The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1915-04-30
A SOLDIERS
DOUBLE
By NJ QUAD
By NJ QUAD
Copyright. 1916. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.

COpyrlgnt, 1Sl5, by the Mcclure iii
Newspaper Syndicate.
About thirty days before Grant broke
through Lees lines at Petersburg and
the beginning Of the end came a por-
ton Of my regiment captured W
Confederates aud brought them into
camp. My own company was a part
Of the Federal force, but as l was on
detached duty that week l was not
with them. The first l knew Of the
capture was when l heard the story
that had deserted to the Confederates
and been recaptured and would be
shot. l visited company headquarters
to ascertain what the talk meant and
there met with q strange reception. l
was there, wearing a blue uniform. and
yet l was in the guardhouse half a
mile away wearing the butternut. I
had been on duty at division head
quarters. and yet l had been captured
on the advance lines. l vas at nee
placed under arrest. and 1t was an
hour or more before the mystery was
solved. Then it was found that one of
the Confederate prisoners was my
double and that bis name was Wake
field.
had not yet recovered from my
surprise when the suggestion was
made that l 60 into the Confederate
camp as a spy on the strength of the
wonderful resemblance. l was given
three days In which to pump Wake
field. He was q ready talker and had
a good memory. Wien l was quite
ready l took his suit of clothes com
plete and he was given another. Then
I was taken down to the front and
made q bolt for 1t. In other words. one
Of the Confederate prisoners escaped
and dashed across the space which
separated the opposing lines. Not half
a dozen men were let into the secret.
and as l ran l was fred upon by half
q regiment.
ran at full speed straight for the
Confederate lines, and OH dashing over
a breastwork l found myself in the
midst of a Louisiana brigade of infan.
try. A colonel questioned me as to my
name. regiment, when captured, etc.
and answered so promptly that l sup
posed everything all right. 1t wasn't.
however. Federal spies had played
the game before, and Confederate wit
had become sharpened. | was sent to
the headquarters Of General Malone.
who was subsequently celebrated in
Virginia and national politics. He
asked me the same questions which
the colonel had put to ME and many
others in addition. l saw that he was
suspicious, and. Drawing all at n
stroke, l requested that my captain be
sent for. The Alabama regiment to
which l was supposed to belong was
stationed two miles away. and it was
about 8 o'clock before the captain ar
rived. Previous to his appearance l
had been asked his name. which l gave
correctly. and had also described his
person. When he reached headquar-
tiers l was sent for, and as l stood be-
fore him and two or three headquar-
tiers officers General Malone asked:
Captain Thorn. this man claims to
belong to your company. Is he q mem.
Der or not?"
"Yes. sir" was the prompt reply.
Whats his name?"
John Wakefield. SIR"
when was he captured?"
-Four days ago along with several
other men,"
That settled it. There were about
forty men in Company D. They all
gathered around NE as l appeared and
gave me a welcome. My orders were
to ascertain Lees strength on a line
about four miles long. How l was to
accomplish this after entering the Con-
federate lines was left for me to de-
eide. Wakefield told me that he had q
cousin III the Seventh Virginia. a young
soldier named John Winslow. l got
permission Of my captain to visit him.
and in hunting up the Seventh Virginia
l took care to miss it and cover the
whole front and have a look at guns
and Notifications. found Winslow at
last. but his greeting was far from
cordial. The two had evidently quar-
relied about something on which ] was
not posted. He was so sulky and I'M
friendly that l was about to u my
visit short when he gave me a search.
ing look and exclaimed:
why, you are not John Wakefield
ut all"
laughed at him in a good natured
way. hoped l would find. him in better
humor when ! called again. mud started
for my regiment. but ! had hot gone
a quarter Of a mile when l was over.
taken and put under arrest and an
hour later was nee more In the pres.
ence Of General Malone. was fol.
lowed to his tent by Winslow. who
boldly proclaimed that I was not John
Wakefield. Then all the officers and
half a dozen men OF the company. in
Guiding my tentihnte. were sent for.
aud the general heartily entered upon
the work Of trapping me.
had pumped John Wakefield 30
thoroughly. and 80 plainly remembered
everything. that I believe l passed the
examination fully 40 well az or better
chan No cOn16 f