Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1893-10-07
woods nttrncted mr Intention. we


thought it more than likely shat we
were at last in face of the enemy. 1
ordered my men down from the per-
simmon tree and threw them hurriedly
into line. / drew my sword and adj
vanced my force. with cooked pieces,
to where wood and pasture met.
Here the noise grew so much louder,
indicating the approach of such SUI
perior force, that we halted to decide,
by council of war, whether officer or
privates ought to occupy the front
rank. The privates were sure that the
officer should The officer was equally
positive that he should not.
AS each party at once set about, put
ting his theory on this point into prac-
ticc, the company was soon back ut the
persimmon tree which stood on the
crest of the hill. Here we had an open
space at our front, and, what seemed
just then still more important, an open
one in our rear, with line of retreat
downhill.
The rustling of leaves and swapping
of twigs swept nearer and nearer. The
edge of the wood was reached. Tho
outmost fringe of bushes was now
a-quiver l..r
| have confused recollection of
roar, rush of wildly flying earth and
leaves, and still more wildly flying he'll
NETS and cutaway coats. Then found
myself astride a persimmon limb safe
distance from the ground, which was
held by raving bull The animal was
dividing his attention between my tree
and the three others that held the re-
mainder of the battalion.
"Aim! Fire!" shouted as soon as 1
took in the situation. .s.......s
No response came. | repeated the
command still louder and more per-
emptorily, and continued to do so until,
having at some risk wriggled myself
around on the limb so as to face the
battalion, found that the reason why
my soldiers did not fire was that they
had nothing to fire.
The armament of the battalion was in
the hands, or rather under the feet, of
the bull. reached for my sword only
to find it also missing.
The bull took his stand under the
tree. The AFTERNOON stretched out into
an interminable expanse of time. My
persimmon branch became intensely
uncomfortable; but still the bull kept
watch for us. BY and by thunder
storm arose and made matters mulch
worse.
Accompanied by binding flashes of
lightning that seemed to play around
our very heads, and deafening thunder
peals, the rain fell in such torrents that
we could scarcely breathe. AS the
bn1 LnI ,Lorlo,aI
with our arms, the rain poured into our
gaping collars till we We're soaked
through and through
Twilight arose from the woods like
black mist and began to envelop us.
The rain slackened, but the bull, in
stead of departing, lay down among the
trees, springing to his feet believing
fearfully if any one of us made an at
tempt to get down.
was becoming so chilled and stiff,
and my hands We're SO benumbed with
clutching the tree that several times l
was on the point of losing my hold and
falling to the ground. From the some
what unsoldierly sounds of distress
that came from the other trees, in
ferred that the rest of the battalion
were in no better plight than 1.
just as night was swallowing up the
world, made out a dim, decrepit fig
ure hobbling along on the other side of
the fence.
"Whut dat up dem trees?" demanded
voice.
Its mel" sang out with one accord
four hoarse and whining voices.
My goodness 2libe, chillun, whut
yer mean turnin' tree-frawg dis time O.
night?" came the response.
80, Uncle Nat.' 1 called out. Drive
away that bull! He won't let us come
down." l chartered. .t
Good old Nat Dibby, a free negro
whom we all knew very well, had hap
pencd to come past. He made a rush
at the bull, and drove him away, and
one by one we half-slid. half-fell out of
the trees, helped down by Uncle Nat.
wondered greatly how he happened
to be here-so far away, and when he
told us that his cabin was only mile
away, l could not believe it,
But it was to his cabin that he took
us, and after we had been regaled on
ash-calSe and buttermilk, the battalion.
CdpLdlu dltt all, WcTc JuChcu away III
the only bed in the house, while the old
man and his wife, Aunt Patsy, slept on
the floor.
Betimes. the next morning the bat
talon began their retrograde move
mcnt At the head marched Uncle Nat,
bearing our weapons in his arms Aunt
Patsy had spent most of the night in
drying our regimentals, but they were
so rumpled and bedraggled by the cam
paign of the day before that all the
pomp and circumstance of war was
gone, leaving us to cut pitiful figures
indeed.
NE mind, honeys," argued The old
man, as we trudged at his heels, Il
thinks you's done mons'ous smart fer
li'P scrops o. chillun LAX you, does.
You's done toted desc hyere guns all
day 'dout shootin' anybody or ycrsefs,
elder, you's clomb trees LAX squir'ls an
| FREE to de limbs lax tree frawns &c