The National tribune., 1907-03-14
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
Line.
Capture. Of Spanish Fort.

/
had the lock string of 11-inch gun
in his hand waiting for the order to be
given to fire. This was on the 5th OF
August, 1864. before breakfast, and the
man from whom the order was ex-
pected was David G. Farragut. He
thot that sailors would fight better be-
fore breakfast. as they had done at
New Orleans and also Admiral Dewey's
men did at Manila. The bluejackets
| deserve little credit for the capture
| of Spanish Fort, for they had big guns,
and on that eventful April 8, 1865.
were throwing 11-inch shells into. the
fort from the Winnebago up to 1880
O'Clock, when signals came from the
shore to stop. as the army was on the
point of assau ulting. This did not stop
the service of the bluejackets. for they
had still something worse. That was
getting out their boats and clearing the
| river of torpedos. These were more
dangerous to fight than the rebels. He
helped pick up SO of them, and each
one looked as big to him as a regiment
| of Johnnies
Starkweather's Brigade st Chattanooga.
Rudolph Schulz, Gath ILL.,, Moulton,
Iowa, is not pleased with the mention
of Starkweather's Brigade in the fight
| ing around Chattanooga. The brigade
was in reserve because 1t had suffered
| so severely at Chickamauga. On that
mem orable 23d of November, 1863, the
brigade moved slowly forward in col
umn to Fort Negley, and all at once
| the mist and fog gave way and there
could be seen regiment with its Col
or-bearer in front moving forward on
| Lookout Mountain, near the Craven
house. The band of the oath ILL., was
ordered on the ramparts to play the
Star Spangled Banner" to which the
| Color-bearer of the regiment respond
| ed with salute and waving his flag.
1t seemed that everybody in Chatta-
nooga became half -crazed with patriot
ism. That night the brigade slept on
its arms, and the next day moved slow
ly forward in column in support of the
| main attack.
| Wrote Many Letters.
| S. B. Tharp, New Alexander, Ohio,
knows something Of Washington in war
times, as he was a patient in Finley
Army Hospital. and later a clerk for
| Chaplain Winchester. He wrote hun
dreds of letters for the sick and wound
ed, some carrying Joy to the loved ones
at home, others carrying messages of
sadness. He always wrote hopefully
when the facts would justify It, He
would be pleased to hear from any of
those boys who are now alive. The
interesting to him 1t is the soldiers
friend and the Nations friend, as well.
A monument to WirZ, he thinks, might
serve to keep his infamous crime alive,
and he expresses the opinion that the
126th Ohio did as good service as any
who wore the blue. ~
Did We Go Home.
George w. Gates, Juniata. Pa, de-
n1orinp the hard old coldiQr-
have to get along. says: when cur
time was up and we were free to go
.ense and see Cur loved ones once
more, did We go? No: we saw that
our glorious Flag was still In danger.
and would not leave it, and, instead of
returning to our dear ones, we tried
it for three years more. What did
get in return? A ball thru the knee
joint. which crippled me for life, max
ing my limb useless and causing me to
suffer night after night" He wishes
the Government would help him by
giving him some work he could do be-
fore he gets too old to work.
A Pretty Good Record.
T. c. Pilgrim, 37th H., Grinnell,
Iowa, never having seen anything in
The National Tribune from his COM
rades wants them to know that several
of them are still alive. Forty-nine of
them met last Fall at Minneapolis, and
had a grand time. Tho not classed
among Fox's Fighting Regiments"
the boys of the 37th Ill. thot they had
a pretty good record. They were mus
tered into service in September. 1851.
and served till the close Of the war.
They took part in IL engagements.
Travelled 1886 miles. crost the Gulf of
Mexico twice, had two Colonels pro-
NOTED to Brigadier-General. and were
on the firing line from start to finish.
At Salisbury.
James M. Nichols, 94th N. Y, Clear
Lake, Wis, says that at Salisbury he
was called one Of the Third Rioters,
having been implicated in the attempt
to escape, and for which offense he was
tied by the thumbs and given " lashes
on his bare back with a tug with eyelet
holes in the center. He was then left
for five days without food. The leaders
in the attempt were strung up to the
same pole, and no tongue can express
the hardships endured. He wishes that
he had a much more powerful voice to
raise in behalf Of the Ex-Prisoners of
War bill.
Helps to Fight Your Battles.
W. A. Matson. Sergeant, Co. d, Sd
Me-, Parma, Mich. desires to speak to
the old boys thru The National Tribune.
He says: Comrades. you remember
when the boom Of cannon and zip Of
mimic ball told that the battle was on
how Loyalty you took your places in the
ranks and faced the foe; while COM
rades were falling all about you, yet
you stood firm. AS you stood in those
days by country and flag, so stand you
now by The National Tribune. the only
paper published in this country which
stands by the comrades. Your dollar
helps to fight your battles.
The F.-st Battery in Port Hudson.
"You did not give our Battery (Hnl-
combs), I'd VT, credit for going inro
Port Hudson after it was surrendered
to us, but, as O matter of fact, we were
the first battery to go in, as we were
the nearest to the works during the
SIEGE We were behind cotton bales on
the Plains Store Road, and I would
dearly love to hear from any Johnny
Reb who was in front of US during the
40 odd days of the SIEGE" writes DR.. A.
A. Rossiter. Saratoga Springs. N. Y.
Making Baskets.
Byron Lent, Co. l., 7th Mimi, Fergus
Falls, Mimi, thinks perhaps he Is fool
ish to mix up in this Spanish Fort con-
troversy, but he was there and is very
sure that Spanish Fort was entered by
Union troops on the evening Of April
s, 1865. That same evening the rebs
got out He thinks the chaps who cap
tured it on the 9Th were probably in