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R. M. (Richard Miller) Devens.

The pictorial book of anecdotes and incidents of the war of the rebellion, civil, military, naval and domestic ... from the time of the memorable toast of Andrew Jackson--The federal union; it must be preserved! ... to the assassination of President Lincoln, and the end of the war. With famous wor

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about three o'clock on the afternoon of the
third of July, the head of the column ar-
rived upon the battle-ground. As it came
to a halt, a poor fellow, who looked the very
image of death, hobbled out of the ambu-
lance in which he had been lying, and,
shouldering his musket, was just starting
forward, when the surgeon in charge
stopped him with —

" Where are you going. Sir ?"

" To the fiiont, Doctor," and the brave
fellow tried hard to stand firm and speak
boldly as he saluted the surgeon.

" To the front ! What ! a man in your
condition? Why, Sir, you can't march
half a mile ; you haven't the strength to
cany yourself let alone your knapsack,
musket, and equipments. You must h%
crazy, Burely."

^ But, Doctor, my division are in the
fight," (here he grasped the wheel of an
ambulance to support himself,) ^ and I have



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GREAT CONFLICTS, INDIVIDUAL HEROISM, ETC



293



a younger brother in my company. I must
go.

" But I am your surgeon, and I forbid
you. You have every symptom of typhoid
fever ; a little over-exertion will kill you."

<* Well, Doctor, if I must die, I would
rather die in the field than in an ambu-
lance."

The Doctor saw it was useless to debate
the point, and the soldier went as he de-
sired. But on the evening of the next day
he was buried where he fell — for fall he
did, — his right arm blown off at the elbow,
and his forehead pierced by a Minie ball.
His name could not then be learned ; but
the heroic soldier belonged to the Third
Division of the Sixth Corps, and that mark
was placed at the head of his last resting-
place. Peace to the brave.



PliiL SherirlaTi at Stone Biver.

On the dreadful morning which made
Stone River memorable in the annals of
blood and death, Greneral Sheridan, when
he emerged from his mangled division in
solid phalanx from the frightiul cedars,
loomed up like a very giant. He was
grave, firm and strong, and as Rosecrans
dashed up to him in the tumult of battle,
his deportment seemed to express : " You
see* General, it was not the fault of my
Division that we did not stay." He had
lost his hat and fought bareheaded until a
trooper handed him a covering — a dead
soldier's cap, no doubt. Sunday morning,
after the enemy had gone, Sheridan sitting
on an old stump told the story quietly but
graphically:

"General, I lost seventeen hundred
and ninety-six men, seventeen of them
being ofiicers, with my three brigade com-
manders. These were the noble Sill,
Roberts and Shaeffer — than whom more
gallant fellows never fought under the
flag!"

Stone River made Sheridan a Major
Gteneral, and they always said in the army
<tf the Oomberland, ** Phil JSheridan is the



rising man in the army ;" and when Grant
put him in command of the cavalry in the
Army of the Potomac, those who knew
him said he was the right man in the right
place. In the Shenandoah Valley, Sheri-
dan's record is equal to that of NapoleoP
for suocessive brilliant victories.



''No dnarter"— the Black Fla«.
A genuine * black flag * was captured by
the Federals, between Harpers' Ferry and
Martinsburg, Virginia, the act being per-
formed by one of the scouts of General
Tyler, and by the latter was presented as
a memorial of the Rebellion to the city of
Philadelphia. It was the production of
the ladies of Winchester, during the
early part of 1862, — instigated, it is to
be presumed, by the more sanguinary
among the other sex, — and placed in the
hands of one of the gangs of guerrillas af-
terwards under the command of the re-
doubtable Mosby. At the time the flag
was thus put in possession of the chivalric
sons of the sunny south, they were sworn
to give no quarter to any Yankee who
might fiJl into their hands, and they kept
their oath up to the time of their memora-
ble defeat at Winchester. The scout who
captured the flag had enlisted with Mosby,
and made himself very useful in stealing
all the * 8ece§h ' horses that he could lay
his hands on. After remaining with the
Confederate band for some three weeks, he
left, and brought into the Federal lines
the celebrated flag, which he tore from its
staff. It is of black alpaca, measuring
about one yard and a quarter, with a star
in the centre measuring some twenty-nine
inches, and with the word 'Winchester'
printed in large letters. The words * No
quarter' are written with lead pencil in one
comer. The flag was officially presented
to Mayor Henry, of Philadelphia, on be-
half of Greneral Tyler, by Lieutenant
Rankel, of the Third Pennsylvania Artil-
lery, — ^to be finally placed in Independence
HalL



