Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1890-07-11
FOOTBALLS IN THE WILDERNESS.

FOOTBALLS IN THE WILDERNESS.
A Melancholy Incident of the War of the
Rebellion.
Grant and Lee have had their first
struggle in the wilderness, as the
former seeks a new road to Richmond.
Amidst dense thickets. in lonely fields,
along narrow highways, in the somber
f%drests, 100, 600 men have fought back
wards and forwards, from SIN to sun,
aud now the night has come to SHIFT the
scene. There are 500 men lying dead
ON this battle ground. There are thou
sands more lying Misunderstanding
with thirst, crying out in their agony.
Lee still blocks the road, but no sooner
has the sur gone down thar Grant
begins a movement by the left flank to
pass him. If you can not cross a swamp
you must pass around it. My division
is one left between the two armies to
hide this movement. When morning
comes we shall be far in the rear. The
ground where we rest is broken. There
is a forest aid thicket-a narrow high
way-a creek-two or three small farms
with their buildings filled with
wounded men. Fifty rods in front OF a
log house is IL picket line, 1t skirts
the cleared land and runs away into
the darker woods on a straight line.
The neutral ground between us and
the enemy is a strip not over forty rods
wide.
At 10 O'clock on this night, when
the confusion and turmoil have grown
quiet, but while lanterns flash here and
there through the woods, as men search
for the wounded, 1 am left on post No.
7" for the coming two hours. My
place is under a pine tree which stands
in the cleared ground, and all along
the front is the forest-so dark that a
white horse might stand within 100 feet
of me and escape observation. 1t is a
starlight night, but clouds are drifting
across the sky and the wind ome in
that gusty way which warns you that a
storm is brewing at q distance.
For an hour there is no alarm. Grant
is moving by the flank. Lee is moving
to checkmate him. Grant has left a
line to mask his movement. Lee has
left q line to mask his. 1t has been a
long, terrible day. Darkness brings a
respite grateful to all. We have virtu-
ally said to each other over the neutral
ground:
"Let us alone and we won't disturb
YOU"
At II o'clock a noise in the dark
woods in front sends my blood leaping.
1t was the noise Of footsteps breaking
dry twigs. There are wounded horses
wondering about, but this was not the
footstep of a horse. Wounded men
may be seeking our lines, but L listen
in vain to catch a groan or o low call OF
distress.
step! Step! Step"
The sound is on my left front. Some
one is moving to get the shelter OF the
darker spot directly opposite. He is
moving carefully, but l can follow every
foot of progress.
"Step! Step! (HaltY Step! Step!"
(SilentlyD
Is it a ghoul seeking out the dead and
wounded to rob them? Is it a picket
from the other line seeking to locate
our posts and report how far away We
are? Is it some human devil seeking
to dabble his hands in blood after the
horrors of the day? Men who had
brothers or friends killed in battle by
daylight sometimes swore fearful ven.
geance, and went out upon the bloody
field at night to secure it.
Rustic! Step! (HaltY Step! Step!"
Coming closer!)
If [ raise an alarm here it will go III
and down the line and arouse a thou.
sand men in a moment II I let this
unknown approach me I may be assas
sinated. He can not see me in this
gloom, but he is slowly approaching il
a direct line.
Halt! Who goes there?"
Deep silence.
If he was a straggler from our lines
or a wounded man he would ma Ike
answer.
"Step! Step!" And now 1 hear HIN
sink down to the earth.
who goes there?"
Silence.
Who goes there?"
Silence.
I am waiting with musket raised ano
finger on the trigger. I have giver
fair warming. Friends could ask nc
more, and an enemy must realize hi.
OhuSc1s AS L Wa1U IL Souleull1uR uldh6s
a blot on the darkness. It is only 9
few feet away, and l fire point-blank.
There is one long shrill scream O.
agony. and l hear a body fall to the
earth, and then there is deep silence
for a moment.
"What is it?" asks the Corporal O:
the guard as he hurries up from the
reserve stationed scarcely 100 feet il
the rear.
"There-I've shot some one" g..
The alarm runs up and down the
lines to die away after five minutes, and
then we advance to the object. The
Corporal is there first. He reaches out
to touch, it draws back in alarm. anc
gasps: "Great heavens, but you have
shot a woman!"
1t was true. Some poor soul, crazei
BY the terrible sounds of battle-driver
from her humble home-hiding in somt
thicket until darkness came. Then
dumb as the trees around her, but
, guided by instinct. she sought to make