The National tribune., 1909-07-08
THE YOUNG LADY's LIEUTENANT.
\ Lover Who Didn't Make Good on the
Battlefield.

Editor National Tribune: On the
18th of July the 9Th Iowa made a grand
charge on the works at Jackson, under
command of Col. ]. NJ Corse, which
gave him a Brigadier's commission
The rebels evacuated Jackson July 10.
When Sherman evacuated Jackson
Corse was in command of the brigade,
which was stationed on White Oak
Ridge, on the Vicksburg and YaZoo
City road, IL miles from Vicksburg.
Corse had 16 men detailed from his old
regiment for his bodyguard. They
used to call us Corse's Thieves. 1t was
our business to patrol the country to
Yazoo City, as far east as the Black
River. We frequently had a brush
with about the same number of rebs-
mounted men-who, as we learned,
were in command of Lieut.. Allen.
Lieut.. G. w. Holmes. of Co. A, a brave
and cool officer, was in command of us.
We had to furnish all the forage for
the brigade. We found all the corn we
wanted-it was just getting ripe
about four miles from camp, toward
YaZoo City Crossroads, with a large
house on one corner, a good well with
an old-fashioned sweep close to the
road; also a large watering trough
which made it convenient for us. The
house was occupied by three old la
dies and one young lady about 20
years old. AS we had to pass there
nearly every day we became quite well
acquainted. The old ladies did not care
to talk about the war, but the young
one was regular little reb. We found
out by some Union people in the vi
cinity that Lieut. Allen was her lover
and frequently called there, and we be-
gan to joke her about her lover, who
always had TO call on her on dark
nights. as he was afraid of getting cap
tured by us Yanks. She said he would
see us some time when we least ex-
pected him. We had discovered a good
field of several acres of good corn one
day while on scout about seven miles
from camp. The next day we took
four or five wagons and started after
all we could haul, having with US
small detail of infantry. About half
way between camp and the crossroads
was a house some distance from the
road, where they had two or three
cows. They also had protection papers
from Gen. Corse. Everything we got
there had to be paid for. Just before
We started Lieut. Holmes gave Henry
a tin pail and some money and
told him to go ahead to the house and
buy him some butter, and meet us in
the road as We come along. Henry got
the butter all right, also filled up on
buttermilk, got back to the road where
the gate swung back against a large
log and lay down on the log waiting
for us, and fell asleep holding on to the
bride. The next thing he knew he
was surrounded by about a dozen reb
cavalry. They took his arms and or
dered him to mount his nice sorrel
mare. He told them he could hardly
move, he had drank so much butter
milk, and was deathly sick, and tried
several times to mount to gain time.
They asked him If there were any
that his Captain had sent him out to
buy the butter and he got sick. When
he had about given up, as they threat
ened to shoot If he did not mount, he
glanced back and Holiness and two or
three other heads came up over the
top of the hill short distance back
He let out a warwhoop and the fun
began. The rebs lit out up the road
without firing a shot. Holmes made
up his mind that it was the young
lady's Lieut.. Allen, and that he was
going to get him, dead or alive. and
made for him. We soon overlook the
hindmost ones. / was talking with one
Of the teamsters when Holmes gave
the command to come running. / kept
after one fellow until 1 had emptied
my revolver. By that time / was pretty
ClOSt " lie IOOheu SAW
me, stopped his horse. jumped off and
made for the canebrake close by.
still had my carbine loaded and took a
shot at him just as he was going out
of sight. The ball struck him in the
shoulder and he stopped all right
Holmes had a very fleet horse. When
in sight of the house where the young
lady lived Holmes grabbed his man,
as they both had emptied their re-
volvers. They lit on the ground be-
twen their horses; another of the boys
soon came and they got the Lieuten-
ant. horse and all If / recollect Alright,
we got seven of them; two or three of
them were wounded. We gathered up
the effects, went on to the house, and
Holmes introduced Allen to the young
lady. You must imagine how she
looked. She was badly beat; so was
Alien. They were greatly crestfallen.
We let them have a long private talk
together. We told her he would be
used real nice up North; that we did
not use our prisoners as inhumaneiy as
they did theirs; that he would return
TO her all right after the war was over
We returned to camp and the next
day got five or six big loads of corn.
We frequently stopped there after that.
She did not seem to want to talk about
her brave lover any more. One of the
other ladies told me she couldn't un-
derstand why he ran away without
fight, as he had said SO many
times that he was going to capture us
fellows.-Chas. Chandler, Sergeant. Co.