Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1908-06-05

In many of the posts of the Grand
Army the custom of a weekly paper or
two by members, giving personal ex-
perience in the service, has been estab-
lished. 1t ought to be the custom in all
of the posts, for in no other way can
SO much valuable history or so many
good stories be brought out. There is
not man who was at the front who
has not a page or more Of unwritten
history and cluster of good stories,
both of which the public would be glad
to be presented with.
I sat for an hour a few evenings ago,
with seventy-fve others, and listened
with absorbing interest to a paper a
soldier had taken a year to get in
shape for presentation. Up to that
time no one in the society suspected
tina. ne could hold, much less charm,
that critical body Of men. Some of
them knew how good a soldier he had
been in a regiment that escaped none
of the battles of the Army of the Cum
berland, but they did not think he could
turn himself into a Chauncey Depew;
but he could, and did.
Let me tell something about this new
entertainer l heard from member
of his company before giving a few of
the stories in his paper. tom Ford
went into a fight just as a hustler goes
into the harvest field-to do the best
and all he could. Our first battle was
Perryville, Oct. 8, 1862. Ford was
sick the day of the fight. Going to
the surgeon he said: Fix me up for
the fight, DOCTOR
eyes, I'll put you in an ambulance
"'No, I'm going with the regiment
and he did, allowing the ambulance to
carry his knapsack and coat. He was
too weak to carry them. He wore a
red shirt. We were ordered to charge
to a rise of ground to support a bat
terry. When reaching the point we were
close to the enemy, who peppered us
right lively, and we were ordered to
fall back. All but Tom Ford obeyed
in quick time. He stood by himself,
in his red shirt and blue trousers, and
1OduCu CllSI D1Su us IL Tic ISpuDllC uC-
pended on his service. The colonel, at
the top of his voice called: You man
with the red shirt fall back Tom
was too busy to hear. Then the adju-
tant was ordered to go out and bring
the fellow back to the line. Without
rank and resumed firing. He was that
kind Of soldier-the best type in any
army"
In his paper Tom Ford told of
young fellow who had been remembered
by a friend with $12 package of
choice fine cut tobacco. 1t was more
than he needed or could carry, so he
got chum to help him, and they put
it up in small packages and sold it.
The paymaster was past due and most
of the boys were out Of money, and
the tobacconist had to give time. This
was on the eve of the battle Of Stone
River. The slaughter in the tobacco
merchants company was great At a
moment when the fight was the hottest
and four or five Of his comrades who
had bought his tobacco on time were
lying dead or MORALLY wounded, the
young fellow rushed to the captain and
in an agony of spirit exclaimed: MY
God, captain, who Is going to pay me
for the tobacco those dead men got
trusted for?'
$50 to the devil with your tobacco
get into line and go to shooting"
Tom Ford had two brothers in the
army, and his father was a member of
Bridges Chicago battery. He did not
know that two of his boys were in the
Twenty-fourth Wisconsin until after
Stone River. When he learned where
they were the father lost no time in
visiting them. Going to Colonel LARA
bee he said: Colonel, have two boys
in your regiment. / want them with
me in the Chicago battery. VIII you
allow them to be transferred?"
mo, sir; they are good boys, and I
want them in my command"
But, colonel, they are my boys"
"They are not your boys, sr-they
are my boys, and you can't have them
until the war is over"
The father had to go back without
his boys His third son was in the
Twenty fourth Massachusetts. At the
battle of Fredericksburg, when the col
or sergeant fell, young Ford seized the
flag and was in the act Of planting it
on the enemy's breastwork when a bull
let struck him dead. Colonel LARA
bee was right, the Fords were good
boys.
You may have heard about the Yer
monters who fed some Jersey boys on
roast dog. Here is true enough dog
story. Among Tom Ford's chums were
several incorrigible foragers. When
General Lowell H. Rousseau, the gal
liant KentuckIan, commanded the divis-
ion he had strict orders against forag-
ing. One day he saw Fords chums
carrying a dressed sheep to camp. An