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294



THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE BEBELLION.



FoUowinsr their Leader.

The crossing of Rolling Fork, hj Gren-
eral Rousseau, was an act every way in
keeping with the character of that fine
soldier. « We cross this ford," he ex-
claimed, "never to retreat again to this
side. We are to march forward. There
is to be no backward movement. It is
victory or death."

The command was about to be given,
and repeated through the lines, when Gen-
eral Rousseau, in the van, rising in the
saddle, exclaimed, " Men, follow me I I
expect none of you to do what I am not
willing to do myself," and, springing from
his horse, he stepped briskly into the
stream, and crossed the breast-high ford
on foot His men, cheering wildly, fol-
lowed their General, crying they would
" follow wherever, he dared to lead.** He
did not £sdter until he had gained his end
^nor did they.



Eifirhth Ohio <*BlaBiziir Away."
While the National forces were stand-
ing under the enemy's fire, on the day of
the battle at Romney, Virginia, and the
shot and shell went murderously in every
direction, there was one * personage * who
deliberately * stumped ' it

Captain Butterfield, of the Eighth Ohio
regiment — ^being one of the ranking Cap-
tains — acted as Major upon that occasion,
and was obliged to ride an old sorrel horse,
which had been used as a team horse, and
reqjoired both spurs and whip, which the
Captain had provided himself with, the
latter cut from a tree, and about five feet
long. It was found that the six pound
guns of the Federals could not reach the
Confederate battery, and Colonel Mason
ordered Captain Butterfield to bring for-
ward a brass twelve-pounder which was in
the rear.

Off sped the old sorrel and his brave
rider, and in a few moments op came the
gun. Its position was assigned and made
ready for the match, but the Captain came



dashing back in front of the gun, and die
smell of powder or somethmg else had
made the old sorrel unmanagable almost,
for in trying to wheel him to the front of
the gun, the more the Captain applied the
whip and spur, the more old sorrel refused
to go. This kept the gunners in terrible
suspense, for much depended on that shot
Finally, the Captain finding his efforts to
move his steed fruitless, he sang out at the
top of his voice, <* Never mind the old
horse, bjaze away ! " And sure enough,
they did blaze away, and it proved a good
shot, for it caused the Confederates to lim-
ber up their battery and take to their
heels^ At that moment orders came to
charge, and off dashed the old sorrel fright-
ened at the discharge of the gun, which
had scorched his tail, and mingled in the
charge. He was lost to view until his ar-
rival in town, where he was soon brought
to a stand, the Captain standing in his
stimips, with his cap flying, cheering for
the glorious victory that had been achieved.



X>elivery of fheir AmiTmnitlon before Surren-
dexinfir.

The surrender of Lexington to the Con-
federate forces was rendered a necessity
by the want of ammunition, as well as by
the want of water. A few of the compa-
nies had one or two rounds left, but the
majority had fired their last bullet After
the surrender, an officer was detailed by
Price to collect the anununition, and place
it in safe charge. The officer, addressmg
Adjutant Cosgrove, asked him to have the
ammunition delivered. Cosgrove called
up a dozen men, one after the other, and
exhibiting the empty cartridge-boxes, said
to the astonished Confederate oflScer, " I
believe, Sir, we gave you all the am-
munition we had before we had stopped
fighting. Had there been any more, upon
my word, you should have had it, Sir.
But I will inquire, and if, by accident,
there is a cartridge left, I will let you
know.** The expectant officer turned



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295



away, doubtless reflecting upon the " glo-
rious" victory of having captured men
who had fired their last shot



Sherman Watohiziff the Oaptare of Fort Ko-
AUister.

