San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-10-03


Gray boards cover the cheeks that
were boyishly smooth in 1S62-3-4-5.
and the feet that take such slow and
painful steps today could scarcely be
held on the ground from eagerness
and youthful ardor, when the fighting
was done GO years ago. The eyes are
still bright-soine with the second
sight of extreme old age. and long
and continued gazing into the past and
accounting of the marvellous things re-
corded there. has not dimmed but rath-
err intensified their luster.
"No. that is the only trouble with
these reunions" Il. n. Hodges of La
Pryor, who served all through the
war under Gen. Joe Wheeler with
the Nineteenth Alabama regiment.
says. I'VE don't find any of our old
comrades who served with US during
the war. l guess it is hardly fair to
expect TO find them here. though. This
is not Heaven, it is just reunion;
and every man who served in my
company during the war is dead. ex-
cept me. Lots of them died at the
Battle of Shiloh, where our company
opened the fight. and the rest of them
have been dying ever since.
Saw Johnston Shot.
"The Battle of Shiloh began about
daylight in the morning and lasted
all day long before we captured Prem
tice and his division. We had our
whole brigade there. but only two
companies did any fighting, because
the others didn't have any guns.
a,hA Ia lAf4
one. you see. That's why | limp like
| do-and | was lying there on the
ground just about bleeding to death
when Albert Sidney Johnston died
shot. Ii was after tie Yankees mad
surrendered that one of them fired
the shot from which Johnston died
a little later. | saw him tOtter when
he was hit and saw them lift him
off his horse and lay him on the
ground. They captured me that night
and took me 10 a northern prison.
where / was pretty sick for long
time. Then. when / got well from
my wound they exchanged me- with a
lot of other prisoners, and it was
after | got back TO my regiment again
that | got my other two wounds. The
reason sthat the shot | got through
my chest at the battle of Chicka-
manga didn't kill me was that | fell
forward and the blood had chance
TO pour out instead of sinking in.
At the battle of Atlanta | was shot
through the hip and my horse was
shot through at the same time.
A Good Man Yet.
"These other wounds don't really.
to say. bother me. but the one in my
foot always keeps me reminded. Ill
be 81 if L live till November. and
| can still pick my 200 pounds of
cotton day with the best of them:
that is if it's good cotton. was raised
in cotton patch.
want to see this pipe ] made
while | was doing picket duty on
Lookout Mountain after the battle of
Chickamauga 1 found a crotch of
little tree that looked like pipe
TO me, and when l wasn't doing any
thing else, l set TO whiting on il.
It's made mighty good pipe and
always smoke it at reunions and other
times when | am dressed up. You
see | carved Lookout Mountain and
the date 1861 on one side OF the
bowl"
One real Confederate uniform coat
stands out in the ordinary citizen
coats worn by the old gentlemen who
have come to the reunion. to live their
days of fighting over again. 1t is of
the fine Confederate gray and shows
mainy medals and much gold braid on
the sleeves. The proud wearerY James
X. Polk Jameson, says: NO. sir, of
course. i didn't wear this coat in
the war. Do you think any coat that
was worn as much as / wear this
one would last 60 years? We didn't
have as good coats as this one when
! was in the army. and they didn't
tit like this one does. either. We had
10 wear just about whatever we could
get.
Under -Four FIa~s.
81 had this coat made especially TO
wear to reunions. and | wanted it nice.
Looks pretty good. doesn't it"
You can tell from my name that
must have been born when an i'm
portant gentleman with the same
name name was President. Ny folks
come from Tennessee and they thought
L
born in the Republic of Texas, and
| have lived in her under four flags.
| was one of the first boys from our
part OF the state to join the army,
and of the 101 men who went off with
me. | am the Orgy one alive today.
was i'll the First Texas Cavalry Lc-
gion under Gen. G. w. Whitfield. aud
we were attached TO Forests Cavalry
nearly all through the war.
No, i never got promoted TO any
thing but lots of hard work in the
army, You notice | have all the trim
ming on my coat on the sleeves, and
II you are an officer you have your
fancy stuff on your collar. You cant
be an officer without something on
your collar.
lie Was Sweet Sixteen.
"No, j never was wounded in the
war, but L was scared TO death most Of
the time, and | believe l would just
about as soon have been wounded. 1t
couldn't have been much worse.
fought in the battle of Shiloh, the
siege of Jackson, Miss. and the siege
of Atlanta. Ga. | suppose / was in
the front line of fighting nj least 600
times. In the siege of Atlanta. the
fighting lasted all day long for 30
days, and sometimes it lasted all night
toe. 1t was enough TO scare any
body. / was in the army the whole
four years il lasted. ] joined when
] was rs. Put that sweet sixteen
Sixteen its always sweet. even when
it is boys-at least it always ought to
be sweet"
A number Of veterans from the Con-
federate Home in Austin are present