Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-05-29
An Episode of Blue and Gray in the Civil War

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sword; | wear a plain blouse and car
ry a musket He knows that | have no
redress, and he disgraces me by strik-
4 ing me with his sword, before the
whole company. And then he threat
ems that | shall fare worse if | dare
| to say a word to hinl-the captain of
he company! He's a brute, | was do
| ing no wrong; | was disobeying no or
ders; but he struck me, as though |
wer dog! | am not a dog; | am a
man, and as good a man as he, even if
am few years younger But he'll
not strike me again. III bid farewell
to a company with such a captain"
A boyish figure stood upon a slight
swell of ground in Virginia. a few
miles from the RappahannOck river,
and thus passionately commmed with
itself. The speaker was dressed as
an infantry soldier of the union army,
but he carried no weapons or accout-
rements Partially turning. he gaZed
back in the direction whence he had
come. Here and there tents were Wis
iblc. showing the enCampment of the
great army of the Potomac Charles
Foster was soldier in that army, and
had followed the ColOrs of his regi-
ment through the battle Of Fredericks-
burg; he had done soldiers duty
during the winter enCampmenJ upon
the RappahannOck. when disease had
cost SO many priceless lives. He had
tried to do that duty faithfully but in
some manner he had incurred the dis
like Of Captain Robbins, the com
mander of his COmpany-a man to
whom the authority conferred by his
commission was very unfortunate
thing And now the crisis had come
through a blow from the fiat of the
captains sword given for most
rining cause.
That blow had changed the life pur-
pose Of the young soldier. Burning un-
der his wrongs. and thinking nothing
of the future or of his solemn oath. or
OF what his act might mean to him or
his in the years to come, Private
Foster had stolen from the camp. had
turned his back upon the army, and
was now facing the hundreds OF miles
of unknown, hostile country lying be
tween him and the home to which he
mad determined to return. For a mo-
ment he glanced from camp to camp,
as though making a farewell survey
turned again to the forbidding region
before him, marked the bearing of the
sunset glow, which was fast fading
aud then plunged forward.
He had already passed the infantry
outpost OF the army. Only few days
before his regiment had served a term
Of duty there and he had learned
something regarding the country be-
yond. The highway which he had
CHANGED upon led toward the north
west, where ran the great chain OF the
Blue Ridge He had determined to
follow that course FOR a day or two,
travelling by night, trusting to fortune
to procure some substitute for his
uniform and after that to make his
way more boldly back to his friends
at home
TIE night grew cool Tor it was still
early spring and very soon the youth
was wholly uncertain whether in fol-
lowing the windings of the scarcely
disceruible road he was actually going
from the hated presence of his captain
or returning toward Fredericksburg;
and once he paused in alarm as he be
held a bright though distant light,
fearing lest he might be approaching
the camp of a detachment of some
army--he was as much afraid now OF
cncountering one army as the other,
for already he began to feel that he
was in danger from each; that he
could appeal to neither flag for protcC-
ton But turn in the road soon took
him in different direction, and the
fear of impending danger gradually
passed away
How nterminable seemed the
hours, AS to the progress which he
was able to make, he could form no
Judgment, but he realized that it must
be comparatively slow. He felt obliged
to proceed carefully, and occasionally
to make wide detours to avoid dwell
ings where there was a suggestion of
people still astir. At one time he crept
a long distance Through fields. to pass
what he believed to be a cavalry
picket of the Union army. He had
never before So kecnly sensed the
voices of the night. and the slightest
sound now carried to his apprehensive
ears a significance such as he had
never before realized
At last he believed that he was we'll
beyond even the cavalry outposts in
that direction, and as the feeling OF
temporary safety deepened. that OF
WEAKNESS increased. The only light
camc from the stars, and gathering
clouds added to the darkness. The
way seemed more rough. narrow and
uncertain, and presently the convic.
ton forced itself upon the young
man that he had wandered from the
more travelled road and taken a by
path This conviction deepened to a
certainty when little later he found
himself on the margin of creek the
tlow of which assured him that it was