The Chickasaw messenger., 1881-05-19
~oonIya - >ll.T5IE n01s.~



Gen Gordon said 90 me; "Johnny,
/ I hope never 90 go through susa q
var as that again. ] don't helt
Icould stand it now, but then We 6 b..
know Some scenes arise on my
mind as 10 thcy never could have bop
pcned lonen thinkoi SpOtlsylvafia
where ] hava seen my men s.an4 4ng
on the dead bodies Of their comre cs,
loading aud firing. utterly indni&ent
TO the death below them, the des'fh ID
lront Of them, and the deaih every
where Tho dead bodies we're living
down outside tho works IN the ditch
which was half 6led with water, aud
there soaking in the rain The dead
men lay amt their friends were using
their bodies To get alitNe elevation tn
putting in that terrific work p Yqt,"
said taa general, "there were some
right funny scenes in that war Did
l ever tell you about the man coming
in only to look at my camp?'
we were on the Rapidan river,
where Il was a-liltle stream, hardly
100 feet wide Gen. Lee sent me
word that | must 60 out and break
up the communication between our
pickets and the enewys. They had
got to trading with each other 10
newspapers, tobacco, lies and what
ever would vary the monotony Of
picket life They would not shoot
at each other, aud so it WAS military
like SO / started out one morning
on my horse and rode the Whole
length Of the picket line, and just a.
] came to q certain point / saw that
there ives confusion and.surprise. as
t bad not been expected "What
is the matter, men, here Y Iasked
Nothing, general, nothing is here
"1ou must tell the truth, said I : u
am not welcome, ! see, and there
must be some reason forit" "raere
has been nobody here general We.
were not expecting youi that Is all. p
] turned to two or three OF lhe soil
dieis and said "beat down these
bushes here. They had to oaey
and there suddenly rose up out OF The
weeds a man IS stark naked as he had
come into tho world. "Who are
youY' asked / ~ am from over
yonder general" cover yonder-I
where ~ He pointed to the other
side Of The river "WhaT regiment
do you belong to f' "The 10th
Pennsylvania, general" " "What are
doing in my camp p "Why, ]
thought / would come over and see
be boys" "See the boya-what
hoys? Do you mean to say you have
entered my camp except as a prs
onerY Now, | am going to do this
with you. J am going TO have YOU
marca to Libby prison just as you
are, without a rag ofclothes on your
why, general, you wouldn't do that
just because | came over to see the
boys Ididn'tmean any harm | felt
lonesome over there, and wanted "a
talk 10 the boys q little. Thatis all Il
" Never mind, sir; You march from
this spot, clothed as you are, to
Libby prisenl' "General, said The
man, Il had rather you would order
me to be shot tight here" No, sir;
you 90 to Littyf Then several oil
my soldiers spoke mp; General,
don't be too hard on him, he's al
pretty good fellow lie didn't
mean any harm; he just wanted to
talk with us. This business must
be broken up" said I-"mixing up
the picket line.
ut had not been in my heart, how
ever, to arrest the man from the
beginning. I only wanted to scare
him; and he did beg hard" II tell
what / viii DO with you this time,
for ] saw that he was a brave, good
humored fellow "Ifyou win promise
me that neither you or any of your
men shall ever come into my lines
again except as prisoners, I'll let you
goW "God bless you general 2
said the man, and without any more
adieu, he just leaped into that stream
and came up on the other side, and
took to the woods"
Gen Gordon said, referring to the
relative bravery Of Southern and
Northern soldiers, that he had seen
as perfect instances Of cool and des-
perate pluck among soldiers in blue
as among the soldiers Of his own.