The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-12-07

~.NF me front, turned route into
WIS victory-I was a young
army surseon on the Union side. I
had, only the night before, finished the
hasty establishment of a large field hos
pital on the outskirts of Winchester.
Two days only had been granted me
for the task, and for the working force
OF the hospital-stewards, nurses,
cooks, orderlies, etc.-there had been
turned over to me by the provost
guard q lot Of stray soldiers caught
straggling in the streets Of Winches
ter.
OF this molly crowd n young fel.
Ter, a STRIPPING in the uniform of q
Pennsylvania regiment, had particu-
larry attracted me by his frank and
intelligent face, and I had made him
my orderly. He had, indeed, given
but a confused account of how he came
to be absent from his regiment then at
the front, and eve ON the first day
had a~nxiously pressed for a short leave
OF absence-Decessarily refused at
that busy tIme-but I had not connec
ted these two suspicious circumstances
IN my mind, and had quickly become
attached to the youngster because of
his devotion to duty.
1t was a terrible time in the Shen-
andoah Valley. The invading army
of the North waged avowedly a war of
desolatioD, while for the South there
fought not only the regular soldiery,
but also bands of guerrillas, actively
aided by the inhabitants OF the valley
On the n side it was Sheridan ad
vancing with sword and 6rebrand; on
the other Early with an eager army in
front, and Mosby with dashing parti
san troops in the rear, while skulking
bushwhackers and vagabonds preyed
independently on either foe.
In such a lawless state of things it is
not surprising that mauraudings and
murders were frequent, and that guer
rIllas caught proving with the Union
lines we're liable to short shFift and a
moose, WHILE, In reprissl. Federals
shared by valley overs promptly suf-
fered a like fate.
1t was the evening of the nineteenth.
ALI that day trains Of wounded men
had been pouring into the hospital,
and now, among the late arrivals, came
a captured Confederate mej0r, from
some generals ste IF. slightly wounded
In the arm. This patient was assigned
a small tent by himself, and the ward
surgeons being busy, l went myself to
attend him, followed, as always, by
my orderly, John Petherington, as he
called himself.
AS we entered the tent, the major
saluted and then stared, open eyed,
over my shoulder behind. Thinking
nothing of this, however, I dressed the
wound and started away.
Before 1 had gone twenty feet / re
memDered that I had left my pocket
case of instruments on the majors cot,
Retracing my steps, reached the door
way of the tent, when I heard voices
within in low, earnest, conversation
The first voice, the majors, said:
Three days, eh9 Then you don't
know where Mosby il nowH"
No, SIR" replied the second voice,
the voice of my orderly, P~etherington,
who evidently had Jagged behind wnen
I left the tent; mo, sir, but probably
he has gone to the Loudoun Valley.
You see I had leave for"-
But here the voice stopped short, for
at this instant / appeared, all unex,
pected, within the tent. As I did so
the major started, while Petherington,
his eyes meeting mine. first redeemed
furiously, and then turned deathly
pale.
COMPOUNDED by the sudden revela
ton, for an instant I stood s~peechless;
then, pointing to the packet lying or
the cot, 1 said to Petherington, me-
chemically, II left my pocket case;
bring it and come along" Then, turn
ing abruptly, ! made straight for my
own quarters, glancing over my shout
der to see if Petherington was follow
ing.
Arriving at my tent, I found on my
table, delivered during my short alb,
sence, a letter marked Immediate"
Opening it, I read a message from the
medical director at Winchester, saying
that, on notifying the different regi
ments concerned of the detail, for SER
vice in the hospital, of the stragglers
up in Winchester, word had been re
turned from the regiment to which