Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, December 02, 1900, Image 33

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Civil War as
rond and I was tu tlu act (if handing
cigars to my companions when n party
f bushwhackers armed with six
shooters Invited h to throw up (un
hands. "We were relieved of all our vnlun
hies and our horses by the confeder
ates, who turned us loose In the woods
to make our way hack to camp as best
yo could. Our colonel laughed at us
for being so slow and gave us permis
sion to follow the bushwhackers and
recover our valuables. We failed to
locate the bushwhackers after a night
spent In the woods. My mount was a
J. R. MANCHESTER HE PORE HE HEOAN
" . RIDING IN A PRIVATE CAR.
1,1 mule, and 1 remember that the ox-
iiedltlon Jostled me up so badlv that I
.... .. . . ...
r;T,iient uireo (lays in lied. This
curred Just after Lee's surrender, and
a little later I was mustered out of tlu'
service and left Virginia."
Early In 18(11 Hihtinoville was a fa
vorite recruiting station In northern
New York. It was situated near the
pineries, and here many of the broad-
hoiildered, douhjc-llstcd lumbermen on-
ered the service. Among a crowd of
,ti
Malwart giants who were mustered in
for service In the Ninety-seventh New
York inrniitry was a slender boy,
scarcely 10 years old. He had run
.away from home to enlist and swore
11 ,,thnt he was 'Jl with all the confidence
of a boy who Is determined to go to
war.
"Twenty-one," the colonel exclaimed,
ns he looked at the young stripling.
"Why, you ain't big enough to carry a
gnu.'"
"Just try me once and llml out," the
boy replied.
"Well, we'll take you as a drummer,"
Jhe colonel said in a spirit of com
promise. But that boy wasn't a drummer very
long. He entered the army with the
iutention of being an out-and-out sol
dier and there was better stun" In him
than In some of the burly lumbermen
''MAJOR JOHN R. PURAY WAS ONCE A
SERGEANT.
r
who were twice his size. When he left
the army at the close of the war he
parried a captain's commission.
The runaway boy was Captain J. It.
Manchester, general claim agent, for
the Union Pacific road, and the photo
graph shown of him was tnken a few
weeks after his colonel had attempted
to dissuade him from entering the
army.
t "811m John" was the sobriquet which
Major John H. Furay carried through
the civil war, and a glnnce at the
major's picture, taken In war times, will
Hhow that the nnmo was not Ironical.
"When the war liroko out I was In
They Appeared in '61
Ohcrtlu college, and It Is not necessary
to say that I entered the army at once.
Olieiiiu was a hotbed of abolitionists
and any man who would attend school
HERE IS DR. R01IERT M. STONE.
there in those days was Known In the
southern states as a 'nigger worship
per.' Lord Oberlln founded the
school for the purpose of educating men
and women of all breeds and colors
and negroes were nlways received
there," said Major Fumy. "The town
was one of the most celebrated stations
on the underground railroad, and I can
assure you It was no healthy place for
a copperhead.
"Hut to get back to my army experi
ences. 1 first entered the Seventh Ohio
Infantry. Then I was in the First
Ohio cavalry, and ended up in the
Eleventh Ohio cavalry. The last regi
ment was sent west to light Indians
r 1
CAPTAIN II. E. PALMER I1URDENED
WITH EPAULETTES.
and on September .'!, ISO.", we took part
in tlie light at Hanchester, the last en
gagement In which a volunteer regi
ment enlisted for service in the civil
war fired a shot. We passed through
Omaha and I made up my mind that
there would be a great city here some
time. As soon as I was mustered out
I came back to Omaha and have been
here ever since."
Among the ofllcers who were with
Winslow on the Kearsarge when he sent
the Alabama to the bottom of the At
lantic was an Omaha man, Daniel It.
Sargent. This famous engagement took
place just outside the harbor of Cher
bourg, France, .Mine lit, 1801, and was
oiK! of the notable naval battles of the
war. For two years the Ahibanm.
Sumter and Florida had been plun
dering vessels which floated the Stars
and Stripes and their destruction was
a death blow to tlu; confederacy.
"After following the Alabama for a
long time we finally located the vessel
In Cherbourg harbor," said Mr. Sar
gent, In describing the fight. "The
Kearsarge took a position six miles out
side of Cherbourg harbor live days be
fore the encounter ami waited for a
chance to meet the rebel cruiser. We
could not approach nearer the city
without danger of International com
plications, and It was so soon after the
Mn sop and Slldell episode that we did
not care to run any risk. The harbor
was In plain view and we could see our
enemy lying secure in neutral water.
