The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-02-09
THE BATlTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents Of the Late War, and In q
Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.


Graphic and Interesting Manner
Tell Of Camp, March and Battle.
1.-The stories of zigzags, mines and
other things at Port Arthur" said Dan
R. Anderson, remind me of incidents
preceding the fall of Spanish fort, Mo-
bile Bay, in April, 1865. There we en-
,ountered mines and all sorts Of cum
ningly devised distractions. Brush
with ends sharpened was piled in three
lines, sharp ends out. There were in
tervals every few yards paved with
torpedoes and percussion shells war
ranted to explode under pressure.
Then there was a cheval-de-f rise-
something in the shape Of sheep rack
coupled together with swivels, and
al the points Of the rack sharpened,
making it very trying thing to get
over. Volunteers from the Twenty
nxth Indiana Veteran Volunteers were
called to go out and fasten a rope to
the cheval-de-f rise and 'hoss' her in.
Lieutenant John A. Whist, Sergeants
James Greer, W. E. Craig, and Private
Daniel R. Anderson, all Of Company /,
Twenty-six Indiana Veteran Volun-
teer Infantry, crawled to the rack and
succeeded in fastening a couple Of
ropes to the shaft Of the rack, and it
was accomplished, too, notwithstand-
Ing rebel sentinels were lying in fife
pits every few yards close up behind
the rack. 1t was managed so quietly
that the rebs found us out only when
the movement Of the rack began.
1.-THE venturesome crew returned to
our zigzag sap highly elated and began
pulling on the lines, making satisfac-
tory progress until the rack brought
up against stump. One rope broke
under the strain, but the other held,
and the rack was broken and one end
reached our line of works, leaving a
gap which we took advantage of later,
when Lieutenant John A. Whist,
with about forty of Company 1, Twen-
ty-sixth Indiana Veteran Volunteer In
tantry, made his entry through the en-
bracure where 'Whistling Dick had
Teen dismounted by a fine shot from
the battery of big guns taken from
the ironclad Milwaukee that was
blown up by topedo in Mobile Bay
The shot was fired by Steve Phillips
Of the Milwaukee When we jumped
into the rebel rifle pits we found them
well manned, but with men willing to
quit. Inside the fort all was turmoil
and confusion. Three steamers were
at the wharf and everybody trying to
get aboard. That was a mix-up, but
there was no fighting, and as we Yam
KEGS were more intent on sampling the
good things to be found in the officers
hastily vacated quarters than in taking
prisoners, only about 1900 forced
themselves on us. The rest went out
On the excursion to Mobile
"As we moved to invest the fort the
Twenty sixth Indiana was on the left
center, and we moved up to within 600
yards Of the field works of the fort
and bivouacked the first night in gull
lies and small hills which abounded in
that locality. Company 1 was in
very exposed position, as we soon dis
covered when one of the boys built
Ere on a pine stump to cook coffee.
Hardly was the fire lighted when
stream of bullets came our way, one
Of which hit the coffee pot 80 hard
that it was out for all time. We had
but one tent up, and it was in line of
The fire, and was perforated with mimic
bills, as was Charlie Wilson, who was
lying on the ground with his head in
side the tent, looking on at a game of
poker which was going on there.
Charlie picked up the bullet in his leg
and said things. The tent came down
at once and was moved around behind
4 hill and the card players never
missed q deal
During the night the battery of our
brigade was advanced fully 200 yards
and fertilization made for its protec-
hon in front. Early the next day we
were treated to display of valor by
New York regiment charging, coming
from the left Of the line at right OBJ
lique, and between the Twenty-sixth
Indiana and the Thirty-third Illinois,
and dang me if they didn't capture
our battery right before our eyes and
before we tumbled to just what they
were driving at. But enough Of the
rwenty-sixth went over and persuaded
the New Workers to lend the battery to
as, as we had lost ours. We had made
breastworks Of pine logs backed with
sand to a width of eighteen feet on
top, and had dug pits close up against
the breastworks large enough to hold
fifty men, covering each pit with pine
logs two or three feet deep, and the
logs with sand to the depth Of four
feet, leaving an incline entrance at
pne end. Our tents were pitched close
to the bombproofs, but were not occu-
pied, as the bombproofs offered a safer
retreat. And it was, as the Irishman
said, dangerous to be safe anywhere
when the dom shells do be flying
Zone morning, after being out all
night on fatigue duty, 1 was asleep
In my tent oblivious to the fact that
about 800 cannon. large and small,
were exchanging compliments. In a
dreamy sort Of way 1 heard the boys
remarking about where the shell, a
thirteen inch one, would strike. And
then I heard the familiar whistle Of
the 800 pound rife shell from Whis-
Ting Dick. It had struck in front of
our brea stworks. exploded. and the