Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-02-25

The volunteers" said the Captain,
went into the army in 1851 with
queer notions of military service. In
the first year of the war / heard men
well Informed on general subjects
contend that a commanding officer
could not compel his men to march
In the rain or to fight on Sunday or
to make a campaign In winter. All
these things they declared were in
the army regulations. and If any Gen
eral dared TO disregard them there
would be trouble.
Before our company had been six
months in the service it had made
several forced marches in the rain,
had waded rivers on three different
occasions. had fought Its bIoodiest en-,
gagement on Sunday, and the boys
had revised their army regulations to
read, An officer may do with his men
what he pleases, providing always,
that he ticks the enemy.
"At Stone River a captain of the
best disciplined company in the regi-
ment ordered his men, retreating in
line. to stop and pull out gun car
rage damned in between two trees.
The captain and two men stepped out
and the company went on. The cap
tain and his two helpers were prison
erS In five minutes, and word came TO
the company that the captain had
sworn he would have them all punish
ed for disobedience Of orders as soon
as he was released from prison.
In due time he was released and
returned to the regiment in new
uniform. He came up with the col
umn just as the men had been order
ed to throw up intrenchments, and
when he reached his company the
men were as muddy as so many ditcn-
ers. They suspended work only a
minute to give the captain a cheer.
In that minute the wag of the COM
pany asked; Where is the cannon,
Cap? This forced the issue, and the
captain, laughing, said the Joke was
on him. In fifteen minutes he was
working as hard as mis- men. and his
new uniform was a sight TO behold"
Il played sapper and miner" said
Dan X. Anderson, down at Spanish
Fort in 1864. | was detailed to go
out with men from other regiments.
remember two men in line ahead
OF me were from the Thirty third iii
nois. At the entrance to the zigzag
we were furnished with tools. The
two Thirty third boys were given
axes. spade was my trump, and
all the rest but one drew spades or
shoyels. That one had n pick. We
were marched TO the end of the zig
gag, led by great, stout engineer.
would like to know his name, and
IL he is alive and sees this he will
remember the incident, and me, as |
tried u pull him over big pile OF
dirt, thinking him badly wounded.
Arriving at our destination, 1t was re
yealed to us that large limb of
fallen pine tree was directly in the
path of the Zlgzag, and must be cut
away. No. / was told to get up and
cut 1t off. He said: i can't chop
same excuse. How could a man
raised in a prairie country be sup
posed TO know how to chop? Then IT
came my turn, and / was asked Can
you chop Not very well with a
spade i said And no sooner had |
said 1t than / was proffered an AK by
each Of the two Thirty third Illinois
boys
only few years previously had
prided myself as being a chopper
from away back In Posey County, In
diana. If only ] bad the AK TO suit
me, but tneGe two--good Lord! One
had only half Of the bit left; the other
was no chOpplng az. | took the one
with n broken bit and mounted the
log. 1t was about a foot in diameter
and within twenty yards of the rebel
rife pits. ! took in the situation and
wondered If | would be recognizable
after | cut that limb off, for I meant
to cut It OFF, dead or alive. | heard
a rebel officer say to his men to come
up this way; 'they's chopin right out
| tUdT close. NOW, ubtFU, IN you uuS
all git the sound where It is, and get
ready and all fire at once | wished
| then that | was the thicknss Of n
sheet of writing paper. | waited till
| ] thought IT time for them to fire,
when / quietly dropped down on the
| lee side Of the log and kept pecking
| away at IT. The ruse worked. They
fired, and | up and at It again.
| again heard the order TO load, and
kept ready to drop instantly heard
the word Ready All fired again and
| never touched me.
Il chopped, and as shot after shot
came my way ! had the limb nearly
cut through when a bullet struck fhe
handle Of the AZ. splintering it 50
( badly that / called for the other one,
md was delighted when had
bruised through and the limb was out
| of the way. / was pulled down I'm