The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-06-27
SOLDIERS STORIES.
ENTERTAINING "REMINISCENCES
or THE WAR.

Graphic Account of Stirring Scenes
Witnessed on the Battlefield and I'm
Camp-vetcrans of the Rebellion Re-
cite Experiences of Thrilling Nature.
"An army" said the Doctor, "was
like a trained pugilist. 1t could put
up a good fight on short notice, but it
could not pound away forever, and
what the other fellow did counted for
a good deal in the outcome. The Union
army went into the battle of Stone
River in prime condition. There had
been no long, hard marches to get into
position The several divisions had adj
vaneed in three days from Nashville
to within a few miles of Murfreesboro,
pushing the Confederates back onto
their intrenched lines. The General
had explained to the boys what he ex-
pected them to do, and the boys be
leved they could do 1t.
But the fellows on the other side
interfered. They were in prime condi-
ton also, and they plunged into the
fight TO win. The result was a battle
extending over three days, In which two
strong armies strove against each other
Nntil exhausted or until one had scarce
~ strength to retreat and the other
scarcely energy to pursue. One limped
off the field like man who had re-
ceiyed pounding and who had lost
most of his clothing in a rough-and-
tumble fight, and the other, in little
better plight, limped after. Both knew
that the battle had been fought and
felt that it would be weeks or months
before they would be ready for another
AT Chickamauga. however, the
Union troops went into battle after long
marches and confusing maneuyers.
They had been marching and counter
marching for two weeks in what SEEM
ed to them wilderness, and one morn
ing they found the enemy in front and
hlazeG away. Our battalion was off
on a scouting expedition on the 18th
Of September, and returned in the midst
of the battle of the 10Th to find that
our division had moved to the left
We started for the left, when we were
ordered to the right. on what the boys
declared to be wild-goose chase. 1t
was the night of battle, but there was,
as 1t grew dark. little or no firing.
I'VE passed two or three divisions,
bivouacked where they had fought The
camps seemed dense masses of men in
blue, sitting or standing or lying on
their blankets, all in order, but not in
line. In the growing darkness the
massed brigades and divisions looked
like clouds that had settled down to
the ground, and occasionally one Of the
clouds would take on motion and drift
silently away to the north. But all the
time we moved southwark into the
space where there were no clouds. Long
after midnight we halted in as pretty
forest glade as ever comforted the
eyes of tired men, and sitting down In
| line slept.
I'VE didn't know where we were or
what was expected of us. We knew
only that strong pickets We're in front
and that we were to have no fires and
were not to talk. We slept for two
hours in peace, with our rifles In our
| hands and with light blankets or over
coats thrown over our shoulders. Then
we moved in two ranks along a narrow
| road in the woods, quietly, steadily,
but without hurry or excitement. Sud-
denly we came upon great cloud OF
sleeping men, and we skirted its edge.
| Then in the early dawn we came upon
<hivering vedettes, who halted US with
low, sharp words, and parleyed with
our officers in the dark.
"As we hurried past the outpost
picket we noticed the men looked at
us in amazement, and we noticed also
that our colonel carried himself with
an air Of triumph and Importance But
on we went without explanation. skirt
ing in the faint, misty daylight Of Sept.
20 another dark cloud of men, Here
men in blue. massed liz close battle
order. were still sleeping except few
on the outer edge, who sat up TO look
at us stupidity or inquiringly A little
| farther on we passed another cloudlike
mass of men wriggling into wakeful-
ness. Some of the soldiers had the
manner of farmers who had oversight
| themselves, and others the half-irrit-
able. half-frolicsome look of boys pulled
| out of bed.
"But as we laughed at the ludicrous-
ness of the scene, there came from
somewhere a low, decisive order, and
in AZ instant the men were on their
feet and In straight lines. Another or
der, and they turned their backs upon
us and moved off in measured step in
the direction from which we had come.
and, looking beyond them, we saw in
the distance what had seemed to us,
thirty minutes before. mass of harm
less men, a division Of the Confederate
army moving into line. We saw our
own divisions leaving their bivouacks
and moving forward to the firing line,
| and we realized then that we had been
among the enemy and had brought
news that set the battle going.
"we went hurrying along the dis
jointed line to our appointed position.
and saw the Union army in its hour
of waking from sleep. There was no
excitement anywhere, even as the men
took their places in line and examined
their rifles. They all wanted to know
where we had been out in front and
were curious as to why we had not
been peppered. But they showed no
uneasiness as to what the Confederates
might do. Later In the day some Of
these regiments were swept from the
field and the men were in a state of
wild excitement But in the morning
they were as unexcited as the men Of
our battalion who had secuted around
division of the Confederate army and
didn't know lt-Chicago Inter-Ocean-
| I'll