Newbern weekly progress., 1862-11-22
Running am Engine I'm the Rebel
Serv!cc-An Exciting sketch.


South short time after tie breaking out OF
the rebellion, was pressed into the rebel army
and served for thirteen months. Watching his
opportunity, he finally made bis escape to the
Union lines, and upon his return home pub
lished his experience in book form under the
title Of "Thirteen Months in the rebel Army" !
embracing many exciting pictures of South
ern life and feeling. The following is his cx>
perience as an impromptu loc, IN )tiye engineer
: The engineer, Charles Little refused to run
the train during the night, as he was not well
acquainted with the road, and thought it dan
gerous. In addition, the head light OF the
locomotive being out Of order, and the oil
frCzen he could not make it burn, and he could
not possibly run without it. Col Williams
grew angry, probably suspcctng him Of Union
sentiments, aud of wishing to delay the train,
cursed him rather roundy, andat length told
him he should run it under guard, adding,
to the guard already on the engine, "lf any
accident occurs, shoot the cursed Yankee"
Little was Northern man. Upon the
threat thus enforced, the engineer seemed to
yield, and prepared to start the train. As III
having forgotten an important matter, he said,
hastily, "Oh, must have some OIL" and
stepping down off the loco motive, walked
toward the engine house When he was about
twenty yards nom thecars, the guard thought
OF their duty, aud one of them followed Little,
and called upon him to halt but in moment
he was behind the machine shop, and off in
the dense woods, 10 the deep darkness. The
commotion soon brought the colonel and
crowd, and while they we're cursing each other
all around, the fireman and the most Of the
brakemen slipped of, and here we were with
no means Of getting ahead. All the time had
stood on the engine, rather enjoying the melee,
but taking no part in it, when Col. Williams,
turning 10 me, SAID:
Cannot you rLn the engineT
Ireplied, No, SIR
| You have been on it as we came down.
+. Yes, sir, as matter of curiosity
Don't you know how to start and stop her.
yes, thut Is easy enough, but if anything
should 60 wrong conld not adjust it,
No difference, no difference, sir | must be
at Bowling Green tomorrow, and you must
pass US through
looked him in the eye, and said calmly
Colonel Williams, cannot voluntarily take
the responsibility Of managing train with
thousand men on board, nor will be forced
to do 1t under guard. who know nothing
about an engine, and who would he as likely
to shoot NE for doing my duty us failing to do
it; but il you will find among the mrn fire.
man, aud send away this guard, and come
yourself on the locomotive, | will do the best
| can
Ahd now commenced my apprenticeship to
running u Secession railroad tram, with reb.
el regiment or board. The engine behaved
ol, nd I Ia, c,., Ito c,,fn Far
she obeyed every command ! gave her, as il
she acknowledged me her rightiul lord.
Icould not but be startled at the position
in which was placed, holding in my hand
the lives Of more than a thousand men, run
, ming train Of thousand cars over road
, had never seen, running without head light
and the road no dark that could only see I
rod or two ahead, and, to crown all, knowing
almost nothing Of the business Of course
ran slowly, about ten miles an hour, and new
er took my hand off the throttle, or my eye
from the road. TIE colonel at length grey
0 confident and almost confidential, and did mos
, Of the talking. as had no time for converse
aasa rve b 1asa 1ha going keh 'tHtS 'tSHt6Seip ipWfHi VII
liam concluded to walk back, on the top o
: the box cars, TO passenger car which wa
attached to the rear Of the train and occupie
: by the officers.
I. This somewhat hazardous move he commen
} ced just as We struck stretch of trestlewor
D which carried the road over gorge of som
fifty feet neep. As the locomotive reached th
trestework the grade rose little, and coul
see, through or in deep cut which the roa
{ ran into, an obstruction. What il was, or no,
far ahead, had almost no conception bu
quick as tbought-and thought is quick a
: lightning in such circums,ances--I whistle
= for the brakes, shut of. the steam aud waite
for the collision. Fwould have reversed tn
engine, but fear that reversal Of its actio
would crowd up the cars on the trestlewor
and throw them into the gorge below, forbade
nor was there wisdom in jumping of, as tn
steep embankments on either side would pre-
vent escape from the wreck of the cars whe
y the collision came. All this was decided in, a
I, instant oil time, and calmly awaited the shoe
. which saw was unavoidable Though tn
speed, which was very moderate before, wa
. considerably diminished in the fly yards b,
tween the obstacle and the head of the trair
| saw that we would certainly run into the rea
], had seen.
= The first car struck Was loaded with hay an
grain My engine literally split it into, throw
ing the hay right and left and scattering tn
grain like chaff. The next car loaded wit
! horses, was in like manner torn to pieces, an
!, the horses piled upon the sides of The road. =
: The third car, loaded with tents and camp equiI
age, seemed to present greater resistance, q
,, the locomotive only reached it and came to
: stand.still