Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1905-02-18
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
OF THE WAR.
Graphic Account of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed ON the Battlefield and In
camp-veterans of the Rebellion Re-
cits Experiences OF Thrilling Nature.

regiment, the Forty-ffth Ohio, was
ON the firing line In close touch with
the Confederates. The minnies were
coming 50 thick that thought all
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
lodging and scroochng down and
coming obliquely toward us. Our Ma
jor stood up to get a better view, or
dering us lie down. The rebs got
sight of the object and opened fli-
rious fusillade. The Major called. or
dering the object to come in. A voice
answered, Don't shoot, boss, Use
comm
at turned out to be a saddle colored
negro boy about twelve years old,
who, bewildered had wandered in be
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 a the head of his regiment, fol
lowing General Hood from Nashville,
he heard a voice calling Hello, Nelsc
Thinking it was some acquaintance
calling one of his ehums. he did not
heed the repeated calls until the voice
said. Hello there NeiSe Franklin
| Then he turned and looked ut the
man calling his boyhood name, which
he had not heard since the war be
| gan. The man who spoke the name
was Il Confederate in the uniform of
| a hospital steward with a Sergeant's
/ 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 war he drifted along
/ with the company until he found him
/ self one of the rebs, sure enough, and
/ then pride and associations impelled
/ him to go on, but he added: 'Nelse.
| this army is routed and | am here In
/ charge of the wounded and sick
reckon we will he prisoners, ana
am mighty glad to meet you' After
/ the war Sawyer returned home, but
! there was an estrangement His neigh
/ bors and boyhood chums could not
! bridge the past. and he drifted back
! to the South and / lost sight of him"
when we were in front Of Spanish
/ fort in April. 1869 said Comradc Dan
| II. Anderson, I'VE had in our company
! a recruit whose time was nearly out
| His name was job jennings, and he
came from the Sixty eighth Indiana.
/ He was detailed to 90 out in the
/ trenches, and that was extra danger
Gus, as the rebels had got the range
on the zigzag we were making to
ward their fertilization. and were drop
! ping all sorts of shells for our enter
tanment. Jennings mother was a
/ widow, and he longcd TO see her. He
told me that if he went out be
would certainly be killed. IIa
said he was not coward. but
/ that he had a prcsentiment that he
/ wo2ld be killed. and he told me TO send
some things he gave me to his moth
/ or i'm case he did not come back. He
was the most forlorn looking mortal
/ ever saw, and ] said 10 him: I'm
/ pretty hard to Kill. I'll 20 for you"
And | went
Il had been vigilant all throughout
| the night, peeping through little
! portfolio made by placing a V-shaped
box made Of heavy plank, with notch
/ cut out of the bottom of 1t big enough
/ TO stick the barrel of n gun through.
/ set In the dirt we threw ont Of IA.
! PITS or Aigzag next to the enemy, leav-
! ing small opening through which we
/ fired, with very little exposure. The
/ zigzag was about a yard wide. and
from one 10 -four or five yards long
/ and five or six feet deep, with a step
/ left a foot or more high and more than
/ foot wide, on which 10 stand while
we looked through the portfolio /
saw very little 10 shoot at all night.
/ and just as day was dawning / heard
the swish Of the wings of a wild
goose. 1t was no unusual thing for
/ them to fly over us-dying low.
though. 50 | concluded 10 try a shot
at one.
THAT goose was thirteen inch
mortar she'll and as looked mp It
burst so close to my head that | in
voluntarily went down, that is TO say,
/ sat down, and as / had been stand
frrlsr. l.4.r. 4-r.