Year: 1869

SHORTLY after the close of the war,
travelled on the railway for some hours of
bright, June day, seated beside a young
soldier, cavalryman, from Wisconsin,
who was on his way home, with an honor
able discharge, after a service of four
years. My fellow-traveler proved to be
quite intelligent and sociably inclined, and
beguiled the way by relating many in
cidents of the battle field, and of camp
and hospital life. One of the simplest of
his stories, told with an appearance of the
utmost good faith, have never forgotten
remembering distinctly every detail,
while some of his more marvellous and
tragical narrations have quite faded from
my mind.


sour regiment" he said, "was under
Banks, in the spring of 1852, when he
made such good time in getting down the
Shenandoah Valley. 1t was an awful,
driving, confused, exhausting, hurry
skurry change of base but it's curious
that l chiefly remember it by little in
cident, which perhaps you will think was
hardly worth laying up, and is hardly
worth telling of"


signifed my desire to hear his little
story, and he went on:


81 was one morning dispatched, in hot





important order. As ill-luck would have
it, had to ride strange horse, as my own
bad fallen lame, The one provided for
me proved Just the most ill-natured,
vicious brute ever mounted I had hard
work to mount him at all, for his furious
rearing and plunging; and wher, at last,
reached the saddle, lie was so enraged,
there was no getting him on for at least
five minutes With his ugly head down,
and his ears back, he would whirl round
and round, pivoting on his fore-feet, and
lashing out with his hind legs, till fancy
they must have looked like the spokes of
a big wheel. When he found that l was
master of the situation, that my hand was
firm and my spurs were sharp, he gave in
till the next time; but knew that he
was continually watching for a chance to
fling me over his head and trample the
mastership out of me.


rode hard that day, both because of
my orders, and for the purpose of putting
that devil of a horse through but there
were many distractions in the road
marching columns, artillery, army wagons,
and, above all, hosts of contrabands, who
were always scrambling to get out of your
way, justSnto your way so it was noon
before had made half of my distance. 1t
was hot, sultry, and dusty day. had
exhausted my canteen, and was painting,
almost lolling, like dog. Just as my
thirst was becoming quite unbearable,
came upon group of soldiers, lounging
by wayside spring, drinking and filling
their canteens. At first thought would
dismounS as my horse seemed pretty we'll
subdued and Uo,oed; but no sooner did he
guess my Intention, than he began again
his 1io holco1 .friuti N nco ond y,lf1n uinrs
which the stragglers about the spring set
up a provoking laugh, which brought my
already hot blood up to the boiling point.
Still, didn't burst out at once. swung
off my canteen, and said to one of the
men, the only fellow that hadn't laughed
at my bout with the horse: Here, com
rade, jast you fill this for me- 40


He was q tall, dark, heavy browed,
surly-looking chap, but fer all that, / didn't
look for such an answer as he growled
out:


"'Fill your own canteen, and be -
to you


-" tell you I was mad the other fellows
laughed again, and theL / was madder,
and just says to him: You mean devil
hope to God shall yet hear you begging
for drink of water If ever I do, I'll see
you die, and go where you belong, before
III give it to you


= "Then galloped on, though some of
the men called to me to come back, say
ing they'd fill my canteen. I didn't stop
till I reached house, a mile or two
farther on, where little black boy
watered both me and my horse, and filled
my canteen, with smile that the handful
Of new pennies gave him couldn't begin
to pay for. When compared the con-
duct of this poor little chip of ebony, who
said he never had no father, nor mother,
nor no name but Pete with the treat
ment had received from white fellow
soldier, found that that drink of cold
water hadn't cooled down nv anger
much. And for months and months
after, whenever l thought of that af.
fair, the old, mad feeling would come
boiling up The fellows face ALWAYS
came out as clear before me as nv own
brothers, only it seemed to be more sharn.
ly cut into my memory. / don't know
why resented this offence 80 bitterly. I
have let bigger things of the sort pass, and
soon forgotten them but tass stuck by ne,