In 1885, two Shiloh Veterans meet in Chicago, to review the great mural of the battle. One a small, stooped and wrinkled gentleman and the other a tall, strapping, raw-boned type, both walked with a gait that told others, that they knew their business and also that they would not be trifled with. The stooped elder was dressed all in black and as he examined the panorama of the battle, he moved from location to location and on occasion wept. The taller man was dressed in gray, with a western slouch hat and studied the painting as if he was a tourist on vacation.
The tall one asked the stooped one; “Reckon you were at Shiloh?”
The little guy replied; “Yes, it was the toughest battle of the war and I will never forget it.”
The tourist mentioned; “My regiment was right over there, in that clump of trees.”
The small man in black asked; “You were a rebel?”
The other proudly stated; “I was a confederate and we did some smart fighting that day. Prentiss was the Yankee General, we chased that little cuss all day long, but he must have been hiding in the trees.”
The stooped man in black retorted; “Our boys were after Marmaduke, the rebel General, he was too sharp to come to the front, lucky he didn’t.”
Both agreed that the sabers clashed and the mini’s sure did whistle. They shook hands and remembered, as only combat veterans can, the comradeship of shared battle.
The tall man in gray asked: ” What be your name stranger?”
The man in black responded;” I am General B.M. Prentiss.”
The tourist in gray exclaimed; “The hell you say, I am General John S. Marmaduke!”
And so it happened, at the Panorama of the Battle of Shiloh, in 1885, as reported by the Chicago News.
Bummer
I could see this one marching up the street as soon as they attacked the other side’s generals but still enjoyed it. Thanks Bummer
Louis,
Bummer is very proud that his sons are all employed and self sufficient, however whenever they visit, the lap tops they carry are not nearly as efficient as the one in the “old guys” office. Anyway the 1885 Shiloh blurb was one of the stories, as you mentioned, ” if it wasn’t true it should have been.” To good to pass up, glad you enjoyed it.
Bummer