Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1879-08-13

Ou Can nave nIins luo uaSIoiJ Seh
have him. and they disappeared, leay'
ing the dead man with me.
The killed of the first days fight lay
unburied between the lines. The stencil
became unbearable, and a flag Of truce
was sent out. There was cessation Of
hostillhes to bury the dead. Iweut out
to the picket-line to talk to the rebel
soldiers, and to trade sugar and coffee
for tobacco. l found the rebels could
talk English. and was .justa little sur
prised at this and they could drive a
sharp trade, much like Yankees. l
talked aud teased the gay-coats. aud
swapped for tobacco, and got cheated,
as I should have been.
On one Of the six days when our bat
terry was in full fire saw party OF
hOrsemen riding toward US. I smiled
as the absurbity of a mans riding on a
battle line for pleasure gradually 6lled
my sense of the ridiculous. But as
looked l saw that the party consisted
Of civilian under escort. As / got
time from my work at the muzzlc of the
gun gave it to look at the novel crowd.
They passed, and in passing the civilian
exposed a largo placard fastened to his
back bearing the words Libeller Of the
Press. We all agreed that he had been
guilty of some dreadful deed, and were
pleased to see him ride the battle line.
He was howled at, and the wish to tear
him limb from limb and strew him over
the ground was fiercely expressed. This
man escaped death from the shot and
she'll that filed the air. l afterward,
met him in Washington, aud he told me
that he was a newspaper war correspon-
dent, and his offence was in writing, as
he thought truthtully, TO his journal
that General Meade advised General
Grant to retreat after the battle OF the
Wilderness. Meade was greatly in
censed by this publication, and 80. with
Grants assent, tried to take his life by
sending him along the lines at Cold
Harbor.
Worn out by the horrible, long.con'
tiuued percussion Of our nerve, we were
loafng in the shade Of the works, lying
under the guns. l was making a map
of nv fathers farm in the sand and ex-
planning its beauties to my comrades,
when we saw a staff officer riding slow"
ly towards US. He gave our captain Or
ders, and rode quickly away. The bats
terry to the left of us had gone to work,
firing rapidly. We were called to our
guns by bugle call, and begun firing al
a rebel earthwork armed with 24-pound
howltzers, as we knew from the bits OF
shells that had dropped among US. TIE
our right another battery opened, an
other beyond, and still another. | took
some interest in this pounding for awhile
but the folly of standing OF six hundred
or seven hundred yard, aud shooting
good iron into a sand bank quickly tired
me. The rebel guns replied slowly
YES, sullenly. They would be silent fol
awhile then we could see puff o.
smoke issue from gun, ann the dull
thud OF shell burying itself in ouT
earthwork would be heard; done sim
ply to show US that their guns were still
mounted. Our pieces were served rap
idly, and the shot and shell must have
screamed dreadfully by aud above those
howitzers. After awhile l got tired land
asked spare man to take my place
He cheerfullJ did so, and | lay In lee o.
a great oak tree and watched the rebels
work. saw the dirt fly from it, but
could not see any Of the guns dismount'
ed by our fire. ! saw their gunners rise
out Of the earth; could see them load
aud disappear could see him raise his
hand to No. 4, and see the ball in the
air as it hastened to it. lost interest
in this projectile business, when out Of
the woods 10 the rear of the rebel bat
terry came an officer on q white horse
He trots briskly into the works, and
through my glass 1 could see him hant
a paper to the officer in command
Expecting to see him torn to bits by the
shell, glue nay eye, on him breathless
lly wait. He sits calmly on the white
horse, talks and gestculates as quietly
as If he uere in his tent. Then lifting
his hands 10 salute to the visor OF his
cap, turns his horse and rides slowly
back over the open ground where the
shot and shell were quickly courslng.-
The dirt and sand rise above him as the
shells explode; shot strike the ground
and skip past him: but still he does not
urge the white horse out Of a walk as he
rides back into the woods, disappears in
the timber, Is lost to sight, aud is safe.
With Thank God that that brave man
is not killed = rise up from the shade
of my tree. and greatly refreshed by the
display OF courage 1 have witnessed,
checrfully resume work at the iruitlcs'
task of trying to batter down a rebel
sand bank.
On one of these Cold Harbor nights
[ wanted coffee. / prowled around,
hunting for wood to build fire 4; found
corn stalks, little pieces of wosd, mere
chips, and at last put my hands on two
muskets with bent barrels. Thinking
their stocks would be good fuel, l car
ried my treasurers to sheltered spoi
/. and started blaze with the cornstalki
and chips, At the proper time | laic
the stocks Of the two muskets on the
Gre, and on top Of these sat my coffee
.-.o .oo, AL H. two frisn ~