Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1906-01-31
The Iron
! Brigade 4
81 A STORY OF THE ARMY n
OF THE POTOMAC +
By GEN. CHARLES KING
Author of" Norman Holt, 1.-The ColoneI'l
Daughter, Fort Frayne," Etc.
CHAPTER XVI.

WHAT A LETTER REVEALED.
Once again had Lees valiant army
slowly retired to the Potomac and leis-
urely recrossed, superb even in defeat.
Just as after Antietam, the cabinet, the
committee on the conduct of the war
Chat remarkable annex to our mill
tary system) and countless critics all
over the north, stormed at the Army of
the Potomac because it seemed to fol-
low at respectful distance, content to
let the erring brethren go in peace
Then came the final resolution of the
great war president. that as he and
Hallack and Stanton had long tried,
without success, the business of boss
ing" armies in the field, it was time to
turn the whole thing over to a single
stage manager. Then came Grant and
the beginning of the end. At this time,
Fred Benton, twice honorably men
toned and recommended for the brevet
OF major, found himself again sum
moned to Washington, this time wit
ness before a military commission for
the trial OF one Peter Jennings, civil
ian, for whose apprehension with a
whole skin the First Virginia cavalry
stood ready to pay round sum and the
"Stonewall' to supplement it with an
other, each claiming prior right to per-
forate or scar that skin at sight The
Virginians swore that he sold informa-
ton to the federals, and had BETRAYED
Ladue, of the Eleventh Alabama, into
their hands, even while Stanton and
others at the war department were
ready to swear the tall Virginian's life
away 10 the charge of giving informa-
ton to the rebels
Among the papers in poor Ladue's
possession was the original draft of the
report he had written the command
Ing officer of the Eleventh Alabama
of his flight across the Potomac and
capture by union cavalry near Matthias
Point. Not until he reached a certain
farmhouse near Port Tobacco did he
Know who were the officers ESCAPED
from prison camp near Annapolis, and
his JOY was great when Jack Chiffon
appeared among them. He and Chill
ton were ferried over on dark, wintry
night, and landed at fisherman's
house three miles below the Point, and
there. to his infinite concern, Paul
found that he had lost his pocket men,
orandum book, well nigh filed with
notes concerning the troops, also
sketch maps of field Notifications, all
OF which he felt confident would be of
value to Gen. Lee. Then there were
private papers in the book Of vast i'm
portance to him if to no one else. A
racking chill had come on as the re-
suit OF exposure to the raw night wind,
and Jack and the fisherman secreted
him in barn. Then Chiffon delibe-
rately went back to Maryland in search
of the missing property. Thereby he
escaped capture by the cavalry piloted
by Jennings. When searched. Ladue
was found to have no discriminating
papers about him-a disappointment to
his captors and obviously a puzzle to
Jennings-for Ladue heard him whis-
pering with the officer in command.
The last Paul had seer of Chiffon was
that December night, but later he
learned that he had been compelled
to remain in hiding many weeks in
Charles county before the vigilance of
the Federals was again relaxed and he
could finally effect his escape Then.
there was letter, unfinished, for Eli
nor, which Fred had sealed and sent
to her, and 1t was through her, four
weeks later, that he learned that Paul
well knew he had not long to live, and
had really hoped to meet soldiers
death in front of the charging line.
One longing he had. he owned, that
would probably never BE gratifed--that