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

sided. At nightfall the victory was won
and the enemy in retreat.
First News of Shiloh
A message was slipped in to my
father at Delaware, Ohio, during the
| night, reading, THE battle at Pitts
| burg Landing has resulted in a Union
victory" This message was picked up
| by the press reporters and was the
first and only news given by the north
| ern papers the next morning of the
Shiloh battle. Only military dispatches
could be transmitted Little Mack, n
noted copperhead reporter, was so in
| sistent that the operators ordered him
to get out of the cabin. This man was
| Mccullough, in after years editor of
the st. Louis Globe. The newspaper re-
porters were compelled to take steam
ers for Paducah or Cairo to report the
| particulars of the engagement.
After the excitement of the Shiloh
battle life at Chaudets was getting
monotonous. One genial companion for
me was John Thayer, one of the cav
airy escort. He was an all-round mu-
sician, and put in most of his time
learning telegraphy. At my request
Captain Fuller had him detailed in the
service and finally discharged as a SOL
der. Secretary of War Stanton issued
an order that competent operators in
the ranks as soldiers would be honor
ably discharged to enter the telegraph
service in the army.
The Tables Turned
On a very sultry day in August, not
breath of air. the dust in the road
rising in the horses nostrils and in
our faces, we dismounted under the
shade of the oak trees for a rest. Pres
emily a cloud of dust was seen down
the road-two mounted men and two
hatless, barefooted negroes with ropes
over their necks, held by the horse
men, who had long whips to hurry the
prisoners along. The party was halted
by the escort. The white men explained
that the two slaves had run away. We
conferred a moment. The white men
were ordered to dismount.. The ropes
were looped over their necks. The two
slaves were made to mount their mas
ters' horses and hold the ropes, and
were made to march to the banks of
the Cumberland. where a skiff was pro-
cured and the poor creatures landed
across the stream and directed how
find the Ohio river there to cross over
to freedom in Illinois, The slaves mas
ters were turned loose in a sullen
mood.
When Col. Robert Ingersoll was post
commander at Fort Donaldson the
famous cavalry raider, Gen. Morgan,
appeared suddenly, demanding the sur
render. Col. Bob rejected the demand
in a humorous manner The operator
there told us what was going on, then
left his office for safety. Presently my
office, C. H., was called; answering, /
was asked who and where 1 was at At
once / mistrusted that Ellsworth, Gen.
Morgan's operator, had tapped our
wire. On telling him who and where I
was 1 asked him the same. He replied
that he was Gen. Morgan's operator
and that the Yankee force in the fort
would soon be captured, and they would
take me in soon. Morgan failed and
was compelled to retire. Ellsworth was
the most noted and the most daring
operator in the rebel service.
On several occasions he tapped our
wires, sending falsely signed kilograms
to officers in command of Union army
posts to move away in certain direc-
lions, when Morgan's command swooped
in, capturing the remnant of the garri-
son and destroying federal property
Several years after the war Ellsworth
was working on the Missouri Pacific
lines and fell dead while repeating a
train order with his hand on the key.
Narrowly Escapes
In the month of October, when the
fish were biting well andN the young