The Portland daily press., 1894-12-22


fired a whole battery of ar tilleiy fired. and
seeing the flash of gun up in the field felt
sure we were attacked, and made all the
noise he could. A further investigation
showed that the echo in the culvert would
account for all the noise he had heard.
We then returned to the block house and the
Lieut.. decided to relieve the guard then and
start new so as to avoid any further trouble.
The detail was made and we crawled out
of that miserable hole and made the rounds
systematically, relieving the guard and
leaving everything i'll good order. AS the
night was chilly, the Lieut.. and myself
crawled inside once more and had scarcely
got in when shots were fired and all hands
got outside of that Internal hole and found
that the shots We heard were from some
party up in the main road, and that regu-
lar battle was going on up there. We 1eit
sure that the enemy was round and maze
disposition to give him warm reception
as soon as he came within range. Our
whole force was drawn up across the path
at the bottom Of the ravlne. Our carbines
were fully charged and every man was in
structed just what to do. Soon the firing
died out and we could hear parley going
on and after considerable loud talk the
whole party seemed to be coming towards
u.s. The Lieut., placed one of his best men
at the post on the top of the hill with posi-
tive orders to challenge before he fired.
True to his instructions. when the party
got near enough, he sung out who comes
there. fired and then scampered down the
hill to where we stood In line of battle.
The forces approaching. then knowing that
it was the enemy, opened on us with every
thing they could, and we knowing that it
was the enemy, returned the compliment
in kind and togethe we filed the sky full
of bullets for short time. But our fire
soon slackened and the enemy appeared to
have retire ated. We begun to look around
to see if any our men were hurt, when
voice was heard asking what troops we
were.
After lnog parley he was allowed
to come in and We found that he belonged
to our regiment and that the whole ciowd
ere U. S. troops sent to our relief. 1t
seems that when we had our first scrim-
mage the noise we made was heard up to
our camp and reported to the colonel, that
Serg't Ellis was attacked, and he at once
ordered out company to our relief. The
noise was also heard down to the camp of
the Scots s 300 and company was ordered
out to their relief. These Two companies
meeting, where they had no right to ex-
pect any troops, naturally mistook each
other for the enemy and pitched into each
other and had a regular fight, but after a
while found out their mistake and joined
together, but were unable to account tor
the first firing they had heard. They ap-
preached our position and the reception We
gave them led them to believe that the
picket was in the hands of the enemy and
had therefore opened on US with all their
might. About this time it began to grow
light, SO the pickets were called In and
each party prepared to return to camp and
report. but first the ranking officers wanted
to find out how the row began.
The man who fred the first shot was found
and taken to the place where he was posted
to explain how it was. He insisted that he
had seen and heard something that would
not answer his challenge, and sure enough
on the low ground. right in front OF where he
stood lay an old cow-dead. the blood still
oozing from bullet wound that had been
given more by a blunder than anything else.
We then started for camp. When we got up
In sight Of the main road we saw down on
the right line of skirmishers and upon
the left line of skirmishers. all coming
hind each was the rest of their regiment in
all the pomp and circumstance of war.
As soon as we were near enough to under
stand the case each line involuntarily halt
ed and looked at each other. Then the
commander of each regiment, seeming to
comprehend, rode to the front between the
lines and went at each other, and if you
never heard wordy war you would have
heard one then. 1t did seem as if blood
would be split then if not before. But
their ammunition was soon expended, and
more explanations followed, when it was
found that when our second ana third
fights were going on it was reported to our
colonel, :'Serg't Ellis is having another
fight down there and to the colonel of
Scots 900, Hthey are at it again up there"
When each colonel called in all the force
he could raise and came to the rescue as l
have described. After the investigation
had all been gone over again without much
satisfaction to any one, each regiment
started for its own camp, when broard
smile came over all that had not been actu-
ally engaged, but to us who were there, 1T
was serious affair. We were all badly
frightened and much ammunition expended
but the only thing wounded or killed was
that old cow and she was noncomDatant.