Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 21.djvu/358

 350 Southern Historical Society Papers.

only casualty was one of 'A's ' men falling into a creek and being fished out with a bayonet.

The first time I was ever placed on picket duty was on the Princess Anne road, leading into Norfolk, about a mile from camp.

It was a splendid moonlight night. When I was detailed for such a dangerous duty I began to think I was a man of great importance, and felt my upper lip for a moustache.

It had been rumored all the evening that the Yankees were landing in large forces at Virginia Beach.

I was placed at the forks of a road, and told to halt everything and everybody, and demand the countersign.

If they did not have it correct, word for word, I was to march them to the officer in charge.

The countersign for that night was " Beauregard." Being a new name to me, I got it Guardbeaure.

Between the hours of 2 and 3, while everything was perfectly quiet and the moon throwing its beaming rays on this mother earth of ours, I heard, away off in the distance, the soldiers' soul- stirring music drum and fife. I looked down the road, and as plainly as I could see at the distance from which I guessed the music came, I saw a moving mass. Under the exciting circumstances, my eyes imagined so much that I took it to be a regiment. The body drew nearer and nearer, and as it did, it grew larger and larger, and the sound was plainer. I secreted myself behind a bush and waited developments. While I was waiting, my mind was busily engaged in scheming what I would do. Well, I thought if they were Yankees I would fire my gun and run, but things did not turn out that way, for when the object came to within fifty yards of me, I saw it was a vehicle of some kind, so I straightened up and yelled as loud as I could: " Halt! who comes there? " The music ceased all of a sud- den, and a voice deep and strong said:

" Whoa, mule ! 'Fore de Lord, what is dat ? I guess it is one of dem soldiers. It is a market cart from Princess Anne county, God bless you."

I then said: "Advance, market cart from Princess Anne county, and give the countersign."

" De what, sah ? "

" Advance, and give the countersign."

"I declare 'fore de Lord, I ain't got none of dem things in my