Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1896-04-02

puDHCanS, ana JOln WeTo SeIeIuAo VI
the late war, viz: Col. John r. Rouzer
of the Frederick County Delegation land
Jas. Albert Clark. editor of Free Quill,
also was elected Journal Clerk of the
House. An occasional greeting with a
friendly salute was all that TRANSFERRED
until Monday Of week ago, when the
members were returning on the train to
the night session. AS Camp Parole,near
Annapolis, was reached, a trio Of old
soldiers, Major ]. G, Carter, Of Howard
county, Col. Rouzer and Free Quill were
discussing politics and other generaIities
when the latter observed that Parole
Camp did not look now as it did thirty
one years ago. when he left Parole Camp
on leave of absence. Then the CONVEX.
sation qnickened.
Col RI left here on parole leave
also.
Free QuiU-Wbst year were you in
Libby?
Col R-The last year of the war.
Free QmU-So was l; where were
you captured?
Col Rat Winchester, Va, under
Sheridan, September 10, 1884.
Free QuiU-So was then we must
have gone to Libby together. What
other prisons were you in?
Col R-Sal:sbury, N. c., and Dan
vile, Va.
Free QmW-So was l. What mess
did you belong to in the tobacco ware
house in Danvllle?
Col R-With Col. Ralston and 1t
Wright, Of Carlisle, in the corner on
second floor.
Free QmU-Then l was but few
feet from you, for belonged to the Col
Homer B Sprague mess on the same side
OF the building.
Col R-Then ought to know you
And the Colonel looked sharply al
the white haired gentleman but he saw
not the the youth of thirty one years
ago. Free Quill refreshed his memory
by asking if he remembered the only
officer IN prison who wore Custer shirt
This by the waywas an innovation which
The gallant Custer introduced-that Of
wide collars (llke the Navy and far
ing red necktie with long ends Tapping
IN the breeze. As Clusters was the d.
vision IN which Free Quill served
(Bufords old Division, the FirsD it was
not long before the new tangled notion
was taken up, which accounts for Free
Quill being the only one of the nearly
FIVE hundred officers who wore such an
unique piece Of uniform. Col. Rouzer
could not distinctly recall all on that
line but when Free Quill asked further
If he recalled the student who paced the
floor with the German reader studying
the long months along, he saw it all as
of years gone by, and said: II have
walked by your side day after day and
talked with you while you were pacing
up and down your regular beat with the
book in your hand, and can see you as
plainly as if it were yesterday, but would
never have known you with your white
hair
At once old memories were revived
and the fateot oldcomrades wasdiscussed
Colonel Rouzer had heard of this or that
one of The five hundred; Free Quill
could inform as to others. The legisla-
tive session was more than half passed
before the two comrads of old had dis
covered the same strawberry mark on
the arm and undoubtedly, the conven.
tional duties imposed upon each would
have kept them so busily engaged that
they would not have found each other
out" had it not been fer the incident al
the station called Camp Parole.
Colonel Rouzer's military record is
one of which Maryland may be proud
Free Quill had occasion to look it up
while in Washington last Saturday al
the War Department, and We find that
he enlisted as private August 10, 1862
He was commissioned as First Lienten.
ant of D. G., August 81, 1862. On May
7, 1868, Governor Bradford sent him his
commission as Captain. On the 18th
of May, 1866, after the war closed he
received from the President Of the
United States commission as Brevet
Major for gallant conduct at the battle
of Winchester, Va, where he was cap
tured. In the following year, on March