Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1891-07-16
pInNEp woMAN 70 IHe GROUND.
The Matter Made Les. serioas BY the
Fact That She Wore Army Shoes.

The Matter Made Less Serioas by the
Fact That She Wore Army shoes.
Richard NJ. Sommers. the foreman Of
the roller department in the mint, was
recently chatting with some Of the men
who had seen service in the late war,
and, after relating an interesting advent
ure that had occurred in 1862. said:
But never was so frightened in my
life as | was the day | pinned fair
young rebel to the ground with my bay.
onet. thought had killed her.
The circumstances were these: In
August, 1868, when the Philadelphia
brigade was moving toward Mine Run,
Va, was detailed from my command,
the Seventy-first Pennsylvania volun-
teers, known as Bakers California regi-
ment, to watch a farmer who wasNbe-
lieved to be a spy.
In order to throw him off his guard
and also to enable me to learn the better
whether he was a spy or not, was in
structed to report at his house, on the
Mountain View farm, in Fauquier coun-
ty, and state that | had come there by
command of Colonel w. Penn Smith, in
in order to protect his home from any
struggling soldiers that might trespass
with view to foraging on the premises
was we'll received by the family,
who, living in that out of the way coun-
try, were quite timid and in constant
fear of the passing troops. was housed
there, and fed at their expense, and soon
/ realized that the hospitality Of Vir-
ginia's first families was all that it was
reported to be. The two pretty girls,
sisters, one a blonde and the other
brunette. were at first little shy of the
"wild Yankee" as they called Inc, but
we soon became friends, however, al
though they would persist in telling me
the Confederate cause was just, and that
the Union troops were invaders, and all
that sort of thing.
The Mountain View farm covered a
good many acres Of ground, but the
owner was poor at that time, and "sweet
sixteen" as called the pretty blonde,
had no shoes with which to cover her
we'll shaped little feet. Now | had a
brand new pair of army shoes in my
knapsack and fairly good pair on my
feet. | asked her if she would wear my
new pair if / would make her present
Of them. She seemed little loath to
accept them at first, not because of pride,
but because she thought it unfair to take
them from a soldier who might soon
stand in need of them himself. But at
last she did accept them, and was real
we'll pleased to do so. OF course, they
were mile too big for her, but that
didn't matter. She soon got used to
them.
1t used to be her custom 20 watch for
foraging soldiers and then to send me
after them to drive them away One
morning she said: "Oh, Yank! there is {,
forager out there Don't you see him?
There he gees under the trees over there.
/ started out after the intruder, but
Iran all over the part of the farm indi-
Gated without seeing any one. 1t was
very warm, and was very warm and
tired when | returned. On seeing her /
told her that could find no one, when
she laughed right in my face and said:
81 just fooled the wild Yank for fun. '
1t was fun for her, but not for me. How
ever, laughed with her. Just then
put my gun down on the ground, as was
my habit, bayonet downward, intending
to stick it into the ground and thus LET
the piece stand reversed, but instead OF
that | stuck it through her shoe and
pinned the beautiful girl fastl
was never so frightened in my life
as / was then | would not have harmed
the young woman for the world; she had
become to me like sister.
Maybe ! wasn't glad when | saw 8
twinkle in her bright, blue eyes, and
heard her sweet voice ringing in laugh
ter as she said:
"Well, Yank, you did not hurt me 6
bit; you know these shoes are trift
large for me, and your b&yonet just wen
through the upper and sole without graz
ing my toes"
was rejoiced to hear her talk thai
way, assure you. was taken away
from there in a few days after that, il
having been found that her father was
not what he was suspected to be. But
often thought about that family, espe
cially of one member, in my marches
and in later years, but never met agail
with any member of it. Not even will
my pretty "sweet sixteen" friend, for
was engaged in great deal of activ'
service in the army, and when wa
mustered out of it returned to Phila
delphia and never went back to Virginia
philadelphia Press.