Juliet signal. [volume] (Juliet [i.e. Joliet], Ill.) 1844-1???, 1863-03-17
Vermont Strategy.

Private Joel Swipes, of hard sinew
regiment OF Vermont volunteers. was q
good shot and q smart soldier. He found
great satisfaction in picket duty, and hard
" came in after dsys's exercise in that
branch of military service without having
report for his superior officer of some new
work discovered. some circumstances Der.
ceived, that might be Of use in gaining an
advantage over the enemy.
joel was long, lank, yellow haired fell
lew, not very sOldierly in speech or bear.
ing.
He was frightfully sunburned, and bis
lace, coarse featured and demure, suggest
ed good humor and power of endurance,
more than courage or discipline.
But there was twinkle about bis small
grey eyes which enlivened them, despite
their scanty and characterless white lashes
and impressed the closer observer with Q
wholesome respect for his courage and in
telllgence. His nasal voice and drawl, his
round shoulders and fiat build. could Dot
shake this respect if one kept those clear,
cool far-seeing eyes in sight, and Joel's
comrades prOphesied that be had only to
behave himself, and keep on in his own
way, to gain Q pair Os epaulstts some fine
day.
He openly declared that manual labor
On the earthwGrks was distasteful to him ;
and his officers knowing his value n pick.
ct duty. evinced enough consideration for
him to keep him at that service.
The position that he liked was the slope
OF hill, opposite a similar slope occupied
by sentinel of the confederates.
This last was quite high bit Of ground,
where one might see great deal that was
going OF about the batteries further down.
Joel believed that the sentinel stationed
there, learned more than was well for our
eide. He accordinly harrassed and annoy
ed every one THAI showed his head Oh the
hillside. They learned their lesson an }
acted upon it
Joel saunteripg down his path one fine
afternoon, heard q sharp report. and felt
the wind of rife ball that came wonder.
fully near bis head. Turning quickly be
saw the smoke floating up from little pile
OF fresh earth on the bill opposite. The
enemy had dug pit, wherein the sentinel
sits at ease, and exposes his head and arms
only when he fires.
Private Swipes FASTENED with praise
worthy prudence to get out of sight among
the cedars, and watched for sometime be-
fore fixing the location of his foeman
again. Finally discovering the earth once
more and imagining he saw hat above it,
he took shot in the direction. Up pegged
q tall sentinel, bareheaded, and returned
the fire instantly. lie had been trying
the old trick of putting his hat on ram.
rod.
"Tbat'll never dew" soliIOquized Joel
THAT Teller has got tew good q birth over
yonder. III jest have ter rouse him out Of
that
The other seDtinel's death was in some
sort signed from that moment The crafty
NermOnter's brain was at work on the
problem of disIoging his antagonist; bu,
1t was presumable tina: he could zee the
without exposing himself for the earth ia
ken from the pit was piled mp on the side
toward Joel.
From thicket at the foot of the hill
however, shot could be got lengthwise OF
the trench, and behind tbe::trIfing breast
work. To gain the thicket then. without
being too viSable On the barren slope was
JOels task.
The next day Private Swipes took with
him long piece of stout Irvine and re-
volver when he went out on picket duly
1t was not yet daylight, but the gray and
indistinct light Of dawn had begun to pale
in the east.
The sentinel,as soon as the guard passed
along, hastened 20 drive smooth stake
in the ground, and to rest his musket ovel
iOrk Of cedar tree in front of the stake
the muxZle Of the weapon pointing 10 tht
direction Of the pit on the other slope.
He ther cooked the piece, fastened ont
end of bis cord to the trigger, and begar
stealthily crawling down the hill on biz
hands and kneee, playing out the line al
he went.
1t was hazardous experiment, for tht
thlcket when he gained it was very sparsl
and 30 near to the point that the Cenfeder
ate sentry, had he suspected Joel's pres
ence there, could not have failed to hi
him.
Laying down, however, the Vermonte
there awaited sunrise, aud as the shadow
faded away in the midst of the morning, b.
saw the light CLEAN upon 9 bayonet peer
ing from the trench on the hill side.
"NoW for to make him show bis pic
| tur 70 said Joel to himself.
he pulled the string carefully ct FIRST tiJ
1t was drawn tight, and then q slight extr,
ting fred the mnsket from the cedars above
He had not calculated wrongly. As sool
as the ri6emen in that pit heard this Nh
tioDal salutation from the long watched
enemy opposite, as he supposed, be raiset
himself ny to return the FIRE, and brough
his head and shoulders plainly into sight
The next instant he went heels owe
head into the trench again, with a bulle
from the unerriDg Colt straight through
the side Of bic head.
THE FOOL" said Private Swipes, "didn'
he know fellow might shoot of q gul
without having hold of it2"
The Confederate pickets decided there
alter that this position was too exposed t
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