West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1906-08-16
The Deserter

& post numbering sNNCn or Cllyht men
was Sergeant Joe Wise. who was called
! the best natured man In Company q
and who had proved his bravery on
thrNc or four b0ttle6elds The sergeant
was thirty nve years old aud unmar-
ried. but back at homo In Michigan q
red checked farmers daughter Ind said
TINT she would bo his wife when no
came marching homo from the war.
ON this night 0s the sergeant sat by
| the fire with his men out on post, ono
OF the company came along and hand
| ed him lcttcr received az rogimentai
Headquarters two hours previously. IL
was opened TO bo read at the fiickerlnR
danes OF the fire. II was from a stay
! at home man. one OF those malicious
minded gosslps who delighted In telling
! all no knew and much moro OF affairs
back homo. According 10 his eplstlo
many things had occurred I'm tho little
village In the last month, and ono OF
them was the engagement OF Joc's
sweetheart 20 merchant who had fur.
nished substitute for the war lie
| put II strong 20 tho sergeant TINT ho
bad bcen made a fool OF
Half nm hour later Joe wns missed.
An hour later word went back 10 tho
| company that ho must have been sur
| prised and captured by Confederate
scouts.
Tho dcscrter banked his command
and rushed on 10 Washington. There
he obtained n suit OF civilians clothes.
and as a private citizen no Get bis face
toward his homo.
Ion f,ailaa uuroV "a. Ice ,1,, a..
the woods, and. after hours OF gliding
and skulking, he finally drew near the
home OF his betrothed Father. mother
and daughter were sitting on the We
randa and with them the sneak who
had written the letter Concealed be-
hind the lilac bushes growing close 20
the vernnda. the Sergeant heard every
word OF the conversation for nn hour.
Tho wrltcr OF the letter had lied 90 him.
His feelings had been aroused 20 the
pitch whore he had sacrificed his honor
and his good name without juet rea-
son.
Through the man who sat there
boastlng OF what ha had written u sol
dior with clean record had become n
sneak and n slsulk Should he reveal
himself then aud there he would DO
loaded with annthemas and reproaches.
No father with patrlotism in his heart
would have him for soa-in-lnw. No
girl who thought OF honor md rcputa-
tion would welcome him.
The descrter Rroancd I'm agony as he
realized the situation and the people
had withdrawn into the house 70 40 to
bcd before he crawled away That
niUht In yrt.tiyoI Alton, t,,gt,. ,s.ta~f.,.-
and skuiklng md afrnid OF everything
that moved by the roadside In the
morning he was headed for Pennsyl-
vnnia. The papers told him which way
Lee was moving. lie found confusion
In Philadelphia. There was no provost
guard to pick him up and ask ques-
tions; no citizen TO suspect him Of be-
ing dcsortcr He found place where
he could exchange his suit for uni
form and wns OF for tho front nm hour
later
Tho country was overrun 10y parties
from either side and II was the ser
gcnnts fortune 10 lie gobbled up by
Confederate cavulry He was sent TO
the rear "a prisoner. He was held
until the thunder Of the three days bat
tie was hushCl and Leo was falling
slowly back on Falling Waters, and
then he and hundreds more were head
ell for the Potomac. The rest is TO DO
found In the history OF his company
and regiment. That history reads:
"As Lee fell back. his retreat incum-
bered with wounded men, prisoners
and long baggage train, Custer press
cd one division Of II closely over the
Naff. q.
attacks and the Confederates fought
bravely TO save what they had won.
At point about ten miles from the
river, where we made an unusually
aerce attack and where tho resistance
was proving too much for Us, a sud
den diversion gave us tho victory. A
Federal sergeant belonging 60 n Michi-
gan regiment and who wns a prisoner
In Confederate hands rallied about 100
Of his fellow captives. rushed their
guards and. with arms thus obtained,
made flank movement and scattered
the force opposed 20 us and c0mo
charging through 90 us The sergeant
brought IN The flag Of a Confederate
regiment tbOt he bad captured, and
there Is no doubt of his promotion for
bis brave conduct"
4 month later Sergeant Wise was
Lieutenant Wise The order read ON
drcse parade spoke 20 the regiment Of
his being captured while on duty at a
picket post. Of escape nnd recapture,
and recorded bis act Of capturing tho
nag and turning on hls captors as one
OF the bravcst things IN war Tho ser
geont had not licd or bOostod. lie
had left others to figure out az they
wanted %. and thcy bad made the
most Of r. s year and o half later he
was O captuin and on his way homo
20 mnrry the girl who was Whiting fot.
him
TIE did not march 90 her housa, nor
yet % his, from the depot Tie took a
cou'ury direction until be- brought uU
bofov tho house n tho man who had'
hold h!s honor in his hands Then
things happened q year later the JUS
ticc " the peace would have called Sc
fcioniou8 assault and fnn might have.
been thc consequence but Ice had SUP
rendered. the war was over. and tho
homo coming veterans owned tho couD!
try. The vito hn8 mover known
No human being except tho GER
gcants chum has over known. II wna
q race between honor and diegraco. AMI
6onor won NJ QUAD
The Sugar Trust has been caught