USA > Indiana > New history of the 99th Indiana Infantry : containing official reports, anecdotes, incidents, biographies and complete rolls > Part 16
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*Darby, David, Corp , Converse.
230 New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
JOSEPH SHAFER, COMPANY E. 1900.
Born in Preble county, Ohio. Enlisted at Morocco, Indiana, August 11, 1862, and was in every battle and skirmish in which the regiment was engaged, being wounded August 3, 1864, in siege of Atlanta. He has a wife and three children living. Has lived for the last twenty-five years in Reno county, Kansas, his address being Haven, Kansas. He is an active G. A. R. man and has a warm place in his heart for all his old comrades.
231
Roster of the Regiment.
*Devlin, Hugh, Peru, dead.
*Dollinger, John, Chatsworth, I11.
Daily, Jones R., Peru, captured July 22, '64, and died in prison.
*Enyart, Thos., unknown.
*Friermood, Ezra K., p. 33.
*Fadely, Abraham, Mier, wound- ed on Atlanta campaign, dead.
*Fike, Jacob, Chili
*Foster, Jacob B , Carmel, dead.
*Friermood, Jacob, Converse, died in '98.
*Filley, Benjamin Mier, dead.
Frierwood, George, Converse, died of wounds Aug. 5, '64. Gonsor, John, Cary, died Feb. 22,'64, at Scottsboro, Ala. Graft, John T., Denver, disch. April 4.'63, at Memphis.
*Hettinger, Jonathan Section 1, Barracks 11, Soldiers' Home, Marion.
Hoyle, George, p. 87, unknown. *Kuhn, George, Sims, died 1898. Keim, George W., Corp., Chili, disch. Jan. 13,'63, at Indian- apolis.
Kimball, Abner D , p. 27.
*Lindley, Henry C., p. 132, dead.
*Landis. Solomon A., p. 181.
*Long, Jeremiah F., p. 183.
*Myers, Ira B., p. 21. McGonigal, James B., Lieut., Oberlin, Kansas.
*Maple, Elijah G., Corp., Con- verse.
*McMillan. Alexander, p. 191.
*Maple, John, p. 222.
*Morris, James, Fort Wayne, dead
*Musselman, William, p. 69.
*McGraw, Frances C., Santafe, wounded May 27.'64, dead.
McGraw, Francis M., Santafe, killed July 11, '63, Jackson, Miss.
Meek, Allen S., Converse, disch. June 17, '64.
*Powell, Lemuel U., p. 193.
*Parks, John C., p. 129.
*Parrish, Daniel E., unknown.
*Ream, Alfred A., pp. 55-113.
*Reece, Michael J., Rich Valley.
*Reece, Isaac, Terre Haute.
*Rush, John, Converse. Robey, Andrew F , Sergt., Greentown, died Aug. 23,'63, Camp Sherman.
Robey, Francis M., Greentown, p. 87.
Rose, Robert, Sergt., disch. Dec. 12,'62, unknown.
*Summers, Dan'1, p. 197.
*Stitt, David, p. 169.
*Spaulding, Adin F., musician, Wabash.
*Sallee, Philip, Walton.
*Shrock, Solomon, p. 197.
*Spurgeon, Calvin, p. 182. *Shin, David, Amboy.
*Stacy, Lyman, wounded July 28, '64.
*Smith. Edward R., Sergt., Ko- komo, died in '90.
Sullivan, Jefferson, Converse, died Mar. 29,'63, Fort Fowler. Studebaker, Andrew, Converse, died Feb. 4,'65, Louisville.
*Tuttle, James N., Logansport. *Taggart, Benjamin B., Sergt., Peru, dead.
*Vinnedge, Russell, p. 81. Weeks, John, Corp., Peru, killed July 28,'64, Atlanta.
*Wetherow, Jacob M., Corp., Converse, dead.
*Whistler, Abraham, p. 47.
*Wilson, William, Corp., Peru, dead.
*Windsor, David E., Sycamore, wounded in Atlanta campaign. *Warnock, William C., Syca- more.
232 New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry
CHAPLAIN DANIEL R. LUCAS.
1862.
