Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1907-12-14


camped with others Of the Army OF the
Cumberland near Nashville, and we
were having good time In the can
vas city about Nashville there were
hearty $4,000 soldiers taking advantage
OF the concentration to do good deal
OF visiting and sightseeing. -
THE day before Christmas an Eng
lishman In our company walked ten
miles to get a goose for cur Christmas
dinner The markets of Nashville were
open to us, but our Englishman wanted
Q goose, and he went beyond our We
dette line TO get 1t. He cooked it for
pours. but seemed to be a little upset.
In answer to my questions he said: i
saw Old Rosey out In front, and / dis
covered that this whole army win move
forward the day after Christmas
Il did not believe the story then, but
that night received orders to have the
company ready for marching on the
morning Of December 20, and learned
that the same order had gone to all the
company commanders in the division.
We had goose for dinner on Christmas
cooked by an Englishman In the good
old English way, but have never cared
Tor goose since. l probably ate too
much. At all events, dreamed that
we started for the 'front.' the whole
army in Indian file led by our tough old
goose, and that we wound In graceful
way into the very center Of the rebel
camp.
when l awoke the company was
formed, and In half an hour 10000
men were moving southwark from
Nashville on half dozen different
roads. and before night were driving
the enemy back. Only three days more
OF Christmas week passed, and we were
engaged in the battle of Stone River.
| never think OF that struggle but what
/ think of Blaines words, Battles such
as established SCOTS fame In the Mag
ara campaign, OF Jaclxson's at New Or
leans, or Taylor's at Buena Vista, were
in magnitude repeated q hundred times
! during the civil conflict under com
manders whose names are absolutely
forgotten by the public
I'VE who were at Stone River, or
| Gettysburg. or Chickamauga, know this
is true. A single corps of the Army OF
the Cumberland or the Army OF tlae Pc
tomac contained larger number od
troops than Taylor or Jackson ever
saw mustered There Were Ia the Tn
Ion army l,7o0 regiments OF Infantry.
go regiments OF cavalry, and 800 bat.
teries Of artillery. And 1t was an
| hoonr to belong to such an army
whether 1t fought at Shiloh or Stone
River, or Antietam or Gettysburg
''Just So" said the Corporal, ~bnt
there were hines wien a fellow was not
at all proud For example, saw Gen
eral Richard w. johnson at Stone
River, when we were proud OF each
other, and he saw me on one occasion
when | was not looking for him and /
| didn't care TO see him. As Sergeant
Brown, of our battery Il. Second Illi-
nois, L. A., would say, me and the
General had both been on duty, ! on
picket and he looking after his lines. /
was Juggling goose to camp when
met the General face to face. I ought
70 explain that good forager would
begin on chicken and run down the
scale of ham. fresh pork, duck, sweet
potatoes, cabbage and sorghum to goose.
''To see forager headed for camp
In off
the outbound forager that the supplies
Were exhausted, and the country in
front depleted and abandoned in a for
aging sense. And yet there is to me no
more toothsone morsel than goose
served with onions. General Johnson
probably did not share my views OH this
question, as he looked In contemptu-
GUS way at the goose. / made the best
Of difficult situation, saluted and was
passing on with smile when the Gen
eral halted me.
He asked, looking at the goose, how
far had been TO the front, asked about
the roads, the location Of the farm
houses. and the people residing In them
in the eyes with casual glance now
and then at the goose. OWNED that
his mind was busy with some problem
and my mind | know was busy trying
to arrange an alibi for the goose. Fl
nally the strained situation was re-
Iieved by the General saying Thank
you and riding back to the rear and
right. lie turned, however, to say
Corporal, keep straight ahead to camp.
suppose you are hungry / didn't
quite understand whether this was a
reflection on me or the goose, but /
went TO camp"
AT Stone River said the Captain.
'Crittenden A. Cox, Of the Thirty Fifth
Ohio. had fought everything out Of
sight in his immediate front and was
posing at rest with his legs wide
apart. leaning forward on his musket
Colonel Boynton. in passing, noticed the
unsoldierly position, and said to Cox