Headquarters Army Of Potomac
December 16, '63
Yesterday we had one of the funniest exhibitions that the Army
has been favored with in a long while. The peaceful dolce far niente of
the forenoon was suddenly broken by a telegraph, announcing a Russian invasion
— nothing less than a legion of Muscovite naval officers pouring down, to the
number of twenty-four, in a special train, on our devoted heads! And they were
to come in a couple of hours! Would they pass the night? if so, where put them,
in a camp where two or three guests make a crowd? Would they be fed? Even this
was a problem, unless we ordered the Commissary to open a dozen boxes of the
best stearine candles. However, General Meade at once orders the 6th Corps to
parade, and gets hold of all the ambulances of the Staff, which are forthwith
sent to the depot, after the serene Bears. And soon the vehicles returned, with
flat caps hanging out of all the openings. Then the thing was to put them on
horseback, as soon as possible, for it grew late in the day, already. You have
heard of “Jack on horseback,” and this was a most striking instance. Each one
sat on his McClellan saddle, as if double-reefing a topsail in a gale of wind.
Their pantaloons got up, and their flat caps shook over their ears; and they
kept nearly tumbling off on one side and hoisting themselves up again by means
of the pommel. Meanwhile they were very merry and kept up a running fire of
French, English and Russian. The extraordinary cavalcade having reached a hill,
near the ground, there was found an ambulance, which had brought such as did
not wish to ride, including the Captain, Bootekoff, who was the head feller.
He, however, was persuaded to mount my mare, while I remained in the carriage.
Thereupon the other carriage company were fired with a desire also to
mount. So a proper number of troopers were ordered to get down, and the
Russians were boosted into their saddles, and the procession moved off; but
suddenly —
A horseman darted
from the crowd
Like lightning from a
summer cloud.
It was a Muscovite, who had discovered that the pommel was a
great thing to hold on to, and who had grasped the same, to the neglect of the
rein; whereupon the steed, missing his usual dragoon, started at a wild gallop!
Off flew the flat cap and away went the horse and rider, with a Staff officer
in full chase! Example is contagious, and, in two minutes, the country was
dotted with Russians, on the wings of the wind, and vainly pursuing officers
and orderlies. Some tumbled off, some were caught and brought back; and one
chief engineer was discovered, after dark, in the woods, and in the unpleasant
vicinity of the enemy's picket line. However, the most of them were at last got
up and viewed the troops from their uncertain positions. After which they were
filled up with large quantities of meat and drink and so sent in a happy frame
of mind to Washington. The Captain was a very intelligent man; but most of the
rest had no character or manliness in their faces, and two or three of them
seemed to me almost full-blooded Jews. . . .
SOURCE: George R. Agassiz, Editor, Meade’s
Headquarters, 1863-1865: Letters of Colonel Theodore Lyman from the Wilderness
to Appomattox, p. 61-3
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