Anecdotes, poetry, and incidents of the war

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

Pjeteh Apple, of Oakland, Marion County,
Indiana, was recruited for the Eleventh regiment
of that State, and took part in the attempt to
storm one of the Vicksburg batteries. The
rebel fire was so destructive, that the Union
forces recoiled. Apple, the " raw recruit,"
" didn't see " the backward movement, and kept
going ahead, until he came right up to one of
the rebel guns, caught a gunner by the collar,
and brought him within our lines, saying: "Boys,
why didn't you come on ? Every fellow might
have got one."

Reminiscences of Shiloh. — An eye-witness
gives the following pictures of the battle-field of
Shiloh :

" On that peaceful Sunday morning of April
G, 1862, the sun was rising with splendor. I had
walked out to enjoy the fresh air, and, returning
by my friend Lieut. D's tent, I called upon him.
Said he, ' H., take a cup of cofi'ee ; I have found
some milk.' ' Don't care if I do,' said I. ' I always
write home on Sunday morning, and like to do
it over a good cup of coffee.' ' Yes, I mean to
write to my little Mife,' said I). ' I expect to re-
sign soon. Don't you want a pair of new shoul-
der-straps, II., and bran new pair of gauntlets ? '
I told D. I would take them; and in a moment
left his tent, after making him promise to take
tea with me.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

I waved a handkerchief, which was answered
from the other side, and tacitly understood to
mean no firing. An hour later one of our
Southern friends w"aved a handkerchief and
shouted: " Meet me half-way." "All right;"
and arming myself with a newspaper profusely
illustrated with pictures incidental to the capture
of New Orleans, I started out. A rebel surgeon
of the Thu"d Tennessee was the individual who
met me. He was dressed in a citizen's suit of
black, Avith military buttons, and the rank of
captain designated, not by shoulder-straps, but
by marks on the collar. After shaking hands
and exchanging the customary salutations, we
proceeded to talk about the war. He was at
Fort Donelson, and made his escape the night
before the surrender; spoke of the battle of
Shiloh, at which he assisted ; said it was their
intention to have made the attack on Saturday
instead of Sunday, but on account of a misunder-
standing between their generals the plan failed.
The number of deserters from his side appeared
to have a prominent place in his mind, which
he vainly endeavored to conceal. " Do you
have many deserters from your ranks ? " he com-
menced. I told him of only two cases which had
come under my notice for more than a year,
taking care to add that they ran home. He
wanted to know if many of their men came over
to us. I answered rather equivocally : " A few."
" How many ? "

Fearful now that if I told him the great number
that actually did come to us, the rebel leaders
would increase their vigilance, I merely said that I
had seen six, the number I had personally beheld.
" I guess they go the other way," he replied,
thereby acknowledging they sufi"ered much from
desertion. Mr. Tennessee wanted to know why
we did not make the attack ; they were anxiously
waiting for us, and confident of victory. I said
that they could not be more eager for the bat-
tle, or more sure of success, than ourselves ;
that to us everything appeared to bei ready ;
but we were not supposed to know Gen. Hal-
leck's plans.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

' When I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies,
I'll bid farewell to every fear.
And dry my weeping eyes.'

" And," said he, " there was a Chi'istian brother
in the brush near me. I could not see him, but I
could hear him. He took up the strain, and be-
yond him another and another caught it up. all
over the terrible battle-field of Shiloh. That
night the echo M'as resounding, and we made the
field of battle ring with the hymns of praise to
God."

The Drummer Boy of the Rappahannock.
— Recently, a bright boy, with dark eyes and
ruddy cheeks, gave a brief history of his ad-
ventures at the battle of Fredericksburg. He was
neatly dressed in a military suit of gray cloth, and
carried in his hands a pair of drumsticks ; his
drum was destroyed by the fragment of a shell
immediately after his landing on the river bank,
in that hurricane of sulphury fire and iron hail on
the 12th of December, 1862.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

Shiloh,
I've this very night been back there — on the old

field of Shiloh !

