The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1915-09-23
How a clodhopper
Made a
General Reputation
By F. A. Mitchell

. II
Johnny bunker enlisted In 1861 In
an Ohio regiment to hight for Abra-
ham Lincoln's daughter" as the phrase
had It In those days. Johnny was q
farmers boy and didn't know any moro
about war than be did about manas.
ing circus. It 30 happened that he
fell under the command Of q general
who had graduated in the engineer
CORPS at West Point had been sent
abroad during the Crimean war 10
observe tho strategy Of European an
mics and had written q report which
had caused him six years later to b.
picked out for one Of the great com.
manders Of the war between the states.
In short, he was at the apex Of tho
pyramid Of military intelligence, while
Johnny was one Of the many thou.
sands who formed the base.
The force that Johnny served with
formed the extreme Of the right wing
Of an army whose commander was
anxious to advance. but a fort % situ-
ated In q pocket in the hills that Il
was dimcult to take was delaying him,
for It u a military principle that an
army must not leave a fertilization IN
it1 rear. The scientific soldier who
commanded this wing was approach
ing the fertilization in accordance with
the principles Of military engineering-
in other words, by zigzag trenches.
The only objection to this plan Of 70
ducing the fort was that it took a lot
Of time and delayed an army Of 10000
men from advancing. Meanwhile the
men who composed the army were
costing the government immense sums
Of money, were dying of camp fever
and were getting generally democrat
lied.
Johnny Hunker, who didn't know
enough about military matters to keep
himself in camp unless permitted to 60
elsewhere, one night, feeling restless,
stole out without waking his tent
mates, evaded the camp guard and
wandered away. He was too stupid
to avoid going In the direction of the
enemy, and while men were crouching
In the trenches he was stumbling along
in the dark toward the fertilization
they were trying to dig out. Presently
he came to q dirt wall Lighting a
match, he saw that it was inclined and
about ten feet high, but he thought he
could climb it and he did. At the top
he laid his hands on something that
felt like log. By feeling along it he
found that it was log. Vaulting over
1T. he proceeded along the top Of the
dirt wall, which was some eight feet
thick, and came to another log. In this
way he discovered a number of logs
side by side on top of the dirt wall.
Hearing storm Of SHORES below him,
ne concluded that they might come
from Confederates, and concluded to
retrace his steps. Sliding down the in
cline, he was cropping his way back, as
he supposed, over the same route by
which lie had come, when suddenly he
dropped into trench, falling on sew
eral sleeping men.
Angry at being disturbed in their
slumbers, they reported Johnny's ap-
pearance among them, stating that he
was likely spy from the fort who
had lost his bearings and fallen into
trap. The result was that the young
man was sent to the rear in care of an
officer, who was directed to turn him
In as captured spy.
In the morning Johnny's capture
was reported to the general and after
breakfast staff officer was sent to
bring him to headquarters. When
Johnny appeared the general began to
question him.
"Who are your"
John Hunlser of Company B, -th
Ohio"
The general sent for the captain of
Company and went on with his ques-
tioning. He asked Johnny how he hap.
pened to be out among the trenches at
night, and Johnny told the story.
When he came to the dirt wall, as he
called it, and tile logs the general
prtcked up his ears. He asked Johnny
how many men he had heard snoring.
and Johnny replied, "a hull lot" On
being asked what he meant by "a hull
lot" Johnny explained, There must
a been four or five Of 'em.'
While the questioning was going on
Johnny's captain came in and identi-
he'd him as a private in his command.
He was very severe in his manner to
the culprit, being mortified that one of
his men should have been caught in
such breach of discipline.
Within half an hour after the inter-
view between Johnny and his CON-
mander the right wing of the army
was drawn up in line of battle and an
order given to march upon the fort.
When the men reached it they clam
bered up the sides to the parapet, as
johnny had done the night before,
without drawing single shot They
found that what he had supposed to be
a row Of logs We're Quaker guns-that
Is, logs shaped to represent cannon. A
few lean Confederates in butternut
were seen clambering up the hillside.
They had been in charge of the fort
and Kept the guns from falling OF their