The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1902-09-11
THE BATTLE-FIELDS.
OLD SOLDIERS TALK OVER
ARMY EXPERIENCES
The Blue and the Gray Review Incl.
dents of the Late War. and in q
GrnpiIic and Interesting Manner
Tell O: Camp, March and E.:ttlc.

so ofLen experienced in the army tnal
something aside from the usual or rout
ine order was going 10 happen. | sait
so 10 my wife, and she said jocularly
THAI was probably to have Il sUrpris,
in the way of meeting some Old com
raGe who wore the gray. Thereupor
we both looked about with greater in
terest in the individuals near Us, and
in two minutes we stood face to face
with 4 matronly lady holding the hand
of {. boy about years of age.
Il had jus; remarked to my wife that
night in Culpepcr County. Virginia
when the lady turned toward me with
a look of surprise and recognition. and
l knew her. although | had not seen
her fos aeariy forty years. gave
my reme and the name of her father,
and We were snCn going over the story
OF our last meeting and of what FOL
lowed. In the winter of 1862 | was an
officer in Gen. Jeb Stuart's cavalry on
outpost duty near Germania ford. on
the Rappahannock Myself and other
officers were visitors at ShadelcSS. 4
large plantation lying between the Rap
idan and the Rappahannock. near the
fcrd. The owner OF Shadeless was Il
Union man. ana was II that time in
LIBBY prison, cllargel with giving in
formation of Confederate plans 10 the
enemy.
''One of his SONS was in prison with
AMI two daughters. One of the latter
was stanch Confederate. while the
younger daughter and her mother were
staach Unionists and made no secret
If 1t. As Stuart's men were mainly
from Culpeper. Grange. Madison and
adjoining counties. the most of Us knew
all about the family, but for old ac-
luaintance sake some of us We're enter
tanned at Shadeless as we We're in 9th
er old Virginia families. With this diff
Terence. however. At Shadeless, as on
the night in question. the older daugh-
:er sang Southern songs and the young
"a Yankee songs. The latter playei
well and sang well. and was beau!i-
rul girl. but she would not play or sing
anless we would listen TO the old pat
riCtic songs
Rather than not hear her splcadid
voice. We listened to her songs, and
she made the most of her ppor;uniry
70 sing Unionism at us. In conyerSa-
lion she never referred to the North.
but in her singing she was a saucy,
ieiiant. appealing Unionist. anj as
charming as she was saucy. Ou This
particular evening several of the
younger officers Were present and there
was much good-natured baDtering cf
The beautiful girl who could be 50 gra-
,iOus as hostess AMI SO bold Union
iSt in the presence of Confederate otii
GERS. Her face and personality and
the story Of her father gave n tone 10
Der singing that thrilled and unsettled
me, and l don't believe any of that
group of officers ever forgot the look on
1er face as she sang into our faces The
Star-Spalgled Banner and Yankee
Doodle In the middle of one of her
songs there was a knock at the door.
and. stopping short. with startled
look at myself and brother officers, the
girl ran into the front hall.
There stood in the doorway n man
Of athletic build IN the dress of Il pri-
vate of the Confederate army, and un-
ashamed, he asked in a direct Northern
way for food. The girls face was trou-
bled, but she invited him into the hall
and asked me TO talk with him. felt
that she believed the man 10 be spy
,n herself or on us. AMI that she want
ed me to fix his status. The stranger
vas thinly clad and his cavalry boots
we're worn and ragged and held in
place by pieces of grainsack tied
around them. but he answered all my
questions without hesitation, gave his
name as Chamberlain, of one of the
Mississippi regiments in our division.
and at my suggestion was permitted TO
remain and receive food But the Girl
was not satisfied. and. as / learned
who was in an adjoining room.
"She told her mother of the stran-
gers presence and expressed the oniu-
on that he was a spy attracted by her
singing of Union songs. She suggested
That her mother ask the man if he
would have mush and milk, ana if he
answered yes. 1t was safe to saw he
was Yankee. The suspected spy was
taken to the mothers presence. and she
explained that the servants had all
gone to the quarters. and as there was
no food cooked she could give him
nothing except mush and milk. Tho
man replied that that was the very
thing. that he had been raised on II
and he could make it himself. The
daughters suspicious were Justified
and the mother said frankly that She
he was a NOrtherner and n
spy, and if he was. his presence in her
house would involve her family in new
aardships. as her husband AMI son
were in Libby and she was alone on
The plantation with her daughters and
and she could not afford. as
le could see. to harbor spies.
''The man spoke in reply as frankly.
He said he was Pennsylvania.
caught in the South At the beginning
VI the war and had enlisted with 4 view
20 getting through the lines and re-
turning TO his home in Pennsylvania.
He explained that he knew the story
If the family and that he had come 20
them in the belief that they nigh. :i1
aim TO make his escape. but said he
would do nothing to embarrass them.
He ate his mush and milk, went back
20 his regiment. and disappeared. Later
the family removed TO Baltimore. and
after the war received 4 call from
Chamberlain. He had gone home en-
his escape from the Confederate lines,
had enlisted in the Union army, ard
served through the war. In The VIII
1erness campaign he found Shadeless
deserted, and having heard that the