The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-08-14

ginia, at West Alexander. Pa. would
peed no invitation did time and circum-
stances permit These annual reunions
will not last long. l find that with
some Of US the silver is coming into our
hair faster than 1t is into our pockets as
we near the golden shore.
The other day met an old soldier
who was with US the time we had our
first baptism of war under Afilroy at
Winchester, when Emmett Buchanan
was ''tilled," and when we laid down
our knapsacks to make a charge on the
rebels. We never did that but once.
The next day the Johnnies invited US
over to take dinner with them and get
our knapsacks. We did not go, although
we needed them badly afterwards in
wandering through the mountains OF
Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania
before we reached Bedford, Pa. Who
remembers Lizzie fillmore Roukcs. who
guided us along North mountain, after
leaving Winchester.
saw in the ISTELLIGEScER some time
since an invitation from Lieut.. Hewitt,
of Co. l., to send him matter for his
tory OF the regiment. Almost any
soldier could furnish him enough to fill
a volume, II he had the time to write it,
| think the best posted number OF our
company, or the one who can relate the
most incidents, and get out the most
marches and engagement OF the regl-
mcnt is Richard j. Vermillion. | spent
one of the most enjoyable nights with
him when last east, ever spent in going
out the war again. If Lieut.. Hewitt
will call on him at Valley Grove he will
get enough from him to fill company
D's share of the volume.
Dick has wonderfully correct
memory of dates and facts. But l
should not want it to go into the history
how he, Gift Frazier, Pete Yarnell and
myself got away from the command in
the Cumberland Valley, played out as
we were by constant marching after and
before the battle OF Gettsburg, and how
We lived for several days without any
rations, except what we could forage"
which consisted Of berries, cherries,
bread, milk, eggs, butter, &C., &c, from
the farm houses. Worn out, dlsheart-
ened, CALLED, emaciated from diarrhea,
foot sore, and suffering with everything
that ever befell n soldier, even lousy,
that trip cured us up, and welcomed the
regiment as new men. Dick can tell
how we were struggling along one day
past the camp OF some 100 day men,
from New York. When they began to
call to us, '"close up" they did not call
very long. We gave them pointer on
CLOSING up" they had not yet gotten
on to.
When we first went out the instruc-
tions were very strict to disturb no pri-
yate property, and the stray pig or
chicken we got had to be obtaiEed with
out any demurrer from the victim in
the way OF squeal or n squawk, and at
our risk OF getting into the guard house.
The boys remember the night we
camped, think near Philippi. Captain
Prichard, OF Compan +, was officer OF
the guard, and he instructed us to
take nothing, not even rail from the
fence or hen from the roost. When
we had all got quietly in camp, sudden-
Iva calf began to bawl near Company
D, who were great foragers, you know,
particularly mess No. 4, and it was i'm
mediately supposed that Company d
intendedto have veal for breakfast, and
Captain Prichard came running in from
where he was posting the guard with
'1Iold on boysm while We could hear
in coarse whispers, "Knock it in the
head" "Cut its throat" when voice
that could be heard all over the valley
came from the throat OF one Of Com
pany rs non-commissioned officers:
1--WE are holding on, captain" It
seems that he and his messmates had
the cali by the tail and legs. | think
the calf died in the struggle and Com.
pany D felt relieved, that The death OF
the calf could not be laid to their
charge, and NO could hear the captain
expostulating with the boys and the
big corporal excusinR himself by say
ing: " was not going TO allow any
dnrned calf to run over me" 1t seems
the calf had been the aggressor, and
had left its Southern mother and had
came into the Union camp under cover
of the darkness-a loyal calf that-and
ran over some OF sleeping Company +.
Before the war was over orders to save
private property were not so strict. On
the Hunter raid and Sheridan's last
march up the valley it was not safe for
calf or rail to be loose, and our Or
ders were to use all the rails we could.
Make ourselves comfortable. That was
war and that was the way to end it.
Since the war, l have stopped several
times with Col. Il. W. Baylor, whose
rails we burned just before Sheridan
"sent them whirling through Winches-
ter" aud he related how he replaced his
rails and retenced his farm by paying
five cents rail and hauling them thirty
miles: not a small job on three hun
bred acre farm, with four old condemn
ed United States horses. He brought
out OF the war two horses, with which
he did his ploughing. One of them had
been shot through and one OF the Colo
nel's sons was killed off him, and the
Colonel remarked that that old horse
had heard more Yankee bullets whistle
than any horse alive. He was twenty
four wears OF age when rode behind
him in the Colonel's carriage from his
house to the railroad station at Summit
Point. The old horse would go wild at
the sight of q blue coat.
Col. r.. w. Baylor did all he could
himself to whip the "blne coats"-was
sentenced to Be hung once; and the
rope was around his neck and was once
shot through the body, yet accepted the
results OF the war when over. ! have
ridden over several battletields with
him, where he and I were on opposite
sides. "Here," he would say, I'VE gave