The Sun.
London, England, 1862-04-10 00:00:00

A " CONTRABAND" HERO.

A correspondent of the New York limes de-
scribes the adventures of a Contraband," or negro,
named Jim, who appears to have required conside-
rable celebrity in the Federal army. Jim made his
escape from Virginia in Dec. last, and joined Capt.
Magaw, of the gunboat Freeborn :—" Capt. Magaw,
shortly after Jim's arrival on board the Freeborn,
sent him upon a scouting tour through the rebel
fortifications, more to test his reliability than any-
thing else; and the mission, although fraught with
great danger, was executed by Jim in the most,
faithful manner. Again Jim was sent into Vir-
ginia, landing at the White House, below Mount
Vernon, and going into the interior for several
miles, encountering the fire of picket guards and
posted sentries, returned in safety to the shore,
and was brought off in the captain's gig, under
the fire of the rebel musketry. Jim had a wife
and four children at that time still in Virginia..
They belonged to the same man as Jim did ; he was
anxious to get them ; yet it seemed impossible.
One day in January Jim came to the Captain's
room, and asked for permission to be landed
that evening on the Virginia side, as he wished.
to bring off his family. " Why, Jim, said Capt.
Magaw, "how will you be able to pass the pickets?"
" I want to try, Captain ; I think I can get 'em over
safely," meekly replied Jim. " Well, you have my
permission; and Capt. Magaw ordered one of the
gunboats to land Jim that night on whatever
part of the shore Jim designated, and return for
him the following evening. True to his appoint-
ment, Jim was at the spot with his wife and family,
and were taken on board the gunboat and brought
over to Liverpool Point, where Colonel Graham
had given them a log house to live in. Several
weeks afterwards another reconnaissance was
planned, and Jim sent on it. He returned in safety,
and was highly complimented by Generals Hooker,
Sickles, and the entirefiotilla. On Thursday, week
ago, it became necessary to obtain correct informa-
tion of the enemy's movements. Since then, bat-
teries at Shipping and Cockpit Points had been
evacuated, and their troops moved to Frede-
ricksburgh. Jim was the man picked out
for the occasion. Jim, accompanied by two
other negroes, at once started off for the gun-.
boat Satellite, Captain Poster, who landed_
them a short distance below the Potomac Creek
batteries. They were to return early in the morn-
ing, but were unable, from the great distance they
went in the interior. Long before daylight, on
Saturday morning, the gunboat was laying off the
appointed place. As the day dawned Captain
Foster discovered a mounted picket guard near the
beach, and, almost at the same instant, saw Jim to.
the left of them, in the woods, sighting his gun,
at the rebel cavalry. He ordered the "gig" to
be manned and rowed to shore. The rebels moved
along slowly, thinking to intercept the boat, when
Foster gave them a shell, which scattered them.
Jim, with only one of his original companions,
and two fresh contrabands, came on board,
Jim had lost the other. He had been challenged by
a picket, when some distance in advance of Jim, and
the negro, instead of answering the summons, fired
the contents of Sickel's revolver at the picket. The
entire picket guard rushed out of a small house near
the spot, and fired at Jim's companion, killing him
instantly. Jim and the other three hid themselves in
a hollow, near a fence, and after the pickets gave up
pursuit, creeped through the woods to the shore. From
the close proximity of the rebel pickets, Jim could.
not display a light, which was the signal for For-
ster to send a boat. Captain Forster, after hearing
Jim's story of the shooting of his companion, deter-
mined to avenge his death ; so, steaming his vessel
close in to the shore, he sighted his guns for a barn,
where the rebel cavalry were hiding behind. He
fired two shells—one went right through the him,
killing four of the rebels and seven of their horses.
Captain Foster, seeing the fffect of his snots, said
to Jim, who stood by—' Well, Jim, I've avenged
the death of poor Cornelius' (the name of Jim's lost
companion). General Hooker has transmitted to
the War Department an account of Jim's reconnai-
sance to Fredericksburgh, and unites with the army
and navy, stationed on the left wing of the Potomac,
in the hope that the Government will present Jim
with a fitting recompense for his gallant services."