The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1901-08-02
THE BLUE AND GRAY
BY Lou LAWRENCE.

IL uC dIJGuuduCC VI UluCSodCS 4~NS~
small, for so many of the boys of 81 have
been mustered out by that authority which
spares the hero no more than the common
pauper However, the handful of veterans
was royalty sustained by the citizens and
visitors of the town.
The second session of this reunion was
devoted to what is known as campfire.
A number of old soldiers told stories from
their experience in the field, some young
ladies gave patriotic recitations, quartette
sang few old war songs, and men and
women who had no knowledge of life at the
front gave little anecdotes of home life dur
ing that memorable struggle, in which the
heroes were not all on the field of battle.
Occasionally the chairman would CALI
Nov another. just give us anything you
may happen to remember"
In response to one of these calls, a hand
some, gray-hared gentleman, who sat well
back in the audience, arose and said:
Brother Americans: | happened to be
in this city, in the interest of the iron in
dustry of the south, and hearing OF this re-
union of the gallant old Fifty-fourth | de-
cded to pay it visit. Now, in answer to
the chairs request for stories connected
with that struggle in which it was my for
tune to assist in playing the losing game, |
am minded to tell one that came within the
personal knowledge of a member of the regi
ment to which | belonged, Alabama's old
Thirteenth.
During the autumn of ga part of this
regiment was detailed to guard the Blank
burg military prison. One day, the gentle
man of whom have spoken, in crossing the
prison yard, noticed very dejected-looking
prisoner sitting on box in corner.
Hello, Yank, what's the matter?' said
our Johnny, pausing to look at the man,
who, by the way, was a member of the Fifty
fourth Ohio. The man raised his head, and
,Johnny's heart smote him at the sight of
the tears that welled unchecked from his
eyes and hid themselves in the shaggy beard
which covered a rather youthful face.
I'm truly sorry for you, SIR continued
the Reb Chats the name you called us by,
/ believe), fand if | can do you any kindness
that will tighten your trouble, just let me
know what it is.
You can't help me any, said the
unionist, who evidently resented the in
trusion
Maybe can't, but wish could re-
turned our man; then, as if new thought
had struck him, he said:
Il say, friend, it'll do you good just to
tell your trouble, and I'm just dying to
hear it.
.''You do look as if you had heart in
you somewhere, and guess | might as well
tell you. Then, perhaps, you'll not think
I'd be guilty of sitting around numbering
about nothing You see, just before we
were ordered out, on the day of our capture,
got letter from home; and in it my sister
wrote that our mother, who has been sick
for long time, was failing rapidly. She
begged me, if l wanted to see mother alive,
try for furlough and come home. Well,
you don't give furloughs here, and what is a
poor devil to do, except sit down and cry
like girl? You said you'd beglad to help
me, now tell me what you'd do in such a
case"
I've a dear old mother down in Ala
bama, and if / knew she was sick I'd run off.
But how could / run off when we're
never out of this cursed hog pen, except
when we go for water%
"Td run off then
"'But if were to start down the hollow,
and you weer on picket duty at the thicket,
you'd shoot me like dog.
IF were you I'd try it and see!
''Three days afterward this same young
confederate, whom | shall continue to call
Johnny, happened to be on duty at the
thicket when the prisoners came down to
the spring for water. Among the prisoners
was the man with the sick mother. When it
came to dipping, the men crowded each
other as much as they dared, and when it
came his turn to dip our union friend
dropped prone upon the ground, and the
next man stepped over him and went his
way. When, on its return march, the col
umn reached the guards, who had come
about half the distance between the yard
and the spring, some of the prisoners in the
front began to sing Yankee Doodle in a
manner which attracted the attention of
everybody within hearing. Immediately
the man beside the water sprang up and
ran swiftly down the gulch. He passed
within few feet of Johnny, who continued
to watch the retreating column of prison
ers, as if intensely interested in their song
When the escaping man was few rods
into the wood on the east, Johnny whirled
round and fired his weapon across the hol
low, in the direction of the picket who was
stationed next to him on the north I'm
mediately following in the wake of his bull
let, he ran up to the startled picket, and
cried:
Which way did he go?'
(Which way did who go?' asked the
frightened and puzzled sentry.
why, the mantle prisoner, 1 think
Didn't you hear me shoot?'
''Of course l heard you shoot, you
blamed fool but didn't see any man.
We'll, if no one has passed you, and
you haven't been running around like mad,
yourself then l am FOOL cried Johnny,
tearing away due north like hound after
hare. The man followed him a few yards,
but turned back to his post by the time the
leader of posse of soldiers, which had
started for the spring as soon as the escape
had been discovered at the prison, called
OUT
(Which way has the fellow gomez
The sentry pointed in the direction taken
by Johnny, and the soldiers rushed after
him. They soon met him returning, and the
leader asked:
Couldn't you catch him.
No, for / had gone too far from my post
already
'"All right You go back, and we'll get
him.
Gentlemen, Johnny went back to his
post; but the prisoner was never recap
tured."
1t is needless to relate that the hall rang
with cheers when the southern gentleman
took his seat; but you may not be able to
imagine quite SO readily how quickly old
Capt. Pickens, who would scorn the idea of
any heavens being jollier place than sol.