The Falls City tribune., 1909-12-17

there vas need OF an army 10 prevent
the southern slavery states from es-
4%ablishing a Southern C~onfederaey
south of the Mason and Dixon line,
q large number Of the best young
manhood of our country; young men
from the colleges and schools; from
ne farm, workshop. factory, office,
bank and business houses; doctors,
lawyers. and preachers, representing
every walk in life enlisted in that
honorable army. From 81 to '65
under the leadership of able generals,
they won victories ON southern battle
tields that preserved us as m coun-
Try under one flag. The Union for
ever, n and u%ndividable,n being
their battle cry. Many of them left
their bones in southern soil; many
% them were manned for life; but
many survived the terrible ordeal,
who young, able, and self-confident
after their duty to their country had
been fulfilled. came to Nebraska. set
iied on its virgin prairies. and in forty
years have made our state blossom
Us the rose,
Falls City received its quota of this
young blood and energy. Each year
a few of these noble men, with hair
whitened with age, have been laid
gently to rest, their life work man
inlly done. OF those that survive,
none are less than sixty, many being
seventy, and some of them are eighty
years old, who can be with us but
q few more years.
These men keep up camradeship
AID "reminiscences of the war through
tneir Grand Army Post in this city,
CT. which nearly all are active mem
bers.
At their meetings many recitals are
gwen of their Individual experiences
when a soldier and during their sub
sequent life.
The following, affair sample of a
soldiers experience was read by the
ing;
lie was born in Fulton County, Hi
8uis, on August Is, 1916. Ills father
$50 1on,boni4o no;nictar who cpent
the most of his time travelling over
the country from Illinois to Texas as
a circuit rider, engaged in evangelical
work. When quite young he made
TWO journeys with his father to Tex
Nag, but the most of his youth was
spent at his home with his mother at
Canton, Illinois.
At the age of thirteen or fourteen
he started out in life for himself, at
first working by the month for farm
ers. He learned the trade of brick
r9ason and plasterer and followed this
occupation.
On November 4, 1868, when eigh-
teen years old, he enlisted as a re-
oruit in Company F. of the 1872 Hi
nois Vol. Infantry. This regiment
had beer in the service since Au-
eust, 1862, and he joined this partie-
ular company and regiment because
he had a cousin there. The recruits
remained at Camp Butler, near Spring
ueld, until December, 1863, when they
started south to bin the regiment,at
Tallyhome, Tenn, the trip occupying
three or four days. They Travelled
in freight cars loaded with wheat.
During the day they rode on the top
of the freight cars and at night slept
on the wheat in the cars.
From here the regiment moved
south gradually, arriving at Lookout
Mountain early in February 1864.
They eamped at W|auhatchie Station
until May ., 1864. when they broke
camp and started on the Atlantic
campaign. He had with him one suit
of clothing, a wooden blanket and a
rubber blanket and a shelter tent,
his canteen, hayersack and gun. The
rubber blanket he wore when it
rained and slept on it at night. spread
ing it and the wooden blanket on
the ground under the little shelter
tent, which was just large enough for
two soldiers to crawl into and lay
down. 1t was only high enough for
them to sit up in.
His regiment was armed with the
Spencer rifle, which was the best
magazine gun used by the Union Ar
my during the war, and but few regi-
ments were SO armed, most all other
guns being muzzle leaders and single