Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1897-01-11
Tie Flag of Truce.

SO wrote George A. Crandale, Des
Moines Qowa) business man, who was
fired by the flashes on Sumter and
entered the army four days later in q
New York regiment and stayed until
April, 1866, being for time with Gen
eral Dan Sickles while he had COM
mand of one Of the southern districts
in the early reconstruction days. The
story is an entertaining one. The
Times-Herald will be glad to present it
to the public, am sure.
Il was on duty with department
headquarters at Hilton Head, South
Carolina, in 1864. An exchange of
prisoners was arranged for. The Uni
on exchange officer was general and
the Confederate a major. The gener-
al, when he went to meet the Confeder-
ate officer in charge of the prisoners,
took me with him. The exchange was
to take place at Port Royal Ferry,
near Beaufort. The Confederate pris-
oners were assembled at Beaufort. We
marched to the ferry with guards, TAX
ing ambulances and delicacies for the
Union prisoners. We rowed across
the river, looking back lovingly at the
stars and stripes gently waving in the
balmy autumn breeze. The general
placed the white flag in my charge.
Four Of us advanced with it, We were
not long on the march. The COnfeder-
ate major and his charge had advanc-
ed to within short distance of the
river. He had, besides the prisoners
guard, a company of Confederate cav
airy. These soldiers were drawn up
between our party and the Union pris-
oners, but we could look between the
horses and see the large crowd Of rag
ged, half-famished men sitting or "
ing around on the ground, waiting for
the happy hour when they could cross
the river and be with their friends
breathe the air of liberty, see the flag
Of liberty, and be smiled upon by it.
''There was an unfortunate hitch.
e"We lacked one Of having as many
COnfederates as there were Union priS-
Oners, and the major demanded man
for man. The general, being a law
yer, braced himself for a plea that
the exchange might go on, and prom
Used that another Confederate would
soon be forwarded But the plea fell
on unwilling ears. Man for man, Gen
eral. Those are the only conditions
The two officers walked back and forth,
the Unionist urging the disregard of
instructions, so far as that one man
was concerned, but he could not move
the Confederate, who pronounced his
proposition the attempt of Yankee
to play Yankee trick on him. Man
for man, General, or no exchange
FINALLY the general, after looking
lovingly at the waving stars and stripes
across the river, pointed to the flag
and said to the major: Wouldn't you
like to go over the river and get under
the old flag once more?'
"I have no objections, General, if it
would please YOU was the Confeder-
ate's cool reply.
81 was directed to signal to have the
boat brought over, and when it came
the two officers, with the other two
men, crossed the river leaving me
alone with the Confederates, but had
the white flag and feared no danger. I
took position where | could stand and
look at those men from Andersonville,
and of all the sorroWful sights [ have
ever looked upon that was the most sor-
rowful. They had but little to say; APP
parently they We're too weak to talk.
Every minute that they were kept there
was a minute of torture to them. How
they hungered to get over the river,
under their flag! While the officers
were gone only an hour, it seemed to
them day, and to me a week. By
this time our men had learned that
there was trouble about the exchange,
and were quietly discussing it.
'Tt was finally decided that the Uni
on prisoners must draw lots to see
which one of them should go back to
prison and wait for the next exchange
This information was communicated
to the prisoners. 1t created a sensa-
ton. | heard one poor fellow say:
Isn't it too bad, after we have waited
all these months to start for liberty
and comfortv Sitting near this broken,
dispirited man, watching his every
word, was an understood soldier.
When his comrade had finished talk
ing he painfully lifted himself to his
feet and. asked that the Confederate Of
ficer be sent for. When the major
came he said: Sir, it is too bad to
ask those half-famished, nearly naked
men to cast lots to see who shall go
back to prison. | can save them from
that trying ordeal. l volunteer to re-
turn to prison. Then he asked that
the general be sent to him. He said:
Sir. | am a first sergeant of the Tenth
Connecticut l have volunteered to re-
turn to prison in order that there may
be no more delay in getting my COM
rades here back to liberty, to the COM
forts they need and the homes that
are waiting for them. Please send
word to my people that l am still liv-
ing and that l hope soon to be ex-
changed. And hope, sir, that you