The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1909-11-10
THEY SHAKE HANDS
THE UNIQUE EXPERIENCE OF
TWO SOLDIERS IN THE WAR.
Captain Christian and Captain Rauch
Meet For the First Time Since
They Tried to Kill Each Other.

They Tried to Kill Each Other.
Standing in the lobby of a hotel
during the late visit to Richmond.
Va. Of the Pennsylvanians who at
! tended the unwilling OF a monument.
| Cold Harbor, several days ago, was
Captain E. D. Christian. a we'll known
veteran OF the Forty first Virginia
regiment, who was entertaining a
number Of the visiting Federal vet
Grams with an account of a duel he
had in 1862 with a Pennsylvania
near what ia known as "The Cow
pens" now the Mechanicsyille Pike.
I'm some way" said Captain
Christian, I'VE were coming through
a field cut apart by a long line of
rail fence. As We approached the
fence we saw coming toward US a
line Of b~lue-coated soldiers. Be
fore I knew 1t I was face to face with
a Yankee who was sending balls at
me. but luckily aiming wrong. !
loaded my musket time and again
and we had 1t there face to face.
Presently the Yankee mounted the
fence to get q better whsck at me
for I was as bad a shot as he In
the excitement Of that duel. Well,
gentlemen. down came the rail fence
and down came the Yankee, sprawl
ing on the ground. He managed to
get up as my old musket banged
away. but the ball never touched
him.
wait q moment" interrupted one
Of the visitors. land III tell you the
rest Of the story" All eyes turned
toward the military form of Captain
w. H. Rauch. a Philadelphia, who
was the centre Of the listeners to
Captain Christians story.
WELL" continued Captain Rauch,
1.-The Yankee just took to his heels
at that and you after him. You
fred as long as he was In sight
and he ran as long as his legs would
hold him up. The only reason he
did not fly was because he was a man
and not a bird"
That's about right" said the Con-
federate and then the two men faced
each other with eyes glued on the
faces that had seen the changes of
nearly half a century.
Hell. man." Captain Rauch cried.
finally breaking the intense stiffness.
ARE you the Johnny Reb that had
that duel with me and came near
making me d prisoner or putting me
out for good?"
IF you are the man who jumped
on that fence and fell. and then got
up and ran while a Confederate SOL
der sent bullets after you to help
move. l guess we have met before
III any other man had been In
my palce and had not put up a good
rum" replied Captain Rauch, "he
would have been a fool. Why tina.
old thing you we're handling looked
as big as a cannon and sounded lik:
two or three Of them"
Following this the veterans sho"k
hands and Captain Rauch took Cap
tain Christian in tow to INTRODUCES
him to his wife. Then Captain and
Mrs. Rauch had to get into Captain
Christians automobile and the End
was that Mrs. Christian got a teie-
phone call to have dinner reaiy for
two extras. The party spent Inc
evening In the handsome hoAe or
Captain Christian, who had to pioui-
Use a visit to the Rauch home IT.
Philadelphia.
Before leaving Richmond Captain
Rauch declared that be would nc:
have missed meeting Captain Chris
tian for all bis worldly possessions,
Il have never forgotten that REBEL
said he, land I see him now in E"y
minds eyes with his big old-time
musket plugging away at me as
though were of no more good 10
the world than an ordinary animal