The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1862-05-15
PITTsBURG LANDING, l
Nav 9th, 1862.

May 9th, 1862.
EDS. JOURNAL After another Intellectual
attempt on Thursday morning to procure a
horse, I determined to revert back to first
principles, and if 1 could not get to ride
would try a rather long walk. Selecting
two friends, Billy P. and Phil. W, of
Lafayette as body guard, proposed
reconnaissance in force towards Corinth.
We supplied ourselves with q canteen of
Ice water, and three or four canteens of a
different shape filed with sanitary stores
not receipted for By any of the committees,
"ronte step" and without music.
How we passed the line of sentinels that
Guards the anpgoaches from the river must
bayonet across our chests, we walked on
across the old camp ground, tracing the
line of the Tylor's fire, by the scathed
trees up the ravine, until we reached the
public road, where we were SO fortunate as
to obtain seats in a wagon, which carried
us some two miles on our way.
The train to which this team belonged
stopped for the night at an early hour, and
we again started off on foot. After walk
ing mile or so, the left wing of our force
began 10 falter, and found it necessary to
use some strategy to rally il. Appealing
to his sense of honor, the business of our
cause, and pointing to the sanitary stores"
Billy came right down to his work, and
we proceeded and were soon so fortunate
as to find friend indeed, in the person of
Lieut.. Burton of the lst Illinois battery,
who, adds to the merit of being q gallant
officer, that other virtue of being a kind
hearted and accomplished gentleman. he
rendered me the use of his horse which his
servant was leading, and took my BODY
guard aboard an ambulance. The ride
thence to Gen. Lew. Wallace's Headquarters
was easy and pleasant. Mounted on a fine
artillery horse, I dashed forward at a
round pace, closely followed by the Lieu
tenants servant, an intelligent contraband,
who seemed to think it was his duty to
keep close in the rear and with one eye on
me lest 1 might be run off with by his
masters horse. The road traverses an ex-
ceedingly rough country, consisting of
continual succession of hills and bollows
thickly covered with timber and under
brush, and with but few evidences of any at
tempt at cultivation. We saw no inhsbi-
tants "to the country bred" until away beyond
Gen. Wallace's division. After going some
distance st rapid rate, held up to allow
the ambulance to come up, and while rid
ing slow, | drew from the contraband the
following episode in his history: He was
formerly the slave of man living about
twenty-five miles from Fort Donelson, but
having incurred the displeasure of the
foreman who signiied an intention to
chastiss him, he took himself off to Illinois
about two years ago, and when the war
broke out entered the service as "a servant
in the lst Illinois battery. He US at the |
hattie of Fort DoneIson, and aft,l the fall
of that place he visited his wife who is still /
a slave. His adventures on the last occas- /
lon give in nearly his own words:
After having left my wife with
nelghbor boy says he, 1--WE were overtak-
en- oy eight secesh cavalry, one of whom
A1ed us who our bosses was. told him
had no boss. He said was a ID liar
l told him maby he know'd, but if war
a white man I'd make him swallow that
ID lie. He then told me to cross INV
hands that he might tie me. told him
them papers wouldn't win-that he might
tie my arms back but not my hands, as a
eler must eat After tying my arms back
le asked me if I had any shooting irons.
told him had revolver, and offered to
lraw it from the sheath, but he said "just
-ou hold on; Ill take that out myself" ,
lie then started to take US back alone while
he rest went to look for other boys. &
After a while, be got off his boss 6
when jis flung one arm around him and I