Born January 14, 1840, in Boone county, Illinois. Reared at Belvidere in that county. His ancestral line is as follows: William Lucas married Hester Blunt at Middletown, Conn., in 1666. Their third son, Thomas, born in 1676, married Sarah Leek in 1705. Their fifth son, Moses, born in 1719, married Aseneth Cook in 1746. Their second son, Moses Jr., born in 1753, married Abiah Barnes in 1781. Their first son, Eber, born in 1782, married Eunice Woolworth in 1809. Their first son, Albert, born January 31, 1812, married Catherine Teeple Robertson. Their second son, Daniel Robertson, born January 14, 1840, married Mary E. Longley November 24, 1861, and they have two sons and three daughters.
His calendar of life is as follows: 1862 to 1864, in the army; 1864 to 1865, in provost marshal service in Indiana; 1865 to 1870, pastor of church, editor of Benton Tribune and postmaster at Oxford, Indiana; 1870 to 1876, general evangelist with residence at Concord and Clayton, Illinois, holding meetings in ten different states, baptizing 1912 persons in that time; 1876 to 1881, pastor of Central Christian Church at Des Moines, Iowa; 1881 to 1884, prepared a plan and assisted in founding and building Drake University at Des Moines, Iowa; 1884 to 1888, founded and edited the Christian
233
Roster of the Regiment.
Oracle, a religious weekly, a denominational paper of the Christian church; 1888 to 1895, pastor of Central Christian church at Indian- apolis, erecting in 1892 a large, fine church building; 1895 to 1899, pastor Sixth Christian church, Indianapolis; 1899 to 1900, pastor Central Christian church, Rockford, Illinois. Have served in Grand Army of the Republic, chaplain of Crocker Post No. 12, Des Moines, Iowa, three terms; chaplain Department of Iowa, three terms; chap- lain of George H. Thomas Post No. 17, Indianapolis, four terms, and one term as commander of the post; chaplain of the Department of Indiana and chaplain-in-chief of the National Grand Army of the Republic, elected at Cincinnati in 1898. Have been president of the 99th Indiana Regimental Association since 1888. Address up to July 10, 1900, Rockford, Illinois; after July 10, 1900, Indianapolis, Indiana.
.
MRS. MAUDE LUCAS RUMPLER AND DAUGHTER. 1896 DAUGHTER OF THE REGIMENT. INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.
234 New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
SERGEANT-MAJOR HARRY BREWER.
1900. (See sketch on page 189.)
*Wolf, George, Converse. Wilson, Leander, Peru, died Oct. 17,'63, Memphis.
Warnock, Elmore, 1st Sergt., Converse, disch. June 9, '63.
COMPANY K.
*Ball, Lafayette, p. 175. *Cook, Charles N., p. 176. *Berry, Meshack, p. 175. *Cozat, Warren, Indianapolis, p. *Bobo, Francis, Delphi, dead. 94. *Bobo, Samuel, unknown. *Conn, David, Royal Center, *Burket, John, Burnettsville. dead. Carter, Josiah T., Kokomo, p. 94.
*Clark, Arthur N., 1st Sergt., unknown.
235
Roster of the Regiment.
*Chilcott, Amos, Burnettsville.
*Dumbaugh, Jno. F., recruit, Lo- gansport.
*Gilbert, Moses, unknown.
*Gates, Geo. R., Gordon.
Green, Abraham, Logansport, died Nov. 21,'64, Clinton, Ga.
*Halsey, Stephen, Logansport, dead.
*Hollis, Robert, Royal Center.
*Hazely, Wm. H., unknown. Heraud, John L., Logansport, disch. Sept. 3, '63, dead.
Jenks, Wm. R. C., Capt., re- signed April 30,'63, unknown. Julian, Geo. W., p. 179.
*Jones, William A., died at Hills- dale, Kan., Mar. 21,'97.
*Jones, Roney V., p. 125.
*Johnson, William, Logansport, dead.
*Jones, Miles B., Sergt., Chat- field, Minn.
*Kennedy, Edward, musician, unknown.
*Kline, Christian H., Crown Point.
*Kendle, James H., p. 181.
*Linderman, Christopher, p. 183.
*Larrimore, Geo. W., recruit, Logansport, died '94.
*Lamb, James, recruit, Kendall- ville.
*Morrell, Henry O., Logansport, captured July 22, '64, exch. and lost on the "Sultana."
*McGregor, Jno. C., p. 183.
*Myers, Alfred B., Corp., Lo- gansport.
*Mahanansmith, Wm., Corp , Ossian.
*Merritt, Henry, unknown.
