Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-05-21

My First Battle.


this eternal camp life, cleaning up,
guard mounting, and dress parade.
This will never put down the rebellion.
What farce, this going on picket duty
when there is not reb within hun
dred miles. It's enough to drive one
are filling up with sick men, All that
a1ls them is inconsistencies, caused by
having nothing else to think about. My
God, want to "up and at EN-"
Second Speaker-Here, too: so do
I. I'll bet we could whip HI out of
twice our number and make them hunt
their holes.
Third Speaker Oh, yes you fell
lows can talk big now, while we are at
safe distance; but by the time we are
at close quarters with them, their bay
onets clashing with ours, and the balls
flying about your head so thick you
would think q whole swarm of bees
were going to light on you, as it was
when our old Seventh was cut up so
bad at Winchester, III bet you'll sing
anywhere but there. You would be the
ones to hunt for hole, and it would
not be very big one that would hold
you, either. I've heard big talk before,
and the ones who did the loudest talk
ing were the ones to be the last at the
front, If they ever got there, and the
first to the rear. For my part, am
perfectly satisfied to stay here and do
camp duty as long as it Is necessary
I've had enough fighting to do me the
balance Of my days.
Such was the common talk while we
were lying in camp at Tullahoma, in
1864. Our regiment Zone Hundred and
Seventy seyenth Ohio) and the One
Hundred and Eighty eighth Ohio, with
battery of regulars, were guarding
the railroad between MurfreesbOro and
Chattanooga. But the grumblers as
we'll as all others, were soon to have
a chance to ''up and at 'em," or, rath-
er, up and away from them, and we
were not slow in our manner of doing
it, either.
Our old scout came into camp one
morning and reported General Hoods
whole army two days march south Of
us, moving toward Nashville, and that
he was picking up all our small de-
tachments along the railroad as he
came north. There was plenty of life
and activity in our camp that day for
all able-bodied men. bitches were
dug, breastWorks thrown up, and every
thing done to make our position as
strong as possible, even to digging
trench through the burying ground,
where the dead had been buried at the
previous battle fought when General
Bragg made a stand on his retreat
from Tennessee. The dead and the liv-
ing were in the trench together, per-
haps to participate in another fight
After all these preparations, our COM
mander General Milroy), deeming it
not prudent to risk battle, ordered a
retreat to Murfreesboro, where he
could join forces with General Rous-
seau, and a lively race we had for two
days. We had important business
Confederate Cavalry, who tried in vain
to get on speaking terms with US.
never saw more ambitious set of men
in my life. In fact we had to get
there, Eli" And we did not let our
ambition cool until we were safe IN
was then that our old Seventh comrade
remarked: well, boys, we gave them
HI, didn't we? l never saw old sol
diers more anxious to move or show
more zeal, than you. Oh, yes, but then
if Old Milroy hadn't got scared we'd
have smashed them"
l am satisfied that our boys who
were so anxious for a fight had their
ardor somewhat cooled off during the
retreat, and would have been perfectly
satisfied to never have seen a Johnny
but such was not to be, as the sequel
will prove.
Our two Ohio regiments went into
camp little northeast of the fort, and
the One Hundred and Eighty-eighth
was ordered out as skirmishers imme-
diately in our 'front.' on open ground.
The Confederates had q line of rife
pits which they were occupying A
casual firing was kept up for the most
of one day, with only one man killed
on our side. He. not satisfied with
lying down and firing, after making
several shots at one Of the enemy who
was firing at him, stood up and adj
vanced several steps and fired. His
adversary also did the same, and they
became the objects for all beholders.
The firing from all other sources near
ly ceased, both skirmish lines watching
these two They fred several shots
each without effect. when our man was
heard to exclaim, There! I hit him ~
We looked, and saw a puff of smoke
curling from the Confederate's gun,
while at the same instant he was seen
to throw up his hands and fall back
into the pit. At the same time. our
man, who had only just spoken, as
above noted, fell back shot through