Helena weekly herald. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1867-1900, 1885-07-09
ON THE PICKET LINE.
ADVENTURES WHICH NEVER FOUND
PLACE IN OFFICIAL REPORTS.
Fed aud Confed Meeting Half Way
shaking Hands and Exchanging News
papers-Conee- Hungry Confeder-
ate >harp,hooters

Inter Ocean ''CGrbstone Crayons."l
a good many of those picket-line adven-
lures said gentleman in the railway
mail service. never found place in the Off
cial reports or the letters OF army cores
pondeniS. They were IN every case viola
tion, of instructions, ana TO have spoken OF
them 10 superior officers would have been to
invite punishment; 50 by sort OF free
masonry of the picket-line some OF the most
startling adventures Of private soltiers
never went 10 record. As for myself, / was
n little conscientious in the matter Of obey
ing orders, and only in one case did l make
any departure from the strict line Of a SOL
dier's duty. IL was while We were IN front
of Chattanooga that it became fashionable
along the picket-line 10 exchange papers.
The plan was for Confederate who wanted
a paper TO come 10 the front, shake a south
ern paper a flag of truce, and in this way
invite exchange.
The pickets on either side in that inn
mediate vicinity would cease firing. The
Union soldier would start from his line and
the Confederate from his line, and they
would meet half way. shake hands, exchange
papers, and. If there were no officers in
sight sit down and have a chat. This had
been kept up for several days when there
came all order from headquarters tnat no
more papers should be exchanged. But the
boys choosing their time for exchange, con-
tinued the practice against orders. There
came "A week, however, in which no rebel
responded to waving, or shaking. or futter-
ing of paper or handkerchief, and we knew
then that orders against exchange had been
issued on that side a. well ours
but one morning quite early my partlsr
discovered IA man OH the rebel lsne iranti-
caIly waving large paper. He suggested tina,
We sllpaway from the reserve anu 90 out and
see what the man wanted lie took paper.
waved It, and we started toward the rebel
front Whea we had procee lei about half
way to the point OF meeting tue fellow
ceasei 10 wave his paper. We were puzzlei
at this, but finally concluded that he was
down in a hollow and We would see him
when he came high ground. SO We
walked on and walked without warning
into group of soldier, at the rebel picket
post.
The men We're just rea iy TO take break
fast, and after the first hurry they joked us
a good deal about our extraordinary will
ingne.s to get into their clutches at break
fast time. When we spoke Of the exchangs
OF papers the officer in charge informed u
and that ali his men understood. it. As thi-
was the case he took the position that we
had come willingly into their lines, and that
he could not allow us 10 return- / saw at
once that his men disagreed with him. but
the question was how were TO get away.
My partner, who had been a soldier in
Germany. exhibited the greatest noncha-
lance. and he joined in the jokes at our ex'
pense and proposed that he make the boys
some coffee that was coffee. The Confeier.
ates had a very poor excuse for that article,
and without more ado he proceeded to make
little kettle OF coffee, the aroma Of which
seemed u fascinate the coffee hungry sharp
shooters. When he had poured the coffee
into the cups and had expatiated on the good
it would do the men he took up his rife and
said to me, Now let us start for our own
line ! followed him, and not a rebel sol
dier on that picket-post lowered the cup OF
coffee from his lips. or looked in our direc
tion. never disobeyed orders after that