The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1908-02-20
SOLDIERS AT HOME.
THEY TELL SOME INTERESTING
ANECDOTES OF THE WAR.
Away Life In Camp-ForagiDg Ex-
~periences, T1resone Marches
Thrilling Scenes on Battlefield.

ION the 22d of May, 1863" said Cap
tain Ludwig. "at Vicksburg. the Tween
tieth Illinois, after the mines had been
exploded. made a dash on Fort Hill,
held by the Confederates. We did not
capture the fort and in time we were
compelled to retire. But | remember
that our company ran up so close to
the earthworks that the ConfederateS
could not depress their guns enough TO
reach us.
There was a terrific uproar; there
Wis a good deal of confusion, but there
was one controlling thought with the
men: They did not want to go back.
Cooler heads might have seen that
there was no advantage in staying
where they were, but we thought there
was. We could see that the Confeder-
ates in the fort were planning to eX-
tend their line SO as to enfilade U
position, and it was necessary for US to
throw up intrenchments. The captain
ordered me back for picks and shovels.
/ went back very quietly without draw
ing the fire of the enemy and the COL
onel turned over to me six negroes,
each carrying a number of picks and
shOvels.
II attempted to get back to the COM
pany. which was still hugging close to
the Rebel earthwOrks, without drawing
the fire of the Rebel sharpshooters but
one of the negroes stumbled, the SHOW
els he was carrying making a great
racket and the Rebs opened on us,
killing two of the shovel bearers. The
inclination was to go back, but l felt
that it was less dangerous to &c for
ward and the negroes followed me at
a full run The boys greeted us with a
shout of laughter, but the surviving
negroes were so frightened that the
laugh seemed CHASTITY. After a rest the
captain directed the negroes to help
the men in shoveling. They p%eremptor-
lily declined. Thereupon t captain
told them that if they disobeyed orders
they would be shot. One Of the darkies
R1lo All IlE1t DSS II VIC "a tbC
shovels and work, the Rebs will shoot
us: IL we don't take the shovels and
work, you will shoot us. 1t is better
not to work and be shot than it is to
work and be shot We could do moth
ing with them, and when we retired
from Fort Hill to our old position in
line they started on a run and were
first in camp"
Il smile" said the major, "when |
think of the ups and downs OF our
brigade On Cotton Hill, in West Yir-
ginia. When we first occupied Camp
Gauley we held stoutly to the opinion
that il the Confederates occupied Cot
ton Hill east Of the river our position
would be untenable. Our picket posts
were we'll up the hill or mountain
ridge, but in good time the Confeder-
ates occupied Cotton Hill, occupied the
ridge nearer the river, and drove our
pickets close TO the east bank of the
river itself. Yet we held on TO our
camps, and in a few weeks made a long
march and drove the enemy from Cot
tor Hill.
"A week later our regiment was
marching over Cotton Hill in a fog
and moved recklessly down into the
Laurel Greek valley just as the fog
rose. AS the fog left the lower valley
we saw a great camp of C~onfederateS
the men unconcernedly getting ready
| for hrooIfoCf We u-ar0 only N fot
hundred yards from them, and they
o~utnumbered us five to one. We about
faced, marched quickly up the noun.
tain, and waited for an attack. The
C~onfederates had other plans, and nc
attack was made upon US.
The C~onfederates marched on east
ward and left US in possession of the
ridge until II suited their purposes tC
occupy IL agail. There were a good
many ugly skirmishes on Cotton Hill
during that campaign, but no battle fol
its possession. On one occasion ! re
member a lieutenant who had seen ser
vice in Austria called for volunteer.
for a scouting expedition to the real
| OI TIE IktDcl camp near lnt 1lIt
House. The scouting party reached
the rear of the Rebel camp, was dis
covered, and, small as it was, fired OF
the Rebel line. Some of the men Ner,
killed. others were wounded, and tn,
survivors were pursued almost to oul
picket lines. Among those killed wai
an old English soldier who, refusing {,
shelter himself in any way, was sho
through the head"
AT Kenesaw Mountain" said tn,
colonel, -our regiment charged for
ward. June %, over 600 yards of rougl
ground to the earthworks of the enc
my. We couldn't get in and we couldn'
go back. Picks and shovels were sen
forward, and intrenchments were
thrown up within a few yards of tn,
enemy. The brigades that made tina
charge lost $500 men, and yet they
did not break the enemy's line.
1T is no, generally known that Gen
eral Sherman said to Grant that h,
ordered the assault of June 81 becaus,
the Rebels. as well as his W army
had settled down into the belief tina
thanking alone was the old man
game and he wanted both armies t,
understand that he would not hesitate
TO attack I'm front. \ few days late
he fanked to the right, and our boy
went wei into the earthworks withou
firing a shot. Sherman's army move,
on Kenesaw Mountain June 8, and tn
enemy. having been ~outfianked. lee
their strong position on the night o
July ."
Blowing Up the Maine.
In the Sun of Dec. 26 the letter OF /
W. Tyler relative to the destruction o
the Maine In the harbOr of Havana re
minded me of one of my own expert
ences in the Civil War, says a reade
Of the New York Sun.
In March, 1863. Capt. Francis ID. lie