The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1894-01-12

ABOUT two miles from where the enemy 8
pickets were driven in the Confederates
bari licaded the road to stop us. The colonel
knew what they would do, so before we got
there lie went across lots and gave them the
slip. The pilot knew every foot Of the
ground in Maryland, and the scout knew
how Longstreet's corps was situated, hnV-
ing come from there about an hour b fore
we started from the Ferry. The colonel
I had his route mapped out before we start
ed He was bound TO go th"r'.s,'t oT die n
the attamr5. He managed 10 nyoa4 .->:
/ CoTfederates until he reached soharps5urg,
! 10 miles from Harper's Ferry, where the
advance had a brush with them. 1t did not
last long, as the colonel ordered Il charge
and drove the enemy back. They retreated
to camp, giving the alarm that the whole
Yankee army waa upon them. We learnc,.
afterward from some prisoners taken th&t
the whole Of I4ongstreet's corps stood in
line the rest of tao night, expecting to be
attacked.
"As was riding along trying to keep
up to my file leader ny horse kept shy
ing every little while Come 10 find out,
there We're cavalry horses lying in the road.
They had been ridden SO fast that they had
dropped down dead by the wayaide
about two miles out we began to go
through the fields We would go in the
fields FOR awhile and then back ia the read
again At one zine we were 50 close the
enemy's camps that we could see the Con
federates plainly by their camphras Ga
we went at full speed. | did not think ut
first that they were Confedarates. SAID
to my file leader, William l.. Guile: 'Bll,
what is the use Of the colonel going far
ther? Here are our troops Bill said:
They are not our troops. They are Con
federates. said to Bill, We are goners,
for we will all be captured
When the advance reached Sharps3urg,
10 miles from Harper's Ferry, they made Il
halt, SO that we could close up and let our
horses get their wind, for we had been on a
keen scoot ever since we left the river. we
did not stay there long, perhaps half an
hour. Then we went on again across fats,
over fences, through creeks, as usual. We
had to travel on byroads, fer the enemy
had piclets On all main reads. We had
gone through i.ongstreet's corps. A great
many would say that is was an impossible
ity for a force OF 1900 cavalry to do that.
Had IL not been il tao night, and had the
/ colonel not managed just 80 he did, we
i could not have done it, The ConfeGerates
were taken by surprise, for they thought
we hads LARGE force 50 they waited for
! us to attack them. But we had other busi-
ness about that time All we wanted was
to get ont Of there. IL they would let us
alone, we would them.
After we left Sharpsburg we did not
| come across any more ConicGerates ua.l
we struck the pike running ffofn Iagcrs-
| town, Nd, west to Nilliamsport on the
Potomac. just before we reached the pike
we halted III piece in the woods. Wecouli
hear agous rambling along the road ahead
/ of us. The colonel went forward to recoIf-
noiter, and when he got to the road he soon
found that it was a Confederate Wagoa
train. As soon as he saw them it came into
his head to capture that train. The train
was guarded by so orG0J cavalry and some
infantry. The cavalry was in the rear OF
the train, the infantry in front.
when the advance Of the wagon train
came along to the crossroaa, the colonel il
sisted that they should turn to the right on
the pike that ran north into Pennsylvania.
After he got the train started on that road
he sent for the Eighth New York. Thi,
was just before daylight. We went ahead
and took possession Of the train. TIE
4 Twelfth Illinois cavalry kept the Confed-
crate cavalry in check while we were pass
ing by the teams to take our places Que Of
the Confederate teamsters said to me, 10
what regiment do you belongT
1.-The Eighth New York | replied.
i 1.-The hell you say
'sOnly the drivers of few Of the head
teams knew then that they were prisoners.
The rest did not know it unit! after day