Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-12-14
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
TIE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
WhistlinG Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bulge, Etc, Etc.

Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, ETC., Etc.
1t has been long time since the
last shot was fired and our recollec-
tio.s are growing dim. but there are
things that tranSpired on the battle
field and in prison pen that we will
never forget should we live for the
next one hundred years Now, com
rades. am not going to boast of be-
ing the Youngest nor the oldest in the
| field l am not going to tell YOU that
l charged a battery, captured it. car
ried it off the field and hid it to keep
the rebS from using it. No. indeed:
belonged to the grand old Second
Corps. and l am proud of its record,
and will say there was none better
My brigade, kmbalrs. joined the
Army of the Potomac at Harrson's
Landing, and 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
Il masked battery. Gen. 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 was not many
minutes before the 18th w. Va. was in
the big pine woods with the Johnnies
and as the 18th was always very
fripnHly rnUinIpnt clOa rod fhn
field After the first yell we were soon
joined by the 4th and Sth Ohio and
14th Ind; better regiments never car
ried a gun.
There in the big pine woods we eS-
tahlished our lines for keeps; there we
cut big pine trees and built breast
works. After we had them completed
Kimball came along our line, and stop
ped in front of our c0lors. He told
Col. Lockwood that the enemy was adj
vancing OH our line, and ordered him
to have his men all ready, SO we all
got down. on our 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, nth
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, and
asked the Colene 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
right 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 were to prepare for light march
ing 1t was then we took up our fast
march to the final camping ground Of
many of our 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 wound
ed brother. and after they had robbed
us we We're put in the big warehouse
known as the pemberton Prison, Rich
m0nd 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. was at the famous
spring, now called providence
Spring five minutes after it burst out
Of the hot sand. Ii was there | first
saw Boston Corbett He got on a big
pine stump when the rebs brought
in a big wagon load of lumber. Some
Of our boys said. They are going to
take the spring from us, and when,
they commenced to unload the wagon
Corbett said, Boys, never fear. The
first rebel that raises a hand to take
trOm us tllat winch GOu mas sent COO
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 that 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 go for sure
Finally. when everything was ready,
the sergeant cut the rope that held the
platform. and they were sent to their
final deserts.
A man named Curtis ran away. and
although he got many whacks. he fin
ally got through the crowd and ran to
+I,o cu-ap,n ap6 mime in IF wnc