The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-03-23
THE BAT'TLE-FIELDS
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES
The E;Iue and the Gray Review Incl
dents of the Late War, and In Q
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell of Camp, March and Battle

Tell of Camp, March and Battle.
In ihe summer of 1861 Col. Martin
Green was appointed Brigadier-Gen-
eral of the Secession forces in the
First Congressional District of Mis-
souri,, and he gathered up 1,SOO men
to stamp out Unionism in that section,
and particularly to wipe off the earth
Col David Moore, and his FIRST
Northeastern Missouri Infantry,
which were stationed at Athens, Mo.
DIR. J. T. Norris, now prominent
physician of Kahoka, Mo-, was one OF
Green's band, ''the flower of the land
as the Secession papers described them'
and gives this account of the battle:
"Our men got off their horses and
tied them to trees and fence posts.
They were armed with shOtguns and
squirrel rifles that would shoot possi-
bly, from 75 to 15O yards. Then we
had two cannon, a six and nine
FOUNDER.
''The Federals lined up in the form
of an L. Our cannon were unlimber-
ed and the gInners went to work. 10
me it looked homicidal to point those
grim monsters at human beings. Re
member, none of use knew any more
of war beyond what we had read in
the books.
''The cannoneers applied tnelr
matches. l shuddered and turned my
head. Two awful detonations follow
ed-and the balls lit In Iowa. They
graciously Travelled about 300 feet
above the enemy, who jeered us.
'For two hours the battle ragged
on f1anks and center. Word came to
us that the Des Moines River was
almost choked with the corpses Of the
Federals. 1t was said the river was
becoming a rich carmine hue. We
cheered and started forward. Then
we made a disagreeable discovery
the enemy's muskets would shoot
more than twice as far as our hunting
guns. We might just as well have
been shooting in the air, for all the
good we were doing.
"Of course, the thing to have done
on learning of the superior range OF
| their guns was to charge 'em. There
were enough of US to have gathered
| in the whole crowd, brass buttons an0
all. But their guns could outshoot
ours, and it was as easy as adding two
and two to figure out that they mus
necessarily be able to lick US. Every
blessed Confederate turned himself
into a lightning calculator to work out
the result, and then made a break fol
his horse.
"Did 1 run, too? You bet did. Il
seems funny enough now, but
thought had fine reason for it then
In spite of the Des Moines River be
ing damned by dead biuecoats, we fell
| certain there were enough left tc
reach us with those terrible long
range muskets.
| You never saw such mix-up a!
when the fugitives tried to unhitcl
their horses. Few waited to unite
them. Some slashed the brides will
a knife; others tried to jerk them loos'
by main force. The horses imbibet
the terror of their masters and jumped
around frantically. Many broke loos,
and rushed wildly across the field, add
ing to the uproar. Some Of the ex
cited soldiers struck out across tn,
country without taking time to ge
their horses. The cannon-those ter
rible engines designed to terrify tn
enemy-were dragged of the field ant
hidden in some hazel brush.
"The rout didn't stop until the Cor
federates got back to their homes Il
Marion, Lewis, Shelby, Scotland
Knox and Schuyler Counties Yo
never saw men so hOmesick in al
your life. During all this panic an
confusion there was no attempt b
the enemy to pursue. While Co
Moore's soldiers could outshoot a.
they couldn't Outrun us-not that day
after the excitement had worn o.
bit, and the boys had rested. the
met and reorganized. Every man sal
he wasn't scared up there at Athen:
he Just wanted to get away The
laughed over their display Of PAM,
but were grlmly determined 1t shoul
never occur again.
"Those men who ran the hardest d,
veloped into the finest soldiers yo
ever saw. They Joined the regula
Confederate army. and many Of thel
atoned with their lifeblood for the
scare at Athens. Inconsequential 6
the battle was, it gave them in aftt
days the equipoise of veterans an
taught them how to stand and be sh,
at without nching."-American Tril
une.
The Yates Phalanx of 1861.
"The Yates phalanx," said the Ca
tain, chad a hard time getting in
the service and a hard time gettiI
| out 7 rompmhpr wal1 that we hppe