The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1899-12-22
A BOYS ADVENTURES IN DIXIE.

aeAAASAAH = w. " $3.50
forgotten treasures Of boyhood. the
writer found some manuscript. written
BY boy about the time OF the close OF
the civil war. narrating his experience
in Union cavalry regiment,with the
caption my Adventures in Dixie" and
Which may interest some OF the boy
readers of the Standard Union. The
boy troopers narrative follows:
had Just returned from sheridan's
raid on the South Side railroad. and
been two or three weeks In the old win
ter camp, Camp Averill. situated In a
large piece Of woods near the town Of
winchester, Va. AT about midnight on
the LIST and ID Of April every man hav.
ing a serViceable horse was ordered to
saddle up" We did not, however, get
into rlie saddle until little after day
light. The detail amounted to about
sixty or seventy. There was only a
small portion Of the regiment in camp
at the time-about 200 men, the sick and
wounded who had returned from
wayresboro' with Early's captured
army" the convalescents. from the
hospital, exchanged prisoners and men
with broksn-down' horses. To these
we're added number OF the Remount
Camp at Pleasant Valley, Nd.
None of US, OF course, had any idea
where we were going. and asking Ques-
tons does no good, as "a soldier Is mot
supposed 70 know anything" but Sim
ply to obey orders. However, there
was plenty of room for the Inevitable
Yankee guess" and as we began our
days march surmises and conjectures
began to Ry. Passing the camp of the
First Brigade Second DivisIon), we re-
csived an addition to our force Thence
to Winchester through the main street,
whose old brick and stone houses show
ed the marks Of hostile guns, and again
in the open fields. We passed other
camps. both Of foot and Of horse. among
them that Of the Third Massachusetts
cavalry. near which we halted to re-
celve further achievements. Our par
ty now consisted of the First New
York (Lincoln) cavalry (my OWN; the
Fourth New York. the Third Massachu-
sets and the Fourteenth Pennsylvania
Cavalry. in all about 1900. This was
Sunday. the I'd Of April. and a most
beautiful day. We crossed Cedar
creek at the ford and passed through
strasburg. beyond which we halted. un-
brldled our horses. unsaddled, and fed
our horses. and then rubbed them
down; after which We cooked our cof-.
fee and meat-the soldier always comes
after the steed. Our own hunger sat-
lsaed, we saddled and "brIdled up"
again, mounted, and resumed our
march. reaching Woodstock late in the
afternoon, and going into camp in a
skirt OF woods on one side of the pike,
on a sort OF hill, one side OF which was
easy OF access; the other, very steep.
sioplag down to small stream called
Pugh's run. After sending out pickets
and small scouting party of sixteen
iato ;ha Gown. two miles distant, we lit
our fires and prepared supper. The
ogiers we're to remove the saddles for
an hour. groom the horses and saddle
up again. 80 to remain all night. About
TWO hoars before daylight the camp
vas alarmed by rapid firing. Every
man sprapg to his feet, supposlng the
aJohnnies were "bushwhackins" US.
All took % their horses first, and our
G.ls German battalion" Captain, Da-
te.. sang cut: Fall In nit your car
bln-as." some who had neglected to
obey orders the night before were seen
saddllng up with the utmost expedI-
ton.
The firing soon ceased not more than
a dozen shots were fired. and all was
quiet again. Many who had thus been
broken out Of their rest lay down again.
As had but little rest the night pre-
ceding. lay down also, not intending
to fall asleep. Nature, however. had
something to say about that, and soon
was wrapped in danserous-not bliss
ful-unconsciousness soon to be awak-
ened by the sound Of hrearmS and the
shouting Of men. Surprising the Rebs
were again firing on US, all sprang up
to see what was the trouble. The less
sleepy ones, seeing that we were act
ually attacked. took ''leg ball." some
getting OF with their horses and some
leaving them In their precipltate flight.
Your humble servant" stIll in strug-
gle with the sleepy god, unfortunately
did not realIze-did not even dream
that the 'Phllistines were upon US"
and, having a very proper regard for
Uncle sam'q property entrusted to his
care, was vainly endeayorlng to release
his noble charger" from the bands
which bound him q. e., halteF). stlll
laboring under the difficulty arising
from the "sandman's" visit. While
thus engaged with the hopelessly knot
ted halter was seized from behind,
and upon turning around was met by a
blow on the head from the barrel Of
revolver and ordered to SURRENDER"
which / at first refused to do, demand
ing Of my would-be captor "who he
was" supposing him to be one of the
scouts that had accompanied US on the
expedition (lf SO 1 might term ~. The
reply. I'm a rebel" was somewhat IN
expected. and I almost unconselously
repeated his words. at the same time
gIancing around and seeing many
others in gray rushing about Upon
receiving another order to surrender