The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1917-02-08
CIVIL WAR VETERAN
RECALLS INCIDENTS
BY Thomas Goss

BY Thomas Goss
On March Z, 1862, the snow began
melting fast. On the 8th we broke
camp, folded our tents and entrained
for the south. We passed through Mil
waukee and Chicago and landed in AL
ton, Ill There we boarded the steam
er City of Alton for st. Louis. We
landed in the city and marched to Ben
ton Barracks, distance of miles.
We were in different climate. Veg
citation was all green, peach trees in
bloom, and we began to get the spring
fever.
We remained in Benton Barracks
about two weeks. There we received
our knapsacks and side arms and guns
the Belgian musket. The guns were
drilled within camp. The Hamilton
guns were the old flint lock musket.
We drilled more or less all the time
we were in Benton barracks. We
thought our new guns great improve
ment over the old flint lock and thought
then the rebels would suffer when we
got at them, and they did, but they
returned the compliment as best they
could.
The South was better prepared for
war than the Notrh, because the sec
retary of war had shipped government
munitions of war as much as he dared
to Southern arsenals and so were bet
ter prepared. Lincoln did not want
war, but it was forced upon him., and
the rebels got all they wanted of it
before it was done.
The time came for US to leave st.
Louis. We marched to the river,
boarded a river transport, steamed
down the Mississippi to Cairo, Ill.,,
then up the Ohio to paducah, KY, then
up the Tennessee to Savannah, Tenn.
on the east bank of the river about l2
miles below Pittsburg landing. There
we went into camp awaiting further
orders.
On the morning of April 6, not
feeling we'll answered the sick call
and went to the Doctors tent. He
gave me some medicine and written
excuse from duty. went into the
battle of Shiloh the next day W ith an
excuse from duty in my pocket, After
the sick call | went into the woods
with comrade to write letters home,
he to Wisconsin, to Ohio. We were
little more than half done when we
heard the boom of cannon to the south
west. I told my comrade, Charles
Gibson, that we had better go to camp,
for ] was sure our regiment would be
ordered to the front. Gen. Buell's
division was passing our camp at the
same time on their way to Pittsburg
landing.
We were soon ordered into line and
followed BuelPs troops to the crossing.
1t was dark when we got to the eros
sing and we crossed the river on
bridge made of gangplanks laid from
one boat to another, the same as Buell.
had done, After crossing we marched
up the bank some distance and halted.
By this time it was as dark as could be
and mud very deep. 1t soon began to
rain and it made business of it that
time, for it rained most of the night,
and we stood and took it like soldiers
as we were.
We did not know where to 90 to sit
or lie down, nor could we as it was
mud everywhere, so we did the best
we could until daylight, when they
marched us up into the woods out of
the mud, where we could sit down if
it was wet.
All night long the two gunboats, the
Lexington and Tyler, which were sta
toned short distance above the land
ing, kept shelling the rebel camps.
That was new music to us, but it was
something we got used to later on, and
then it kept the Johnnies stirred up
just to let them know that we were
still there. They did not know where
the next shell would drop,
The rebel general, Johnson, was
killed the first day of battle and that
left Beauregard in command of the
rebel army. Had he pushed the battle
as vigorously as johnson, he would
have pushed Grant back far enough so
that Buell. could not have crossed the
river at Pittsburg landing that even
ing. But as soon as johnson was
killed Beauregard Stacked up to call a
council to mark out his line of proceed
ure, which was fatal to the rebel
cause. The rebels had the best of it
the first day but Grant took advantage
of the night to reorganize his lines,
and with Buell's division of fresh
troops pressed the battle on Monday to
successful conclusion. 1t seems that
Grant always expected to win and did
not know when he was whipped. He
makes me think of the Englishmen
and Frenchman in fist fight. The
Frenchman did not understand the
English language very well and he
could make his wishes known not very
well, and he was getting the worst Of
it. He called out 'thurrah, hurrah,
instead of enough" and the English
man kept on pounding him. The
Frenchman thought IF he was going to
be killed he would die game, 80 he
started in with redoubled vigor and
soon got the better of the Englishman,
who called out, enough" The
Frenchman hit him another belt and
said, "say that again. That is what |
was trying to think of half an hour
ago."
So Grant pounded away until the
rebels got enough, when they left in a
hurry. Later on he pounded his West
Point classmate until he got all he
could stand and made him surrender.
/ will try and come again another
week and tell about the battle.
Severe Cold Quickly Cured
"0n December frs. had a very se-
yara cold or aftaek nf tho rrit, 40 IL ,,av