Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1905-06-09


and Herndon's, and proceeded to that
neighborhood, intending to strike the
road leading to those points about
midway, and thus cut off any detach-
ments that might have been sent off
towards Concord. | entered the road
about four miles from the fart In a
few moments. Observed the enemy
throwing out sklrmishers. l took posi-
tion with my force, but the ground be-
ing exceedingly broken and hilly, un.
fit for cavalry, fell back to the west,
to find ground upon which we could
operate.
II soon learned that the enemy had
learned of our coming, and had reg
iment of infantry in waiting to sur
prise us.
81 detached Capt Stocks company
to act as skirmishers in the rear and
right over ridge around which the
enemy were attempting to come up.
He soon was engaged in a skirmish
with the enemy, but, seeing their
whole force, about 200, before him,
he fell back, having two men wounded
was left on the field. Capt. Stock re-
ported two or three of the enemy
killed.
The expedition was undertaken at
the earnest entreaty of the citizens,
to check the depradations of the en-
emy and to force them to draw in
their foraging parties.
vised of our coming, and my advance
guards and skirmishers saved us from
a surprise.
General. what am to do with my
men this terrible meather? Half sup
piled with tents and cooking utensils,
we cannot remain in this condition. l
beg your attention to their wants. Pa
gett's and Houston's broken companies
have no tents at all or supplies of any
kind having lost them at Fort Hell
man.
~. H. Miller, Lieutenant Colonel, Com
manding."
Now, boys, what do you think of
that report? Who were the two or
three killed? Don't all speak at once.
do not find that Col. A. K John
son ever made any report of this af.
fair. l am persuaded that he was out
there on his own hook, and am equally
certain that the terrible depre-
dations" existed only in the minds of
the terror-stricken people of Ken
lucky. | have stated exactly the num-
ber of our men, according to the his
tory of our movements, that were on
that expedition, writes Ed L. Hobart,
Twenty-eighth Illinois, and l take no
stock in the report of Capt. Stock,
estimating the number to have been
200, and my recollection is that none
were wounded, and l verify believe that
the fellow left mortally wounded" of
the enemy was shamming.
The camp of the Twenty-seventh
Alabama was not all we captured at
Fort Heiman. On the bluff, overlook
ing the river, stood an old tobacco
warehouse, in which was stored for
the use of the confederate army.
should say. 500 bushels of a native
bean, or pea; but can say it was not
made for the Yankee palate, and the
more we tried to get bean taste out
of the dish the more we abhorred
them. The old army bean caught us,
AS the song goes:
THE German is fond of sauer- -kraut,
The potato is loved by the Mick,
But the Yank has long since found out
To the old army bean he will stick"
| remember one experience at Fort
Heiman. 1t came my time to cook
for the mess. ! loaded up the camp
kettle with tie lavorite staple and
about the tinr, l expected my COM
rades off picket for dinner looked
into the luscious kettle and discovered
to my horror the beans were full of
worms, so l dumped the whole lot onto
the ground. and explained to my hun
CRY comrades that the beans were
spoiled and brought spoonful as evil
dence. | was then and there pro-
nounced rank failure as a cook, and
was told that the heart of the bean
was the fertile and all-important part
of the vegetable.
But about this time the guns at
Fort Donelson, IA miles away, began
to remind us of our mission in that
country, and that terrible war was on
in dead earnest. Aside from the re-
newal of the many games of chance
practiced by my comrades. there was
little else talked of than our chances
for participation in the game of war;
but with some of those boys it seemed
to me they had struck their gait when
crouching around game of cards, yet,
with one exception in my company.
do not recall but this single case
where such soldier was not ready to
stand up in the fight. This man was
a card fiend. and have seen him at
a critical moment in a game culver
in every nerve, but he never lost his
head yet. cannot recall single post
of duty where he was ever found fill.
ing 1t in a soldierlike way.
The countersign.
"In our army at the wesS" said a