Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 282, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1918 — WAS JUST VISITING “Yank’s” Presence in Confederate Lines Explained. [ARTICLE]

WAS JUST VISITING “Yank’s” Presence in Confederate Lines Explained.

In View of Hie Extremely Unconventional "Uniform*’ He Could Hardly Be Charged With Spying, as Gen. Gordon Quickly Saw.

Tn his "Reminiscences of the Civil War,” General Gordon relates that while the two hostile armies were confronting each other on the Rapldan, the Confederate and the Union pickets became so very “chummy” that the commanding generals were apprehensive lest important military information might leak out. An almost continuous exchange of tobacco for coffee was going on between “Yanks” and “Johnnies;” also much exchanging of newspapers. When the river was so deep that the soldiers not wade across, they rigged miniature bopts and rafts loaded with whatever they wished to trade and sent them over as the breeze favored. The consignees on both sides scrupulously respected these small argosies, and always sent back a fair equivalent. The men not only conversed across the river, but “visited” back and forth for an hour or two at a time. The officers began to fear that they might become too friendly to fight with proper energy; and at last General Lee Instructed General Gordon to put a stop to it. Mounting his horse, the general started to ride along the river front, and almost Immediately came upon a Confederate outpost, where his sudden appearance seemed to.create an unusual degree of excitement and stir. “Whafs going on here?” demanded the general. “Nothing at all, sir!” cried one of the soldiers eagerly ; while another attempted to explain that the confusion was owing to their haste to “present arms” to him. General Gordon was satisfied that this was a subterfuge, but he could see nothing amiss, and had turned to ride away when he saw some tall weeds on the river bank begin to shake. , “What’s in those weeds?” he asked, wheeling his horse. “Nothing at all, sir!” cried a chorus of voices. “Break down the weeds!” Very reluctantly one of the men did so—and there lay a large, red-headed “Yank” In puris naturallbus, having evidently but that minute swum across the river. “Where do you belong?” the general asked him severely. "OvCr yonder, general,” replied the Yankee, with a wave of his arm across the river and an inscrutable grimace. “What are you doing here?” “Jest a little friendly visit to the boys, general.” “Don’t you know that there’s a war raging in this country?” “Yes, sir; but ’tain’t ragin’ today,” was the quaint reply; and the ring of listening “Johnnies” grinned broadly. Something had to be done to preserve dignity and to enforce orders. “Have you anything to say why I should not have you shot as a spy?” demanded the general sternly. “Is that your uniform?” “Wai, general, it’s the uniform my mother gave me,” came from the weeds in a drawl so irresistible that the “Johnnies” shouted. Quickly perceiving that this was a case where it was necessary to treat the matter as a joke or else to mete out extreme severity, General Gordon chose the former alternative. “Look here,” said he; “if I let you go back to your own lines this time, will you—” It was unnecessary to finish the sentence. With a spring to his feet the “Yank”-dived off the river bank; immediately his red head was seen parting the water rapidly in the direction of the other shore. —Youth’s Companion.