*Miller, Jno. H., Logansport.
*McCombs, Albert, Royal Center. Mattox, Jas. N., Winamac, died Aug. 19,'63.
*Merritt, Rolin, Logansport, disch. Feb. 24, '65, of wounds July 22,'64. Atlanta.
*Powell, Orlando, pp. 200, 202.
*Reser, Weitt, Kewana.
*Reser, Henry, died at Indian- apolis April 19,'97.
*Richards, James, Burnettsville
*Stuart, Selden P., p. 197.
*Shepard, Samuel, Corp., Wal- ton, dead.
*Shaw, Stephen B., Logansport, dead.
*Shaw, John, unknown.
*Spencer, James W , Logansport.
*Stolnaker, Geo. W., Royal Cen- ter, p. 104, dead.
*Stone, Henry H., DeMotte.
*Thomas, Giles S., Corp., wounded July 28, '64, at At- lanta, while acting as color guard, Geneva, Neb.
*Thomas, Geo. W., Peru.
Vanatta, John, disch. Jan. 12, '63, unknown.
*Walker, Geo. C., Capt., Soda Springs, Colo.
*Winegardner, James A., Deer Creek.
Wigant, James, died July 24, '64, of wounds, July 20,'64, at At- lanta.
RECRUITS AND DRAFTED MEN.
In December, 1862, some re-cruits and drafted men were assigned to the company and served until their muster out July 6, 1863. The following is the list, and some of them were excellent soldiers,
236
New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
and I regret that I have not all their addresses, but give them as far as I can.
Bell, Isaac.
Brown, Charles W., Shannon- dale.
Jester, Philander, Newcastle. King, William, Indianapolis. Kemp, Memford, died March 11, '64, at Cairo. Larrowe, William, Newcastle. Martin, Warren.
Crawford, Aaron B., Shannon- dale.
Dwight, Lewis.
Davis, John W., Newcastle.
Fishel, Jacob, p. 179.
Fishel, Solomon.
Ragan, William, South Bend.
Fosnight, Hiram.
Glassburn, David.
Gallant, Daniel C.
Gerhold, William.
Hardin, Granville M.
Surface, Daniel.
Smith, Jackson.
Turner, Cornelius.
Welker, David, Newcastle.
CHAPTER XXVI.
REUNIONS OF THE REGIMENT.
1888.
First regular reunion was held in Peru, Colonel Jo- siah Farrar, president; Captain Ira B. Myers, secre- tary, and Comrades W. H. Spaulding, Ream and Parks on committee. Sixty-seven comrades were present and a splendid camp fire was held in the opera house. Chap- lain Lucas was elected president and Captain Myers continued as secretary.
1889.
Met in Indianapolis, September 24th and 25th, with eighty comrades present. United with the 100th Indiana
Petit, Thomas.
Roberts, Hiram H.
Surface, David, died at Haines' Bluff, July 9, '63.
Surface, Wm. E., died in 1894, Oak Grove, Mo.
Holland, James, Liberty.
Holland, John M., Connersville. Jones, Abraham.
Jones, Clinton, Indianapolis.
237
Reunions of the Regiment.
in camp fire, Captain Charles W. Brouse, of that regiment, acting on committee. The officers elected were D. R. Lucas, president; J. P. Merrill and H. W. Wise, vice presidents; R. H. Wells, secretary; Miss Maude Lucas, the daughter of Chaplain Lucas, then a young girl 15 years of age, was elected "Daughter of the Regiment" and has attended every reunion of the regiment since with one exception. She is now Mrs. Maude Lucas Rumpler and at the last three reunions has brought a grand-daughter named Mary Louise Rumpler, born Sep- tember 28, 1895. Their picture appears with that of the chaplain in this volume.
1890.
Met at Crown Point, September 3d, and held a grand reunion. Colonel Berkey was there and seventy-eight other comrades. It was thought best to have a perman- ent president of the association, with a local committee from the place of reunion each year to arrange for the entertainment, program and other matters of interest. Chaplain D. R. Lucas was chosen permanent president.
1891.
The reunion was appointed at Detroit, Michigan, at the time of the National Encampment G. A. R., but the attendance was small, only twenty seven registering, and they were never altogether. Comrade Martin I. Whitman was living in the city at the time, and gave all the boys a hearty greeting, also Captain Heath, at that time living in Lansing.
