The sun. (Wilmington, Del.) 1897-19??, 1901-05-27
THE BLUE AND GRAY
by Lou LAWRENCE.


| The attendance of bluecoats was quite
small, for SO many OF the boys of 81 have
been mustered out by that authority which
spares the hero 30 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 Rotations, quartette
sang a 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 call:
"Now another. just give us anything you
may happen to remember"
In response to one of these calls, d hand
some, gray-haired 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
austry of the SOUTH and hearing of this re.
union of the gallant old Ffty-fourth | de-
cided to pay 1t 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 member Of the regi
nent to which | belonged, Alabama's old
Thirteenth.
during the autumn of "a part Of this
regiment was detailed to guard the Blank
ourg military prison. One day, the gentle.
man of whom hav spoken, In crossing the
prison yard, noticed a very detected looking
mis- lnx -,
Hello, Yank, hats the matter?' said
,ur Johnny, pausing to look at the man
who, by the way, was member of the Fifty.
ourth 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 rat err youthful face.
I'm truly sorry for you, sir, continued
the Reb Chats the name you called us by
believe), and 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 il a new thought
had struck him, he said:
4 say, friend, it'll do you good just to
tell your trouble, and I'm just dying to
hear it,
"'You do look as il you had a heart in
YOU somewhere, and guess / might as well
tell you. Then, perhaps, you'll not thinl;
Id be guilty of sitting around blubbering
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 wanted to see mother alive
try for furloush 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 be glad to help
me, now tell me what you'd do in such a
case%
1--we dear old mother down in Ala
bama, and if knew she was sick I'd run off
But how could / run off when were
never out of this cursed hog pen, except
when we go for water?
I'D run off them
"1But 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 &c 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 it's return march, the col
Ii,,,, nal,nI tl,,, L., .,,l> lnI
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 gnlch He passed
within few feet of Johnny, who continued
to watch the retreating column OF prison
ers, as if intensely interested in their song.
1 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 COZ
Which way did who go?' asked the
frightened and puzzled sentry.
Why, the mantle prisoner, ! think
| Didn't you hear me shootH
"'Uf course l heard you shoot, you
blamed fool, but didn't see any man.
Well, 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 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 wen 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
dier's reunion, got upon his legs-one of
which was made of woodland stumped off
down the aisle to where the story-tel!er was
sitting. Looking the stranger over with a