Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-08-06

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S NN morning tnere came
MN M to a picket station
YAESSSNA where had charge of
lHfNSaABRJ six men an old colored
NDo%SM, woman, bent, twisted,
N91AXNs perspiring and wild
ns%Se1N eyed, who exclaimed,
WV Good Lawd, boss,
dey's two strings of
reb sojers ODER yaiider. Dey's so long
dat you can't see neither end Of 'em."
The old woman seemed so earnest
that l was half inclined to believe her,
so l asked. "Where are they, aunty !?
How far?"
"Jes' Began de woods. boss. Dey's
jes' millions of en-"
knew the road for miles beyond the
station. 1t was so straight that n man
could see Il long way ahead. had a
horse fast enough to get me out of
trouble should suddenly find myself
within rifle range. and he needed ex-
ercise, SO mounted and galloped out
to reconnoiter. l passed the woods
without seeing any one, and from q
little hill could see that there was no
one In the fields beyond, so returned
to the station and rebuked the old
woman for lying.
Its true as dc Bible, boss, whut 1
tole you" she replied earnestly. "Dey
dun tuck my two shotes long wild 'em.
You t'ink desc ole eyes cayn't see?
Yas'r, dey kin dat"
AS 1t was about time for us to be re-
lieyed told her to go back home and
take another look and return.
A few hours after we reached camp
we were startled by the bugle blowing
"boots and saddles" the most per-
emptory alarm known in the cavalry
service. AS we hurried to the stables
we heard the 'long rolf sounded in
the infantry camp near us. By the
time the assembly" sounded, the word
had gone through camp that the out
posts on every road, on circuit of ten
or more miles, had been driven in or
captured.
AS we rode out at a trot we could see
infantry moving into the works on ev-
cry side, light batteries taking posi-
tons behind breastworks and men Mt
the heavy guns in the forts, while to-
ward series of roads different from
that which we We're approaching anoth-
er' cavalry regiment was moving. In the
town we divided so us TO reconnoiter
three roads to find out who and where
the enemy was. 1t did not take long
!. to get the desired information. A Con-
federate gun or two on each road sent
q shell or two to let us know where
taAsy were. and q dash of skirmishers
at the ganor. yielded two 81 three bFis:
oners, who told us that the troops who
had caused the alarm were two corps
of Lees army.
Well, we had gained the information
1Or which we had gone in search, but
st-d!dn't please us at all. 1t foreshad-
owed change of habit for u.s. Up to
that time we had been able with sin
gle battalion to send flying back to
their camps any force that had ap.
preached the town. We could scarcely
expect to do so with the newcomers.
A single Confederate corps numbered
more than 10000 men; the entire force
at our post numbered less than 5000.
There was nothing to joke about. Men
tion and reasoned about 1t, but in sem
fences no longer or more sensible than
those above. Every one seemed labor
Z ing under a sense Of personal affront-
affront which he was unable to resent.
We went to camp, and the enemy
went to fortifying, as we soon after
ward learned when on one reconnois-
sance oranother we stumbled upon forts
and breastworks where once had been
clear roadway and fields. Weeks aft
erwnrd we learned from Richmond pa
pers that Longstreet had been in our
neighborhood for forage and food for
Lees army. Had General Longstreet
came, a great lot of Improbable worry
might have been spared. We might
even have complimented him on the
wisdom displayed in the selection of
the territory, for the country round
about us was fertile and well titled and
had not been laid under contribution
by soldiers, except perhaps to the ex-
tent of few sweet potatoes, chickens
and turkeys. By driving in our pick
cts Longstreet got possession Of two
railroad lines which gave him free COM
munication, barring the few miles with.
in our lines, between Richmond and
North Carolina.
But none of these things did General
Longstreet explain to us. Whatever
may have been his own intentions as
he meandered from farm to farm fol-
corn and bacon, his men acted Us II
they would like to draw forage from
the commissary department Of our OWL
post and get anything else the town
might hold, ourselves included. II q
man doesn't want peaceable intentions
misconstrued, he shouldn't intrust
them to thousands of fellows with guns
in their hands. Such men always gel
things mixed.
OF one thing we felt assured-the en-.
envy could not cut our line Of retreat
which also was the route of our sup
plies, for this was over causeways
through the Dismal Swamp, dark
deep, but friendly ally, which could
have swallowed an army like Long
streets without more than whettine
its own appetite The swamp was moi
exactly mud, but almost any part Of
1t could be turned to mud in few min
utes by the tramp of few men. An6
such mud! A rich, black ooze of de
cayed vegetation, into which, except II
midsummer or midwinter, the foo
would sink rs into moss, while righ
under the surface was q tangle Of
roots which never tired of playing boot
Jack for the pedestrian. To have ones
boot pulled off without warning l.