Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1862-08-07

old story The time came however when
even an old story became novel, The Major
fitted out an expedition of thirty men in five
small boats, only two of which were fit to
use, the others being old fiat bottomed skifls
which leaked badly and rowed very hard
He planned the expedition under the COM
mand of Lieut.. Parker of the Brandon Com
pany and myself We had previously learn
ed from contrabands that had escaped TO us,
/ that one of these steamers, the Z" j. Morgan
| Brown was slowed away somewhere near
! GAINESVILLE, about forty miles from the Fort,
and we determined TO find il if possible
Starting at shutdown we rowed with vigor but
with circumspection, up through this home of !
alligators and sccesh expecting every mo-
ment rifle bullet would whistle march for |
our amusement. BY the way we had music
enough without them-tbe bowling of alliga-
tors and the chirping and chattering of ten
thousand kinds OF insects made the night dis
NAL The mosquitoes lent their musical vio-
ces, billing and cooling in a manner that was
appreciated. Before daylight we had reached
the places where we had expected to find
the last one, and had gone far beyond any
part of the country with which we were &C
auainted We knew that the enemy had
, pickets posted near where We were, and in
, fact had passed two quietly during the night
, Every one was discouraged-the men were
wearied with the oars and want of sleep,
} and there was little prospect OF meeting with
success, even if we escaped the guerrilla
pickets safely. Our plan was to secrete our
l selves in the woods at daylight and renew
the search when night came again. We we're
} at this time about five miles up bayou that
struck off the river to the east into the State
y of Mississippi Thinking best however to 90
t to the head OF this bayou before stopping, we
d moved on again. Between daylight and
sunrise we found the prize jammed up to the
Y very head Of the bayou, touching the shore
t on each side, and overhung with the trees of
:, each shore. The guard which the guerrillas
v
If leave, and we had too many things to attend
n to to think Of pursuing them very far. The
t. bayou was so narrow and crooked that the
a steamer with difficulty could turn the corners
The enemy had taken a small valve out Of
the machinery that they supposed was In.
q dispsessblc to locomotion, and thought they
had baf1feds Yankee ingenuity thereby. But
= the fact is, the Stubborn success of the Yan.
kee depends upon no "ingenuity" so much
as his disposition to put into execution wha
little cunning he has. Ifhe invents a wood
is en- nutmeg, he makes it himself, and has nc
niger to tempt him to spoil bright idea by
intrusting il to another to work out. So il
the present case. 1t required no very brigh
" noddle to suggest that steamer three hun
dred feet long might be hauled ten, twenty
or fifty miles, but we were lucky enough tc
act upon the idea, and before sunset found
- ourselves repaid by beng seven miles nearer
J.. the fort and no farther from the old steamer
;, than before. We got her aground probably
:. one hundred times, and got her off just al
-, many times. | never saw men work better
=. and when you tell me that one man is jus
as good for soldier as another, / shall no
believe it again. We could not with an,
safety have used steam, if we had been able
- to get it up, for we could not possibly hav
no turned the sharp bends of the bayon with
no out endangering the boat. But now that W
~ were in wide stream we longed for steam
'A We had suspicious of the place where tn
nu valve was hidden---at saw-mill ten mile
~ off. Taking these men, started about min
.P' o'clock in the evening on wild goose chas
he after it. To carefully search the premise
and return to the boat took till after day
ho light-not valve. But the journey wa
70 not fruitess, for / found large quantity
:" the furniture of the boat, and rope belong
-" ing to secesh gunboat, hid away carefully
M which we took occasion to get the next da
ms when we had more leisure. Well, half a
en-. hour Of rest, and breakfast, and the suspicio
IN grew in our minds that said valve was i
IN. the hands of the picket at the Jacks on Plan
ok tation, which was now about Eve miles of
- and toward which we had been slowly drift
ate ing all night. This place was owned b
RS. Gen. jackson Of old, and is now in possessio
lge of the nearest descendant, Andrew jackson
IN Jr,of Tennessee. 1t is tenanted by 81
ckS emissary of Gen T,ovell. lint pot slv on o,,o
ing to escape being prisoner at Fort Pike
led This truant, one James O'Rourke, we ais
But knew, was firm friend of the former Car
hat tain of the 81. Morgan Brown" and aide
out him in hiding her. Hence took one doze
ten men and one-sxth of a dozen boats, ar