♦'You may think it all delusion — all the sickness

BY PAUL H. HATXE.

BnoTiiER AGAINST BROTHER. — A writer in
Philadelphia relates the following : " In one of
our beautiful suburban cemeteries was employed
a venerable man. For a number of yeai's past
he has prepared the last resting-place for those
called from among us. Though poor, he raised
four gallant boys, giving to each of them a mod-
erate education and a good trade. The two elder
went five years ago to New Orleans, where pros-
perity attended their industry.

The two younger brothers remained with their
father. George and Frederick were their names.
The latter is but seventeen years of age. When
the war broke out, both left their employments
and enlisted. The elder brothers had constantly
written liome, and frequent presents accompanied
their letters. At the battle of Fredericksburg, in
the very front of the line, at the church upon the
rifle pits at the back of the town, were the two
boys Frederick and George. A sortie was made
by the rebel riflemen upon the retreating Federals,
and among those who dropped were the two boys,
the- youngest sons of the old gravedigger. A
minie ball had pierced the bodies of each.

The rebel soldiers, whose weapons had done the
deed, were clad in rags of linsey. They ran with
alacrity to secure the clothing, the canteens, and
perhaps the money, of the men whom they had
laid low. The foremost one reached the body of
his dead enemy, turned it over — for the face was
downward — and to his horror beheld the corpse
of his youngest brother, his M-oolIen shirt stained
with a stream of blood that oozed from a bullet
hole above the heart. Our informant, a chaplain
of the army, could tell us nothing of the other
rebel brother. But this one made his way into
the Union lines, and is now in the hospital at
Alexandria a hopeless maniac. We learn that in
their childhood this voungling of the flock had

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDEXTS.

An Incident in the Cars. — In a car on
a railroad -which runs into New York, a scene oc-
curred which will never be forgotten by the wit-
nesses of it. A person dressed as a gentleman,
speaking to a friend across the car, said, " Well,
I hope the war may last six months longer. If it
* does, I shall have made enough to retire from
business. In the last si.x months I've made a
hundred thousand dollars — six months more and
I shall have enough."

A lady sat behind the speaker, and necessa-
rily heard his remark ; but when he was done
she tapped him on the shoulder, and said to him :
" Sir, I had two sons — one was killed at the battle
of Fredericksburg, the other was killed at the bat-
tle of Murfreesboro."

She was silent a moment, and so were all
around who heard her. Then, overcome by her
indignation, she suddenly slapped the speculator,
first on one cheek, and then on the other, and
before the fellow could say a word, the passengers
sitting near, who had witnessed the whole aiiau",
seized him, and pushed him hurriedly out of the
car, as one not fit to ride with decent people.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

" And," said he, " there was a Chi'istian brother
in the brush near me. I could not see him, but I
could hear him. He took up the strain, and be-
yond him another and another caught it up. all
over the terrible battle-field of Shiloh. That
night the echo M'as resounding, and we made the
field of battle ring with the hymns of praise to
God."

The Drummer Boy of the Rappahannock.
— Recently, a bright boy, with dark eyes and
ruddy cheeks, gave a brief history of his ad-
ventures at the battle of Fredericksburg. He was
neatly dressed in a military suit of gray cloth, and
carried in his hands a pair of drumsticks ; his
drum was destroyed by the fragment of a shell
immediately after his landing on the river bank,
in that hurricane of sulphury fire and iron hail on
the 12th of December, 1862.

The reader Avill distinctly remember that for
several days a curtain of thick fog rose up from
the waters of the Ra])pahannock, completely
hiding from view the artillery that crowned the
opposite hills, and the inflmtry that crowded the
sheltering ravines; but the preparation for the
great fight, so hopefully commenced, was contin-
ued amid the thunder of cannon and the volcanic
eruptions of exploding batteries.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

