The National tribune., 1909-02-18

| to be Gen. Warren and his BODY SER
want Soon as the boys found out who
he was they took off their caps and
cheered him. The General had JUST
been relieved by order of Cen Sheri-
dan. at Five Forks, the day before, and
he was then on his way to Richmond
to report to Gen. Terry for transporta-
ton to Washington; but we did not
know then he had been relieved, or the
cause Of it, until few days later. ABOUT
noon we reached the Station and went
into bivouac. There we got word that
the Johnnies were just beyond, retreat
ing. on wagon road, and making Tor
Amelia Court House to join the rest of
Lees army, who were all making Tor
that point Our company (Battery ii
was at once called on to fall IN ana
follow what had been an old railroad
branch formerly used as coal ROAD.
When we had gotten within few hum
dred Yards of the wagon road we spied
Confederate artillery skedadGling along
il for all they were worth. 1t proved
to be Gen. Mahone's artillery and MS
wagon train. Following close behind.
Lieut.. McGurk, commanding, ordered
us to deploy to the right into strip
of woods at a double-quick, try ana
get ahead and cut them off; but when
we got thru the woods and came out
to a small open field with ranch To-
Gated in one corner of it, we spied two
or three Johnnies making for the house,
which they entered. We also mace
for the house to capture them we
entered and searched downstairs and
upstairs and under the beds. but found
none of them. 1t seems while we went
in the back door they had skipped out
the front door. entered cabbage or
turnip hole, and, apparently, pulled the
hole in after them; or, rather, had put
some loose straw in the hole after they
got inside to drive away suspicion. But
The boys We're not to be fooled; they
showed the straw in with the butts OF
their guns, and to their dismay out
came a couple of Johnnies. two of the
sheepiest and sickliest looking rats you
ever laid eyes on. They would nave
made rip Van Wrinkle" feel ashamed
of himself. While we were monkeying
| with these fellows the last OF the artll-
| lery had gotten by US We soon found
this out when we got out onto the road.
| for we saw in a puddle in the ROAD
| they had dumped a part of their am
| munition. The Lieutenant, seeing 1t
was useless to follow up the road any
further. as they had gotten too 1ar
ahead of us. turned his attention down
the road and ordered us forward, eau
| tioning us to keep quiet. as, II there
were any Johnnies below, he wanted TO
take them by surprise; which we would
have done had it not been for Nagle.
one of our buglers, who ran ahead Of
the ranks, around the bend of the road,
bawling, Here they are. boys; come
on: come oni" The Lieutenant went
for him, and threatened to break his
sword over his rear parts il he did not
get back, and stay where he belonged
in the ranks. OF course, soon as the
Johnnies heard this calf bawl and saw
us coming down, they were alarmed,
and mounted q rail fence and skedad-
died across an open field between us
and their wagon train, which they had
left standing in the middle of the road
Some of them stopped and turned
around to give us a parting shot, just
| TO give us to understand they were Still
i alive. They were part of Gen. Mahone's
wagon guard we had come in contact
with. Had they not been alarmed We
would have captured the larger part OF
4 them: but as 1t was we only succeeded
in gathering in about a dozen of them
The boys wanted to ranSack the wagons
| before they quit, but the Lieutenant IN
command would not allow it, as the
wagons might have been left standing
there as a decoy. We returned to the
station. placed cur prisoners In a bomb
proof that had been formerly used for
an ice house for the hotel, and was
placed, as one of the guards, over them.
That evening orders came for us to re-
turn to our old camp at the Bermuda
front by another route. which they
called the River Road. We came into
our lines at about the same point we
had left them in the morning. The
next morning. April 4. the regiment
was ordered to strike tents and pack