The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-02-23


road toward Manassas until we overlook Pope's
ordnance train, to which we had been attached
as guards for several months. Ten o'clock
came, but no regiment. / was informed by
the Lieutenant commanding the ordnance
train, that in all probability We would be cut
off and maybe captured, but we must stay I'M
til the appointed time at all hazards. and if we
found that we were cut off, we should abandon
the car and make our way down the river and
meet the regiment for which the ammunition
was intended. We were all on the car ready
to start, but one of the boys suggested that we
stay Is minutes longer lest the Lieutenant
should say, or think at least, that we got scared
and ran away ahead of time; and we did so to
our sorrow, for just as we made the first stroke
with the lever we heard troops approaching,
when we stopped and of course we were all
looking down the river expecting to see our
own troops, when we saw regiment of South
ern cavalry, not over 40 rods distant coming
down on US at 2:40 gait. sang ont, Boys /!
let her fiy!" for | had a holy horror of rebel
prisons. Well, I'll wager my old musket that
that handle was under full Roadway as quick
as ever hand-ear was in this world. Did
they chase us? Well, should say they did.
Did you ever hear the Johnnies yell? Ingins
amt nowhere, and especially in a race like
that, for the fun was all on the other side. If
we had only showed the ammunition off, it
would have lightened US up, and of course, we
could have run faster. / thought of it, but
didn't like the idea of furnishing them with
powder and lead to shoot US with.
| was soon convinced that it didn't take
much of a horse to outrun a heaviiy-loaded
hand-car, but you see fortune and fences favor
ed us. 1t SO happened that instead of the
wag0n-road running parallel with the railroad,
| the railroad ran across sections, while the
wagon-road followed the section lines, and
would cross the railroad about every half-mile
more or less, and while they were making the
angles we were making a straight cut, and we
| always managed, by the hardest of hard work
| to make the crossings barely out of guushot,
I though they tried their carbiues on Us a few
| times. After hard chase of about four miles
we crossed ravne and strip of timber, and
/ suppose they thought it wouldn't be good
| policy to dash into the woods without know
| ing first what was in there, aud to our great
| relief let up on u.s. but we didn't let up much
| until we overlook our train six miles farther
on, only to find it cut off from the main army
and almost surrounded. But we had the salts
faction of piling our little load of ammuni
ton and about 20 wagon loads, besides max
ing grand bonfire out Of the whole, and
every man straddling horse and leading on'
or two more starting east toward the Potoma
River Night overtaking us, it was every fel
low for himself and the Johnnies take thu
hindmost; and how we got away / dont
| know. Perhaps Lieut.. Augustiene, of the Reg
ular Army, can, If he is still living, and l hop
he is, for he was a good fellow; but l neve
heard of him from that day to this.-R. r
BRATToN, Co. E, 9th Ind, Island Lake, OAK