The Springfield herald., 1912-05-24

at the Stephenson Post, G. A. R., at Roxbury.
Mass.
"Never long as live shall forget that
dreadful day when I lay wounded on the bat
tlefeld from sunrise until the shades Of night
had closed down on the dead and the dying"
said Senator Knute Nelson Of Minnesota. ut
was In the siege OF Port Hudson La. when on
June II. 1863, an unsuccessful attempt was
made by Banks army to capture the place by
storm and my regiment led one of the charg-
Ing columns. Just as the peeplng
over the hills we sailed forth in battle array.
The Charge was given and tore across
the open ground straight at the enemys
Dreastworks. When within eight or ten rods
OF the intrenchments fell to earth with
bullet in my thigh. My comrades were driv-
en- back-no man could long stand against
that avalanche of leaden death that poured
out Of the fortfcations-and 1 was left with
only the dying and the dead to keep me COM
pany. Then began my long vigil in the ghast-
ly inferno The cries of the wounded-the
merciless sun-the torment Of 1t ai-and the
thirst, the maddenng thirst! Only those who
have lain thus can appreciate Its terror.
In the same battle were two other soldiers
one under the stars and bars. the other under
the Stars and Stripes-who now hold posi-
tions Of unusual trust and prominence under
the same flag The former was no less per.
sonage than Chief Justice White, of the
United States Supreme Court. serving then as
aid to General Gardner commander of the
Confederate forces within Port Hudson during
the siege. The latter Senator Francis E.
Warren of Wyoming. At the time. of course.
no one Of the three men knew of the existence
of the others, and indeed 1t not until the
past few months thy became aware of the
facts Senator Warren. who enlisted when
but II years OF age, was awarded medal of
honor for conspicuous gaantry in the en-
gagement.
When look back on the Civil War, as
frequently do, and especially on Memorial
he ha saf In Ia IN tbo
Senate office building. "one fact stands out
with increasing clarity the years roll by
and that is that the great struggle was waged
principally by boys. The rank and file of the
Union army was made up OF mere lads and
In the Confederate forces they were even
younger They were tried perhaps no 9TH
er generation OF American youth has ever been
tried. The horrors. the struggles the hard
ships they faced. made men of them Ncarly
all OF presidents since then and a great
portion of our public men throughout the ma
ton. including the Congress OF the United
States, have been those who served as officers
or enlisted men In those two armies of strip.
lings"
Wartime recollections crowd SO thick and
fast on Gen. Isaac R. Sherwood, representa-.
time from the Ninth district of Ohio that to
single out OF them is but to omit others
of equal import. He participated In As bat
ties. and there is not a soldier now living who
was under fire greater number of days than
ue. DIX Times ne was cOmpllmeQted In gen.
eral orders for gallantry on the field of bat
tie. Today he Is the only Union v> teran on
the Democratic side Of the House. But more
remarkable than all else. he is the only man
who entered the Union army as private and
emerged from the war a brgadier general
"I suppose" said General Sherwood "the
fight at Franklin. Tenn. November 30 1854
Is as vivtdly impressed my mind as any:
maybe because considering the size of the
forces engaged. It was one of the most desper
ate engagements of the entire war The Con
federate loss was 40 per cent In a 1ve-hour
battle. and larger number Of their generals
were killed or wounded than at Chickamauga
OF Gettysburg, where their forces were twice
as strong. My regiment the One Hundred
and Eleventh Ohio, of which | was colonel
lost more men In that battle than any other
regiment on the Union side
my horse was shot from under me three
times In the engagement. My third horse fell
in most unusual manner. The bullet that