Evening capital news. (Boise, Idaho) 1901-1927, 1912-10-18
TleEvening Story
/. He Made His
MARK. but Wrote
A Fine Hand

n Flne Hand
B. PAUL WOODRUFF
While was serving in the Army Of
the Potomac In Virginia - captain Of
B company. -th Pennsylvania volun.
teer infantry 4 countryman came into
camp and told pitiful story. He said
that 10 was . Union man and during
the secession disputes had nailed Q
little cotton American. nag up over
bis house and kept II there. even after
the state Of Virginia had seeded
Just before our occupation Of the r.
sion : mob had burned the house.
the nag nuttsring amid the flames
and murdered bis wife and children.
40 happened to BE- away At the time.
and when he returned hs found bis
family dead and his homo q heap OF
charred ruins. He asked to be Der.
mittcd 10 enlist and took him into
my company. He said he could neither
read nor write and made his mark in.
stead Of signing his name. which was
Enoch Saunders.
put Private Saunders In charge Of
drill sergeant with orders to teach
him the manual Of arms. A few hours
later the sergeant came to mo and
said that the man was 10 stupid that
1t was we'll nigh impossible to teach
him anything and suggested that It
might be better to make q mule driver
Of him. told him that considering
the rapidity with which our men were
being killed of We needed food for
powder more than men to b kicked
to death and told him to keep at the
Job till he made Saunders at to be shot
The d xt heard Of Saunders he was
sent from general headquarters under
care Of IN orderly to me with the In.
formation that hs had asked tho gen.
eral when he proposed to move against
the enemy. He was anxious to know
since b. was thirsting for revenge. l
hardly knew what to do with the man.
He seemed too ingenious, too stupid
to punish, 20 I explained to him that
not even the colonel would dare ask
the general such q question AZ he had
asked. He seemed much surprised.
and said that II We were not going
right on he thought he would Just 60
aheai alone. for he couldn't stand It
to b waiting In camp while the muir.
derers Of his wife and children were
unpunishsd.
roulA a~aue>lv r>np>s. q .ml1> -
I explained to him that he had en-.
listed for three years and would not
be permitted to fight on his own hook.
Whereupon he said he reckoned be
would GO without permission. In.
formed him that II he did 30 and We
could get our hands on him he would
be shot for a deserter. This seemed
to astonish him still more.
kept my eyes on him and was ~.
tonished at the rapidity with which he
improved. In week when seeing him
marching out on picket duty scarcely
recognized him for tho stupid poor
white vifginian who had come into
our camp with woeful tale.
The next thing that surprised me
was hearing that Saunders had been
detailed by the adjutant for duty
at, the headquarters Of the general in
chief. I wondered what he could be
wanted for there, but soldiers are not
supposed to ask questions Of their
superiors and RETAINED. Besides at
that time our regiment was the top
Of the left wing Of the army and no.
where near the general In chiefs head.
quarters.
Not long after this the regimentai
quartermaster happened to mention
having Just come from army head.
quarters and I asked him II he had
seen anything there Of a red headed
recruit from ''ours'' named Saunders.
He said that he had been in the assist
ant adjutant generals office and had
seen q red headed man writing at
pine desk whose face seemed familiar
to him. told him that It couldn't
bs Saunders, for the man couldn't
write his own name.
I thought no more Of the matter. We |
moved forward soon after this and
with constant fighting our army passed
through many changes. Having been
TENT to the headquarters Of the army |
BY the colonel with q message,
.aught sight Of Saunders. The gen.
sral and his stan were IN the field
Ind moving, % that no clerical work |
Vas being done. Saunders pretended
lot to ses mo and moved away |
'apidly. I pointed him out to an Of. |
icer Of the stan 40 he was passing out
Il sight who told me that he was q
Jerk in the adjutant generals de-
,artmsnt and had been detailed for
hat duty because be wrote . splendid
,and
I was % pussled at this fool who
ouldn't sign his name writing . 6ns
land that Il took some time for the H
ttuation to ret through my own stupid
rain. By the timA Il had ofIochad a III