"Shortly after 10 o'clock on the morn
ing of .luue 10 the Alabama moved
toward the mouth of the harbor and
Hp
we prepared for tlu: fight. It was a
beautiful day and nil sorts of craft
steamed out from Cherbourg to see the
fight The Kearsarge steamed toward
the Alabama and, as It came within fir
ing distance, turned toward the open
sea. Then both vessels began mov
ing around In a circle and the battle
began In terrible earnest.
"At no time was the Kearsarge In
danger. The aim of our gunners was
sure, and In a little while the Alabama
was punctured with holes along the
water line. It was less than an hour
from the time the battle began until
the confederacy's best ship was sinking.
Two boats were sent out from the
Kearsarge and many of the crew were
taken prisoners. An English excursion
steamer rescued most of the ofllcers and
they escaped. We could have cap
tured the little vessel, as It steamed for
the coast of England, but there was
some doubt as to our right to take the
ofllcers after theyhhad been picked up
by a vessel which was floating the Eng
lish Jack."
In 1S00 CaptnhTVnlmor arrived at
Central City, Colo., after having worked
his way from Haraboo, Wis. For more
FRANK n. BRYANT SHOT IJY THE
CAMERA.
than a year he engaged In gold digging,
but on July 7, 1801, he heard that Fort
Sumter had been fired upon. He left
the gold llelds to enlist In the army. Fort
Leu veil worth was the nearest recruiting
station, but the boy was not daunted by
the distance and on July III entered the
service. He was afterward appointed
second lieutenant on General Lane's
staff. In 1S0IJ he was mustered In as
captain in the Eleventh Kansas Infantry
and was detailed to fight Quantrell, the
notorious guerrilla. Two years later he
took part In the Powder Klver Indian
expedition.
Don C. Ayer was among the Green
Mountain boys who arrived at Washing
ton In June of 180IJ and prevented the
city from railing into the hands of Gen
eral .Tubnl A. Early. When the Sixth
Army corps steamed up the Potomac
President Lincoln was on the wharf to
greet the soldiers.
"The president was tlu: happiest man
in Washington when our ships hove In
sight," said Dr. Ayer. "He was greatly
alarmed over General Early's encroach
ments and, although It was scarcely
daybreak when wo landed, the president
came to meet us. He had not had any
breakfast and several of the boys gave
him hardtack, which la; ate with relish.
"Wo marched to Fort Stephens at
once. General Early was within rifle
shot of the fortifications and we Imme
diately opened lire on him. President.
Lincoln climbed up on a wall, where he
could get a view of tlu: engagement.
Hullets were flying thick and upon tlu;
advice of several ofllcers the president
sought shelter."
Early In 1800 a military company was
organized in Canton, O., by Captain
James Wallace. Sixty-six boys Joined
tlu: organization. A year later It was
mustered into service as Company F
of the Fourth Ohio infantry and be
fore the end of tlu: civil war every
member of the original company was
a commissioned oflicer. Captain Wal
lace called his company the Canton
Zouaves, a nnnie which clung to the
organization during the war.
It was In this company that William
Wallace served for four years. Gen
eral Charles F. Manderson was also
a Canton Zouave originally, but when
the company went to the front he re
mained at home and assisted in the
JOHN GRANT
TENANT.
AS A FIGHTING LIEU-
orgaiilzation of the Nineteenth Ohio In
fantry. The Zouaves Joined the Army
of the Potomac and took part In every
battle from Fredericksburg to Cold
Harbor.
"Of all the olllcers with whom 1 was
associated during tlu: war I think Gen
eral Sherman was the most considerate
of Ids men," remarked Dr. Victor II.
Coffnuin, who served as surgeon of the
Thirty-fourth Iowa Infantry. "While
we were In the rear of Vlcksburg 1
had about sixty smallpox patients.
Tilings were getting too warm for us
and It became necessary to retreat down
the Yazoo river. The rebels were 'Jos
lug In on us. We all supposed that
the general would leave the smallpox
patients behind that tlu: confederates
might be Infected.
"We did not. know General Sherman
as well as we did afterwards. His first
question was, 'How long will it take to
get the sick on board ship?' 1 replied
that thirty minutes would be sufllclent.
He told me to take more time If I
though It necessary ami assured me
that he would not leave until every one
of the sick men, Including those suffer
ing with smallpox, was on board."
The daily papers of March 7, 1802,
published the deatli of Colonel C. II.
DANIEL II. SARGENT FOUGHT ON THE
KEARSARGE.
Frederick and heralded It from coast to
coast that the gallant oflicer had been
crushed by a horse while leading his
men against flu: confederates at Pea
Hldge. Colonel Frederick's horse did
fall on lilm and he was carried from Hie
field by men who thought he was dead,
but the gods of battle had further use
for li I in. Ho rallied from ills Injuries,
rejoined the Ninth Missouri infantry
and remained with the Army of the
Southwest, until the close of the war.
