The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-07-05
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whi1ed
Away Life in COMPROMISING Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

Said the High Private (the very
highest longitude and latitude in his
company, we had a full fiedged Ma
sonic lodge in the army When we
were swinging around to Five Forks
under General Sheridan, in the last
days of March, 1865, we passed build
ing in rear of our lines in front Of Pc
tersburg that had a Masonic emblem
on 1T, and 1 was told by one of the
Army of the Potomac boys that It was
the hall of the Mas0ns Of the Army of
the Potomac. 1 know that Colonel
Dan McCook's brigade, Army of the
Cumberland. got a dispensation from
the Grand lodge of the State of Illi-
nois to do Masonic work and make
Masons. 1t was named Wallace Mill
tary Lodge and Colonel David D..
Irons, Eighty-sixth Illinois Volunteer
Infantry, was the worshipful master {;
Colonel Allen L. FahnenstOck, senior
deacon (now of Glasford, H., and
Captain 10 Major, treasurer (now Of
Eureka, ILL.,. The names of The other
officers 1 have forgotten The lodge
met in the Masonic lodge room at MUIR
freesboro, Tenn. in July, 1868, on
Stone River battlefield
1.-THE next meeting was held March
6, 1864, in one of the upper stories of
Lee & Gordon's mill on the Chicka-
manga battlefield. April %, 1864, the
third degree of Masonry was conferred
on Colonel Dan McCook in the lodge
room of Lee & Gordon's mill. Colonel
Irons died in Nashville Aug. IL, 1868,
and Major j. f. Thomas, Eighty sixth
Illinois Volunteer Infantry, was mas
ter. Colonel Fahnestock was senior
deacon when Colonel Dan was made a
Mason. We had good many Masons
from other commands at our meetings,
but have forgotten their names. We
had very little opportunity to hold
lodge meetings after we broke camp
at Chickamauga and started on the At
lantic campaign. There are a few men
living who were made Masons In Lee
& Gordon's mill. l believe Colonel
Dan McCook's brigade lodge was
unique and stood alone as the only
lodge Of Master Masons that held its
meeting on battlefelds where moment.
Gus results were brought about, as at
Stone River and Chickamauga, for Pc
tersburg was not In fact battlefield,
but besieged city.
The losses at Stone River and
Chickamauga for the numbers engaged
stand by themselves does Wallace
Military Lodge as a battlefield lodge OF
Masons. served In the Army of the
Shenandoah, the Army of the James
and Potomac. and the Army Of the
Cumberland, but never heard of any
other secret body having an organiza-
ton or holding lodge meetings except
as 1 have stated
After we left Lee & Gordon's mills
and fought Johnston back until we
reached Kenesaw, Colonel Dan Nc
Cooks brigade made the assault on the
dead angle Of Kenesaw June %, 1864
The brigade made a Judgment within
twenty steps of the Confederate
works, and we held our position. Al
dark our wounded lay between oul
lines and the Confederate works. We
removed all our wounded except those
that lay at and near the Confederate
works In the ditch and near the che
val du frieze.' in front thereof These
were beyond our reach.
"Just before dark two of our Ma
sonic brethren, badly wounded and
sitting near tree between the lines
and near the enemy's breastworks
made themselves known as Masons tt
the Confederates. As soon as it was
dark a Confederate who was a Mason
slipped over their works to rescue ouI
wounded men. Our sharpshooters hai
crawled forward few feet as videtts
plckets, and believing the Confederate
was intending to rob our dead and dy
| ing comrades fired upon and killed
| him. When We had the armistice t.
bury our dead we were informed by
| the Confederates that the man who wa.
killed was endeavoring to succor oul
wounded Masonic brethren in response
to their own appeals. In other words
this Confederate Damon, in his effor1
to aid his brother PythIas, sacrificed
his life.
by the way, Major Daniel Nc
| Cook, ST., was the first worshipfu
! master of Lancaster Lodge, No. JOG, Of
Lancaster, Peoria County, H., organ
lied In 1851. When his son, Cade
| Alexander Med. AfcCook, afterwart
Major General, graduated from Yves
Point, and visited his home at Ian
caster he was made a Master Mason
his father comforting the degrees a.
worshipful master. Colonel A L. Fab
nestock was senior deacon. Did no
the Majors act make his son hi.
brothery'
do you know" asked the Major
"that General Keller, now in Congress,
from the Springfield (Ohio) district
was one of the last men wounded il
the Civil War? He entered the volun
teer army in April, 1861. and served
until after Lees surrender in 1865
In all that time he received tire,
scratches, but shortly after the sur
render he was scouting at the head Of
a small force of cavalry and came sud
denly upon large force Of Confeder
ate cavalry. There was skirmish IL
which Keifer was wounded and In
not been for the Intervention of tn,
Confederate commander. who, undel
the circumstances, simply wanted to b
let alone.
.'Keifer returned to camp. had hi
wound dressed. reported to headquar
tiers. and received special orders, ant
with re-enforcements started to fin,
the derelict Confederates. He fount
them, and Colonel Tucker, the Confed
crate commander, surrendered. Kei
fer carried fuckers sword home Will
him, and 1t was kept IN his library a
Springfield as trophy Of the war.