The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1905-10-12
THE BOOMING CANNON
RECITALS OF CAMP AND BAT.
TIE INCIDENTS.
Survivors Of the Rebellion Relate
Many Amusing and Startling Incl
dents Of Marches, Camp Life, Fora8.
ing Experiences and Battle Scenes.

This is the narrative Of Private j.
He had heard a great deal said about
escapes and attempted escapes; and
as soon as he could get chance he
related this, which certainly has a
smack Of the real thing:
All through that campaign had act
ed as mail carrier for a division Of
the Sixth corps. Everybody in the di-
vision knew me, and never had airy
difficulty in getting all the help that
/ needed from time to time. l could
tell great deal about what happened,
both at the front and the rear, be-
tween that July and November. 1t was
my business to get the mail for my
division separated from that Of the
rest Of the corps, when 1t could be
done, as quickly as possible, and to
make regular trips back with the out
going mail. Many adventures hap
pened to me in this business; none
quite so stirring as that Of the early
morning of Oct. 10, 1864.
i
at Winchester. A mail was expected,
and. as usual, 1 was on hand to get
what belonged to my division. 1 got
1t on the evening Of the 18th, after
dark. 1 knew that General Sheridan
had arrived from Martinsburg that
day on his way back to his army, and
that he was passing the night at Win
chester. Everything was quiet at the
front, according to reports that had
come in that morning. The natural
and ordinary thing would have been
for me to wait in peace and comfort at
Winchester that night, sleeping in 4
good bed. eating something better than
rations that night and the next morn
ing, and then falling in with the gen.
erals eccort after breakfast, and rid
ing up to the front with them.
AS it happened, should have made
about the same progress that l did,
had l adopted this course; and, with
somewhat different adventures, should
have got my mail up to the division
about the same time.
/
to make night journey of it, unless
it was that l was not sleepy. and felt
a great deal more like riding than
sleeping. In that restless kind of con-
dition, 1t occurred to me that l might
just as well get the mail up to the
front at daybreak as six hours later,
and acted promptly on the idea. Ny
horse was poor condemned animal
that the Quartermaster had furnished
me some weeks before, claiming that
It was the best he could do for me. 1
have no doubt he lied; but time has
softened his offense, if it las not en-
trely wiped it out in my recollection
of those days. That animal was knee
sprung, and could not be depended
upon for more than two miles and a
half per hour. l had tried my best to
make an even exchange with some OF
the cavalry and orderlies when they
were not looking), but either they
were too sharp, or I was too dull, and
the swap was never effected. My
Rosinante was well known all through
the command. and / became the sub
ject of much good-humored banter on
his account.
l calculated that by starting froni
Winchester at 10 o'clock that evening
could pass over the fifteen miles be-
tween that place and the camp Of the
army by sunrise. There was some
risk of guerrillas, but / had learned
something Of their ways, and was not
fearful of their lurking along the
Valley pike that night.
SO l started. reckoning without my
host 1t seemed to me that my poor
old mount never went so slow. With
difficulty was able to get him off 4
walk for three minutes at time. The
night was cold and clear until about
O'Clock, when fog began to rise ]
passed through Midtown, Nernstown
Newton and Middletown, all places
that the veterans Of the Shenandoah
campaigns will recognize by their
names.
Just beyond Middletown ! heard j
noise of musketry away over to the
left. l stopped a moment and then
rode on. thinking it was only some
casual picket firing. A BALI mile
further l heard volley from the same
direction, then a faint sound of what
we used to call the rebel YELL"
was riding nearly in the direction
Of the sound, and i now turned SHARP
off to the right. A short distance over
the meadows IN that direction | saw
a small shed, and obeying an impulse
rode into it. / merely wanted to
stop and think what to do, as it was
pretty plain to me that IN attack hai
been made by the enemy, and that 8
battle would follow.
In the she'd there was a horse. with
no equipments but headstall AMI
bride, and fastened by the latter. I
was just light enough for me to see
and my eyes devoured that animal. L
was Virginia thoroughbred, as hand
some piece of horseflesh as 1 ha.
ever seen.
How did he come there? You mus
ask some other person; l don't know
can only suppose that, as Mosby
was operating on our rear that morn
ing, this animal must have been lief
there for a few moments by one O.
his men.
Whoever left him, made no scrupi
~ >rfo hi 4