1892.
Went back to Peru for reunion and had a grand one. The same comrades, Colonel Farrar, Captain Myers, Spaulding, Parks, Ream, Minnie, etc., doing all in their power to welcome the comrades. Seventy-five were present.
REUNION 99TH INDIANA AT CROWN POINT, INDIANA, 1894.
--
239
Reunions of the Regiment.
1893.
Met at Indianapolis, at the time of the National Encampment, September 4th to 7th, and had over 100 comrades present, many of them having their wives with them. One evening was spent with Chaplain Lucas, and all enjoyed the gathering as only soldiers can who have belonged to the same regiment.
1894.
Met at Crown Point, October 2d, with Comrades Mer- rill and his daughter, Alla, Boney and his daughter Cora, Wells and his daughter Jennie, and Comrade Wise were on the committee. The picture of most of those present was taken the last day and will be found on the opposite page. The four comrades holding the flags are, begin- ning on the left, Parks, Erb, Wise and Brownell. The comrades in picture are:
The Chaplain and his daughter.
Company A .- Comrades Wells, Merrill, Barton, Erb, Brownell, White, Snyder, Michael, Pierce, Spaulding, Dickinson, Boyd, Stoltz, Gerrish.
Company B .- Captain Curry and Levi Slifer in first row.
Company C .- Edmunds, Wood, Drawans, King, German, Young, Bay, Harman, Sheets.
Company D .- Nimrod, Tritt and his wife, and Minnie.
Company F .- Comrades Cochran, Ramey, Brackney, Dyer, Critchfield.
Company G .- D. M. Vannice, wife and daughter, and I. N. Vannice.
Company I .- Comrades Ream, Parks, L. U. Powell, Summers, Spurgeon, Elmore Warnock and Shrock.
Company K .- Orlando Powell, J. H. Miller.
The flags are the ones given to the regiment by the government at the muster out, and were taken home by Quartermaster Cathcart and loaned to the post at West- ville, where he lived. When the regimental association claimed them they were freely given up by the post and have been at all reunions since.
240
New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
1895.
Met at Logansport, August 27th, Orlando Powell, Captain Julian, Lieutenant McGregor, D: M. Vannice and J. H. Miller acting as committee. Seventy-four comrades were present and all had a good time, espec- ially at a day meeting in the park.
1896.
Met at Converse, in Miami county, Tuesday, August 25th, Comrades L. U. Powell, Daniel Summers, Calvin Spurgeon, David Stitt and Joel Bryant acting as a com- mittee. Everybody delighted and happy.
1897.
Met at Brookston, August 24th and 25th, with Cap- tain Cochran, and Comrades M. C. Ramey, Fred Jen- nings and all the Brookston comrades acting as commit- tee. Sixty-four comrades present and a fine assembly.
1898.
Met at Crown Point, August 30th, with Captain Wells, Comrades Boney, Wise and Barton, and Misses Alla Mer- rill, Cora Boney and Jennie M. Wells, acting as commit- tee. Sixty-seven comrades were present and all had a good time, though the absence of Lieutenant John P. Merrill, who had died in 1897, made a vacancy which all felt very sincerely.
1899.
Met at Danville, August 30th and 31st. Major Homan, Captain Thomas, Comrade Harvey N. Vannice, and all the Danville comrades and their wives gave the "boys" a fine reception.
1900.
The reunion this year will be held at Indianapolis on Tuesday and Wednesday, September 18th and 19th, the time of the state fair, so as to get reduced rates on rail- roads. There will also be a meeting at Indiana head- quarters in Chicago at the National encampment of which due notice will be given.
CHAPTER XXVII.
ANECDOTES, FACTS AND INCIDENTS.
The regiment marched 3,620 miles in its regular cam- paigns, was transported by water 1,895 miles and carried 716 miles by railway, making a total of 6,231 miles of travel in fifteen states.
The regiment from first to last had seventy-one com- missioned officers, two colonels, four lieutenant-colonels, and four majors, and it is a remarkable fact that thirty- five years after every one of the seven men who held these positions, Fowler, Farrar, Berkey, DeHart, Powell, Homan and Moore are all living, not one of them having passed away, their ages being this June, 1900: Fowler, 78; Farrar, 73; Berkey, 66; Powell, 74; DeHart, 64; Ho- man, 61; Moore, 61.
