The Raymer enterprise., 1912-05-23

at the Stephenson Post, q. A. R, at Roxbury.
Mass
Never 80 long as live shall forget that
dreadful day when 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. 1T
was In the siege Of Port Hudson. La. when on
June IA, 1853. an unsuccessful attempt was
made by Banks army to capture the place by
storm and my regiment led one Of the chang.
Ing columns Just as the sun was peeping
over the hills we sailed forth In battle array.
The fCharge' was given and we tore across
the open ground straight at the enemy's
breastworks. When within eight or ten rods
OF the intrenchments fell to earth with a
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 fortiications-and was left with
only the dying and the dead to keep me com.
pany. Then began my long vigil In the ghast.
iy Inferno. The cries Of the wounded-the
merciiess sun-the torment Of It all-and the
thirst. the maddening thirst! Only those who
have lain thus can appreciate It's 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-.
ions OF unusual trust and prominence under
the same flag. The former was no less a per.
sonage than Chief Justice White, Of the
United States Supreme Court. serving then es
aid to General Gardner. commander Of the
Confederate forces within Port Hudson during
the siege. The latter was 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 was not until the
past few months thy became aware Of the
iacts. Senator Warren. who enlisted when
out II years OF age was awarded medal OF
honor Tor conspicuous gallantry In the en-.
gagement
When look back on the Civil War. Al
frequently do. and especially on Memorial
Day" he said as he sat In his rooms in the
Senate office building. "one fact stands out
with increasing clarity as the years roll by.
and that Is that the great struggle was waped
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 as perhaps no 9th.
er generation OF American youth has ever been
tried. The horrors. the struggles. the hard.
snips they faced, made men OF them. Nearly
all OF our presidents since then and a great
portion OF our public men throughout the ma.
uon including the Congress of the United
states. have been those who served an of,cers
or enlisted men In those two armies Of strin.
lings."
wartime recolections crowd 10 thick and
last on Gen. Isaac R. Sherwood, representa-.
time from the Ninth district of Ohio that TO
single out one Of them Is but to omit others
OF equal import He participated In 45 bat.
Ties, and there Is not soldier now living who
was under nre greater number Of days than
ne SIX times he was :omplimented In gen.
erai orders for gallantry on the neld Of bat.
ue Today he Is the only Union " .eran 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 q brisadier general
II suppose" said General Sherwood "tba
hight at Franklin. Tenn. November 20. 1894
Is as viv'dly impressed on my mind az anv.
maybe because. considering the size Of tho
forces engaged II was one Of the most desper.
ate engagements Of the entire war. The Con.
federate loss was 10 per cent In q Hve.bour
battle. and larger number Of their generals
were killed or wounded than at Chickamaura
Of Gettysburg. where their forces were twice
as strong My regiment the One Hundred
and Eleventh Ohio Of which was colone
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