The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1865-08-02

with US or not, we Will protect your prop
erty. In the meantime | will think of
your offer, but for the present, as the
evidences are against you, you will be
placed under guard, for you Yankees are
too slippery to be trusted with too much
liberty. Events show that you don't
know how to use it.
After this was kept under guard and
was treated perhaps as well as they were
and nothing to brag of at that. The next
day there was a great battle There was
much commotion in the rebel camp; and
for fear that I should be recaptured, a
guard of two was detailed to take me far
back to the rear. We could distinctly
hear the laundering of the cannon, and
we knew great battle was commenced.
I overheard the guard chuckling at the
idea that they were exempt. This put
flea in my ear. I knew they were cow
ards, and | determined to manage them
accordingly. Ny canteen had not been
taken from me, and, as luck would have
it, was half full of tolerable 'rOt gut /
also had III my pocket large powder Of
morphine which the surgeon had given
me few days before, to take occasionally
this [ slipped into the canteen. After
this was accomplished [ appeared to take
long swigs at the canteen. At last the
boys got a smell of the whiskey, and one
of them turning to me, said:
Look here, Yankee, that whiskey
smells mighty good. Let US help you
drink it, or you'll be so drunk, soon, that
we shall have to carry you
'All right boys said l, help yourself
They did help themselves. The beg.
carly rebels soon finished the Whlskey,
morphine and all.
1t tastes mighty bitter said one
whats in it?
'Quinine,' said I. Il always put qui-
nine in my whiskey this time O. year
This satisfied them, and [ sOon had the
satisfaction of seeing my guard tolerably
drunk,-too drunk to walk, and so they
tumbled down, and they did not get up
again soon. Finding they were getting
pretty stupid and sleepy, shook them
and said:
See here, guard, this is shame. How
do you expect to guard me, drunk as you
are p
yes, guard mutterod one. 'Your-.
turn poW-you guard US. Don't leave.
or-by Cd, I'll shoot you when-Wake
up
But hold on said I 'how do you ex-
pect me to guard you when don't know
tie password 2
BY vigorous strokes and punches, so
far routed him that he muttered:
fRattlesnake 2
| had no doubt but that was the mag.
ical open sesame that was to give me-
my liberty. In FIVE minutes the men
were fast asleep. The place where we
were was in deep gully in the woods,
and about mile distant was the rebel
camp. Ny purpose was soon fixed. l
swapped clothes with one, which Tas
trouble, as he was as fimsy
IS rag but | succeeded at last in max
ug the exchange, and had the satisfao-
ton of seeing the drunken rebel nicely
5uttoned up in Yankee regimentals.-
Taking his arms hurried away. When
[ got through the woods I came into a
,oad, and had no sooner done so than l
Jaw squad of rebel soldiers.
Halt 7 was the word, which respond
ID to with soldiorly precision.
what are you doing here p asked the
Lieutenant commanding.
/ told him that two of US were guard
ng prisoner, and that my comrade and
he prisoner were both so drunk I could
10 nothing with them
That's h-ll of 4 story replied tie
Il believe you are some
ID Yankee spy. I've mind to clip
IF your head on suspicion And he
Gised his sword.
Iet him prove what he says by show
ng US the men, suggested one of the
quad.
At this they all laughed, supposing I
vas blufed. But when I readily assent.
d to this they followed me cautiously,
however as 1 suppose they feared I was
eading them into ambush. When the
lieutenant saw the men one in butter
tut and one in Yankee blue, as l had
epresented, he gave each hearty kick,
nd said
well this as a h-ll of mess. What
ire you going to do about itY
Going to hunt wagon and have them
arried on, said I.
This was satisfactory, and we parted.
finding that it would not do to take the
oad [ skulkod around the woods all day.
When night came took, as I supposed
rout that would lead me to the Union
amp. All night climbed the hills
vice [ was hailed by the rebel pickets,
mt srattlesnake' carried ma safely nv