The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1906-05-24
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.


quarantined in the woods outside of
town and away from camp. Season
and climate were in my favor and |
was soon convalescent. but very lazy.
Lying in the shade of yellow poplar
one day, l was reused from my leth-
argy by the chattering and fiuttering of
scores of birds which were acting in
a very excited manner. My nurse.
George Dalton, and / set about to learn
the cause of the commotion. We saw
lying along a limb of the poplar, about
twelve feet from the ground, a snake
over five feet long. Further out on
the limb was bird hopping around,
apparently afraid to approach nearer
and unable to get farther away.
Il had heard of snakes charming
birds. and Dalton and l got our navy
revolvers and awaited developments.
The number of birds increased, as did
their noise, ohattering and FIXING about.
Finally we thought the crisis had ar
rived, and we turned loose and killed
the snake. As it fell to the ground
the one bird dropped to the ground at
about the same distance 1t had main
tanned on the limb Of the tree from
the snake and kept hopping about. We
made noise and the bird disappeared.
However, the singular thing about ii
was that for the three succeeding days
birds in numbers returned to the pop
lar and chartered and 1uttered in va
rious degrees OF excitement. Later we
followed the army and were in posi-
sson at Chicamauga both days"
I'm the last days of September,
1864" said the Captain, Colonel Dan
McCook's brigade deployed in front of
the intrenchments at Jonesboro, Ga.
.Barnett's battery was doing its best to
silence the rebels, and all the gu,s
of General JEFF Davis old division
were playing in harmony like good
band. The brigade moved forward and
In the field there was small riyulet
In ravine that the Eighty sixth Hi
nois crossed. Corporal Rilea of Cou-
pany X found n blind path and fol
lowed it, and behind and close up. was
the Colonel Of his regiment, Colonel
Fabnestock. All at once the Corporal
let out an unearthly yell and jumped
as far as he could to the right shout
Ing to the Colonel to look out. Tue
Colonel had no trouble In finding the
cause of the trouble, for near the path
was a little pile of brush on which was
snake, with about two feet of its
length erect, shooting its tongue out
at the Corporal. The Colonel fired
once. overshooting. and the second shot
went under the snake. which crawled
back into the brush heap
The Corporal told the boys that the
snake had a head as large as the blade
of long handled shovel such as are in
use on farms, and that the forks of It's
tongue were the length Of a six pronged
fork. The Corporal always insisted
that he never made better run in
his life than he: did to get to General
Govan's rebel works, and he tells the
boys when they accuse him Of leading
the charge, that he saw the boss snake
Of Georgia, and that be never did like
snakes. anyhow"
That reminds me-, said the Ser.
geant, "of some of the snakes we met
In Tennessee and Georgia. In the sum
mer before Chickamauga there was
considerable wetness ON our line OF
march The high water in the streams
spoiled good many of our plans, and
1t drove a good many snakes from
their regular camp grounds One day
there was a great commotion in camp
most of the regiment joining in a head
long chase after two blue racers driver
out of brush heap by the detail
policing camp. Men were wild tc
catch the snakes. and they went over
the lines of pup tents like herd o.
stainpeded cattle. In one of the more
pretentious shelters George Brindley
was sleeping and snoring One of the
racers cut through Georges tent, went
over his body like fash of blue light
and was lost TO view
Immediately there was such per
Torrance under the shelter as to stor
1 the chase George roared, yelled
shrieked-stood on his head and kick.
ed the blankets and tent high In air.
moaned, rolled this way and that, and
finally shouted: Run for the doc.
oh, Lordy, l am dead man. When
the surgeon came George was still
writing as IL in great pain, but no one
could explain, except to say that n
snake six feet long had run over him.
The doctor, turning to George grab
bed hiir by the shoulders, and, hold
ing him bs force, said: BE quiet.
Tell me what is the matter. The
quicker you are about it the better Il
will be for you.'
''Thereupon George ,aid: 4 was
sleepin' here with my darned old mouth
wide open, as usual, when In came a
great long snake, which, seem the
openin', went down my throat. l OPP
ened my eyes just in tim, to see the
tail disappear in my mouth. and oh
Lordy ] feel like barrel ready to
bust. 1 can't breathe. l can't move
my tongue, l can't do anything. am
gcner, sure. The doctor asked
Where did the snake 90, boysY A
dozen were ready to swear that 1t
never left Georges tent, whereat there
was more moaning and grooming on
Georges part.
"A man kicked at some Blankets
lying near, and out popped the snake
George gave yell and was after the
snake In frenzy of excitement. A
score of others Joined In the chase,
and the detachment that had pursued
the other snake. turning. there was no
escape. Tie snake was killed and was
brought back. George shouting to the
doctor: Here is the sun of a sea
/ oool- that I Swollouad Jimminv