- Joined
- Jul 23, 2017
- Location
- Southwest Missouri
One Thing At A Time
"Yes, the artificial banks along this river made capital breastworks for the Confederates," said the pilot. as we steamed down the mighty Mississippi. Safely sheltered by the heavy walls of earth, I've had more'n one crack at a Yankee gun-boat myself."
"Then you were in the service? "
"Must have bin. I belonged to a sort o' independent troop, and most of our fighting was from these 'ere banks. Do you see that grove away up there ? "
"Yes."
"Well, in war times a big home stood there. Fifty of us were eating dinner there one day when somebody saw a Yankee gunboat along about here. We all rushed for the bank, and when she came along we opened with our muskets. By and by she replied with a shell from a big gun. It struck the bank near the top and just lifted about ten wagon loads of dirt up in a heap and let it fall on our captain."
"Kill him?"
"No, I reckon not, but it buried him out of sight."
"How did he feel when you got him out?"
"We didn't git him out."
"You didn't! Why not?"
”Too busy holding an election for some one to take his place. We couldn't think of everything at once, you know, and then it was such a cheap and easy way of burying a man."
Detroit Free Press
"Yes, the artificial banks along this river made capital breastworks for the Confederates," said the pilot. as we steamed down the mighty Mississippi. Safely sheltered by the heavy walls of earth, I've had more'n one crack at a Yankee gun-boat myself."
"Then you were in the service? "
"Must have bin. I belonged to a sort o' independent troop, and most of our fighting was from these 'ere banks. Do you see that grove away up there ? "
"Yes."
"Well, in war times a big home stood there. Fifty of us were eating dinner there one day when somebody saw a Yankee gunboat along about here. We all rushed for the bank, and when she came along we opened with our muskets. By and by she replied with a shell from a big gun. It struck the bank near the top and just lifted about ten wagon loads of dirt up in a heap and let it fall on our captain."
"Kill him?"
"No, I reckon not, but it buried him out of sight."
"How did he feel when you got him out?"
"We didn't git him out."
"You didn't! Why not?"
”Too busy holding an election for some one to take his place. We couldn't think of everything at once, you know, and then it was such a cheap and easy way of burying a man."
Detroit Free Press