第56章

One of the prisoners, who was also dressed in cavalry uniform, hung back from the rest, and going to the window looked out while Vincent was chatting with the others.Presently he turned round, and Vincent recognized with surprise his old opponent Jackson.

After a moment's hesitation he walked across the room to him.

"Jackson," he said, "we have not been friends lately, but I don't see why we should keep up our quarrel any longer; we got on all right at school together; and now we are prisoners together here it would be foolish to continue our quarrel.Perhaps we were both somewhat to blame in that affair.I am quite willing to allow Iwas, for one, but I think we might well put it all aside now."Jackson hesitated, and then took the hand Vincent held out to him.

"That's right, young fellows," one of the other officers said."Now that every Southern gentleman is fighting and giving his life, if need be, for his country, no one has a right to have private quarrels of his own.Life is short enough as it is, certainly too short to indulge in private animosities.A few weeks ago we were fighting side by side, and facing death together; to-day we are prisoners; a week hence we may he exchanged, and soon take our places in the ranks again.It's the duty of all Southerners to stand shoulder to shoulder, and there ought to be no such thing as ill-feeling among ourselves."Vincent was not previously aware that Jackson had obtained a commission.He now learned that he had been chosen by his comrades to fill a vacancy caused by the death of an officer in a skirmish just before Pope fell back from the Rappahannock, and that he had been made prisoner a few days afterward in a charge against a greatly superior body of Federal cava]ry.

The great majority of the officers on both sides were at the commencement of the war chosen by their comrades, the elections at first taking place once a year.This, how-ever, was found to act very badly.In some cases the best men in the regiment were chosen; but too often men who had the command of money, and could afford to stand treat and get in supplies of food and spirits, were elected.The evils of the system were found so great, indeed, that it was gradually abandoned; but in cases of vacancies occurring in the field, and there being a necessity for at once filling them up, the colonels of the regiments had power to make appointments, and if the choice of the men was considered to be satisfactory their nominee would be generally chosen.

In the case of Jackson, the colonel had hesitated in confirming the choice of the men.He did not for a moment suspect him to be wanting in courage; but he regarded him as one who shirked his work, and who won the votes of the men rather by a fluent tongue and by the violence of his expressions of hatred against the North than by any soldierly qualities.

Some of the officers had been months in prison, and they were highly indignant at the delays that had occurred in effecting their exchange.The South, indeed, would have been only too glad to get rid of some of their numerous prisoners, who were simply an expense and trouble to them, and to get their own men back into their ranks.They could ill spare the soldiers required to guard so large a number of prisoners, and a supply of food was in itself a serious matter.

Thus it was that at Harper's Ferry and upon a good many other occasions they released vast numbers of prisoners on their simple paroles not to serve again.The North, however, were in no hurry to make exchange; and moreover, their hands were so full with their enormous preparations that they put aside all matters which had not the claim of urgency.