St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1879-02-28
Jim Shanks. :"
AN INCIDENT OF THE LATE WAX.

| AN INCIDENT OF THE LATE WAX.
The boys used to say that you could
not understand a man until you had
tented with him ut the front, and there
was considerable weight to the saying.
A comrade might be known as jolly,
good hearted fellow at home, but his
whole nature would change in week
when you had him where the real man
hood aud worth of man came to the
surface, or where miserably mean
spirit took the place of it and disgusted
you with him. a cOmrade who shared
his last cracker, performed his full share
of camp and field work, stood by you in
sickness and divided clothing with YOU
i'll health-such Il man WAS more to YOU
than all the brothers at home, and if he
lived to come out of the war has not
been forgotten. The army is the place
| where man can he meaner than dirt
and uglier than wolf. aud yet retain
| his place in the ranks. or he can be a
white man all through and receive no
reward except the gratitude of his tent
mate.
Now, | never saw meaner private
soldier or more sulky and morose tent
mate than luck gave me in the winter
of lS64-5. He came down to us in the
fall Il Ieuruit, having enlisted for the big
bounty, and ut that time the old vets
who had faced shot and shell for sever
al years had an edgewise feeling against
these "fresh fish," who had pocketed
five or six hundred dollars and came
down to spend the winter in warm
hut. Some of the recruits realized this,
and by their good nature and pleasant
%,a2+' - snnI' h~"i-t,ed the feeling so far AS
! they were cuuUOrnSI oh. go -.
tied and indignant, and were not in
clined that the old vets should get re-
lievrd of one single camp duty because
| of the new men.
Fate or luck sent me Jim Shanks"
as tent mate. He was Jim some one
else, but the nickname was very appro-
pirate. He was dogged and sullen from
the first, and we hadn't known each
other two hours before we had quar-
rel. Next day we fought again, and af-
ter that we did not exchange IL word for
four weeks. When | saw how mean he
was, and found that kind words, kind
wishes and friendly interest would
not touch him, let him alone as far as
| could, and contented myself with
knowing that every member of COmpa
ny f hated him as much us did.
One night Il band of twenty-five men
moved our of our camp for scout
across the Loudon Valley, then held by
Mostly, and luck placed Jim Shanks
alongside of me. He was selected by
accident, it being the intention to take
Il better man, but he was there just the
same, silent, sullen, and ready to elbow
or bayonet anyone who accidentally
brushed him. That night as we filed
along the muddy highway, speaking
only in whispers, | saw Jim in front of
me aud | whispered to myself,
Jim Shanks, if you don't get killed
down here you'll be hung for murder
before you are ont of the army 4 year.
Just in the gray of the morning, and
when within mile of Union Town, jim
Shanks and myself were sent forward
to reconnoiter. | would sooner have
gone alone, and ten times sooner had
the company of any one else, but luck
decided it.
We said not a word. | watched Jim
and | saw that he was as cool us an old
soldier. He knew as well as / did that
we were advancing on Mosby's head
quarters, but he stepped out boldly and
With no change in his demeanor.
When we had nearly reached the
church standing on the hill above the
town and facing the road leading away
to Leesburg, halted, knowing that II
picket-post must be near. | had not ex-
changed Il word with Jim for days, but
now whispered to him that we must
proceed with caution.
''If you are tired, sit down in the
mud" he growled, slriding along, and
after a minute followed him, both of
us walking on the side of the highway.
L knew he would soon strike the picket,
but it was to either follow Jim or turn
back. Suddenly and without word,
five or six men rose up in our path. |
g had barely discerned them when one
seized my carbine and another tripped
me down, while third growled out:
"H you make any fuss you'll get a
bullet mighty quick.n
didn't propose to make any fuss,
but Jim Shanks did, The two men who
grabbed at him were brushed off like
flies, and whirling his carbine around
his head, he cleared path for himself
and was lost in the darkness. More than
a dozen shot were fired after him, and
being intercepted on his retreat down
the road he made for the church on the
dill. Before he reached it there were a
score of enemies about him, and the re-
ports of the carbines sounded more like
a brisk skirmish than conflict with a
single soldier, and raw recruit at that.
think he meant to get into the church,
, though he could not have told whether
1t was church or other building in the
darkness. Failing to get in, he found a
retreat under the front steps. and in the
darkness the confederates believed that
) ne had escaped altogether, They how
ever threw line of videtts across roads
and fields, and it would not have been
possible for Jim to regain the road by
which he had come.