Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1906-12-28
THE BOOMING CANNON
REClTALS OF CAMP AND BAT
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents of Marches, Camp Life, ForaG-

THE battle line is holiday frolic
| compared with the death sentence
hanging over a man." remarked Capt
Charles j. Dubois, civil engineer, who
was a member of Company K, Iowa
cavalry, during the civil war. BE
fore went into the army often Won
dered what a man thought Of the night
before he was to stand up with a line
to be shot at sunrise. Now, I know.
1t isn't pleasant"
The grizzled officer, who was talking
| to friends on the courthouse lawn, re-
filled his cob pipe, pushed down the
| tobacco and reminiscently studied the
match he was going to strike.
| Some Texas troopers gathered us
| in while Blunt and Herrin were push
| ing into a rout Hindman's CENTER" the
veteran went on. Those Texas fell
lows were scrappers, and If thered
| been enough of them we would have
had a tough job. They got Lieut.. Col.
| Hubbard Of the Colorado cavalry, my
self and several others We were
taken to Little Rock, where Hindman
| had his headquarters. That was In
the year 1863. The winter had been
severe, and four country boys, VINO
| had been fighting with the confeds, de-
serted, but were captured. The poor
chaps had run off because they weren't
half clothed and had nothing to eat
Hindman ordered them shot, and US
| prisoners were where we could look
| through the bars and see. It looked
cruel to shoot down those haaf-naked
country boys, but the commander said
| he had to make an example. Lots OF
the Johnnies had been running off, and
| he thought that would stop it. Hind
man had the reputation Of being a
| harsh man, and when he sent for us
before the smoke Of the executioners'
guns had cleared away | will freely
| confess my knees trembled with terror.
1 was a first lieutenant, just turned Il.
| The dreaded general was seated at
desk, surrounded by lot of gold-laced
| officers. He asked me about the
strength of Herrin and Blunt. / told
him | did not know, and he brusquely
| informed me that I lied. He next call
ed Hubbard. That gentleman was the
typical American soldier-tall, stern
faced alert. He had been a cOWman
out West, and was the nerviest man
ever saw. His knees didn't tremble,
for 1 was watching and wondering by
what trick he kept them steady.
"'Colonel' demanded HiDdman, Sc
verely, what's the extent of Herrin's
forces?
"I don't know, SIR said Hubbard,
truthfully.
"'What's Blunt's force?
"'I don't know, sir
"'You're a liar, STRIP said the gen
eral, fiercely.
Hubbard flushed, and walked for
ward a step.
"'General, he said, with suppressed
wrath; you're a coward to talk that
way to a prisoner. If you were on
son in manners
"The old generals eyes blaZed and
he fairly roared:
"Take 'em away! Take 'em away
Shoot 'em at runrise the whole ca
DOODLE
Lord 1 thought those poor legs
of mine would certainly let me down.
Hubbard had extinguished what little
show we had, for after having seen
the merciless work of vengeance on his
own soldiers, l hadn't the slightest
doubt we would all go the same way.
But Hubbard wasn't a bit frightened.
He was only as mad as wounded
tiger.
"General,' he said in a voice of
deadly earnestness, as he shook his
forefnger in the confederate command
er's face, for every one Of us prison
ers YOU shoot Gen. Blunt will kill
hundred, and he's got enough on hand
to do it. You hear mel
s~They led us away from the storm
ing general, and I began to overhaul
nv conscience. Hubbard wasn't a bit
uneasy, but l took no hope from that,
because 1 knew, if necessary, he would
walk right into his own grave without
the tremor of an eyelash.
"'They won't kill us; they won't
dare to kill U.s., he said; If they do,
Blunt will kill a hundred for every
one of us, and Hindman knows it.
ST told him it was poor consolation,
and went on with my preparations for
death. The musketed guards tramped
around outside, and occasionally look
ed in through the bars, generously call
ing off the hours to us. l didn't sleep
wink. A rooster croWed down the
valley somewhere, and my hair stood
on end with the thought that 1t was
nearly day, and that the guardsman
was fooling us when he said - O'Clock.
He produced a watch to verify his call,
and offered me cigar We didn't
have the furtive hope that comes to
men whose applications for pardon or
reprieve have been submitted to the
povarnor We had only one Judge, and