Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1862-07-28

this country, and at the commencement
: this war their mother also died, leaving
each considerable property in the hanC
Of trustees in Scotland They consist
three brothers and Two sisters. Neither
: the young men had become citizens Of Ii
United States, consequently felt anziOui
observing the troubles arising in the ecour
try, to depart either TO the North or I
Scotland. They obtained a passport froI
the British Consul at Richmond, but wer
refused permission by the authorities ther
TO leave. The second brother a younl
man about twenty years Of age, was press
ed into the rebel service. But he sool
Afterwards made his escape, and entered
our camp at Fayetteville last winter. I'll
explained the whole matter, stating tha
his brothers were going to make an attempt
to follow, by the way of Raleigh Couri
House, but they were prevented from doing
50. Months passed away without hearing
any ddings Of them, excepting sometimes
Indirect news brought US by scouts. AT
1 last cur regiment went forward to Prince
ton, whore I saw the younger brother, who
informed me that his eldest brother had
made his escape, having been threatened
on several occasions TO be forced into SER
vice like the one above mentioned He
the younger, being under age, said he and
his sisters could remain with comparative
safety, but expressed q strong desire to get
away, they having lost everything, and be-
ing compelled to take up their abode with
an acquaintance, some ave miles from
Princeton. at that time our movements
were very rapid, requiring all our atten-
ton to attend to the more important duties
Of the country. Transportation was not.
easily obtained, and falling back to our
present position, some twenty -four miles
from Princeton, placed them in worse
condition than they had been in before.
The young man managed to send me word
that he was threatened to be taken to Rich
mond prisoner; that he could make his
escape himself, but his sisters would not
undertake z do 50, and we're positively re-
fused permission to leave the house.
sent him information that he must remain
quiet aud at the first opportunity he and
his sisters would be enabled to get away.
Day after day, week after week passed,
without any signs Of a chance to aid them
in any way.
On the 4th inst, Lieutenant Colonel
Hines, Of the Twelfth Ohio, informed me
that he was going out early next day with /
thirty Dragons, to reconnOiter in the di- (
rectiOn Of Princeton. He desired should /
accompany him. /, therefore, after hay
ing obtained permission from the proper /
Joined the Colonel at an early /
hour next morning. We avoided the main 4
road following the mountain passes. In
single file we rode along through a wider /
ness OF the most romantic scenery I ever
witnessed Nota single soul did we see.
excepting now and again a haggard-look-
ing woman or two, with any quantity of
ragged, wild-looking urchins, gazing at us
Wioh amazement from the doors Of wretch
ed-looking log cabins. On being interro-
gated where their husbands were, the re-
ply was usually, "Gone to mill, or, 3Gone
10 neighbor somebody's" How these
exist 1 know not-a small cleared
patch, partly planted with corn, the bal
lnce grown over with rank, coarse grass,
oyerrun with hogs. Everything appears
10 wear an aspect Of misery; even the very 4
hogs, which seem to be plentiful, are long,
raw-bOned looking animals.
Col. Hines, who knows every road anu
nearly every body about these parts, lead
Us forward, descending difficult and dan
gerous paths down the mountain sides,
crossing creeks and rivers ascending
again yet more steep and rugged trails, /
until at last we reachedthe house in which !
my young friends dwelt We approached /
the house after having placed pickets on
each road. The dwelling was occupied by /
women generally, apparently Of different
families The two young ladies and their |
brother weresoon mounted, the young man /
behind dragon, the ladies behind the
Colonel and myself-I need not say how
gratifed they appeared when they saw that |
this chance Of escape was at hand--Not
more than twenty minutes had elapsed
from the time we entered the house till they /
were seated behind us, when we began to
retraoe our steps, without any opposition.
I heard that before we left an old lady re-
monstratsd with one Of the girls about the
improperly Of ofleaving,-buts she answered /
@I am going any how and am glad to get
the chance" This house is situated abont
6Temiles from Princeton, little to the left
Of the road to Giles Court House, in Sc
questered valley, and only some six miles
from a rebel encampment Of 5000 troops.
The distance back to camp, or to our near
est pickets, could not be less than twenty
miles, the way we had come. was think
Of the dangerous and break-neck route
and what the young ladies would have to
endure-before we could place them in q
place Of safety. But from their lively and
apparent happy dispositions, elated with
the thought Of being able to leave secesh-
dom, my anxiety became lessened, and en-
tering long, deep, narrow rayine, thickly
beset on each side Of the narrow path bya
dense laurel thicket, we were conversing
about the beautiful blossom of that wild
shrub, which was in full bloom, when bang,
bang, went seven or eight rifles. Whiz
went several balls close TO where the Colo
mel and myself were. From the appear
anoe Of the smoke the Williams could not
have been over ten or fifteen yards from US.
For moment the greatest confusion and
CONSERVATION preyailed-foF so thick and
dense was the thieket we could not see
where our enemies were, nor whether they
outnumbered US or nOt-however, our men
returned a brisk fre in the direction where
they saw the smoke.
Daring the afray, the lady who was seat
ed behind the Colonel, was thrown from her
seat beneath the horses feet. My first
thought was that she was shot, but after
wards learned that dragons horse came
in collision with the ColoneTs, As soon as
she fell two dragons leaped over her body
without injuring her; the road was 50 mar
row and steep they could not arrest the
speed Of the infuriated animals, who ap-
peared to realize the danger, Is well as
ourselves A third was about to ride over
her, when, fortunately, I wheeled my horse
around between him and her, which en-
abled our gallant Colonel to seat her be-
hind him once more. We were all gratii-
ed to hear her say that she was not hurt in
( the least.
We soon gained an eminence, the skir-
mish still continuing. At last all became
/ quiet, and we moved on; fearing that there