On the evening of the 12th December,
1864, General Howard, commanding one
of the wings of Sherman's grand army in
Georgia, relieved Hazen's Second Divis-
ion of the Fifteenth Corps by a part of the
Seventeenth, and threw it across the Litr
tie Ogeechee, toward the Great Ogeechee,
with the view of crossing it to Osaabaw
Island, and reducing Fort McAllistei;, which
held the river. The Confederates had de-
stroyed K'mg's bridge, across the Great
Ogeechee, and this had to be repaired.
Captain Reese, topographical engineer of
Howard's Staff, with the Missouri Engi
neers, prepared the timber and bridged the
one thousand fi^et of river during the
night, and, on the morning of the 18th,
Hazen crossed and moved toward the
point where Fort McAllister obstructed the
river. Kilpatrick, in the meantime, had
moved down to St Catharine's Sounds
opened communication with the fleet, and
a'tked permission to storm Fort McAllister ;
but Sherman did not give his consent, con-
sidering it questionable whether the cav-
alry, with its poor fiidlities and small sup-
ply of artillery, could succeed.

Hazen made his arrangements to storm
the fort on the afternoon of the Idth, Gen-
erals Sherman and Howard being at Che-
roe's rice mill, on the Ogeechee, opposite
Fort McAllister. Sherman was on the
roof of the mill, surrounded by his stalf
and signal officers, Beckley and Cole,
waiting to communicate with Hazen, on
t!ie Island. While patiently waiting for
Hazen's signals, Sherman's keen eye de-
tected smoke in the horizon, seaward. Up
to this time he had received no intelligence
from the fleet. In a moment the counte-
nance of the bronzed chieftain lightened
up, and he exclaimed:



"Look! Howard; there is the gun-
boat!"

Time passed on, and the vessel now be-
caine visible, yet no signal from the fleet
or Hazen. Half an hour passed, and the
guns of the fort opened simultaneously
with puflfe of smoke that rose a few hun-
dred yards from the fort, showing that Ha-
zen's skirmishers had opened. A mcfknent
after, Hazen signaled —

*' I have invested the fort, and will as-
sault immediately." At this moment Beck-
ley announces, "A signal ftt>m the gun-
boat." All eyes are turned fit)m the fort
to the gunboat that is coming to their
assistance with news from home. A
few messages pass, which apprise that
Foster and Dahlgren are within speaking
distance. The pmboat now halts and
asks —

" Can we run up ? Is Fort McAllister
ours?"

"No," IS the reply; "Hazen is just
ready to storm it Can you assist ? "

"Yes," is the reply; "What will you
have us do?"

But before Sherman can reply to Dahl-
gren the thunders of the fort are heard,
and the low sound of small arms is borne
across the three miles of marsh and river.
Field glasses are opened, and, sitting flat
uix)n the roof, the hero of Atlanta gazes
away off* to the fort. "There they go
grandly — not a waver," he remarks.

Twenty seconds pass, and again he ex-
claims,

"See that flag in the advance, How-
ard ; how steadily it moves ; not a man
falters, * * There they go still ; see
the roll of musketry. Grand, grand."

Still he strained his eyes, and a moment
after spoke without raising his eyes —

" That flag still goes forward ; there is
no flinching there."

A pause for a minute.

