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NARROW ESCAPES
Interesting War Experiences No. 25
IRONTON REGISTER
THURSDAY, MAY 5, 1887
"A
ndy, can't you give me that 'Narrow Escape' today," said the
reporter to Andy Boggs, one of the brave boys who helped put
down the Southern Confederacy.
"Which one-the one at the battle of Stone River?"
"Yes, that's the one."
"It was in 1862 between Christmas and New Years. I'll tell you
in my own way how it was. It was on Wednesday--Johnson's
division broke on our right. We were on the skirmish line,
when we were ordered to charge on the rebels. The situation
was a warm one. We were ordered to fix bayonets, and in
turning our bayonets, Arfax Thornton pushed me out from behind
a tree where I had been sheltering from the enemy's fire. By
this time the rebels were right on us. Just as I was pushed
out a ball cut the top of my shoulder, cutting my blouse and
leaving a mark where it burnt me. This stunned me somewhat,
and caused me to drop my gun. The rebels ran right over me
then, and we were all captured. Hundreds of our men were
taken. They ordered me to take off my cartridge box saying I
would have no further use for it in this war. They thought I
was badly wounded because I was covered with blood and did not
bother me much. Appearances are deceiving. The blood was Tom
Town's who had been shot in front of me. After this, they
commenced to pick up the wounded and I went over to where
Henry Cauley was lying, making an awful fuss. I asked him
where he was hit. He had been shot through the hip with a
grape shot and was in terrible agony and soon died.
Seeing Brice Bramfield, I asked him to hide with me in a pile
of rocks close by, as I saw the rebels were picking up the
stragglers and hurrying them back to the rear, but he refused
saying he wasn't going to get in there and be killed by a
cannon ball. I concluded I would try it and await events
anyway. So I crawled in between the rocks and laid there about
three hours unti our
men charged back and took possession--not our regiment though.
I was terribly uneasy for fear the Johnies would find me, but
luckily they didn't. When our men came up I crawled out. The
boys did not at first believe I was a Union soldier. They
thought that I was seriously wounded, too, and a surgeon
present asked me where I was wounded and what regiment I
belonged to. I told him I was not hurt much and that I
belonged to the 18th Ohio. |
He said that a soldier who would risk staying
in that pile of rocks rather than be made a
prisoner, deserved a pass and an officer
standing by offered me a ____ to the
hospital at Nashville which I took. I told him
I wanted a pass to my regiment which he
also gave me, and I started to find the boys.
I went back and found our boys on the left
where Tom Towns had been killed on the
morning before. I was glad to see them once
more. When I got to the regiment I found
Uncle Jim Lyons baking flapjacks for the
company, and going up the hill from him to
where the boys were, I picked up an
old-fashioned brass banded shotgun, with
a very short barrel, one that had belonged to
some rebel. The boys were ready to go in
the fight and I went in with them using the old
gun until one of the boys gave me a
Springfield rifle. The change was very
agreeable as the rebel gun kicked like a mule.
We fought here a couple of hours and then
fell back.
"Now Andy, tell us about Jack Culbertson
shooting that rebel."
"That was on the Manchester &
McMinneville R.R. and was a somewhat
exciting affair. We were guarding a rail road
bridge and had built us a little block house
there; in fact, we did not have it quite done
when the rebels came in on us. I was going
out after a yoke of cattle and saw the rebels
coming. They were pretty close and we had
not much time to spare. I hallooed to our
Captain--Capt. C.C. Ross--and told him the
rebels were coming. We had before this
been making false alarms for fun and the
Captain thinking I was not in earnest replied,
'Now don't lie, Andy.' I then told him to
come ahead and see for himself. He came up
and saw it was the rebels. It was a race now
for the block house. Some of the boys got
their guns and some didn't. The thing to do
was to get to shelter. In other words it was
block house or capture. It was nip and tuck
which would reach it first, us or the rebels,
and we luckily reached the side the door
was on as they came up on the other side.
We went in the house and the Captain stood
watching the door and shot the rebel
Captain as he attempted to enter, the ball
going squarely through his head entering at
his mustache and coming out at the back
of his head.
We had to leave part of our guns out where
we were when the rebels surprised us, so
part of us were unarmed but those who had
their guns now commenced peppering it to
the rebels outside. Jack ___________
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