Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1908-05-27
PRIvArIoNs AND HARDsHIPS OF WAR
Actual Experiences of the Late Dr.. Gott
in the Southern Strife.

Our esteemed governor says in his
Memorial Day proclamation:
1t is mete that loyal people ever
keep in mind the sacrifices made by
the men who gave their lives that the
Union might be parpetuated. The par
ticipation in these exercises once each
year will more than any other act serve
to remind this generation of the awful
price in blood and treasure paid to in
sure National unity"
1t has seemed to me that some state
ment of what those privations and sac
rifiees were is mete at this time, and as
this is the first Memorial Day since the
passing of venerable soldier, who
many of the children remember, | ask
space for few words. DIR. Gott new
er cared for campfires and recitals of
those days of the Civil War. Once he
said: 'Those days are too filled with
tears and groans, carnage and death
for me to wish to recall Them" For
two years he had no butter and scarcely
ever any milk. During the ''march to
the sea" he never had an Irish potato
and at the end he paid $500 for big
Irish potato roasted in the ashes of a
campfire. Have heard him tell of hav-
ing had no sleep for three days and
nights, after battle. One night when
out on the battlefield with a squad of
men looking up the wounded he had
lantern shot out of his hand by one of
the rebel sharp shooters.
Derth of vegetables caused bowel
trouble, and have heard him tell how
once, he scraped green mould from a
barrel of sour krout and ate handful
after handful of it and never had any
thing taste so good in his life; and that
ne had often ordered the hospital stew
ards to feed plateful of krout to men
on cots too weak to feed themselves,
and it proved Just what the sick men
needed. Think, young men, of sleeping
on ground with only blankets, a tent
large enough to shelter big dog, over
you during the thunder storms of the
south, and suddenly finding your bed
pool of water, and having a breakfast
of smoky coffee and hard tack, and
marching all day through mud and wa
ter in wet clothes to spend another
night in similar quarters. No wonder
men died of home sickness and diseases,
and scarce one of the men who survived
were ever well men again. Greed was
abroad then, and once when the men
had been refitted with shoes by the
government and by night the paper
soles were loose on many of them.
once heard him state to a special pen
sion examiner, how at one point
large number of trusses were issued t.
'the boys" after hard march. DIR. Gott
rode for part of the time black mare
Fanny" of whom he was so very fond
that he brought her home. She had
great antipathy for negro and Otter
afforded the men sport as she tormented
Paddy Miles (Dr. Gott's body servant)
One time he had for a servant a
big burly negro, (Jim) and he sud
denly disappeared for three or four days
One morning he appeared just crawling
along and sorry figure. DIR. Gott said
Hello Jim, | thought you were lost
The burly negro drawled out, 'The rebel
got me and made me work on the breas
works and wouldn't let me sleep anc
didn't let me have much to eat" jim
was feed and left to sleep all day in tn
hot sun with the flies just swarminp
over him. General Rusk, while ster
and cool under the hottest fire, wa
mortally afraid of smallpox. Noticing
hut at the roadsile, DIR. Gott road uT
and looking in, di GOV cred negro dying
with smallpox. ieturning to the line
line Rusk asked, "What was in the
hut?" Receiving reply, Genersl Rusk
put spurs to his horse and DR.. Got
after him and for few miles it was d
question of horse flesh. Think of being
deprived for four years of the comforts
of home, bath, clean clothes, the skill
of the needle in mending, bed ano
comfortable food. DIR. Gott once said
What a blessing safety pins woulo
have been during the war. Once as
the army was marching along a sandy
road, bomb exploded killing several
men. Gen. Sherman being near, or
dered squad of rebel prisoners (recent
ly captured and at the rear, brought
up and placed at the front giving them
orders to find those bombs. Very care
fully they crawled over the road and
brought them up. Often for days the
air was dense with smoke of burning
pine and the mems faces and clothes
black as coal tar. 1t is said that a crow
could not have lived following the wax
of Sherman's army and his foragers
stretched far to either side Mansion
were burned, plantations laid waste to
provide the camp fires. These were
the measures of war and hard was the
lot of the men who followed brave Gen
eral Sherman. Let us thank God for
the peace Of today and revere the brave
men who in any way gave us this bless
| iuu H. r G..