The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-04-09

Nenoial that was I'LL on n0uk-what's this lis
name wasy''
" Murat ?n
90 No, no he commanded his cavalry. 80
''Davoust y''
"Ihdts the rooster, pHd. Well, Lee had Jack.
sou, who was Just lightning flank too aud while
we lay In line along there a-thinking the rebs was
tereatinR, cause we see lem a-marching along our
front as though they was making Tor Richmond, Lee
kept a-hammoring at our left TO make believe as
though he was Just going to light Into us down there
poorly soon but jackson, with about twenty Thousand
men, marched away beyond our right, and then
turned round and 1T into us our right flank and
rear aud knocked the gravy out Of the Eleventh Corps
IN no time aud come along down llne inst a-dOu
bling II up. and what was a mighty poorly line that
morning was before night the d--icst mess You ever
see-horses a-running away, and men a.skedaddllng,
ana artillery a.comlng away on the jump, and ann
balances a-driylng like all h was after ZEN! While
that was a-going on on our right Lee commenced on
our font, and Old Joe was a-watching him, and the
fun was over on our right before old Joe knowcd IT,
but hc found Il out when lie see our men a-comlng
away from there, and he was the most astonlshed
man; hut he was game, but that didn't amount 10
nothing. II general Is only game, he'd better stay
home; he's got to know ho,O to fight. Now, there
was lee--he was game, too, hut he knew something
besides that. II he'd been only game he'd only
attacked In front. Instead Of that he sent Jack
sou around, as was saying, and put us In a h-l of
fN, There was aspruce little cuss there accom-
manding our cavalry, and bloody good onlcer he
was too. Il see him downat willard sthe other night
named plcasonton lie Just the Johnnlcs a. coming
and I'm id II he didn't ousabro aud fling his
cavalry right at 'em and he galoped up hts batteries
and poured the grape into em, aud Bcrry's division
bounced 'om too and Warren went for 'em with
Berry men and lot OF artillery and a brigade from
the Second Corps and that fetched 'em mp bet you
Just about night; aud all that was Saturday, May ..
jackson must have felt bully that night, and he
rods to reconnOltre himself because he wanted to
20 for us again In the morning, and when he rode
back some Of his men, thinking him and his stan
some of our cavalry, up pieces and lit into EN-, and
put three balls into him, and the surgeons took his
arm of and thought he'd come around all right but
he up and died the next week
''Well, our First Corps, which was Reynolds's
which had been down with Uncle John tn then, got
there that night, and old Joe patched up another line
the hest he could. When Jackson turned his toes up
pIid, stuart took command Of his troops, and the
newt morning he come Tor us again, and Lee come
too. and they III us plum away from Chancellors-
vile back twards the river ords, lust asqueeElng
back all the time, until got into stl another line
aud Lee was Just about to bounce us again, when he
heard that Uncle John had carried the heights back of
Fredericksburg and was accounting for him on his
rear; Lee Just stopped and stood stll a mint
a-Leepng upa h---n of u thinking, and then m
busted II he didn Just march enough men away from
our front to give Uncle John bloody good shaking
and drive him the river again, and all that time
old Joe never moved man to help Uncle John, but
just lay stIl a-listening to his guns and he had men
enough to eat Lee up II he only knowed how to fight
'em.
81 must 70 back pard, and tell you about Uncle
Johns fight down to Frederick sburg. You see when
ola Joe a-getting his squeezing from Lee he sent
word to Uncle John at Fredericksburg to carry the
heights aud march up to Join him by bouncing Lees
rear You know said Lee, when he left the heights,
ordered Early with his eight thousand men, to stay
there and keep his eye on Uncle John. Well when
Uncle John got Old Joes order he went for Early and
had a bloody time but he charged the heights and
took 'em and come along t wards Lee When Early
the get away from there he retreated down the
Telegraph Road, and Uncle John Kept on t'wards
Lees till he got to Salem Church, and then he
met Early again aud the men Lee had sent away from
Old JOes 'front.' and they just went for Uncle John
again; and Monday moning, pard, which was the ith
of May, Early reook the heights back of Tredericks
burg, In Uncle Johns rear. Well, Lee that same
day ordered more men down to finish Uncle John and
they went for him again and lust crowded him down to
the rverand plumb across Banks Ford thatnight
Then Lee ordered them men back up to where he
himself the next morning, and got good and ready to
go for Old Joe again. but Old Joe retreaed across the
river Tuesday night, and when Lee come FOR us We'd
whole business, pard. I'm id If we didn't have
men enough there TO eat the Johnnes up, but we
wasn't handled right. When Old Joe found that Lee
ddn' do what he thought he'd do he lost his head,
and things mussed up the wors: you ever see.
