Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1885-10-09
County Officers.
GRANT AND THE EDITOR,
Alexander Sweet Tells How He Was Three
Times Thwarted by the Deceased
Soldier.

SiftangS, the confederate regiment that
had the honor to claim me as q high
private was stationed in northern Tex
as. The federal armies never seriously
invaded Texas until after the surren-
der of Gen. Lee. During the four years
of the war Texas was exempt from in
vasion by a hostile foe. The regiment
to which I belonged was stationed
most OF that''titie In Texas. Put these
two items together and one explains
the other. Thefederal authorities re-
fused to invade Texas as long as the
33d TEXAS cavalry was in the state. l
belonged to the SD. After the wal
was over, and we had disbanded, then
the federal forces occupied Texas, but
not before. We were under fire every
day, more or less-that is, camp fire,
FOR we had to do our own cooking.
The co%nfederacy did not furnish us
with cooks,
We were languishing in camp, pant
ing for a foeman worthy of our steel.
The confederate farmers who raised
chickens, hogs, w~atermelons, ETC., in
the vicinity OF our camp were also anx-
ious that we should meet the hireling
foe-that is, if we had to go away to
meet him. They wanted some of their
chickens for themselves. In fact, the
%depredations made on their livestock
by the SD Texas cavalry resulted in
The development of a, strong union
sentiment, which still exists in that
ne%ighborhood.
One day, while.I was busy picking a
chicken, Lieut.. Vinten came to my
mess. He was smiling so c%opiously
that l imagined he was going to sit
around until dinner was served up,
but prospects of fried chicken were
not uppermost in his thoughts, for he
said:
''Alex, we are in luck. I've got good
news fol. YOU"
"Has Lee taken Washington? Is the
war over without the Yankees getting
a whack at the 33d2"
''No;'but I've been detailed to 90 to
San Antonio with six men, and you are
II of Them We will have a nice
time of it. We will establish a camp
near town, and will have good smok-
ing tobacco and hot biscuits, and
whisky, particularly whisky, and we
will be four hundred miles further
away from the Yankees than we are
now"
AS my home was in San Antonio |
was so much pleased that | invited
Lieut.. 'inton 10 stop and have some
OF the fried chicken. After dinner was
over it occurred to me to ask him what
sort OF detached service we were to
perform at San Antonio.
"Press mules,' was the reply.
There may be some persons who do
not grasp the term. 1t did not mean
that we were to squeeze mules in the
physical sense of the word. We were
on detached service for the purpose of
dctaching mules from their owners for
the benefit of the confederacy.
There We're in Texas quite a number
of very ardent confederate farmers
who objected to taking confederate
money in payment for forage, mules,
or anything else. At that time one sill
yer dollar could purchase about 5000
in confederate money, new issue. This
may have had something to do with
the tenacity with which some of the
most bitter confederates adhered to
their mules and forage. Our mission
in San Antonio was to raise mules after |
the Mexican prestamo fashion, Sol
diers who had kept the federal armies
out OF Texas year after year would be
part with his mule.
In due time Lieut.. Vinton and his
six men reached the Alamo city. After
resting, a day or SO we proceeded to Sc
lect a camp OF the Olnlos creek near
a corral, after which Lieut.. Vinton
rode to San Antonio to the post COM
mander, in order to obtain information
as to where the mules were. He cane
back in q very short time and l went
out to meet him. There was a pecu-
liar expression on his face which [ had
never noticed before. ..... 3.
swell, lieutenant. when are we go
ing to press mules? lam fairly aching |
to press a mule"
'1t's too late. The. war is over"
"Hurrah for the southern confeder-
acy."
Shut up, you blank fool"
Lee has captured Washington!' l
yelled.
Captured sheol! Grant has cap
tured Lee"
1 sat down on a stump in a dazed
sort OF q way and listened to the ill.,
credible news.
80 the mules will not be pressed?"
'Aot by ne. l am going to Brazil"
and he turned his horses head in that
direction, and l saw him no more.
Thus was my plan to press a mule
shWarted by Gen. Grant. I'll probably
never have another chance. 1t was
no longer safe to press mules for the
aonfcdcracy, and Grant was to blame
for it.
That was rot tho only time Grant
interfered with my plans. In the sum
ner of 1879, fourteen years afterward,
| was q reporter on the Galveston News.
One day l wanted to go fishing. l
consulted with the proprietors Of the
taalan. ahS,,l e. ODD 4l.a. sa;l xA-~ IS