Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 27.djvu/313

 >'///,/ B I <' 'Kelt's.

line of Federal inliintry drawn up ready for action. Captain Newton called for volunteers to climb a pole and cut the wire. We had all seen the danger and knew the risk, and as we had nothing to cut with, and a telegraph pole is not the easiest thing in the world to Climb, we were rather slow to respond. But there was a volunteer. He was a small man from the Gloucester troops that had joined us. As he jumped to the front, he exclaimed: "I will go; Gloucester has never backed out yet," and up he went. He had reached the top of the pole and was trying his best to get the wire in two, when there came a vivid flash of lightning and the Yankees saw him. They were not slow in firing a volley right across the track. It seemed to me the whole heaven was full of bullets. The man up the pole dropped down with a thud. We were sure he had been killed, but the next moment he rolled down the embankment and jumped up all right. We could do nothing with the wire, so Captain Newton took us back to the company. Out from the tents were packed all of General Pope's headquarters wagons, and many others, I suppose. Several had been set on fire, which illuminated the camp in every di- rection. I got permission to do a little foraging on my own hook, and rode down among the burning wagons.

There were many laughable scenes, as well as serious ones, that memorable night. I don't suppose time can ever efface them from my memory. As I passed in the rear of one wagon and I ought to mention here that these wagons were all packed and ready to move out at any moment I saw a soldier trying to get the cork out of a bottle. He got impatient with the obstinate cork and so he struck the neck of the bottle on the wagon tire. There was an ex- plosion, and he dropped the bottle like a hot cake. I yelled to him that he was a fool; that that was the best stuff he ever drank; that it was champagne. He said there was plenty of it in the wagon. I made him hand me out a bottle, which I stored away in my sad- dle-pockets. I then proceeded to a wagon which had not been molested. Two fine, fat horses were tied behind it. I untied one of them and transferred my saddle from my own horse to this old Yankee cuss, and I had ample time to regret it afterwards. I had no notion of turning my horse adrift, for I considered him as fine an animal as there was in the service. After changing saddle and bri- dle to the other horse, I tied the halter strap of my horse in the ring of the saddle. I then climbed up into the wagon, which was chock full of camp equipage. I soon slashed the cover off with my knife.