The National tribune., 1904-04-21

"sEEMs MONTY STRANGE, DON'T HIT, "
LOOSE DOWN HEAH IN VIRGIN
"When Gen. Grant came on here in per-
| son. he found it awful hard shedding. He
| had all that he could do. with all the men
| that he could get. for a year. When old
| Ulysses couldn't finish UP q job inside of
six months, it must've been pretty tough
one"
You're mighty right echoed the Ad
| jutant.
The train ran on with better speed to
Orange Court House, for the track and
road bed had been less disturbed between
| the headquarters of the two armies.
Orange Court House, SO long the head
quarters and center of the Army of North
ern Virginia-from which the army
started for the battles of fredericksburg.
Cha ncellorsvilIe. gettysburg and the
simply an old-fashioned Virginia county
seat, with the customary quaint old court
house, built of ancient, very hard -burned
brick, with messy roof, and jail, Sherif's
Office. Clerks Office. dwellings and other
round was rolling and beautiful. with
high-topped Thoroughfare. Cedar and
South Mountains in the background.
Regular cities of 0g-cabins, scattered ev-
| erywhere, showed where brigades and divi-
| siens had been cautioned during the Win
| ter season.
A great squad of the returning rebel
soldiers got off the train, with their
bundles. and stood looking curiously over
the landscape.
a power of thinking. as they look around"
remarked the Adjutant. What memories
they must have of this place, and thoughts
come to them of what has happened since
they left it year ago to meet Grant and
the awful slaughter in the Wilderness.
about a dozen men who left those log
cabins for permanent quarters under the
daisies. I'm going to loaf around, and
listen to what they say"
One of the paroled prisoners cast look
at the trio of stalwart men. in full blue
uniform-the Adjutant. 81 and Shorty
as they strobe, free, alert and strong, up
| and down the platform, observing every
thing, and pointing it out and commend
ing upon whatever attracted their atten-
ton in an independent masterfu way, and
| remarked to one of his companions:
Seems monty Strange, don't hit Wash.
| to see Yankees runnin' round loose down
hyah in Virginny, without shootin' at EN-"
Hit sho'ly does, Hank" returned
Wash: And they actin too, as il they
owned the place, and lis too.
Reckon they most do, the way
| things've turned out replied Hank, de-
jectedly. shifting his heavy bundle to the
| other hand. Things hain't gone at all
as we was told they would when
afo th me a ana KGa went
OH that knob thar. Then Polk Ballinger
used to come up from Richmond every day
| or two and make speeches to us. you re-
| member, about what we was going to do
Polk was lightnin' talker."
deed he was. Polk could talk wood
chuck outen his hole, or a settin hen often
| her nest. [ remember he used to cali
comm up thar an speechifyin' to us pro-
| vidin' an carin' for the sons of his con-
stituepts. He'd promised our mothers an
| fathers to keerfully watch out for us all
the time we was IN r.; the army: and that s
with all his talk he ever got US pound of
grub or blanket"
mo, indeedy, hit never did Nary
| time. But he was lightnin talker all the
| same. Why, OH a clar day. an he got
fairly opened up on the blood-stained
| hear him nigh on to halfa-mile. l recol-
| leck hearin' him oratin' one day to the
| rest of o yo'uns in camp, when l was on
picket over thar near by Barnett's Ford,
| an could make out nigh onto every word.
Do you recolleck how he used to tell us
gwine straight into Washington, run the
Yankees out, ketch Ole Abe, an make him
recognize our independence at the pint o
the bayonet. Polk was jes' burnin' to put
hisself at our head, an lead us to glory,
but his legislative duties in Richmond was
too important. an he couldn't be spared"
eff l recolleck. we started for Wash
ingtOn no leSS'n forty-leven times, an
nary time could he be spared to go long
with us. Wonder what ever became of
him."
80, he probably lived through the whole
war" answered Hank with bitter Sarca sm
Were about the only two left alive of the
old Calhoun Rifles, that he used to speechi-
| fly to, an mebbe we wouldn't be alive
if We hadn't been took prisoners. for the
Yankees used up what was left OF the COM
pany there at Fort Stedman. But you
recolleck- we heard that Polk Ballinger
when we was down thar at Cold Harbor
had been 'tendin' to his legislative duties
so strickly that they couldn't git him away
from his seat even when Phil Sheridan was
| threatenin' to ride right into the town."
Polk used to say that the Yankees was a
passed. of white-liyered school teachers an
tin-ware pedlers, who couldn't be made to
fight But we never seemed to strike the
kind O. Yankees he told us about. The
kind we was always runnin' up agin didn't
seem to need bein' made to fight. They
acted as if that was the business o their
lives"
Eyes, / ulster often think I'd like awful
ly to see Polk Ballinger. an talk hit over
with him, an ask him whar he KEEP them
Yankees what wouldn't fight, all durin'
the war. They never was in our part o
Virginny. nor in Maryland nor Pennsyl-
vania. neither. as fur as We went"
"If Polk Ballinger is still in the coun
try, I'm gwine to hunt him up first thing.
and discuss it with him."
The Adjutant who had overheard part
of the conversation between the two COM
rades. approached. offered them cigars.