" For some considerable time she was employed
while in camp in mending and washing for the
men ; but since the arrival of Colonel Barimm,
an officers' mess has been formed, willi Mrs.
Hart for cook and hostess; and well does she
perform the duties of our camp household. Out
of the simplest materials she sets a meal upon
our table fit for a jn-ince, and om- sharpened ap-
petites are abundantly satisfied. Her services in
this department are invaluable, and it is difficult
for us to understand how we could possibly dis-
pense with them. In addition to her other du-
ties, she is now acting as nurse for Colonel Bar-
num in his illness, and we all hope her motherly
care will soon restore him to health and stren2rth

Anecdote of Stonewall Jackson. — The
night after the battle of Fredericksburg a coun-
cil of war was held by General Lee, to which all
his Generals of divisions were invited. General
Jackson slept throughout the proceedings, and
upon being waked, and asked for his opinion,
curtly said : " Drive 'em in the river ; di'ive 'em
in the river ! "

Civilities of AVar. — A letter from the army
of the Potomac, dated February 12, 1863, con-
tains the following :

CARTE DE VISITE.

And the mother bent low o'er the prostrate child.

Experiences of Capt. Wilkixs. — Capt.
Wilkins, of Gen. Williams' staff, Avho was cap-
tured at the battle of Chancellorsville, gave the
following account of his experience with the
Confederates. At the time the Eleventh corps
was routed he was despatched with important
orders from his chief:

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

praj-injT, smote Shields at Cross Keys and Port
Republic, taking revenge for Winchester; who,
praying, drove Banks pell-mell out of the Valley
and across the Potomac ; who, praying, stormed
Harper's Ferry with a feu d'enfer ; and, still
watching and praying, thundered in our rear at
Richmond and Bull Run the second, at Freder-
icksburg and Chancellorsville. Of this muscular
Christian his admiring foes competed in phraseol-
ogies of generous praise, " forgetting his fatal er-
ror to ap])laud the greatness of his soul." They
recounted with genial iteration the separate vir-
tues of the man — his courage, his patience, his
sincerity, his devotion, his singleness of purpose,
his self-abnegation, his just obedience, and his
faith in God ; of the Christian, the simplicity of
his every word and act, liis perfect truthfulness,
his mildness and his mercy, his religious enthusi-
asm, his continual prayerfulness, his almost super-
stitious observance of the Sabbath, his iron rule
of duty, and " first, last, and all the time," his
faith in God ; of the soldier, his intrepidity, his
modesty, his magnanimity, his fury in the fight,
and his generosity in victory, his stable bearing
in reverse, his tenderness toward his own wounded
and the v/ounded of the enemy — how he shai'ed
the privations of his men, setting them examples of
endurance and devotion ; his calmness " among
the sln-ieking shells and the death-lights of the
battle ; " tlie absolute fearlessness of his demeanor,
as of one who knew what his men hoped, that the
Almighty would not sound his recall until his
work was done ; of the General — his celerity,
his ubiquity, his momentum, his forced marches,
his " thundering in the rear," his indomitable
will,[the magic of his personal influence, and " how
his cause did hang upon his heart." We have
been told (still by his enemies), of his splendid
oi'iginality, his military genius, as bold as it was
modest. " Every time we have been seriously
threatened," writes a loyal chaplain, " he did it
— no one else has done it. The first time I saw
his face my heart sank within me. His moral
brain is grand."

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

" Dabney," the Colored Scout. — He was
emphatically what the old Southern advertise-
ments used to call a " smart, likely negro fel-
low ; " and after he had left his secesh master,
who lived on the south bank of the Rappahan-
nock, above Fredericksburg, General Hooker
found his minute and reliable knowledge of the
country and the character of its inhabitants of
great importance to him.

On one occasion, just before the battle of
Chancellorsville, a scouting party had come in,
who reported a certain locality entirely free of

the enemy; they had talked with Mr. D , a

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

" This case appeals to all our sympathies as
patriots and as gentlemen, and I appeal to the
chivalry of the Department of War, which pre-
sides over more heroes than Homer ever dreamed
of, and better and braver than his IMuse ever
sung — I pray you to gi'ant this request of my
fair correspfndent, and generations will rise up
and call us blessed. J. A. A."

