The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-03-09

Tho volunteers" said the Captain,
went into the army in 1851 "a
queer notions Of military service
The first year Of the war / heard N r
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 II any Cen
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 it's bloodiest 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 reg1-
ment ordered his men, retreating in
line, to stop and pull out a gun ca
t1age Jammed 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.
I'm due time he was released and
returned to the regiment in a 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
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 his men, and Ills
new uniform was a sight to behold"
II played sapper and r1iler," said
Dan r. Anderson, down at Spanish
Fort in 1864. I was detailed to go
out with men from other regiments.
] remember two men In line ahead
OF me were from the Thirty third ILL.,
nois. At the entrance to the zigzag
we were furnished with tools. The
two Thirty-third boys were given
axes A spade was my trump, and
all the rest but one drew spades or
shovels. That one had a pick. We
were marched to the end of the zig
Tag, 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 to pull him over big pile Of
dirt, thinking him badly wounded.
Arriving at our destination, 1t was re-
vealed to US that a large limb of
fallen pine tree was directly in the
path of the zigzag, and must be cut
away. No. 1 was told to get ND and
cut 1t of. He said: L can't chop
Then No. 2 was asked. He made the
same excuse. How could q man
raised in 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
spade said. And no sooner had I
said it than 1 was proffered an Ak by
each Of the two ThirV-third Illinois
boys.
only a few years previously had
prided myself as being a chopper
from away back In Posey County, In
diana. If only / had the ak to suit
me, but these two-good Lord! One
had only half Of the bit left; the other
was no chopping ak. 1 took the one
with a 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 II 1 would be recognizable
after I cut that limb of, for / meant
to cut IT of, dead or alive. heard
q rebel officer say to his men to come
up this way; 'they's chopin right out
thar close. Now, listen, an you uns
all git the sound where it Is, and get
ready and all fire at once / wished
then that 1 was the thicknss of n
sheet Of writing paper. I waited till
I thought it time for them to fire,
when l quietly dropped down on the
lee side Of the log and kept pecking
away at It. The ruse worked. They
fred, and / up and at it again. I
again heard the order to load, and
kept ready to drop instantly 1 heard
the word Ready All fired again and
never touched me.
81 chopped, and as shot after shot
came my way had the limb nearly
cut through when a bullet struck the
handle Of the ak, spiintering it %
badly that called for the other one,
and was delighted when l had
bruised through and the limb was out
Of the way. was pulled down In
the pit by the engineer, and was told
that my share of digging was to be
done from below the danger line.
The engineer climbed up and told
the rest Of the def 1 to follow, and
be marked out es mans allotted
space In which :. liz. which took
some Of them right q the face Of the
rebel pickets. but by STOPPING quite
low the protection Of the fallen tree
trunk enabled them to soon get out Of
DANGER. nat however. before one of