Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-02-27
VERMONT srRATES. \.

VERMONT srRATEGY.
Private Joel Swipes, OF hard working
rough-s!newed regiment Of Vermont volun-
teers, was a good shot and smart soldier.
He found great satisfaction in picket duty,
and hardly came in after days exercise in
that branch of military service without hay
ing report for his superior officer Of some
new world discovered, some circumstance
perceived, that might he Of use in gaining an
advantage over the enemy. ..... .
Joel was a long, lank, yellow haired fellow,
not very soldierly in speech or bearing. He
was frightfuly sun burnt, and his face,
coarse featured and dcmure, suggested good
humor and power of endurance, more than
courage or discipline. But there was twin
kle about his smai grey eyes VIII Gin cnliyened
them, despite their scanty and characterless
white lashcs, and impressed the closer sort
courage and intelligence. His nasal voice
build, could not shake this respect, If one
kept those clear, cool, fur seeing eyes in
sight, and Jocl's comrades prophcsied that
he had only to behave himself, and keep on
in his own way, to gain pair Of epaulets
some fine day.
He openly declared that manual labor on
carthworks was dstasteful to him; and his
officers, knowing his value on picket duty,
evinced enough consideration for him to
keep him at that service.
The position that he liked best was the
slope OF hill, opposite a similar slope occu-
pied by sentinel of the Confederates. This
last was quite a high bit Of ground, whence
one might see great deal that was going
on about the batteries further down. Joel
believed that the sentinel there stationed
learned more than was well for our side
He accordingly harrassed and annoyed very
one that showed his head on the hillside -
They learned their lesson and acted upon it.
Joel, sauntering down his path one fine
afternoon, heard sharp report, and felt the
wind Of arifle ball that came wonderfully
near his head. Turning quickly, he saw the
smoke floating up from little pile of FRI sh
earth on the hill opposite. The enemy had dug
a pit, wherein thesentinel sits at ease, and cX
poses his head and arms only when he fired.
Private Swipes FASTENED with praiseworthy
prudence to get out of sight among the &C.
dars, and watched Tor sometime before tix.
ing the location of his foeman again. Finally
discovering the fresh earth once more, and
imagining he saw hat above it, he took y
shot in the direction. Up pegged tall sen
tinel, bareheaded and returned the fire in
stantly. lie had been trying the old trick
of putting his hat on ramrod.
"Thatll never dew" soiiloquized JOEL
That cuss has got tew good birth over
yondcr. I'll jest have ter rouse him out"
The other scntinels death was in some
sort signed from that moment. The crafty
Vermonters brain was ut work on the prob
lem Of dIslodging his antagonist but it as
preSumable that he could see the batteries
in the process Of construction, without ex-
,sing himself, for the earth taken from the
pit was piled upon the side towards Joel.
From thcket at the foot of the hill, how.
ever, shot could be got lcngthwise Of the
trench, and behind the trifling breastwork.
To gain the thicket then, without being too
visible .on the barren slope, was Jocs task.
The next day private Swipcs took with
him long piece of stout twine and a rcvolv-
er when he went out on picket duty. 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 to drive a smooth stake in
the ground, and to rest his musket over a
fork in cedar tree in front of the stake, the
muzzlc Of the weapon pointing in the direc-
ton Of the pit on the other slope.
He then cooked the piece, fastened one
end of his cord to the trigger, and began
Stealthily to crawl down the Hill on his HANDS
and knees, paying out the lines as he went
1t was hazardous experiment, for the
thicket when he gained it was very sparse
and SO near to the point that the Confeder-
ate sentry, had he suspected Joel's presence
there, could have hardly failed to hit him.
Lying down, however, the Vermonter then
awaited sunrise, and as the shadows faded
away in the mist Of morning, he saw the
the light gleam upon bayonet pecring from
the trench on the hill side.
Now, for to make him show his pictur ?"
said Joel to himself
He pulled the string carefully at first till it
was drawn tight, and then slight extra tug
fired the musket from the ccdars above. He
had not calculated wrongly. AS soon as the
riflcman in the pit heard this national salu-
taton from the enemy opposite as he sup
posed, he raised himself up to return the fire,
and brought his head and shoulders plainly
in sight. "..
The next moment he went heels over head
into the trench again, with bullet from the
unerring Colt straight through the side of
his head. | nn-
1.-The darncd fool!" said private Swipes,
didn't he know fellow might shoot off q
gun without having hold of ity''
The Confederate pickets decided thercaf-
ter, that this position was too exposed to be
protitably occupied. vz'
REV. H. w. BEECHER.