The New York herald., 1878-09-30
LINDLEY AS A SOLDIER.

FE,RLEss, PERSISTENT AND srEADY-A SILENT
LAMENrED PHYSICIANS MILITARY COMRADES.
A herald reporter had yesterday tho good fortune
10 moet an Of tho famous cavalry regiment
In which Tho Ian,en,ed Llndsy private soldier
10 the early days oil The The old trooper had
heard nothing o Lindley from the day when he left
tho regiment accept promotion until today, when
no read his obituary notice In the HERALD. ana he
naturally, In sorrow and astonsnmoni, quito will
ing TO talk
What sort Of Llndley in those daysfr
asked the reporter.
Just such one as no has proved himself to be 10
the past few weeks, " was the reply. He barely
OF age and aid not sok Old ho was but, instead
OF being NOISY and cutolcss, OF the boys
in The early days OF the war. he was cool, qnict
unobtrusivo fellow, whose merits nobody would
have suspected. But his truo nature could
not long be hidden In regiment ike
ours. You 500, duty
ono Of the oack doors 10 Richmond. Suffolk, our
post, was about eighty miles from the Confederate
capital; but the BiAckwater River, twenty miles
nearer Richmond. was tho actual dividing limo be-
tween the Yanks ana Johnn.es in that nsighborhood
As ours tho ouly mounted regiment at or
the post We were continually in tho saddle, not only
TO discover what might be learned OF opportunities
for advancing from the South, but 10 prevent
sudden attempts upon Portsmouth aud Nor
frequont from our side, but the most
effective service In the way OF observation wss
by SOLITARY riders, who would be absent tor days ut
time, scouting spyin lighting add doing whatever
else nigh, be necessary To gain their point. Why,
several mouihs as = clerk tho Contcaerato stA,o
Department, escaped when hs had learned al ho
could and turned up In New Orleans, where Candy
found his information SO valuable that he gavo
sl.oe0 and got bin discharge"
III, you many men III Tor snch ssrvcoY'
n but ,udlO WAg n Of
could be cpcnded upon Tor anytning. Ho would DO
dropped out ot column on the march, perhaps with
out nIs horse; all We prvates knew was that he DID
not reacn the quarters win the rest OF us. lie might
be back Within day, but again no would be OF Tor
socpy. II went TO the Coloneps quarters immedi-
atey his return, the OF us generally expected
10 hear boots snd saddles sound the same night
Hs'a either have found reOel picket station that
needed cleaning out or an unguarded bridge, or =
Of thing wus work and fun. too. TO him. he never
drank, swore nor gambcd io d,d pray though, once
Here the trooper laughed, asi praying were some
th lug particu cuisriv funny Ia soldier.
'Oucc 7" echoed tho reporter.
"Ycs; mayoo oftoner. but once anyhow, for tho
bows caught him al II. Some oi them took u the
selves TO make remarks on tho subject and he. IKE
Buck Fanshaw In Mark Twsin's 'Roaghing It. would
have peace anyhow; 80 lie isid out about dozen OF
tnem ON tho iloor OF the huI You bet there was a
heavenly calm 10 that snnnty when he resumed his
chow was no in battIes"
The trooper stopped laughing and made wry face
liy lr,epd SAID ne "tnc ounted Ri1cs were abon,
fourteen hundred strong IN tho winter OF Gg; not
A
hundre o. those hand TO be mustered
ou; Ia '6j. Que, two, halt dozen at = time they
killed or or made prisoners during number
less rides and petty sk1rmishes, yet wnat wus bis
enough TO be dsnihed by tho name OF "a battle wc
pcvcr got into. IL was tho way with nearly
every other cavalry regincnt-awiul hard WORK,
lots OF iun, but as Tor glory there wasn't
cents worth But in DaDd to hand
row, a chase ride more dangerous than any battle,
Lipdiey was always cool aud always came out best.
Aud yet he wasn't large or strong or healthy--he
could pick up chill II there was ore lvIng around
| anywhere within ten miles OF camp He had
a perfect passion Tor prowlinr about tho Dismal
| swamp. one edgs OF which extended across our
and nearly to the Nsnsemond. There was iear
among military men that the5 enemy night cross The
Nansemond aud take us 10 the rear by getting hroug
this swamp, but Lindey or any ono else could by
| tramp into the swamp that this was impossible.
think he bad romantic streak that drove mn rata
that ague nsehe ceranIy couldn't be Kept out OF IT,
| .'How Did he come to leave tho Mounted Rincs Y'
| "rhe Governor gave him commission In an In
| fautry regiment. He would have got ono with us d
ned stayed, but ho had soldisrs natural ambi,ior
bo wnere thcre we're bigger things TO SEQ aad DO,
suppose. There'h be sorry lot OF fellows when to-
days HERALD gets around tho country, ana the boys
Know what's happened to hun, but thcyri all say,
.That's hiIn, ali over. " Always gentleman, ncvcf
caring for himself never blowing about what he wa.
gong 10 do, but always going ana dong u, no matter
whether ho IVES tbankcd tor u or nvt-that was
| L,pdcy. Don't seem as ~ he'd changed any, does
| mn