Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1861-12-04

"a Rough Experience among ihs
Tennessee.
A prominent citizen of our neighboriug
town of Martinsville, o., sends rs the fol-
lowing letter, accompanied by the subjoiu.
ed note:
The following letter, which have been
permitted to copy for publication, viii
speak for itself / am aequaiuted with the
Tritsr-a young man OF le years, resident
of our village, has been absent since De-
eember last, and can voueh for its genu.
ineuess. Any one doubling the same can
see he original BY calling on the Young
mans mother, Mrs. Kate Lewis, Of this :.
place.
The letter Is written at Galloway Post
Office, Harlan county, KY, close to the
East Tennessee line, and is as follows:
DEAR MoTHER:-I suppose you have all
given me up for dead, bur, thank God, an
still alive, and may some day get back TO
see my dear mother, sisters and brothers
have been in the rebel army for three or
four months. Was caught and threatened
to be hanged IL did not enlist. enlisted,
trusting to luck to get away, having one Of
the most Infamous oaths forced upOn ne
that was ever taken by man. I'll commence
and give you the full dstails US far as i car
on paper. The day after ] received your
last letter, young man. postmaster ofthat
place, lTigersTille, La came 10 me. He
had heard some men say they were going 10
arrest me for being an abolitionist, because
/ was from a Northern State; be told me to
to try and get away. mailed q letter to
you with $50 in it, thea went and hid in "a
WOod-house until dark. When the cars
came went to the town spoke of in one
Of my letters, (Brashear City, When
got there, there was no way of getting
away without going back through the town
had left.
So fearinElto go back, / took passage on
the steamer Matagorda for GalSeston.-i
When got TO Texas they were taking up
Union men and hanging them like dogs.
/ got me an old suit of clothes, and hired
myself out to work on the 81. 7. 4 B. r, H.,
until could get chance 10 get away
That was IN the month of March. work
ed there about three weeks, when, in COM
pany with young man from Ohio, started
to walk to Red River, all communication
by sea being Gu: OF. It was n dangerous
project, but better than staying aud being
forced into the rebel army. We had got
within so miles Of Alexandria, on the riT-
err, when we were stopped by band of vii
lians and forced 70 join n company Of vol
unteers, In a small town called Cheney
vile. RAPIDS Parish, La We were kept
there three weeks, when We were taken TO
New Orleans and mustered into the State
service of Louisiana. We were then taken
up TO a town called Tanghiphis, went into
camp, were drilled for near three months,
then mustered into the Confederate SER
vice aud started for the seat of war with
the 9th Regiment La. rebels, on the last
Monday In June. Wednesday morning af-
i IL. Ne, A 1,k
where Miss E. F. was, kept awake all
night, hoping the cars would stop long
enough for me to find out if she was still
there, aud have her let you know where
was, for could not send q letter without
letting our officers read it. But the cars
stopped only few minutes, SO mad 10 go
without seeing her. We Travelled night
and day until Fridar morning at o'clock,
| only stopping for wood aud water, and
then heavy guard around the train TO
keep the men from running on On mat
/ morning I pretended had the diATroeha
and got out Ny friend erawled from
under the cars and we took 70 the
woods and made our way towards Ky
The town where we LEFT the train is Bris-
toll, Sullivan county Tenu.) We travelled
until little Nefore day, when We hid our
selves. At IL O'Clock We started again
and ran right into a town called Blountville
before we knew IL. We both had military
clothes on, and were surrounded by
band of rebels and came near being taken,
but we talked them oct OF it, told them
we were absent on fnrlough and were GO
ing back in q week. We left them talking
about taking us up as deserters. So soon
as we were fairly out Of sight, we changed
our course and travelled dIherent dlree-
ton until We were ont of their reach. We
then travelled about seventy six miles west
into Sandville, Hancock county There
are lots of good men there, who would
not let US leave them to go into KY, as
there were rebel soldiers guarding almost
every road, and scouts scouting the woods
aud hills to keep some of the leading
Union men from going into KY, TO let
the q. s. Government know that there
were men In Tenn, ready, willing and
anxious 10 hght for their eOnD;ry' and
their countTy's laws. So 1t was a great
risk, it not an almost tmpossibiiIty TO
cross the mountains. The rebels soon
found out that we were in the country and
formed companies TO take us, when they
were met by company of Union men
and driven back
We stayed there until last Thursday
when ten mounted men started after me,
tmy companion having started to Ken
lucky the day before They came up
olinch river, took young man prisoner
by the name of b, and tried to make
him tell where 1 was. He refused, and
broke from them in corn field. They
then abused B-'s wife, and Mrs L.
threatening 70 burn their houses # they
did NOT bring me ont. Finally concluding
\ I was not there, they started back, when
they were fired upon by four OF my
friends, shooting one through the has'
raising the hide on the top of his head
Uounding another and killing horse
L left Kentucky the next day. a Aetn9-
dist minister, had been staying Win
| thinirinr. & tI,e heat 1 conId do. arrived