The Portland daily press., 1895-03-30

cavalry from MAINE, but AheIr Names
Are Unknown.
The following letter received by Major
H. II. Shaw Of this city is published,
not only for its intrinsic interest but in
the hope that it will be instrumental in
revealing the names of the heroes of the
incident therein narrated. If such
should prove the case the names may be
sent to the PRESS:
Petersburg, Va, January 4th. 1895.
Major Horace III. Shaw, Portland Maine.
My Dear Sir:-Intending to reproduce
as chapter of Vol. II of War Talks of
Confederate Veterans, DR.. Joseph W.
Eggleston's address, entitled Ar
tillery Experiences at Petersburg and
Elsewhere" delivered last evening by DR..
Jas. W. Eggleston, of Richmond, Va,
before A. P. Hill Camp of Confederate
practical BILE, to learn who were the two
officers, one of them a igadier-general
of cavalry from Maine, who were the
heroes of the very striking incident
narrated by DR.. Eggleston, take the
liberty of writing to invoke your aid.
satisfied that you will be glad to help me
in this direction.
The incident referred to is told in the
following paragraphs from the addres:
"And now I will relate an incident
which is SO ususual that fear that some
| of you will call it romance OF the
Munchausen order. can only hope that
| ,l,<, In will n G0
4 ii not from confidence in my veracity, at
least because they will be sure could
not invent the story from lack OF ability.
As an evidence to you that / could have
no motive in inventing it, even if capa-
| BILE, bear in nina that the heroes were
then as now, entire strangers TO me.
AN INCIDENT AT FOkT LAMKIN.
"One night at Fort Lamkin, about
half-past eleven, while we were firing
slowly, trying to attract the attention OF
the enemy-and occasionally doing it-as
our orders required, two gentlemen III
white duck suits of Jackets and pants
stepped up to US from the little ravine
in our immediate srear Gust back of the
Blandford grounds), which was then
filled with bushes and small trees. One
that they were cavalry officers, and, not
having seen any mortar practice since
they left West Point, were interested IN
our work, and had come out from their
camp to look on. My brother gave them
his name but neither of the strangers
gave his. One of them spoke of the other
as the Colonel, a member of my staff,'
SO we took. this officer for a general. 10
show his appreciation of the compliment
paid our arm of the service by warming
the activity of the engagement. my
brother said to nee: Joe, try the rail
road iron battery very unwelcome
order, for this battery was a veritable
hornets nest, which had our range to
u with its mortars, and, in addition,
always opened on US with six-gun rife
battery alongside. We called the Fed
eral battery the railroad iron battery
because, seen with a glass, it appeared to
have protection of railroad iron over
| it's guns. / was talking to the Colonel
when this order was given ME, and
| turned only one mortar on the battery
mentioned, and as sooD as that began to
draw | quietly changed to another point,
as / had not been ordered to stir up the
hornets all night. The strangers exposed
themselves with the utmost apparent un-
concern, which l noticed all the more
| because it necessitated my doing more
of that same thing than l would other
l.
used Judgment in directing the gun, and
after q while got things more comforua-
ble. 'The General as we supposed the
officer of superior rank to be, expressed
great satisfaction with our work, and
after a while asked who was on the front
on the infantry line. We told him that
Ransom's brigade occupied that part of
the line. He then asked ii it would be
possible to go to the skirmish line and
have a look around. We told him there
would be no difficulty whatever, and di-
rectedl him how to find the path through
the works. Both officers then thanked
us for our kindness and for the beautiful
pyrotechnic display we had given them,
and walked in the direction of the infan-
try works, and we saw them no more.
| my brother had been cavalryman
the first summer of the war. and curious
as both of US were, to find out who our
visitors were, made every inquiry he
could among officers and men of this
branch of the service, as opportunity
offered to trace them. but the war closed
without our getting a clue to their
identity. In 1871 l met my brother for
the first time since we parted in 1865.
He asked me if I remem bered the Incl
dent have narrated, and told me he had
the sequel.
| THE SEQUEL LEA RNED.
4