War Day Memories from Coffeyville, Kansas • 16

30 WAR DAY MEMORIES AS TOLD BY THE RANK AND FILE. his army would never have occurred. Rosccrans should have passed along his entire line the night before the battle and have been sure that all of his orders were obeyed. Instead of that he called all of his general officers to the big man's tent and verbally directed them what he wanted them to do and McCook and Johnson did nothing until it was too late to do. Had I been Secretary of War I would have dismissed Rosecrans, McCook and Johnson and appointed Thomas, Sheridan and Palmer in their stead.

If this had been done perhaps Stone's River would not have been repeated at Chicka-mauga. In after years, when we were in front of the enemy, as soon as We were formed in line of battle we threw up earthen works immediately. We took no risk under any circumstances. Very rarely did we have our lines moved when thus fortified. And we found it unwise to often attempt an assault "oil the enemy's fortified lines.

We moved into Murfreesborough on the 5th day of January and went' into winter quarters in the outskirts of the town on the west side and remained here until in June. Dewey and the Shark At Mobile Bay after the fall of New Orleans George Dewey was a junior waich officer on the steam sloop Mississippi. The ship's colored cook, called in naval parlance the "doctor, tried to convert Dewey to, faith in' the danger of sharks, but Dewey held that they would never bite a human being. One day Dewey was sent ashore in the ship's dingey on some trifling duty. He had on as usual a frock coat with very long tails, and as he sat in the stern of the skiff his coat tails trailed in the water.

Just as the dingey was on the point of reaching the vessel a shark rose to the surface and bit off the starboard side of the lieutenant's after uniform. Dewey jumped to his feet and ran up the side of the ship. The "doctor," who! had viewed the proceedings from the vessel, approached him presently with a grin of the utmost width. "Ah, ha!" he said, taking advantage of the familiarity customarily allowed him on board. MPcr-haps Massa DeWcy, yo' u'lieve now that sharks won't bite a pussoh.

Whar yo' coat tail, eh?" "My coat tail, replied the lieutenant, "has been removed by an act of Providence." any, but could not stand long against such overwhelming odds. It was by this Hanking process that vc were whipped in detail and driven back. But when Rosccrans formed his lino connectedly along the Nashville turnpike, the enemy's advance was easily stopped. The Confederates did not drive us back in any attack, man to man, they maneuvered us back. Where ever they attacked our connected lines were repulsed, as in the fight around the Round Forest.

Johnson had command of a division that day, that was equal in efficiency to any in the army and had they been given a fair chance would have whipped the Jonnies and considered it only a breakfast spell. These men were not cowards by no means, regimental number, met on the picket line and for an hour en gaged in a most desperate light, just to show their superiority one over the other. The reader who never saw a battle will be curious to know how the wounded were cared for and how long, they were left lying on the field suffering. Many of them were able to go to the rear without aid; some of them were helped off by comrades and the very badly wounded lay where they fell until picked up bv the stretcher bearers or ambulance corps, who always followed up the battle as soon as possible. The regimental surgeon, the chaplain, the drummers and the lifers were used for this purpose.

They all wore green sashes and it was against the rules of war to fire on men thus engaged. I saw one of our ambulance corps pnss nlong close to the confederate line, picking up the wounded of both friend and foe. The enemy cheered them as they were engaged in their work of mercy. Another instance occurred where the savage prevailed in men. Another ambulance corps was engaged in the same acts of mercy when they were Jircd upon by a rebel brigade in ambush.

Two of our batteries gave them a few rounds of case shot and canister, which made them seek a safer place, where distance lends enchantment to the view. It sometimes happens that a wounded man cannot be found and he must lie there and suffer until help comes or 'death ends his suffering. After the repulse 01 Donelsoir brigade, I think it a man on a white horse wearing a -green tlcficld was immense. The refugees were all apparently scared out of their wits. The report made by them was of a terrible disaster "the entire army is routed and all cut to pieces," "My regiment is all killed or captured." "My battery is all blown to thunder." "Letus go through, let us go, we don't want to be captured." But Col.

Burke's men stood firm with fixed bayonets and when these men became too persistent and crowded too close Col. Burke ordered his men to load and shoot to kill if they did not obey orders and fall back. They fell back without further command. Under the direction of Colonel Burke Lieutenant Kcndclbrook with his battalion of the 4th U. S.

cavalry formed these stragglers into companies and regiments and officered them with men from his command. More than 4000 men were thus picked up and organized into regiments. One Brigadier General and several Colonels were among the pick ups. These latter were sent back to their commands. The stampede largely originated among the train quarter masters and teamsters.

One brigade train quarter master had run his horse down and had turned it loose and was taking it "afoot" to Nashville. Wharton's and Forest's cavalry found their way to our rear and played' havoc with our supply trains, capturing nearly 800 wagons. Thus our rations were cut short for several, days, until more supplies could be brought from Nashville. It wTas currently reported at the tune that some of the soldiers of the right wing that lost their supply train oyer on the Wilkinson turnpike ate mule meat and I saw it in some official report, but I have forgotten who made the report, that his men were compelled to cat mule meat cut from the dead mules of the supply train, but I cannot believe The left wing under Crittenden had a fairly good supply of rations all the time. Let me be permitted to turn military critic and offer a few suggestions along that line as regards this battle.

Had Rosccrans constructed breastworks all along his line on the night of the oOth as he ought to have clone, or as I would have done had I been a great General as lie puts himself up to be, have seen to it that his right wing was, formed more compactly, the disaster that happened to sash rode very close to our lines as I suppose looking for some dead or wounded friend, and no one of the 40th Indiana ever thought of molesting him. In the Round Forest on the very spot where the 40th Indiana did some of its hardest fighting and where it camped on the night of the aist is located the National cemetery where the dead of that battle as well as many who died in Murfreesborough hospital afterwards, are buried. While we have omitted many of the incidents of the battle that would be of interest to relate, it is because we have never learned of them or have forgotten them. Remember that this battle was fought near 50 years ago and it is surprising to myself that have gotten together as much that did happen as I have. Now let us leave the battlefield and go to the rear among the train guards and the stragglers and find out what the rear looks like in the time of battle.

Lieutenant Colonel Parkhurst and his 0th Michigan, General Thomas' provost guards, were at Overalls creek, just beyond the right wing of our army, making efforts to stop all stragglers, but many of them evaded him by going around through the fields. The second net was at Stewart's creek where Col. J. W. Burke, in command of the 10th Ohio, was stationed, and also a part of the 4th U.

S. cavalry. The first stampede that came was composed of several hundred negroes mounted horses, mules, jacks and jennets on the dead run. Before Col. Burke could throw his regiment across the road at the bridge more than a hundred had escaped across it but he stopped many.

The creek was bank full and there was no way of crossing it only at the bridge. Many of the negroes grew very saucy and for this infraction of military discipline the soldiers ducked them in the creek. Rather a cold bath, don't you think? You who have read Si Klcgg of the 200th Indiana will remember that just two days before this his regiment waded this creek and while in the middle of the stream Si stepped on a slippery rock and went down kerliunk with the water up to his chin. Col. Burke formed his regiment across the road, deploying several companies up and down the stream.

The stream of stragglers and quarter masters' wagons that came pell mell dqwn the turnpike from the bat.