The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-04-12
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whf1ed
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes ON the Battlefield.

There are some fellows" said the
Major, "who would have US believe that
American soldiers in the Philippines or
In Kansas or Arizona are besotted, bru-
tai creatures given to needless cruelty
in battle and having no respect for the
rights or tho lives Of those fighting
against them. Now, as 90 per cent of
the soldiers in the regular army are ma
tive born, they probably represent fair
ly well the average American Of this
day, as the volunteer army of the Civil
War represented the average American
Of that day.
"I never, in all my army experience,
saw a downright merciless or brutal act
in skirmish or battle. / have seen men
fight with the fury of demons. l have
seen men carried away by the frenzy
Of battle do idiotic and u-naccountable
things, but whethlr they were moved
by passion or crazy with excitement
or stolid in the face Of danger, l never
saw one Of our men commit an act Of
wanton cruelty. There were coarse
men and men Of low instincts In all
the companies, probably, but as a rule
it was the high spirited. decent fellows
who were on the firing line.
Il remember that on the third day
a full run on a rebel regiment advanc-
ing on us at q run. The crash as the
two lines came together was a fearful
thing. For five or ten minutes there
was the wild confusion Of striking.
thrusting, pushing, and pulling, of
fighting at close range, the men on
boil sides yielding to the fury of the
moment. But the second line Of the
| ~Confederates broke and our colonel.
beating his way into the melee, swung
our own line to the rear Of the fighters
and Quit your hair pulling
there. Ask the Johnnies to surreE
| DER
The Johnnies surrendered, throwing
down their guns and taking of their
cartridge boxes with cheerful accept
ance Of the situation. Our own men,
winded by the tussle, contemplated the
proceedings in silence, a grin OF good
humor gradually s~upplanting the look
of extreme passion on their faces. An
old fashioned fellow assisted one OF
the rebs in untangling his belt, and so
Gladly said, BY gum, l am tucSered
out / feel just about as / did when
my pillow team ran or I'M dragged me
across a ten-acre field To which The
rebel responded, I knew there would
be something doing when we started.
The colonel banked on scarin' you 'uns,
but 1 was bettin' even that you 'uns
wouldn't scare
"On the first day Of heavy fighting
at Stone River one Of our men, who is
now a preacher out In Kansas, was
slightly wounded, and, while in a dazed
condition, he was taken possession of
by a wandering reb. The latter double
quicked his dazed prisoner across the
field, to his own elation. and INDUCED
IN a good many uncomplimentary lie
marks. The rapid motion, however,
cleared the prisoners mind, and, pre-
tchuihS W NC III 6ACos A<dA JIG od1o-
net behind him, he increased his speed.
This was agreeable to the rebel, who
experienced allthe delights Of the chase.
Suddenly the prisoner veered to one
side and, as his guard stumbled for
ward, jumped IN him from behind. In
two minutes our man had the reb's
gun and was chasing the fellow back
toward our lines at the point Of the
bayonet. They were a tired pair when
they came within hailing distance. Both
were dirty and bloody, bot they were
hungry also, and in a few minutes were
eating bareback and drinking coffee
and b~adgering each other about the In
fidents Of their unusual adventure"
THAT reminds me-" said the Cap
tain, 'of the day the 202d Regiment,
New York State Volunteers. landed In
Cuba to do police duty, just after the
Spanish American war. When the
transport bearing a battalion Of the
regiment commanded by Major Frank
E. Wood arrived In Havana the wharf
at which she landed was crowded with
Spaniards. Cubans, and negroes. The
Colonel Of the regiment was aboard,
and by his instructions Major Wood
ordered the people cleared on the
wharf, which vas surrounded by a
high fence with several gates.
"A squad was sent ashore and the
wharf was soon cleared Of all but one
man, who kept edging around and
lodging the blue coats. His mustache
was waxed up at the ends and he car
ried himself haughtily n a long
sword dangled about his feet. AS he
refused the s~ergeart's personal order
to svamoose,' the latter called two hus-
ky fellows, who took him by the nape
of the neck and the seat of the trous-
ers and deposited him none too gently
on all tours in the street very angry
and very much tangled up with his
sword.
IAN hour later he returned with an
interpreter and demanded an audience
with the Colonel. Presently the latter
called Major Wood and said: What
have you beer doing to this MANI The
Major replied that the man had refused
to leave the wharf, anu that two of the
boys had escorted him to the gate. Use
any violence? asked the Colonel. why,
he held back some was the reply.
! WE'LL the Colonel concluded, I guess
you had better let him stay on the
wharf If he wants to. He's the chief
General Sherman at Vicksburg.
At a meeting Of Ransom Post. G..
A.. r., st. Louis, Joseph w. Mcclellan
was initiated a member Of the post and,
in accordance with the usual custom,
he signalized his admission into the
order by dropping into a reminiscent
| SpaQch which f11rnad unon fha Vicks.