The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1869-12-02


not say that | took care to choose the
best beast for myself; having done
which we set out on the homeward
journey, puffed up with vanity in nc
small degree.
1t was now full daylight, and as we
could see for some distance over the
sparsely wooded country, dispensed
with the harrassing duty of fiankers
and under the influence of success my
men dispite loss of sleep, a long march,
and an exciting combat, made along
at pace of two miles and half an
hour. The negroes followed us some
distance with theircries of 'Hollsiojah,'
and Lord be gtorifed, feasting their
eyes quite as proudly as we on the
crest-fallen prisoners.
By breakfast time we reported at
camp. amid the widest acclamations
of delight and graduation from our
comrades, who now for the first time,
saw "live rebs," and envied our sue
cess not little. And here occurred a
little .frdcds, which illustrated so well
Colonel Stadella's ideas Of discipline
and the rights of officers that / may
as well mention the affair.
As we filed into camp we were, of
course, instantly surrounded by crowds
of enlisted men, and a group of officers
stood little further off. While | left
my squad in charge of the prisoners
for an instant, to step up and report to
the Colonel, one of them began taunt-
ing rebel, using toward him some We
ry mean and unsoldierIy epithets.
AT first the prisoner answered no
word but, finally, nettled at the un-
manly Insult, he turned upon his ag-
gressor exclaiming: "D-n you you're
too mean Yank to notice, anyhow ~
Whereupon our man, brute as he was,
stepped up and deliberately slapped
the defenceless prisoner in the face.
Colonel Stradella, with his charac-
teristic sharpness of eye, had been
keeping half watch upon these pro-
ceedings while listening to my report,
and though he could not hear the
words that passed, could easily guess
their purport from the gestures. No
sooner did he see the bastard step up
to the rebel prisoner with uplifted
hand than ne drew his pistol on him
with ".Sd,ata DidUol0 l' and the fell
low had no sooner committed his mean
assault than, with a yell, he lay sprawl
ing on the ground. On picking him up
we found he had received nasty
wound through the shoulder but as
1t was proper requital for his coward
ly blow, he had little pity wasted up
on him, and was carried off to the hos
pital with the other wounded to be
examined and dressed by the surgeon.
And, though the Colonel bad no
manner of right according to our views
of discipline, to use his pistol In SO
reckless manner, the case was so evil
IDENTIFY one of speedy retribution that
it was never mentioned except with a
Served him rightl"
This first affair of mine was peculiar
in many respects. With one excep-
ton it was the only hand-to-hand fight
[ ever had, and was one of the most
successful exploits in which l was ever
engaged. / can scarcely be said to have
been under fire, for not dozen shots
were fred by the enemy, all told; nor
was our own danger atany time great.
And, although | confess to having felt
nervous and "twitchy" while making
my preparations to bag the gang,
when once started into the fray | lost
all sense of anything but confidence
that we had netted them to man.
Col. T. A DODGE, in Pdckard'S Month
Ly, for September.