Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1879-05-07
4 QUEER ENGAGEMENT.
''The Battle Of the Handkerchiefs," in
Which Some Confederate Women Fig"
ured. &5tsfp# -a 'HA

Gen. D. II. strother, in Philadelphia Weekly
.......f.,. Times. sEdt.uz tsaD
1t was on Friday, the Goth of Febru-
airy, that we proposed to embark some
four hundred confederate prisoners on
the steamer Empire Parish to be sent
up the river for exchange. The day
was fair, and as / turned out for walk
[ was surprised to see the usually quiet
streets filled with people, chiefly women
and children in full gala dress, all ap-
parently streaming in one direction.
Surprising it was some holy festival, /
drifted with the current, which thicken-
ed and hurried in its progress until it
at length debouched upon the great
steamboat levee, where it mingled with
the surgirg waves of q human sea of
extraordinary extent and character.
This multitudinous assemblage of ex-
cited and buzzing humanity was COM
posed chiefly of women, with fair pro-
portion of children, and very small at
tendance of gray-haired papas and
beardless youths, all dressed in their
holiday clothes and all waving their
white handkerchief with relentless en-.
ergy. The warehouses on the landward
side Of the levee were also filled up to
the parapets with the same kerchief-
bearing company. The cynosure of
all these sparkling eyes was the steam
er Empire Parish and dusky mass of
confederate prisoners, from the midst
of which lowered the figure Of Col.
John S. Clarke, one of the staff, who
was experimenting the embarkation.
1t seems that the guard which attended
the prisoners to the boat had been en-
veloped, and found great difficulty in
preventing their charge from being
bodily swept away by the resistless
current of female influence Rein
forcements We're sent for, but in the
meantime the prisoners, who had ac-
cepted the ovation with cheerful in
difference, reached the levee beside the
boat in safety. They seemed to have
prospered in continent nt and were al
tOgther we'll clad and in good condition.
One fellow, in marching from the levee
to the boat, was so fat and clumsy that
be fell overheard, and in rescuing him
it was discovered that he was encased
in six suits of clothes. This led to
general examination, which revealed
extra clothes enough to have equipped
a brigade, besides quantity of other
contraband articles and numerous let
tiers some Of which contained import
ant Information for the enemy. Mean
while the demonstration continued to
Increase IN volume and aggressive &C
tivity. 1t was observed that many in
dividuals exhibited rebelious emblems
on their brooches, bonnets, and neck
ties, and some of the bolder spirits
actually Haunted diminutive confeder-
ate flags in the faces of the national
soldiers. The guard was fortunately re-
lieved from its perilous position by the
arrival of regiment of infantry and a
battery Of light artillery. By joint
movement OF these troops the levee In
front of the boat was cleared for the
space Of about two hundred yards. AS
the soldiers were green and tender
hearted and the crowd composed Of the
softest and most yielding material, this
was accomplished without any tragic
results. 1t was observed, however, that
the mud and dirt of the artillery horses
and vehicles inspired far more terror
than the trig uniforms and polished
bayonets of the infantry.
1t happened that in that forced re-
treat a portion Of the crowd took refuge
on board the river steamer Laurel Hill,
which was at the levee short distance
above the prisoners boat. She was
quickly occupied and futtering with
handkerchlets from the lower deck to
the top of the pilot-house. At the same
time d fleet of berry-boa was seen
loaded with fair Algernines coming
from the other side of the river to rein
force the ovation. At this cricis Pro-
vost Marshal Dwight appeared on the
field. The ferryboats We're arrested be-
fore landing and obliged to return with
their. disappointed freights. Without
warning, the Laurel Hill was cast loose,
foated out into the stream, and thence
drifted with the current down to the
English bend, six miles below the city,
carrying into captivity women, children
and babies, over a thousand of the
handkerchief army. The drama on
the levee concluded by remanding the
IConfederates TO their city prison, from
whence they were quietly packed off to
their destination by an early boat next
morning. Their departure from the
ievee- was the signal for cessation of
hostillties, one party pocketing their
handkerchiefs and going home to tea,
the other sheathing their bayonets and
returning to camp. The excursionists
on the Laurel Hill did not get off 50
easily. They were detained at the En-
gllsh bend all night, and, the boat
being quite unprovided for such an en-
Urgency. they got nothing for supper but
"a very limited distribution of 'hard-
tack" and on being brought back to the
city next morning had to take the
Federal oath" for breakfast. a cere-
mony exacted of each fair captive as
the price Of liberty We don't know
which party claimed the victory in this
affair, but, as might he expected, some
champion Of the ladies "aung the last
brick' in the shape of mock heroic
poem, entitled LA Bataille des Mou-
cho1rs," somew hat in the humor of
Francis Hopkinson's "Battle of the
kegs" AS deliberately concocted po-
litical demonstration, the commanding
general was much vexed at this absurd