Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1891-08-07

oct ~! psie OF our army, when 1 could
ge5 my direction. Walking about fortu
r re- further across the fields I iumne y
me fence and alighted with a la,,d
crash IN heap of brush. At the Same
instant, voice about fifteen feet ho.
You'd sternly shouted: N0' W
~ Halt! Who comes there?"
Inc cilck OF musket hammer &C.
companled the challenge.
tnend!" [ answered, STRUGGLING 10
eAtricate myself from my entangle-
Advance and be recognized!"
reckon he's all right, Bill" I
overheard a another voice say, in q low
zone. Some straggler, I guess. Keen
yonr gun on him, and we'll seq"
1t required little time for mo ~
GEAR myself from the brush; and feel
ing little nervous at the idea of hay-
ing cooked musket covering me, I
called OUT
Yes, I'm all right, as I'll show Won
In minute. What's your regiment ?"
My invisible Wis avis should not have
answered that question lust at that
time, but he did. to my infinite con
sternation and alarm.
Fifth Virginia"
A shiver ran through me; was in
stantly possessed with despair. Fifth
Virginia? Great heaven, was it pos
slble! Had wandered so far from
our lines as to encounter Early's
pickets? 1 knew that the armies had
been moving all day within musket-
shot OF each other, but [ had no
thought that I was hazarding this
frightful danger in looking for the
spring, which [ now wished at the bot
tom of the Atlantic. I had more un-
pleasant thoughts during that half
minute while stood quaking in that
brush-heap than I ever did in whole
hour before.
well, mister" the picket interro-
gated, "be We stone or Eastwood?
Dye want to squat there all night?
Now come out O there mighty lively,
or you'll be helped. Git!"
just such talk as we heard from the
Confederate prisoners; just such style
OF expression. Perfectly hopeless, [
tore myself out of the brush and
walked forward. Before I had adj
vanced five steps I 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 Hun
dred and Fourteenth New York, Nine
teenth Corps"
can officer, by thunder! Stuff!
More likely he's spy"
Keep easy, Bill. I'll go out and
see."
A soldier in blue blouse and pants,
with corporal's chevrons on his arm,
blue overcoat hanging from his shout
der, and one of the Springfield mus
kets in his hand, now approached me,
and scrutini1ed my face and dress.
Saluting me. he said:
"Beg pardon, lieutenant; Bill
couldn't see who you was. ALI right
now, sir; you can pass"
Rather doubling the evidence of my
senses, and still gratifed to find that
was not prisoner, 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
with his musket at right-shoulder-
shift. humming "John Brown"
"Where is the Nineteenth Corpse" I
ventured.
"On the left, I think" replied the
corporal. "This is pretty near the
right"
"Well, but I don't understand this
at all. What did the man mean mo-
ment since by telling me that he be-
longed to the Fifth Virginia
$50 he does, sir; so do T." was the
prompt response. "The Fifth Virginia
Infantry, Colonel ~"
well, hang it, sir, either you're
drunk or crazy, or | am. Who com
mands 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
OF crazy, before he replied:
General Sheridan, I believe"
Sand do you mean to tell me that
the Fifth Virginia is under him."
The tall soldier named Bill APP
preached near enough to us in his walk
to catch the drift Of our conversation;
and pausing, broke out into loud
laugh
"Well, now that's rich! My eve,
corporal-don't you see the joke? The
lieutenant thinks we're rebels"
The puzzled countenance of the cor
poral relaxed into smile, and said !:
II see now. You thought that all
Virginia troops must be in Early's
army, but that's mistake. General
Crook has q 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 long shot"
L was glad enough to hear it: and
bidding both these excellent soldiers
good ight, with thanks for showing
me the way, I bent my steps over
toward the bivouac of the Nineteenth
Corps. But as far as I could hear the
voices of the men. Bills loud guffaw
reached my ears, coupled with the