The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1916-09-01

sd-or dismissed itself, / am not now
certain which.
This same old Pawnee got into the
habit of creeping up the Stone feel
ing her way by Smelling the woods on
each side as she came. She was try
ing to discover any masked batteries
that might be concealed on either
bank of the river and one day she
found what she was looking for very
much. to her sorrow as she was badly
before she could get out of
range, although it was nothing but
three pieces of light artillery hid
away in the bushes not far from the
river which had been sent there the
night before especially for the Paw
nee. She did not come back up the
river for quite awhile after that.
Guess she had to go into some home
port for repairs.
Mustered into the Confederate SER
vice along with and as part of the
Eutaw regiment was a brass band
composed of twelve men. 1t had been
organized for some years and had ac-
quired fine reputation in Charleston
where they lived and other parts of
the country. 1t was known as Meul-
ler's Band, after Meuller who was the
leader. All of them were farmers
except two, Salters and Galway. Sal
ters beat the snare-drum and he was
an expert of the experts at it-could
about make it talk in several Ian
guages. He was above the average
height, half Spanish, dark, angular
in build and knock-kneed, but as a
drummer he had but few equals-in
fact, if he had one I never heard him
tap the sheepskin. John Galway in
these days / suppose would be classed
among the hyphenates. He was
American born of Irish stock. He was
with Major Anderson when he moved
the garrison from Fort Moultrie to
Fort Sumter and surrendered with
the garrison when Major Anderson
surrendered. Galway was the bugler
for the federal forces and when they
marched out and were sent north he
somehow, by intentional accident,
dropped out and later applied for a
place in Meuller's band, and was with
the band regularly mustered into the
Confederate service as the military
band of the Eutaw regiment and as
such the entire band received the
same supplies and pay as the sol
diers, except arms and ammunition.
These were not issued to them as
they were not required to do guard
or picket duty nor participate in
fghts-in fact it was rather an UNI
published order that they must not
go into any skirmish or battle-but
they all wanted to go in and in fact
did slip in whenever they had a fav-
,orable opportunity and though dis
covered, as they were bound to be,
yet it was passed over by the officers
who could not but admire their brav-
cry and patriotism. I remember on
one occasion seeing several of them
along in line of skirmishers, which
was at the time engaged with the
skirmish line of the enemy, and they
had nothing to fight with but bay
onets stuck on the end of pole. They
did not have to wait long (and they
know it, before they got guns and
equipment from some dead or wound
ed of our men or the enemy's.
The Edisto Rifles were trained to
drill as skirmishers by the bugle call
Of the commands, and it was a tre-
mendous advantage to us, for when
the line was extended and firing GO
ing on it was hard, and sometimes
impossible to hear the commands
from the voice of the officer, but with
the bugler at his side and the sum-
mons given to him and by him sound
ed on the bugle clear and distinct, we
could all hear and know exactly what
we were expected to do. Galway was
the bugler both in our training and
in the fights, as he had the advantage
of the others of the band in getting
into the trays. The band was a
source of much pleasure as well as
help to US. When we were in camp
and doing nothing which sometimes
happened for quite a good while, the
band would play of an evening; the
sweet strains of the splendid music
would turn our hearts and minds
away from the hardships and horrors
of war and soften and mellow our
feelings towards all the world: and
when they played "Home Sweet
Home" it turned our thoughts and
hearts to the sacred hearth-stones
and the dear loved ones conferred
around them and silent prayers and
visible tears would course down the
bronzed cheeks of many veterans. On
the other hand, one who has never
experienced it can not possibly
imagine the life, spirit and viw that
good martial music can throw into
the spirit, mind and frame of body
of weary and worn troops on the
march. Many times when on long
march we had grown SO weary that
we felt like we could scarcely go any
further Marl1ar,s hand would strike