The National tribune., 1902-04-17
A FRIEND WITH THE
COUNTERSIGN
Continued from first pnge.)

COUN ENOlUN.
Continued from first pngeJ
How do you know that you will never
lose yourself again."
Il don't know how know it. General.
| might say, howe,e., :hat there is an en-
tire absence from my mind of a peculiar
feeling that | was formerly always con-
Scious of. DIR. Khayme also asserts that
l shall never suffer again, and he declares
that my power to remember now is COM
pcnsation for my former loss
Have you let anybody know of your
return
No, General: l received your order
DO you wish TO report TO your COM
pany?'
No. sir: it would be torture 10 he gazed
me to serve the cause in some way that
will not compel me to take the life Of
my former friends
YES; | have consented to DIR. Khaymc's
request, and | think, Berwick, that you
and l can play a bigger game than the
gunpowdcr game, so far as your services
are concerned
General" said, You are very good"
Il can exchange you as prisoner of
war: you can go back and serve in your
Co. II. and constantly be of great help
to u.s.
The thing was feasible. I had thought
of it, myself | had been missing from
the LIST s. G. but few days To return
after Il while as an exchanged prisoner,
would not astonish anybody.
'Or, if you prefer" added the General,
you may escape In that case you can
| get back at once. If you are to be eX-
changed, time will be lost; exchanges are
not made suddenly nowadays
General said |, the life would be
! C,,I L.,
tinual hypocrisy. and | doubt too, if ]
could serve you better in that way"
''All right, Berwick. Do as you choose
about it"
Il am willing to work, General, and at
once"
Before I give you any particular work
to do" said he, Il shall provide for your
standing"
He wrote a few lines and handed me
the following order:
Headquarters of the Army of the Poto-
mac October H. 1868.
Special Order.
Private j. Berwick. Co. d. 18th Mass
Vols, is hereby relieved from further duty
with his company. All pickets will pass
him.
GEO. G. MEADE.
"Major-General Commanding"
''Now, Berwick, said the General, ''yOu
may leave me; | will send for you again
shortly. | have many questions to ask
yOu. if | can ever get the time; but, upon
my soul, don't see how l am to get it.
Wait. What do you think of Lees army
its mOrale?'
LAS good as ever. General"
Did it suffer after GettysburgT
| Il did not see any Generalization, Gen
eral. OF course, Pickctt's Division and
some others may have weakened, but I
don't think so.''
And the rebels win fight as well as
ever?"
Yes, General"
''You may go now. No, don't go yet.
Your view of the spirit Of Lees army is
singular, do you know"
How so, General?"
at is commonly believed that the men
| are no longer hopeful"
That is not entirely true, General.
They are not so hopeful as they were
when they advanced into Pennsylvania,
| but they are Just us ready to fight as ever.
| Gettysburg did not destroy their hopes.
/ must say that Vicksburg made many
gloomy for time, but Chickamauga has
| fully restored them'
| ] supposed that the General would have
preferred to hear me say that Gettys-
burg had weakened the morale Of Lees
army, but | could not say it truthfuIy,
and surely he wanted the truth; so ] was
somewhat surprised when he said gayly:
You are right, Berwick. 1t would
have been folly to attack Lee at Hagers-
town."
Il was in the lines Mt Hagerstown,
General, and l saw nothing but willing
ness TO receive an attack"
! The General smiled. Inadvertently and
ignOrantly | had made great advance
with bim-that is, of course, n great adj
vance for 4 common soldier to make with
IL L
but ! did not understand.
"Then you think the rebels are as strong
as every'
NO, General, l do not. The long war
is telling on them. The recruits fur
nished to the regiments are greatly mixed
| Some Of them, no doubt are good men,
and will become as good soldiers as the
| old men. but some are almost worthless"
| What proportion are good men?'
Perhaps half, judging from those re
ceived by orr regiment mean the LIST
$. c." | added hastily, seeing the Cen
erals repeated smile.
And half are so bad that you call
| them wOrthlcsSE'
According to my observation. General.
some soldiers are worse than worthless:
they do nothing but weaken good men,
How many such men are now i'm the
company to which you were attached:"
-Four or five only, sir"
| And You think similar material has
been sent to the other companies-and to
the other regiments:"
Eyes, sir"
Have You any opinion ms 70 the gen
eral condition Of the South. Is it not
getting tired of the war;"
Naturally so, General, especially in
some sections. Southeast Mississippi is
almost in O state of revolt. / hear that
Jones County has seeded from the Con
federate Statcsr'*
The General chuckled. "That's n good
one" said he. 81 guess Jones has re-
covered its memory. You Joneses seem to
get all right, if you just get time enoughw
And General Meade again chuckled at his
joke.
'And some Of the mountains in North
| Carolina are held by armed men who re
sist the CONSUMPTION organized bodies of
them. / am told.
Were your TatiOns REGULAR"
Generally so. sir, in camp. or course,
on long marches and in close places we
suffered good deal The pay is very ir-
regular, sir. The Confederate States now
owes me for four months"
"By-the-by," said the General; 'the
United States owes you more than that.
But | don't see how you can claim IL I'M
less yOu 20 back to your company"
''Then, General, III make the United