Petersburg High School - Missile Yearbook (Petersburg, VA)

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aj gn. .t 77 1 c V T exploits under fire had become the chief source of entertainment during the stay in winter quarters. He became known as Lucky Ingram, General Ingram, and, as a young artillery- man added, Win the War Ingram. Joseph Ingram took himself very seriously though. He knew he was an important man around that camp and a more important soldier in the trenches, and he didn't fail to express his opinion. You see this, don'cha? he said as he jingled a medal against a shiny brass button. Luck, Ingram, just luck, reprimanded a veteran trooper. Oh, they'll get you yet, added another. They've got some Johnny Rebs over there what can shoot straightbr than these here fellas we got from New Hampshire. It'll be a mighty precious bullet that takes me out of this War, Ingram boasted with a grin. I was pretty peppy myself until they got my leg at Bull Run, drawled Gustav. Ingram gave his usual chuckle and began whistling. Guess I'll go look things over, he said as he went out into the chill air. wk ik HF ik if Spring came. Heavy fighting began. In fact during these early days of '65 it seemed that the Very gates of Hades were thrown open on earth. But Joseph Ingram emerged from every bloody conflict as glbriously boastful as ever. To him the most horrible engagements were 1ife's greatest adventures. The Confederate forces were so hard pressed during this campaign of 1865 that they had very little chance to capture any of the enemy's ammunition, and they had a very hard time supplying their great demand. The Tredegar Iron Works in Richmond were kept at work day and night manufacturing all kinds of military supplies. This arsenal had established the re- cord of always filling every order for ammunition that it re- ceived no matter how large it might be. As the situation became more desperate with the gray forces, General Lee sent in a requisition to the Tredegar Works for an incredibly large number of cartridges. Why, this is impossible! exclaimed one of the chief Work- men. We haven't enough lead. The order must be filled, snapped the superintendent. If General Lee orders, we'll supply. . . .............. ..... . ....................................... . . . . Page eighteen

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v V EPHILS Ego By Robert Burgess , ,ful-Vu T WAS bitter cold, and . the wind cut through N Q H 1 ' patched uniforms chill- ' ' ing war-weary bones to ,fi n ' WQFQ. the marrow. Snow iiur- ' ries whirled and danced if -X +1 around the bombproofs of the Federal battery. However, with- in one of these small dugouts a group of soldiers sat and talked in comparative comfort. Gustave, one of the cooks, busied himself about the pre- paration of the midday rations while other blue-coated men sat about the fire warming themselves while they talked, slept, whittled, or repaired their personal equipment. It was a typical scene of camp life in winter quarters. The long period of in- activity was nearly over now, for the spring thaw was at hand. A young private tipped his chair against the damp sidewall of the bombproof kitchen. He smiled as he sipped his black coffee. The wind moaned about their shelter. Four years of grim war, he said with a chuckle, and here I am warm as a toast. He rocked back and took another sip of coffee. Yes, four years of grin: war, said Gustav as his wooden leg thumped across the floor. The young private realized that he had started 0E on the wrong foot 3 his color mounted, and he immediately tried to change the subject. The long winter of dormancy and close confinement was beginning to tell on the soldiers. Joseph In- gram, for one, would be mighty glad to hear the first trickle of the coming thaw. Private Ingram was the one who drank coffee so leisurely in the dugout. He was indeed a strange character, the-one-in- a-million type. Ingram lnone of his comrades in arms called him Joey was considered the biggest braggart and the best liar as well as the luckiest man in his entire regiment. In spite of his foolhardy audacity on the battlefield, he had come through four years of warfare unharmed. Ingram's wild stories of his My p I 5 .5 N x 1 JP: 1' w-ai-gre' rf- if ' EH.. ' ,- l U 'vi 1' ' AW' wcnmuusr. .l,I1, ,' ,N V,,,'A.l4 lnligifa, llu,:.Il.'i, Lf , -,li r,,.- .I K'-' ml 'VM-:fe wfux 'iff' E'-H .4 - lt-.' . rs lf?fltl V,'f.f'g fn ffl'!f.'f .ffrr,15yZ fiat-3: 1' -40 ii -'-Ib.,--5 N., ici.-rw.: g1.g1.l.5f, fly -f,ff5?e,:-,l.,.g1gL,t::.rg',g:fI.u .1?2?f,'lg.fv'l! Ilya 1. - ' y ff..-A-'Y-',1 3, f'l'QfLi'l,V'Q.'Q.if,j,f'.',jl' ' '1'kSf, l- .:l'1!i. 7' V-'3IF'l:gt4',1kflVEtjfiQ lvliI,'3:l5.:ji'3..1cf ,x:ql:ff31v,'..i ! .. '.x-,i, : '4 ,1 H-' .-l ,,f'.l'2-23 'v1T'dl.'v.L1lvL'l',l ,'lj' as. fulfil g','fi'ff v,a.g2.7:lv..- -.l,ll5l'a.!' J nl 1 'll24 '1:1!f4.f il Ul'i'i- ' V Hr' l Nw. '-'Afniilil' W H'77 4-, . f'2i1T'Y'-'xl-'X :'W f'f' Y -N U 1-M4l,l,,,? 'Az Ill'-,-,Jap ,.1fh.L,: filly.. -.mwlxx-te., .1 ,, ,,,-1-cv.: gg ':,'.l'f'-,hy iraq' .4,g:.g11- Af, .Q-5, -:- UQ-f , . -via '- 11:1 iv+.G1-'- f iler- '5?:iEYQ!J ' - Gian W - ' if ' -Q xiii: Ff7 t'H ' W, V 2377's '. ' 11' lf - IVE 4. . Q, i., QQ w -- -Wt. f-1.5 if sh i- rt-,if-,.--.l W, ,, ., N !,l,L.k nhxjhi I:--I' ...Misa . -4 ef' ,. i i'l l'3'?-'?1i'A.i' it -We Z ' ' - si' - f P ' 'W'i?'+'w ,if . ' - c, .f- j xt 'xg' O! -. M , j .tial ' Page seventeen . . .

