The morning call., 1891-05-01
HIS LIFE IN PERIL.
Narrow Escape of Soldier Who Rem
dered Aid to a Deserter.

Narrow Escape of Soldier Who Rem
dered Aid to a Deserter.
After the gaud and tinsel and the Dolsy
bravado of the early days of 1861, in the
second year of our Civil War, the voluu-
teers had settled down to rigid discipline
and the stern realities that confronted them.
After the battles around Richmond many
young fellows of a sentimental OF romantic
turn run the blockade and made their way
to the regiments in front of the city, says
writer in the Washington Sunday Herald.
These youngsters usually had all the TO
nance and sentiment knocked out of them
when they were once indicted in the pro-
sale life Of the biyouac. A night or so ago
the writer, in conversation with number
of Confederate veterans about the Italian
war rumpus, was asked ''wny the cavalry
men did not pull off their boots" abiding
TO an article which / wrote about the drown
ing of two Federal cavalrymen who had
come over to exchange coffee aud so on
with their opponents. And thereupon Al
Holland, Secretary Of the Confederate V ct
eran Association, and business man OF the
city, said:
swell, | had a pretty close call myself,
though il was not death, but diSgT ace, that
l aliude to. Just after the battle OF
fredericksburg the Purcell Battery. COM
manded by Willy Pegram. was stationed on
the extreme right of our line at Moss Neck.
We boys had become accustomed to go over
the river TO exchange products with the
Yankees. and 70 that end we had hauled
over from house near by good-Slzed boat,
in which we made the trips. One morning
q young fellow who had come out from
Alexandria a few days before TO join US
askedme to let him 60 over the river with
me. YOu see the cavalrymen on the other
side had made signs that the coast was clear
of officers, and, fool like, L consented. The
commanding officers on both sides had
sternly forbidden any such interchanges.
Well we got into the boat, loaded down
with plugs of tobacco and so on, and we got
TO the other side and exchanged for coffee
and so on. When l got into the boat to re-
turn the fellow that had come over with me
refused to return. | felt that was in an
awful fix and didn't know whether would
not be held as an accessory to desertlon In
front of the enemy. The fellow had no sand
in his eTaw, and would not enter the boat in
spite of my pleadings. So rowed back
and went straight to Captain Pegram and
stated the case. l was Immediately put
under guard and carried to the headquar-
tiers of General A. Z. Hill, the commander
of the division. The General questioned
me closely, and then asked, who was the
officer of the picket line? The officer was
brought In after time and | was asked II
/ recognized him. swore that l did not,
although | had seen him playing cards in
dog-tent a quarter OF an hour before went
over the river. told lie, but | wanted to
save my skin and the careless officers also.
Finally General Hill sad There is a lie
out somewhere, but the next case have
before me Of what General Lee has eX-
pressly forbidden FL try the effect OF
drum head c0uTt-marlial and an execution
following You may be sure" said AL,
that broke up the illicit traffic on our part
Of the lines