Reward for a Master -- Turning the Tables -- Dan Boss and
his Adventure -- Major Pic Russell -- A Visit to the
Outposts with General Jeff C. Davis -- Rebel Witticisms --
Hight Igo, ye Eccentric Quarter-master -- Fling Out to the
Breeze, Boys.
REWARD FOR A MASTER--TURNING THE TABLES.
The darkeys of Secession masters fairly flocked into camp on many
occasions. When near Lebanon, Ky., a bright darkey, very witty, kept
the camp alive with his humor. During the day some Kentuckians had
posted up in camp an advertisement: "One Hundred Dollars Reward. Ran
away from the subscriber, my man Bob," etc. Jim Duncan, the darkey I
have referred to, soon after issued the following, and posted it
beside the other:
Fifty Cents Reward.--Ran away from dis chile, an' leff him
all alone to take care of his-seff, after I done worked
twenty-six years for him faithfully, my massa, "BILL
DUNCAN." Massa Bill is supposed to have gone off wid de
Secesh _for to hunt for his rights_; and I 'spect he done
got lost. Any pusson 'turnin' him to dis chile, so dat he
can take keer ob me, (as he allers said niggers couldn't
take keer demselves,) will be much oblige to dis chile.
N. B.--Pussons huntin' for him will please look in all de
"lass ditches," as I offen heern him tellin' about dyin'
dar.
'Specfull' submitted,
Jim.
The poster created a great deal of merriment in camp, while the
residents thought Jim a very sassy nigger.
DAN BOSS AND HIS ADVENTURE.
All railroad men know Dan Boss, of the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne, and
Chicago Railroad. Dan was in Louisville, on Government business,
during the raid, with a lot of cars. Dan thought he would ride out a
few miles on the Bardstown pike one fine afternoon, with a friend, and
for this purpose hired a fine horse and buggy. Dan went out gaily, and
in fine spirits, jokingly observing he was about to reconnoiter. Only
ten miles from the city Dan was captured. The rebels demanded a
surrender of all his personal effects, which consisted of a rare lot
of old passes over all the railroads in the United States, several
"bottles," etc. Dan told them he was all right on the goose, and they
told him to turn round and go back; upon which Dan was delighted,
thinking he had deceived them, when he was accosted by several more of
the gang, who wanted to try the speed of Dan's horse. Dan begged for
the horse; said it wasn't his, to which the rebs replied, "Well! as it
is not '_yourn_,' why, we'll take care of it," and then drove off,
leaving Dan and his friend to foot it home.
MAJOR PIC RUSSELL
Says that, on the march to Louisville from Huntsville, Ala., he met
hundreds of stragglers from Bragg's army. One tall specimen of Secesh,
going back to his Southern home, the Major halted.
"Hallo!" said the Major, "where are you going?"
The fellow looked at the Major very intently, and replied, "Home,
sir."
"Where do you live?" inquired Russell.
"Lewis County, Alabama!"
"Why," said the Major, "you don't think you will ever be able to walk
all that distance, do you?"
"Well, I do," was his response. "I tell you, Major, I wouldn't take
_five hundred dollars for my chance_."
The distance to his home was over seven hundred miles, through
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Northern Alabama.
The Major told me it was a common sight to see them trudging along,
singing merrily, no doubt thinking of "_Home, sweet home_."
A VISIT TO THE OUTPOSTS WITH GEN. JEFF C. DAVIS.
General Davis I found an active, intelligent gentleman, with an eye
denoting great determination, and very pleasing in his conversational
powers; always on the alert, leaving nothing to subordinates that he
could do himself. The General's division commanded the Shelbyville
pike. I spent two nights with Colonel Heg, who had a brigade occupying
the most dangerous position. The 25th Illinois and 8th Kansas were in
his brigade.
Colonel Heg's regiment is mostly composed of Norwegians, or
Scandinavians. They are generally from, and are known as the 15th
Wisconsin; are a splendid body of well-disciplined men, and all speak
our language fluently. I heard an amusing anecdote of one of their
captains, who, a short time since, took a lot of rebel prisoners. As
this Norwegian captain had them drawn up in line, he said to them, in
broken English, and in accent very like the German: "Say, you fellers,
you putternuts, I vant you all to schwear a leetle. It do you goot to
schwear mit de Constitution. I schwear him tree year ago; now you
schwear him. Now, recollect, you schwear him goot; no d----n nonsense.
You schwear him, and keep him down, and not _puke him up again_!"
The 24th Illinois are close at hand, also the 8th Kansas. These boys
are in view of the rebels every day.
There is in the 24th Illinois Regiment a very clever officer who has
an intolerably red nose. He says he can't "help it;" he strives to
temper it, but it is no go. A friend inquired of him, how much it cost
to color it out here; his reply was, "$2.50 a canteen."
The "rebs" played quite a trick upon the chaplain of the 24th
Illinois. After they received his papers, they refused to send any in
return. This would have been termed a nasty _Yankee trick_, had any of
our boys committed such a breach of faith with them. But such is
Southern _honor_.
REBEL WITTICISMS.
The following is copied from the Chattanooga _Rebel_:
If it is true that General Marmaduke hung the regiment of armed
negroes at Helena, he certainly made a center shot at old Abe's
emancipation-insurrection scheme; for he "knocked the _black_ out"
every time he hung a darkey.
We do not know for certain that the price of negroes is going up; but
there must have been a slight _advance_ upon a regiment of them at
Helena, the other day, if the wires were correct.
Grant's permitting his dead soldiers to decay and create a stench
around Vicksburg presents the worst feature of the Yankee _die-nasty_
we have yet had to chronicle.
