Year: 1863

Vermont Strategy.


Private Joel Swipes, Of hard working
rough. sinewed regiment Of Vermont volun-
teers, was good shot and smart soldier.
He found great satisfaction in picket duty,
and hardly came in after days exercise in
that branch Of military service without
having report for his superior officer Of
some new world discovered, some circum-
stance perceived, that might be of use in
gaining an advantage over the enemy.


Joel was long, lank, yellow haired frl-
low, not very soldiery in speech or bearing.
He was frightfully sun burnt, and his face,
coarse featured and demure, suggested good
humor and power Of endurance, more than
courage or discipline. But there was .
twinkle about his small grey eyes which
enlivened them, despite their scanty and
characterless white lashes, and impressed
the closer sort of observer with wholesome
respect for his courage and intelligence
His nasal voice and drawl, his round shout
dcrs and fiat build, could not shake this
respect If one kept those clear, cool, far
seeing eyes in sight, and Joel's comrades
prophesied that he had only to behave him.
self, and keep on in his own way, to gain q
pair of epaulets some fine day.


He openly declared that manual labor on
earthworks was distasteful to him and his
officers, knowing his value on picket duty,
evinced enough consideration for him to
keep him at that service.


The position that he liked best was the
slope of hill, opposite similar slope occu
pied by a sentinel of the Confederates.-
This last was quite high bit Of ground,
whence one might see great deal that was
going on about the batteries further down.
Joel believed that the sentinel there station
ed learned more than vas we'll for our side.
He accordingly harrassed and annoyed
every one that showed his head on the hill
side. They learned their lesson and acted
upon it.


Joel, sauntering down his path one fine
afternoon, heard a sharp report, and felt
the wind of rife ball that came wonder
fully near his head. Turning quickly, he
saw the smoke floating up from little pile
Of fresh earth on the hill opposite. The
enemy had dug pit, wherein the sentinel
| sits at case, and exposes his head and arms
only when he fired. Private Swipes has
tened with praiseworthy prudence to get
out of sight among the cedars, and watched
for sometime before fixing the location Of
his foeman again. Finally discovering the
fresh earth once more, and imagining he
saw a hat above it, he took shot in the
direction. Up pegged a tall sentinel, bare
headed and returned the fire instantly
He had been trying the old trick of putting
| his hat on ramrod.


"That'll never dew" soiiloauizcd Joel
THAT cuss has got tew good birth
over yonder. III jest have ter rouse biu
out"


The other sentinel's death was in some
sort signed from that moment. The crafty
Vermonter's brain was at work on the prob
!em Of dislodging his antagonist; but i
was presumable that he could see the bat
teries in the process of construction, with
out exposing himself, for the earth taker
from the pit was piled upon the side toward:
Joel.


From a thicket at the foot of the hill
however, shot could be got lengthwise o
the trench, and behind the trifling breast
work. To gain the thicket, then, withou
being too visible on the barren slope, wa
Jolrs task.


The next day private Swipes took will
him long piece Of stout twine and re
volver when he went out on picket duty
1t was not yet daylight, but the gray ant
indistinct light Of dawn had begun to pail
in the east


The sentinel, as soon as the guard passet
along, hastened to drive smooth stak,
in the ground, and to rest his muske
over fork in a cedar tree in front Of tn,
stake, the muzzle CT the wes pom pointing
in the direction Of the pit on the othel
SLOPE


He then cooked the piece, fastened ont
end of his cord to the trigger, and begar
stealthily to crawl down the hill on hi:
hands and knees, paying out the lines as h'
went.


1t was hazardous experiment, for tn,
thicket when he gained it was very spars,
and so near to the point that the Con
federate sentry, had he suspected Jocl's
presence there, could have hardly failed t
hit him. .aa<


Lying down, however, the vermonte1
then awaited sunrise. and as the shadows
faded away in the mist Of morning, he saw
the light gleam upon bayonet peering from
the trench on the hill Side


Now, for to make him show his pictur p
said Joel to himself


He pulled the string carefully at first til
it was drawn tight, and then slight extr;
tug fired the musket from the cedars above
He had not calculated wrongly. AS soor
as the ritleman in the pit heard this nationa
salutation from the enemy opposite as h,
supposed, he raised himself up to return
the fire, and brought his head and shoulder.
plainly in sight. ...s


The next moment he went heels ovel
head into the trench again, with bullet
from the unerring Colt straight through tn,
side of his head.
| "The darned foolr; said private Swipes
didn't he know fellow might shoot off Z
gun without having hold of ity"
The Confederate pickets decided thereaf
ter. that this position was too exposed to b
protitably occupied.