National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1881-03-12
TWO WAR INCIDENTS
Related by General Bragg, Of yFIseOnSIn,
TO q WashIagtOn Correspondent.

Related by General Bragg, Of WIseOnSln,
10 q Warrington Correspondent.
In the latter part of 1864 got leays
of absence for ten days to visit Wisconsin, but az
it took half the time to get to Washington, con-
cluded to spend the remaining portion in WASH
ingtOn; so I went to the National Hotel. Ths
morning after my arrival card bearing the name
Of Colonel Beal was brought up to my room.
remembered the colonel as fine, typical Virgins
gentleman, who had served as the first lieutenant
governor Of Wisconsin, and ordered that he bs
shown up. He was an impressive old man, with
grand manners and most magnificent thirst. He
had hardly got through the customary salutatiOns
when, with majestic Allow me, Sah,' he reached
the bell and ordered brandy and watah.. Fla
kept that bell going lively for an hour, and as the
liquor began TO take effect he grew more confident.
ial After recitng the recent events of importance
IN wisconsin, he said: Now, gineral I'll tell you
why I'm heah, sab, and most remarkable expert
eTee that I've had since ! came. was born in
old Virginny, and some time ago got a notion,
sab, that could command a Niger regiment
well, sab, so came on to Washington to be ex-
amIned by the board. Ginral Casey, president Of
the board, is en- old friend Of mine, sab know
him through my wifes family; my wife was a
Cooper, sab, and Ginral Casey comes Of fine fam
lily, toe, sab. Well, sab, went before the board
yesterday, and a dappsh young man, with his hair
parted in the middle, got up to question me, Hho
am old enough to be his father, sab. The first
question he asked me was this: Can you, says
he, reduce yulgah fraction to q decimal by
MENTAL OrERATIoN2'
.+Ginral, sweah, couldn't stand it. jumped up
and said: MY God Giural Casey, do you think
you can put down this rebellion with decimaIS,
ssh:' That ended it. took nay hat and walked
out feeling that il was no place for gentleman 10
stay, sab" General Bragg ordered the next round
Of brandy and watah" himself
The other incident occurred at a place knownas
the Yellow Tavern, In the rear of Petersburg Va.
and for an exemplifcation of the splendid bravery
and magnificent indiseretiOn of valiant Irish sol
dierhas no parallelin all the annals ofthe war Gen
eral Bragg, with two brigades, was lying behind a
line of rife pits at the brow of ridge In cchelou
above and to the right, lay another brigade. sud
denly, without noise, and evidently without
slIspecting the presence of the Union troops,
brigade of rebels marching in close order, swept
up the level space in front of BraggS men, passing
on toward the right. Il was only question Of
moments when they would be IN a trap from which
escape would be impossible, for ss soon as they
passed certain point Braggs men would swing
round TO their rear, and to their front would be
wall Of fire. The moment had almost arrived fof
Bragg's manoeuvre, when an event occurred which
rebels to escspe unframed. General Bragg tells
the rest Of the story as follows: "Just as was on
the point of ordering my men to move round ~
the left In the enemy's rear Captain DAILY. of the
Sixth Wisconsin, who had charge Of the provost
guard Of that day, and was
SITTING on HIS HORSE
some distance from me, caught sight Of the rebel
front. 4 drawer man ora less discreet one in bat
tie never lived. Without waiting fOc orders. or
considering consequences, he put spurs to his
horse and daShng across the few rods that lay be-
tween us and the unsuspecting rebels, rode up to
the colors Of the foremost regiment, seized the
staff and with an impudence that seems more
sublime the more you think of if, said; Gentle
men, you're my prisoners. The color bearer ami
the men about him were so dumfounded that
they merely looked at Daily in silent wonder;
but their colonel, HagOOd NOW Governor Of
South CaTOlinal, gallOped zap, saying, What
is the Yankee doing with our eOlors?' A
he spoke he drew his pistol, and fred. The BAH
struck DAILY in the hip and he fell from his horse
We could not fire until he went down, for wo
might kill him. Before we had time TO make =
move that whole brigade seemed 70 melt into thin
air. Ranks were broken without word. and tils
stunted brush swallowed HagO0d end his men
in twlnklins, That was q trick the rebels
understood thoroughly; they seemed to have
learned it from the partridge. We never could GEE
our men to do it successfully somehow. Daily
successfully praetieing law In Dubuque. be-
licyehe is the only man who ever rode ont, single
handed TO capture whole brigade"