The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1898-10-08
"REMINISCENCES OF
...ANTIETAM.
One of the F'iercegt Battles Ever
Waged by MORTAL MAN.
BY J. K. POLK RACINE.

WRITTEN BY REQUEST AND CONTINUED
FROM LAST WEEK.
When we marched up to the strong
fences around the Roulette homestead, and
by the way, memory is still whispering OF
the magnifcence of the old grange, just
before we reached it, on that memorable
morning thirty-six years ago. We pass the
stone spring house, aud in looking through
we notice that it is full of Johnnies. These
Johnnies had been a part OF the skirmish
line and were being pushed in by our
battle line. And how dangerous it is to be
on skjrmish duty just when two great
armies are about to engage in mortal com-
bat. Both armies had their skirmlsh lines
out as a precaution against surprise. The
skirmish line Of the advancing army has ad-
vantage OF the army lying still, and in this
instance the Confederate troops were lying
behind stone fences beyond. A skirmish
line, is men placed at long intervals be-
tween contending forces and when the
enemy comes in view, they ale supposed to
fire and fall back slowly till they reach
their line. Now see, our army being on the
advance it had long since come up with
our skirmishers and they were safe. But
the brave confederates must pass over all
those fields, and 5000, ah! yes, very soon,
both armies will begin to pour in their hot
shot, when the brave boys on skirmish
duty are doomed And that is why these
Johnnies were in this stone spring house,
not because they were towards, hut to pass
over shat hill was sure death to every one
of them and they knew it.
Just at this point an officer Of the bloody
Fifth caught glimpse of the Johnnies in
the spring house. He started for the coop
exclaimng, Here is IA nest OF Rehs.,
and they are my prisoners. But Captain
S. p. Ford, of Company A, called to him
to not bother those that were in the rear,
saying there are lots OF them just over the
hill in front, Bruify, come this way and
you can make good haul, BY this time
the Roulette house was on fire, the barn
was ablaze, the heat from the burning
buildings was intense. The barnyard was
closely fenced, and the barrier was as high
as our heads and the yard contained
twelve or fifteen large black hogs and
the frightened swine were hud2led in one
corner OF the enclosure, and owing to the
press on either side we must 90 through
there There were two gates to the yard
but they were locked. KNOCK down the
gates said Captain Ford, in his welI-known
plished the boys made rush. and 50 did
the swine-both elements heading for the
gap--the boys to get in and the hogs to
get out. The hogs made their point and
in passing knocked down and carried ont
many of our dear old boys with them.
Several companies had passed in and
were laundering at the other gate to form
an opening for our exit, and just at this
iuncture Company X, brave German
company, was filling up the gap of en-
trance. The trembling swine were per-
feotly quiet in the southwest corner Of the
yard. Bill Goose and Bill Fahy, two Bal
tmore plug-uglys, were hankering for a
cut Of fresh pork and when their pilEering
propensties had gotten up near the boiling
point, hunchbacked Goose made a dive for
the largest porker, when Fahy jumped
astrde it and away they went. The hogs
moved the Germans down as the reaper
does standing grain, And the air was full
er of underwriters and other Dutch
cuss words than it ever was before near
that particular barnyard Hans Lmhoch
was carried on the hogs back to the spring