CHAPTER VIII.

Te Aroha News, Volume V, Issue 269, 2 June 1888, Page 6

CHAPTER VIII.

\\ II \T HAPlM,\i:i> IN THI' CAMP. Till. -cli Pennsylvania regiment was in the advance of the groat; armj which General (luinh was loading to Richmond. It. had home its part in the terrible battles of the Wilderness, and had its history of stubborn lights of tenible exposures, and fatiguing marches. It had lost men by the hundred. Attei the last battle in which the regiment had participated, the roster shovvod only two hundred of the thousand bra\ c men who originally composed it. i:>ut the regiment was a favourite one — iU otlicers were men known and esteemed, and was being uipidly recruited. That great stimulant to patriotism, the draft, was producing thoiihand* of fresh men to take the place of the fallen heroes, and the — — th Pennsylvania was being* rapidly filled up. Among the recruits who had just before joined the regiment, was John Moss, whose coming was accounted for in the conversation he had held with John Cassidy. He made a fair soldier, and was not unpopular with his comrades, lie was accustomed to danger, and possessed a degree of coolness , that had, in skirmishes, and duty, where the individual stands out, given him some considerable reputation. There had been an attack made on the front one day, in which the th Pennbylvania suitered sovoroly ; in fact, it had borne the brunt of the attack. For eight hours the brigade of which it was a part

