The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-09-05
SHIRT SAVED THEM.
Stirring Account of a Marrow Escape
In War Times.


Il had an experience during the war;
said James Dobbyn of East Washing
ton the other day to d Washington
Star man. which caused me to feel
kindly toward an old shirt which had
thrown away. The freedom of life of
four others with myself hung on IT,
Yopsee, it was this way: In an attack
on our lines. had not my old shirt at
traeted the Johnnies' attention they
would have had US all five, or may have
killed us, My company Captain George
GIifin} Of the First District of Column
bia cavalry, With the Fifth and
Eleventh Pennsylvania and the Third
New York cavalry, we're, in SepteIn-
Der, 1864 doing duty on the Norfolk
road ten or twelve miles in the rear
OF City Point. Our lines extended a
distance of four miles along the road
ard were there for the protection OF
800 -head7of cattle between US and the
+ point we had been there long enough
TO enable me to learn much about our
surroundings, for 1 had followed my
inclination to wander around. I knew
the bests and most accessible places TO
obtain green corn, sweet potatoes and
similar delioacies, and l also found a
deep and ngyroW raVine, filled with q
dense growth OF briars, and discovered
mat Intsft Md1S DQI one entrance II.
and that as difficult TO find as ii was
fo enter On. exploring it 1 found that
once through the brush, concealment
was perfect. little thought when there
that it would serve me as a place of
safety, or that my old shirt would en-
able NE to FeaohFit- The night before
Ihe, attack Lieutenant Mun.ford of the
Third New York, came to our picket
line WIN a report that while out on
reconnaissance he had heard the en-
erny chopping Ia the woods, and had
got 50 near that he heard their voices
land was sure that they were chopping
our roads II seems that If any proper
! notice had been taken many lives
would have been spared, including
Jo1nuies would have missed their
beef At least that was the general
Impression OF the men
1T vas about an hour before day
MszIlt." continued Mr.. Dobbyn. ''1yiierl I
heard the picket firing. My '6uni1y4
belngsa little deaf and hard to awaken
I left him and ran 30 the horses
l5ridii1gr-flis and my oRn. Then st was
red not Wade Hampton, wanting beef
had struck our lines in three or four
places, and by this time his men We're
in our camp. pillaging from tent TO
tent. There was nothing to do but to
retreat, ana 50 Captain Griffin ordered.
Then / determined 10 snake the effort
Of my life and save as many as pos
siible. and the captain told me to lead
the way We ran through the tents en-
deayoring to get our men together, and
Il was so dark that we joStled in and
out among the Johnnies, who could not
distinguish US from their own men,
Reaching the lower end of the camp
we made for fallen tree not far from
a spring. intending TO rally our COM
pany there, nut only FIVE reached il
with the captain and myStlf-PriVates
Turner, Heiser and Mooney. BY this
time the enemy. having gone through
the tents, were forming skirmishing
parties and were getting SO uncomfort-
ably close that their conversation was
distinctly heard:
Hello WHAT the HI is this?' said
voice a shirt, and 4 new one TOO,
was sung out, and then I had to choke
down my laughter, as II dawned on me
that my soiled linen. huns out the night
before, was undergoing an examination
II was no time to laugh, but they vera
stfn around the Shirt when the captain.
knowing that I had some knowledge of
tne land. directed me 10 lead them out
This [ did, and through the narrow
opening we worked our way into the
raVine. and soon We're ~ a cofnfortA be
place. Perhaps you would not have
Thought 50 il you had been there, for
we were not 80 feet distant from where
hundreds of rebels passed, and heard
much of their talk. Before shutdown