Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1863-02-04
THE RONANCE OF THE WAR,
EXPLOITS OF CAPTAIN CARPENTER, OF THE
JESSIE SCOUTS"
TFrom the New York Evening Post.l


romance of the war. The secret histor,
of any military campaign would be 0
absorbing interest; much more the secre
story of our war. In all camps there ar,
men whose occupation it is to gain for thr
coHihahdip general information Of tn,
enemy's force, position and movements
Much depends on this; and the most sue
cessful generals have always been the
best iiDformedy IJo Eua sEar-E
In our own service, during the present
war, the spy service has been performed
by different classes of men. Some of ou1
commanders have had the wit and the
fortune to secure the services of men
whose hearts were full of zeal for the
Union and Of hatred for the slave aris-
tocracy and their rebellion. Such men.
when they have also the activity, pres
ence of mind, ingenuity and courage
needed for this Office, are elthol best that
can be got. Such, We have reason to
know, are the company known as the
Jessie Scouts" who first served under
General Fremont in Missouri, afterwards
in Tennessee under Grant, McClernand
and others, and again in Virginia under
Ebehi0ht HiIroy, &c. EEzEE6HgG
There is another class, hirelings, who
serve not for the sake of the cause, but
the sake Of the reward Such men,, too,
are valuable; but great commander
seeks rather to use men who, from de-
votiOn to a principle, Or else by reason
Of some personal wrong are animated by
enmity to the opposite side.
Our spy system has not always been
well conducted, else Stuarts raids"
would not have become famous; else
Jackson could not have made his great
march down the Valley; else Corinth
could not have been secretly evacuated
by Beauregard, nor Yorktown by john
son, nor Winchester before the first ba,-
tie of Bull Run, by the same officer. If
we had had an efficient SPY service, Gen
eral Mcclellan would have known that
after the battle of Fair Oaks Richmond
lay in his power; and Patterson would
have held johnson in check, or else fol-
lowed him pell-meu into the first battle
field of Bull Run, and saved the day.
There is a story told Of that first cam
paign in Virginia which does not rebound
to the credit of our military authorities.
Some weeks before Bull Run, Patterson,
it is said, sent man as spy into Win
chester. The fellow rode there, examin-
ed thoroughly the rebel camp, works and
forces, and returned with a full report.
He was sent to Washington to get his
pay, and when he got there, received
from the officer under General Scott, who
attended tohis case, the sum Of twenty
five dollars-which did not pay the ex-
penses of his journey. 1t is added that
he, swore he would go over. to the enemy ;
probably he did. If spies and scouts
were treated thus in our first Virginia
campaign, no wonder johnson got away
from Patterson.
Probably no man in this war has lived
through as many exciting and desperate
adventures as Captain Carpenter, the
leader of the Jessie Scouts"
The writer of this passed few quiet
hours with Captain Carpenter lately, !
while the latter was still in this city-an
invalid from a severe wound received last
fall in Western Virginia. Some Of the
campaigning stories then heard will in
terest the readers of the Evening Post, |
and will attract the sympathy Of all who
admire daring skill and inTention-es-
pecially where, as in this case, all these
faculties are sharpened and vi7ifed by
single-hearted and fiery devotion to lib
erty and Union. Captain Carpenter
boasts, in quiet way, that no army for
which he has secuted has ever suffered I
from "raid" in its rear, or has ever
been surprised. He has an idea that such
things cannot be done where trustworthy
and Jealous scouts are employed.
"Did you ever see Price" he was ask
ed. He replied, "Several times" Once
he drove team in Prices army two days,
1t the end of which time, unluckiIy, the
cam and wagon, and negro who hap
oened to be in it, ran away; "and, curl
'us enough, never stopped till we got
nto our own lines" said the Captain,
nth twinkle in his eye. The black