Tu ndddltloii to his service in the civil
war he remained with tlu: regular army
for six years ami retired after being ad
vanced to a brigadier generalship.
The scansion of Virgil had but little
attraction for 10-year-old Hob Stone,
who had been longing to enter tho army
for more than a year. As he sat In the
Jitlu professor's lecture room of Deni
sou university one morning late In May
of 18011 he decided that his student days
were ended. - Denlson university had
sent nearly all Its boys to war, but Hob's
parents had refused to allow him to en
list. Two days before his father and
mother had gone from Granville to
Cleveland, where they were attending
a Haptlst anniversary. He had promised
faithfully to look after things at home
while they were gone, but under bis
breath he had reiterated his resolution
to become a soldier.
After borrowing from his father's
hired man. Dave Jones, the boy took
one last look at his home and started
for Cincinnati. Men weie being re
cruited there for the Twenty-first Ohio
battery and in two days he was on the
gunboat Exchange (-landing guard over
C. L. Vallandlgham, who had Just been
fried for treason and ordered Into the
southern lines. Such was Dr. It. M.
Stone's entrance into the service.
"The explosion of the mine under
Petersburg. Va gave our troops a good
Idea of what a combined earthquake
and volcano would be like. nhall
never forget the way the earth moved
In waves after the mine was exploded
and then the city seemed to rise In a
shower of lire, darkened by the forms
of men and all sorts of debris," said
Major It. S. Wilcox, while relating his
experiences with the Army of the
Potomac. "For weeks our men had
been burrowing under the confederate
city, and dually It was announced that
the mine would lie exploded at the
lirst break of dawn tin following' morn
ing. "That meiiuirable day was June :to.
1801, and It held In store for us a great
disappointment. Although the ex
plosion was successful In every way,
there were not enough forces thrown
Into the opening to take the city ami
we had to fall back. The city or
Petersburg was admirably fortilled. I
remember there was one fort near the
one we exploded which the Yankees
called Fort Damnation, ami another
called Fort Dell. Y can testify that
both of these posts were well . mimed,
for they used to pour lead Into us with
a fierceness which must have been in
spired by Inhabitants of (he lower re
gions. Hut I suppose the rebels
thought the devil had something 1o
do v'Mi the mine which we placed
under them with such deadly results."
Told Out of Court
A well known legal organizer of tho cor
porations popularly classed iih "trusts," In
explaining recently the fuaetloiiH of the
lepnl organizer, said: "Ho mum help to
reconcile these conflicting Interests, organ
ize nnd fuse them Into a wholo, bo that the
enterprise will legally hold water and pros
per." In further explanation ho. added:
"An enterprise that can bo njado to pros
per honestly can generally ho mado ito hold
the water of the law."
In a Minnesota crlmlnnl trial not long ago
tho lawyer for tho defenso objected -to tho
admission of certain evidence, but tho court
allowed It on tho theory Hint "somo lati
tude" should bo granted. Counsol for tho
defense, doing surprised, muttered to him
self "Who In h 1 ever heard of allowing
tdu prosecution Intltudo?" and then spoke
to the Judge and said: "Perhaps your honor
hud duller glvo tho prosecution a little
longitude at tho same time, us It seoms to
have lost Its hearings completely."
The legal, puiial value of tho opllhots
"lobster" and "liar" havo dcen Judicially
determined by tho western courts. Tho
privilege of a lawyer using In court tho
word "lobster" was valued at $30 dy the
Judge in Imposing a fine. In Missouri a man
called his neighbor a liar ovor tho tele
phone. Several other neighbors wero lis
tening over tho wires and tho ubo of the
word caused a breach of tho peace which
was satisfied by a fine of $12. Tho Now
York courts havo held that tho epithet
"scab" as applied by ono person to another
Is unlawful.
An Irish chief baron, who had before him
n candidate chnrged with shetp stealing,
usked tho prisoner what he hnd to say for
himself. .,
"Sure, mo lord, didn't mesolf and mo
father and mo grandfather nil vote for
your lordship when ye put up Tor Tlp
perary? And, begorrn, didn't wo carry
your lordship to tho head of tho poll?"
Tho Judge looked kindly nt tho prlsonor
nnd albeit tho evidence wim nil the other
way summed up strongly In his favor. Tho
Jury recognized tho state of '.affairs' and the
foreman Bald:
"Well, my lord, I supposo wo muilt not
call him guilty, but there'll not bo n sheep
left in tho country at all, nt all'
To which tho chief duron roplled:
"Ah, nlver mind, gentlemen, nlver mini!
tho mutton, ncqult him and ato heef," nnd
tho shep stealer left tho court a free man,