Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1906-10-20
THE FIELD OFBATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
WhistlinE Bullets, Bright Bayoneta,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Buas, Etc, Etc.

lamp rAre, FESTIVE Bugs ETC., ETC.
r. B. Brown, OF GAINESVILLE, O., who
has been elected by the Grand Army
OF the Republic commander in chief,
was a private in the ranks at the close
OF the war, and is the third private to
De elevated 10 the highest position with
In the gift of the Grand Army of the
Republic says the New York Tribune.
This Is not the first honor that his
comrades have bestowed upon him. He
was commander of the Department of
Ohio in 1885, and 1t was then that no
was first dubbed General" The title
mas chung TO him naturally ever since,
for he Is born leader of command
Ing presence, possessing great personal
magnetism and good hard sense.
Gen. Brown az the close of the war
returned TO his home in New Concord.
o., and there learned the carpenters
trade. He became country correspond
ent for the GAINESVILLE Courier, and his
letters attracted the attention of the
Courier's editor, Samuel Oldham. Old.
ham sent for Brown and offered him
position as reporter. which was accept
ed. He Is still connected with the pa
per, now as manager and editor.
Gen. Brown owes much of his fame
and much of his popularity to a story.
a story we'll told. He has told this
story hundreds, perhaps thousands, of
times, but it never grows old. 1t was
the night before the battle Of Freder.
icksburg. Two great armies had en-
camped upon either bank Of the beauti-
full Rappahannock. For days the army
OF the gray had been hurrledly In
renching itself in position that It
q hoped would be impregnable. The time
had been all too short, for the victo-
rlous army of the North was pressing
: hard toward Richmond. Night and
DAY had the Southern leaders labored
Y TO complete their defenses against the
L. arrival OF their foes. Late on the day
!, or which this incident is related the
ranks of the blue came pouring over
, the distant hills into the opposite val.
, ley of the Rappahannock, and there
they pitched their camp, hoping for n
j. night of rest before they should be-
gin the struggle Of the morrow.
There had been days Of weary march
Ing for the army of the blue. and DAYS
; OF unrelaxlng labor for the gray Ra-
' tons had been scant and the water sup
, ply irregular, Many poor soldier.
hungry, footsore and weary, looked for
ward to the coming battle with almost
a hope that to him at least would come
death and endless peace.
e Night had fallen. The camp fires
burned brightly among the naked trees
and the soldiers gathered close for II
, was December, and the frost was IN
, the air. There was little OF the bois-
ferrous merriment that so often char.
5 acterized the gatherings about the camp
iiteS. Too many soldiers were thinking
of the morrow and of home. Such
sounds as arose from the two camps
were harsh and martial. The calls of
y bugles and the hoarse orders of the
: officers as they made their final dis.
positions for the night became more
and more infrequent, until finally all
was still.
3 But presently band on the southern
side of the river burst forth with stir
ring stTaips of music and instantly the
, tens OF thousands Of gray-clad veter-
ans were rending the air with fierce
! shouts of defiance and wild cheers for
) the Confederacy, for the band was play
? ing Dixie" The music stopped and
the cheering subsidized and silence again
fell over the valley.
But the echoes had scarcely died
away among the distant hills when
, from an cminence in the Union camp a
] band IN blue struck up the first notes
: Of Yankee Doodle"-and the army Of
the North cheered tumultuously for the
across the water came the sweet and
plaintiye notes of Maryland, Ny Mary
: land The Northern band responded
, with Columbia, the Gem Of the
Ocean" Each Of these soul-stirring
tunes was the signal for waves of APP
plause that beloved up and down the
valley Ike the thunders Of an oceans
. surf.
Presently tho music ceased. and the
grim soldiers prepared to wrap them
: selves In their blankets and lie down
J upon the frozen ground to sleep. But
one soldIcr-weary of war and its hard
ships, tired Of the noises If battle and
! camp sick Of bloodshcd and death aud
i suffering, lonely amid the thousands
bethougat himself Of tie old father and
mother in the little farmhouse up in
Ohio and almost IN q denentio Of