Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1913-10-07
AROUND
CAMPO s IN
SOUNDED END OF CIVIL WAR
Two Veterans, Living at MaryviIIe,
Mo-, Blew Shrili Notes That Mark
ed Close OF hostilitles.

The two buglers, whose shrill notes
marked the close of the Civil war
one for the Union forces and the
other for the Confederates-live in
Maryville and for years have been
good friends, with many a lighting
them-over" chat
The bugle that sounded that last
charge for the Union forces at Apo
mattox. hangs in the office of Natha-
MEL Sisson, the man who sounded it to
signal that last charge that was to
be stopped suddenly by the appear
ance OF the flag of truce was; soiled
towel atop a hickory pole.
The bugle that gave forth the notes
that marked the close of hostilities
for the other side was cast aside by
H. P. Childress, the man who for
four years had blown it, and in doz-
en- bloody battles, through the retreat
from Gettysburg and on tc Richmond,
Five Forks and Appomattox, as being
good radiance.
For when that last call was sound
ed Mr.. Childress, who had shared with
his comrades for two years the be-
lief that the next battle would be the
last, decided that his work was done
and "llt right out" Tor home, not even
waiting for his parole. Nor did he
stop until he got back to Lynchburg.
Strange to relate, Mr. Childress's
call was not sounded for nearly two
hours after the surrender of Lee to
Grant, and in the meantime his CON-
mand, Lomax's cavalry under the COM
mand OF General Penn, had been Skin
mishing away with the federals out
several miles from Appomattox court
house, in blissful ignorance that the
war was over.
Their first intimation of the surren-
der came when a Union officer rode
out with a white flag and advanced
to General Penn with the news. Mr..
Childress was standing near by and
heard the officer say: General Lee
has surrendered to General Grant and
you are ordered to hold your lines in
their present positions" Then Gen
eral Penn ordered Bugler Childress to
ride along the skirmish lines with or
ders TO the colonies to cease firing,
and, when he returned, he was ordered
to blow assembly. which was the
call for the skirmishers to fall back
to their regiments.
This done, Mr.. Childress wheeled
his horse and started back to find
the pike to Lynchburg. He had been
q soldier for four long years and was
weary with war. He had sounded bu-
gle calls at Second Bull Run, Win
chester, Fort Royal, Clear Creek, Fish
er's Hill, Mount Jackson. Fort Re-
public, Harpers Ferry. Gettysburg.
Brandy Station, Mine Run, Antietam,
derness, Spottsylvania Courthouse,
Cold Harbor, Petersburg, Richmond.
Five Forks and this last assembly at
Appomattox. And during all these
four years he never had fired shot
So young Childress went home, dis
regarding the terms of war and 9th
er technicalities. On his solitary
journey he ran into General Rosser's
command. Hasn't General Rosser
rurrendered?" he inquired. Hell,
not" VS. lie answer, land doesn't in
tend to-
1t was several weeks after that Mr..
Childress, now a civilian and busy
with civilian pursuits, heard that he
ought to go down to Fredericksburg
and get his parole. He went in COM
pany with a number OF neighbor boys
and procured the paper which he
finally was blown away in cyclone
that demolished the Childress home,
near Maryville, in 1888.
1t was different with Mr. Sisson. but
perhaps that lis natural, considering
who won. He stayed it out and
marched with Custer down PennsyI-
vania avenue In Washington city in
the grand review.
Mr.. Sisson was the brigade bugler
in Clusters division and gave the sig
nal for the charge, the regimental
buglers catching it UP and passing it
on. Across the field charged the
Union cavalry, with General Custer
at the head. And while all this was
going on the flag of truce luttered
from the Confederate lines.
Aides spurred their horses forward
and overlook the fiery Custer to tell
him of the truce. He ordered halt
and proceeded to General Gordons
headquarters. While he was there a
Confederate squad dashed out and
opened fire. The Union soldiers
thought that maybe Custer had been
decoyed into the hands of the enemy
and that the charge had been ordered
as soon as he was safely trapped.
But General Gordon soon stopped the
firing, sending his orders by a Union
officer after he had looked in vain for
one of his own aides.