The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1906-01-11
TIE BATTLE-FIELDS
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES.
The Bius and the Gray Review Incl.
dents Of the Late War, and In .
Graphic and Intecesting Manner
Tell sf Camp, March and Battle.

"That story Of lost identity" said
the Major, ION the part Of a soldier
who served some years In the regular
army did not strike me as being nee
essarily untrue. There were not few
strange cases of the kind in the Civil
War. We found in the hospitals at
the close of the war and among the
released prisoners many men who
could not satisfactorily explain them
selves. Their personality had shifted
to such an extent that some of them
were sent to infrmaries and insane
asylums, and in later years to the SOL
diers homes.
"While we were stationed at
Bridgeport, Ala, after the battle of
Missionary Ridge, regiment Of vet
Grams came down from Chattanooga
with several hundred prisoners en-
route for Camp Chase, Ohio. The
guard was to 20 through with the
prisoners and the boys were counting
the trip as good as furlough. When
the column Of gray, fringed on either
side by line of blue, started across
the pontoon bridge to take the train
waiting on the other side, prisoners
and guards were In high spirits and
there was a great deal of jollity.
Contrary to orders and custom, the
men Of the marching column caught
step and went swinging across the
bridge to lively air whistled by
those In advance. Warnings were
shouted by sentinels and officers, but
too late. The bridge parted and scores
of Unionists and Confederates went
into the river. There was great con-
fusion, but boats were at hand and
of the guards dropped their rides and
| swan to shore. But one large, fine
looking fellow went head first into
the mass Of floating timbers. He
went down with his gun at a right
shoulder shift.
"He came up shortly, but l was
\ startled to see that he still carried
his gun ut right shoulder shift, and
that he made no motion with his feet
or hands. He went down again in
a swirl of water, lurching to one side,
but making no struggle to save him
self. / ordered the men in the boats
to watch for him. One Of the watch
ers declared that the body came near
ly to the surface with gun still at n
right shoulder shift and then waS car.
ried down stream by the current.
"A few days later soldier, with
clothing none the worse for wear
came trudglng into camp with gun al
right shoulder shift. I was officer OF
the day, and he was brought to me
He was the man who went head first
into the river the day the pontoon
bridge parted, and who came up and
went down with gun at a right shout
der shift. He seemed to be uncanny
and ghostlike, but he was ready to
answer questions. He remembered
the breaking Of the bridge, but re-
membered nothing after his plunge
into the water.
when consciousness returned he
was in a negro cabin, some miles
below Bridgeport. The woman
washed ard ironed his clothes, and
the man cared for him until he was
able to walk back to camp. This was
the. story. He had evidently beer
struck on the head rs he went into
the water, and he was not in his right
mind. He insisted that he did moi
belong to the regiment that was
guarding the prisoners, and declined
to talk on that point. He was mo-
himself for several months, but l new
er knew until after the war that fol
all those months he thought lie wa.
some other person."
That's rather tragic" said the Cap
tain. "Some of the boys will remem
ber Peter jackson. He came into tn,
company on the wing and nobod.
knew much about him. When W,
struck the apple brandy or apple -jacl
districts of Kentucky Pete indulget
too freely, and while crazy drunk tolt
me that he had killed a man in a regi
ment in another brigade, had desert
ed, and had enlisted in our compan,
to avoid arrest. When he sobered III
] told him what he had said. and h,
reluctantly admitted that the stor!
was true and that his real name wa
Tim Jones.
II notified the officers of the distan
regiment that had desertcr iron
, Company l, and then sent over 70
, him. He went willingly, but tw
days later sneaked into camp an,
, took up his quarters with his oil
, mess. There never had been Tin
Jones In the other company. Ther
had been no desertion from the con-
pany. Every man was accounted fol
Not single man in the regiment ha
ever seen Tim Jones. Then it was rt
, vealed to Peter Jackson that he ha
lost identity through the influence O
apple-jack. The boys thereafter callc
Private Jackson Tim Peter, and tn
name has always been reminder G
| old timpsu