Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1906-12-14
THE FIELD OF
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
rhs Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Whistlinx Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
BurstinR Bombs, Bloody Battles,
CAM Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.

uelu ana IN prison pen that we Will
never forget should we live for the
next n hundred years. Now, COM
rades, l am not going to boast of be-
ing the youngest o the eldest in the
Acid. l am not going to tell you that
l charged a battery, captured it, car
ried 1t off the field and hid it to keep
The rebS from using it. No. indeed /;
but, comrades, l will tell you that l
belonged to the grand old Second
Corps, and l am proud of it's record,
and viii say there was none better.
My brigade. Kimball's, joined the
Army Of the Potomac at IIarrison's
Landing. n got there just in time
to save McClellan's army. There is
where the 18th w. Va. was tested.
When our brigade advanced on the
enemy, they were rakinG the field with
q masked battery. ZEN. kimball gave
the order to fall back, but Col. Lock
wood misunderstood the command, and
gave the order, Forward! Charge"
That was enough. and it vas not man
minutes before the 18th w. Va. was in
the big pine woods with the JohnnieS,
and as the 9TH was always Il very
friendly regiment, We soon cleared the
field. After the first yell we were soon
joined by the 4th and Sth Ohio and
14ta Ind; better regiments never car
ried a gun.
There in the big pine woods we cS-
tabhshed u lines for keeps there we
cut big pine trees and built breast
works. After we had them completed
kimball came along u line, and stop
ped in front of our cOlorS. He told
Col. Lockwood that the enemy was aid
vancing on our line. and ordered him
to nav his men all ready, SO we all
got down on Il knees. The order was
for the front line to rise and fire, drop
down and, let. the rear rank rise and
fire, but not to fire till we could see
the whites Of their eyes. Gen. Kim
ball stood behind a big pine tree. close
to our colors, told Lockwood to look
out, and got him behind the tree with
him. The command soon came, 18th
Va, look OUT" The next order was,
Front rank, ready when the whole
shooting match jumped to their feet
and blazed away. One man in my
company CO. tainted and lay on the
ground. The General saw him, INC
asked the Colenel where he was hit.
The Colonel told him he was only sick.
The General said, Garry him back in
the shade, and if he dies he will go
riglIt to Heaven"
: After this event, when we had been
in camp some time, the orders came
to be in readiness to move at any time,
and it was not long before we were all
aboard Transports, bound we did not
know where. After we landed our first
orders We're to prepare for light march
ing. 1t was then we took up our fast
march to the final camping ground Of
many Of u noble boys, where they
ceased their marches on the bloody
battlefield of Antietam. 1t was there
my company lost three color-bearers,
besides many others. At the battle
of the Wilderness, in 1864, | was taken
prisoner Of war along with a wound
ed brother, and after they had robbed
us we were put in the big warehouse
known as the Pemberton Prison, Rich
mond. There we stayed one month.
Then we were sent, to that place worse
than the Internal regions. Anderson
vile, Ga, where We remained more
dead than alive for ten months and
eighteen days. l was at the famous
spring. now called providence
Spring." five minutes after it burst out
Of the hot sand. 1t was there l first
saw Boston Corbett. He got on a big
pine stump when the rebs brought
In a big wagon load of lumber. Some
of u boys said, ''They are going to
take the spring from u.s." and when
they commenced to unload the wagon
Corbett said, Boys, never fear. The
first rebel that raises a hand to take
from us that which God has sent. God
Almighty will strike him dead in his
tracks," So they made a big spout to
the spring; then we had what our boys
called delicious water.
1t was at Andersonville thai we or
ganized a police force of 800 and cap
tured the raiders, which were tried by
court-martial and six were condemned
to hang. They made fun Of the scat
fold, and said they were not born in
the woods to get scared at the owls.
but when the meal sacks were pulled
down over their heads they began to
realize that it would be Il go for sure.
Finally, when everything was ready.
the sergeant cut the o p that held the
platform, and they were sent to their
final deserts.
A mar named Curtis ran away. and
although he got many whacks, he fin
ally got through the crowd and ran to
the swamp and plunged in. 1t wAs
then my brother, Benjamin Sutton.
and Frank M. Linch. captured him
and brought him back to the place
of execution. He then said, '.God have
mercy and I did not know whether
he. had reference to his own self or to
some of the comrades he had helped
to murder. y ,sst or. irs I-e
L have heard "A great deal about hero
Ism on land and sea. They tell me that
Tege and his men were great heroes,
and they talk of the heroes of the
Maine and about Medals of Honor.
But, comrades. when l stood inside
the stockade at Andersonville I could
hook OIL 10000 of as grand heroes as
ever lived. 1t was there the Toys
stood for Old Glory. and there they
died rather than forsake their Flag.