The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-07-25
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL som. INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
How the Boys of Both Armies Whiled
Away Life in Camp-Foraging Ex-
periences, Tiresome Marches-Thril-
ling Scenes on the Battlefield.


case of a man like General Rosecrans;
they fail to give satisfactory impress
sion of Rosecrans' personality or his
relations to the rank and file of his
army. To do this fairly one must re-
sort to anecdote and incident.
Anecdotes that showed the real
man should go on record, or should be
made part of the record. One Incl
dent l know was made a matter of Of
fetal record, but is not mentioned in
any life of Rosecrans or any history of
the war. This is the case of Philip
Foreman, private in Company c, First
Kentucky Infantry. This regiment
served with Rosecrans in West Vir-
ginia before it joined the Army Of the
Ohio. On the second day at Shiloh
young Foreman left the regiment by
permission and went to fill his own
and other canteens with water. In
the exigencies of battle the regiment
moved and Foreman was not able 20
find it. Wandering about he came to
the brigade hospital in charge of DIR.
Menzies, who ordered him on duty as
nurse.
Foreman was naturally a sympa-
thetic and handy man. He did such
good service in the hospital that the
surgeon retained him for several days
and then sent him to the company with
a letter of explanation, in which he
took the responsibility for the young
mans absence. In the meantime Fore
man had been reported missing, or alb
sent without leave. Although the of
fcers of the company made proper ex-
PLANTATION Foreman's case was taken
before court martial and he was SEN
fenced to lose six months pay. He
was cheerful, contented, uncomplain-
Ing sort of a man, and said so little
about the matter that the men of the
company thought he was Indifferent.
Between that time and the battle of
Stone River, whenever report was
asked for as to what each man had
lost at Shiloh, Foreman always an
swered in a droll way, SIS. This al
ways raised a laugh and the boys re-
-ked one to another, Phil takes it
as a joke
"Cn the morning of the 31st of De-
cember, 1862. at Stone River, Foreman,
who was a short man, fell in next 10
the orderly. When some of the tall men
claimed the place Foreman looked up
to the orderly in a pleading way and
said, mo, | want to be right here. This
thing is going to be wiped o'.t to-day
For the first time in all these months
he showed feeling on the question of
his conduct at Shiloh, and he was per-
| mitted TO remain next to the orderly at
the head of the company. IN the fierce
engagement that followed Foreman
was struck in the right arm. He was
advised to go to the rear, but be de-
clined with the remark that he would
stow everybody he was not coward.
He kept his place in the ranks, loading
with his left hand. He was struck by
another bullet, this time in the iieshy
part of the leg. After he fell he tore
open his trousers, looked minute at
the wound, and was again on his feet
with teeth set. Again he refused to go
to the rear, and kept up his loading
with the left hand. He was now al
most the central figure in that COM
pany of sorely beset men. AS he raised
his left hand to ram home a load,
bullet struck that arm, and it fell to
his side.
''Then he dropped down in a resign
ed sort Of way, looked up at the order
ly sergeant, and said, easily, without
any excitement, Il guess I'll have to
quit IL would like to wipe the whole
| thing out His comrades dragged him
behind stump and prepared to leave
the line. The last sight caught of the
little fellow was as he crept around in
front of the stump to face the rebel
line that was coming up. These COM
rades saw him next after the battle, in
hospital at Murfreesboro He was
SO bandaged and bound up that he
could not shake hands, and he could
scarcely speak, but there was a bright.
contented look in his black eyes. and
he listened with interest to the stories
of the boys of the battle, after they
lefs him on the field AS the orderly
bent low over him, asking If anything
could be done, Foreman said, rs it all
wiped out now? Is it all goneY This
led TO action on the part of the COM
pany officials.
"a statement of the case, giving the
record at Shiloh and the record mt
Stone River, was made out and sent to
General Rosecrans. 1t touched the
heart of the General, ard he wrote out
letter Of c0ngratulation and praise
to the wounded man, and had issued
an order which was read on dress pa
rade before every regiment of that d.
vision, stating the facts, ordering
suspension Of sentence of courtmartial,
restoration of the six months pay,
and definite and distinct honorable
mention of Private Philip Foreman en-
tered on the records OF his company,
regiment, brigade, and division. This
official order was taken to Foreman in
the hospital, and was in his hand when
| he died. Almost his last words were
1T is all wiped out; Old Rosy says So
There was probably in the whole his
| tory OF the war no other case like this,
and at this time it should be made
part of the record of General Rose
GRAMS because it illustrates his atti
tude toward his men.
There is one short little chapter in
Rosecrans' career that was never told
by himself, and. so far as l know,
never clearly told by any other person.
This was his narrow escape at Chicka
manga. His headquarters were swept
out of the way by the charge of Long
streets men as if by hurricane. The
regiments that were about him were in
five minutes swept away from him. He
was left almost alone in the very pres
ence of n victorious enemy, with panic