The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-01-05

A moment aftcrward, tbs orderly Of the
second company appeared and took COM
mand IN like manner.
Five minutes afterward the lieutenant
colonel ordered me to look after the .pickcts.
In tho darkness. ] moved tho pickets to-
wards the enemy. Each man ooh his in
tervals. STOPPING cloae To the ground aud
looking up | could see their forms outlined
against the sky. I could name each conn
rade by his outline. The ground was COW
cred with the killed and wounded. Occa-
sionally a wounded man tried to crawl to-
ward our line. Everything. even the stumps.
seemed to be moving. The pun were
packed around dead horses. They crawlcd
there TO escape the bullets. using each
carcass as n shelter. While STOPPING to
thcxearth and glancing skyward | saw q
foim moving past our line. Beyond l
could SEQ the outline of Corporal Mason, q
member of our regiment. ! called him TO
me. We accosted the stranger. He was n
confederate picket. The lines were passing
each other in the darkness. When asked
what regiment he belonged to he replied:
THE Thirteenth Mississippi"
well. off with your traps" / said.
Were Jerseymcn."
Good Godr.' he exclaimed, not in terror,
but astonishment.
Away went his cow-skin knapsack. He
threw down his gun and shook off his &C
coutrements.
You'd better keep your haversacs," !
said, you'll want that"
1t was made of undressed cowskin. a
pair of new shoes were tied to it. He ex~
pressed great anxiety concerning the shoes.
He was afraid that some Yank would con-
fiscate them.
At this moment We were called in. He
was my prisoner. / told him to stick close
to me and l would protect him. He said
that he lived in Pontiac, Miss, and that he
was Il printer. Being a printer myself this
NQFntaI mn fOHUlrl him WHQn L T6ACn0u
the line the regiment was moving OIL in
the darkness. 1t moved back n mile or
more till it reached the eartlworkS near
Banks ford. They had been thrown up by
Wilcox's and jenkins confederate brigades
some days before this. Below them a pom
toon bridge was being laid, upon which we
were to recross the Rappahannock. Before
we reached the earthworks the confederate
prisoner had enlisted my ~syDpathies. HIS
heart was nearly broken. He had fought
with the army Of Virginia in every battle
since It's formation. He was %anxiously
seeking promotion.
II am the unluckiest vermint IN the
world" he said to me. II never could get
shut of bad luck. Now, if ! hadn't been
catched here tonight, / would have been
been made a corporal tomorrow. The cap
tain told me that the colonel was a-goln' to
make me a corporal, but my bad lucks
turned up again. I've been totinR it all my
life, and / don't see nary a chance OF pro-
now"
His feelings were so deep and his voice
SO broken, that / fancied there were tears
in his eyes. My sympathies oyercame my
sense of duty. l had had considerable bad
myself. I finally turned to him. as we
were passing a dead horse, and said: See
here, partner, you just slip out and lay
down on the other side of that horse. Your
will be along here inside of
half an hour. Shake off your bad luck.
stand in the way"
As he was about to take cover he discov-
cred that somebody had cut the shoes from
his cow-skin haversack. He felt their loss
deeply. But he ran to cover and we passed
Next day Charlie M%ulligan, Of Belle
Vile, wore the Shoes.
That night we lay in the trenches for
three hours. The Johnnies had ascertained
what was going on and were Smelling the
.pontoons and the earthworks. They were
Using mortars, for we could see the fuses of
he shells making p%arabolas in the air, and
near us. 1t was three O'Clock III
he morning when we descended the hill
md crossed the river on the p%ontoons.
AMOS j. CUMMINGS.
Cnpvri0hf-