The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-12-17
A ROMANTIC NARRATIVE.
General Mitchell's Secret Expedition.
rRIALs, HARDsnIps ANp suFFERING
THE STATEMENT OF TWO SOLDIERS OF
COLONEL NoRToN'S REGIMENT.
Interesting and Thrilling Particulars.

Interesting and Thrilling Particulars.
In the last issue of the JOURNAL we pub
lished letter from Captain $. s. Garfield
OF the 2lst Ohio Regiment, giving the state
mcnt of two members of that regiment, who
had Just returned FROM the secret cXpodi.
ton sent ont 10y the lamented General
Mitchell, in April last, In addition to this
we now lay before our readers long and
highly interesting account, published in the
Key West Ne,c Era. of November Is, Civ
ing sthe experience i'll rebcldom of Mark
Wood and Alfred Wilson, of Company {,
2lst Ohio Regiment. commanded by Colonel
Norton, of this place. The men arrived NJ
Key West, from Apalachicola Bay, in the
steamer Stars and Stripes"
They state that in April last their regi-
ment formed part of Major General o,
NJ. Mitchell's division, General ellis brig.
ade, then stationed at Shelbyville, Tenncs-
see. While there, a secret expedition for
dangerous service was organized and placed
under the orders of man supposed to be
a spy of the commander of the division.
Twenty-Five men. whose names are givea,
were detailed for the service. The whole
party was disguised in citizens dress, and
left Shclbyville on the 7th of April. They
proceeded to Manchester, Tennessee. where
they represented themselves as Kentuck-
ians, on their way to Chattanooga to join
the rebel army. III this manner they made
their way across the Cumberland mountains
to Chattanooga, obtaining subsistence from
secessionists. From that point they went
to Marietta Georgia, in the cars The next
morning they returned on the same road to
a place called Big Shanty, where were en-
campcd twenty thousand rebel troops. At
this point their real service begun, and we
quote from their own narrative:
The train contained number of soldiers
rs we'll as citizens, together with quantity
of provisions, and an iron safe containing u
large amount of Confederate scrip to pay
the troops ut Corinth, Mississippi; and here
it was that wo knew the duty we were eX-
pccted 70 do, viz: destroy the track and
bridges on tho line of tho road. and thus
prevent rcinlorcemcnts and commissary
stores from reaching Virginia. Tennessee
and Georgia. General Mitchell had already
cut off communication from Corinth by
holding Huntsville, Alabama, aud our duty
was to destroy the track and bridges from
Big Shanty to and beyond Chattanooga, or
as far as Bridgeport, Tennessee. 1t must
be recollected that this portion of the road
is built over innumerahle creeks and rivers,
and crosses the Tennessee river at Bridge
port, where fine bridge is erected,
AS before stated, our whole party, con-
sisting of twenty, left the cars and divided
into squads Of three or four, taking stations
OH each side of the tran-Andrews sta
tioning himself at the coupling pin of the
third car. Ut must here be stated that a
number OF our party were engineers, and
thoroughly understood the business we had
on hand.) One of our engineers was at his
post, and found everything all right. All
hands now mounted the cars, although the
guard was within three feet of them, the
word was given, Andrews drew the coup
ling pin, and cried "All right" The train,
now consisting of three cars and the engine,
was started off with as little noise AZ
possible.
We soon lost sight of the lights at Big
Shanty, and at the first turn the train was
stopped and one of the party (Iohn Scott
climbed the telegraph pole and cut the
wires; we then started, and at the next
point tat a town, name unknown) we tore
up the track and took rail with us on the
car, and thus we continued tearing up the
track, and cutting the wires on the other
Alde, after passing Il town. Unfortunately
however, for us, the train was running in
very slow schedule and we were compelled
to switch off and let the down train pass us.
At the first station this occurred the
engineer of the road made his appearance,
and was about to step on the engine, when
Andrews told him no could not come Oh
board, rs this was an extra train to run
through to Cornth and the present party
we're engaged to carry it there, and in sup
port of the assertion the iron safe was
shown. This apparently satisfied the eugi,
neer, and we took in wood and water and
again started
:" i SECOND time we were compelled to
switch OFT, and in order TO get the switch
keys, Andrews, who knew the road well,
went into the station and took them from
the office. This caused considerable ex-
ctement, but we quieted it in u measure by
stating that our train contained gunpowder
for hearregard at Corinth, and soon after
we again started, About twenty miles
south of Dalton, Georgia, we came to a
bridge, and here we set fire to one of our
cars, piled on wood, and left it on the
bridge, designing to set it on fire also.
At this time the engineer at the Rome
Branch, suspecting that all was not right,
started up the track, and, we suppose,
found the rails torn up, and Immediately
returned TO the junction aud took on hoard
a quantity of loose raiiS and followed after
us Where we had torn up the rails he
| Immediately laid one, and without stopping
to fasten it, started over and gave chase.
Soon he came to the bridge with the burn
ing car, which had not yet caught the
| bridge. In meantime we had switched OF
to let an express pass, winch train was
duly iMiurmed Of our character by discov.
ering the track torn up, and stopped, but
was soon joined by the Rome engineer, who
had succeeded in turning the burning car
off the bridge. They then both started for
us, laying the track as they went along
which they could do in much shorter time
than we could tear it up.
Thus il was they overlook US at work,
and as soon as We found ourselves discov-
cred, speed was our hope, and at it we
went but, unfortunately for us, our fuel
was nearly out, and it was then determened
to leave the engine and take to the woods.
Accordingly we stopped and reversed her,
intending she should run back upon our pur-
suers, but in this we failed, as she had
sufficient steam 70 TGn her over, and our
object had failed FROM combination Of un-
fortunate circumstances. Ten minutes more
would have set the bridge on fire, and the
Rome engineer with the rails could not
have followed us, and the down express
was entirely useless. Ii was our intention