The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-04-25

of corn was decided one way or tn,
otaer. In this way he fought oyeI
battles of the past and imaginary bat
ties of the future
Who can tell how much help Genera
Grant received in the great work which
began year later and ended at Apo
mattox. in those mimic battles on tn,
head of barrel or on dry goods boz
in the Wisconsin village. while waitin,
for the country merchant to weigh an.
load the hides of steers. sheep ant
calves? Who would have thought. II
1860, when ex-senator Miner sat ant
watched the quiet man with stubb,
whiszers and short mustache, as n,
formed his lines of battle. flaIked tn,
enemy, charged lines of works and cap
tured batteries with corn soldiers, tha
within five years the silent buyer an(
hauler of calf skins and sheep pelti
would become the most famous of mod
ern generals? Probably it never enter
ed the old Senator's mind. Probabl,
the quiet man sitting at the dry good
box and commanding vast army o
kernels Of corn never dreamed wha
was in store for him. He was sol
der; he had won distinction in war
two or three brevets and other promo
tions-and his heart had been in hi
profession ever since, though he wal
temporarily off duty. l wonder l.
Grant at Shiloh thought of his battles
at Hazel Green, and drew from his ex
perience in those contests TO assist hin
in that great battle in real war. won
der if the experience in Grant Count,
helped him in his wonderful maneuve.
upon Vicksburg in 1863, one of the mos
striking military movements made dur
ing that war of striking movements. 4.
wonder, when, in 1864, he was balket
after crossing the Rapidan and meet
ing Lee and his dauntless legions, b,
recalled the manner in which he hat
hanked one line Of corn kernels will
another line of corn soldiers, and de
cided to try the experiment on Genera
Lee. Certainly he did try the fiankin,
process, and with success. l wonder ::
he had not had that experience at Ha
eel Green in 1860 it would not hav.
been easy for him to take the adyic
of his corps commanders and recros
the Rapidan, after the second day.
fight in the wilderness. when his arm,
was defeated. 1t may be that the cour
age and confidence he gained at Haze
Green enabled him to say to thos
corps commanders: I'VE will stay her,
and fight; We will not recross tn
Rapidan-" Who knows?
That story, told me by friend, ne
minds me of one an officer of the Thir
teenth Indiana told concerning Genera
Rosecrans, in the West Virginia cam
paign, just before the battle of Ricl
Mountain. General Rosecrans was n
command of brigade. He accepted
an invitation from the colonel of tn
Thirteenth Indiana to dine with him
Their coffee, bareback and fried porl
Wcic d4cpidJ Cu oii a hiIutdCh bOA JUS
to the left of General Rosecrans la,
another bareback box. The genera
stopped eating and talking. gathered VI
the crackers on the table, ranged then
on the box to his left, In lines of battle
moved them back and forth, brough
them together, made them flank eacl
other, had one side charge the othei
and the other defend itself, and thei
brushed them off on the ground, b,
which time the colored cook had gotteI
around with another supply for the ia
bic. The general, without saying 4
word or glancing at the balance of tn,
party, took his two hands, gathered III,
the new supply of crackers, place.
them on his cracker box battlefield ant
proceeded to fight another battle. Thi
went on for half an hour. When tn,
cracker box battle was over and til,
ground strewn with dead and mangle<
bareback, Rosecrans looked up, laugh
ed and said, THAT is the way we ca
do it," and proceeded to replenish tn.
inner man.-Chicago Herald.
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