Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-11-14
How our Soldiers Recovered
Stray Mules from a Rebel Camp.

Cairo correspondent of the Herald says;
l heard good story of two OF our soldiers. al
Paducha, yesterday, which will pay for ilsspace
in repeating. When our troops first received
ther teams they were troubled to procure forage
SO the mules were turned loose or teIhered in
the outskirts of the town. Occasionally few
would be missing. until Uncle Sam found him
self minus some twenty five or thirty. Those
which sirayed away were caught up by the reb-
FL spectators and taken 10 blandville, back ol
Columbus, where they had accumulated some
fifty stolen and purchased mules, which we've
under some five orsix keepers. The two pri-
Yates mentioned (members of the 10th Illinois
volunteers hearing of the whereabouts of the
stock, asked General Smiths permission to al
tempt their recapture, which, with some mis-
givings, was granted: The boys, dressed in 4
garh of Kentucky farmers. went and surveyed
the field and fold, and setto work. They had
whiskey with them, whiskey such as Kentucky
rebels like to get drunk on, good old Bourbon
and the first object was TO get them as COM
fortably tight as possible, which was not long
in being accomplished, Then the boys went
to the mule yard, let down The bars. mounted
two ofihe best. without saddle or Gridle. and
started for Paducha. the whole lot following al
bleak- neck pace. and brayipg in the most dia-
bolical chorus. The keepers were not long in
OllCONtIiHS tuc u GASh, oiu SthNC ShoSC 40 ini o.
they deemed it prudent toward our lines. but
10 no purpose; and in good season Saturday af
ternoon the boys made their appearance al Gen
Smiths headquarters TO report. their facet
beaming with glow Of satisfaction hard TO de.
scribe. Their report was a condensation o
Laconism. so will give the dialogue. f..,
Grn. Smith. well boys what luek?"
Soldier. I'VE got EN- and more too"
Gen. Smith. "How many did you get?"
Soldier. Forty, l reckon; 'aint counted
EN-" ----.-. ...........
Gen. Smith. "But that is more than we hav,
lost. You didn't steal any hope"
Soldier. "Stcal! K-ristopher, steall No, sir
rec; but you see, we didn't have time to put W
the bars after we had got Uncle SENS ont, ane
the-things would foller."
Then the Gen. drew on an elongated coun
fenance, and as sternly as those he had beer
Judge and was sentencing culprit to a life
time .of imprisonment, lecture6 the soldier
roundly for using profane language in the quar-
tiers and presence of a grneral officer. The sol
dier look the lecture uneasily, twirling his ha
nervously the while and, when the General ha(
"subsided;" apologized as follows: ~ 1o'aa
"You see. General, we have had to cuss tn,
things all day togetthe into camp. ant
its mighty hard to quit oa all OF suddenly.
Then the Gen erals rigidity relaxed: a smil,
or rather laugh, came up from his heart, ane
tried to escape from the corners of his mouth
but discipline is discipline with an old army
officer; and it would not do to allow of such
breach decorum to pass unnoticed, but il
consideration OF the recaptured twenty five
sand more too" be did not inflict any sever,
castigation or put them under arrest, bu
thanking them for the services rendered, dis
missed them with caution TO leave their pro
family behind when they came again to head
quarters, and the boys left. declaring, as they
closed the door. that "such a pious old Gus
hadn't any business to be around amongst So
lers." -. l. q I. Ii -..L-- -