Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1911-03-03
AA[)esserter
By EDWARD B. TAPPAN :
Copyright by American Press Assoc
citation. 1871. | ~5.<sH

Asue11tS dAu SedSFal TorceS were tight
ing in Virginia. a rawboned man In
butternut entered the camp Of resi-
ment Of Tennesseeans and said to an
officer he met: -s5
Gap. when you uns gein' to tight
the YankeesT'
The officer was passing on when the
man in butternut called to him
Say, cap! want to enlist"
"Who are you. and where do you
come fromf" asked the officer, molli-
fed at the prospect of recruit.
I'm Ben Riggs. and I hail from
Tennessee"
TENNESSEE This regiment is from
Tennessee"
'Waal, thar's whar hail from. Some
Union men driy' me out. come over the
mountings To- to jine this yere army"
Riggs was enlisted and turned over
to a drillmasteE. After three days
hard drilling the sergeant went to the
captain and reported that it was sim
ply impossible to teach the Tennessee
an the manual Of arms When he had
taught him movement the recruit
would forget 1t while he was teaching
a second one He seemed to be anxious
to become q soldier, but had no ca
pacity to learn anything The sergeant
was told to do the best he could with
him and turn him into the ranks for
service.
The first night Riggs was sent out on
picket he fred his gun and came run
ming in full tilt, alarming the whole
picket line. Surprising him to be a
coward as wen as stupid, at the next
brush he was put in the front rank.
but he stood up well, proving eonclu-
stvesy that he was simply stupid
Riggs stupidity was of the kind to
cause trouble. He went one day to the
brigade commander and asked him il
he had any tobacco. The general sent
him with a note to his captain. order
ing the officer in future to keep this
fool away from these headquarters"
This mortified the captain, and he put
Riggs in the guardhouse The colonel.
hearing of the episode. directed the
captain to release Riggs. since there
could be no criminality attached to
the act Of blamed fool"
After this the captain spent most of
his time thinking how he could get nd
Of Riggs He tried surrepti1ously to
have him transferred to another COM
pany, but the plot was discovered and
failed No other company would have
him Then one day Riggs met the di-
vision commander and told him he
thought he would like position on his
staff. He was sent back with repri-
mand for his captain for not better
instruct1ng his men in the proper rela-
ton of soldier to his commander.
The captain now vowed he would
get rid OF Riggs If he had to shoot
him Whenever there was fight he
put Riggs right In the middle Of it.
but somehow the stupid fellow es
capped, while the best men were being
shot down. After weeks exposure
Of Riggs the fighting suddenly ceased
Then no sooner had Riggs got him
self furnished up than there was to
be grand review, at which he placed
his captain again I'm trouble. Passing
the reviewing officer. he swung his
gun in the air and sang out:
Three cheers for General C.v'
Riggs captain was desperate. he
formed a malicious resolve He would
put the fool in the position Of a de
serter and get him shot He told Riggs
one morning that the Yankees were
offering bounties as high as 4 thousa nd
dollars to any one who would enlist
, 1t might be good move for Riggs to
| desert. go over to the Yankees. enlist
| and bring back the bounty.
by jing." exclaimed the Ounce, that
| nd be a good fdee. l could set the
| hull company up with that"
! The captain offered to connive at his
desertion He took Riggs out on the
| picket line and told him to run for it.
| The captain had arranged that the de
serter must pass through a narrow de
| file between two low hills. at the far
Their end OF which were posted two
men who had been instructed to arrest
Riggs and bring him back to camp
His trial and execution would speedily
follow.
Riggs trfangulared bis long legs SO
rapidly that when he met the men who
were to arrest him somehow he couIdn 7
stop They attempted to head him of.
but he had got by them before they
reached his path They fred at him
whereupou he turned shot one with
his musket and the other with his re-
voIver and sped on If he was stupid
he was certainly quick but quick for
the first time in his life
Well said his captain. I'm rid of
him though fear he's really fool
enough to come back However. If he
does he'll be shot for desertiou"
But Riggs never returned On reach
ing the Federal pickets he asked to be
:; taken at once to the headquarters Of q
certain general.
| Hello. Baker," exclaimed the gen
| eraL You back! thought you'd
got yourself banged by this time
! Hope you've got a lot Of information "
Il have, general enlisted in the
rebel army as Tennesseean-I didn't
! say from east Tennessee proved