The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-02-23
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF. THE WAR.
Graphic Account Of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and In
camp-veterans of tho Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences Of Thrilling Nature.

cOlnr1ue, Sttlu Tic cViSShht,
moonlight nights at Jonesboro, remind
ed me of an incident on that field. our
regiment, the FOrty-fifth Ohio, was
on the firing line in close touch WIN
the Confederates The minnleS were
coming so thick that thought ali
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
dodging and scrooching down ana
coming obliuuely toward us. Our Ma
jor stood up to get better view' or
dering us lie down. The rebs got
sight of the object and opened III
rious fusillade. The Major Called or
dering the object to come In. A voice
answered, Don't shoot, boss, Use
comm
1T turned out to be a saddle colored
negro boy about twelve years DID,
who, bewildered, had wandered IN De-
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
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 he's rd a voice calling, Hello, Nelse. '
Thinking 1t 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
a hospital steward, with Sergeants
yellow stripes on his arms. The Ser
geant came up. saying, How are you,
Nelse? Don't you know me? This
Is 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 a 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, anC
then pride and associations impellet
him to 20 on, but he added: 'Nelse
this army is routed and l am here II
charge of the wounded and sick.
reckon we will be prisoners, and
am mighty glad to meet you Aftel
the war Sawyer returned home. bu
here was an estrangement. His neigh
bors and bOyhoOd chums could no
bridge the past. and he drifted bacl
to the South and lost sight of him..
when we We're in front Of Spanisl
Tort in April. 1861" said COmrade Dai
K. Anderson. I'VE had In our cOmpan.
n recruit whose time was nearly out
His name was Job Jennings, and h
came from the SiXty-eighth Indiana
He was detailed to 60 out IN tn
trenches, and that was extra danger
Gus, as the rebels had got the rang
! on the Zigzag we were making to
ward their fertilization. and We're drol
ping all sorts of shells for our enter
;; tainment. Jennings mother was
| nd hn lnnDa1 fn har III
told me that If he went out b
would certainly be killed. IL
said he was not coward. bu
that he had presentiment that h
would be killed. and he told me to sen
some things he gave me to his mott
er in case he did not come back. h
was the most forlorn looking mort.
[ ever saw, and l said to him: III
pretty hard to kill. I'll go for you
And / went.
81 had been vigilant all throughO,
the night, peeping through lit
portfolio made by placing V-shape
box made of heavy plank, with note
sut out of the bottom of 1t big enOus
: to stick the barrel of a gun throug
set in the dirt we threw out of Il
> pits or zigzag next to the enemy, lea
ing a small opening through which v
fired, with very little exposure. II
zigzag was about a yard wide, al
from one to four or five yards loI
and five or six feet deep, with n ST
u left foot or more high and more tn;
J.. foot wide, on which to stand whi
we looked through the portfolio.
saw very little to shoot at all nigl
: and just as day was dawning l hea
:, the swish of the wings Of a wi
goose. 1t was no unusual thing f
them to fly over us-fying low,
though, so l concluded to try a sh
g at one.
Ie "That goose was thirteen in
If mortar shell, and as looked up
a burst so close to my head that 1
lr voluntarily went down. that is to Sc
le 1 sat down, and as had been star
t. ing a foot or more higher than t
K landing place, 1 was killed again,
le to speak. 1t was sandy soil-I rene
e. Der HOW lLsll l. "dS thdl l
soil was sandy, and when one of
ar comrades came TO me and ask
e. where l was hit l told him to thu
in me and see if 1 was alive. Two
ce the detail ON either side of me W,
is not so fortunate as l, for one was k
ed instantly, and the other BAT
lie wounded.
or Il had just begun to cOngratul
myself on my lucky escape when
ut other one of those thirteen inch V
tors made n hole in the ground
Ii more than foot from Inc. l lool
into the hole and saw the sand com
up. Instantly l was nearly buried
/ rolled into the hole blown out by
=. explosion of the shell. l dug mys
"a out and intended to skedaddle out
there. an admirable thing during
r. heavy bombardment of the rifle p
rs as the occupants would retire to
IL antronna Of tha gan cnd await n ca