The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1906-01-04
THE BOOMING CANNON
REclfALs or CAMP AND aAr.
Tie INCIDENTS.

6urvtvOrD OF the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and startiiss Incl.
dents Of Marches, Camp Life, roras.
lag Experiences and Battle HcAnes.
"-he general impression is," said
the Major, "that long service In the
Union army dulled the conscleuces of
men, made them callous and blase,
and that they returned to civil life
with their eye teeth cut, with 10 trace
of the unsophisticated slmple-minded-
ness and uprightness that character.
lied them when they entered the SER
vice. The impression is wrong. was
amazed Mt the simplicity and country
shyness Of the men In my own and
other regiments mustered out In 1864
and 1865. All were veterans in the
best sense of the word.
"They knew how to do everything
that was to be done in the army, They
had campaigned in dozen States.
They had seen many cities. had trav.
eled by rail, by boat, and on foot; had
associated with all sorts Of men; had
been venturesome, frolicson1e, and
reckless. But when discharged not
one man in twenty had the bearing Of
Travelled man or the poise OF men
who had seen n good deal OF the
world. The men Of the farm were
still countrymen, with dlstrust of the
cities, and the townsmen were really
ftx.n hn al, -
the war.
"rhls was noticed not only by my
self, but by the paymasters and
mastering officers. There was no
sharp practice on the part Of the men.
On the other hand, there wus con-
scientious regard for small things that
made them seem as unsophjsticated
as children to the paymasters. One
day at Camp Chase, in November,
1865. Robert r. Miller of Company f,
Twelfth Ohio Cavalry, called on the
busy paymnster and said: You made
mistake in paying me yesterday
The paymaster said, gruflIy, that he
didn't make mistakes, that he paid ac-
cording to the roll, and that ended it.
MILLER held his ground. He ex-
planned that he had received S102
more than he was entitled to, and that
he did not want any more money IRON
Uncle Sam than belonged to him.
Thereupon the paymaster investigated
and found that mistake had been
made and that the soldier was right.
He said, however, that 1t gave him
quite shock to feel that this old cav
alryman, wise in the ways of war,
civil life. Miller was a type of the
soldier who went west at the close
of the war to Iowa, Nebraska and
Kansas, and years later found hun
dreds Of them bearing the reputation
Of being as honest as the day Is long
zone of my men had picked up at
Resaca silver cup that had been evi-
IDENTIFY n part of the equipment of
Confederate officer. After his return
home his wife in polishing the cup
found a girls name dellcately en-
graved on the handle with the words
From Papa Sam decided at once
that the cup must go back to the
owner and he advertised In the Geor-
gia papers asking for information, and
two years later he felt as q man re-
lieyed from heavy obligation when
the cup went back to the owner"
speaking Of advertising" said the
Captain, II came across most pa
thetic case the other day. Down In the
Texas State institution f0r the blind
is ]. NJ. Brown, an old Confederate
soldier who has lost his sight. At the
battle of Stony Creek Brown saw a
Union soldier fall within fifteen feet
Of the Confederate lines liz the line Of
fire from both directions. He drew
the wounded Unionist behind a tree
and left him. Last week he wrote
the adjutant general OF Ohio asking
for information of the man he res
cued.
"He does not know TO what regi-
ment the wounded man belonged. He
knows only that he was q member Of
some Ohio regiment, because he wore
the o. V. l. belt. He wants to know
II the man died OH the field or IL he
returned home and is still living. In
his blindness his heart goes out to the
man whose name he did not know
and he asks the adjutant general to
find him. AS in othes cases, the ma
chinery of great State has been set |
In motion to answer personal ques-
tion. AS the records show just what |
Ohio companies participated in the
battle of Stony Creek and where they
were organized, the man inquired for
may be located IL living, providing he |
was not among the thousands who |