decided to handle it.

=Sergeant Allen:= As the enemy is supposed to be near Salem and we
have already seen his patrols, I expect to encounter more patrols and
may meet a strong body of the enemy, on my way to Salem. As I have no
map, I cannot tell anything about the road, except that it is about
four and one-half miles by the direct road the troop will follow,
therefore my route will be somewhat longer. I have been given an hour
and fifteen minutes in which to make the trip, so, if I move at a trot
along the safer portions of the road. I will have time to proceed very
slowly and cautiously along the dangerous portions. My patrol will be
stretched out about 500 yards on the road, which should make it
difficult for the enemy to surprise us and yet should permit my
controlling the movements of the men. (Par. 968.)

I consider that my mission is to start out on this road and find my
way around to Salem in about an hour and, particularly, to get word
across to the Captain on the other road of anything of importance
about the enemy that I may learn.

=Captain:= Very well. When you reach the cut in the road across the
south nose of Hill 38, your point has almost reached the Morey house.
Do you make any change in your patrol?

=Sergeant Allen:= I order, "=1. Walk, 2. MARCH=," and watch to see if
the connecting file observes the change in gait and comes to a walk.

=Captain:= Suppose he does not come to a walk?

=Sergeant Allen:= I would say, "Smith, gallop ahead and tell Carter to
walk and to keep more on the alert."

=Captain:= Corporal Burt, you reach the road fork at Morey's. What do
you do?

=Corporal Burt:= I say, "Brown, wait here until Carter is close enough
to see which way you go and then trot up to me." I would walk on down
the road.

=Captain:= Wouldn't you make any inspection of the Morey house?

=Corporal Burt:= Not unless I saw something suspicious from the road.
I would expect the main body of the patrol to do that.

=Captain:= Don't you make any change on account of the woods you are
passing?

=Corporal Burt:= No, sir. It has very heavy underbrush and we would
lose valuable time trying to search through it. A large force of the
enemy would hardly hide in such a place.

=Captain:= Sergeant Allen, you reach the road fork. What do you do?

=Sergeant Allen:= I would have two men go into the Morey house to
question anyone they found there. I would order one of the other two
men to trot up (north) t