Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-05-24
THE FIELD OF BATTLE
INCIDENTS AND ANECDOTES OF
THE WAR.
Inc Veterans of the Rebellion Tell of
"n1stl1ns Bullets, Bright Bayonets,
Bursting Bombs, Bloody Battles,
camp Fire, Festive Bugs, Etc, Etc.
The Young Rebels Dream.


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
preastWorks, and naught was heard
save an occasional crack of a picket's
gun, the bursting at intervals of some
laz1ly 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 boy of 16, was on guard,
and leaning against the wheel of 70
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 it, should the
necessity arise. The moon was she'd
ing it's pretty light, and the sky was
thing of beauty. About 1 O'Clock in
the morning soft, sweet strains came
from a Yankee band in the distance.
They were playing Sweet Home" and
as it fell upon the ears of the boy at
the gun, he forgot he was a rude,
dirty soldier, and waiting for an OPP
no
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 ap-
peals for water he looked heavenward,
then laid his head 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
ground to rest. The blue sky was his
only covering and his pillow was made
of sand hurriedly raked together with
his hands, He placed his hat over his
face, hummed a soft, sweet hymn that
his dear mother used to sing to him
before he could lisp her name, and
in a few moments was sleeping sweet
ly. In his dreams he heard heavy
cannonading, and took position on an
elevated point to watch the effect of
the shot from both sides. Very soon
a shell from a Yankee battery crashed
into a rebel caisson and exploded it.
Almost at the same instant a rebel
shell crashed into a Yankee cafssOn
with the same result. The smoke from
each floated across in opposite direc-
tons, met, entwined themselves around
each other, and went upward out of
sight, as If heavenward bound. At
that moment firing on both sides ceas
ed. Oh how beautiful, exclaimed the
boy. l 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 Hatchers,
on the right Of Petersburg Run.
Heavy cannonading followed all along
the line as far as Appomattox River.
AS the boy 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-
fore. 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 TINS came TIE SURRENDER OIL
Johnston, and peace was declared. The
how went home, and as he sat around
the hearthstone he would tell the loved
ones of his dream in the army.-Wav
erley Magazine.
"Sallie:" A Dog OF War.
The heroism and tragedy of war are
not confined to it's human participants
"Sallie" was nothing more than a lit
tie dog, but she showed a spirit which
gave her a warm place in the hearts
of the soldiers of Pennsylvania whose
martial Deeds" are chronicled by
Samuel Bates. Sallie was brought to
the captains quarters when she was a
tiny puppy, and soon became a regi-
mental institution.
AS soon as the drum beat for re-
veilIe she was at hand, and she never
missed a roll-call. No soldier was
more regular at drill, and on dress
parade she always accompanied the
color sergeant.
SolIia was at Manassas Junction,