" Look ! " he exclaims, " it has halted.
They waver — no ! it's the parapet I There
they go again ; now they scale it ; some
are over. Look! there's a flag on the



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296



THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE REBELLION.



works I Another, another. It's oars!
The fort's ours ! "

The glass dropped by his side ; and in
an instant the joy of the great leader at
the possession of the river and the opening
of the road to his new base burst forth in
words: —

"As the old darkey remarked, dis chile
don't sleep dis night!" — and turning to
one of his aids, Captain Auderied, he re-
marked, " Have a boat for me at once ; I
must go there !" — ^pointing to the fort from
which half a dozen battle-flags floated
grandly in the sunset.

And well might William Tecumseh
Sherman rejoice, for here, as the setting
sun went down on Fort McAllister re-
duced, and kissed a fond good night to the
starry banner, Sherman witnessed the
culmination of all his plans and marches,
that had involved such desperate resist-
ance and risk — ^the opening up of a new
and shorter route to his base. Here, at
sunset, on the memorable ISth of Decem-
ber, the dark waters of the Great Ogee-
chee bore witness to the fulfillment of the
covenant Sherman made with his iron
heroes at Atlanta twenty-nine days before,
to lead them victonous to a new base.



when he drew his revolver, ahd firing
rapidly, kiUed one, badly wounded another,
and caused the third to take to flight.
Wilkins succeeded in making his escape,
and returned to camp at Calhoun, where



Charaotezlatlo Plnok of a Western Soldiar.
One December day, a Federal squad of
some half-dozen soldiers left Col. Shack-
leford's regiment, at Calhoun, Green river,
Ky., to bring back three soldiers who had
gone to Todd county. While on their route,
after night, they came upon some Confed-
erate cavalry, and the Nationals seeing that
resistance would be useless, took the woods.
One of them, named Wilkins, was sepa-
rated from his companions, and in winding
through the woods, came several times in
dose proximity to Confederate squads, but
succeeded in eluding them. He at last
overtook three of them, and seeing that
his chances were desperate, he determined
to join them and pass himself off as one of
their number. By keeping a little in the
rear he watched a favorable opportunity,



Ghazacteriftie Plnck.

a gentleman arrived the next day from
Elkton, and stated that the Confederate
cavalry reported that the country was
overrun with Federal troops, and that tliey
had been forced to retreat before a supe-
rior force.



Loved the Old Fla« Stm.
After the battle of Mill Spring, when
the Minnesota regiment returned to its
quarters at Camp Hamilton, they marched
past the Colonel's marquee with banners
flying, and their splendid band playing
" Hail Columbia." Standing in front of
the tent were J)r. Cliff, Zollicoffer's Brigade
Surgeon, Lieutenant Colonel Carter, of
the Twentieth Tennessee (Confederate)
regiment, and several of the Federal offi-
cers. It was observed that " Hail Colum-
bia " affected both the Confederate officers
to tears — they wept like children — and
Carter remarked that: "Although com-
pelled to fight against the old flag, he
loved it stilL"



Fiendish Deed* of a Western Amason.
The operations of Sue Munday, the fe-
male guerrilla, will long be remembered



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297



in Kentucky. About the middle of Octo-
ber, 1864, Sue, in company with Captain
Berry, made a descent at the head of their
marauding gang, upon Jeffersontown, and
took possession of the place. Sue Munday
dismounted at the Davis House and had
her canteen filled with whisky. A negro
boy was mounted on horse, armed in the
most complete manner, and rode with the
gang. He stood guard over the horses,
while the scoundrels were scattered about
the town engaged in robbing the people.

The discharge of fire arms was heard
by several parties residing in the vicinity,

'but they were ignorant of the cause. A.
short time, however, after these reports
were heard, I^ir. James Simpson, on his
way to Jeffersontown, was met in the road
by the outlaws and robbed of twenty-
seven dollars in money. He observed that
Sue Munda/s pistol was empty, and the
fresh stains showed that it had very re-
cently been discharged. While Mr. S.
was being robbed, she was engaged in re-
loading her revolver. She pointed the
muzzle at the breast of Mr. S., and smiled
with fiendish satisfaction at his embarrass-
ment as she capped the tube of each bar-
rel of the cylinder. After being released,
Mr. Simpson rode directly to Jefferson-
town and related his adventure. He was
informed that, with the prisoner in Federal
uniform, the party numbered eight when
in town. He met but seven on the road,
and no prisoners.