There were always many queer sayings by the soldiers like this. "I'm like the root of my tongue this morning," said a member of Company C, as he crawled out of his bunk one rainy morning, "I feel down in the mouth."
A 70th Ohio man said, "Do you know that Grant, Sherman, Sheridan and McPherson, were all born in Ohio?" "Yes," responded a 99th Indiana man, "so was Vallandingham, Long, Pendleton and Pugh." Honors were considered equal.
One of the things the soldiers did during the war was to make a good many additions to the dictionary. Take the word "skedaddle" as an example. Some soldiers were flanked in battle and ordered to save themselves by getting back to a new line as expeditiously as pos- sible. One of them outran the rest and when halted by officer, was asked, "What are you running for?" "Simply
242 New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
because I can't fly." "All right," said the officer, "sked- addle, then." A skedaddle is thus a little faster than a run and not quite as fast as a fly.
Two other words are the words "greyback" and "greenback." The former little pest was so called from the fact that they were originally found in the abandoned camps of the confederates. They were, however, no respecter of persons, and were the foes of Yank and Johnny alike. The greenback when first issued, was ridiculed greatly by the enemies of the government. They asked, "What is the difference between Job and the greenback?" The answer was, "The former knew that his redeemer liveth, but the greenback has no re- deemer." The soldiers, by their valor and victory, made the greenback worth its face in gold and it was redeemed.
In the days when there were orders against foraging, it was amusing to see how the officers would manage not to see a soldier when he picked up a chicken, or cap- tured a stray pig. One night, while on the march, we went to bed, or rather to rest, for we never really went to bed in those days, without any meat for supper. Dur- ing the night I discovered in the darkness that there were a dozen sheep making their way through camp and woke up Major Berkey and told him of it. He went out where the boys were sleeping and called out: "Men, get up and put away your bayonets, there is a flock of sheep in camp and they will hurt themselves on them." Hav- ing done his duty he went back to bed, but we all had mutton for breakfast. When the chaplain ate of it he recalled Paul's injunction : "Eat what is set before you, asking no questions for conscience sake."
There were many of the negroes of the south who looked upon the coming of the "Yankees" as being sent directly from Heaven to deliver them. Going by a com- pany of them in Alabama one day an old white headed darkey shouted out: "Bress de Lord, dat done sent you all down here?" A soldier said: "It was President Lin- coln that sent us, not the Lord." "Dat done make no
243
Anecdotes, Facts and Incidents.
duffrence, de Lord am mity thick wid Massa Linkum dese days, dey's workin' togedder."
On coming up the river from Vicksburg on the boat the bar was closed and locked, yet a goodly number of the men became intoxicated and had to be put under guard, and the great mystery was where they got their whiskey. A. F. Spaulding now explains the mystery. He says:
"Ben Taggart, Al Ream, Jim Tuttle, Israel Minnie and Jona- than Hettinger found an augur in the hold of the boat and crawled up on the coal and wood right under the bar and bored a hole up through the floor, through the grating on which the barrel rested, and then let the whiskey down into our camp kettles."
Thus one by one the unwritten history of the war and its mysteries are unfolded.
It was while we were baptizing in Black River, Mis- sissippi, that Col. Cockerill, of the 70th Ohio, when told that forty men had been baptized in the 99th Indiana, said: "Adjutant, detail fifty men of the 70th Ohio and have them baptized to-day, for it will never do to let that Indiana regiment get ahead of Ohio."
It was during a meeting at Camp Sherman where I was preaching on the text, "If God be for us who can be against us?" and I repeated it several times rather vehemently, when an Irish soldier asked, "Chaplain, would yese like to know?" to which I answered, "Cer- tainly." "Jeff Davis an' the divil, then, if yese want to know." There was a grim smile went round the audi- ence, and when I said, "You are right, we will fight Jeff Davis and his host until we conquer them, then we will fight the devil all the rest of our lives; all in favor of that will say amen!" The response was fervent and emphatic, and a good many of them are fighting the devil yet.
On the Atlanta campaign the Union and Confederate forces met in seven regular battles, fifty engagements usually called combats, and forty-eight skirmishes beside the regular picket firing, making a total of 105 regular actions.
244 New History of the Ninety- Ninth Indiana Infantry.
In my youthful days no word of reproach was so dis- tasteful as to call a man a "bummer," but there was a band of men in the 99th who adopted the name "Sher- man's bummers," and any one of them to-day is still proud of the title. They fed the army, scouted the coun- try, captured towns, and did much to make the enemy's cavalry trouble on the march to th e sea and up through the Carolinas.
