Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1866-12-04

most energetlcaiy seconded and sustained by
Capt Buckholtz, an officer of much galantry in
command Of the artillery.
| [ was instructed by Maj. Warwick to visit
the pickets twice during the day and three times
at night. There were seven posts-one on New
river, two on Gauley, one on Scrabble Creek,
one near the summit Of the precipitous noun
tain overlooking the Bridge, one in the direc-
ton of the Falls, and one on small Island in
the river opposite the guard house and artillery
camp. lu1
The distance to be travelled in making our
round was about six miles. The roughness of
the route, and the labor and peril to be encoun-
tered, cannot be conceived by any one who has
not experienced them. In addition to the reg
ular pickets, men were stationed about seventy
yards apart, connecting each post with the main
camps These sentinels being perfectly green"
fancied live Yankee under every bush and
were ready to fire at the least noise.
[ was to start on my first night round at pre-
cisely nine clock. So supposing the guard
house was the proper place for the officer of the
day, when not going his rounds, gathered my
blanket and repaired thither 1t had rained
almost necessarily Tor 40 days and nights,
consequently the rude floor Of the guard house
bore strong resemblance to that of pig stye.
scraped away the looseri particles. of mud,
however, and spreading my blanket, laid down
compes me to say that the s.and so Jort1as"
were numerous, energetic, and evinced fami-.
liarity and partiality decidedly annoying to
stranger. | consoled myself, however, in my
novel and uncomfortable position by the rehec-
ton that was serving my country, and that
our forefathers had trod the same rugged path
way to glory and independence. Indeed, my
patriotism SO far triumphed over my discomforts
as to enable me to discover new beauties in the
sentiment, '''Dulce ct decorum est pro patria
D1orSP'
At the designated hour [ was aroused by the
officer of the guard, and began the toll of the
night Varied and startling were the recep-
tions and experiences of my dreary round
there?" Again, it was hesitating and ner-
vous 'swho's that?p and not unfrequently it
was the startling ''clich" of a lock, that made
leach particular hair stand on end, +" as the a.
reused sentinel made ready to fire / was un-
der the necessity of specially instructing each
sentry When | got back to the guard house,
I found it was just midnight, the hour for
''Grand Rounds so, accompanied by ser
geant and three privates, l started again. Ny
experience was about the same as ON the pre-
ceding round, with one or two ludicrous varia-
xnoher zas the sP Who oe o. aa GRAND Rounds Round
"Oh, pshaw! [ thought it was them fellers
comm to relieve me!''
Grand Rounds completed, I found myself at
the starting point at 3 a. M, wet, muddy, and
fatigued. I had only made taco rounds My
instructions were to make three, and to fail was
in my opinion, deatll-ignominiou death [
thought of my family, left in such unsettled and
troublous times without a provider Or protector,
and remembering, also, how lily fitted was for
Y IL IL. Il I.
round Away [ trudged, all alone, and finished
the third round about sunriee the third round
finished me about the same hour. [ had trav-
elled eighteen miles, stubbing my feet against
stones, falling over logs, jamming against
stumps, FLASHING into mud holes, and wading
sluice of water no less than three times, thirty
yards wide and three feet deep!
As there were but three captains at the post,
this task devolved on me every third day. No
wonder then, that my countenance grew hag
gard and wan, and my body weak and tremby
so that my own wife recognized me with diff
Guilty. An iron man could not have endured
such hardships unaffected Yet bore all cheer
fully, and with martyr-like resignation, from
sense of duty, and because | thought, at the
time, the authority of commanding ofiear was
unrestricted, and that as a subordinate, | was
bound to obey all orders, whether reasonable OF
unreasonable.
| thought it incumbent On all commissioned
officers, to be in line at roll-cal, and answer to
their names along with the privates and non
commissioned officers. To fail to do so, was to
subject oneself to a court MARTIAL which would
sentence him either to be cashiered or shot,.
So you may imagine was careful to be, at all
times, within hearing, or to bring myself SO by
fast running. At last, however, l ventured
little too far from camp, and was crossed. =
The orderly sergeant was as much concerned as
myself, and asked, in sympathetic tones, what
he should do with me? replied that it was
certainly very serious affair but as it concern
ed myself altogether, [ did not feel at liberty to
advise him. Having studied over the matter
for few moments he proposed to say nothing
about it, provided [ would promise not to do so
again. OF course | gladly made the promise,
and kept it faithfully until | discovered that on
ly enlisted men were required to answer at roll
call
When commissioned officers were SO verdant,
what could have been expected Of the private
soldier? Passing from my quarters to the
creek, one morning after sunrise, to indulge III
my usual ablution, [ was suddenly halted by a
sentinel, some fifty yards to my right.
'Who comes there?" he fiercely demanded.
Captain Jones. "
''Give the countersign, Capt. Jones!'
THE countersign is not required at this
hour
Eyes, it is. Give me the countersign," he
screamed, cooking his long mountain rifle and
bringing her to bear directly between my eyes,
so that [ fanced [ could almost see the bullet
that was to finish my mortalssc lsscareer 1t would
have been imprudent to have shouted the coun-
tersign, surrounded, as | was, by laurel, where
an enemy might have been concealed, SO [ es-
sayed to draw little closer.
TN Halt! Give the countersign, | tell you, or
81 must get closer. might be overheard"
':Don't care darn! That's what that feller
said, that coined round last night, and [ amt
a gwyin' to fool with you much longer, neither,
Captain So jes sing her out.
Seeing that further parley or expostulation
was not only useless, but positively perilous,
bawled out, "Jeff Davis.
''That' the truck, Capn. Hurrah for left
Davis. You can go now; and he resumed his
beat.
So apprehensive Of a surprise were the supe-
rior officers, (all eastern men, that finally got
badly scared myself. invariably slept in my
boots, and kept out a strong quarter guard at
night Our guns were always loaded, and
never ventured to lie down at night until had
first warned my men of our perilous condition; !;
although my cooler Judgment assured me there
was not an armed enemy within seyenty-fve
miles,
was called up one night by Sergeant Major
Pierce, and informed that the enemy was actu-
ally crossing New river, just above the mouth of
Gauley, in great torce-using three flat boats
for that purpose Several hundred had already