Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1891-05-06
A PUZZLED SOLDIER.
BY CHARLES DAILY DOUGLAS.

AT the time our regiment was engaged
IN active service in Virginia. My lieu
tenant met with an adventure which
was rather startling. He told it at his
own expense:
1t happened inst at dark, after one of
our longest and hardest marches in the
valley. / saw the head of our column
filing into the fields near Berry and
knew that the army was about to halt
for the night.
| was intolerably thirsty, and we had
travelled this road so often before that /
thought / could not be mistaken about
the location of a spring over in the hol-
low to the left, so l left the column to
find it. But find it could not
Much vexed at my i'll luck, and con-
Guiding that did not know much about
the topography of Virginia after all, /
turned about to retrace my steps, mean
ing to return to the road as soon as pos
sible. And here was disappointed j
walked 10 minutes without reaching it,
and then concluded that no length of
walking in that direction would be
likely to bring me to road.
In plain English, was lost and as it
had now grown dark, humbly acknowl-
edged to myself that l wished that was
with my regiment, but that did not ex-
actly know how to reach it. But not at
all discouraged. / resolved to bluuder
round until / struck some part of our
army, when l could get my direction.
Walking about 40 rods farther across the
fields, jumped the fence and alighted
with loud crash in heap of brush. At
the same instant voice about 10 feet be-
yond sternly shouted:
Halt Who comes there?"
The click of musket hammer accom-
panied the challenge.
"Friendl"-I answered.
advance and be recognized.
II reckon he's all right, Bill, / over.
heard another voice say in low tone.
"Some straggler, guess. Keep your gun
on him and we'll see.
called out: "Yes, I'm all right, as I'll
show you in a minute. What's your regi-
ment?"
My invisible vis-a-vis should not have
answered that question just at that time,
but he did, to my infinite CONSERVATION
and alarm.
Fifth Virginia.
A shiver ran through me. Fifth Vir-
ginia? Great Heaven, was it possible
Had wandered so far from our lines as
to encounter Early's pickets? / knew
that the armies had been moving all day
within musket shot of each other, but
had no thought that / was hazarding this
frightful danger in looking for the spring
had more unpleasant thoughts during
that half minute than l ever did in a
whole hour before.
Well, mister, the picket interrogated
be ye stone or Eastwood? Dye want to
squat there all night? Now come out o.
there mighty lively, or you'll be helped.
Gitl"
Just such talk as we heard from the
Confederate prisoners; just such style of
expression. tore myself out of the
brush and walked forward. Before had
advanced five steps was again ordered
to halt, and the number and style of my
regiment was demanded. With my mind
made up for Libby Prison, I replied:
Il am Lieutenant T, One Hundred
and Fourteenth, New York, Nineteenth
Corps.
AN officer, by thunder! Stuff More
likely he's spy" ;"
Keep easy, Bill. I'll go out and see.
A soldier in a blue blouse, with a cor
porars chevrons on his arm and blue
overcoat hanging from his shoulder, now
approached me and saluting me, he said:
Beg pardon, lieutenant; Bill couldn't
see who you was. All right now, sir;
you can pass.
Rather doubling the evidences of my
senses, / walked along with the corporal.
A few steps more brought me to Bill,
sturdy soldier in blue, with his jaws full
of tobacco. who was now striding back
and forth, humming @John Brown.
Where is the Nineteenth corps?n |
ventured
1On the left, / think, replied the cor
poral. @This is pretty near the right.
well, butt don't understand this at
all. What did the man mean moment
since by telling me that he belonged to
the Fifth virginiaP"
so he does, sir; so dc I, !" was the
prompt response. The Fifth Virginia
infantry, Colonel"
Well, hang it, sir, either you're drunk
or crazy, or am. Who commands this
army, I'd like to know?"
The corporal came close to me, and
carefully examined my face, no doubt to
assure himself that was not drunk or
crazy, before he replied:
General Sheridan, / believe
And do you mean to tell me that the
Fifth Virginia is under him2"
The tall soldier named Bill approached
near enough to US in his walk to catch
the drift of our conversation; and paus-
ing, broke out into loud laugh.
Well, now, that's richI Ny eve, cor.
poral-don't you see the joke? The lieu
tenant thinks we're rebelsl"
The puzzled countenance of the corpo
ral relaxed into smile, and he said:
i see now. You thought that all
Virginia troops must be in Early's army.
but that's a mistake. General Crook has
dozen or more Virginia regiments in
his corps, and about as good soldiers, too,
as any in the old Eighth. No, we're not
Confederates by a long shot.
l was glad enough to hear it; and bid
ding these two excellent soldiers good
night, with thanks for showing me the
way, bent my steps over toward the
bivouac of the Nineteenth Corps. But as
far as could hear the voices Of the men,
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