Clinch Valley news. [volume] (Jeffersonville, Va.) 18??-2019, 1921-04-29
WAR "REMINISCENCES
(By J. w. Bakery
Boissevane, Va, April 20.

oiiS river III Oulpcpcr. General Grant
WAS Il man Of wonderful common
sense. He knew that his men could
not shoot. That it was useless to
waste ammunition unless YOU were
going to hit something. So he had
them shooting at targets all the
winter. When the campaign opened
we found they had learned good
deal.
On the 9th of May we were plac
cd on our extreme left not far from
Germanna Ford.
That whole section then was COW
cred with scrub timber and brush.
Soon an order came to throw up
breastworks. told the boys of the
order and 1T once there were pro-
tests all along the line. They said
there were no tools, neither had they
ever fought behind Notifications. [
told them that then we were going
to make breastworks Of the half
rotten trees every where in sight.
About forty Of us picked up u tree,
placed it-went after another, but
before we got the third one on top
the bullets were coming fast. 1t
would have done you good to see
the boys get behind the rotten logs.
In about twenty minutes much bark
had been shot from the old logs,
nobody hurt, and the enemy gone.
Then the boys got out and hustled
for more rotten timber and chunks
and limbs. Five times in two days
the enemy tried their best to get
our logs but we could not do with
out them. At the end we were still
in possession, and strange to relate
we had not lost Il single man in our
company.
There was giant of man whose
place was next to me whenever we
were in line. He had all the lovely
traits of child. but he carried in
his bosom the heart of lion. (Somc
day | must tell you about him and
our Colonel.) On the night of the
first day he asked me to let him go
over and get him some coffee and
other things. 1t was contrary to or
ders but | could not refuse Joe San
ner anything. 1t was like denying n
little child a thing on which he had
set his heart. let him 20, but l
hedged in ordering him to bring all
the guns and ammunition he could.
To get guns justified almost any
thing. He soon returned with the
load of pack horse, and then we
had coffee and other things to give
away. Others went over and soon
we had twice rs many guns as we
had mon and much other stuff that
we needed. Next morning when the
enemy visited us we made such an
awful noise that our big generals
thought we were about to be driven
out so they sent us regiment OF
Two to help. But our boys told them
they could send their old re-enforcc-
ments where they were needed You
see, we had our rotten logs. Late in
the evening of May 9th we were
marched some miles around in the
thickets, and halted near and at right
angles within the extreme right of
Grants line of battle Then General
'ohn Is. Gordon appeared. He had a
Job that he wanted done and he knew
. how to get us to do it. He could
talk the horns OIL of billie roat
Listen ut him five minutes and Won
became lococd. You forget every
;, thing that you ever did know, and
knew only what Gen. Gordon knew
One fellow was heard to say that he
was then prepared to go right into
: the bad place if General Gordon said
50.
> remember some of the talk. "That
he was proud to know any citizen of
the old state. That he himself to
some extent. could claim to be n citi-
zen that he was glad from his brow
bands to the frogs of his feet. that
his great grandfather first saw the
light on the sacred soil of the old
DOMINION and more. | can assure
you 1T was a first class talk that
would have moved stone. so we
made up our minds right then that
the boys in blue had to get out of
their works, and when the orders
were given they went out and we
went in.
General John w. pcgram was our
Brigadier General at this time. He
was made CT the best material that
was put into man. The only objec-
ton | had to General Pegram was.
he was so venturcsome that he would
walk over the bad place on a rot
ten rail. So he was often wounded
when we needed him. Rode up near
us when we We're behind the rotten
logs and the Yankees plugged him.
The senior Colonel no,v ,o,,r,,.l,