Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1908-05-29

TWO by members, giving personal ex-
perience in the service, has been estab-
Hshed. 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 page or more Of unwrtten
history and a cluster of good stories,
both of which the public would be glad
to be presented with.
sat for an hour a few evenings ago,
! with seventy-five others, and listened
with absorbing interest to a paper
soldier had taken a year to get in
shape for presentation. Up TO that
time no one in the society suspected
/ that he could hold, much less charm,
that critical body of men Some of
them knew how good a soldier he Ind
been in a regiment that escaped none
of the battles Of the Army of the Cum
herland, 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 / heard from member
of his company before giving "a few of
the stories in his paper. tom Ford
went into fight just as hustler goes
| into the harvest field--to do the best
and all he could. Our first battle was
Perryville, Oct s, 1862 Ford was
sick the day Of the fight. Going to
the surgeon he said: Fix me up for
the fight, doctor
Yes, III 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 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
| loaded and fired as If the republic de
! PShdCu va Ms StINltes he toIOHel, Mt
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 60 out and bring
the fellow back to the line. without
a word he took his place in the front
rank and resumed firing He was that
Kind of soldier-the best type in any
army"
In his paper Tom Ford told of a
| young fellow who had been remembered
by a friend with a So 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
1t up in small packages and sold 1t.
| The paymaster was past due and most
| of the boys were ont 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 n
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 forf'
go 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 Larra-
bee he said Colonel have two boys
In your regiment. | want them with
me in the Chicago battery. VIII you
allow them to be transferredY'
mo, sir; they are good boys. and
want them in my command
But, colonel, they are my boys"
They are not your boys. sir-they
are my boys, and you can't have them
| until the war is over"
The father had to 20 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 II
on the enemy's breastwork when n hui
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 a true enough dog
story Among Tom Ford's chums were
several incorrlgible foragers When
General Lovell II. Rousseau, the gal
liant Kentucklan. commanded the divls-
ion he had strict orders against forag-
ing. One day he saw FoFds chums
carrying a dressed sheep to camp. An
aid was directed to arrest the foragers
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