Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1885-05-25
&c MYsTERIOUs OFFICERs.



tilIery service during almost the whole
Of the war, being at first in field service
and then shut up in mortar batteries at
different places. When Petersburg was
invested, he, sergeant, and his brother.
8 lieutenant. were In q mortar battery
situated near the old BlandfoTd ceme-
terry, his brother being in charge. Their
principal duty was to fire at the Federal
batteries and draw their fire. When the
Confederates made demonstration they
had bomb proofs 10 run into, of course;
but one can't stay in bomb proof aud
fire mortar at the same time, and, as
might be supposed, they became more
familiar with pyrotechnic displays than
they cared for. There was ono Union
battery in particular that always gave
them trouble whenever they fired at it.
1t was known as the railroad iron" bat
terry, and was very heavily armed. More
over, the gunners therein had the exact
range of the Blandford battery, which
was twice too large, and it rarely re-
quired more than ten minutes to run the
Confederates into their bomb proof. 1t
was in this Blandford battery that one
of the most curious and at the time
mysterious events of the war occurred.
Zone night, says Sergeant Eggleston,
1--WE were working there in the battery
firing away in different directions, but
taking care to keep our hands off the
railroad-iron battery, and watching the
shells as they few around, occasionally
jumping into the bomb proof when one
would light in our place, when two fine
looking men whom we all took for gen
eral officers, suddenly walked into the
works. We could not tell their exact
rank, because they wore white waistcoats
and coats, but they looked rs though
they were rank officers. They walked
up to George, addressed him as lieuten-
ant, as though they knew him. and said
that they had come out to see some NOR
tar firing. and hoped that he would &C
commodate them if it was not inconven-
lent. George replied that he would be
happy to show them anything in that
line, and turning tonne, said. Touch up
the railroad iron battery, joe Well /
wished that those two chaps had stayed
in their tents; but / thought that it
would not be very long before they
would be glad to get into the bomb
proof, and that the rest of us could go
in then also. So commenced to touch
up that railroad-ir place. In less than
three minutes we had walked up the hor-
| nets nest, and they were raining shells
into us at terrific rate.
Those fellows over there seemed to
know that the occasion was an unusual
one, and they we're determined to give
us all that We could ask for. The shells
were dropped into our battery like hail
stones, bursting all around us, and roll
ing around like footballs; but there
stood those two officers and George,
leaning up against piece of timber and
talking as coolly as If they were leaning
on fence a thousand miles away from a.
piece Of artillery. A she'll came along
and cut that piece Of timber in two, ana
scattered splinters all over the place; but
all that they did was to lean against
fresh place and go on talking. don't
believe that either one of the three even
winked. Icame to the conclusion that
they liked that thing better than did,
aud / told one of the gunners to shift
his gun around and playa on something
else, and pretty soon / shifted another,
and the fire gradually died down. |
knew that George would stand there and
be shot at till the crack of doom before
he would suggest anything about bomb
proofs, and the other chaps didn't want
TO say anything unless he did. Well,
they talked on for ten or fifteen minutes
after the fire died down, and then said
that they would like to 60 onto the Skin
mish line and see what was going on
there, if he would show them the way.
He told them to 90 out of the battery
on certain side and follow the path
they could not miss the skirmish line.
They left after expressing their thanks
for our kindness, but they did not say
what their names were, and George was
too polite to ask them.
tNow the funny part of it comes in.
The next day George tried to find out
who they were. but none OF our officers
had been out there. The fact is, don't
believe that any of our officers had any
white clothes to wear, and if George
had only thought a minute he might have
known that none OF them would be
roaming around at night to see mortar
iring; they could stay in camp and get
enough of that. But he could not find
out who those men were, though every
effort was made, as the thing began to
get mysterious.
s.About two years ago, or longer, George
was on an Ohio river steamboat talk
ing to man in the saloon, when a gen
tleman came up and said Are you not
the lieutenant who was in command Of a
mortar battery near Blandford cemetery
at PetersburgT Yes. he answered,
And don't you remember two officers
coming to your battery one night and
saying that they had come out to sec
some mortar fring2' Yes: and have
been looking for them ever since.
= Well, / am one of them; am Gen.
-, of the Union army ct that time. and
my companion was Gen. -, also of tho
Union army i am very glad to meet
you, said Lieutenant Eggleston, but il
had known who you were at that time.
you would not be talking to me now.
$50 knew, then, was the reply. we
did start out to see mortar firing. lust
as told you: and we also intended 10