The citizens at once surmised that the
soldier had been murdered, and, following
the trail of the guerrillas, they approached
the dark ravine, and found their worst
apprehensions too true. His body was
marked with five pistol-shot wounds, and
two deep stabs, as if made by the keen
blade of a dagger. All the circumstances
went to prove that the murder was com-

nnitted by one hand, and that hand Sue
Munday's, the outlaw woman, and the
wild, daring leader of the band. By a
record in a small memorandum book,
found upon the dead body, it was learned
19



that the name of the murdered man was
Hugh Wilson.- Upon his person was also
found a letter dated Mount Vernon, Dli-
nois, and presumed to be from his wife, as
it commenced with *My dear husband.*
She wrote in an affectionate manner, and
spoke with loving fondness of their pleas-
ant home and the little darling ones who
' sent love to pa.* This letter was found
in his bosom, pierced by balls and stained
with blood gushed in warm life-streams
from his heart



Saved a Cknnrade's Life, bnt Lost His Own.

In one of the battles of the autumn
campaign of 1864, there was a young man
killed, a member of the Massachusetts
Fifty-Eighth regiment, who used to live in
the town of Concord. His name was
Broad, and, on account of his having been
connected with the ambulance train, he
had never been in battle before. He met
his death, at last, in the following manner,
— than which no instance of braver self-
devotion is anywhere on record : There
was a man struck by a solid shot, it cut-
ting one of his legs nearly off. The poor
fellow was ble^ling to death, but if
brought off, would in all probability get
well. Broad proved to be the only man
who would volunteer to gb out and fetch
him in. It was almost certain death for
any man ; but, said Broad, in the generos-
ity and self-sacrifice of his noble nature,

" I have neither wife nor child to suffer
if I am kiUed."

So out he went, and picked the bleeding
soldier up, put him on his strong and wil-
ling shoulder, and brought him safely in,
though the bullets flew like hail around
him. He came in so promptly that they
all thought he had escaped the bullets.
But, alas ! poor Broad himself was a mor-
tally wounded man. He laid his burden
tenderly on the ground, saying, as he did
so,

"I may have eaved your life, bnt I have
lost my own."

He had been shot through the bowels.



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298



THE BOOK OP ANECDOTES OP THE REBELLION.



and died very soon after. He waa as
brave a man as ever lived.



"CMMura Is Dead."
''O'Meara is dead, then?" said the
General, at Chattanooga. " Yes, sir," re-
plied the officer of the day, to whom the
inquiry was addressed, " his body is about
being sent forward." " Gallant O'Meara ! "
continued Grant, as if communing with
his own spirit, and the spirits of the brave
around him, " Grone 1 A braver man never
filled a saddle." ^< He is at the landing
now, waiting to be put on the boat*" " 1
knew him well," the Greneral spoke on, as
if he heeded not what was said by his
companion — " he was with us in the Army
of the Tennessee. I shall never forget his
noble defence of the trestle-work at Holly
Springs. He saved us all from starvation.
Noble OMeara ! Brave Irish Legion ! "
"Would you like to see him, General?"
<* I should, let us go." The two officers
passed together to the little steamer by the
levee of the river. It was a touching
sight. A group of officers and men had
gathered on the deck and levee, while
others stood looking on along the adjacent
heights. The coffin, covered with the
American flag, lay on the army bier. The
procession had halted, and the boat was
about to start. " Stop the steamer a mo-
ment," said the General, solemnly : " I
want to see him." An orderly removed
the colors and the coffin-lid. The hero
bent over his departed comrade, and drop-
ped a silent tear on the cold face. His
lip quivered, as it always did when he was
experiencing deep emotion. He cla<«ped
his liands over the breast of the brave
young Irish volunteer, who had come so
willingly with him from the same State,
who had stood so gallantly by his side in
the deadly hurtlings of battle, who had
fought so bravely to save his whole army
from death by starvation, and who had now
offered up a 3roathful life as a sweet, rich
sacrifice on the altar of his country. An
exile and a pilgrim from his own native



land, he had come to America to die for
the flag that is the emblem of liberty
throughout the world.

