Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-07-09


ikxyfSM Nh though as to where
s we were going we
lg3{S,~-, Vi i5X knew no more than
sss,Ss/syl31 when we left camp.
said to Cloyne that
II would save a great deal of unneces-
sary worry if the colonel would post u
notice before leaving camp for scout
or a light TO let us know where we
were going, how long we were to be
gone and what we were to do, but
Cloyne replied that the colonel would
first have to know all these things him
self. which seemed great deal to ex-
| pect
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 nfterward, SO In
time 1t came TO be fun TO ask when on
| the road, Where are we goingi" SO as
to get a pleasing assortment of improb.
able answers. At first 1t seemed too
dreadful to take part In some move
ment about which knew nothing-not
even whether or not it was judicous.
But when saw the older members of
the regiment calmly obeying all orders,
asking no questions. l endeavored to
be veteran to that extent myself and
let the government manage its own
business In It's own way.
AS had not made this resolve at the
time of our first scout and charge l
was curious and anxious about many
things besides our probable route,
What would we do with our prisoners
should regiment of the enemy sud.
denly strike us? Suppose we were to
get into fight and have lot of
horses shot: how would the riders
| reach camp? How We're our disabled
men to reach camp again, as 1t appear
| ed we had no ambuiances with us5
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 starry
ingS And, speaking of starving, where
was | to get anything to eat during
the coming day or more2
This question slowly but surely fore
ed nll others from my mind, for had
| eaten all of my hoecake that had not
given away. had roasted my sweet
potatoes at dinner time and felt, as l
ate them, SO full that wouldn't want
| another morsel till morning, but an
| hour of trot and gallop had caused n
radical change of opinion. had no
more silver with which to buy should
| be able to tind 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 l wondered darkness approached,
and we halted to biyouac for the night.
| Brainard, whom l found In one Of the
straw filed country wagons which
had been seized to carry the injured,
was as hungry as 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 very
little of 1t would go 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 l was one
of the noncommissioned officers named.
We We're marched to the front to take
| the Johnnles from their captors and
| bring them nearer the rear. There be-
| ing no building near by, we camped
| them In cluster near the roadside,
them. Their own horses were prudent
| ly tied troop or two distant. so that
| none Of them, should he attempt to
1 escape, could get his mount. They
We're 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 II he might be
a fire eater" and the majority were
| men of middle age. Nearly all of our
own troopers We're young. None seem
ed very sad or angry In fact, they
didn't at al! meet my IDEAS as to south
erners and prisoners of war. They
We're ordered to sit or lie down, but
were not bound or restrained In any
other way, except that there We're
guards, revolvers In hand, in front and
rear of them, and we We're quietly Or
dered to keep little blaze all night In
the fires which We're nearest. so that
no one could attempt to get away with
out being seen.
AS the sergeant-who Glanced to be
Hamilton-and 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 Georgians, most of them
from small villages or plantations, and
they did not know much about the war
except that they We're 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, I'm ruined
man, for there's nobody to make the
crops while Pm away up here. l don't
own no niggers. an my wife an young
uns cayn't do no more'n work the truck
potoh TIitchan p,rlanl IN, IooI, "a tov