The National tribune., 1882-10-26
OUR SOLDIERS COLUMN.
Pensioners and EX-PriSOncrS in South
CTn Pens.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Fresh Fuel for the Camp-fires
Of Our Comrades.
To the Editor NATIONAL TR1nrvr:

To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:
The Thirteenth Vermont at Camp Kruse,
near Occoquan, Virginia, in April. 1853, had
for drummer boy the writer Of this, SON OF
Colonel Randall, commanding the regiment.
hIr. kruse, ON whose land our camp was To-
Gated, was a strong Union man and very KIND
10 the soldiers. We had a good deal Of sickness
while there and well remember kruse drlv-
ing his last COW to the hospital to be slaught-
cred for the sick. who had grown tired Of salt
pork Our chaplain, Rev. Joseph Sargent, died
there on the 22ih of April. Near our camp
lived a man named Davis, violent rebel,
whose family consisted Of his wife, three sons
in the rebel army, and a widowed daughter,
Mrs Bailey, whose husband had been killed in
battle.
Colonel Randall applied to him for the privi-
legc of quartcring some of the sick Of the rcgj-
ment in his house, hut the old "reb" refused
even this act of humanity, saying no YanI
should occupy any portion Of his house. But
the instinct of kindness was not dead in the
heart Of his daughter, even if she had lost her
husband at the hands of Union soldiers, and
she prevailed upon her father to grant the Col
onel's request She offered to DO all in her
power for the comfort of our sick comrades,
and kept her word, but insisted that she was
as good a confederate as her father all the
same.
4 short time after the sick had been under
her care she came to Colonel Randall and asked
permission to pass through the lines to visit her
brothers in the camp ofNoseby's cavalry, fifteen
miles away. She had heard that they were
sick and dying and she wanted to go to them.
o.
her to go without a guard and if he sent one it
would be captured. She reminded him of her
services TO our sick and plead with him to al
low her to so, Offering to 90 with me as
escort. l was a little fellow, twelve years old,
and was quite elated at the prospect My
father asked me If I was willing to 90 with the
lady into a rebel camp. 1 answered yes, and
he consented that l should co. l had sword
that l was very proud OF and the next morn
ing buckled it on, mounted horse, and away
we went. We passed through our lines, crossed
the Occoquan River, and as we were entering 4
piece of woods we fell in with company Of
rebel cavalry, a part Of Mosby's command.
Mrs. Bailey told Colonel Mosby of the arrange
ment she had made and Of her promise to re-
turn me unframed to my father. Colonel
Mosby at once said that I should not be
harmed. lie asked me what State l was from,
to which I promptly responded, % from Yer
mont, where they raise Green Mountain boys"
Then he wanted to know how many men we
had l told him to go over and count them.
He laughed and said that they were going to
Washington in a few days to call on Mr.. Lin
coin. told him he would find it a hard road
TO travel.
We arrived at the rebel camp at dark with
out further adventure. 1t was located near
Dumfres, Va. Mrs Bailey went at once to
the commanding officer and reported. He said
! was safe and should not be molestcd in the
least, but l was closely questioned as tosthe
number of troops we had, and was obliged to
invent answers to suit. We staid three days.
and every night I slept in the guard-honse.
One of Mrs. Bailey's brothers died the first
night. On our return we stopped frequently
at farm houses, and nay youthful appearance
attracted good deal Of attention from the
women, who said boy like me ought to be at
home with his mother. On our ride back to
camp Mrs. Bailey asked me good many ques-
tons about my folks at home and about people
generally, about churches and schools and So
cicty. Thus far l had held up my head and
"oIh NY Sworn ike an ohceT, DuV pTiue Hlu7U
have fall, and mine was no exception to the
rule When within -four or five miles from our
camp we met a squad of ten rebels who, in
spite Of Mrs. Bailey's circumstances, took my
sword from me. she felt very much ashamed
of the treatment to which was subjected. On
our arrival at camp she thanked my father for
his kindness and complmentcd me for my
courteous behavior while on the trip.
This ended my first visit TO q rebel camp.
FRANCIS RANDALL,
Late Drummer Co. +, Thirteenth Vt.