Eagle River Democrat. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1893-1896, 1896-04-20
An Incident at the Front.

One night when the sentinels had
been warned to be unusually alert, as
the enemy were in force only mile
away, the soldier on post No. A, which
was directly in front of small clear
Ing in the forest, suddenly called out
for the corporal of the guard. The
order was to avoid firing Ii possible,
as the men behind the breasbworks
were worn out with marching. Tnere
was full moon and she threw such q
light down into the clearing that the
smallest object could be distinguished
by the sentinel. AS he looked and lis
tened Confederate in the uniform OF
a captain stepped into the clearing in
full view. The sentinel lifoed his mus
ket and opened his Lips to cry out, be-
lieving that the enemy was moving
down on our lines, but something in the
demeanOr of the lone figure made him
pause. After a moment he simply call
ed for the corporal of the guard.
It was strange sight we saw-three
or four of s-as we stood on post No.
4. The Confederate came walking
slowly down upon us, an open letter in
his left hand-his right carelessly
swinging. We knew him for sleep
walker the instant we got eyes OH him.
His movements seemed to be made by
machinery, and the carriage Of head
and shoulders was not that of man
awake. He came straight down upon
us, head erect and eyes wide open, hut
looking neither to the right nor to the
left. We stood aside to let him pass,
and his left hand touched bush and
the letter was torn from his fingers
and picked up by the Corporal. It was
a wife's letter her husband-a wife's let
ter to her soldier-captain in the field
The man before us belonged to the
Tenth Alabama, and the letter was
written from an Alabama plantation
Don't touch him." whispered the
Corporal, as we fell in behind the SOM
nambuIiSt
He walked down our left-front the
width of two regiments and back a gain.
One of our party went ahead to wills
per to the sentinels, and they stood in
awe as the midnight visitor passed
down and returned. His gaze was al
ways the straight before linn.
and he neither increased nor slackened
his pace. By and by he came back to
post No. 4, and there he stopped for five
minutes and seemed to be thinking
We stood close to him, but no man
made a sound. We noted the color Of
hair and eyes-the fresh scar OH lis
Z cheek-a finger missing from his left
hand. OF a sudden the man started up
and walked on, heading straight FOR the
Confederate lines. We stood and watch
ed him across the glade and into the
darkness of the woods and then turned
away.
II feel that God will bring you home
to me again said the letter which the
bush had torn from his hand
At 8 O'Clock next morning we were
fercely attacked but after a bloody
conflict the enemy were driven back.
When we went out to succorthe wound
ed and bury the dead we found the
Captain almost among the first Of the
dead Three bullets had struck him in
the breast as he dashed forward at the
head of his company. In his breast
pocket we placed the letter which
loving hand had traced, and we gave
him grave of his own and marked it
that his friends might know the spot
when war was no more. Better for the
loving wife had we made him prisoner
as he came walking among us that
night, but had we done so he might not
have died soldiers death.