St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-06-01

the fire, and they got away as fast as
possible. These were my last shots
from my Spencer rife during the war
AT daylight we mounted and tried to
overtake this band, but they had es-
capped to the mountains. We captured
that day about dozen of the regular
confederate soldiers. We returned to
Winchester with our prisoners. Near
Sfrasburg L noticed that one of the
prisoners, boy, whose feet were frost
bitten, had become lame. l walked and
let him ride my horse TO Winchester,
eighteen miles. When we reached the
infantry picket line, near Winchester.
"Richmond'S taken!" yelled the pick
cts. After we passed the picket line
every soldier we met cried out, Erich
mond's takenp'
The people in Winchester were nearly
all at the doors and windows. When
we passed the little house did not see
Miss Eva, but her mother, who was
standing there, bowed and said: Where
: is your horse % l told. her prisoner
was riding him, but it made no differ
ence-l was ''Only corporal" When
we returned to camp we found our regi-
ment very jolly-the government had
treated the boys ON the fall of Rich
| mond.
Z WHAT THE BIG GUNS SAID.
Some days later our brigade moved to
Berryville. On the night of April
those powerful guns stationed on the
Maryland heights, above Harper's
Ferry. told US that Gen. Lee had sur
rendered. When Gen. Lee surrendered,
MOsby's command was not included in
the surrender. Mosby was then In
Loudon and FauquIer counties, Vir-
ginia.
April Is the different regiments of the
brigade were ordered out in different
directions to bring Mosby's men in
That night, while on camp guard, saw
the scout, who told me that the man in
gray Miss Eva was talking with,
when Uncle Sammy said she was
visiting, was none other than her dar-
ling Confederate officer, who had been
captured at the Fishers Hill fight, been
exchanged, and had got through the
lines to see his sweetheart. Its too
late to capture him now. The big guns
say Lee has surrendered the Army of
Northern Virginia. and the officer be-
longed to that army"
We heard more big guns. They kept
up mighty laundering, which the boys
said meant that Gen. Joe Johnston had
surrendered. Although the guns were
twenty-five miles away, they sounded
as II they were close to US. A
sergeant of the Twenty first New
York cavalry said to his cap
tain: That means that Joe John
ston has surrendered, doesn't it?''
Never" said the captain. "You no
tIce that those guns are every three
minutes" Anather captain of that
regiment, West Pointer, when ques-
toned, said: Il can't tell what it
means. After so much good news,
hope it's nothing bad" The next morn
Ing at Gaybreak we heard that Abra-
ham Lincoln had been assassinated
April IA, and had died the next day.
Then we knew what the big guns had
been trying TO tell us.
In few days our brigade was Or
dered to Washington, where ! was dis
charged May 30. The war was over.
In June, 1865, took a trip through
the Shenandoah valley. AS / looked
over the green fields thought of these
scenes, the awful and wonderful expert
ences in battles and SkirniShes, the
charges and retreats over fences and
thlckets, through grain fields and
Swamps, in sunshine and storm. at noon
day and at midnight. A great change
had taken place. In a place where
hundreds of Confederate dead had lain
half-bured in 1864 was a field smiling
with golden grain. In piece of an old
bombShell | saw growing bunch of
red-top clover.
r When [ drove up to the little house
in Winchester where Miss Eva had
lived. learned that she had married
the Confederate officer, and, with her
mother. had gone West. l looked at
the tree where had cut the rough
characters. They had changed. The
'P. CO. L had intended for "Pennsyl-
vania cavalry" the "P." had turned
into 3D." aud to the &C." letters
coward" were added. 1t all read: -.
f. H., Co. K, IA B. Coward" The 3d."
of course, was for big" so it read
big Coward" took my pencil, and
wrote below the letters: "Only
corp oral"