Fairhaven herald. [volume] (Fairhaven, Wash.) 1890-????, 1891-06-12

August 1853. when the Philadelphia
brigade was moving toward Mine Run,
Va, was detailed from my command,
the Seventy first Pennsylvania volun-
teers, known as Bakers California regi-
ment, to watch a farmer who was be-
lieved TO be a spy
In order to throw him off his guard
and also to enable me to learn the better
whether he was a spy or not, was in
structed to report at his house, on the
Mountain View farm, in Fauquier coun-
ty, and state that had come there by
command of Colonel w. Penn Smith, in
in order to protect his home from any
struggling soldiers that might trespass
with view to foraging on the premises
was well received by the family,
who, living in that out of the way coun-
try, were quite timid and in constant
fear of the passing troops. was housed
there, and fed at their expense, and soon
| realized that the hospitality of Vir-
ginia's first families was all that il was
reported to be- The two pretty girls,
sisters, one a blonde and the other a
brunette, were at first little shy of the
wild Yankee" as they called me, but
we soon became friends, however, al
though they would persist in telling me
the Confederate cause was just, and that
the Union troops were invaders, and all
that sort of thing.
The Mountain View farm covered a
good many acres of ground, but the
| owner was poor at that time, and 'sweet
sixteen" as | called the pretty blonde,
had no shoes with which to cover her
well shaped little feet. Now had a
brand new pair Of army shoes in my
knapsack and a fairly good pair on my
| feet. | asked her if she would wear my
new pair if would make her present
of them. She seemed a little loath TO
accept them at first, not because of pride,
but because she thought it unfair to take
them from a soldier who might soon
stand in need of them himself. But at
last she did accept them, and was real
well pleased to do so. OF course, they
were mile too big for her, but that
didn't matter. She soon got used tc
them
III ubtu W no CuSJOul W WAUGH lOl
foraging soldiers and then to send mt
after them to drive them away. One
morning she said: "Oh, Yankl there is :
forager out there. Don't you see him
There he goes under the trees over there.
| started out after the intruder, bu
ran all over the part Of the farm indi
Gated without seeing any one. 1t wa
x,arxy xx-ar,, an1 | xryac yaru y-rfn arf
tired when returned. On seeing her
told her that could find no one, wher
she laughed right in my face and said;
81 Just fooled the wild Yank for fun.
1t was fun for her, but not for me. How
ever, laughed with her. Just then
put my gun down on the ground, as wa
my habit, bayonet downward, intendin
to stick it into the ground and thus lie
, the piece stand reversed, but instead G
that | stuck it through her shoe an
pinned the beautiful girl fastl
was never so frightened in my lif
, as was then. would not have harme
! the young woman for the world; she ha
a become to me like sister.
! Maybe | wasn't glad when saw
twinkle in her bright, blue eyes, an
? heard her sweet voice ringing in laugh
ter as she said
q "Wen, Yank, you did not hurt me
n bit; you know these shoes are a trif
O large for me, and your bayonet just WEI
d through the upper and sole without gra
v ing my toes"
Twas rejoiced to hear her talk thu
# way, assure you. | was taken ava
n from there in few days after that,
having been found that her father Wa
not what he was suspected to be. But
n often thought about that family, esp
J. cially of one member, in my march'
q and in later years, but ! never met aga
.s with any member of it. Not even wit
lie my pretty "sweet sixteen" friend, for
,e was engaged in great deal of acti'
lie service in the army, and when | WI
,e mustered out of it | returned to Phil
lie delphia and never went back to Virgin
,e Philadelphia Press.