The National tribune., 1907-05-16
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.

From Alert Comrades Along the Who'll
Snake Story.
| s. M. Sawin, Tampa Fla, sends u
the following little snake story: WheI
his regiment was ordered to Port Hud
son they landed at Springfield 1t wa
after dark when they finally got ashore
Leaving the Corporal of the Guard II
charge, they started on G. brisk marcl
to the front to the music of cannon
shot and shell. They hates. = ....ii mil,
to the rear of the heavy artillery. EacI
gun along the line of seven miles hat
orders to send shell every 10 minute
as hint to Gen. Gardner that he hat
better pull down his flag. With a clea
view of the rebel earthworks they were
commanded to halt and go into camp
Nearly every man stood still for half ar
hour. spellbound by the stream of firt
in the air, showing the course of tht
shells. 1t was beautiful sight, yet the
comrade felt sad, for he realized thai
at any moment death might come t.
i some mothers dear boy, to some father
or brother. He went to the Adjutant
for detail to help clear up the place
for the hospital beds, and made the sick
as comfortable as he could for the
| night. The ground was strewn with
| brush from the trees cut by the John
MES for use in the fort, and the com
rades spread their blankets on these
piles for beds. A Lieutenant, who own
ed small black and tan dog, was about
10 make bed with them, but the dog
| objected, and would not allow his mas
ter to lie down. Feeling sure that there
was some reason for his dogs action,
the Lieutenant advised them to move
on, but they concluded to stay In the
! morning the ground was cleared to
| make room for the tents, and to their
horror they discovered the cause of the
dogs action of the night before. They
found they had been sleeping on the
home of six-foot RATHER, which they
killed, together with another, about the
same size. Each had nine rattles and {,
button.
The Burning of Columbia.
S. P. Phillips. Co. H, 9th Ind. Chap
man, Kan, with regard to Comrade
Fra1ey's communication in a recent is
sue of The National Tribune, says that
he did not make the statement that his
regiment was the first in the city, claim
ing any special honor on that account
but simply as a matter of fact. He
remembers the battery that Comrade
F'raley speaks of very well, standing
II
and rear as it was firing. He also re-
members the detail that crost in boats
before the pontoon was laid, and sup
posed they were of his brigade, which
had been brought up to where the pom
toons were being laid, and crost over
as soon as the bridge was completed.
He wishes to correct some of Comrade
Fraley's mistakes, the first one being
that Gen. Logan commanded the Army
of the Tennessee from July %, 1864,
after Gen. Mcpherson was killed, to
about the Goth or 9th of the same |
month, when Gen. Howard took COM !
mand. Comrade Phillips cannot ac-
count for Comrade Fraley's southeast |
gale, however, and can only explain it |
on the ground that there must have
been considerable liquid refreshments |
in Columbia at the time, and thinks |
perhaps the comrade may have found
two kinds in one canteen. AS to the
Confederate flag, he does not know
about 1t, but would have sup
posed that the Johnnies would have
taken it away with them as they had
plenty of time, nor does ne know why
the colors of the 18th should have been
taken when his regiment had their own
colors, but he knows how easy it is to
get things MKT up when the comrades
draw on their membranes of 40 or
IS years ago.
A Wichita Fable.
]. c. True, Co. C. 40th Mo-, oatville,
Kan, sends us a little tale which he
.alls "a Wichita Fable" On the streets
Of that city, he says, may be encoun
cred modest, unassuming gentleman
VIM. T. Sheppard. During the war
'Shep" served as color bearer in the
10th Ind, relic of Wagner's Division.
At Franklin, Tenn, he bore those colors
nj y, nd fn1 c1n
o the "Cyarter" House, then facing
lbout he tilted those colors forward,
md with brave men went up against the
impact of gray" that had surged over
he works. After the war, while stroll +.
ng down the street, he was accosted by,
Hello. old coffee cooler; how are you ,
making it" Coffee cooler" he re-
o stop to cool coffee are dead long ago;
is only the boys who could take things
lot that are alive to-day" /
What He Gave UP.
A. H. Foster. Battery F, 1st Mich. L.
l., Vallejo. Cal. gets very hot when /
Ie thinks how the Government has used
i'm. He draws a little Sc pittance I
n age, which he feels is very poor I
compensation for what he gave up as |
young man to serve his country. At !
he time of the war he was an appren- c
ice ship carpenter, and K was good G
rade, but he gave 1t up to go into the i
rmy, and after the war he was too old
D go back to his trade, and has been
Othing but a common laborer since.
Would like to hear from some of the :
oys Of Battery F, as he hasn't seen or /
card from any Of them since the Sd of :
uly, 1865. !.
Oldest Veteran, :.
A. ]. Ogle. Garland. Kan, saws Henry 7
'orman, of Liberal, Mo-, is without '
oubt the Oldest veteran now living. \
omrade Dorman was born Jan. 10,
779. and passed his 10Sth birthday last
nnuary. At the time of the breaking
ut. of the war he tried to enlist, but +
as rejected on account of his age. n
inally, however, on his third trial he c
as mustered into a cavalry regiment. N
e is now very feeble, but hopes to live S
} vote for the next President. Any a
Ody wishing to know more can find out Z
y writing to him at Liberal, Mo.
Possibly a Typographical Error.
]. e. Crawford, Co. A, 9Th w. Va,
nd Co. /, 1st w. Va, Utley. o., saw in a
he National Tribune some time ago an II
EN- by one John Mardway, Co. A, 9th II
:. Va. He thinks there must be some l.
istake in the names, for he was in V
lat company and regiment from 1862 p
1865, and never heard of a man of
lat name, but there was a boy there
the name of John Hardway; and if