The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-06-08
THE BATTLE-FlELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents Of the Late War, and In .
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.

oCHss VI ING <<otc war; anu N
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.
II saw Abraham Lincoln for the
first time" said the Captain, Nat d.
L. Moody's Bible class or Sunday
school In the old North Market Hall,
which stood where the county Jail is
now located. This was before the war,
when Moody's school of more than a
thousand was we'll organized, and
when boys and girls and young men
and women from all parts Of the city
were regular attendants. Moody made
1t a point to capture distinguished
strangers who came to the city and
have them visit his classes.
II remember what a contrast there
was between the tall Mr.. Lincoln in
1850 and the short, stocky Mr.. Moody.
i never quite understood how Moody
managed his big classes, but / know
that all the youngsters hung on his
words wherever they happened to be
In the hall, and that they were very
demonstrative in their devotion to him.
Lincoln, before he was introduced, had
taken all this in, and he made a very
striking little address, expressing his
sympathy with Mr.. MCody's methods
and his pleasure at being among the
young people VINO were so proud Of
Dwight L. Moodys leadership.
Il did not see Lincoln again until
the third or fourth year Of the war.
when he came into a hospital where
there were good many wounded men.
i had shaken hands with him In the
old North Market Hall and it seemed
a matter of course for him to come and
shake hands with me in the hospital.
1t did not seem strange that the Presi-
dent Of the United States, after few
words with me, should speak Of Moody
and mis- work among the soldiers, and
enlarge upon his way Of getting hold
of people and never letting go. There
were four years between the meeting
in Chicago and the meeting In the hos
pital, and yet Lincoln spoke as If he
had seen me and Moody only the week
before. / never think of Lincoln but
j think also of Dwight L. Moody"
do you know" said the Major,
"that of all the soldier stories current
during the war the story Of what a
Pennsylvania Dutchman said after
Charlottesville pleased Mr.. Lincoln
most? Early in the war the story of
the German who said he fought init
Sigep was repeated again and again,
but it seemed to Mr.. Lincoln and a
good many others that the story of
the Pennsylvania Dutchman was as
well worth the telling as that Of the
man who fought with Sigel.
"A Dutchman In a Pennsylvania
regiment was severely wounded at
Charlottesville and was left on the
field. After the battle a Confederate
soldier insisted that the wounded man
ought to surrender not only his gun,
but his blouse and hat. The Dutchman
protested that that was no way to treat
q wounded man, when the Rebel turn
ed on him with the question, What did
you come down here for, anyhow The
wounded man replied that he came
down into Virginia to fight
why in hell said the reb. didn't
you fight In Pennsylvania? What right
had you to come down into Virginia
to fight? After a minute the Pennsyl-
vania Dutchman said: Veil, I fights
IL Co Z,
Everywhere This struck the inquisitive
reb as being very good, and the Dutch
man lived to tell the story Of how he
got the best of Rebel to his own COM
rades. In one regiment, at least, the
saying, L fights NIT Uncle Sam was as
common as fights. NIT Siger was in
Others"
81 have often thought" said the Ser
geant, that the significance CT certain
soldier expressions has been lost in the
years since the war, although many of
them have gone into literature Others
that had a meaning for certain brig
AIDES or divisions are In danger of be-
ing lost. For example, there was
SuellluS Tue WOOuS. LII tue uTSt anu
second years of the war many generals
commanding divisions when feeling the
enemy rarely advanced into timber
lands without first Smelling the woods
That is to say, they made great
noise firing into woods that might shell
ter an enemy, but which rarely did, and
created commotion in all other di-
visions within hearing distance This
occurred so often that when the boys
heard the sounds of heavy firing they
were apt to say 'Negley Smelling the
woods and go on with their poker
game. When they came home and
heard minister or a political speaker
talk much on mere assumptions they
were wont to say He is Smelling the
woods'-which meant a great deal to
the fellows who understood.
Zone morning our brigade was lying
In a wide stretch Of timber land when
the enemy opened on Us with shot and
shell. Cannon balls rolled through the
ranks, tree branches cut on by smaller
shot fell upon us, and, while not many
men were hurt, most of Us were very
uncomfortable, and even the poker
players were disturbed. One man re-
marked: The darned fools are khell.
ing the woods, and they don't know we
are here But this did not relieve the