kert, ought to have been
assigned to the Cavalry for a company of Infantry, say a half mile
from the Regiment, might have been surrounded too quickly for the
company to be retired or to receive assistance from the Regiment.
Well, as it was, no harm came of it for the company held the ford
unassailable. A company of the Regiment was placed at a ford on the
highway as it crossed the river. While a few officers were enjoying a
nice supper here comes an order to call in the companies on picket and
to follow the Regiment with all possible speed towards Winchester,
to which latter place the army of Early had already gone. Guides were
sent to us, and our Regiment had marched by country road until
we struck the turn-pike. The march was necessarily rapid lest the
Regiment might be assailed by overwhelming numbers of the enemy. The
soldiers did not fancy this rapid marching.

"To our surprise and horror, after we had reached the turn-pike
road, and several miles from our destination, the soldiers set up an
imitation of barking, just as if a lot of hounds in close pursuit of a
fresh jumped fox. Now any one at all familiar with the characteristic
of the soldier know imitation is his weak point, one yell, all yell,
one sing, all sing, if one is merry, all are merry. We were near the
enemy, and the Colonel knew the necessity of silence, and caution
Colonel Rutherford was, of course indignant at this outburst of good
humor in the dark watches of the night, and the enemy at our heels
or flank. He sent back orders by me (Pope) to pass down the lines
and order silence. But 'bow-wow,' 'bow,' 'bow-wow,' 'yelp, yelp,' and
every conceivable imitation of the fox hound rent the air. One company
on receiving the orders to stop this barking would cease, but others
would take it up. 'Bow-wow,' 'toot,' 'toot,' 'yah-oon,' 'yah-oon,'
dogs barking, men hollowing, some blowing through their hands to
imitate the winding of the huntman's horn. 'Stop this noise,' 'cease
your barking,' 'silence,' still the chase continued. 'Go it, Lead,'
'catch him, Frail,' 'Old Drive close to him,' 'hurah Brink,' 'talk to
him old boys.' The valley fairly rung, with this chase. Officers even
could not refrain from joining in the encouragement to the excited
dogs as the noise would rise and swell and echoe through the distant
mountain gorges to reverberate up and down the valley--at last wore
out by their ceaseless barking and yelling, the noise finally died
out, much to