The National tribune., 1906-09-20
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
=
Line.
HoOycr's Gan.

ing the history OF the Army OF the Cuiii-
berland III June, 1863, as recorded in
The National Tribune Of the 23d inst.
it would be a dereliction of duty on my
part not to heartily approve of all said.
Yes, as memory serves me, our rams
were continuous for Is days. commenc-
ingon June "a. i got my dose on the
night at Hoovers Gap, when we slept m
line of battle and the rain came down
through trees. clothing and all. but
when it ran into my shoes / wanted to
wade a river or anything else; but 1t
was a sublime sight to see Gen. J. T.
Wilder's mounted infantry. with seven
shooter Spencer rifles. dispensing the
enemy. 1t was quoted that the rebs
said: The Yankees have their
guns wound up to shoot all day. IL
was a grand and brilliant triumph for
Turchin, Brig.-Gen. Reynolds's Division,
Thomas's Fourteenth Army Corps. 1t
was a grand campaign, which only
closed at Chickamauga Ga, and Mis-
sion Ridge, Tenn; yet nothing was
more bright than Commander Turchin
at Hoover's Gap. in the Tullahoma cam
paign. Hoping for the continuance of
these accounts, I am sincerely-John a.
Jones, Co. I, seth Ohio.
The Oldest Soldier.
W. z. Way. Charlestown, n. H, wants
to correct the statement that William
Welch. cf Lempster, Me, of whom 1t is
claimed that he is the oldest soldier
living, belonged to a Vermont regiment.
Welch was a citizen of Comrade Ways
own town in New Hampshire, and en-
listed from that town in the 14th n. n.
Comrade Way has known him now for
over so years. and is familiar with his
history. Welch was born in st. An
drews. n. B., March %, 1900: removed
to Calais, Me, and was volunteer from
Maine at the time of the 'BloodleSs
Madawaska war" He afterward settled
in Lempster. n. H, where he was mus
tered into Co. /, 14th n. H., Aug. 81.
1852, and discharged therefrom July s,
1865. He is a man of education, intel
ligence and refinement and Comrade
Way met and talked with him on the
44th anniversary of his enlistment, Aug.
81, 1906.
Col. De COurcey.
Alexander c. Ray, 42d Ohio Chicago,
ILL.,. wishes to correct Comrade c. b.
Deemes about Col. De Courcey. Col.
De Courcey commanded a brigade COM
posed in part of the 42d Ohio, of which
Comrade Ray was a member, the 18th
Ohio. 14th KY. and 22d KY. all three
years men, who, during the Summer of
1862, were under Maj.-Gen. George w.
Morgan in the Cumberland Gap CAM
paign and later in the first attack upon
Vicksburg. under Sherman, and the
capture of Arkansas Post. He thinks
Comrade Deemes is mistaken when ne
says that Col. De Courcey commanded
six-months men, as it was the longest
six months that he ever experienced.
Both the comrades are right. In
Burnside'S East Tennessee campaign
Col. De Courcey commanded brigade
of new troops, mostly. if not all, six
months men, and received the surren-
~ low. Il
Gap. Col. Frazer. His relations with his
Immediate commander, Gen. j. M.
Shackelford became strained to the
breaking point, and Gen. Burnside re-
lieved him of command.-Editor Ma
tional Tribune.
Who Was He.
William Crow. saith Ind. Wheeling,
Ind, says that after the fall of Atlanta
his regiment was encamped near the
city, and he was strolling about the
place, when he saw three men digging
open grave. They found a body
wrapped in soldiers blanket. One
of the men took his pocketknife and cut
a hole in the blanket so that they could
see the white skin of the body: then
they filled up the grave and went away.
Comrade Crow has a great curiosity to
know who il was who was buried there,
and has often wondered if it We're not
one of the Andrews Raiders hung by
the rebels at Atlanta a few months be-
fore. Will some one remember who it
was and answer through The National
Tribune?
Cairo Has Changed Since.
W. H. Leidigh, Co. F, 1eth Ohio. Villa
Ridge, H., is now living on a good farm
within IL miles from Cairo. on the Illi-
nois side of the two great rivers He
thinks the boys who were with Gen.
Grant in Cairo in 1862 who have not
seen the little city since would hardly
recognize it. Instead of a miserable
mud hole on an extensive scale, as the
boys left it in '61 for the Southern bat
tlefields, Cairo is now a most enter
prising and most beautiful little city
with all the modern improvements. At
the National Encampment which met
at Louisville in 1895 some of the boys
asked Comrade Leidigh if Cairo were
still upon bridge" They were as
sured that it certainly was not.
Widows Allowed to Marry.
]. W. Bennett, Co. E, 21st Mo-.
Grangeville, Idaho, was a prisoner him
self and thinks the John c. Chaney
graded pension bill would do justice to
the comrades and be an honor to the
Nation. If Congress really wishes to be-
friend the old soldier it can do so 10y
GLOWING penSloned WIDOWS TO marry
without losing their pensions. 1t would
at least save house rent for one.
Scattering.
L. Elmer Robinson, 1st n. Y NJ r.
Walker, Iowa. who was told by Serg't
James Leithead, of Troop +, 1st n. Y.
NJ. r.. one of the worst dog-eating
stories of the war, would like to hear
from Comrade Leitnead or from any OF
the boys who were an eyewitness of
that event. He thinks two boys of the
Sth Ill. killed the dog.
Has Carried II "A Years.
Chas NJ. Wheelock, Enosburg Falls,
VT, who read in The National Tribune
that some comrade had carried bullet
~ years. says he can beat him by two
years. He was wounded at Shiloh, April
6, 1862, by bullet which he caught in
his left leg, just above the knee. II has
given him great trouble ever since, but
he has not been able to get an increase
on total disability on account of it.
Another Happy Father.
Comrade Dwight Rudd. Co. A. 4th
VT. Bennington, VT. aged "a, was on
July IL, 1906, made the happy father of
a son. This is Comrade Rudd's only
child.
The Rebel Ram Tennessee.
E. S. Sanders. Fincastle. O., sends us
word that the rebel ram Tennessee, to-
gether with the Cincinnati. Tyler and
Legation. We're all broken up and sold
for junk few years before the Span
ish-American War.