Uncle Sam Everywhere. — A soldier of a
Pennsylvania regiment, who was wounded at the
battle of Chancellorsville, and left on the field,
afterwards related his adventures to the Colonel.
When the tide of battle had swept past the spot
where he lay, a rebel soldier came to him, and
took away his canteen, haversack, musket, and
accoutrements, and finally demanded his coat and
shoes. At this the Pennsylvanian at first de-
murred, but was forced to submit. Thereupon
ensued a conversation :

" Where do you belong ? " asked the rebel.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

wounded — one in the back of the head, the
other in the arm. — Marietta Itehel.

Death of a Young Woman on the Battle-
field OF Chickamauga. — The case of a young
woman in Willoughbj' Street, BrookljTi, brings
to mind the story of the unfortunate INIaid of
Orleans, who was " burnt by wicked Bedford for
a witch." It well illustrates the Solomonic proverb
that " there is nothing new under the sun." The
superstitions of the days of Joan of Arc still
flourisli.

Eai'ly in 1863, when disaster everyM'here over-
took the Union arms, and our gallant sons were
falling fast under that marvellous sword of rebel-
lion, a young lady, scarce nineteen, just from
school, conceived the idea that she was destined
by Providence to lead our arms to victory, and
our nation through successful war. It was at
first thought by her parents that her mind was
weakened simply by reading accounts of con-
tinued reverses to our arms, and they treated her
as they would a sick child. This only had the
eflect of making her more demonstrative, and her
enthusiastic declarations and apparent sincerity

THE WOODS OF TENNESSEE.

In the woods of Tennessee.

A Battle in the Aik. — During the heat
of the battle of Chickamauga, an owl, alarmed at
the unusual tempests of sounds, was frightened

170

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

coon, the lieutenant came down without a shot.
Harry then took them all into camp. He took a
captain and five men at another time, making
twenty-five in all, which is doing pretty well for
a little Dutchman ; and he deserves to be remem-
bered for it."

ClIICKAMAUGA, OK THE Rm^R OF DeaTH. —
In the spring of 1858, while seeking the benefit'
of a change of climate and relaxation from labo-
rious duties, I met the late Colonel Whiteside at
Chattanooga. Among the many interesting tra-
ditions associated with various localities in this
beautiful region of country, he related one in ex-
planation of the meaning of the word " Chicka-
mauga," and how it came to be applied to the
two small streams which bear this name. A tribe
of Cherokees occupied this region ; and when the
small-pox Avas first communicated to the Indians
of this continent, it appeared in this tribe, and
made frightful havoc among them. It was the
custom of the Indians, at the height of the dis-
ease, to go by scores, and jump into the river to
allay the tormenting symptoms. This cf course
increased the mortality, and the name " Chicka-
mauga," or " River of Death," Nvas applied to
the two streams, which they have borne ever
since. The remnant of the tribe was also after-
wards called the " Chickamauga tribe." We hope
General Bragg will call his great victory the
Battle of Chickamauga, and not " Peavhie Creek,"
or " Crawfish Springs," as is suggested in Rose-
crans' despatch. He has certainly craicfislied out
of Georgia, but we prefer " Chickamauga," or
" River of Death." — Southern corresnondeiit.

An Interesting Incident. — In the freshman
class at Harvard was a Washington, from Vir-
ginia, the nearest relative of the General, bearing
the name of George, and born on the 22d of Feb-
ruary. He was a youth of excellent principles, a
communicant in the Episcopal Church, and re-
spected and beloved by his classmates. On the
breaking out of difficulties, he left Cambridge, —
not for any sj-mpathy with secession, for he was
strongly against it in all his feelings, — but be-
cause he thought it his duty to be near his mother,
a widow, whose estate lay in the threatened por-
tion of the border. Soon afterwards others of
his class left college to join the Massachusetts
regiments.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

" It was on the ever-memorable day of the 20th
of September (battle of Chickamauga), that Mr.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

*' A Griswold for an Alabama." — There is
a beautiful thought in the address of the ladies
of England in reply to Mrs. Stowe : " You have
sent us the Griswold for the Alabama." Not " a
Roland for an Oliver," not tit for tat, but good
for evil. Let it pass into a saying in our moth-
er tongue, " A Griswold for an Alabama," when
good is returned for evil.*

Emma Sansom of Cherokee. — The follow-
ing is the story of her exploit, as related by Gen.
Forrest to a party of his friends at Chattanooga :

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

The party rode into Williamsburg with the cav-
alry, where they were quartered for the night, and
where they found eleven others who had escaped
safely.

