The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1896-06-11
OUR SURPRISE PARTY.
The Johnnies Were at Home, but Decamps
After Parting Salute.

The Johnnies Were at Home, but Decamped
After a Parting Salute.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: The Sixth
Corps, encamped below Falmouth, got orders
to move, April %, 1863. Downing our war
| paint and feathers we started fol- franklin g
Crossing at the Rappahannock. When near
there halted for the night, but were allowed
| no fires. During the evening an order was
| read to us detailing the Third Brigade, First
Division, Sixth Corps consisting of the 18th,
31st and 32d \. Y. and 95th Pa, to lead the
advance in the pontoons to surprise the
Johnnies.
We had been over the same ground with
Burnside the previous December, and knew
the rebs would have things well fixed for our
reception. However, the old Sixth never
tlinched from the work assigned it. We de-
termined that so far as our brigade was con-
cerned the surprise party should be success.
AT daylight, with bayoDets un6xed, mus
kets loaded, but not capped, every thing fast
ened, to make no noise, we moved quietly
down the river bank into the pontoons as
they lay in the river. Fortunately heavy
fog concealed,our movements from the rebs
After pushing off found the pontoons too
close together to use oars some went ahead
while others held back until We had room
enough.
The river is rather deep at this point, and
while crossing we did some solid thinking.
We wondered if the Johnnies had let the
dogs loose, and the latter were cross; whether
they had left any wheelbarrows or stray baby
carriages lying around for us to fall over,
hart our shins, and cause US to backsllde /;
whether the refreshments would be cold,
indigertible lead or cold huckleberry pud-
= \ L L
on the half-shell. Would it be champagne,
Virginia tanglefoot, or aqua pura with a
free bath included. We feared there might
be some yahoo of battery browsing around
TO spoil the program by shipwrecking the
whole outft-a proceeding Tot to be desired,
as a knapsack and haversack are not a
suitable bathing costume.
Everything was so quiet we thought the
Johnnies were not at home; that perhaps
they had not paid rent and the landlord had
fired them out. As our pontoon touched the
bank there was fash almost in our faces
and a volley went over our heads. the balls
striking some of the boys on the other side
of the river. Gaping our guns and fixing
t'bayonets we rushed up the bank to intro
duce ourselves and demand an explanation.
Just then our boys on the other side
opened fire, and We had to tumble down the
bank again 10 avoid being shot by them. We
yelled to stop firing; that this was Cur pic
mic, but they paid no attention until we sent
a man over.
Just here chap with an overcoat on that
looked as if it had done duty as scarecrow
or been on Burnside's mud march, and wav
ing rusty old saber. scrambled up the bank,
saying "Come on, boysin We Joined the
procession and soon had possession of rife
pits and earthworks. All the Johnnies but
two or three had gone. The chap alluded to
above proved to be Brig. Gen. ID. A. Russell,
whom we had never seen before, as he had
taken command only the night previous.
We needed no further introduction, but con-
cluded he was a brick" Our loss was
slight, and our surprise party asuccess; only
some of the boys got good ducking as they
jumped, rolled or tumbled out of the pom
toons into the water when the Johnnies fired
on us.-J. SHAW, 95th Pa, Reading, Pa.