The Rathdrum tribune. (Rathdrum, Idaho) 1903-1963, 1904-04-22
A DISPUTED
WAR POINT
lOriginal.l

tOriginall
Two war veterans were sitting over
l bottle talking about their campaigns.
DO you remember the day We NOV.
ed out OF Murfreesboro. Tenn, in the
pummer Of '03i" asked one. Dargan by
name.
Perfectly" replied his comrade, En-
field.
Il was then lieutenant IN the -th In
fantry and on staff duty
And ! a captain in the -th cavalry,
commanding the generals escort"
II was with Thomas corps on the
right. We moved u day ahead Of You
| fellows in the center and left, you
| know, and swung across your front 10
| the eastward. Well, the night before
you moved we had got to point In
front and south Of you. My general
sent me up to Murfreesboro With dis
| patches for the army commander. IL
WAS lnurky night, and WAS obliged
to ride ten or fifteen miles, though l
had been in the saddle since o'clock
in the morning. / reached Rosecrans'
| headquarters-ina house-at midnight.
Orders had been issued for the center
left to move In the morning, and the
members of the staff and other officers
were in a big room chatting and laugh
Ing and singing. They would not have
sung so loud IL they could have been
ahead - Chickama uga and being pent
up In Chattanooga. waited till was
sent for to so into the private room.
where found plenty more In attend
ance on the commander in chief, while
officers We're coming and going every
minute l was handed an envelope con-
| tanning a reply to my generals queries
and was about to depart when caught
the commanders eye.
".No one would ever take you for a
soldier he said. You'll do. Go ahead
II couldn't very well understand
what he meant. but as he told me to
! 60 / made no inquiries. Why, no one
| would take me for Il soldier
"Well, now, this is very singular"
Enfield interrupted. "The general said
that to me-"
Your
| yes"
what had you to do with IT."
81 have told you l commanded the
generals escort He had just ordered
me to take ten men and carry an order
through to Sheridan, whose division
was somewhere down in the front. and
said: no one would ever take you
for n soldier. You'll TO. Go ahead
confess l never understood why he
didn't think looked soldierly."
"Why, Enfield. you're crazy. l was
looking the general straight in the
| eye when he spoke, and he couldn't
have said the words to any one else"
Now, Dargan, II he spoke them to
you what's your explanation Of them"
Il don't know. Perhaps he meant
that though l didn't look soldierly
looked reliable"
NONSENSE
"Supposing he was speaking to you,
what's your explanation"
"Why-hc meant-just what you
think he meant In speaking to YOU"
Enfield, you're fool"
And you're n cOnceited ass"
IF 1t were not for the wound in my
shoulder and that I've been rheumatic
ever since that miserable campaign
I'd punch your head
If were not past sixty instead of
twenty -one, rs l was then. with stiff
leg from the bullet / got In my knee
at Mission Ridge Id kick you out OF
this room."
Whats all this noise, comrades 2"
inquired man who, seeing the alter
cation, came up to the table where the
vets" were sitting
III tell you, Jcrnegan," said Oar
gan. 'The night before the Army of the
Cumberland moved out of Aurfrees-
boro was at Rosccrans' headquarters,
and when went away the general said
TO me: No one would ever take you for
\ soldier. You'll do. Go aheal'
bargains statement Is correct" said
Enfield, except in one respect; the gen.
eral said that to me. l comma ndcd his
escort and was to take dispatches
through to Sheridan. Those were the
last words General Rosecrans said to
me before l went. Now, Jcrnegan,
don't you think it more likely that he
spoke to me. commander Of his escort,
whom he had sent out on duty, than to
DarSan here, whom he had probably
never seen beforet"
Before the statement was finished
Jerncgan began to laugh. He laughed
so loud and so long without speaking
that the contestants anger was turned
from each other to him.
i s.What Nra vn,1 .rix.inn. s,n ~,