The Tupelo journal., 1906-06-15


AS we were retreating we had
no time to ascertain what dam
age we may have done our foe;
but some months afterWard our
! command was again in the same
neighborhood, and one Of our
boys dropped out and went over
the field where the fight occur
red. When he came back to the
command he told me he knew
we killed ONE man for there
was a new made grave on the
field where we had the fight.
| Nothing more was thought of
the matter till about a year af-
terward. as we were riding one
day in the sands of Georgia, and
this same soldier was telling a
wonderful tale to his comrades
Of the great number we killed at
Wyatt, as he had gone over the
field and seen their graves. Re-
membering wnat he had told me
about it the day he went over
the ground, and thinking maybe
he had forgotten it, said, Jim,
how many graves were there?"
well, SIR" he replied, Il coun-
ted one hundredp This old SOL
der has long since passed over
the river, and Withhold his name.
He was a good soldier, but like
some men | know now, had no
idea of speaking falsely, but had
a way of magnifying everything
about which he spoke.
give you now another Incl
dent of a different kind in which
a boy friend of mine was involv-
ed. It occurred not far from
Canton, Miss, and took place as
We were marching across an old
field in sight Of the enemy with
the view of flanking them. At
that time | was first sergeant of
Capt. Lyle's Co. of Cavalry, and
so soon as we uncovered our
selves in the fanking movement,
the enemy began shelling us.
The bombs began bursting pret-
ty fast, nearer and still nearer
at every discharge, and finally
they got our range accurately,
and having my eyes fixed upon
! the missels as they came floating
through the air, | saw a large
bomb before it burst, and lodged
over on the side of the animal |
was riding to escape the frag-
ments when it should explode. |
was not touched myself, but my
animal was wounded in three
places, and a horse just in my
rear was disemboweled, and the
rider dashed in the dust, and
right in my rear as a file leader
George Simmons was riding. He
was boy about sixteen, and
had never fiinched in the face of
danger, and had made and con-
tinued to make until the end of
the war a magnificent soldier
Knowing it was right ticklish
times, ! glanced back to see how
the boys were standing it, when
noticed George Simmons had
gotten a little out Of line, and
was as white as sheet, and had
the appearance of a scared rab-
bit. | held up my hand and
waved it toward him and said,
George, let a thousand men be
killed, but nobody scared. F" He
at once became calm and self
possessed, and moved back into
line, but always said if | had not
4 made the remark | did he would
have run. We were camped at
/ New Albany, Miss, on the last
day Of December, 1868, and ear
ly in the morning we moved out
north toward the Memphis &
Charleston railroad, and it was
said our objective point was Po-
cahontas, and the hope of the
commander was that we might
capture the place. The morning
was warm for the time of year,
and a slow rain was falling, and
this continued until in the eve
ming about three O'Clock, when
the snow began falling, being
! carried into our faces by stiff
breeze. We camped for the
night just about dark, and then
/ [ went with a detail voluntarily
about two miles for forage for
] our mess. It was cold and none
Iof US had seen fire since break
ing camp in the morning. Ev-
erything we had was soaking
wet, and it seemed to me it
would be very difficult to build
fires, but when we returned with
our feed for the horses the boys
had a fine blazing logheap fire,
and were cooking in soldier fash
i ion. ! think that night and the
lneXt morning was the most
piercing cold weather / have ev-
ier felt. Our regiment was in
! advance the first day and we
camped thus at night, but
Barteau's regiment was to take
1.-The advance next morning, and
as they came up, every man lead,
ling his horse, their breath had
So frozen on their boards that