River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1918-11-28
WASJUST VISITING
aYank'S" Presence in Confeder-
ate Lines Explained.
liz View of His Extremely Unconven-
tional uniform" He Could Hardly
Be Charged With Spying, as
Gen. Gordon Quickly Saw.

In his "Reminiscences of the Civil
War;" General Gordon relates that
while the two hostile armies were con-
fronting each other on the Rapidan,
the Confederate and the Union pickets
became so very ''chummy" that the
commanding generals were appre-
hensive lest important military infor-
nation might leak out.
An almost continuous exchange of
tobacco for coffee was going on be-
tween "Yanks" and "JOhnnies;" also
much exchanging of newspapers. When
the river was so deep that the soldiers
could not wade across, they rugged
miniature boats and RATS loaded with
whatever they wished to trade and
sent them over as the breeze favored.
The consignees on both sides scrupu-
lousy respected these small argosies,
and always sent back fair equivalent.
The men not only conversed across
the river, but visited" back and forth
for an hour or two at a time. The
officers began to fear that they might
become too friendly to fight with
proper energy; and at last General
Lee instructed General Gordon to put
a stop to it.
Mounting his horse, the general
started to ride along the river front,
and almost Immediately came upon a
Confederate outpost, where his sud-
den appearance seemed to create an
unusual degree of excitement and stir.
whats going on here?" demanded
the general.
Nothing at all, sir!" cried one Of
the soldiers eagerly; while another at
tempted to explain that the confusion
was owing to their haste to present
arms" to him.
General Gordon was satisfied that
this was a subterfuge, but he could
see nothing amiss, and had turned to
ride away when he saw some tall
weeds On the river bank begin to
shake.
whats in those weedsw he asked,
wheeling his horse.
Nothing at all, sir! cried a chorus
of voices.
Break down the weeds ]"
Very reluctantly one Of the men did
so-and there lay large, red-headed
"Yank" in puris naturalibus, having
evidently but that minute swum across
the river
"Where do you belong?" the general
asked him severely.
cover yOnder, general" replied the
Yankee, with a wave of his arm across
the river and an inscrutable grimace.
"What are you doing here?"
"Jest a little friendly visit to the
boys, general
Don't you know that there's war
raging in this cOuntry?"
eyes, sir; but faint ragin' today"
was the quaint reply; and the ring of
listening "Johnnies" grinned broadly.
Something had to be done to preserve
dignity and to enforce orders.
"Have you anything to say why
should not have you shot as a spy?"
demanded the general sternly. us
that your uniform?"
oval, general, it's the uniform my
mother gave me-" came from the
weeds in a drawl so irresistible that
the "Johnnies" shouted.
Quickly perceiving that this was a
case where it was necessary to treat
the matter as a joke or else to mete
out extreme severity, General Gordon
chose the former alternative.
Look here" said he; eff let you go
back to your own lines this time, will
you"
I It was unnecessary to finish the SEN
tence. With a spring to his feet the
"Yank" dived off the river bank; i'm
mediately his red head was seen part
ing the water rapidly in the direction
of the other shore.-Youth's Compan.
ion.