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But I tell you we havenit enough leadg you can't make bul- lets without lead, the Workman pleaded. Well, find more lead, find it I I have that lead that we found was rich in silver ore, but you said to put it aside and .... But nothing, use it man, use it demanded the foreman. So the order was filled and wagon trains took case upon case of bright, shiny bullets from the foundry to the strug- gling troops. It was in March that Ingram had been transferred to Fort Stedman, and on this particular night he was on picket duty. The picket posts along this line were unusually close to each other, and the opposing sentries often held very friendly con- versations. However, tonight it seemed peculiarly quiet. In- gram was suspicious. Hey, you over ther, Johnny Reb, speak upg why are you so quiet? he called out. No reply. Always a poor soldier on picket duty, and, unwary as usual, Joseph Ingram rose up to take a look around. What was that moving just ahead of him? A scouting party! This would never do. He settled down to watch very closely. His chance would come, he decided, and he thought it best to be patient. He rose again, but he had been watching the slowly moving figures ahead of him too closely, for a shadow had slipped off to the side and was carefully but rapidly flanking him. The shadow rose to one knee, leveled his gun, and fired. The ball struck Ingram in the thigh and he spun to the ground. Well, they took General Ingram out of the game last night, reported Gustav as the first messmate entered the kit- chen in the morning. Bone shattered right bad, afraid they'll have to amputatef' l F il 1 1 I told them it would be a precious bullet that took me out of that war, gray-haired Joseph Ingram said as he fondled his bullet watch fob. Practically solid silver, he added as he pas- ed the memento to the young admirer sitting beside him on the park bench. The old veteran gave the small boy a twinkling glance, Say, did I ever tell you about that night I broke up a surprise attack on Fort Stedman? IIHWIIIlllililllllllllllllillllllllllllllllillllllllllllllll Page nineteen . . v v QTILS. unnnnnunnnnnnunnummmInInnnummmmmmunmmuum11In111n1111mnnunnnnnmn mamma