The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919 Page: 59
521 p. : ill. (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Reminiscences of the Terry Izangers
the enemy. Our movement was down a gentle slope to the bottom
of a hill. The enemy came down the slope on the other side to-
wards us. The whole face of the earth at that place and time
appeared to be blue and their many lines of battle firing over each
others head made a storm of lead that no single line of battle could
resist and so after a short time the line was so weakened
by losses as to compel the retirement of the remainder. But I
want to relate an incident of the battle that impressed me as being
out of the ordinary. John P. Humphries, a member of Company
F, a brave good soldier carried the largest shotgun I ever saw and
always loaded it with about 20 buckshot to each barrel. He had
a most peculiar laugh, unlike any laugh I ever heard. As we made
that charge that morning there was a. small oak tree near the bot-
tom of the hill where the line made a stand. It was right in my front
so I got behind the tree thinking it might save my hide somewhat.
I had scarcely reached it before I-umphries came up behind me.
I-e saw the tree was too small for two to stand behind in safety,
so he moved a. few steps to the left and got behind another tree
about the same size. A little while after I heard HTumphries laugh
and looked towards him to see what had happened. A minie ball
had pierced his hat close to his scalp and knocked it from his head.
He grabbed it up, pulled it down hard on his head with both hands
and laughed his peculiar laugh again. It occurred to, me, and I
mentally said, "If you can laugh at that, you will laugh at death
when he comes." This repulse was the, first experienced in the
battle of Shiloh. After this the battle raged pretty well all day
over lines resisting with great stubbornness; but by night the enemy
occupied their foremost encampments, and our army retreated that
night carrying all the army supplies with them as far as was pos-
sible to. do.
Next day, April 8th, the cavalry were employed in patrolling the
space now behind the army and as rear guard we protected as best
we could the retreat of our army to Corinth from any possible
attack that might be made by the enemy's cavalry or any other arm
of service that might pursue it. About four o'clock in the after-
noon the enemy's infantry in force kept moving up towards us
until we realized we would have to check them by some means
to keep them from overtaking the rear of our army. A short
distance ahead of us Major Harrison, now commanding the regi-
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 22, July 1918 - April, 1919, periodical, 1919; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth117156/m1/67/: accessed May 1, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.