The National tribune., 1884-01-17
ONE NIGHT ON PICKET.
The Experience of New Jersey Veteran Before
Petersburg.
To the Editor NATIONAL TRIBUNE:


In looking over my diary of army life find
the following brief record: Sunday, February
26, 1865, detailed for picket duty, post No Is
fine clear weather. At p N. a corporal and
six men deserted to the enemy"
The incident thus briefly described in the
above entry in my journal is, after lapse OF
eighteen years, still as fresh in my memory as
though it had happened but yesterday. At the
time mentioned the writer was member OF
the 1st New Jersey brigade LIST division, 9Th
army corps. The 9th corps occupied the center
of the Union lines, investing the city OF Peters
burg Va. with the ninth corps the right
and the ID corps on cur left. Our brigade,
formerly commanded by the gallant Phil kear-
ney, lay on the extreme right of the corps and
joining the Sd division of the ninth corps
The Sunday morning referred to was bright
and beautiful, and pleasant as May day IN
our more northern latitude.
About o'clock a. m. our orderly sergeant
informed me that ] was detailed for picket
| duty. | put on my equipments grasped nay
! rifle and Joined the detachment on the parade
ground. The command being given to march,
! we passed through the breastworks to the left
| of Fort Howard, and after passing across some
/ open ground, reached strip OF heavy pine
timber. which screened our camp from the
view Of the rebels Here we halted to load,
after which we again moved on. When we
emerged from the woods into the clear space
beyond we came in full view of both the Union
and Confederate picket lines. The Confeder-
ates were relieving their pickets also, and we
could see the different squads drop of from the
rear of the column, as it marched along, and
enter their rife pits. We relieved our picket
in the same manner. The number of the
! post which fell to my lot to occupy was
! eighteen. The posts were numbered from
right TO left, beginning at the right of the bri-
! gade and going to the left. The picket posts
were built of pine logs, about breast high, with
! dirt banked up in front. There were eight
men in the post, with corporal in charge. All
/ was quiet along our immediate front and we
! could hear nothing but the usual picket firing
| at Fort Hell, to our right. We had gotten SO
accustomed to hearing this, that we hardly no
ticed it. After we had stationed a yidette
about fifty yards in front, and the relieved
picket had returned to camp we looked about
US to take IN the situation before night. An
/ old field, about two hundred yards wide, inter
yened between a part of our own and the rebel
/ line. Their intrenehed line was on one side of
| the field, and our line on the other. From our
post all the way to the left, as far as we could
see the picket-line ran through heavy pine
/ timber. In the north corner of the old field
stood dwelling house, On the roof of which
we could see the glistening rife of rebel
sharpshooter. With the exception of one man
tent-mate-I was unacquainted with any of
| the men IN our post; our regiment having been
largely recruited during the winter with new
men. Everything being quiet along our part
of the lines. we began to make ourselves as
/ comfortable as circumstances would permit.
A fire was kindled for the purpose of making
coffee, and, lighting their pipes, the boys be-
/ gan to Join in conversation. The corporal,
who was a stout, resolute looking man, took
the opportunity to change his clothing, and
noticed an ugly scar on his breast. Out Of Gu
ri0sity / asked him where he got that mark.
He answered. "At Gettysburg, my lad
/ soon noticed that the other six men in the
| post were acquainted with him, and addressed
him as Corporal Dave. After lighting his pipe,
| Corporal Dave told Us how he got wounded
PRETTY KETTLE OF FISH.
"You see, said he, Pm Texan, and be-
! longed to Hoods famous Texas brigade, which
got cut up so at Gettysburg, on July 2, 1863.
We were on the right of the line and were try
ing to turn the left flank of the Yankees in
order to get possession of ridge Of hills called
Ronnd Top. Longstreet was driving the
Yankees IN the peach orchard just to the left
of us, and we We're buFrying to take possession
of those hills We were only few minutes
too late. Colonel Xineents brigade of Yankees
got there few minutes ahead of Us. | tell
you, boys, it was the hottest place / was ever
IN, and have been in a good many hot places,
too. The bullets few like hail, and pretty
soon one hit me where you see the scar. We
lost little Round Top and was taken prisoner.
tell you, DOF5, II We Eau taken Ln0se Hills,
the war would have been over now. We
would have whipped Meade, and captured
Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia.
the North would have made peace, the South
would have gained its independence and the
fighting would have been over in '63." / ven
tused TO dissent from the corporaiis opinion,
and the consequence was that we had an angry
discussion. ] asked him how it was that he
was now serving In the Union army, and he re-
! piled that after his wound had healed he had
escaped from prison and enlisted IN the Union
army for a big bounty. / began TO think that
! Corporal Dave was rebel at heart still. After
that | found out that three others OF the men
had served in theSolthern army. One of them
} tail Ge0Tglan-said the bestshooting he ever
J hsd was when Colonel Shaw and his niggers
) charged on Fort Wagner, near Charleston, S.
&. by tent-mate, an honest Irishman, Whis-
peTed TO me that we were amonga lot Of secesh
and had better look out / noticed through
the day that the corporal and his chums had d
good deal OF private consultation together; but
at 6 O'Clock IN the evening, when my turn came
! to stand vidette, had almost forgotten my sus-
picIons. 1t grew dark while / was on duty,
and the wind being light from the northwest
/ could hear some of the Confederate pickets
: talking and laughing while others were sing
ing an oid-fashioned canip-meeting tune
! Pretty soon l heard the relief coming, and
Corporal Dave came out with squad to relieve
the pickets He told me to go back into the
Z picket-post. / noticed that all the ex-rebeIs
were with him, but had no suspicion that any.
thing Was wrong. When reached the picket.
post there was no one there but my terminate,
, the freshman. | could still hear the relief
talking in front Of me. As it was getting
: chilly, ] unstrapped my overcoat from my
knapsack, and taking off my eartridge-box, and
; leaning my musket against the logs began to
put my coat on. | was standing up, and was
plainly visible to the enemy in the lightof thu
! picket fire. had got one arm in my overcoa
!, sleeve aud was feeling for the other, when
, musket was discharged in front of me- and
! ball struck the logs by my side, aud before ]
had time to change my position, six more shots
were fired in quick succession. Two more ball.
5 struck the logs ard the others wliizzed BIZ ma
! got my coat as quick as possible, grasped
s nay musket, and fired as near as / could CUES.
6 in the direction of the enersy. and Their
c dropped under cover to load. The whole line
e then fired few rounds when an officer came
to inquire the cause of the disturbance. / toi(
him the circumstances as quickly as possible
1 and he ordered my tent-mate and myself 20 q
3 with him to the videt,e post aud on our ARR
= val we found that the corporal and six nier
: were no longer there. few minutes late
0 we beard the rebel piekets challenge some one
i and then came yolley Of musketry. WhcI
the firing ceased we heard groans of agony, an,
d we recognized the voice as that of Corpora
: Dave. The rebel piczets had fired on th
squad of deserters and wounded the corporal
lie had fired at me in revenge for the angr,
discussion we had during the day and TIL
fate he had intended for mo mn =,