Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1906-06-24
Tn e De eserter

Copyright l90t bY Honl.r SpraSar
 II was while Gcncrai leo Was nlak ing his preparations for the iugASson Of Pennsylvania In charge of a pick ct posf numbering seven or eight mon was Sercean Joe Wise. who was called the best uatured man tn HotApaHy C and who had proved his bravery on three or four batt)o1ic3ds 'fie sergeant was thirty live years od and uumar- rted but back ut home in Michigan red checked farmers daughter had said that she would be his wife when he came marching home from the WAT
 0u this night as the sergeant sat 6$ the fire with his men out on post. cue of the company came aloug aud hand ed hlm q letter received at fegliu"utal headquarters two hours previously, It GaS opened to be read st tue iiickeTing is mcs of the fire If was from a stay at home man. one of those malicious minded gossips who delighted Ill telling ail he knew and much more of atairs back home. According te bis epist'e many things had occurred ill the little village n the last mouth, and one Of t'em was the engagement of Joe sweetheart to q merchant who had far- nished a substitute for the Wat He put 1T strong to the sergeant that be had been made q fool of.
 Half an hour later Joe was missed ] An hour later word went bacs 10 tue l cosnpany that he must haze been sur prised aud captured ',y confederate scouts
 The desa1tei fianAcd his cnmnanu and rushed oa to Na%l53isston There be obtained suit Of s.ifi!iau':s clothes. and as a private citizen 'lt' sat bis face i toward his home
 Ten miles away Il" ieii ti,', traIn f2r i the woods 4na, after hours of gliding and skulking, he tiu3i.y drew "eat tie home of his netrothed Father, mother and daughter were sitl.ng on the ee rands and with them the sneak who had written the letter Concealed be' hind the lilac bushes growing close to the vecanda. the sergeant heard every word of the conversation for an hour. The writer of the letter had lied 10 him His feelings had been aroa'sed to the pitch where he had sacrificed his bonor aud his good name without inst req son
 Through the man who sat theFa boasting of what he had written sol- dier with a clean record had become q sneak and d skulk. Should he reveal himself then and there he would he loaded with nnatbe1nas and reproaehes, No father with patriotism in his henrt would have him for Aon.in-law No girl who thought of honor and reputa~ ton would welcome him,
 Tie ,ieserter groaned in agony as he req li2td the situation. and the people had withdrawn into the house 10 go to bed before he crawIe4i away. That night he walked fifteen miles, lodging and skuIking and afraid of verything that moved ny the roadside. la tn" morning he was headed for fennsys- yania The papers told him which way Lee was moving He found confusion in Philadelphia There was no provost guard to pick hiu, up and ask 9'1es- tions; no citizen to suspect him of h''- ing a tleserter He found a place where he could exchange his suit for uni form and was off for the front an fonr later
 The country was oVerfun bg parties from either side. and if was the ser gcant's fortune 10 be gobbled up lty Confederate cavalry. He was sent 10 the rear fs prisoner, He was heli} until the thunder of the three days bat tie was hushed and Lee was fallina slowly back on Falling Waters, anu then he and hundreds more were heaG cd for tue Potomac. The rest Is to be found in tue history of bis company and regiment. That history reads:
 '.AS Lee fell back. his retreat incum- bered with wounded men. prisoners and q long baggage train, Custer press ed one division of ii closely over tic mountain roads There were constant attacks and the Confederates fought braveiy to save what they had won. At a point about ten miles from the river where We made an unusually fierce attack aud where the resistance was proving too much for us, sud. den diversion gave us the victory it Federal sergeant belonging to Mfchi. gan regiment and who was prisoner in Confederate hands rallied about 400 of his fellow captives, rushed their guards and, with arms thus obtained. made flank movement and scattered the force opposed to us and came charging through to us. The sergeant brought in the flag ot Confederate regiment that he had captured, and there is no doubt of his promotion for his brave conduct"
 A month later Sergeant Wise was ] Lieutenant Wise The order read on dress parade spoke to the regiment Of his being captured while ou duty at picket post, of escape and recapture, and recorded his act of capturing the flag and turning on his captors as one