The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1914-03-20
By A. D. WILDER

My brother Tom was killed at the
battle of Shiloh. We were in the same
company and at the time he was shot
were repelling one of those sledgeham-
mer attacks General Johnston hurled
against us like blows upon an anvil.
L saw Tom turn around and fall on MS
face. There was Il pang, and then
was like a mailman. The C~onfederates
were right on us, and we were fighting
them hand to hand. / forgot danger
and poked and dubbed with my mus
ket. lighting for vengeance.
They said afterward that ing bray
cry" held the others. and W. drove
them off. Then | took Tom in my
arms and carried him to the rear. They
came at us again and again. and every
time they came ! fought them more
fiercely. They did not give me time to
cool off. But when the sun set on
the last day of the fight | lay on the
ground physically used up, and sorrow
o the place or reVenGe
When the term of enlistment for my
regiment expired we were mustered
out. Many of the boys re-eniisted, but
| did not. | thought had seen enough
Of war. But II war fever is like any
other diSease-it must run its course.
Whenever | heard II drum beat. Il dis
tant shot. the sound of martial music.
| grew restless with Il desire to be
living and the dead. | resisted rs long
AS | could. then gave in and enlisted
for another three years or during the
war"
During this enlistment / was with
the army marching to the sea One
evening 70 after sunset | was march
ing with my company when | felt i'll
and was obliged to drop out Of the
ranks. ! sat down beside the road,
and after awhile. feeling better, / got
up and staggered on. In the west,
above where the sun had set. the twi-
light still fingered. but about me was
the verge of darkness. Suddenly | was
conscious Of some one walking beside
pecially interested in who was there.
| supposed him to be some stragglel
like myself who was trying to get
somewhere. and that he would soon
go ahead of OF drop behind me. But
he did neither. He kept just so far
away from me and Il little TO my rear.
l remember once or twice looking for
him, but either on account of the dark
ness or because he was at the time far
Their away from me or for some other
reason | didn't see him. or, if / did, it
was but indistinctly.
But somehow it got into my head
that my brother Tom was beside me.
II | had been asleep | would have said
that the feeling was something like Il
dream. but ! was awake. Moreover,
didn't see Tom. ! only felt his pres
ence. felt so iii and so exhausted
that | didn't concern myself about this
presence of the dead. My sensibilities
were at Il very low ebb, and it was
all ! could do TO get on. doubt if
even | had seen Tom walking beside
me and he had talked with me | would
have had any ability to exercise the
faculty Of wonder.
However. my consciousness of the
presence of my brother remained with
me till saw a campfire to my left and
1nn SllhcrQttnS nf GnInn man hofxunnp
1t and me. | sheered off. and as | did
SO it seemed to me that the figure be-
side me parted from me. ! staggered
up to the persons about the fire and
fell on the ground.
They were making coffee. and one Of
them held il tin cup full Of il to my
mouth and poured what seemed like
a new life down my throat. tried
both coffee and whisky for a bracer
from fatigue. and found the coffee in
finitely preferable. Under the stimu-
liant ! felt refreshed and lying fiat on
the ground with my head on II pile of
dirt ] slept till morning. Then after
another cup of coffee and some hard
hath q tfft ~ ttlpI%t ~ IItll u1l
my command. While doing SO | pass
ed some Confederate prisoners. One
Of them accoSted me.
Il say. young man. who was that
with you last night"
What do You mean?" asked. |
had never seen the fellow before and
couldn't make ont what he was driv-
ing ut.
lust before dark some of us were
hanging on the rear of you uns. lay
ing TO Stragglers. | saw you drop out.
and | just thought Id pick you off.
But it wouldn't be safe to do 1t till the
column got out of earshot. When you
got up ] Swallowed you. and was draw.
ing ahead on you when another man
got in between you and me- | hadn't
calculated on any one else being there
and didn't like to shoot because !
didn't know who he was. for fear !
might kill one of our boys.
He kind o. fiickered in what little
light there was between you and me.
specially whenever | raised my gun to
shoot. What made me curious about
him was that he kept getting in my
way whenever | got you against the
sky where ] could get a good aim at
van tNhn MN h~ Cs