The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1905-07-27
THE BOOMING CANNON
RECCTALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
TILE INCIDENTS.
Sn rvfvors Of the Rebellion Relate
Many AmusinG and Startling Incl
dents Of Marches, Camp Life, Forag.

Ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.
"Soon after we left Atlanta on the
anarch to the sea- said Captain Fowl.
!ar, I'VE captured two guns of a bat
terry that had been taken from us a
few weeks before The whole out.
fit Of guns and caissons, cannoneers
drivers and horses was turned over
TO me, and as just at that time could
mot put my hands on artillerymen OF
drivers to take charge, kept the cap
Tured men in their places and sent
them forward under guard For all
Shat day Sherman's army had on the
march "a section of a battery manned
by men in gray.
"The prisoners accepted the situa-
tfon cheerfully and talked jocularly
abtht doing duty in Sherman's army.
III Tne evening they went into camp in
'rsSulation order, and when 1 came
up | found my own men accepting as
gifts the cedar canteens and other
parts of the equipment Of the rebs
that struck their fancy 1 called n halt
on this and Informed my men that
they could buy or trade for the pos
sessions of the prisoners, but they
could not levy on them Every rebel
carried a curious little keg of cedar
wood instead of n canteen, and most
of them were eager to trade their lit
tie kegs for our tin canteens and most
of my men were as eager to trade
canteens for kegs.
For an hour or more there was
lively trading, the rebel artillerymen
receiving many things they wanted
and my own company Of horse artiI-
lery coming into possession of many
curiosities. The next morning the
prisoners took their places with other
prisoners and l lost sight of them. We
were well toward Savannah when, as
l was riding by the column of men
captured on the march, 1 was sur
prised by cheer. This came from
my detachment of rebel artlllerymen,
who remembered me as associated
with their first and only days service
In Sherman's army"
DO you remember" said the Ser
geant, Captain Lucius H. Drury, Of
the Old Badger, or Third Wisconsin
Battery? Just previous to the battle
OF Chickamauga he was General Van
Cleve's chief Of artillery, and when
Crittenden. commanding the Twenty
first corps, ordered General Van Cleve
to make reconnaissance from Cor
don's Mills toward Lafayette, to feel
the enemy, but not to bring on an
engagement, Drury managed the artil-
lery part of the program. This was
September Is, 1868, and we soon felt
the enemy AS our regiment emerged
from the woods in about the center
OF our line a rebel battery opened on
us, and we were soon fiat Oil the
ground to escape the shot and she'll
Il was not satisfied with the situa-
ton and was looking for hole or a
depression in the ground, when Major
Drury. chief of artillery. and Captain
John J. McCook. now of New York.
rode past our line and proceeded quite
a distance to the front. Drury was
seeking a position for his artillery and
Captain McCook was to report the
situation in front to corps headquar-
ters As they rode forward they were
fired on by the rebel sharpshooters
and one OF the first shots struck Drury
just above the belt plate and passed
straight through his body to the spine.
He said to McCook: 1.-THE blanked
rebels have plnked me, but don't let
them have the satisfaction of know
Ing it,
captain McCook knew that with
such a wound the Major could not
,etain consciousness long. As they
were in close range of the enemy Nc
Cook grasped Drury's sword belt with
one hand to keep the Major from fai..
ing off his horse, and taken the bride
rein with the other hand guided both
horses into the woods for cover. Nc
Cook kept himself all the time between
the Major and the enemy, and by
among the trees escaped
the bullets fired at him. Reaching a
sheltered spot McCook dismounted and
assisted the Major off his horse. The
latter lost consciousness almost as
soon as he was placed upon the
ground, and the stretcher bearers
brought him through our line. The
wound was then pronounced mortal.
but the bullet was removed and the
Major was in the saddle again in four
weeks and was in active service to the
close of the war"
II heard" said the Doctor, "a very
simple, pathetic little story the other
day about a soldier passing through
the lines under fire. Comrade Bradish,
who related the incident, said that one
of the men of his regiment who had
been captured escaped from the rebels
directly in front and ran at full speed
toward the lines of his own regiment.
The rebels opened furious fire on
the escaping prisoner. and no one ex
pected him to come out of such a
rain of bullets alive. But he came
OIL and on in spite of the bullets. and
at last leaped over the works of his
own company, to be received with
cheers.
HE did not stop, however, as the
men expected. but ran on to where
the flag was placed, and, dropping ex-
caught the edge of the flag
In his hand and kissed it again and
again. He was so wrought I'D by
his tremendous experience that he
could not speak. could not reason,
but, as he said afterward, instinct led
him to the flag, which never seemed
to him so radiant and precious as
when he fixed his eyes upon it as
he raced with the enemy's bullets.
He had no sense of comradeship in
his distraughtness, but saw only the
lag and went to it. Other soldiers,
in battle, wounded. and