Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1913-04-25
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TALE BY HosKINs BROADER
Confederate Veteran Gives Interesting
"reminiscences Of Civil War
Wonders at Escape.

"Onoer8 ~ Escape.
Interesting "reminiscences Of the civ.
Il war from the point of view of the
confederate veteran were told in Chi
cago the other day by z. T. Hoskins,
l243 Michigan avenue, who enlisted
In the army of the south when he
was only fourteen years of age. He
served in what is known as Hoskins'
brigade. commanded by his brother,
Capt. James A. Hoskins. Stories of
hardship related by Mr.. Hoskins ri
val the stirring conditions under
which the army Of the revolutionary
war labored in its battle for indie
p~endence.
Its a wonder to me-" Mr.. Hoskins
explained, fthat there is a single one
of our soldiers alive to tell the story
Of those days of hardship. 1t was at
the battle of Nashville that l remem.
Der incidents that make me wonder
how any Of US pulled through.
After the battle of Franklin, in
which engagement we were badly
licked and 5000 Of our men killed.
Gen. Schotield Of the Yankees TO
treated to Nashville and Gen. Hood
established US around the city. For
fourteen days-from the list to the
18th of December, 1864-we waited
FOR the attack Of the union men. FL
nally early in the morning of Deem
Der Is, Gen. Thomas ordered the ad-
vance. h union army surrounded
us n it seems to me that the. blue
coats could have killed us, every one.
/ don't understand to this day how 1t
was that a single man escaped with
hts life. Those of us who did get
away suffered terrible hardship.
81 have seen cold weather. Mr..
Hoskins continued, but 1 have yet to
find it as cold as it was during our
disastrous retreat. Snow had fallen
and then a crust had formed and prog
ress it seemed was next to impos-
sible. Many of the boys were bare
footed. Bloodstains on the snow were
plain as a blazed trail, for the jagged
edges Of the thick 20 crust u like
the edges Of a saw. The army was
poorly clothed and the suffering was
intense. l have been In Chicago when
the thermometer registered IA de-
grees below Zero. yet the day did not
seem as cold by half as those during
which we fed across Tennessee.
1--WE all expected death by freezing.
The boys had lost heart and were lit
orally staring death in the face when
a series of heavy rains fell. The wa
ter, it seemed, was warm, and the
snow and ice disappeared. 1t was
our salvation. But for those rains I
think we all would have frozen to
Death
ing story to tell of the manner in
which Gen. James B. Mcpherson met
his death. On this point history diff
fers slightly. Mr.. Hoskins declares
that the following is the true account
of the manner In which the union
leader was killed:
TT was what is called the battle
befor Atlanta, July 20. 1864" he be-
gan. Gen. Mcpherson was in COM
mand of the army of the Tennessee
and Gen. Hood was leading us. Gen.
Hood and Mcpherson had been class
mates at West Point.
I'VE had just begun firing on the
Yankees when a general was seen
coming g%alloping down the road, head
ed right for PUP forces. 1t was Gen.
Mcpherson. He had fingered at the
Howard house talking with Gen. Sher-
man, and hearing the firing he was
hurrying to toin his men. He rode
directly into a group Of u men be
fore he saw that we were Of Gen.
Hoods army.
He wheeled his horse suddenly in
a desperate effort TO escape capture.
A low hanging limb Of a nearby scrub
oak brushed his cap from his head al
he fed. He had scarcely gone a rod.
however, when q bullet from a cor
poral Of our troops laid him low. We
regretted his death as much as the
union army did, for he was once .
southern favorite. He was killed out
right.
II was a confederate soldier" smil
ed Mr.. Hoskins. "I guess I'm pretty
nearly a 'Yank' now. I've been here
in Chicago long enough to get 20
customed to northern ways. And
we're all under one dag together"