Roache, soon
recovering from a stun he had received in dismounting, took command and we
soon had the Johnnies driven back. Our men were all dismounted and
followed the rebs a short distance, but as they were in the swamp we
remounted and started on towards Plymouth without further molestation,
except that they came out into the road again, after we had gone eight
hundred or a thousand yards, and fired one volley at my rear guard.

We had five horses wounded, but lost no men either in killed or wounded.
Five or six months after, when I was taken prisoner at Plymouth, I saw the
Lieutenant, who was in command of the ambushing party, and in talking
about that skirmish he said, that when that volley was fired at me at such
close quarters (not over fifteen rods) and I being such a splendid mark
sitting on my horse, he thought I was gone sure.

Mrs. Modlin, the next day having recovered her mules, and picked up her
household goods, came into Plymouth alone.

We had an Irish Lieutenant in the 12th Cavalry, whose quaint expressions
gave us much merriment. When we first went to Camp Palmer, we had daily
drills; he being 1st Lieutenant, drilled the first platoon of the company,
and I the second. We used to take them out separately, and I used to be
greatly amused at the orders he would give. We commenced by drilling the
men in the sabre exercise, and I was watching him the first day. When he
got his men into line, and after having them take the proper distance, he
gave the command something like this: "Attention, min! Now I am going to
larn yees how to draw sabre. Whin I say 'draw!' don't you draw; but whin I
say 'sabre!' out wid it." Now those who do not understand the sabre drill
may want a little explanation as to how this was to be done. At the
command "draw" the sabre is loosened from the scabbard and drawn about six
inches; and at the command "sabre" it is drawn out and describing a half
circle to the front, carried to the shoulder.

Another favorite order of his when he wished to give the order, "fours
right" and then form the squad on right into line, was this: "On ladin set
of fours, form line of battle, faced to the rare, march!" Turning to the
Major, who was watching him drill one day, after executing this
manoeuvre he said, "Major this is a bully movement on a retrate." While
we were near Camp Palmer, our advance picket post was about five miles
from camp, at a place called Deep Gully; and it was usual for the offic