The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-01-11


dents Of Marches, Camp Life, Foras.
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.
'sThe general impression is," said
the Major, that long service in the
Union army dulled the consciences Of
men, made them callous and blase,
and that they returned to civil life
with their eye teeth cut, with no trace
of the unsophisticated simple-minded-
ness and uprightness that character
ICED them when they entered the SER
vice. The impression Is wrong. was
amazed at the simplicity and country
shyness Of the men In my own and
other regiments mustered out In 1864
and 1865. All were veterans in the
best sense of the word.
"They knew how to do verything
that was to be done in the army. They
had campaigned in a dozen States.
They had seen many cities, had trav-
eled by rail, by boat. and on foot; had
associated with all sorts of men: had
beer venturesome, frolicsome. and
one man In twenty had the bearing Of
a Travelled man or the poise of men
who had seen a good deal Of the
world The men of the farm were
still countrymen, with distrust Of the
cities, and the townsmen were really
less assertive than at the beginning Of
the war.
"This was noticed not only by my
self, but by the paymasters and
mastering officers. There was no
sharp practice on the part of the men.
On the other hand, there was con-
scientious regard for small things that
made them seem as unsophisticated
as children to the paymasters. One
day at Camp Chase, in November,
1865, Robert r. Miller of Company e,
Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, called on the
busy paymaster and said: You made
a mistake in paying me yesterday
The paymaster said. gruff1y, that he
didn't make mistakes, that he paid ac-
eording to the roll, ana that ended it.
MILLER held his ground. He ex-
planned that he had received $192
more than he was entitled to, and that
he did not want any more money from
Uncle Sam than belonged to him.
Thereupon the paymaster investigated
and found that a mistake had been
made and that the soldier was right
He said, however, that it gave him
quite a shock to feel that this old cav
alryman, wise in the ways of war,
was as honest as the average man in
civil life. Miller was a type Of the
soldier who went west at the close
of the war to Iowa, Nebraska and
Kansas, and years later l found hun
dreds of them bearing the reputation
Of being as honest as the day Is long.
Zone of my men had picked up at
Resaca silver cup that had been evil
IDENTIFY a part of the equipment of
Confederate officer. After his return
home his wife in polishing the cup
found a girls name delicately en-
grayed on the handle, with the words
From Papa Sam decided at once
that the cup must go back to the
owner and he advertised In the Geor-
gia papers asking for information. and
two years later he felt as a man re
lieved from a heavy obligation when
the cup went back to the owner"
Speaking of advertising" said the
Captain. 81 came across a most pa
thetic case the other day. Down in the
Texas State institution for the blind
is ]. NJ Brown. an old Confederate
soldier who has lost his sight At the
battle Of Stony Creek Brown saw a
Union soldier fall within fifteen feet
of the Coz fedrate lines in the line of
fire from both directions. He drew
the wounded Unionist behind a tree
and left him. Last week he wrote
the adjutant general Of Ohio asking
for information Of the man he res
cued.
He does not know to what regi-
ment the wounded man belonged. He
knows only that he was a member of
some Ohio regiment, because he wore
the o. v. 1. belt. He wants to know
II the man died on the field or IL he
returned home and is still living. In
his blindness his heart goes out to the
man whose name he did not know
and he asks the adjutant general to
find him. As In other cases, the ma
chinery of great State has been set
In motion to answer personal ques-
ton AS the records show just what
Ohio companies participated In the
battle Of Stony Greek and where they
were organized, the man inquired for
may be located If living. providing he
was not among the thousands who
moved West after the war"
by the way" said the Doctor.
"some weeks ago c. H. Starkey. Gen
eral Harker's bugler. told the story of
his recollection of General Harker's
death at Kenesaw This story went
into the homes Of Starkey's old COM
rades. who had not heard of him for
forty years. One of them wrote him
at once and another tod me the story
of how Starkey played chess with
some Of the division STAFF officers In
front of Atlanta when the rebel guns
were trying to make headquarters IN
tenable. Now, chess is an absorbing
game. but Starkey and his friends
played it under Gre, and to their great
enjoyment. - ~
1T is a wonder to me that so many
men who were the central fcuroa I'm