Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1886-07-14
A Story Of tho War.

From Mark Twain's "Private His
tory of Campaign that Failed,'' in the
Century, we take this incident:
''For time life was idly delicious, it
was perfect; there was nothing to mar
it. Then came some farmers with an
alarm one day. They said it was
rumored that the enemy were adj
vancing in our direction, from over
Hyde prairie. The result was sharp
stir among us, and general consterna-
ton. It was rude awakening from
our pleasant trance. The rumor was
but rumor-nothing definite about it;
so, in the confusion, we did not know
which way to retreat. Lyman was for
not retreating at all, in these uncertain
circumstances; but he found that if he
tried to maintain that attitude he
would fare badly, for the command
were in no humor to put up with in-
subordination. So he yielded the point
and called council of war-to consist
of himself and the three other officers;
but the privates made such fuss about
being left out, that we had to allow
them to remain, for they were already
present, and doing the most of the
talking too. The question was, which
way to retreat but all were so Hurried
that nobody seemed to have even a
guess to offer, except Lyman. He
explained in few calm words, that in
asmuch as the enemy were approach
ing from over Hyde's prairie, our
course was simple: all we had to do
was not to retreat toward him; any
other direction would answer our needs
perfectly. Everybody saw in a
wise; SO Lyman got great many COM
pliments. 1t was now decided that we
should fall back on Mason's farm.
1t was after dark by this time, and as
We could not know how soon the ene-
my might arrive, it did rot seem best
to try to take the horses and things
with us; so we only took the guns and
ammunition, and started at once. The
route was very rough and billy and
rocky, and presently the night grew
very black and the rain began to fall;
so we had troublesome time of it,
struggling and stumbling along in the
dark; and some person soon slipped
and fell, and then the next person be-
hind stumbled over him and fell, and
80 did the rest, one after tho other; and
then Bowers came with the key of
powder in his arms, while the COM
mand were all mixed together, arms
and legs, on the muddy slope; and so
he fell, Of course. with the key, and
this started the whole detachment
down the hill in body. and they land
ed in the brook at the bottom in pile.
and each that was undermost pulling
the hair and scratching and biting those
that were on top of him; and those
that were bcing scratched and bitten
scratching and biting the rest in their
turn, and all saying they would die
before they would ever 60 to war again
if they ever got out of this brook this
time, and the invader might rot for all
they cared, and the country along with
him-and all such talk. as that, which
was dismal to hear and take part in,
in such smothered, low voices, and such
a grisly dark place and SO wet, and the
enemy may be coming any moment.
The key of powder was lost, and the
guns too !; so the growing and COM
planning continued straight along
whilst the bri gade paved around the
pasty hillside and stopped around in
the brook hunting for these things :;
consequently we lost considerable time
in this; and then we heard a sound,
and held our breath and listened, and
it seemed to be the enemy coming,
though itcould have been COW, for
it had a cough like COW; bu. we did
not wait, but left couple of guns be-
hind and struck out for Mason's again
as briskly as we could scramble in the
dark. But we got lost presently among
the rugged little rayincs, and wasted a
deal of time finding the way again, so
it was after nine when We reached Ma
son s stile at last; and then before we
could open our mouths to give the
countersign several dogs came bound
ing over the fence, with great noise
and riot, and each of them took a SOL
der by the slack of his trousers and
begau to back away with him. We
could not shoot the dogs without
endangering the persons thew were
attached to 80 we had to look on, help
less. at what was the most Notifying
spectacle of the civil war. There was
light enough, and to spare, for the
Mason's now run out of the porch
with candles in their hands: The old
man and his son came and undid the
dogs without difficulty, all but Bow
er's !; but they couldn't undo his dog,
they didn't know his combination !;
he was of the bull kind. and seemed
to be set with Yale tlme-lock; but
| they got him loose at last with some
scalding water, of which Bowers got
his share and returned thanks. Peter
son Dunlap afterwards made up fine
name for this engagement, and also
for the night march which preceded
it, but both have long ago faded out
of memory. T..
"Good-isye, Old Body"
In one of the hospital stories of the
late war there is NAMED soldiers
touching apostrophe, beginning "Good-
bye. old arm" He had just lost his
right arm by 'amputatiop, and saw it