Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-03-08
rant first started with his

4He DcarS were SluSGlSH ~ thSii
And the parrots cOund't talk.
But when he rugged 1t out a spell
And to Fort Donelson came, IS
We all remember well
Grants show got quite name.
The Suckers" first struck a raid,
Which made the monkeys squeal,
While gunboats on the river mace
The bears dance quite q reel l,oaa
"Paducah" Smith the show to close
The elephant did bring.
And End Hawkeye boys were chose
To escort him in the RIM
And soon his trampine shook the nils
With cannonading thunder,
While every breath sent shot and sheii
For rebs to stand from under,
The "Johnnies" couldn't stand the
1t spoiled their day Of fun;
Put Floyd and Pillow both to fight.
But Buckner wouldn't run.
Leaving st. Louis, Mo-, Feb. 10, 1862.
the I'd Iowa embarked on board the
steamer T. J. MaRill, headed down the
Mississippi river for-we knew not
where. On arriving at Cairo. III, We
troops, which, with the gunboats. the
smoke pouring from their chimneys
and the little tugboats whistling ana
darting here and there, was quite an
animated picture. 1t was plain TO see
something was going to be done. Mosl
of us thought we were going down tne
Mississippi river, but to our SURPRISE
the entire fleet steamed up the ono,
and on reaching Paducah turned into
The Tennessee river, headed for Fort
Henry. Upon arriving there IT was
Grants intention to surround the tort
and capture the garrison. Commodore
Foot was instructed to hold the nre OF
the runboats one hour, to give troops
time to disembark and get IN posltloil
around the fort, but owing to sWamps
and high water they failed to do so on
time.
In thirty minutes after the gunboats
opened fire the enemy hauled down
their flag and "skedaddled" to the east
fourteen miles to Fort Donelson, on
the west bank OF the Cumberland
river. Grant Immediately gave chase
with part of his troops, the remalnoer
and the gunboats going around by
with the eunboats, down the Tennes-
see, up the Ohio, from thence up the
Cumberland, landing on the west BANK
three miles below Donelson. very carry
on the morning Of the 14th. 1t was eA-
trerely cold, having showed the nlsht
before, and we started at once, IN
company with several other reglmehts,
10 make connection with the Iroops
that had come across from Fort Henry
Two DAYS before An hours march
brought US to the other forces, and we
.rned that on the preceding day the
,.tf1 Iowa and 25th Indiana had en-
y, god the enemy, and were REFUSED
with considerable loss. We stopped IN
i small ravine, filled our canteens, anu
Then took position on the extreme
left on a gentle slope, covered Win
heavy timber, 500 yards from and in
sight Of the enenny's outworks. There
was no fi9htir- OF consequence done
IN the 14th. only an occasional snot
Hred nv q company of Berge's sharp
shooters on the hillside between US
and the enemy. Night came on, ana
we prepared for the cold ana weary
watch. Our supper consisted OF
scanty supply Of crackers and fat
pork. we had left our blankets on the
boat. and it was freezing cold. It was
! n;cht long to he remembered. 10
mild = tiva would be to invite death,
with ~, e-a,ry's bombs bursting
amen i, s'-',t long, hungry ana
free.ir" ~ turns III ruie
sround !, eur blood In cfrcula-
ttor .,s.sss ,,is,t Of suffering was
r than a hundred battles. Oh,
what {. long, terrible night. and now
anyiously we watched for the dawn!
rom Stuart, OF our company, young
delicate soldier, was freezing. All
Rudd. Tom and made our way eau
fiously to a deserted log cabin on the
hillside in front, and when we reacn-
I'd the cabin we found other SCORERS
there. A reckless fellow, not willing 10
Lot we'll enough alone, built a fire IN
the fireplace and no sooner had the
light Of that fire shown itself than
n-hang! went cannon ball through
the roof of that cabin Well, you BET,
we rot out of there without being told;
Some fell to the floor, some turned
double somersaults out the door, some
ran out, some crawled out, some rolled
MT and some never knew how they
did get out. We were a confused mass,
with teeth chattering, faces white as
chalk, hair straight up, eyes. bulging
ont and flesh quivering; we were just
sirnply scared. In running back down
the hill Tom, ALI and ! obliqued to
ourselves, and in doing so we search
up an old SOW and some pigs. All. VINO
was the Oldest, suggested tnat We
crawl into the hogs nest. which we
Ala Tom occupied the middle, ALI the
outside, and I over next to the fence.
TON and soon fell asleep and dream
ed of home, honey and biscuits. bu!
not so with ALI, who was kept busy all
through the night in contest with
the sow, who was not disposed to re-
linuuish her claim TO lnat HoSl. tnS
Ylw with cold nosa, finally routed All,
md he went back to his company.
when she then crawled in beside Tom.
Her nose being near his face, he awoke
md, thinking it was ALI, said: All
urn over; your breath is offensive"
Al the same time in reaching over to
shake ALI he got hold Of the sow's
hristIes and cried, why. -- and --
when did you shave last?"
nut there is an end to all things, and
~ last the streaks Of dsy began to APP
nesr In the eastern horizon. and never
was morning light more welcome than
I'm the light OF that morning Of Feb
r,srv Is, 1862 It revealed to US frozen
faces and ears, frozen fingers, and by
The light Of that cold, cherries morn
ing we saw in each face the evidence
If that night Of agony. That was forty
eight years ago this month, and the
marks OF that nights freezing show
NJ, many old veterans yet. 1t was such
experiences that gave birth TO that
true fraternal feeling Of love and sym
nathy for each other which has de-
yelored into the great principles fra
ternitv, charity and loyalty" which
hind together the men of the Grand
ARMY Of the Republic today. We had
some unground rarched coffee. which