AU Throoffh a Xifltake.

The first battle of Bull Run broke the
calm of a peaceful Sabbath in such a
manner as was never known before in
Virginia, and terrible must have been the
scene at the farm houses of Mr. Lewis
and Mrs. Henry, upon the Juiolls beyond
the breastworks, where the awful carnage
opened up. For hours the fighting goes
on, with ghastly- horror and varying suc-
cess to both armies. There is marching
to and fro of regiments. There is not
much order. Regiments are scattered.
The lines are not even. This is the first
battle, and officers and men are inexperi-
enced. There are a great many stragglers
on both sides ; more, probably, from the
rebel ranks than from McDowell's army,
for thus fisir the battle has gone against
them. You can see them scattered over
the fields, beyond Mr. Lewis's. The fight
goes on. The artillery crashes louder
than before. There is a continuous rattle
of musketry. It is like the roaring of a
hail storm. Sherman and Keyes move
down to the foot of the hill, near Mr.
Lewis's. Bumside and Porter march
across the turnpike. Franklin and How-
ard and Wilcox, who have been pushing
south, turn toward the southeast. There
are desperate hand-to-hand encounters.
Cannon are taken and re-taken. Gim-
ners on both sides are shot while loading
their pieces. Hundreds fall, and other
hundreds leave the ranks. The woods to-
wards Sudley Springs are filled with
wounded men and fugitives, weak, thirsty,
hungry, exhausted, worn down by the
long morning march, want of sleep, lack
of food, and the excitement of the hour.
Across the plains, towards Manassas, ai^
other crowds,— disappointed, faint-hearted,
defeated soldiers, fleeing for safety.

**We are defeated!"

" Our regiments are cut to pieces I "



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299



" General Bartow is wounded and Gen-
eral Bee is kiUed! "

Thus they cry as they hasten towards
Manassas. Officers and men in the rebel
ranks feel that the battle is all but lost.
Union officers and men feel that it is
almost won.

The rebel right wing, far out upon the
turnpike, has been folded back upon the
centre ; the centre has been driven in upon
the left wing, and the left wing has been
pushed back beyond Mr. Lewis's house.
Griffin's and Rickett's batteries, which had
been firing ft*om the ridge west of the toll
gate, were ordered forward to the knoll
from which the rebel batteries had been
driven.

^ It is too far in advance," said General
Griffin.

"The Fire Zouaves will support you,"
said General Barry.

" It is better to have them go in advance
till we come into position ; then they can
fall back," Griffin replied

** No ; you are to move first, those are
the orders. The Zouaves are all ready
to follow on the double quick."

" I will go ; but, mark my words, they
will not support me."

The battery galbped over the fields,
descended the hill, crossed the ravine, ad-
vancing to the brow of the hill near Mrs.
Henry's, followed by Rickett's battery,
the Fire Zouaves, and the Fourteenth New
York. . In firont of them, about forty or
fifty rods distant, were the rebel batteries,



Using the text of ebook The pictorial book of anecdotes and incidents of the war of the rebellion, civil, military, naval and domestic ... from the time of the memorable toast of Andrew Jackson--The federal union; it must be preserved! ... to the assassination of President Lincoln, and the end of the war. With famous wor by R. M. (Richard Miller) Devens active link like:
read the ebook The pictorial book of anecdotes and incidents of the war of the rebellion, civil, military, naval and domestic ... from the time of the memorable toast of Andrew Jackson--The federal union; it must be preserved! ... to the assassination of President Lincoln, and the end of the war. With famous wor is obligatory