The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1909-11-28

the pages traced with fading ink, fell
into MY hands recently, the wartime
epis-les Of my grandfather written in
camp field and hospital, sometimes aft
er long weary march through mud
or snow, oftentimes after battle, but
TOO frequently while he lay in the rude
hospitals at the ''front' frittering
away his life in the vain effort to re-
main a soldier and continue to fight
his eountry's battles. A soldier he re-
NAMED as long as his strength endured
and he came nome only to lay down
his life, under the peaceful shelter of
his own roof tree. OF the many male
members of his family and OF my
grandmother :, few survived the fierce
struggles on the southern battlefields.
Nv grandfather, Cornelius Pierce OF
Quincy, Illinois, private in the 18th
Illinois Volunteers, fought and march
ed and was taken prisoner and then
came home to die upon his bed. My
grandmother s near relative, General
-Nathanial P. Lyon, who saved Missouri
TO the Union. laid down his life on
the field of battle at Wilson'S creek,
Missouri. Others lost their lives on
far southern battlefelds where they re-
ceiTed the soldiers burial and their
resting places are now unknown.
Quaint letters are those of my grand
father, for they tell of the soldier s
side of the great campaigns against
the gray soldiery. The letters do not
tell the heroic side of the soldiers life,
but the everyday occurrences, the
whimsical side of his life, his craving
for plenty of food, of the hope that
the war will soon be over, of his en-
deavors to keep warm in winter and
cool in summer, and how they licked
the rebels in this and that battle.
Gun That Wouldn't Shoot.
His first letter tells of his initial ex-
periences in the army, of his ill-ftting
uniform. the drills of the awkward
squad and of the musket which was
handed him to carry to the front 20
"shoot up the rebel army" He good
naturally complains in a letter 'home'
that the gun he was carrying toward
the front was useless because ramrod
had been stuck in the barrel and it
could not be removed, and the lock
would not work. He says he showed
it to the inspector who declared the
gun was all right, and with this official
declaration he was sent with his regl-
ment in box cars to the front" at
{: time when the army expected to
confront the rebel army within few
days. Happily he was not engaged in
any battles while he had the useless
musket In one of his first letters
home he says:
~ am perfectly satisfied with my
situation and expect to do my duty
whenever called upon. John Bone, VIM.
Bone, Cyrus Bone and Elijah Murphy
and Amos Murphy are all in this war.
Anderson Bone was killed by the bush
whacEars - And so it was news or
the death of neighbors was conveyed
to the home villages. nj another letter
he says:
81 went to the Iron Furnace where
there is a store, last Saturday, and got
me a pair of first-rate double-soied
boots at $475: eight pairs of socks at
25 cents a pair. [ kept four pairs and
sold the others at the same price L
maid for them. The store is two miles
from our camp and kept by Union
man. He keeps everything that sol
der needs, so there will be no trouble
in getting anything that we want TINS
winter. I also got lot of stamps and
paper and envelopes.
Gambling Bounty Money.
HThere are some hard cases IN this
comnanv. You can see twenty-five or
thirty sitting around playing cards and
eursinc and quarrelling has become so
common that not day passes but sew
eral fights take place among them and
most of them have gambled away thelr
bounty money. The boys borrowed a
fiddle from a negro and they now have
musie and dancing every night. Inc |
negroes bring pies and bread into camp |
everv dav and sometimes cooked tur- !
KEYS and chickens. Two Union famli1es |
brine us whatever we want to eat be- |
sides, and my small change is nearly |
gone, so / have to be a little careful |
of it. It is impossible to get paper |
money changed for anything.
Dressing for Sleep.
s.There are four or five men in our
company who are my close friends. One !
is nv bunkmate ever since we left |
Quincy. His name is John c. Robinson.
His wife lives in Columbus with her |
1aJNef. squire W HIS. III uoI 80 > -
how we Sleep these cold nights. We
lie down on the straw with all our
clothes on, except our shoes ard caps, |
with our knapsacks for pillows. We
spread blanket and then put on our
two overeoats and then the other
blanket and then crawl under. We
keep our guns and cartridge boxes at
our heads. I put on two PAIR of socks
at night and take off one pair in the
morning.
81 am writing tonight on box OF
hard crackers by a candle stuck IN a
bavonet and the bayonet stuck IN the
ground by the side of the box. 1t is
now bedtime and I am very tired. L
viii close by saying am well and hope
YOU are all the same. Direct your let
tiers to Louisville, KY, Company r,
Seventy eighth Regiment Illinois Vol
unteers, care of Captain Hawkins. ="
Morgan Stopped the Mail.
Another letter which bears no date
because it is only the half of a letter,
tells of the mail to the regiment be,
ing stopped, and that the boys Will
get no more mail ''until the bridges
are rebuilt which viii not take very
q q