Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1907-12-20

always reminds me of the last week Of
December, 1862. Our division was
camped with others of the Army Of the
Cumberland near Nashville, and we
were having good time In the can
vas city about Nashville there were
nearly $4,000 soldiers taking advantage
Of the concentration to do a good deal
Of visiting and sightseeing
1.-THE day before Christmas an Eng
lighman In our company walked ten
miles to get a goose for our Christmas
dinner. The markets of Nashville We're
open to us, but our Englishman wanted
goose, and he went beyond our We
dette line to get it. He cooked it for
hours, but seemed to be a little upset.
In answer to my questions he said: 4
saw Old Rosey out in front and 1 dis
covered that this whole army will move
forward the day after Christmas.
II did not believe the story then, but
that night received orders to have the
company ready for marching on the
morning of December g. and I learned
that the same order had gone to all the
company commanders in the division.
We had goose for dinner on Christmas,
cooked by an Englishman in the good
old English way, but I have never cared
for goose since. l probably ate too
much. At all events, l dreamed that
we started for the front, the whole
army in Indian file led by our tough old
goose, and that we wound in a graceful
way into the very center Of the rebel
camp
when / aWoke the company was
formed, and in half an hour 10000
men were moving southwark from
Nashville on half dozen different
roads, and before night were driving
the enemy back. Only three days more
of Christmas week passed, and we were
engaged in the battle of Stone River.
never think of that struggle but what
think of Blaine's words Battles such
as established SCOTS fame i'll the Mag
ara campaign, Of Jackson's at New Or
leans, or Taylor's at Buena Vista, were
in magnitude repeated a hundred times
during the civil conflict under COM
manders whose names are absolutely
forgotten by the public
1--WE who were at Stone River, or
Gettysburg Or Chickamauga, know this
is true A single corps of the Army Of
the Cumberland or the Army Of the Po-
tomac contained a larger number of
troops than Taylor or Jackson ever
saw mustered. There were in the I'm
ion army 1,70O regiments of infantry,
27O regiments of cavalry, and 900 bat
teries Of artillery. And 1t was an
hoonr to belong to such an army,
whether it fought at Shiloh or Stone
River, or Antietam or Gettysburg"
Just So" said the Corporal, "but
there were times when fellow was not
at all proud. For example, saw Gen
eral Richard w. johnson at Stone
River, when we were proud of each
other, and he saw me on one occasion
when | was not looking for him and l
didn't care to see him. AS Sergeant
Brown, of our battery O, Second Hill
nois, L. A., would say, me and the
General had both been on duty, I on
picket and he looking after his lines. 1
was Juggling goose to camp when l
met the General face to face. / ought
to explain that a good forager would
begin on chicken and run down the
scale of ham, fresh pork, duck, sweet
potatoes, cabbage and sorghum to goose.
ITO see a forager headed for camp
with a goose, was, in effect, notice to
the outbound forager that the supplies
were exhausted, and the country in
front depleted and abandoned in a for
aging sense. And yet there is to me no
more toothsome morsel than goose
served with onions. General Johnson
probably did not share my views on this
question, as he looked in a contemptu-
GUS way at the goose. [ made the best
of a difficult situation, saluted and was
passing on with a smile when the Gen
eral halted me.
"He asked, looking at the goose, how
far had been to the front, asked about
the roads, the location of the farm
houses, and the people residing in them.
AS l ANSWERED he looked me squarely
in the eyes with a casual glance now
and then at the goose. l OWNED that
his mind was busy with some problem
and my mind know was busy trying
to arrange an alibi for the goose. FL
nally the strained situation was re-
lieved by the General saying: Thank
you,' and riding back to the rear and
right He turned, however, to say:
Corporal, keep straight ahead to camp.
] suppose you are hungry l didn't
quite understand whether this was a
reflection on me Or the goose, but
went to camp"
"At Stone River said the Captain.
"Crittenden A. Cox, of the Thirty-Fifth
Ohio, had fought everything out Of
sight in his immediate front and was
posing at a rest with his legs wide
apart, leaning forward on his musket.
Colonel Boynton, in passing, noticed the