The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-07-22
Civil War Stories
MurfreeSboro.


Stone River of all the engagements
Of the late war in which | was a par
ticipant, strikes me as the most singu-
lar, in more respects than one. There
were one or two circumstances con-
nected with and Immediately proceed
ing the battle which have ever been to
me mysterious puzzle, and which l
never could account fec except upon
the hypothesis that the commander of
the Federal right was a laundering in
time when he should have been on the
alert.
Hardee's corps Ito which my regi-
ment, the First Arkansas, was attach
ed, on the Goth of December, 1862, oc-
cupied a position on the extreme right
Of the Confederate army. Bragg, on
that day, came to the determination
TO deliver battle on the following morn
Ing. and fixed on Hardees corps as the
force which should bring on the en-
we were transferred, on the evening
Of the Goth, to the extreme left of
the army. 1t was past midnight be-
fore the movement was fully accom-
plished. We bivouacked In the open
fields, less than half mile from the
Federal line. The night was frosty
and crisp. and we built great fires of
dry fence rails. There was over a mile
Of those bright, blazing fires. They IL
Illuminated the whole country for a
great distance, and the glare was re-
flected high up in the heavens. On
the morning of the 31st, just as the
first faint streaks of dawn began to
show themselves above the eastern
horizon. the reveille was sounded, and
the men fell into line like puppets.
moved by common spring. AS far
as the eye could reach to the right and
to the left there stretched an unbroken
line of glitterlng bayonets. In front
OF us, at the distance af about 500
yards, was high rail fence, stretching
across the bare and level stubble-fields
for probably mile. Just beyond this
fence. and skirting 1t for its entire
length. doomed up dense cedar forest.
Nestled amid these woods, apparently
little dreaming OF the close proximity
of an enemy, were the Federal hosts.
and there was probably not man of
the Confederate forces but expected
that We would in few minutes be en-
gagged in deadly strife with these hosts.
At about the hour the sunbeams be-
gan TO CLINT the tops of the tallest
trees, the skirmish line was thrown
forward, and Immediately following
the whole Confederate line was In mo-
ton. When the worm fence was reach
ed 1t went down before the solid hui
man wall With a crash, as If smote by
the wand of magician. Not until
this point was reached did the Skin
mishers fire a shot. There a few
pickets were encountered, and pToba-
bly, not more than fifty shots were
fired before we were in the very midst
OF the Federal camp. In advance Of
us the woods were full of the enemy,
fleeing In disorder. The pursuit was
kept up for three miles. and but for
the intrepid and cool-headed Phil Sher-
idan the day would probably have wit
messed the most disastrous defeat the
Union arms sustained in the sanguin-
| airy four years war. Every student of
war history knows how the gallant
Phil brought order out of chaos, check
ed the onset of Hardee's corps. and
saved the day.
Now, the mysterious and unaccount-
| able feature OF that episode Is, why
did the Federal force on the right al
low a large army to plant itself i'm
| mediately in their front, within rifle
shot, build bright fires that could be
seen for miles. bivouac there unmo-
Tested all night, fall into line the next
morning, advance upon them In battle
array. capture their camp and baggage,
| and put them to fight without their
offering so much resistance as the FIR
| ing Of a single gun? This question
has time and again presented itself to
my mind. and the more I think of 1t
the more difficult to answer it becomes.
-Arkansaw Traveller.