The National tribune., 1904-06-23
PICKET SHOTS
From Alert Comrades Along the Whole
IL
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THE PULASKI PORK pULLERs.

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THE PULASKI PORK PULLERs.
]. W. Nevitt, Co. B. t72d Ill.,, Newberg.
Ore. wishes to apologize. lie feels that he
ought to become apoiogizer, but can't find
the apologize. He therefore resorts to this
have been for 30 years. I feel that l
should apologize to girl of the South
whose bravery and determined defense of
her own in the days when ugly-visagcd war
scowled upon her home showed her worthy
of the respect of all brave men. She won
my respect and my respectful admiration.
I'VE were pursuing Hood, near Pulaski,
Tenn, when we were cold and hungry. l
found myself one of 20 or more hungry
fellows who were individually 'foraging. a
large brick mansion some distance from
the road was visited. When l arrived
alone-I found the house in a state of
siege. At one window was the old gentle
man; at each door and at every other win
dow, was, girl of the household. more or
against invasion. Adjacent to the mansion
was smokehouse, with closed and pad
locked door, in front of which stood a tall
young woman on defiant guard.
LAS long as those girls could not he lured
or showed from their posts the girls and
the property were safe, for no Yankee
would have laid violent hand upon one
of the girls. 1t was a little otherwise. so
far as paterfamilias was concerned. The
hungry boys would not much mind little
restraint applied to the old gentleman,
though they would not have harmed him
by violence. One of the boys raised The
window guarded by the old gentleman and
was assisting him to the outside, by siren
uous tugs at his coat collar and lapels.
Nh4 >f .tn-
fense. When the reluctant and resisting
planter was half way out, and the Yankee
who was urging his exit was engaged in an
active struggle to make that assistance ef-
fectual, the guardian of the smokehOuse
withdrew from her post with skip and
n leap and lit on the back of the Yankee
like an enraged and hungry wildcat that
had found blood, meat and revenge, and
was in a hurry to secure them.
mo sooner was she away from her post
than the smokehouse was charged and its
door battered down. The girl saved the old
gentleman's bacon, but she lost her own.
Half ton of cured pork was suspended
from huge pole near the ceiling a
chicken grabber cut the lashing, and there
was a tumble of pork Never before or
again did l come so near finding pork
of hams The boys soon lifted the pork.
each fellow running away with the piece
he took off me. When ] recovered my
breath and my perpenIicularity | was
clutching q piece of that store of pig meat
myself-and was the last Yankee to make
exit from the smOkehouse.
Now, at that exit is the point where
began to acquire the remOrse that has been
an open sore on my conscience ever since
There l was met by the recent guardian
of that smokehouse door. She seized that
pork and pulled. Iclutchcd that pork, End
pulled: she pulled, pulled: we mutually
pulled that pork. 1t was truly tug of
war. because had there been no war there
would have been no tug. you see. in Ten
nessee? See? If my heart had been in
those days of my youth as tender and soft
have yielded that pork to that maid: but
my heart wasn't SO soft then-and | was
hungry. l clung to. the pork and pulled
and she set me an example in clinging and
pulling. She pulled two to my one: but
my wind was too long for her and l got
the pork.
"If any Yankee who went South during
the war owes apology to any one in The
South. I owe apology to that brave girl.
I would like to offer it. her. really hope
that as result of thissletter | may learn
who she is and where, now. l wish 10 find
that lady and will then apologize and pay
for pork. She merits respect and l want
to testify mine"
NOT SCARED-JUST EXCITED, PERHAPS.
Comrade w. J. Sterling writes from
Seattle. Wash: Il am an old vet. l be-
Ionged to Co. X. Sd \. y. In reading
the columns love so well see that there
is not n private left--all dead. none living
hut commissioned officers. The lowest is
officer myself. but I often hear myself
called Colonel and such! l would rather
read abont our fighting than to do it. |
was brave man 10 or II miles to the
rear; hut if | hadn't gone to the front the
war would be on yet. 1t might please
some Of my old comrades if ! tell them
some Of my experiences during the busy
ricd through was Big Bethel, Va. Col.
Fred Townsend commanded. The regi-
ment advanced and was fired into by our
own men; quite a number were killed and
wounded before the mistake was known.
| then had my gun half full Of cartridges
which were wrong end up! We were
not long in finding real gray jackets and
then l finished filling my gun. Every
time | snapped cap | sent cartridge
home, as ] supposed. We had orders to
retreat and l ran. looking backward as |
ran. till l ran into a big oak tree. Then
! thought l was wounded: could not move
for some time. and thought | was all shot
10 pieces. Dut IOuHu my H1lStake presently.
and went to camp, where | was ordered
to discharge my gun, but could not shoot
Tried several times, to no avail. On eX-
animation l found my rife full Of car
tridges all wrong end up. l was not
scared-just little excited. perhaps.
I'VE were at Petersburg. Chapin's
Farm, Drewry's Bluff: with Gen. Butler
at Fort Fisher; afterwards with Gen.
Terry Then took the fort--at least
thought l did. for | was there. From
there to Wilmington, n. c.; thence to Raj
eigh where | was mustered out. ] had
whipped the rebels of course. l did it
all myself. l was one of the soldiers who
was always looking for fight and pray
ing to God that ! might not find it,"
GEN. osTERHAUs DID GO. ,
From Portland, Fla, Comratle J. A.
Housman, Lieut., Co. a, consolidated 31st
and 32d Mo-, writes: I'm your issue Of
April p, Comrade II. S. Vaughan asks if
the war history of comrade G. c. Wash
burn can be Duplicated? / enlisted at
Canaan, Mo-, June 8. 1861; was mus
tered ont at Washington. ID. c.. June IL.
1865; never missed days duty in the
whole time, except on n &c days furlough
received after the fall Of Vicksburg: was
on the levee when the Madison was blown
up. and had narrow escape from piece
' WIZ "S'hS Is is i that So d seldom sec anx