The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-02-16
"I'IIE MALISH."
Incidents More or Less Amusing q
Uhcir Conduct In Mnr.rimcs.

Their Conduct in Wnr-TimeM
Editor of The Times-Dispatch:
/ Sir,-1n reading the interesting war
articles weekly in The Times Dispatch.
and during the civil strife. 1t is SAID
| that in one of the States, when the
| militia was ordered to assemble Tor
| inspection, one of the men was asked
Simon Stinsley. who was sick. After
inspection the Governor, with his staff.
rode to the front of the line. drew his
sword and gave the command by one
grand, Simultaneous movement when
the old fellow. who, in the excitement
of the moment, had forgotten his sick
friends commission rushed out or the
line, and haiing the Governor, yelled:
"Oh, Governor, Simon Stinsley's SICK,
and says he can't come to this general
muster
When the militia assembled at the
courthouse yard in the spring OF 1851,
of the men, one old FoX-lIiller saiu:
"Ths Is n H. OF weapon to go 10
war with" and while passing over a
bridge. threw the antduated foWllnG-
piece into the stream below. Arriving
at ship Point. the sergeant was ordered
to drill the men in the manual of arms.
but as part of the men were supplied
with percussion cap guns and part Wltn
flint locks he said lie would nave 10
separate the two. because Hardee's tao
| JltS lOF HlHl-loCh Guns saw tNNaN'
movements in loading and only nine
| for percussion cap guns. They were
also drilled in file and section move
mcnts. Critics might say That our
men, having been raised so near Fort
| Monroe and having chance to witness
| the drilling of the regulars in that for
| tiication. should have made good SOL
dies, walking erect, with their heads
and shoulders up. treading on, their
! heels and not on their toes. as though
they were treadins clans; body not
| dropping over. as though they were
blowing. but straight, and head ana
/ shoulders not shaking as though they
We're holding a court martial our boys
/ had an able instructor, the late lament
ed Colonel Cutshaw City Engineer, who
drilled them afternoons and nights.
! The day drills were held on our green
4 schoolhouse lawns and the night drills
in the old Syms- Eaton schoolhouse,
the first public school in America. A
pupil of the great Jackson himself,
the colonel made many good officers
and soldiers for the Confederate ser
vice.
While stationed at Ship Point one OF
the upper county men, who was doing
sentry duty one night, saw the npor
rising out of the water, and mstak-
ing its bright red glare for the hres
of Yankee gunboat. fired his gun anc
:, alarmed the whole camp.
, One of the old fellows, whose patri'
| tiism had apparently oozed out ai ,.
Z some weeks OIL HIuuOuS Sdiilp w
/ feigned rheumatism to escape the du.
= ties incident thereto, and the surgeon
!. suspecting him, fed him on bread pllls
, for ten days, the old fellow declaring
each day nat they were, gong hs thei,
+ ON July "a or Sd, while passing
through a field In Charles city county
/ III caught sight of General j. E -
q stuart in the open, VINO was get, w
/ ready to attack the enemy on the left
: on coming to the roadside we saw
. General Robert e. Lee riding By. Al
though none of us had ever seer. nm
! we knew him at once, and all eN
n claimed, "There's General Lee!" w
: passed General "Stonewall' Jackson,
: tent, and looking in on him. we wer
I reminded of the many stories told
into the yard of the Phillips house, W
got within few feet of General Lee
: who was standing UP alongside OF Gen
eneral Hill, while General Longstree
d was lying down on the grass we a
c not think the pictures of General lie
o look as well as he did on that day
While waiting there, firing was near
:, on our left. and the general told
. young aid to get out OF that dorme
9 window and observe and report
: Passing on down the road, which wa
: very dusty we saw a flock of geese
n with an old negro woman Watchlh
y them. In passing them one, of the gees
i ran kissing after one of the boys, WI
/ dropped a grain of corn with pi
q attached TO it. which the goose swal
lowed when the soldier increased nj
: speed and ran down the road the goes
i following him, both kicking up 10
much dust for the old auntie to sc
the string. who yelled at the rctreattn
man, stop runnin', boss de goose am
p-gwine to hut var" TUNING , Tn
corner of the fence, our soldier DO
stopped and gathering up the aston
Y shcd goose, took out his iackknii'
a and cutting off It's head, SLAPPED tn
> body in his harersack and MADE 10
% GEO. RANDOLPH WOOD.