Hill and Hampton had attacked and driven them back; from the dead
horses, as elsewhere, rose the black vultures on flapping wings: but it
is no part of my purpose, reader, to weary you with these war-pictures,
or describe disagreeable scenes. It is an odd interview which I had on
my return toward Petersburg that my memory recalls. It has naught to do
with my narrative--but then it will not fill more than a page!
I had encountered two wagons, and, riding, ahead of them, saw a courier
of army head-quarters, whose name was Ashe.
I saluted the smiling youth, in return for his own salute, and said:--
"Where have you been, Ashe?"
"To Sussex, colonel, on a foraging expedition."
"For the general?"
"And some of the staff, colonel."
Ashe smiled; we rode on together.
"How did you come to be a forager, Ashe?" I said.
"Well this was the way of it, colonel," he said. "I belonged to the old
Stonewall brigade, but General Lee detailed me at the start of the war
to shoe the head-quarters horses. It was old General Robert that sent
me with these wagons. I was shoeing the general's gray, and had just
pared the hind-hoof, when he sent for me. A man had started with the
wagons, and had mired in the field right by head-quarters. So old
General Robert says, says he, 'Ashe, you can get them out.
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