The Tupelo journal., 1910-04-22
"reminiscences Of the War.

IiVli Wdi mdf lHtCiSSl Sonle VI youi
readers:
will pick up a few incidents from
the field of memory-never mind dates
as ones memory is fallible, but each
one has his own colorine of scenes As
yours gone by.
| was a private in a company COM
manded by a very pious preacher. who
kept his religion intact during the clash
of arms. If he ever thought 'damit,"
it did not explode on his tongue.
Every night he prayed publicly in
camp or bivouac, weather permitting,
and the fighting parson' was known
down the lines by his prayers as we'll
as his valor on the field Of battle.
He and General Lowery of Blue
Mountain, Miss, were the most pious
officers | met during the war.
One day while out in a woodland, a
companion and | heard a singing -we
approached-it was General Lowry
fully uniformed, down in a muddy
creek baptizing some pentitents.
Our captain, every summer, held a
protracted meeting and n occasion |
heard the most eloquent sermon | ever
listened to by DR.. Palmer, of New Or
leans at Shell Mound, Tennessee. Our
captain baptized nearly 100 men in
the Tennessee river. Col. W. F. Tuck
er, of Okolona, Miss, stood ty singing
as loudly as he ragged in battle. 1t
was a great spiritual battle, God versus
the devil. If the men didn't hold out
il was no lack of water in the plan of
salvation.
Bragg succeeded to the command of
the army. The move was to Tupelo,
Miss. Our regiment had to foot it, our
first long marching experience. Some
miles north of Tupelo | was d~readfully
fatieued. | fell out for a rest, and
folding my new coat for a pillow was
soon asleep.
A battery came rumbling by and /
awoke half dazed and struck out to
Join my company. After a time |
missed my new coat; | had left it
where | had reposed. | had to draw
from the department a short regulation
Jacket. a miserable misGt. We camped
lust east of Tupelo. Some of us got
acquainted with some bonnie ~lassies and
the ummer went on as pleasant as a
dream.
Tupelo was then a struggling town
under martial law and became historic.
Saloons and gaming dens were covered,
not closed, and in every residence Of
ficers TO soldiers were quartered. The
town was full of local color, red as
blood could make it. Buck Lindell
had slain two men in a street fight and
Waite Bacon, of infinite jest" supplied
comedy amid tragic scenes. The sound
of "~revelry at night" was broken by no
distant guns of our Waterloo.
was sent to Columbus to load cars
with -four. | was no hodcarrier and
was disguised with such dirty labor. A
great surprise awaited me, though | had
laid the wires for it. During my alb
sence the army had been reorganized
and the men allowed their last vote.
1t was the expiring gasp OF Old De-
mocracy. The boys met me on my
return from Columbus, and as | stepped
to the platform from a freight car |
was greeted as lieutenant" That was
not my last promotion.
| was up to the honor, however, for
| had been drilling over two years in a
military academy under Hardee's tao
tics, and Hardee lived long enough to
see us executing in battle line his
teachings and | think
saw Hardee at Corinth. Beaureeard |
saw often, and he was Frenchy enough
TO return our ~salutes. He was rather
insignificant on horseback small,
b7onzed, ~dago-lookine man, and II
thought of President Davis rendering
him as his beau resarde" to President
Lincoln.
| have more to tell, and Desdemona
could not have heard more thrilling
tales from the dashy Moor than | could
relate, if | were not afraid of being
cIassed as a blowhard. KY