Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1884-10-30
Marked as a Victim.
BY A. H. 1sIra.


In the Spring of 1864 Gen Crooks di-
vision, of which 1 was member, was
ordered to strike tents and leave the
great Kanawha valley to join Gen. Hun
ter's army in his campaign down the
Shenandoah valley to Lynchburg. A few
weeks later we were near StaunCOn, en-
Toying q brisk skirmish with the enemy.
From that day on 1 was duly assigned to
the position of scout and sharpShOOter,
and found my post of duty in the ex-
treme skirmish line, where / could peck
at the SOutherners at my will, and with
out being mOlested III my work by some
Over-knOwing officer in charge, who sim
ply wanted to say something so as to
fully assert his authority. My position
suited me to q T. and Col. Comfy was
only too we'll aware of the fact that he
had made no mistake in selecting me for
the position.
L remember the slkirmish before Staun-
ton. recall how 1 chased a "reb''
through fields and over fences for over
two miles, and how at last he sought
refuge inside a little stone milk-hOuse
right close TO the main pike; how, as I
was climbing over a seven-rail fence to
get at the fellow, my heavy knapsack
OVerbalauced my little frail BODY and
down 1 tumbled, head first; how the
''reb," peeping through the halfopen
door, saw the sad fix I was in, but in
stead of sticking his bayonet into me.
as I expected he would, took to his heels
once more and skdaddled clear out of
sight and reach.
1t was in the sRirmish before StauntOn.
where the bullets scratched off the bark
of every tree that / saw fit to dodge be-
hind, that / became convinced that some
individual 'reb" had a special purpose
in taking my life. But who could be
the man, and what could be his object
in selecting me for his victim2 watch
ed for him high and low, but failed to
discover his whereabouts, though all the
while the bullets of the mysterious rifle
man were playing merry havoc with nv
fears. 1 was used to having bullets fiy
near me, but they came at random, for
in the heat of battle bullets fly for no
man; only they who by chance stand in
the way direct are made to feel the kiss
of the singing lead.
But 1 discovered my man at last. NV
eyes deserted the smoke Of g gun some
two hundred yards 50 the right of my
front, and had just time to dodge be-
hind my tree when a bullet came whiz-
King by, knocking off a piece of bark
within a few inches Ofmy face. Then as
/ looked out to see who it was shooting
at me, 1 discovered a tall, heavv-set
man, wearing big SLOUGH hat, sneaking
from behind a tree to open on me again,
and he did. He fired at me again and
again, and every time his bullet skinned
the bark off the very trees behind which
1 sought shelter. After the skirmish
was over told some of my comrades OF
the sharpshOOter who TOOK such interest
in picking me out during the afternoon
for his especial enjoyment, but the boys
only laughed at my expense and said I
merely imagined it to be sO-that no
sharpshoOter was such a fool as to waste
his powder on a boy Of my diminutive
form.
TIE NAN WITH A SLOUGH HAT.
The next day we advanced on Licking
ton and before We had made much pro
gress on our journey the enemy opened
q pretty lively skirmish on US. We had
no more than fairly got started in the
afIray before became convinced of the
fact that was being marked by some
particular man, as certain shots came in
q manner that meant business. Imagine
my ceilings when In looking over the