Reminiscences: The Story of an EmigrantMattson, Hans
History
Reminiscences: The Story of an Emigrant
Mattson, Hans
India -- Description and travel; Mattson, Hans, 1832-1893; Swedish Americans -- Biography
The July number of _Hemlandet_, contained a letter from me, dated
Vicksburg, June 24th, from which I make the following extract:
"The army of Gen. Grant is divided into two Grand Divisions, one of
which is arranged in a semi-circle toward Vicksburg, only a few
hundred yards from the intrenchments of the rebels, the other in a
semi-circle turned away from Vicksburg, and fronting the army of Gen.
Johnston. We are all protected by strong intrenchments, and always
keep over two thousand men as picket guards, and the same number are
digging rifle pits and building intrenchments.
"Gen. Logan's Division is close up to the intrenchments of the rebels.
The Swedish Maj. Stohlbrand is chief of artillery in Logan's Division,
and, has, as such, under his special charge one of the most important
positions in the beleaguering army.
"I visited Gen. Logan yesterday, and will relate a little episode
concerning this brave commander: When Gen. Logan heard that I was a
Swede, and wished to see Maj. Stohlbrand, who had just ridden out to
look after his batteries, the general, being always full of fun,
assumed a very solemn air, and said: 'Too bad you did not come an hour
sooner, for then you could have seen Stohlbrand. There'--and he went
to the door of his tent and pointed across the camp ground--'there is
the tent of Maj. Stohlbrand. Half an hour ago a bomb exploded from the
main fort yonder. Poor Stohlbrand! Only a few remnants were left of
the contents of his tent. Poor Stohlbrand! Perhaps you would like to
see the remains?'
"Accompanied by Gens. Stevenson, Ransom, and several other officers, I
followed Gen. Logan to the tent of Stohlbrand. Then Logan said: 'Out
of respect for poor Stohlbrand we have put everything in order again.
Here you see his camp stool, there his uniform, and there is his
little field cot.' The bed looked as if a dead body was lying on it,
covered by a blanket. Logan walked solemnly up to the head of the bed,
lifted the blanket, and behold, there was only a bundle of rags! The
rest of us, of course, supposed that Stohlbrand was dead, and that his
corpse was lying on the bed. This little joke made the humorous Logan
laugh so that his whole body shook.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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