enter
tainment. Jennings mother was a
widow, and he longed to see her. He
odd me that if he went out he
would certainly be killed. He
Iaid he was not a coward. but
that he had a presentiment that he
would be killed, and he told me to send
some things he gave me to his moth
er In case he did not come back. He
was the most forlorn looking mortal
I ever saw, and 1 said to him: I'm
pretty hard to kill. I'll 60 for your
And I went.
II had been vigilant all throughout
the night, peeping through little
portfolio made by placing a v-shaped
box made Of heavy plank, with notch
nut out of the bottom of 1t big enough
to stick the barrel of a gun through,
set In the dirt we threw out of the
pits or zigzag next to the enemy, leav-
ing small opening through which we
fred, with very little exposure. The
Eigzag was about a yard wide, and
from one to four or five yards long,
and five or six feet deep. with a step
left foot or more high and more than
foot wide, on which to stand while
we looked through the porthele. 1
saw very little to shoot at all night,
and just as day was dawning 1 heard
the swish of the wings of a wild
goose. 1t was no unusual thing for
them to ny over us-fying low, 1
though, 80 I concluded to try a shot
1t one
THAT goose was a thirteen inch
mortar shell, and as 1 looked up It
burst so close to my head that I in
voluntarily went down. that is to say,
I sat down, and as 1 had been stand
Ing foot or more hieier than the
landing place, I was killed again, so
to speak 1t was sandy soil remem-
Der now that was thankful that the
soil was sandy, and when one Of the
comrades ~ mo fo mo ond oct~o5