but
putting on a bold military air, like a general who has been whipped, I
said:

"Ah, corporal, I see my plan has worked successfully. I arranged it so
this prisoner would run right into the trap."

"Yes," said the corporal, throwing away a melon rind that he had been
chewing the meat off of, "I saw his nibs coming down the road, and I
thought may be he was the one you wanted, so I told him to halt or I
would fill his lungs full of lead pills, and he said he guessed he
would halt. He said it was a nice day, and he was only trying one of
the Yankee cavalry horses, to see how he liked it." "Here, you murdherin'
divil, get down aff that harse," said the Iron Brigade, who had got
awake enough to see that the rebel was on his horse. "Take this mule,
and lave a dacent gintleman's harse alone."

The rebel smiled, dismounted, gave the Irishman his horse, mounted the
mule, and we started for camp. I was never so elated in my life as I was
when I rode into camp with that rebel captain beside me on the mule. The
object of the expedition had been accomplished, a little different, it
is true, from what I had expected and planned, but who knew that it was
not a part of my plan to have it turn out as it did? I reflected
much, and wondered if it was right for me to report the capture of the
Confederate and say nothing about the part played by the other corporal.
That corporal was no military strategist, like me. It was just a streak
of luck, his capturing the rebel. He was leaning against the fence where
I left him, eating melons, and the rebel came along, and the corporal
quit chewing melon long enough to obey my orders and arrest the fellow.
By all rules of military law I was entitled to the credit, and I would
take it, though it made me ashamed to do so. How-ever, generals did
the same thing. If a major-general was in command, and ordered a
brigadier-general to do a thing and it was a success, the major-general
got the credit in the newspapers. So I rode into camp and turned my
prisoner over to the major as modestly as possible, with a few words of
praise of my gallant command. Hello, Jim, said the major to the rebel.

Hello, Maje, said the rebel.

"Better take off them togs now, and join your company, said the major.

"I guess so," said the rebel, and he took off his rebel uniform, and the
major handed him a blue coat and pair of pants, and he put them on.

I was petrified. The fact was, the rebel was a sergeant in our regi