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| C'T«■!.(*■ RftlWW* I1 rams:t cnrra fREMINISCENCES OF THE WARAt Related by a Participant Capturing aPicket.(Witu n for the Dailt Tims*.)Ilf rruAN Minxs, Feb. 8, 1HH7.1 have previously mentioned the fact that tin* picket line covering the front of Morrel'a brigade before Petersburg during the last Winter of the war was si terns* el y con -mandril by ( apt Walkrr, of I he 2nd (#»., Battalion anil myself From the right our part of the hue, at the time I am now about to apeak of, Commenced in the oentre of a it avy piece of wood, and after running aeroea an open Held of atxnit thirty aere* ended in another atrip of timber The Foil eral picket line was at no point in our front nearer than it quarter of a mile. In the tim-ber on the right whs a lovely little glen running diagonally aeroea to the Federal line.Half way up this Bucket fringed glen was n spring. from which a well iroditea path ledto Isrth linea. The aprlng was on neutral gn und and was daily the scene of interviews lie* ween individual memtiers of the opposing arm tea. A great deal of valuable information f «umi its way from tliia spring to the headquarters of laith armies 1 can rj*eak advisedly upon this l»oint so far as the ( n federate army is coo-ceroe 1, as I was frequently the means if transmitting important news roooarning tbe movements of Federal forces in our front. Tbe spring being much closer to the Federal picket, 1 was n t long in learning not only the hour, hut the exact manrnr In which the Federal picket was changed » very evening 1 whs also enabled to loaatc the p* st-tion of each rlfla pit for a vt ry considerable distance, the unrulier of men on each post, their pet.eral maun r of olwervation, conduct, Ac , Ac. For more than a w«ek ! made it a tule to visit the storing Just about the time the Federal relief arrived, and I i »ticed that tins never occurred before dark, and generally at*»ut a half hour later. I then proceeded to devise a scheme by which the entire force on our front might be raptured with hut little risk After a consultation with Cap'ain Walker atnl ( apt ftobtnaon, of the Florida begade, our plan WHS submitted to Gen. Sorrel and approved We askint for a force of men to be he d in readiness on the picket line in the rear of the spring. Taking sis men 1 proceed'd t* the neighborhood of the spring, just at dusk. One of our men then signaled the nearest F. deral |»oat. The answer being satisfactory, he informed tbe Federal picket that he and some rlt;niradis want to “come over —meaning they wanted to deeert They were tlirected to come on quietly, one at a t me. The Isiys advanced quietly enough, but not one at a time. As soon as they reached the Federal |xist, instead of throwing down their arms, they quickly covered tlm three pickets and intormed them that to move or cry out meant instant death. The resu't was the instant capture of Hie p«*t. One of our men was then sen* hack to inform (%pt. Robins n of our success, and to tell him to advance through the gleu with his force as quickly, hut as quietly as possible.Am! now the critical point of the enter prise was reached At any instant the gen ulne Federal relief might arrive It was momentarily expected Suppose Captain Hollins'm's force and the Federal relief arrived simultaneously' Such a turn of af fairs would have caused v» rv unpleasant c replications. litii fortune favored us.and ( aptatd Robinson arrived, and we immediately pr ceeded, just as the Federal relieving party was in the habit of doing, down the line eaphiring each expectant |vwt as we went. The only difference in the customary order whs this Instead of the party relieved falling in the rear at a shoulder arms, they were required to fall in without arms Ietween two rebel iioca of guards. It was curious to oliaerve the different manner m which the Federal Isiys took in the situation. .mie swore, some had to tie suppressed very promptly; a great many laughed at it as a rather rough j ike, and one fellow gave a prolonged whistle, and only escaped being run through with a bayonet, by quickly exclaiming; *‘Hold ou Johnnie, I only meant to express my admi^ ration of this little trick as about the smart-
Newspaper Details
Cumberland Daily Times
Cumberland, Maryland, US
Tue, Feb 08, 1887
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Feb 2024
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