The National tribune., 1901-10-17
A New York Cavalryman's Adventures On
Picket, With Indians, and With a Grizzly.

SOME NARROW ESCAPES.
A New York Cavalryman' Adventures CT
Picket, With Indians, and With a Grizzly.
EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: In my
letter to The National Tribune which ap
peared in the issue of Aug. %, | mar
rated events that occurred during the
Winter of '6I-'65, while performing picket
duty with the Second Division of the Cav
airy Corps, in the rear of the intrenched
position occupied by the Army of the Pc
tomac before Petersburg, Va.
| also mentioned in that sketch that
our regiment THE oath n. Y. Cav.) start
ed out from Washington dismOunted, and
was assigned to the Provisional Brigade
! Fourth Division, Ninth Corps, under com
mand of Gen. Burnside, and as such par
ticipated in all the engagements, from
the Wilderness up to and including the
assault and siege of Petersburg, to Oct.
D. when we were modnted and assigned
to the First Brigade of Gregg's Second
Division Cavalry. IS
An incident in connection with the bat
| tie of the Wilderness comes to my mind
that | will relate as remember it. The
night of May Z l ard a number of others
were detailed for picket. we were moved
out just at dark, through crooked paths,
among the fallen trees, to a point in adj
vance of our slightlyliHtrenched line. Just
as we were deployed and the picket line
had become established, there arose a yell
| from the rebels, that extended from their
extreme right to their extreme left. When
the yell started there was a volley from
our side, which / think was answered
by the foe. -5-e rs
Their yell had no sooner ended when a
loud and prolonged cheer broke out from
our side. The confusion incident to the
| yelling, the cheering, and the volleys of
had Il
effect on the picket line, which was made
up of men and boys who, like myself had
never been under fire before that time.
Some, thinking there was about to be a
charge, were for falling back on the main
line, but after it became a little more
quiet the line was re-established. In my
case / made myself as fiat as possible,
realizing that | was far safer there THAN
L would be trying to hunt the crooked
trail through which we passed while on
our way to the front.
| l lay there all that night, watching to-
ward the front, not feeling any inciina-
ton to sleep, for l thought l could hear
| someone crawling up toward me through
the bushes. My carbine was pointed to
the front in a position that | could swing
the muZzle to the right or left, the small
end of the stock in the palm of my left
hand, with the hammer drawn way back,
and my finger on the trigger.
! / do not at this late day just call to
mind what my instructions were that
night, but l do know that had anyone
approached me from the direction my car
bine was pointed | should have been very
apt to have fired and halted him later. |
was but a kid at that time, being a
! little over 10 years old, and it was my
first experience under fire at the front.
| will never forget that night; the rebel
yell, answered by the cheers of our army;
| the vOlleys of musketry, with the bullets
passing over my head striking trees and
bushes; and, over all, a hazy cloud of
battle-smoke, which spread like a pail
over both friend and foe.
| When | went on picket that night l was
'tenderfoot soldier but the next morn
ing, when we were withdrawn from the
| front line to participate in the movement
toward Spottsylvania, 1 felt that l was
a veteran in all that the term implied, and
in the subsequent engagements in which
| L participated, let what come, | was in q
measure prepared for it.
In my former sketch / incidentally re-
ferred to a race l once had with a grizzly
bear, which | will have to tell you; also
a bit of a hide-and-seek game / had with
an Indian.
Before l became connected with the
Lee-Foster Land and Cattle Co. l was
sent out by Eastern parties to develop
a mining claim in the Rio Bovto mining
district of New Mexico. At this time
the Apache Indians were giving the min
ers considerable trouble. Hence, on ac-
count of them tthe Indians) desperados
and wild beasts, it was always good policy
for a person to 90 well armed.
i was cut one day about FIVE miles from
camp, well up the mountains when /
saw an Indian just as he jumped behind
n tree. As there was a large pine near
me, l lost no time in gaining its protec-
ton. My arsenal consisted of a Winches-
ter rifle, a double action Colts siX-shoOter
and a good buckhorn handle hunting
knife; but as this was my first experience
with the Gg)noble redman, l hardly knew
what to do. Had he been Johnny Reb''
during the war I'd have futtered flag of
truce at him, and if he'd been all right, in
less than two minutes we'd have been
| felt that something had got to be done;
so / stuck out my hat Daniel Boone
fashion; but without effect. | finally
made up my mind that l ought to be
enough for one Indian; so | brought nv
rife TO a position where / could use it at
seconds notice, and stepped from behind
my tree and started for his position will
a determination to get in the first shot.
When | reached his tree l found he
had vanished; and, to tell the truth, I
was glad of it. The ground stoned off
from behind his tree, which gave him a
chance TO leave while l was deciding what
to do. | was excited enough to have shot
him, had he been there, before he could
have shot me or flashed his Bible at me.
They all carry Bible to show me good
Injun" when they get cornered.
Not long after that | was out pros
pecting, and in my wanderings | started
up gulch not over 30 feet in width with
perpendicular walls on either side, over
500 feet in hight. The gulch was dotted
with clumng N willows and a11apc
ing here and there, but with plenty of
walking space between. As l passed
around one Of these clumps of bushes l