The National tribune., 1897-09-23
GRACED THE cHpTHIN'S THBLE.
The Story of q Desperate Raid in Hostile
Country.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: We were
part of the First Brigade, First Division
| Fifteenth Corps, and after the fall Of Rome
| and Allatoona were put on detached service
at Allatoona to guard Sherman's base of sup
plies. My mess consisted of five. The
| country around about was infested with
guerrillas, and many poor fellow lost his
life while trying to secure forage. II they
caught "Yank inside Of their lines they
wouldshoot him and label his breast: " Death
to foragers." So we were forbidden to forage
A pass or heavy escort was necessary to get
out, and the whole mess procured pass
from our Colonel, representing that there wa,
a large patch of blackberries just outside the
| picke,-line.
The Etowa River ran eight miles cas-!
OF Allatoona; it had fertile valley two
miles wide, and thither we made our way
after forage. We came upon pen Of four
nice, fat hogs, and held council to decide
which was the best mode of disposIDg OF
them without making any noise, for the rebs
were plenty thereabouts.
Cunningham decided he should get upon
the top of the pen, and we turn the
| hogs facing him. He should take rail and
knock them in the head and kill them too
| dead to squeal."
with his rail and struck it a side blow that
| sent it spinning and squealing. Immedi-
ately l. being the youngest, was sent out on
road leading down to the house to do
picket duty, while the rest of the party
jumped into the pen and commenced butch
ering the choicest two hogs.
saw an old man and three or four negroes
| coming up from the house, and halted them.
The old man said he had come to see what
was wrong with his hogs. / told him the
Yanks had his hogs, and that he had better
abnut-face and forward march. He obeyed.
We got the hogs on poles. We struck the
Allatoona road at dark. and were about
eight miles from camp. We heard the tramp
of horses feet coming from the river. We
stepped aside into the undeIbrush. Some
30 mounted men rode by on the gallop to-
wards Allatoona Not knowing where our
picket-line was, they rode smack into it and
were fired upon.
This caused general alarm, and our
picket-line was strengthened and n videt
put out halfnile toward Etowa. We did
not hear the firing. About midnight the
videt which had been posted on the road
fired upon US and then pushed for the picket
line. We knew it was no use to try to slip
through, as we bad intended. We marched
in boldly and faced the music.
The Captain who was of the 59th Ind,
asked us if we knew we had gotten in a
tight place and caused lots of trouble.
Then he related the particulars, which was
the first we knew of the skirmish. He then
took our names, camp, and regiment, and as
there was cold rain falling he told us we
had better 90 to bed and get ready for the
morrow.
We felt rather blue as we went towards
our hunks. Then Dresser suggested that we
try little strategy on the Captain. We cut
out hind-quarter of one of the hogs aud
took it over to the Captains cook. We told
him to prepare good breakfast out of the
ham and some sweet potatoes which we had
brought along, for the Captain, as present
of the 4Ih Mimi. boys. That was the last
we ever heard of our escapade.-JoHN
LARABA, Co. II, 4th Mimi, Columbia S. d.