I’ve been in the military most of my life, and I’m a pretty good judge of men. In late 1861, I was ordered to take over a new squad with the 48th Virginia Infantry in Winchester. I was hard on my men, but I turned them into good soldiers. Two of my recruits were among the best and worst soldiers I’d ever come across. Rob Johnson had just been promoted to corporal due to saving a life on the battlefield. He was smart, reliable and responded quickly to orders. Private Herman Jacobs was sneaky and belligerent. He repeatedly stole away from camp to tend his trap line or shoot a deer. He was a miserable excuse for a soldier and should have stayed on his daddy’s farm.
During the Bath Campaign, we were driving the Yankees across the Potomac when I got captured. To their credit, Corporal Johnson and Private Jacobs followed and helped me escape. We slipped the Union Army that time, but later we were captured at the Battle of Bristoe Station. The Yankees sent us to Point Lookout Prison Camp, where I fell ill and almost died.
It was years before I saw the boys again. When I found Rob in Morgan County, he was in deep trouble. I vowed I’d stay and give him a hand.
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