Incidents of the War: Humorous, Pathetic, and Descriptive Part 21

"Well, I do," was his response. "I tell you, Major, I wouldn't take five hundred dollars for my chance."

The distance to his home was over seven hundred miles, through Kentucky, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama.

The Major told me it was a common sight to see them trudging along, singing merrily, no doubt thinking of "Home, sweet home."

A Visit to the Outposts with Gen. Jeff C. Davis.

General Davis I found an active, intelligent gentleman, with an eye denoting great determination, and very pleasing in his conversational powers; always on the alert, leaving nothing to subordinates that he could do himself. The General's division commanded the Shelbyville pike. I spent two nights with Colonel Heg, who had a brigade occupying the most dangerous position. The 25th Illinois and 8th Kansas were in his brigade.

Colonel Heg's regiment is mostly composed of Norwegians, or Scandinavians. They are generally from, and are known as the 15th Wisconsin; are a splendid body of well-disciplined men, and all speak our language fluently. I heard an amusing anecdote of one of their captains, who, a short time since, took a lot of rebel prisoners. As this Norwegian captain had them drawn up in line, he said to them, in broken English, and in accent very like the German: "Say, you fellers, you putternuts, I vant you all to schwear a leetle. It do you goot to schwear mit de Const.i.tution. I schwear him tree year ago; now you schwear him. Now, recollect, you schwear him goot; no d--n nonsense. You schwear him, and keep him down, and not puke him up again!"

The 24th Illinois are close at hand, also the 8th Kansas. These boys are in view of the rebels every day.

There is in the 24th Illinois Regiment a very clever officer who has an intolerably red nose. He says he can't "help it;" he strives to temper it, but it is no go. A friend inquired of him, how much it cost to color it out here; his reply was, "$2.50 a canteen."

The "rebs" played quite a trick upon the chaplain of the 24th Illinois. After they received his papers, they refused to send any in return. This would have been termed a nasty Yankee trick, had any of our boys committed such a breach of faith with them. But such is Southern honor.

Rebel Witticisms.

The following is copied from the Chattanooga Rebel:

If it is true that General Marmaduke hung the regiment of armed negroes at Helena, he certainly made a center shot at old Abe's emanc.i.p.ation-insurrection scheme; for he "knocked the black out" every time he hung a darkey.

We do not know for certain that the price of negroes is going up; but there must have been a slight advance upon a regiment of them at Helena, the other day, if the wires were correct.

Grant's permitting his dead soldiers to decay and create a stench around Vicksburg presents the worst feature of the Yankee die-nasty we have yet had to chronicle.

Richmond papers announce that Hooker has again, "changed his base." He took it out of the saddle awhile ago, to go and tell old Abe "how the thing was did."

The soil of the South is becoming so fertilized with. Yankee bodies, that we will be able to raise nothing but wooden nutmegs after the war.

The "typos" of the Rebel suggest the necessity of the immediate return of Vallandigham, and our finis.h.i.+ng up the Yankee raid on Vicksburg. Both exciting subjects cause too heavy a "run" on the capital "V" box.

The Yankee officers who lead armed negroes against the Southern people will have "a high old time," for our boys will certainly hang them "as high as Haman."

The Chicago Tribune says: "There are already twenty thousand colored troops in the Federal army." Does he mean the blue-bellied ones, or the black ones?

"Breakers ahead" for Yankee merchantmen! The Alabama and Florida! If they are not breakers to the s.h.i.+ps, they will soon break all the s.h.i.+p-owners.

The Yankee corpses lying around Vicksburg are becoming fetid as fast as the living ones are becoming de-feated.

Hight Igo, ye Eccentric Quarter-master.

Everybody in the Third Division of Crittenden's corps knows the Quarter-master of the 35th Indiana, Hight Igo; in fact, his fame is not confined to General Van Cleve's division. No, sir! not by any means! His eccentricities are the theme of conversation from Triune to Stone River, from "Kripple Kreek" to Nashville.

His first introduction to the favorable notice of high military authority occurred at Louisville. Shortly after the gallant 35th came into service, he stopped General Wood one day in the streets of Louisville, to inquire upon the subject of "yarn socks." The General informed him he never transacted business on the street, and suggested the propriety of calling at head-quarters. A short time after this the General met Igo on the street, and having heard something queer about Igo's forage account, requested information in regard thereto. Igo coolly remarked: "General, I never transact business on the street. You will please call at my quarters, when I shall be happy to afford you an insight into my affairs."

The next day a couple of the General's staff-officers called upon the incorrigible Igo, to investigate matters, and they investigated "in a horn." Igo remarked that, if they had waited until next morning to make their report, things would have worked; but they foolishly went into the presence of the General immediately upon their arrival; and when they reported "Quar-hic-termaster Igo's busi-ness all-hic-sound," the General "couldn't see it," and dispatched another officer, who could resist the blandishments of whisky-punch long enough to conduct the investigation.

The result of this move was a rather tart request-from the Quarter-master-General's Department-for Lieutenant Igo to send all the papers belonging to his department to Was.h.i.+ngton, for adjustment; a request which our friend complied with by heading up vouchers, receipts, requisitions, etc., in an ammunition-keg, with a letter stating that, inasmuch as the Department had a great many more clerks at its command than he had, and were probably better acquainted with the "biz" of making out quarterly reports or returns, they might be able to understand how things stood between him and the Government; confessing, at the same time, that he "couldn't make head or tail out of the blasted figures." In due course of mail Igo received a communication from the Department, informing him that if he did not immediately send in his report for the quarter ending on the 31st of October, he would find himself in Was.h.i.+ngton, under arrest. To this Igo answered thus:

Sir-Yours of - date received. Contents noted. I have long been desirous of visiting the city of "magnificent distances," but have not hitherto been able to realize sufficient funds at any one time to gratify that desire; I therefore gratefully avail myself of your obliging offer to defray the expenses of my journey, and most respectfully suggest the propriety of your "going on with your rat-killing." I am, sir, your obedient servant,

MARTIN IGO, Lieutenant and A. A. Q. M., 35th Ind. Vols.