Richmond papers announce that Hooker has again, "changed his base." He
took it out of the saddle awhile ago, to go and tell old Abe "how the
thing was did."
The soil of the South is becoming so fertilized with. Yankee bodies,
that we will be able to raise nothing but wooden nutmegs after the
war.
The "typos" of the _Rebel_ suggest the necessity of the immediate
return of Vallandigham, and our finishing up the Yankee raid on
Vicksburg. Both exciting subjects cause too heavy a "run" on the
capital "V" box.
The Yankee officers who lead armed negroes against the Southern people
will have "a _high_ old time," for our boys will certainly hang them
"as high as Haman."
The Chicago _Tribune_ says: "There are already twenty thousand colored
troops in the Federal army." Does he mean the _blue-bellied_ ones, or
the black ones?
"_Breakers ahead" for Yankee merchantmen!_ The Alabama and Florida! If
they are not breakers to the ships, they will soon break all the
ship-owners.
The Yankee corpses lying around Vicksburg are becoming fetid as fast
as the living ones are becoming _de_-feated.
HIGHT IGO, YE ECCENTRIC QUARTER-MASTER.
Everybody in the Third Division of Crittenden's corps knows the
Quarter-master of the 35th Indiana, Hight Igo; in fact, his fame is
not confined to General Van Cleve's division. No, sir! not by any
means! His eccentricities are the theme of conversation from Triune to
Stone River, from "Kripple Kreek" to Nashville.
His first introduction to the favorable notice of high military
authority occurred at Louisville. Shortly after the gallant 35th came
into service, he stopped General Wood one day in the streets of
Louisville, to inquire upon the subject of "yarn socks." The General
informed him he never transacted business on the street, and suggested
the propriety of calling at head-quarters. A short time after this the
General met Igo on the street, and having heard something queer about
Igo's forage account, requested information in regard thereto. Igo
coolly remarked: "General, I never transact business on the street.
You will please call at my quarters, when I shall be happy to afford
you an insight into my affairs."
The next day a couple of the General's staff-officers called upon the
incorrigible Igo, to investigate matters, and they investigated "in a
horn." Igo remarked that, if they had waited until next morning to
make their report, things would have worked; but they foolishly went
into the presence of the General immediately upon their arrival; and
when they reported "Quar-hic-termaster Igo's busi-ness all-hic-sound,"
the General "couldn't see it," and dispatched another officer, who
could resist the blandishments of whisky-punch long enough to conduct
the investigation.
The result of this move was a rather tart request--from the
Quarter-master-General's Department--for Lieutenant Igo to send all
the papers belonging to his department to Washington, for adjustment;
a request which our friend complied with by heading up vouchers,
receipts, requisitions, etc., in an ammunition-keg, with a letter
stating that, inasmuch as the Department had a great many more clerks
at its command than he had, and were probably better acquainted with
the "biz" of making out quarterly reports or returns, they might be
able to understand how things stood between him and the Government;
confessing, at the same time, that he "couldn't make head or tail out
of the blasted figures." In due course of mail Igo received a
communication from the Department, informing him that if he did not
immediately send in his report for the quarter ending on the 31st of
October, he would find himself in Washington, under arrest. To this
Igo answered thus:
Sir--Yours of -- date received. Contents noted. I have long
been desirous of visiting the city of "magnificent
distances," but have not hitherto been able to realize
sufficient funds at any one time to gratify that desire; I
therefore gratefully avail myself of your obliging offer to
defray the expenses of my journey, and most respectfully
suggest the propriety of your "going on with your
rat-killing." I am, sir, your obedient servant,
MARTIN IGO,
Lieutenant and A. A. Q. M., 35th Ind. Vols.
This closed Igo's official correspondence with the Department at
Washington. He had the "_good luck_" to be captured by Morgan last
fall, and, of course, Morgan destroyed all his papers. That struck a
balance for him for the quarter ending last October. He had another
stroke of good fortune at Stone River, on the 1st of January, in
having a wagon captured. Of course, all his papers were in that
identical wagon. He was very indignant that a battle did not take
place about the last of March, as that would have saved him a heap of
trouble. Do not think, however, that our Quarter-master has done any
thing that will not bear investigation, for a more honest or
conscientious man is not to be found in the Quarter-master's
Department; but Igo has a holy horror of vouchers and invoices, and
receipts all in triplicate; and small blame to him for it.
FLING OUT TO THE BREEZE, BOYS!
Dedicated to the Second Brigade, Second Division, M'cook's Corps.
By W. A. OGDEN.
Fling out to the breeze, boys,
That old starry flag--
Let it float as in days famed in story;
For millions of stout hearts
And bayonets wait,
To clear its old pathway to glory.
When the first wail of war
That was heard on our shore
Re-echoed with fierce promulgation,
Columbia's brave sons
Then rallied and fought,
In defense of our glorious nation.
From East, West, North, and South,
Their numbers did pour,
Alike seemed their courage and daring;
While boldly they stood,
As the fierce battle raged,
Each nobly the proud contest sharing.
Those patriots have passed--
They now sleep 'neath the sod;
But _their_ flag shall be _our_ flag forever!
We'll boldly march forward,
And strike to the earth
The fiends who it from us would sever.
Hark! hark! from the South
Comes a sound, deep and shrill--
'Tis the sound of the cannon's deep rattle!
Up! forward! brave boys,
And beat back with a will
The foe from the red field of battle.
We'll rally and rally,
And rally again,
To our standard now pennoned and flying;
And we swear, 'neath its bright folds
Of crimson and gold,
To _own_ it, though living or dying.
Then fling to the breeze, boys,
That dear, blood-bought flag--
It must float as in days famed in story;
For millions of _stout hearts_
And _bayonets_ wait,
To clear its old pathway to glory.