The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1916-01-07
won HIS SPURS
BY ACCIDENT
Good Luck Helped a Soldier
to High Place.

Several vets Of the civil war were
comparing notes as to the why and
wherefore of their advancement dur
ing their term Of active service. All
gave accounts creditable to themselves
till it was the last mans turn. when
he told the following story:
I enlisted in the ranks with the rest
Of the boys l knew in 1861. l didn't
seem to have been cut out for a SOL
der. l was not easily disciplined. !
was always struggling, and drills were
to me intolerable. The only time I
could be relied on to show up for duty
was when there was fighting, and then
it was not because l liked it, for I
didn't, but because l dreaded the
sneers of my comrades. Nobody ever
thought for a moment Of my even be-
ing made q non conn.,. much less deco
rated with a shoulder strap.
Well. one day when We were cavort-
ing around in Virginia, marching in
one direction n day, another the
next, never still forty-eight consecu-
tive hours, not having had regular ra-
lions for some time, l got hungry and
took the first opportunity to drop out
and do q little foraging. I passed a
house beside the road with a door
leading down into a cellar. I tried 1t
and found it unlocked. So l opened 1t
and went in. There was nothing in
the place but a girl, n of the south
ern girls Of the period, with an olive
complexion and hair cut square around
her neck. She was washing some
thing.
What d'y' want?" she asked.
I'm looking for something to eat"
1 replied. Il saw the door opening on
to the road very convenient. so l
thought I'd just step in and see what
I could find"
That's just the way that door has
looked to all the stragglers in the
army" she replied. There's not been
less than 5000 men come in here. At
first we had some provisions, but they
were soon eaten up by soldiers, so We
didn't put any more here. We don't
keep the door locked because 1t would
be kicked open. Are there any of your
men neal by?"
"Guess not" l said.
well. If there amt l don't mind
showing you where we keep u eat
ables. Do you see that wall? That
shuts Off a part of the cellar. Come
upstairs and I'll show you how to get
into it."
I went up to the floor above. and the
girl opened a trapdoor. l went down
and was looking about for a snack
when I heard the door shut and locked.
There was no getting out. so after
awhile l stretched myself on a table
! and went to sleep. l was awakened by
a trampling above. The cellar was
dark, SO I knew it was night. Hearing
| the clank of a saber. l listened to dis
| cover If some of our men hadn't come
in. They were not F%ederals, but Con-
federates Of high rank. l could hear
every word they said. 1t was a council
Of war. When at last they settled on a
plan to concentrate and attack our
forces they went over each detail again
and again to be sure there should be no
mistake. While they were doing it l
was fixing it all in my memory so that
if I got out In time l could warn our
general.
In the morning the trap was opened
and a couple Of Confederate soldiers
took me in charge. The girl wasn't
there, but an old man and woman
seemed to know all about my having
been trapped. l doubt II either of them
knew that their living room and kitch-
en- had been used for a conference. I'm
not sure they knew I was there when
the conference was held. The soldiers
took me away, and on the road we met
the girl who had trapped me. l asked
to speak to her and told her | had a
watch in one of my pockets and would
give it to her If she would get me of.
Her eyes sparkled, and she agreed to
try. She sent n Of my guards to a
house where she said they had q stock
Of hams and while he was gone man
aged to get the other ones musket.
which she playfully fired ut a tree. l
ran up and took It from her, she only
pretending to resist. The owner. see
ing that l had the advantage Of him.
ran away. Then I gave the girl my
watch, 'as l had promised, and took to
the woods till I ran across some of our
lei ,."
While l was on my way to the gem
eral with my information l wondered
how I would explain my being made u
prisoner without giving away the fact
that l had been struggling. Then It
occurred to me that my story wasn't
very probable anyway. Why didn't the
old folks tell the generals that a Yam
kee soldier was imprisoned in the Gel
lar? Why didn't the girl ask the SOL
oilers to take my watch instead Of get
ting me away from them in order to
get It? l can't to this day explain the
first. and the only explanation can
give of the second is that the girl didn't
want any other claimant for 1t.
l made up a cock and bull story
about having gone to sleep from ex-
haustion on the march and on waking
up had found q chance to do some
scouting. ] called for . map and show
ed Just where certain Confederate