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21 2 “The First Time I Heard ‘Dixie’” commissioned captain The second day after we had reached the army an orderly came with the command for me to report to General Price’s headquarters. You can imagine how surprised I was. I found a fatherly, white-haired old man, with such a kindly look, so entirely different from what I had imagined the great soldier to be that I was not afraid and walked right up to him. He took my hand, and I stood by him all the time I was there. He asked me many questions. I did not feel that I had done anything unusual. I told him about the fight, and he laughed most heartily. He turned to Colonel Sneed, his Adjutant General, and said, “Write out a commission to Captain Johnnie Wickersham .” 1 I could not grasp the full meaning of it. I was ordered to report every day at headquarters. When I went back to the boys they all wanted to know why General Price had sent for me. I said, “He gave me this paper with this big seal on it.” The men danced and shouted and embarrassed me by waiting on me with exaggerated respect and said that a captain must not do anything for himself. Whatever I wanted done I must 22 “The First Time I Heard ‘Dixie’” tell them. It took me a long time to become accustomed to my new honors. my uniform Colonel Colton Green took charge of me. 2 One day I was ordered to his tent. He told me to strip and put on the clothes I found there. Where he got it I never knew, but it was a Confederate Captain’s uniform and fitted me perfectly. I was proud, and yet I did not feel I deserved the honor they were giving me, but I tried to wear it with the dignity that I knew they expected. Everybody who heard of me magnified what I had done, and every soldier saluted me. How I wished they would not! I had my blooded bay horse with all his trappings. Thinking of it today, I must have been a caricature; a little slender boy in an officer’s gorgeous uniform on that big horse with that big saddle. The regiment was on parade, the fife and drum corps was playing. 3 Colonel Green ordered me to ride with him to the front. The regiment was at “present arms,” and Colonel Green made the men a speech. Turning, he presented me with a beautiful pearl handled sword. It was small but of exquisite workmanship. It was lost in the surrender of Vicksburg. The army stayed at Cassville, Arkansas, some time, drilling , burning charcoal to make powder, and molding bullets . The routine of camp life grew monotonous to me. I was Captain but had no command, no duties to perform, and could go and come at will. I remember Colonel Colton Green sent a man to the guard house for swearing in my presence. He and Colonel Emmett McDonald were as careful of me as if I were a girl. 4 my first experience as a scout Brother Dick was Captain of General Price’s Scouts. Gen- 23 “The First Time I Heard ‘Dixie’” eral Price ordered him to go alone as far as he could toward Rolla in order to find out if any troops were in or beyond Lebanon. I was homesick and begged that I might go with him. I appealed to General Price, and then Dick surprised me by saying he would like to have me. Oh! Curtis, you can not imagine how happy—yes, and proud, too, I was to be on my horse, with my fine pistols, out in the woods and prairies again. Brother Dick treated me so differently, almost as an equal. Of this I think I was more proud than of anything that had happened. It seemed to me that we rode everywhere . How far or how long I do not remember, but they were happy days. Dick, with all his daring, was cautious, and many times I held his horse while he crawled up to a house for information. Finally we reached the Lebanon section of the country. How uneasy and restless I grew as I held the horses and waited the night through for Dick to return. Just at daylight he came back. He had been into Lebanon. In answer to my questions he said...

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