This closed Igo's official correspondence with the Department at Was.h.i.+ngton. He had the "good luck" to be captured by Morgan last fall, and, of course, Morgan destroyed all his papers. That struck a balance for him for the quarter ending last October. He had another stroke of good fortune at Stone River, on the 1st of January, in having a wagon captured. Of course, all his papers were in that identical wagon. He was very indignant that a battle did not take place about the last of March, as that would have saved him a heap of trouble. Do not think, however, that our Quarter-master has done any thing that will not bear investigation, for a more honest or conscientious man is not to be found in the Quarter-master's Department; but Igo has a holy horror of vouchers and invoices, and receipts all in triplicate; and small blame to him for it.

Fling out to the Breeze, Boys!

Dedicated to the Second Brigade, Second Division, M'cook's Corps.

by W. A. Ogden.

Fling out to the breeze, boys, That old starry flag- Let it float as in days famed in story; For millions of stout hearts And bayonets wait, To clear its old pathway to glory.

When the first wail of war That was heard on our sh.o.r.e Re-echoed with fierce promulgation, Columbia's brave sons Then rallied and fought, In defense of our glorious nation.

From East, West, North, and South, Their numbers did pour, Alike seemed their courage and daring; While boldly they stood, As the fierce battle raged, Each n.o.bly the proud contest sharing.

Those patriots have pa.s.sed- They now sleep 'neath the sod; But their flag shall be our flag forever!

We'll boldly march forward, And strike to the earth The fiends who it from us would sever.

Hark! hark! from the South Comes a sound, deep and shrill- 'Tis the sound of the cannon's deep rattle!

Up! forward! brave boys, And beat back with a will The foe from the red field of battle.

We'll rally and rally, And rally again, To our standard now pennoned and flying; And we swear, 'neath its bright folds Of crimson and gold, To own it, though living or dying.

Then fling to the breeze, boys, That dear, blood-bought flag- It must float as in days famed in story; For millions of stout hearts And bayonets wait, To clear its old pathway to glory.[]

CHAPTER XXIII.

Defense of the Conduct of the German Regiments at Hartsville - To the Memory of Captain W. Y. Gholson - Colonel Toland vs. Contraband Whisky.

Camp near Gallatin, Tenn., December 14, 1862.

After a careful investigation of the facts relative to the late fight at Hartsville, having visited the battle-field, and having conversed with numerous officers and privates who were wounded in that engagement, I am satisfied that gross injustice has been done the n.o.ble raw recruits of the 106th and 108th Ohio Regiments. I am not biased in the least on account of their being Cincinnati men, although I confess to a city pride; and I feel the greatest satisfaction in telling you that those regiments acted in the most heroic manner. That a few acted cowardly and s.h.i.+rked their duty, there is no doubt; but that the entire regiments should bear the blame is very hard.

I notice the Louisville Journal is particularly severe on the men and officers; and, also, that W. D. B. "pitches in," and terms them "Scott's Cowardly Brigade."

W. D. B. goes into minutiae in regard to Scott, who, he says, commanded. He is entirely mistaken. Scott, finding the place a dangerous one, requested, a week previously, to be allowed to rejoin his regiment, and his request was granted. The Scott who had command, and was relieved, belonged to Turchin's old regiment, and was their Lieutenant-Colonel. Scott told Colonel Moore of the dangers of the post, and Colonel Moore, feeling his weakness, protested against being left there. The fault lies beyond these new regiments.

Why were three regiments of raw recruits placed in such a dangerous position, with but two guns and a handful of cavalry? As soon as the fight began, a courier was sent to Castilian Springs, a distance of only five miles, for reinforcements. The brigade was sent, but arrived too late. Instead of marching by column, on a double-quick, these men were deployed as skirmishers. The 106th and 108th Ohio and 104th Illinois held the ground for full two hours, until completely surrounded and driven to the brink of the river, where another large force of rebels awaited them. Yet these undisciplined men are called cowards-these men, who bravely held the ground, against odds of three to one, against the disciplined rebels belonging to the 2d and 9th Kentucky, and under the immediate command of Morgan! Yet these men are to bear the disgrace and receive the anathemas of the press, in order to s.h.i.+eld some imbecile officer!

I paid a visit to the hospital to-day, and I tell you it was a pitiable sight to see a large room crowded with the gallant wounded. They told me they didn't care for the wounds, but to be so maligned was more than they could bear. One n.o.ble fellow read the remarks of the Louisville Journal, and the big tears rolled down his manly cheek, as he made the remark to me, "Good G.o.d! is that all the thanks we get for fighting as we did?"

Newspapers may publish what they please, but here is a fact that speaks loud in praise of the daring Ohio boys, and proves that the 106th and 108th fought well: it is, that Company G, of the 106th, lost every commissioned officer, two sergeants, one corporal, and twelve privates.

Colonel Moore, Lieutenant-Colonel Hapeman, and Major Wiedman refused to be paroled.

Lieutenant Gessert, of the 106th, tells me he was present, a week since, when a colored boy came to Lieutenant Szabo, of the 106th, who was on picket. The boy stated that he overheard Morgan tell his master he was laying a plan to "capture them d--d Cincinnati Dutch within three days." The boy was sent to head-quarters, where he repeated his story, but no notice was taken of it.