Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1909-08-06
On the Picket Line.

A good many Of those picket line
adventures never found place in OFF,
cial reports or the letters Of army cor
respondents. They were in every case
violations of instructions, and to have
spoken OF them to superior officers
would have been to invite punishment;
so by a sort OF free-masonry of the
picket line some of the most startling
adventures of private soldiers never
went to record. AS for myself, ] was
little conscientious in the matter OF
obeying orders, and only in one case
did I make any departure from the
strict line of a soldiers duty. 1t was
while we were in front Of Chattanooga
that it became fashionable along the
picket line to exchange papers. The
plan was for Confederate who want
ed a paper to come to the front, shake
Southern paper as flag of truce,
and in this way invite exchange.
/. The pickets on either side in that
immediate vicinity would cease firing,
the Union soldier would start from his
line and the Confederate from his line,
and they would meet half way, shake
hands, exchange papers and II there
were no officers In sight, sit down and
have a chat This had been kept up
for several days when there came an
order from headquarters that no more
papers should be exchanged. But the
boys" choosing their own time for
exchange, continued the practice
against orders. There came a week,
however, In which no rebel responded
to waving, or shaking, or fiuttering or
paper or handkerchief, and we knew
then that orders against exchange had
been issued on that side as well as on
ours.
But one morning quite early my
partner discovered a man on the rebel
line frsntically waving large paper.
He suggested that we slip away from
the reserve and go out and see what
the man wanted. He took paper,
waved it, and we started toward the
rebel In front When we had pro-
ceeded about half way to the point OF
meeting the fellow ceased to wave his
paper We were puzzled at this, but
finally concluded that he was down in
hollow and we would see him when
he came up on high ground. So we
walked on and walked without warn
ing into a group of soldiers at the
rebel picket line.
| The men were just ready to take
breakfast, and after the first furry
they joked us good deal about our
extraordinary willingness to get into
their clutches at breakfast time. When
we spoke of the exchange of papers the
officer in charge informed US that or
ders were positive against exchange,
and that all his men understood it.
AS this was the case he took the posi-
ton that we had come willingly into
their lines, and that he could not al
low us to return. I saw at once that
his men disagreed with him, but the
question was how we were to get
| away.
My partner, who had been soldier
In Germany, exhibited the greatest
nonchalance, and he joined in the
Jokes at our expense and proposed that
he make the boys" some coffee that
was coffee. The Confederates had
very poor excuse for that article, and
without more ado he proceeded to
make a little kettle Of coffee, the
aroma Of which seemed to fascinate
the coffee-hnngry sharpshooters. When
he had poured the coffee into the cups
and had eSpatiated on the good it
would do the men, he took up his rife
and said to me: Now let us start
for eur own line" followed him,
and not a rebel soldier on that picket
post lowered the cup OF coffee from his
lips or looked in our direction l
never disobeyed orders after that
CH,Yonoo Tn%ar