Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-05-03

Who can tell how much help General
Grant received in the great work which
began year later and ended at Apo
mattoX, in those mimic battles on the
head of a barrel or on a dry goods box
in the Wisconsin village, while waiting
for the country merchant to weigh and
load the hides of steers, sheep and
calves? Who would have thought, in
1860, when ex-senator Miner sat and
watched the quiet man with stubby
WhiskerS and short mustache, as he
formed his lines Of battle, f1anked the
enemy, charged lines of works and cap
tured batteries With corn soldiers that
within five years the silent buyer and
hauler of calf skins and sheep pelts
would become the most famous Of mod
ern generals? Probably it never enter
ed the old Senator's mind. Probably
the quiet man sitting at the dry goods
box and commanding a vast army of
kernels of corn never dreamed what
was in store for him. He was a sol
dier; he had won distinction in war
two or three brevets and other promo
tions-and his heart had been in his
profession ever since, though he was
temporarily off duty. | wonder if
Grant at Shiloh thought of his battles
at Hazel Green, and drew from his ex-
perience in those contests to assist him
in that great battle in real war. I Won
der If the experience in Grant County
upon Vicksburg in 1868, one of the most
striking military movements made dur
ing that war of striking movements.
wonder, when, in 1864, he was baked
after crossing the Rapidan and meet
ing Lee and his dauntless legions, he
recalled the manner in which he had
fanked one line of corn kernels with
another line of corn soldiers, and de-
cided to try the experiment on General
Lee. Certainly he did try the f1anking
process, and with success. l wonder #
he had not had that experience at Ha-
eel Green in 1860 it would not have
been easy for him to take the advice
of his corps commanders and recross
the Rapidan, after the second days
fight in the wilderness, when his army
was defeated. 1t may be that the cour-
age and confidence he gained at Hazel
Green enabled him to say to those
corps commanders: 1--WE will stay here
and fight; we will not recross the
Rapidan." Who knows?
That story, told me by friend, re-
minds me of one an officer of the Thir-
teenth Indiana told concerning General
Rosecrans, in the West Virginia cam
paign, just before the battle of Rich
Mountain. General Rosecrans was in
command of a brigade. He accepted
an invitation from the colonel of the
Thirteenth Indiana to dine with him
Their coffee, bareback and fried pork
we're displayed on bareback box; Just
to the left of General ROsecrans lay
another bareback box. The general
stopped eating and talking, gathered up
on the box to his left, in lines of battle
moved them back and forth, brought
them together, made them flank each
other, had one side charge the other
and the other defend itself, and then
brushed them off on the ground, by
which time the colored cook had gotten
around with another supply for the Ia
bic. The general, without saying a
word Or glancing at the balance of the
party, took his two hands, gathered up
the new supply of crackers, placed
them on his cracker box battlefield and
to Gnht hnf L