The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-10-17
4 STARTLING EXPERIENCE.
BY Serst. =. r. Brown. Company l..
First ;. c. Volunteers.

Virginia, the latter part OF May. oo4.
l was in charge of the cooking de-
tail. 1t had been raining and the
night was very dark. We had to 60
a long distance to the rear before
finding water with which to do the
cooking. 1t was about l o'clock in
= the morning when we finished.
The Confederate lines here were
not far from Noels Station, on what
was then known as the Virginia Gen.
trail Railroad, and were protected by
breast works. In the rear of the
lines, some two hundred yards OF
more were extended the Provost
Guard. The breastworks crossed z
wagon road, but there was wide gap
or opening in the works, so that the
road was not obstructed. When the
detail was ready to return to the
lines, with the cooked food for the
men, I cut a stick about three feet
long and, sharpening one end, showed
it through the middle Of several
pones of the bread and put the stick
over my right shoulder, as the easi-
est way to carry the load. l started
off in advance of the detail, follow
ing the wagon road just mentioned.
The road was narrow and bushes on
both sides of it. l passed the Pro-
vost Guard without seeing one of
them Continuing on I passed
through the opening in the breast
works, without knowing that I did
at the time I was probably asleep,
or in a daze from fatigue. Had
been wide awake l would have seen
the opening and the breastworks on
either side and not gone on. There
were troops in the works right ct
the gap, but they must have been
asleep, or someone would have
spoken to me.
In eighteen days my company had
fought in the Battles Of the Wilder
ness, the Bloody Angle (Spottsyl-
vania) and the North Anna, which
broke the rest of a good many of US.
Continuing my walk along the
road. saw two or three men lying
around on the ground near the road
in a little clearing, but nothing was
said to me and l paid no attention
to them. The fact is, | believed |
was in the rear of the lines and that
these men were of the Provost
Guard, but in reality it was the pick
ct line-I was lost, but not conscious
of it. Pickets are not so alert when
Videttes are in front of them, and
these must have been asleep, which
may account for my passing unchal-
lenged through our picket line. |
continued along the dark, narrow
road for two hundred yards, perhaps,
when from the bushes on my right a
voice said, "Halt!' I stopped, but not
seeing anyone l walked on. Again
the voice said, ''Halt..' l answered:
What do you mean by halting me?'
and went through the bushes to
where the man was standing, dis
tance of fifteen or twenty feet from
the road. He was not the least dis
concerted and if he had not been
coolheaded he might have shot me.
do not remember having my rifle
with me, but the stick of bread on
my shoulder gun-fashion. must have
given me the appearance OF being
armed He felt my clothes and the
buttons on my jacket and scrutinized
me as we'll as he could in the dark
ness, to ascertain, | suppose, whether
l was a Confederate or Union SOL
dier. He asked me no questions, but
to convince him pulled the stick cf
bread from my shoulder and said:
Cant you see that 1 belong to the
cooking detai1?" Come with me,
was his answer, and back we went.
not on the road, but through the
woods, until we came to thin line
of troops. He called for the lieuten-
ant and told him all the particulars,
The officer was a level-headed man
and saw that l was lost. He asked
me what command l belonged to, AMI
l replied very explicitly: company
L, First South Carolina Volunteers;
McGowan's Brigade, Wilcox's Divis-
ion, Hills Corps, Army of Northern
Virginia. where is your COM
mand?" he said. l pointed in the
direction of the Union lines and ans
wered: Right over there The
lieutenant said: Il see what is the
matter with you and conducted me
to the road. Instantly l realized
where l was and l exclaimed: Lieu
tenant, is it possible that l am in
front of the picket line?" Eyes,
he answered, ''and the man who halt