The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-03-30
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys Of Both Armies Whiled
Away Life In Camp-Fora4inR Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril.
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

l
experiment. I never saw the exper-
iment tried until after our army had
ben driven back at Stone River, and
when it was proposed, then to throw
the infantry to the front Of the artil-
lery, and fire over them at the attack
ing enemy, demurred. The idea was
to save the artillery as well as the In
fantry, the General insisting that when
the heavy guns had shattered the en-
emy's line our own infantry would be
in position to finish the work.
$50 it happened that the men Of our
division were formed in line in front
of five or more batteries Of artillery.
ordered to lie close to the ground and
await orders. The boys could see the
rebel line coming at a double quick,
and they wanted to know what the
darned fool General meant. But no
sooner were they down than the bat
teries opened on the rebels, the shot
and shell passing not more than two
feet above the heads of our own men.
Most Of these were stunned by the un-
usual situation, and by the roar of the
| guns so near them.
observed those in my vicinity very
closely to note the first effect on
nerves. Most of them accepted the sit
uation in good part, and, turning their
faces to the ground, waited patiently
for the end. On few the strain was
too much, and, while not a shot or
shell touched them, they were at the
end disabled and helpless. Others
seemed dazed and in a state Of col
lapse until the artillery at the signal
ceased firing and the order came to
charge. Then the men who had
seemed to be on the point Of collapse
went forward blindly but Justify, re-
turning to their senses as they ran.
Some of these were in the hospital the
next week, and their cases were
mystery to me and were very difficult
on treatment"
81 speak," said the Sergeant, "fOr
those who kept their heads and who
made no complaint except on account
Of the burning wadding from the guns
or the fiery flakes or sparks that fell
1
often than otherwise burned through
overcoat and blouse before they were
discovered. The boys talked about
being held at the cannon's mouth.
about the surprise that awaited the
Johnnies in front, and, as the perform
anca continued longer than they ex-
pected, they wriggled from place to
place or the ground, doing consider
able visiting.
ut seems incredible to me now, but
while the bombardment was in prog
ress l received visits from two men Of
regiments In other divisions whom 1
had not seen In the course Of the war.
One of them was an old schoolmate.
His regiment had been driven back on
our left just as we were ordered to
lie down in front of the guns. Motto
ing the number of our regiment, and,
as he put it, feeling little lonesome,
he decided to join US and see the out
come of the new tactics.
when the firing began, and the
smoke from thirty or forty cannon
settled down upon us, darkening the
air about us like cloud, he asked
where Company c was, and, with his
nose to the ground, crept along the
front Of three companies until he
found me. All our faces were black
with dirt and smoke, and when my old
schoolmate. without looking up. spoke
my name. some one said, jocularly:
What you want. Dirty FaceT and,
slapping me on the shoulder, said,
Here is your man. We lay side by
side for what seemed to us long
time, when there came creeping
| toward us another figure.
The fellow was coming slowly, his
movements In the smoky gloom re-
minding me of pictures of Indians
creeping on an enemy. Like the other,
he asked for me, and when l said
Here" lie Topped down close beside
ME, speaking only one word, "Teach-
err l felt. rather than saw, that one
of the incorrigibles Of my first school
had come to me. He made ne under
stand that it was his private opinion
that h had broken loose and that
we were all doomed. Oppressed by
this impression, he thought he would
like to die with somebody who knew
him. don't you know? Therefore he
came over to his old teacher. After
| the charge he took everything back
about the end CT the world and all
that, and, so far as I know, is living
to-day
speaking Of what cannon balls
were capable of doing. while seem
ingiy harmless" said Dan r. Ander-
son. brings to memory strange case
| of an Ohio soldier at the battle of Mis-
siopary Ridge. Nov % or "a. 1863.
He was brought to the general field
hospital. Army of the Cumberland. and
was put in tent near the commissarX
tent. so that ! could hear him groan
In his agony. His groaning was ex-
cessive and something altogether un-
usual--sO much so that it caused me
to so to him. l met one Of the con-
tract surgeons coming from the tent
and asked what was the cause He
said: There's nothing the matter at
all. He is playing off and am going
to send him to his regiment 1 went
in to the sufferer, asking him where
he was wounded. He said all he knew
about it was that as he was going up
the ridge a shell from rifle cannon
had passed in front of him so close
that it took him off his feet, knocking
the breath out of him, and that when
| he came to his senses he experienced
the most unusual pain in his bowels,
and that there was no let-up to 1t.
There was no visible discolOra ton.
| His pulse was normal and the only
| thing to indicate anything wrong was
his respiration. which was like that in
case of lung fever. l called the doc
| tors attention to his way of breathing,
and they all. except the Major in
oh roa vy-hn was NOT DraSant ca id Ma