Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-05-23
BY RUSSELL b. GRIFFIN

DESIGNING my position as agent
X and operator on a western rail-
AZ way when President Lincoln
called for three hundred thousand
more" FASTENED to my native town,
Delaware, Ohio, and enlisted in COM
pany F, Sixty third Ohio infantry for
three years or during the war. The
regiment was assigned to the army
under General Pope, assembling at
Cairo. While marching through the
swamps of Missouri / noticed that a
telegraph line was being constructed
along the road The enemy was heaVily
fortified at Island No. 10 and at New
Madrid. After siege of many days.
with heavy cannonading on both SIDES
the enemy was compelled to evacuate,
and many prisoners were taken.
hunted up General Pope's headquarters.
where l found the operator, George
Grain. Now l was eager to be handllng
war messages. Mr.. Grain assured me
that my services would be wanted, and
l at once made application for duty
as operator.
on March 80 I received an honorable
discharge from my regiment. The next
day. at Cairo, l called at the military
telegraph office, where / found Col. j.
G. Van Duscr. in charge of the tele-
graph department. He asked me II
/ would enter the service at once, anu
accepting his offer, l was given trans
portation by river boat to Smltnlano'
Kentucky, at the mouth OIL tne I'm ,ann-
herland. Ny instructions were to pro-
coed to Chaudets Landing on the Ten
nessee river, open a test office, ana
use every effort to keep the line IN
working condition running from SMITH
land to Forts Henry and Donaldson.
Procuring a government horse, TOOK
the road with an escort of tfteen cav
alrymen. After leaving Smithland we
entered a dense woods the single wire
vias attached to insulator brackets
spiI,ed to the trees. This wire was
now burdened with military dispatches
as Grants army was facing the repei
army near Pittsburg Landing. An aw-
fuI struggle of battle was Impending.
Bushwhackers and Mosquitoes
C,haudets Landing consisted of ono
house. a large barn and skiff.
vas given a room in the house. The
cavalrymen camped in the barn. Col
onel plum in his history makes mem
tion of this lonely place, where gall
nippers, wood ticks and proving bush-
whackers made life uncomfortable. Inc
wire would go down with every wind
that blew, it seemed, and without de-
nair the break, day and night, in sun
shine and storm. At times | was left
alone. the escort being called away;
hut it was consoling to watch the
steamers passing up the river laden
with troops. Gunboats We're patrolling
tho stream day and night to prevent
the enemy from planting masked bat
teries. The steamer Tigress, fast tug
boat. was constantly running between
Fort Henry and Grants headquarters
at Pittsburg Landing, bearing military
dispatches.
g. w. Hammond with an assistant
operator was working at Fort Henry
The office was in log cabin evacuated
by the Confederates. The first day $
battle of Shiloh was very disheartening
to the Union forces, but Grants dis
patches that night were encouraging
for the next days struggle. General
Buell. with a large army was approach
ing to reinforce Grant When we heard
over the wire that Buell's forces had
arrived and were crossing the river in
the night 1t was very cheering news.
Listening to my pocket instrument the
next day the dots and dashes passing
on the wire said that Buell's army had
formed in line of battle at the dawn of
day, and with cheering shouts were adj
vancing on the enemy; that the shrill
rebel yell of the day before had sub