Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1902-07-03

y
lE ~ we were going we
| RN ~ }A knew no more than
kSSG%1H,M when we left camp.
S - " w l said to Cloyne that
1t would save a great deal of unneces-
sary worry if the colonel would post q
notice before leaving camp for Il scout
or a fight to let us know where we
were going, how long we were to be
gone and what we We're to do, but
! Cloyne replied that the colonel would
first have to know all these things him
self, which seemed q great deal to eX-
| pCct.
At any rate no such information had
been given out about our present trip,
nor did we ever get any about any trip
on which we started afterward, so In
time it came to be fun to ask when on
the road, where are we goingW so as
to get pleasing assortment of improb-
able answers. At first it seemed too
dreadful to take part in some move
ment about which knew nothing-not
| even whether or not it was judicious
But when saw the older members Of
|
asking no questions, l endeavored to
be veteran to that extent myself and
let the government manage It's own
business in its own way.
AS had not made this resolve at the
time of our first scout and charge /
was curious and anxious about many
! things besides our probable route
What would we do with our prisoners
should n regiment of the enemy sud-
denly strike US? Suppose we were to
get into n fight and have q lot Of
horses shot; how would the riders
reach camp? How were our disabled
men to reach camp again, as 1t appear
ed we had no ambulances with us?
Was any one sure that the colonel had
calculated time and distance carefully,
so that we should reach camp in time
to save men and animals from starT
ing? And, speaking Of starving, where
was / to get anything to eat during
the coming day or more?
This question slowly but surely fore
ed all others from my mind, for I had
eaten all of my hoecake that had not
| given away, l had roasted my sweet
potatoes at dinner time and felt, as /
ate them, so full that l wouldn't want
another morsel till morning, but en-
hour Of trot and gallop had caused
radical change of opinion. i had no
more silver with which to buy should
be able to find any native who would
sell, and my mornings search for corn
soft enough to eat had not been en-
>couraging enough to justify me in try
ing again.
AS I wondered darkness approached,
and we halted to bivouac for the night.
Brainard, whom / found in one Of the
straw filled country wagons which
had been seized to carry the Injured,
was as hungry as l and very dismal
about 1t too. How both Of US wished
we had kept the fat pork which had
been dealt as part of our three days
ration! We still agreed that q very
little Of it would go n long way, but
that was just the sort of ration we
most needed at that particular mo-
ment, for the void in us seemed to
reach nearly down to our boot toes.
While we pitied ourselves and endeav-
ored to deaden the pangs Of hunger by
the time honored truant schoolboy trick
Of tightening our belts, a detail was
suddenly made from our own company
to guard the prisoners, and was one
of the noncommissioned officers named.
We were marched to the front to take
the Johnnies from their captors and
bring them nearer the rear. There be-
ing no building near by, we camped
them In q cluster near the roadside,
clearing horses away to make room for
them. Their own horses were prudent
ly tied troop or two distant, SO that
none of them, should he attempt to
escape, could get his mount. They
were not bad looking fellows, though
they did not appear very soldierly In
their uniforms, no two of which were
of exactly the same tint of gray and
scarcely any two Of the same style of
button. None looked as If he might be
"fre eater" and the majority were
men Of middle age. Nearly all Of our
own troopers were young. None SEEM
ed very sad or angry. In fact, they
didn't at all meet my ideas as to south
erners and prisoners Of war. They
were ordered to sit or lie down. but
were not bound or restrained In any
other way, except that there were
guards, revolvers in hand, in front and
rear Of them, and we were quietly or
dered to keep little blaze all night in
the fires which were nearest, SO that
no one could attempt TO get away with
out being seen.
AS the sergeant-who CHANGED 20 be
Hamilton-and l had nothing to do
but post and relieve the guards, we lay
On the ground and engaged some Of the
captives In conversation. We found
they were all Georglans, most of them
from small villages or plantations. and
they did not know much about the war
except that they were sorry 1t broke
out, but they had felt 1t their duty to
stand by their state.
"Seems TO me-" said one Of them aft
er we had chatted little while, that
you uns was all to blame for the war.
for we uns didn't want none. No mat
ter which side whips, Pm a ruined
man, for there's nobody to make the
crops while I'm away up here. / don't
own no niggers. an my wife an young
uns cayn't do no more'n work the truck
patch Kitchen gardenl an look after
the pigs an the milk critters"
heard this story so many times dur
Ing the war that had TO do n great
deal Of being sorry for the enemy.
Our prisoners had been told to bring
their provisions with them, and as
they had eaten nothing since dinner
time they asked permission, which was
readily granted, TO do their cooking at
the fires. Their ratIons were SO differ
ent from ours that It was interesting
10 look on. Instead Of boileF fat porh
they had raw bacop, t4ia slices of
which they fried oP toasfedfon sharp
IL,