Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1897-12-27
BANTAM IN THE ARMY
ONLY ROOSTER IN GEORGIA THAT HAS
 A TOMBSTONE OVER HIS GRAVE.
Enlisting at CuIpeper, Va, He Serves Under Major Williams In Many Battles. 4 Sentinel In a Tree-How He Betrayed Jim Ness,nith.

| A Sentinel In Tree-How He Betrayea
 Jim NessInith.
 While we were oamped near Cui. peper Court House i'll the fall of 1869, /" said Major Tom Williams, 1T became acquainted with family named Dow dy. Just before the battle of Culpeper paid visit to the farm and found the ladies in a panic preparing to flee. They set before mo such scant fare as they 1 had left, and after i had eaten nasty luncheon Miss Mary Dowdy called to me and led the way to the back yard.
 "'There is the last of our stock of poultry said she, pointing to little bantam cock that was strutting about the yard. T haven't the heart to kill him because he Is pet. If you want him, you can take him and do as you like with him.
 During tho campaign of 1863 he of ten sat on my shoulder through the | long, weary marches and hurried re- treats, and I shared my rations with him. One night we had reached the flank of the enemys camp by forced march and lay down to sleep on our arms, expecting to be reused at the break of day for sudden charge hals started off with General perched upon my nuslkot barrel, and suddori change in the order of march had separated us from the wagons, so J placed the roost- CT on the limb of a sapling above my head, while lay down to snatch few minutes sleep.
 General did not utter a single chuck fn protest, although he must have been very hungry from long fasting, but quietly squatted on the branch while flung myself on the grass and leaves and was soon fast asleep I was SO weary that slept profoundly until I was suddenly aroused by an unearthly screech in my ear. Raising my head. took in the whole situation at glance.
 General had dropped down from his perch and uttered shril1 crow right in my ear which had awakened me, and as opened my eyes saw the flash of guns as our pickets fired and in an instant fell back upon us where we lay. The Yankees had turned the tables on us, and, discovering our presence, the sur prising force became the surprised, and in ten minutes there was an unearthly racket going on i'll that pine thieket.
 Right and left of my position the boys came out of cover and advanced with yells and cheers, moving cautious. ly and firing as they moved. It had be- come sufficiently light for me to find my few belongings, and I soon recover cd my hat and hayersack, which had forgotten to pick up in the hurry of the first surprise, and just at that time I was sa1uted with loud crow just above my head and looking up saw General perehed upon his limb, he having flown back there when the firing began, and with his head held on ono side he was sidling along Che swaying branch, crow- ing and clueking.
 Tn spite of the banging of the guns and whistling oE bullets General stuck bravely to his perch and never futtered during the entire engagement. When told tho story in camp that night, General was tho toast of the evening, and he was treated to all sorts of tid- bits In recognition of his gallantry on the field of action.
 "One morning, however, General played tho camp detective in a most alarming manner, which came near proving disastrous tJ fellow soldier of another mess. All foraging had been strictly forbidden, and no man was al- lowed to leave the ranks under the heaviest penalty of military discipline. There was fellow by the name of Jim Nessmith, who occupied a tent not far from that of the captain of our compa- ny About o clock the order was pass- ed along tho lines for us to prepare to march.
 "Genera1 was perched on the limb of bush near me while sat munching my hard tack, and all of Q sudden he raised himself on his perch and crowed 1 lustily. Of course no cock ill hearing could resist replying to such challenge, and from within the tent occupied by Jim Nessmith came the mufded crow of an old rooster. Jim made grab at the bag and succeeded in choking him of, but the noise had reached the ears of some of tho others, and the captain be- came apprised of the fact that Jim had been foraging A hasty examination of his tent disclosed the body of the big rooster, choked to death by Jim in his anxiety to put stop to his untimely growing.
 rJim was ordered under arrest pend- ing an investigation, but just about that time tho order came to advance. and we moved forward, and by sunrise we were fighting, and the unfortunate officer who had ordered Jim to be placed un- der arrest was borne from the field 8 corpse after the fight was over. The af- fair was forgotten amid the stirring scenes that followed
 ''Seeing that the end was neax. ! found an opportunity to send General to the rear, and placing him in a cage started him on tho long journey to the home of nephew in Georgia. He had not been long on the farm before he be- gan to pine and droop and the family
 Marine hospital service is preparing ts fu1nigate every house in the yellow fever districts of the south to prevent reeer Fenos of the disease next year.
 ACROSS THE ATL LANTIO.