Berry Benson's Civil War Book: Memoirs of a Confederate Scout and Sharpshooter

IV: A Scout and Sharpshooter

A Scout and Sharpshooter ATTACHED TO A SHARPSHOOTING BATTALION — SCOUTING BEYOND THE RAPIDAN — THE PLANK ROAD — THE WILDERNESS AGAIN — ENTRENCHED AT SPOTSYLVANIA — THE COLONEL*S MARE — "BLOODY ANGLE" — SCOUTING MISSIONS — CAPTURED BLACKWOOD and I had made up our minds to get into the Sharpshooters' Corps upon its reorganization for the next summer's campaign if possible. So we now applied to Capt. Barnwell to let us go. But a difficulty arose; he was willing to let one of us go, but not both. I was a sergeant and Blackwood a lance corporal, and the captain said he could not spare two non-commissioned officers. Besides, the detail called for one non-commissioned officer and one private. Blackwood offered to let me go, he remaining with the company. But since he had been a Sharpshooter the summer before, while I was at home getting well of my wound, I considered the place his by right. Then Blackwood proposed that the captain let me go as the Non. Com., he going as a private. Seeing us both so eager, Capt. Barnwell at last consented to this arrangement. I am glad to say that very soon Blackwood was given his place as a Non. Com. officer in the Corps. The Battalion was three companies, A, B, & C, and I think numbered about 50 men each. Our company, A, was under command of Lieut. Hasell of Charleston; the Battalion was under command of Capt. Wm. Simpson Dunlop, of the 12th Regt. On March 17th I obtained permission to forage on the 57 4 58 B E R R Y B E N S O N ' S C I V I L WAR BOOK other side of the Rapidan. Crossing early in the morning, I went as far as the Robinson River. I returned with two cabbages given me by a lady, who gave me also a mug of milk and some bread and butter. At her house, I looked thro' a spyglass, and saw the enemy's pickets and a signal flag waving. This expedition I made, not so much to forage, as to spy out the land. I had got so weary of inaction that I determined upon no longer awaiting the turn of events, but going more than half way to meet them. With a pass to shield me from arrest by our cavalry, I plodded across the country to the Robinson River (5 miles). I visited a cavalry post, from whom I got some little information as to the lay of the land; and from the dwelling near by I viewed the enemy's country through a glass. Beyond the Robinson River lay a broad open field, gradually rising from the river, and on top of the hill was stationed the enemy's picket. I returned to camp revolving the situation in my mind. I think it was the next day, just about sundown, that I crossed the Rapidan at a narrow, unguarded ford, having neither permission nor pass. It was soon quite dark, so that traveling through the fields, I was often near losing my way, having traveled it previously only once. But at length I found myself on high ground overlooking the river. It had turned bitterly cold, and for a moment I was tempted to abandon the enterprise, rather than attempt so cold a passage, at night, of a stream whose depth I did not know. But deciding that it would be inglorious for a Sharpshooter to postpone a scouting expedition for a mere matter of cold, I was soon standingnaked on the banks of the Robinson, for I decided it would be more prudent to try the stream first unencumbered with clothes and gun. Entering the water, I found it icy cold. I went on—knee deep—hip deep—breast deep, battling the swift current, which came just under my chin as I touched the opposite bank. Struggling back, half frozen, I realized that it would be foolish to try to transport gun and clothes across when I had just barely made it without them. Disappointed and ashamed, I drew on my clothes and started back. A S C O U T AND S H A R P S H O O T E R 59 After blundering along in the darkness for about two miles, I came to a little frame house standing alone and deserted at the edge of a wood—probably a country...