The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1891-04-17

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I'LL SEE THAT YOUR NECK is STRETCHED.
drawn up on the road. Here was given
a horse that had been ridden by one of
my men that morning, and soon after
the wagons started off in hurry.
Straight for the purple line of noun
tains looming up through the clouds to
the east we marched. Now and then,
when the road wound over a hill, I
could see the dark figures of swarming
horsemen, and it needed no field glass
to assure me that they were my own
people.
Here and there silvery puffs Of smoke
indicated skirmishing and told how
close the opposing lines were at points,
while during the day and at irregular
intervals, the deep booming of guns
came up from the direction OF Knox
Vile.
AS night came on the rain poured down
in torrents, no unusual experience with
me, but as ! had no overcoat and was de-
pressed by what felt to be the humili-
alton OF my situation, I suffered from
1t was an hour after dark before we
went into camp and another hour before
fires were lit. The old sergeant who
acted as my guard was an Irishman,
and had been in the regular army in
Texas when the war broke out. had
talked with Phelin during the day and
was not little surprised to find him an
out and out Confederate, with I'M
bounded faith in the outcome Of the
cause with which he was associated and
the profoundest contempt for the Yam
kee.
But Phelin, like many Of his COM
patriots Ito the manor BORN" had a
warm heart under rough exterior.
Soon after the fires were started he
brought me some corn bread and bacon
and then found me place Of shelter
from the rain in one Of the wagons, in
which he proposed to spend the night
himself.
"lf we only had little money be-
tween u.s." explained Phelin, as he
threw himself on a pile of corn sacks
beside me. 81 know where l could get
something that d keep out the cold bet
ter nor overcoat."
"What is it?" asked.
whisky" he whispered. zone OF
the transfers has two gallon jug that
he shtole last night from gin'ral OFF,
Ger, an he'll sell quart chape."
'iow cheap"
"It's worth its weight in solid goold
night like this, but he's only akin twin
ty dollars the bottle" replied Phelin.
drew a one hundred dollar bill from
the wad obtained from Captain Jones
and told the sergeant to buy the whis-
ky and keep the balance, an arrange
ment that gave him an immediate re-
spect for at least one Yankee.
Although a Kentuckian, cared moth
ing for whisky, had never wet my lips
with 1t before the war, nor tasted IL a
dozen times since, but swear it did me
good that night, and it might have had
the same effect on Phelin had he not
felt that it was his duty to drink while
there was drop left, and then to go Off
bowling like maniac through the camp
till the provost marshal bucked and
gagged him and left him to cool off in
the rain.
| never saw the sergeant again. |
was sleeping soundly about an hour be.
fore day when a hoarse voice shouted |
into the wagon:
Turn out thar! the primers is goin'
to be sent ahead!'
Feeling stiff and sore from the cold |
and the fall OF the day before, crept
out and was led over to a fire about
which were standing forty or fifty men
In blue uniforms and one officer-Cap-
tain Dawson, who had been in command
Of band Of Union men recruited in the
mountains of North Carolina.
These men had been captured in the
diminishing of the day before, and as
they were without blankets or overcoats
they suffered intensely from the cold