The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1885-03-21

'lileo' finA at any moment throw the
line linen confusion.
Alond about midnight, as I was
convFsflg in low tones with Private
JoseRh Roberts, an aged Scotch
lrlsf1man from western Pennsylya-
nia.7 tmuch fuller of talk than of
plucH-on the centre post of the pick
ct, With startling suddenness, out
rang the crack Of a musket, followed
by ahother, and another, and then
the clAtter of dozen pair of brogand
feet, I'll running at full speed for cov-
er from the attack of an imagined EN-.
envy, under the bluff at the landing.
After waiting to assure myself that
there was really no occasion for the
alarm hnd consequent retreat, left
my companion, with orders to keep
sharp lookout, and to be perfectly
quiet, and started in the direction of
the landing with the purpose of lee
turing the frightened runaways a
bit, ana sending them back to their
posts. But the scare was worse than
l supposed it to be, and my efforts to
correcNthe mistake came near costing
me my pwn life. For, as l descend
ed the Aluff by an old road to the
landing, mot at all careful to avoid
the noise naturally resulting from a
dowH.hilf walk over rough and
stony road in the dark, my approach
was taken for that of an enemy-or
rather, a troop of the enemy. Too
much excited to think of ascertaining
whether the whole detail had retreat
ed, and now under the command of
the Captain, with part of his night
cap still IN his head, he ordered the
boys hastily to reload their pieces,
and forming line, they prepared,
under the captains directions, to fire
upon the approaching enemy! Be-
coming aware, through the orders
given, that | was in danger from my
own men, / called out, "Steady there
on the landing! 1t is but the officer
of the picket approaching you" But
my call did not avail; itrather added
to the alarm of the captain. One af-
ter the other l heard the orders,
sharp and quick, which was
necessary to bring the men to their
work. Still l called, even naming
myself and the captain, but all to no
purpose. "Ready !" | heard him
command; "Aim ~ came after; and
now I knew there was but a moment
in which to do the thing necessary
to save my life. l was not Is to 20
PAGES from the line of muskets point
ed directly at me, and the lips part
ing to give the last fatal order, "fire!"
In that moment | had many Thoughts;
yet what could / do? Dark as it was
l could see my comrades ranged upon
the bank; and though they could not
see me-for the view was against the
dark bluff, and was standing in the
shadow of some small treeS-the
space between was so short, and my
position so well defined by my step
and voice, that, should they fire, GER
tainly one or more of the dozen speed
ing balls would strike me. To this
day, | cannot understand how | pre-
served the degree of composure which
1 felt-I really seemed to myself
more concerned for the blunder the
captain and men were about to make
than for my own safety. Fortunate
ly, among the men was one less excl
ted than the rest, an intimate friend,
my own college and class mate, Pri-
vate Battin, a bashful Quaker youth,
of Chester county, Pa, who running
to the captain, brought him to COM
prehend that the enemy he was about
to fire upon was only the officer of
the picket. So, was delivered from
a peril which | did not fully appreci-
ate. 1 claimed the privilege of de-
livering the intended lecture to my
men; convinced them of their error
in taking the splash and rumble of the
water for the tramping of an enemy,
and led them back to their posts.
And that was the last needless alarm
on the line.
I spent many subsequent night
on picket duty, but never one in
which my personal danger was great
er. My captain saw the undesira-
bleness of putting a night cap inside
of his head, and if this story were
laid before him to-day, as he sits in
his Office in the city of Milwaukee,
as Superintendent of Presbyterian
Missions in the Northwest, he would
think it interesting reading, and
would, no doubt, be strangely inn
pressed with the difference between
the Jolly Captain j. w, s., Battery
&C." of q years ago, and sober Rec.
j. w. S. of to-day.
Some people say there is no harm
in RIM if Won hut LET if alone Isn't