Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-06-21

the Captain. In all my service III
West Virginia up to January, 1862,
had acted on the theory that commits
stoned officer had privileges in the way
Of standing in line Of battle early in
the morning. I, in common with the
other captains in the regiment, issued
strict orders for my company to turn
out in the morning and stand the re-
quired time in line, but 1 remained in
bed. continued this practice after
we went to Kentucky and were assigned
to Nelson's division, early in 1862, and
all the other company commanders did
the same.
THE scheme worked we'll for two
mornings, and then Nelson issued an
order that every commissioned officer
from colonel down should appear fully
accoutered with his men in line Of
battle. We laughed at this and agreed
to stand together in ignoring the order.
But the next morning just after the
bugle at division headquarters sounded
reveille, there was a commotion along
the line Of officers tents. Nelson was
storming through camp, Shaping at
tents with his sword and routing out
colonies, majors, captains and lieuten-
ants.
Half awake, 1 was wondering what
it was all about, when Nelson roared
in at my tent: Get out Of there, you
son Of a gun get out or I will have you
shot; get out, you son Of a gun, and
then a slit was cut in my tent and Mel
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
other at the opening through which the
general was peering, shouting in the
meantime, I don't know who you are
and I don't care. I am no son Of a
gun-take that back or I won't bulge
Instantly the general replied: You go
tohellsir-I take it back. You are
great big, ine-looking lazy officer, dis
obeying my orders and setting 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 good-naturedly as 1 took
my place in the line formed by my
shivering men. After that he seemed
to watch me pretty closely, and I often
wondered what the old stOrmer had in
mind. At the crossing of Green river,
I think it was, I came upon score
Of wagons stuck in the mud, the mules
refusing to pull under the badgering
of incompetent drivers.
Nelson was storming at train mas
ters, drivers and mules, and as came
UP at the head of my company he ask
ed in a general way: Aren't there in
your whole command, captain, half a
dozen men who know how to manage
mules and pry wagons out of the mud"
I knew that there were in my COM
pany at least dozen farmer boys who
were expert drivers and who knew all
that there was to be learned about
lifting wagons out of the mud. l called
for volunteers, put some of my men in
the places of the wrathful drivers, put
the others at the wheels Of the wagons,
and in ten minutes were we're cut Of
the scrape and the mules were pulling
steadily under the management OF
drivers who knew how to drive.
"Nelson thanked US all and referred
to US as gentlemen. The boys smiled
grimly at that and joked about it a
good deal that night in camp The
next morning l received an order from
division headquarters to report with
my company at the river. There I
learned that I was to superintand the
crossing Of the wagon trains and artil-
Iery. 1t was hard days work for all
Of us, but we kept things going. Mel
son rode down several times. and it
was on that occasion he was reported
to have said that a mule was worth
more than a man. What he did say, as
6 team of mules was foundering in the
water, was, Jump in, boys; jump in
ard save those mules. Don't you know
that, as we are situated now, a mule
is worth as much to us as man?
Several Of the men, laughing 1T tue
generals excitement, waded in and
brought the mules out.
"After that General Nelson and my
self became great friends. I was one
OF the commissioned officers who
crossed the Tennessee river with him
to the field Of Shiloh. I was with him
in Louisville when he was shot. and I
heard almost the last words that the
bluff old soldier ever spoke. In all my
acquaintance with him he never once
referred to the time he routed me out
of my tent, and inferred that he rath
err liked a man who stood by his guns
and who gave him as good as he sent
in the way Of strong language"