~ got left behind in the retreat, pard-I fell asleep
IN the woods-and when l went for the river in the
morning into picket of the rebs, and they took
me prism Well thinks l, here a go; but
amt a-gong to Libhy-not much amt; and
hmm fInt tuIt and
1t on, and the next morning ! slipped away from
the plis and fell into ranks with the pris ners
guard, and reb captain says to me, Where do you
belong?' And l told him belonged to the Third
North Carolina and got separated In the fight Wei,
he says, your regiment is down at the Crossing
ageeyarding the keyyars; you go right down there
and report to your company And says, All right,
Captain And | went down to the crossing that
night, thinking could get chance to get over the
river there; but when tried 1t, I'm busted II
didn trun into another reb picket and the officer of
the guard arrested me, and said was sweet scented
Southern soldier tory TO desert to the ianks told
him wasn't reb, but | belonged to the Union
army. My Lord, pard, seen what a mistake l
made told him that, but 1t was too late
to fix It, He says You're Tank are YOU and
you've got on Confederate uniform; by Cd,
you're spy!'
"And, pard, the next day they tried me drum
head and sentenced me to DO hung. They irOned me
and turned me over TO y sergeant, and told him to
keep me under guard till morning, and | laid awake,
thinking ! was goner, till about O'Clock In the
morning, when the sergeant come Into the little log
house where vas and says: Don't you say word,
iank; rub this soap over your wrists and hands
'What for?' So you can slip Them irons or And
done that pard, and they OFF kinder easy and lie
says NOW keep right up thlsroad and you'll to
the river. Can you SWIM And told him could.
'You'll find picket there; You must flank 1t; I've
done all l can do for yop.' And, pard
crawled right under them plckets' noses got
into the river, swimmed oyer, and got TO
my regiment all hunky-dory Tm id II
didn't. few days after that, pard, our regiment
down to the river picket, and holleTed to
Johnny, 'Yon got any tobacker9' And 10 says,
yes And says, III you come over tonight RI
give you coffee for It, And he says, AN right
And that night, when the officer of the guard wasn't
round, he padded over with lot of tObacker and
give him hayersack full of coffee for It.; and he sit
down and said he was a-feeling blue because he was
detailed on a shooting squad And asked him who
they going TO shoot, and he said Sergeant Branch
to be shot for letting spy escape, and pricked
up my ears and asked him about 1t. Why, say
he, before We had the fight at Charlottesville one of
you Tanks give the Sergeant lot Of coffee one night
on picket for nothing, and that same Nank was
caught In lines with uniform on, and they
sentenced him TO be hung, and the Sergeant owned up
that lie helped nm to get his irons on ana let MIN g0
and they tried him on drum-head for letting that
spy escape, and he's to be shot tomorrow Lord,
Almighty, pard! was never so taken ahack, and the
reb looked at me- and says, why what's the matter
with You; you didn't know Branch, did You p And
says, NO; what have got to do with him Iwasonly
thinking that itsd-d strange we've both got the
same coupteTsign t0-nigiR.' What, ho says, is
your countersign cloud, too And told him It was.
But 1t wasn't, pard cOqntersign was Fi0,D, but
got their countersgn out Of him before he knowed IT,
and he went away. l Just left my post pard, and
found little skid away up the river and went right
over, and as soon as touched their bank struck
picket.
'''Who goes there = and heard their pieces click.
- Friend OF the guaTdi'
- Advance, friend, and give the countersgnl'
uAud 1 marched an kinder SASSY and says