A Wedding on Horseback. — The following
occurred at Battle Creek, on the Chattanooga
Railroad, in ^larch, 1S64 : A pair of lovers be-
thought themselves of getting married, and hav-
ing procured a license, they set out on horseback.
They soon came up to a parson " setting " on a
fence, — it seems he did something occasionally
at fanning, — and requested him to " solemnize
the sacred rites of matrimony at once." The
parson finally assented, and he "setting" on the
fence, and they on their horses, the " sacred
rite " was " solemnized," after which they went
on their way rejoicing.

A Hero indeed. — A good deal of interest
was felt at the time Avhen the Confederate offi-
cers, prisoners on board the " Maple Leaf," cap-
tured that steamer, and made their escape to
Currituck, in North Carolina. A correspondent
furnishes the following instances of heroism con-
nected with the affair, the hero of which is " a
poor old man bowed down with age and poverty."
The writer says :

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

At Madison, three more of Stoneman's caval-
ry were caj^tured and murdered in cold blood.

Near Lawrencevllle, hearing that our army
had been driven across the Chattahoochie river,
and was retiring on Chattanooga, and deeming it
best to change my direction, I resolved to enter
the house of a rich widow lady, engage supper,
and endeavor to obtain sight of a map.

I got supper, and also saw a map, from which
I added some new points on my lead-pencil map.
While in the house, the old lady asked me what
I thought about the war. I replied that if the peo-
ple of other States did as well as those of Geor-
gia they would be successful. She replied that
she thought they were a subjugated people. This
was before the fall of Atlanta. While I stayed
near Lav^reuceville, large numbers of rebels
passed by — some going home, others making for
the mountains. They said there was no use stay-
ing at Atlanta and being killed up ; that they
were whipped anyhow.

ANECDOTES, POETRY, AND INCIDENTS.

And ever the stars above look down
On thy stars below in Frederick town !

Incident of Sherman's March. — General
Howard, in a speech at the celebration of the
Christian Commission, related the following little
occurrence after the battle of Chattanooga. "My
corps, with Sherman's," said he, " had been in
pursuit of the enemy three days. We had
marched nearly one hundred and twenty miles,
and then marched back again. The result of it
was, that our clothes and our shoes were worn
out ; the men had scarcely any blankets to cover
them, or pants to wear. They were toiling along
on their journey home. Just as we had passed
through the mountain ridge, the division com-
mander, thinking that the men had marched far
enough for one day, put them comfortably into
camp, told them to make their coffee, and then
sent woi'd to me to know if they had permission
to remain there during the night. It was raining
hard, very hard. It was a severe storm. But I
knew the position was an improper one. It was
not the fulfilment of my orders. I sent back
word. ' No ; march forward to Tungston's Sta-
tion. March ! ' It was dark — it was cold — it
was stormy. The poor men had to be turned out
once more, to march. Notwithstanding their
labor, notwithstanding their toil and i'itip,ue, they
marched. ' What did they do ? how did they
take it ? ' do you ask ? They took it as I hope
you will take my speech. They went singing,
singing, singing along the route — noble, patient
fellows ! — without a complaining Avord."

Put it in Gold Letters. — A few days af-
ter the fight at Skerry, near Charleston, Kanaw-
ha, Virginia, two or three Yankee officers visited
the house of a Mr. Fry, who had been driven
from his home by the enemy. A daughter of
Mr. Fry saw them approaching through tlie gate,
and confronted them in the porch, with a demand
to know their business. They stated they were
looking for secession flags, and heard there were
some there.