The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1917-19??, 1917-08-23
DRAF TED ON BOTH SIDES
AN OLD VETERAN FURNISHES A
GOOD STORY OF LEES INVASION
OF THE NORTH.

"Well sir, do you know that there's
distinction without difference be-
tween a volunteer and drafted vet,
in the National Homes?" asked an
old printer-soldier while we were
separating him from subscription
money the other day. 'Uh, huh. we
grunted. Then he continued: years
ago in seeking admittance to the
Soldiers Asylum in Dayton, now
known as the Central Branch, among
the general questions propounded was
this: Did you enlist as veteran, go
as a substitute, or were you drafted,
and if you admitted the last clause
your social statue was nil. For bear
in mind, a drafted man was then
ostracised by certain groups, as such
information went out from the admin
istration building by grapevine tele-
graph.
/ was one of the very few men who
were drafted on both sides in the Civil
War and I'll tell you the story: |
began my career as printer in the
troublous ante-bellum period on the
Baltimore Exchange which gave bat
tie to the Knownothings and the
notorious Marshmarket Gang. Those
were the parlous days in politics till
the historic Monument Square mass
meeting put the bigots out of bus
mess. In 1862, the Baltimore papers
were managed by army officers and
when General Morris ruled that one
or the other had been too sarcastic
it appeared the next week under
new name and with a different char
acter-but l digress.
We knew in the office six weeks
before it happened that Lee would
cross the Potomac June is, 1868, on
his northward drive. l wasn't going
to let that interfere with my vacation
in Martinsburg, SO | started Saturday
June IA, got there that evening, and
retired about 8. There was rap at
the door, My brother said:
Looks like the rebels are coming.
John
The deVil!' / said.
There's train being made up to
go to Baltimore he limited.
I've come here to spend my vaca-
tion,' | answered. If the rebels want
to come and spoil it all, let EN- come
And they did next day.
| went up on top of City Hall, the
town skyseraper. On the roof | met
bricklayer. He had joined the
Southern army once. He pointed out
against the green woods the cavalry
moving like yellow toys. I've got to
be going! he cried.
Colonel Smith, of the Twenty-sec-
ond Ohio, commanded the Union force
about 5000 men. l went to him. |
Mere cavalry movement he said
Wen check it. You're safe
"Then Ewell's men poured in, while |
Boyd's battery up on the hill blazed
away. The Reds were singing:
If you want to catch hell
Just join the Infantry
Some of 'em had on knapsacks of
the First California, the Seventh
Maine and the Seventy-eighth Penn
sylvania that the Union troops had
thrown away. | saw 'Jeb' Stewart
md his staff on the littlest bits of
horses, each man with toothbrush
astened in his lapel. Some of the in
antry would be handed whopping big
by kind-hearted women.
Then, wiping their mouths with the
JACKS of their hands, the men would
SIX, You got any mo- of this to SPAR?
But when that rebel army stepped
yer the stone fence at the bottom of
he hill away went the Battery!
hat rebels looked like close to.
aptain Roberts, of the Fifth Virginia
ne provost marshal, came up to me
nd said, Guess we'll have to take
OH up as a conscript.'
/ appealed to Chisholm, Early's :
1jutant general I've got to get back :
} Baltimore and get to work. l said.
We don't care anything about your
ork,' he answered. This is war; Il
ell have to ship you to Richmond le
There was a construction train on m
e B. and o. running from Baltimore
, to Harper's Ferry and back every
". After several tries | got away H
it. | had given my parole to the dl
IBIS not to take up arms against a
e enemy When l got back to Bal be
more found the deputy marshal
ring my absence had drafted me
r the Union army. 1 was drawn the an
ry first day, and now l guess I'm tn
3 only twin-drafted ex-soldieI who IA
wed two years in the Union army il
the N. H. d. v. S. OF course for ar
ars back no exclusiveness has been I'll,
Injected by volunteers VS.. drafted wi
n, for the reason that many of them III.
re shady reeords-but that's an
ar ctorv