Evening star., 1911-05-28

hurry past us. In one or these haItS
Gen. Longstreet was pointed out to me
with evident pride by a staff officer, who
had turned aside to make some courteous
remarks to me. l told the officer as pO-
htely as could that thought they were
badly beaten, and would hardly get across
the Potomac. He laughed and said that
they were not trying to get across-that
Baltimore was their objective point just
then; from there, he explained, 1t was
but forced march to Washington, and
once there they could conquer peace in
thirty days His hopes amused me; re-
membered that when retreating from the
Chickahominy and from Charlottesville
/ did not know anything of defeat, but
thought l was marching to victory by an
other road.
The next time we were halted I was
not so pleasantly entertained.
I sat on a high bank watching the
when naughty young officer rode up.
looking at the prisoners feet, as lie he
wanted pair of boots. Several Of the
men concealed theirs by drawing them
were coming off, for two days march
over rough roads was something the
contractor for cavalry boots had not
contemplated.
however, and said in an overbearinE
manner, Il want those spurs"
I merely looked at them and nodded.
Hand them to me- he said, sternly.
"They were given to me for the United
States service. not for rebel service" I
said, stung by his manner.
OH" he scornfuly remarked. II sup
pose you know you are prisoners?
Yes have been nearly two days
without food: that convinces me-"
And when a soldier Is taken his
horse, his arms and equipments are his
captor's.'
Yes: mine are all gone"
And his spurs. too?"
yes. and his boots sometimes"
Hand me your spurs, then"
Take them, If you want them; I
won't hand them to YOU
He took out his pistol and raised Il,
but, controlling himself, lowered it and
moved away. Then he turned his horse
and demanded them again The same
answer and the same arguments were
repeated; the pistol was pointed at me.
but his soldierly qualities triumphed
over his temper as before.
There seemed no way out of the dim
cuity' ne was determined to have the
spurs. put too proud to dismount and
unDuckle them. and I was too stubborn
10 yield At last one of Pickett's men
came up and took them off, and the
omcer rode away with them.
Before I left the spot l kicked off NV
poots' for they seemed made only to
carry spurs, and went barefoot the rest
or the way to Richmond. The prisoners,
VINO on the first day had numbered only
about 300, mostly cavalry, were now in
creased to nearly as many thousands as
the men taken at Gettysburg were added
to us. Besides these, fresh cavalry pris-
oners were brought in every day. From
them we heard of the extent OF the vic
tory. and the fighting that was still In
progress. and we were assured by them
that neither we nor our guards could
ever reach the Potomac. This helped to
partly loses when his arms are taken
from him. and which continued captivity
almost entirely destroys.
We were marched past a handsome
house which had attracted our attention
on our way to Gettysburg by the num-
Der OF United States flags and the gayly
dressed ladies waving handkerchiefs to
us. They were waving them as boldly
to the Confederates now, and the stars
and Stripes Rad been transformed into
the stars and bars.
4 4
Some Of the newly captured were bad
ly wounded. but had no attention given
them, except such crude service as their
fellow prisoners could do for them. None
Of our surgeons was captured, and / sup
pose those Of the enemy had plenty to
do among their own. One poor fellow
of the 5th New York Cavalry had seven
teen wounds which he got from the nth
Virginia He was cut and slaehed at
every angle. and when we had gotten
some bandages and patched him up he
looked ludicrously odd.
Before we entered Williamsport a cor
respondent, whom the Confederates Fas
decided to let go. took the names OF
those who chose to give them to him,
that their friends might learn their fate
from the papers. / gave him mine, and
though 1t was printed in a leading Phil
adelphia paper / was afterward morti-
fed to learn that only one of all my
friends in that city had seen It, A dozen
others there with whom I had corres-
pondence supposed / had been killed.
At Williamsport all was crowded and