The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-12-20

It was an hour aft dark before we
went into camp and another hour before
fires were lit. The old sergeant who
acted as my guard was an Irishman,
and had been in the regular army in
Texas when the war broke out, had
talked with Phelin during the day and
a,was not little surprised to find him an
out and out Confederate, with I'M
bounded faith in the outcome OF the
cause with which he was associated and
the profoundest contemnt for the YAM
kee
But Phelin, like many of his COM
patriots ''to the manor born," had a
warm heart under a rough exterior.
Soon after the fires were started he
brought me some corn bread and bacon
and then found me place of shelter
from the rain in one of the wagons, in
which he proposed to spend the night
himself.
'slf we only had a little money be-
tween u.s. explained Phelin. as he
threw himself on a pile of corn sacks
beside me. ST know where could get
something that d keep out the cold bet
ter nor overcoat.
"What is it?'' l asked.
"Whisky," he whispered. some OF
the transfers has two gallon jug that
he shtole last night from a gin'ral Off
Ger, an he'll sell quart chape."
elbow oheap?''
''It's worth its weight in solid goold q
night like this, but he's only akin twin
ty dollars the bottle.'' replied Phelin.
drew one hundred dollar bill from
the wad obtained from Captain Jones
and told the sergeant to buy the whis-
XIV and keep the balance, an arrange
ment that gave him an immediate re-
spect for at least one Yankee.
Although Kentuclzian, cared moth
ing for whisky, had never wet my lips
with it before the war, nor tasted 1T a
dozen times since. but swear it did me
good that night, and it might have had
the same effect on Phelin had he not
felt that it was his duty to drink while
there was drop left, and then to go off
bowling like maniac through the camp
till the provost marshal bucked and
gagged him and left him to cool off in
the rain.
l never saw the sergeant again. l
was sleeping soundly about an hour be-
fore day when a hoarse voice shouted
into the wagon:
s'Turn out thar! the primers is goin'
to be sent ahead!'
Feeling stiff and sore from the cold
and the fall of the day before, crept
out and was led over to a fire about
which were standing forty or fifty men
in blue uniforms and one oficer-Cap'
tain Dawson, who had been in command
of band of Union men recruited in the
adjacent mountains of North Carolina.
These men had been captured in the
skirmishing of the day before, and as
they were without blankets or overcoats
they suffered intensely from the cold.
A company Of infantry, Of the home
guard stripe, was detailed to take the
prisoners on to Bristol, at which point
it was said, we should find cars to trans
port the officers to Libby and the Ell
| listed men to Belle Isle.
I have often wanted to forget the
hardships Of that march and our painful
Journey to Richmond, but it is burned
into my memory. On the way tried tc
comfort myself with the hope that
Wharton had forgotten his threat o,
that it would be lost sight of in the
| many transfers from guard to. guard
but I was doomed to disappointment
destined to be held as a hostage for the
! man whose life had been so eager tt
save ......+