The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-06-20

Inc morning. Il, In common WITH lne
other captains in the regiment, ISSUED
strict orders for my company 10 turn
cut in the morning and stand the re-
auired time in line, but | remained in
bed. l continued this practice after
ve went TO Kentucky and were assigned
10 Nelson's division, early in 1862 and
all the other company commanders did
the same.
The scheme worked well for two
mornings, and then Nelson issued an
order that every commissioned officer
from colonel down should appear fully
sccoutered with his men in line Of
battle. We laughed at this and agreed
20 stand together in ignoring the order
But the next morning just after the
Sugle at division headquarters sounded
reyeille. there was a commotion along
the line of officers tents. Nelson was
storming through camp. slapping at
tents with his sword and routing out
eOlonels, majors, captains and lieuten-
ants.
Half awake. / was wondering what
IT was all about, when Nelson reared
in at my tent: Get out of there. you
son of a gun; get out or 1 will have you
shot; get out, you son of gum and
then a slit was cut in my tent and Nell
son glared in at me swearing. / sat
up on my cot, and pretending to be
only half awake, took up my heavy
boots and hurled them one after the
ether at the opening through which the
general was peering. shouting in the
meantime. I don't know who you are
and l don't care. I am no son of a
gun-take that back or | won't bulge
Instantly the general replied: You go
t0heilsir-1 take it back. You are q
great big. fne-looking. lazy officer. dis
e5eying my orders and setting a bad
example to your men. You ought to be
ashamed OF yourself
II told him was, and If he would
excuse haste / would be out with the
men in five minutes He sat by, super
intended my dressing. made me button
every button and buckle every buckle
and smiled gcod-naturedly as | took
my place in the line formed by my
shivering men. After that he seemed
to watch me pretty closely, and often
wondered what the old stormer had in
mine. At the crossing of Green river.
I think It was, came upon a score
Of wagons stuck in the mud. the mules
refusing to pull under the badgeri,ig
OF Incompetent drivers.
Nelson was storming at train mas
tiers. drivers, and mules. and as came
mp al the head of my company be ask
eC in n general way: Aren't there in
your whole command. captain, half 4
dozen men who know how to manage
mules and pry wagons out of the muf-'
i knew that there were in my CON-
pary at least dozen farmer boys who
were expert drivers and who knew all
mat there was to be learned about
Hitting wagons out of the mud called
Tor volunteers, put some of my men in
the places of the wrathful drivers, put
the others at the wheels Of the wagocs.
and in ten minutes were were CIT OF
the scrape and the mules were pulling
steadily under the MANAGEMENT OF
drivers who knew how r. rive.
Nelson thanked us az al referred
to us as gentlemen. r boys smiled
grimly at that and jokeG about it a
eood deal that night in camp. The
next morning received an orde. from,
division headquarters to repo~s WITH
my company at the river. There l
learned that / was TO superintsnd the
crossing Of the wagon trains arl art!I-
hry. 1t was a hard days work for all
Of Us, but we kept things going. Nell
son rode down several times. and If
was on that occasion he was reported
90 have said that a mule was wortl.
more than man. What he did say. as
team Of mules was fioundering in the
water. was, Jump in, boys: Jump in
ard save those mules. Don't you know
shat, as We are situated now. mule
~ worth as much to us as a mani
Several OF the men, laughing 1T IL,
8>ttCAaA CAt4tCllCitf Nducu III 1UC
brought the mules out
AFTER that General Nelson and nv
self became great friends / was one
q the commissioned officers who
crossed the Tennessee river with him
20 the field of Shiloh. was with him
~ Louisville when he was shot. and I
heard almost the last words that the
bluff old soldier ever spoke. In al. mn
acquaintance with him he never once
referred to the time he routed me on.
Of my tent, and inferred that he rath-
e. liked a man who stood by his guns
and who gave him as good as he sent
IN the way of strong language
II had a very interesting expert
mce," said the lieutenant. with Gen
eral Grant. / had been in the tele
graph and signal corps service in the
army, and l had seen him good many
tunes at his best After the war
went into the newspaper business, and
when Grant made his tour of tbs
northern States in 1865 1 was assigIe
b several of the big meetings, and, lt
you know, / could scarcely resist the
temptation to shake him, he seemed sc
fimid and embarrassed in the face o.
10000 people. He seemed so afrait
Of cheering men, women and children
when in the presence of $4,000 soldier
he would have been right the othel
way, that I was constantly on tn;
point of speaking to him, but the truti
is I was afraid Of him. In all my LII
never had seen a man SO absolutely
helpless as he was before larg'
crowd
''One day I pressed through thu
crowd to get to a balcony where TIL
general was to stand, and as l wa
then a pretty large man, 1 had hare
time Of It. | got to the balcony out o
breath and out of patience, with al
the buttons of my coat / found tw'
boys loung.ng about the little balcony