The Topeka state journal., 1922-03-03
ON SECOND THOUGHT
BY JAY z. HOUSE
(From Philadelphia Public Ledger.)
Some Reco1ections of Judge Still
man Lee.

Some RecolIections of Judge Still
man Lee.
From Judge Leander Stillwell's The Story
of a Common Soldier"
On March 25 we left Benton bar
racks for the front. We marched thru
st. Louis and on to the steamboat that
day, but for some cause never knew
that boat did not leave the wharf
until about dark the next evening.
had spread my blanket at
the base of the little structure called
the Texas on which the pilot house
stands. All around the bottom of the
Texas" was row of small window
lights commanding a view~Of the in
terror of the boats cabin below, and
had only to turn my head and lookN
down to see what was passing. The
officers were seated in cushion chairs
or Sauntering around over the carpet
ed and brilliantly lighted room wfr11e
their supper was being prepared.
Colored walters dressed white uni
forms were bringing in the eatables.
And the good things they had to eati
Fried ham and beefsteak, hot bis
cults, butter. big boiled Irish potatoes
steaming hot, fragrant coffee served
with cream in cups and saucers and
some minor goodies in the shape of
preserves and the like. And when the
officers should be ready to retire for
the night warm and cozy berths await
ed them. Then I turned my head and
looked at my surroundings. A black,
on us from the smokestacks and a
drizZling rain pattering down. And my
supper had consisted of hardtack and
raW~sow belly with river water for a
beverage. To aggravate the situation
generally, was lying on a blanket
which military necessity had COM
PEELED me to steal But I reflected
that we couldn't all be officers-there
trigger pulling. And L further con-
soled myself with the thought that
while the officers had more privileges
than the common soldiers, they like
wise had more responsibilities, and
had to worry their brains about many
things that did not bother us a parti-
Gle. So 1 smothered all envious feel
ings as best I could and, wrapping
myself up good in my blanket, went
to sleep and all night long slept the
unbroken, dreamless sleep of youth
and health.
I had no watch. but have always
been of the opinion that the sun was
fully an hour high before the fighting
at Shiloh began on our part of the
line. Suddenly, away off onNthe right
IN the direction of Shiloh church, came
a dull, heavy "Pum!" Then another,
and still another: Every man sprung
to his feet as if struck by an cleo
trio shock. What is that?" asked
every one, but no one answered. And
then out of the southwest came low,
sullen, continuous roar. There was no
mistaking that sound. That was no
on being relieved from duty; it was
the continuous roll of thousands of
muskets and told US that the battle
was on. The time we thus stood
waiting the attack could not have ex-
ceeded five minutes. Suddenly, OBJ
liquely TO our right, there was long,
wavy flash of bright light, then an
other and another. 1t was the sunlight
shining on gun barrels and bayonets-
and-there they were at last. A
long brown line with musketS at right
shoulder shift, in excellent order, right
thru the woods they came. We began
firing at once From one end of the
regiment to <he other leaped a sheet !
OF red flame We retreated from
this position, as our officers after |
ward said, because the troops on our
right had given away and we were |
Thanked. 1 think We did not fall back |
a moment too soon. AS Izrose from |
the comfortable log from behind |
which bunch of US had been firing 1 |
saw men in gray and brown clothes, |
with trailed muskets, running thru the |
camp on our right, and 1 saw some |
thing else, too, that sent a chill thru |
me. 1t was a kind of flag I never |
had seen before. 1t was a gaudy sort |
of thing with red bars. 1t was not |
more than sixty yards to the right. |
The smoke around it was dense and |
low and kept me from seeing the man |
who was carrying it, but L plainly saw |
the banner. 1t was going fast with a /
Jerky motion which told me the |
bearer was. on a double quick. I was |
at our first retreat of the |
across the field back to our |
camp, but it occurred to me maybe |
it was only Strategy; but when we |
had to give up our camp and run half |
d mile it seemed to me we were for |
ever disgraced, and kept thinking to
What will they say about this
at homer"
Christmay Day, 1852, was a gloomy |
one for the soldiers of the Union army |
in west Tennessee. We were in camp /
on a muddy hillside on the outskirts
of Jackson. The spot had been cav
airy camp. There We're lots of corn
cobs, old scraps of harness leather and |
such other truck as accumulates where |
horses are standing around. When we |
left Bolivar we were in considerable |
of hurry and didn't bring our tents
along. There was plenty OF wood for |
fires and we 'tjayhawked" enough
planks and boards to lie on to keep
US out of the mud. Our worst trouble /
was grub. The destruction of the |
had cut off our supplies and |
we were getting half TatiOnS of coffee
and quarter rations of hardtack and
bacon. The hardtack was so precious
that the orderly sergeant had quit
knocking the box open to let every
man help himself, and stood over the
box and counted out the tacks to each
man. I had never expected to see
hardtack so precious that it would be
counted out like money, but that
wasn't all. The boys always waited till
the box was emptied, and then they
would pick up the fragments that had
fallen to the ground, scrape the mud
off with their knives and eat the little
pieces. And they were glad to get
them.