The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-06-01

hind I snatched up cup of coffee
and we took after them. Marching
all night, by noon the next day we
covered the 40 miles between Man
chester and Gettysburg, and there the
first thing we saw was the burying Of
the dead. 1t wasn't an inspiring sight
to tired, hungry man.
Bushes? You just bet! There
weren't any macadamized roads or
velvety lawns around Gettysburg
those days. We struggled through
bushes SO thick you couldn't see the
man next to you. When we got be-
hind Little Round Top we laid down
for sleep, for we didn't take an active
part in that battle, but were held in
killed by spent bullets. Jim Lord of
East Milton had his upper lip torn
away and George Lord had his shoul-
der smashed and his left eye out.
Now, don't you believe l was anx.
ious to get into the thick of it; leave
such talk as that for those who never
saw battle. You feel as though you
wanted to run, but you don't. Some
thing makes you stick. Maybe it's
honor, or patriotism, or duty; you can
call it what you please. You just stay
and obey orders, and that's all there
is to it.
There we're good many hot fights,
but l guess Spottsylvauia was about
the hottest. Cedar Creek was an
other; the Johnnies got in our rear
and we had to fall back about three
miles, but General Wright rallied us
and was ready to sound the advance
when Sheridan came on the field. The
men cheered and hurrahed when he
rode down the line and he, instead of
Wright, gave the order to advance.
but we'd have won Just the same if
he had been in Japan.
mo, we we're not in the battle OF
Antietam, being detailed to guard
Haroers Ferry, and it was late in the
afternoon with the fighting all done |
when we arrived on the field. The
dead we're lying where they had fall
en- and we lay down among them to
snatch a few hours rest, expecting |
to renew the fight in the morning.
when we were in winter quarters
at Falmouth, Burnside was super
ceded by Fighting Joe Hooker and
he put the regiments in splendid
shape. There was only small stream
between us and the Johnnies, while
the best of feeling prevailed on both
sides. Our pickets and theirs did
quite a commercial business. The
rugged up miniature
boat, which they named The Louise,
and when the wind blew from the
south they would send it over loaded
with tobacco; then when it blew from
the north we would return it loaded
with sugar and coffee.
when the weather grew warm our
men went in bathing and, one day, a
shot was fired from the Johnny side,
which struck one of our men and
killed him instantly. Hooker sent an
officer over the river with flag OF
.ruce to learn what it meant and Lee
informed him that he had not heard
If the event, but would inquire and if
he culprit could be found he would
ieliver him up to our general for pun,
shment. A few days afterward boat
carrying white flag came over the
liver, bringing the man who fired the
shot. Hooker Immediately summoned
court-martial, the man was tried,
ound guilty and sentenced to be sho;
he next day. Accordingly a grave
vas dug, coffin placed beside it and
he man was brought out and ordered
o kneel upon it. Then his sentence
vas read to him, the firing party tool
,osition in front of him and his eyoa
we're bandaged. After a few min
ties Of silence the bandage was re
moved and he was told that as be
Tas not considered worth the powder
o shoot him he would be sent back
yer the river. What was done with
i'm there we never learned. but no
acre men were killed while bathing"