National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-11-22
lam
THE
IRRIGATING.DITCH ENGLIsHMAs,
Late of DENVER.
have Corralled those Mountains
AND
The Ditch Is Loaded to the Muzzle.
A TRYING ORDEAL.
An Incident OF tho Battle. OF Dead
Anglican Ez-Confedcrato Officers
Experience while ON Night In
spectton Tour.

Experience While ON n Night In
spection Tour.
Southern Birouac.
On the night Of the Sd of July, 1864,
we were ordered back from the line at the
Dead Angle, and, as luck would have 1t,
the writer of this was detailed with
twelve men as vidette to crawl on our
hands and knees out about ten yards in
front of the works through the abattis
aud other obstructions to watch the enemy
while the line was gradually falling back
First went the line of battle and then the
skirmishers and then to our great Joy
we left our posts and fell back too. In
crawling out to our posts that night we
ran a great risk, for if We shook bush
or made tho least noise we would hear
the unwelcome firing Of n mimic bullet at
once, aud they came pretty close, too, If
they were fired in the dark. We had
orders not to fire our gums under any cir
cumstances, SO we could not reply to the
calls we had. II was our province to
and run.
Well, the men were placed, one by one,
in zigzag line as we'll as they could be
in the dark by the writer, he having to
crawl out and post one and then come
back after another until they were all
arranged. Then " was the duty of the
officer to 90 along tho line and see If they
were all doing their duty, that is, lying
down and keeping awake-not much
trouble to keep awake that night, I as
sure you. Well, on one Of the tours of
inspection the officer got little Off the
line, and it being crooked, too, he got
clear outside of the line and got turned
around SO that he could not tell whether
he was going to his own men or not.
While creeping along in this frame of
mind | ran up against the muzzle of q
musket right against my bosom, and then
heard the click, click of the cock. Well,
the past life of the writer came up before
him. All the mean things no ever did
were passed in review in few seconds,
for 1t was only short time that IL took
to pass through this trying ordeal.
He was afraid to catch the gun, for IL
would make the man at tho other end of
it pull the trigger, and then good-by. So
he asked, "Who is that 2" No answer.
Then he said, "If you are federals, 1 am
your meat" Still no answer. "If you
are rebs, am your officer" No answer
yet. The sweat was pouring down my
taco about this time, l tell you. The
soldier TOOK MS gun down then, don't
know why, for he took me for federal
soldier, as my clothes were dark and |
had on a black hat. However, the gun
was down and the writer was down, too,
lying prone on the ground by the soldier,
and he saw who it was that held the gun.
1t happened to be q man in the regiment
that was considered little of about the
head, in fact 'sorter queer" and then the
scare came on good, for he had no moro
sense than to shoot anyhow; If ho had
been one of the other men they would
not have cooked their guns, and would
have tried to find out who it was creeping
along there.
Well, the reaction camo to my nervous
system, and was as weak as water; if the
enemy had come on us then, could have
been taken in sure, as it would have been
impossible to get up Off the ground. Well,
the poor fellow was frightened, too, when
he saw how near he had come to sending
me to my long home. At a given signal,
which was about 12 o'clock, we moved
back to the works, and then we lost no
time in catching up with tho rear guard,
which we found about two miles ahead
Of us. should add that tho vidette line
right along there did not get inspected
any more that night.