When the regiment was discharged at Indianapolis, June 15, 1865, Dr. Butterworth offered a resolution pro- viding for "a social reunion of the regiment at Logans- port, July 28, 1866." This was never held, but it shows that the doctor at that time had a conception, of the feel- ing that would bind the soldiers to the memories of the past. He was a little in advance of his time. It is a curious fact that the 99th was the first regiment to ap- point a reunion after the war.
The surgeons were called non-combatants, and yet the surgeon general's report shows that 336 surgeons died during the war. Of them 29 were killed in battle, 10 died of wounds, 12 were accidentally killed, 4 died in rebel prisons, 8 of yellow fever, 3 of cholera, and 271 died of other diseases. Of this latter number was Assis- tant Surgeon Isaac S. Russell, of the 99th. Twenty-five surgeons were seriously wounded but recovered.
"Thomas still moving, well and good, The cause by all is understood, He doesn't like his neighbor-Hood."
In his report in War Records, serial 98, page 32, Sherman says:
"At noon of the day appointed (April 17, 1865, in North Carol- ina) I met General Johnston for the first time in my life, although we had been interchanging shots constantly since May, 1863. Our interview was frank and soldier-like, and he gave me to understand that further war on the part of the confederate troops was folly, that the cause was lost, and that every life sacrificed after the surrender of Lee's army was 'the highest possible crime.' "
The meeting of these veterans to arrange terms of surrender is one of the historic ones like that of Grant
245
Anecdotes, Facts and Incidents.
and Lee. The terms granted by Sherman were uncere- moniously rejected by Secretary Stanton and the author- ities at Washington, and their criticisms of Sherman were very severe, and he was ordered to proceed with the fight. But they did not understand General Sher- man nor conceive the spirit that moved him, as he him- self says:
"To push an army whose commander had so frankly and hon- estly confessed his inability to cope with m e was cowardly and un worthy the brave men I led."
A bright young soldier was put in the guard house by Colonel Fowler for some misdemeanor, and by some over- sight had to stay there all night. The next morning he was reprimanded and sent to his quarters. On arriving there he was asked where he had been, when he responded : "I have just been delivered from the snare of the Fowler." He had been reading his Bible, especially Psalm 91:3.
Comrade William H. Power, of B, gives the following:
"I was one of five who were left in the first skirmish pit west of the famous peach-tree pit on the night of August 26, '64, with orders not to talk, nor shoot, nor leave until 2 a. m., while the army pulled out at 8 p. m. for a flank movement to the right. The Confederates mistook it for a retreat and were overjoyed, and the bells began ringing in the city, bands began playing, and we could hear them yelling and singing at the top of their voices, mingled with salutes of artillery .* They would call out, 'Yanks, how soon are you going?' and they finally threw three hand-shells at our pit that would make a hat raise. After waiting awhile, that valiant soldier, Israel Minnie, Co. D, said to Lieutenant Ira B. Myers: 'I am going to try to get out of here; I don't like to listen to those yells and shouts, and bells and bands of those rebs, and not be allowed to shoot.' The rest of us sanctioned Minnie's determination to get away, so Lieu- tenant Myers said to Minnie: 'You go east to the first post and I will go west and tell the boys we are going.' They soon came back . and reported all gone, and we were all alone. We put on our knap- sacks and got ready and proposed to go. Finally Lieutenant Myers said: 'Time is not quite up, but I can't hold you I see, neither can I hold this rebel army, so I will go and share your fate.' We slipped away, keeping close together. and after a night and day of wander- ing found our regiment close to Jonesboro, ready for the fight there."
*General J. D. Cox, in his book, "Atlanta," tells how for two days at this time Hood thought that Wheeler's cavalry had cut his communications so that Sherman was retreating and crossing the Chattahoochie at Sandtown.
246
New History of the Ninety-Ninth Indiana Infantry.
The men of the 99th learned to know and very highly regard the officers of some of the other regiments. Ma- jor William B. Brown of the 70th Ohio, who was killed at Atlanta, August 3, 1864, was one of them. His last words were: "Boys, take the works, and tell the gen- eral I died at my post, doing my duty." He died a model, christian soldier.
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