Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1885-07-20
A WAR PICNIC.

While Longstreet was in front of
Suffolk, writes Ned Buntline, pecking
at us with Wright's batteries, instead
of coming in and ''wiping us out" as
he could have done before we were
reinforced, report came in that he
massing a heavy force to the south
east of our lines, our weakest point
of defence. To learn the true state
of things at that point l was sent
with small scouting party by the
way of the Shingle company's canal
into Lake Drummond, to scout from
theuce south of the Dismal swamp.
Going in skiffs, we reached land
ing on tolerably solid ground, and
camped for the night on little knoll
in a dense thicket of scrub pine,
half mile or thereabouts from the
point of landing. Of course, | had
sentinels well out from our bivouac,
for we knew from many sounds that
the enemy were not far from us. All
was well through the night and at
dawn we made coffee and cooked
some venison that 1 had got from old
Duke at the head of the canal as we
came by his place on the previous af-
ternoOn. The sentinels were called
in to breakfast, for there seemed to
be no immediate danger. We had
just squatted to our coffee and grist
when a sound struck our ears which
made every man in silence spring up
and grasp his Sharp's carbine. 1t
was the heavy tread of men. We
had just got our arms in hand when
dozen men in rebel gray, lead by
lieutenant over six feet high and
lean as nail, broke right through
the bush in front of us.
In a second, while both parties
stood at ready, the lieutenant cried
out:
"Hold on, Yanks If you 'uns
won't shoot, we 'uns'll hold fire.
That coffee smells mighty good-we
'uns haven't had none for a year.
We've lots of tobacco, though"
He and his men looked as gaunt
and hungry, and so little like ene-
mics just then that cried out:
''If you'll stack your arms out
there and trust to us, you shall share
in grub and coffee, and then be free
to go back and fight it out if you
want to-"
"Good as sweet corn! We 'uns
are mighty hungry, you bet!'
They at once stacked arms, and
we did the same, and while our cook
put more coffee and more steak on
the fire we sat there on the ground,
the blue and gray, and talked as If
we were old friends. Not about the
war or its causes, but about camp
life and other things.
And the way our coffee went down,
with hard tack and juicy venison
steak, would have satisfied the
proudest landlord that ever Dragged
of his table.
After we had filled up, the Virgin.
ians brought out their tobacco and
did their share of treating. The
lieutenant had a huge canteen of old
peach brandy, and that went the
rounds.
After we had got so friendly ]
asked the lieutenant how he came IL
be at that point. He replied:
81 was sent to watch lest you 'uns
came this way in force to take
US on the flank. Our main force Is
massed in front. where the batteries
are ready to go in if you 'uns weak
en-, and the old man (Longstreet)
was afeared you might come through
the swamp and tackle us in the rear
What were you 'uns doing here ?
"Just out on hunt for fresh meat
got this deer last night
"Well the best o'luck to you. Yo,
don't feel like fighting now, do you p
'sNot if you boys don't 1t woule
be a pity to spoil this picnic that way
So we all shook hands, traded coffee
for tobacco, and separated, at leas
for them, as friends.
The next day on the lines we wer'
all throwing lead and iron at eacl
other.