The Sunday globe., 1901-06-16
ON THE FIELD.
The Picture of His Sweetheart
Given a "Reb."
SOLDIER BROTHER ESCAPES
interesting War Narrative Of An ES-Confod-
crate Related 10 The Globe and a Party
Of Friends On The Evening OF Last Ne.
mortal Day in a Downtown HOist-LOVe
and War;

On Memorial Evening last a party
of eX-Confederate and ex-Union vet.
erans were relating their experience
and incidents Of the war, in one Of the
hotels, and the many narrow escapes
they had passed through in battle.
Among this group was Corporal Joe
Pearson, of the Sd Virginia Cavalry.
The corporal said: 81 will relate one
of the most delightful stories of my
ufe 1t was at the battle OF Yellow
Tavern, near Richmond, where Gen.
Zeb Stuart was killed. / had very
/ close call for my nfe on that occasion,
which | will never forget. | was in
/ advance of my regiment, on foot, with
| in the enemies lines. | was waiting
| for loose horse TO come along 80 that
| | could mount myself; mine had been
/ killed in the Lattle. BY some strange
/ coincidence, an officer of Dahlgreen's
| command and myself met in the road.
! He was splendidly mounted on a fine
| horse, lie opened fire on me with his
| pistol | had emptied my carbine and
| had not been able to load. | dashed
| behind tree to save myself. He
| charged me and continued to fire at
me as | lodged around the tree to es.
| cape his shots. During this time, |
slipped charge in my gun and fired.
He fell from his horse, and l thought
he was dead. | sprang from behlhu the
tree and caught the horse, and turned
the officer over and found a pair of
cavalry pistols and a small ivory
pocket pistol on his body. As l was
about to leave him | saw a pin in his
coat which bore a Masonic emblem.
! took it along, and have il now, and
if | knew where to send it | would
forward the same to the rightful own
er or heir | did not have much time
to consider the situation, so | mounted
the fine steed and turned his head to-
wards our lines. | heard a voice say,
All right, Johnnie, the boys will
have you in a few moments, and then
| will get my pistols l looked back,
and the officer was leaning against the
same tree that had saved my life but a
few moments before. ! looked down
the road, and there came four cavalry
men charging after me at full sped
! stuck spurs to my horse and started
for our boys. | knew exactly where
they were, These four fellows kept
after me for more than half a mile |
firing yolley after yolley at my fleeing
form. | returned a few shots, keeping
at a safe distance ahead.
When | reached our picket lines /
knew | was safe, Stuart's scouts closed |
in on the four boys in blue and they
became our prisoners. When they |
were brought in / recognized one Of |
them. We had been fast frienus in |
Washington before the war COM |
menced. / said to him. laughingly: |
Hello, Sam Jackson is that you? |
Yes Joe, this is what's left of me- |
You fellows gave me a very close |
chase. If l had not been on a fresh |
Yankee horse you would have picked |
me up BY heavens Joe Pearson,
was that you were wer running. We |
heard the firing and pushed ahead to
see what it meant, and when a horse
man dashed off at such rapid speed |
ahead of us, we new il was a Johnnie
Reb, for that reason we gave chase
and here we are 4 went up and had
a hearty handshake with my old boy
mood friend, and said to him: Tt is
tough times on our side of the line.
We are short on rations, and every
thing else in the way Of necessaries,
comfort and luXuries.' Sam Jackson |
was as brave a man as ever hred a gun.
hated to see him go to prison. | was
dead in love with his sister, and |
wanted a chance to talk to him about
the girl | had left behind When the
guard detail was made for the night |
to watch over the prisoners, it was my
good luck to be one of them. AS the
night passed slowly away, the other
boys became weary for the want of
sleep, and they, with the prisoners, |
dozed, but Sam and myself were not |
sleepy Al last ! whispered a few
words into his ear about his sister.
He slipped something into my hand, |
and said, keep this; it is her pic
ture' | waited until a convenient |
chance presente.- itself, then went /
out from under the trees into the sill
very light of a full harvest moon, with
no witnesses but the twinkling stars
up above, which were shining like an |
angels lamp in the vault of heaven. /
Here l took from my pocket the i'm
preston of the face Of one | had so
long wished to see. For a few mo-
ments, flushed wltn boyish love | for
got about the war and the many dan
gers had passeu through to get look
at the picture which ! then held in /
my hand. Ii was the happiest moment |
Of my soldier life. Whilst I was thus
thinking Of her who was then sleep
ing across the blue Potomac, my mind /
was crowded with thoughts as to how
could arrange for her brother to es-
cape and bear her a message from her |
rebel lover. Finally, as the first dawn
Of day began to show its streaks OF ap-
preaching light in the East, | had
matured my plan, and reasoned from
the old adage that all was fair in love
and war / knew the boys who we're !
detailed 10 take the prisoners to Rich
mond. took one Of them into my con-
fdenCe and told him my whole story.
He was a brave noble young fellow
from Loudoun County, Virginia. He
grasped my hand anu said: BY this
right hand do / swear that / will loose
that fellow before we get to Richmond
He spoke this i'm a tone to be heard by |
the other members Of the guard, who
thought this fellow was a bush
wnacker / hau posted my friend as |
to what he should do. That night the |
prisoners were started for Richmond, |
and, sure enough, my man was last en-
route, When the guard returned, my |
good friend, whom / had trusted, told |
me Sam was all right. The other fell
lows thought the sargeant had taken
the bushwhacker TO one side and had
shot him. He did take him out and
fired his gun twice and returned to the
camp, saying, That fellow won't bush
whack us any more Served him
right chimed in the others. That's
the way to DO them kind Of fellows
who are too cowardly to stand up and
take his dose in the front ranks
My friend the prisoner, was not long
in making his way back to his com.
mand. Some months after that ! was
unfortunate enough to be captured by