The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-05-30
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
The Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
Whistling Bullets, Bright Ba-onets,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.


whistIing Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs. Bloody Battles,
Camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.
The Young Rebci'S Dream.
On the night of April l, 1865, more
the Yankee armies, two of the great
est the world ever knew, or history
recorded, were lying on their arms in
front of Petersburg Va. The smoke
from the battle OF that day was still
hanging along the grass. bodies of
good and brave men in gray and blue
were lying in heaps in front OF the
breastWorks, and naught was heard
save an occasional crack of picket's
gun, the bursting at intervals of some
lazily moving mortar shell, or the
prayer of some poor fellow who was
rapidly passing to the beyond, only to
leave a wife and other loved ones at
home, waiting for his return. The
writer, then a boy of Is, was on guard,
and leaning against the wheel of IL
pound Napoleon looking through the
embrasure where the gun was pointing
to the boys in blue. 1t was heavily
charged with canister, the primer in
the vent, and the lanyard hooked in
ready to be pulled and throw death and
destruction in front of ii, should the
necessity arise. The moon was she'd
ing its pretty light, and the sky was
a thing of beauty. About ] o'clock in
the morning soft, sweet strains came
from a Yankee band in the distance.
They were playing sweet Home and
the gun. ne forgot be was rude,
dirty soldier. and waiting for an OPP
portunity to pull that lanyard that
would rob SO many homes in the
twinkling of an eye. And as he look
ed through the embrasure at the dead
and dying, and heard prayers and APP
peals for water he looked heavenward,
then laid his bead ON the wheel OF the
gun and prayed between sobs that
peace might come, and that brothers
might cease to destroy each other as
they had that day and many days be-
fore. The Yankee band ceased to play,
much to the boys regret, and the hours
dragged YEARLY. Just as the sun
peeped UP from the east, the relief
was posted, and the boy went a short
distance from the gun and laid on the
10, h.> el~ h;
only covering, and his pillow was made
of sand hurriedly raked together with
his hands He placed his hat over his
face, hummed soft, sweet hymn that
before he could lisp her name, and
In few moments was sleeping sweet
~. In his dreams he heard heavy
cannonadlng, and took position on an
the shot from both sides. Very soon
shell from a Yankee battery crashed
into rebel caisson and exploded it
Almost at the same instant a rebel
shell crashed into a Yankee caisson
with the same result. The smoke from
each foated across in opposite direc-
tons, met. entwincd themselves around
each other, and went upward out of
sight. as if heayenward bound. AT
that moment firing on both sides ceas
ed. oh how beautiful, exclaimed the
boy. never saw anything like that
before, and it must mean peace. Then
he awoke, sprang to his feet, and told
his comrades of his dream. Some of
them laughed, while others seemed i'm
pressed with the belief that there
might be something In the strange
dream Of the boy soldier. In the after
noon of that day the Yankees charged
and broke the rebel lines at Hatcher's.
on the right of Petersburg Run
Heavy cannonading followed all along
the line as far as Appomattox River.
AS the hey was standing at Fort
He'll" near the Crater, watching the
bursting OF shell, he saw exactly what
he had seen in his dream the night be-
foe And on the moment every gun
was silenced. He said to himself truly
that must mean peace, sweet peace
and as tears came to his eyes he
thought of his home far away in
Georgia. where he hoped to be with
his mother and sister at an early day
On that night (Sunday, April p Lee
evacuated Petersburg and took up the
march to Appomattox in retreat He
surrendered at this point April 9th.
Following this came the surrender of
Johnston. and peace was declared The
boy went home, and as he sat around
the hearthstone be would tell the loved
ones of his dream in the army.-Way-
erley Magazine.