The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1907-10-31


were happy You will understand that /
am not overdrawing the picture. When
the word was passed among the men
That Camp Alger was to be abandoned,
hats were tossed high in the air, and
the camp was one scene of confusion.
Add TO that the sight of some luckless
soldier going up after the hats, by the
aid OF q blanket in the hands of four
husky fellows who ara working over
time to keep him up there, then you
have fair picture of the scenes around
Camp Alger at the time of which
| write.
How many of my hearers have ever
witnessed that grand and imposing
sight of "breaking camp?" One min.
ute there stands before you city of
tents. stretching away as far as the eye
can $50; and the next, as the last note
OF the bugle is dying away in the dis
tance, with one grand sweep, every
tent strikes the ground at the same
instant; each and every tent falling in
the same direction, end in the almost
incredible space of ten minutes are
loaded on the wagons, while every SOL
dier stands at attention in line wait
ing the command. Notwithstanding
the tremendous task of moving thirty
| Thousand men, the first day out we
covered something over twenty miles,
camping at place called "Burr Oak"
just why it was called "Burr Oak" is
more than can say, unless it was in
commemoratiOn of one lonely oak that
adorned the place-and about twenty
million burs. But we soldiers long re-
membered Burr Oak" for other reasons
than the name. We of the Third Mis-
souri, were encamped on the side of q
small hill, whereon had lately been
harvested q crop of wheat, and as you
will understand, the ground 10 very
fS0fssaHsfznie4fow=4beut fhis time.
We'll, It rained that night. l think
that someone said it rained pitchfofks;
| don't know whether it did or not;
but l do know that we had to dig our
guns and blankets from out Of the
mud the next morning. Honestly, ]
never had so much real estate in my
possession at one time in my life as
had that morning we started on our
second day : march.
About 10 q. M. the second day out
we came to Bull Run creek, and altho
only small stream Of water and easily
fordable most any time of the year, it
was now raging torrent, as the rain
the night before had sent the water
over it's banks. But the orders were
to go thru, and 60 thru we did. Before
going thru l told my captain that 1
would never be able to swim with the
load that l was carting Oh my shoulders
and carry my gun at the same time; SO
the captain took my gun and told me
to catch hold Of the tail of his mount,
which did, and ne soon landed me on
terra firma. As be returned my gun to
me ne laughingly remarked shat never
before had he seen me looking so 'tine'."
l suppose he referred to the real estate
that left behind.
Leaving Bull Run creek we were
SOON travelling over the old and now
famous Centerville Pike running
straight thru Bull Run battle field,
thence ON to Centeryille, Va, another
historic little village that played
very prominent part in the great war
between the North and South. Stu
uated as it is, just to the left of the old
Bull Ran battle field, it became the
headquarters of first one side then the
other. Here. today, one can see breast
works thrown up on every hard, just
as they were left years ago; and here
also may be seen an old ramshackle
building, once used as flour mill, but
converted into hospital ty the South
ern army, which stands as a mute testi-
mony of the marksmanship of the
Northern gunners. One need ouly
gaze at the holes torn thru the building
BY cannon balls, or take his penknife
and dig lead bullets from out Of the
logs to understand that he is now
standing on sacred ground. Now so
quiet and still. bat once the center of
80 much carnage and blOodshed.
There is 9 story told by the citizens
of CeHterville of one of the officers of
the Southern army, an officer of high
rank and beloved by every true South
erner. His name I do not remember.