had held at bay a force of three times their number, for the plucky colonel command iiig the brigade had been oidered to bold his position at all hazards, and he did it. The Federal force occupied a rough, bioken ridge, crowned by a stout fence. Beyond was an open field, dotted with stumps and trees, and beyond this, the attacking robols emerged from a heavy forest, to which they were rinally driven. Then Col. Mackintosh was reinforced. The slaughter had been leirih'c, and Surgeon Bates had his hands full. At ten o'clock that iiitfht. Col. Mackintosh came into his quarters in a state of excitement, unusual bo him. The major of Che regiment was his brother, and, lale in the day, when the regiment was pressing the enemy and was far in advance of its original line, he had been wounded and had fallen from his horse. Col. Mackintosh «aw him fall and saw him taken up by his nien. At that moment, the rebels made a furious attack, and, in turn, the Union line was forced back. Col. Mackintosh suppo>ed that his brothei had been taken to the hospital in the rear, and had, the moment the bloody combat was over, gone in search of him, to learn his fate. To his honui. iie found no trace of him. The men who weic carrying him from the held hud been compelled to drop him to suve thein-ehos. ' 1 fear, 1 said the Colonel,' that the lebels picked him up, and that he is «l pnsoncr. Jf so, wounded as he is, it will go haid with him.' 'The probability i-,' replied the Miry on, •that the rebels did not take him. Jl he was wounded so that he lell lioni hi.-. Lor.se and had to be canied, the icbels would never have burdened thorn-elves with him. I saw that pait of the light, and the struggling back and forth of both forces was too frequent and sudden 10 admit of either side canying oil badly wounded piisoners." ' Then wheic is lie ?' 1 Where the men dropped him. Search should be madoatonce.' The two men by thi.- time had stepped out in the open air. ' I will go with you, Colonel,' -aid the surgeon. ' Take a do/en men, and we will find the major.' The suggestion was acted upon at once. A dozen men were detailed, lanterns weie pioeumd, and the paity stui ted on their search, thecolonelandsurgeon walking nome distance in advance. John Moss was one of the men detailed to make the search, and a curious expicsion came over his face as the party staited. When near the spot whcio the "wounded man had been dropped in the afternoon, t he men separated and examined the ground caretully, the colonel and siutjoon lenniiniii'j together. It was supposed that the lebeK had evacuated the wood-, but it was not so. Their jackets were still in its edge and were watching the mo\ement& ot tin party. When quite near the wood.-, John Moss dropped behind a stump and lewlltrd in.- ulle at the tiguie of the surgeon, who, with the colonel, was not more than tin" it) 1 rods from the woods, and the "amc distance fiom the line. At that moment a bod) of i<_bel.-inade theii appeaiance and opened lite upon the men, who, accustomed to that kind of lighting, returned it. A hot -kinni-h ouMied, the Federals falling back to wheie the colonel and s irgeon were standing. ' We had better fall back," .-aid the mii geon, 'and leturn with force enough to hold the po-ition while we .-eaich tor the major.' S( aivel) were the words out ot hi- mouth when a single leport rang out upon the night air, fiom the right ot tlu colonel, and Suigeon Hates, pressing hi- hand.- to kis side, fell to the ground. Col. Mackin-to-h could do nothing to succour him. The lebeltj hac' mo\ed out of the wood- in foice and weic close to them. The men were seeking safety in flight, for they were outnumbeied ten to one, and the colonel had but one thing to do, and that wa-to-a\e himself. Theie wa- an alaim in the camp at the tiring, and the -th Penn-yhama were ordeicd to the tiont, and weie met b\ itcolonel. Hastening back to the .-pot, they found neither the rebels nor the bod\ o f the surgeon. He had either crawled out ot the wa\, or had been taken by the enemy. The rebels had gone under the eo\ er of the w ood.« again, and the regiment letnrned to its camp. Colonel Mackintosh was sorely troubled. Me had heard the report of the rille on hi" light, and the surgeon had pre-sed his haml on that .-ide. Who had mcd that shot . It ifcwa- a rebel, he had been an extieniely bold ono lie called the sergeant who had been in charge of the detail. 'Wheic weie your men when the rebel picket- tired upon us ?' ' Scattered about the Held, sir. ' I )o you know them all 9> ' I know every man ot them well, .-ir, except one. With the exception of Moss, they are all Bvownhelm boys.' ' Who is Moss V ' ] don't know, sir. Tie came into the icgiment with the last lot of reel nits.' The colonel knew the history of Paul Batch's lo\c for Maiy Elsey,and his quariel with Cassidy. He and the surgeon had occupied the same tent all the time that the regiment was out. 1 Did not Cast>idy when he w.is here inquiie for this man, Moss ?' ' Ve^, and found him. 1 saw them s-it-ting together in close com elation thrco hours one night.' 'Where was Moss during the .-kirmish tonight '." *To the tight of where you ami the surgeon were when the surgeon fell.' ' (ioand bring Moss to me.' 'That d d scoundrel shot him, 'thought the colonel to himself, ' and John Ca-sidy put him up to it. I'll ferret out this mjstery. That report was not made by a rebel gun. for no rebel would have dared to get so far from his support. It wa.- behind us.' The sergeant returned in a few moments with the report that Moss was missing. The other men were brought to the colonel and examined touching him, and they all agreed that he had not boen seen since the men separated to search for the body of the major. The next morning the trains came up from the camp from which they had moved three days before, with the knapsacks of the men. Colonel Mackintosh was standing by as the effects were thrown out. 1 Hero is Moss's knapsack,' said the man who was handing it. 'Give it to the captain.' ' Ha !' exclaimed Colonel Mackintosh, ' let me have that knapsack. I will examine it.' He eagerly opened it. It contained the usual outfit of a soldier. He took out the blue shirt, and in the breast pocket found an envelope addressed to ' John Moss, Co C. th Pa. Volunteer Infantry.' There was nothing inside of it, but Colonel Mackintosh scrutinised it carefully, notwithstanding. 'It is postmarked Brownhelm, and I could swear that the hand-writing is Cassidy's. I have done business with the scoundrel too long not to know that handwriting. When in the camp he inquired for Moss— be had a secret interview with him— he sends him a letter — the surgeon is shot, and Moss is missing-. John Cassidy, you are in this !' Thus thought the worthy colonel, as he pub the envelope carefully away in his pocket book.