Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-08-24
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whi1ed
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thri1-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.

41uS 0CeuGS Oh the Ddtt4SuC10e
General Sheridan" said the Cap
tain, "once upon a time threw off his
coat to trounce me. This was in Janu-
airy, 1864, after Longstreet's retreat
from Knoxville, and we were operat-
ing in the vicinity of Strawberry Plains
and along the French Broad river
Longstreet was supposed to be not far
away, and strict watch was kept on
the crossings. Our pickets were across
the river, with reserves on our own
side, and boats were held on both sides
for emergencies.
Sheridan was out accommodating, at
tended by single staff officer, and
both wore the ordinary soldier over
coats, without any marks of rank. Sher-
idan, it appeared later, did not care to
have it known that he was recon
noitering on his own hook, and wanted
to cross the river incog., as it were.
He sent his aid down to the river, sup
posing that he could secure boat with
out difficulty. But the officer could find
none, because we had them all at our
posts. When he came to us he de-
manded our boat, but l told him blunt
" that he could not have it, and ex-
planned that orders were very strict
against anyone crossing the river.
HE climbed up the bank, and report
ed to Sheridan that he had found a
boat but the young man in charge
would not let him have it. Thereupon
Sheridan came down himself and de-
manded the boat. told him he couldn't
have it, unless Sheridan so ordered. He
replied, testify, Hell, man, I am Gen
eral Sheridan, and I am going to take
the boat l retorted: I don't know
whether you are Sheridan or not, but
you can't have the boat
'sThis put him in a rage, and, tear
ing open his oyercoat and pulling at
the sleeves to get it off, he swOre he
would lick me, if he died the next min
ute I had never seen Sheridan on
foot, and not often on horseback, and
it did not seem possible that this short
man in an ill-f1tting overcoat could be
General. But, as the overcOat came
off, I saw his shoulder straps and rec
ognized the figure, and, saluting, said:
Never mind the licking. General, you
can have the boat
"In a minute Sheridan was every
inch a General, and explained that it
was desirable that nothing be said
about his presence on the other side of
the river, as he had in mind very
| important project He went across the
river, looked the ground over for him
self, and in a few days undertook the
construction Of bridge that was made
entirely of army wagons. This was in
midwinter, and his idea was that if
! bridge could be constructed the Fourth
corps could be moved to the south side
of the river without exposing the men
to the hardships Of wading or fording.
when Sheridan had placed his quota
! Of wagons in the river the other di-
visions failed to send their wagons.
Realizing the importance of finishing
the bridge at once, Sheridan put into
the river every available wagon in the
division, but scarcely had he done SO
and sent one brigade across, when it
was reported that Longstreet was adj
vancing from cambridge, and Sheridan
was ordered to retire at once. He eX-
| planned that as all his transportation
was in the river he could not move
without sacrificing his wagons, and he
took the responsibility of remaining in
position until every wagon was out Of
the river. Probably the men Of his di-
vision never worked harder than on
that occasion, and, after all, we reached
the point of concentration as soon as
| the other divisions.
'AIl the men liked Sheridan, and par
ticularly just about that time. We
had moved up from Chattanooga short
on clothing and not prepared for win
ter campaign. Sheridan at once ordered
up supplies Of clothing for his division
General Foster, in command at Knox
vile, so the story went, stopped the
train and distributed the clothing pro
rata among all the divisions, so that our
own division got only a small part Of
what was intended for it. This irri-
tated Sheridan exceedingly, but he
could not dispute the fairness Of the
distribution. He Immediately ordered
another trainload of clothing from
| Chattanooga, and, when it was about
to pass through Knoxville, he had bales
of hay and forage thrown into the wag-
ons, and his division quartermaster
sneaked it through Knoxville as a for
age train, and at last we got our cloth
ing. This was talked about a good deal
in the division, and Sheridan was very
popular"
at is a wonder to me-" said the
Sergeant, that the campaign or siege
of Knoxville is not more talked about
among the boys. It was from first to
last a picturesque affair, and the men
who took part in the siege must have
hundreds of good stories of personal ad-
venture and odd experience. The peo-
~, i IL