Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1863-08-22


by ms.
"IHEs to l0H yoa about my dsings,7 he said,
after paRse, With most people i am very
reserved, but il seems very natural to tell ysu
wha, have dope"
Il assure you that you eould not ha7s g nars
attentive or apprecjadTs iistnsT," said T. "Kour
adventures always int8ras. ne very greatly and
IF Z were anything Of a writer, I would not ask
any better material frsm which to work up set
of stories"
II d0n't mesh. It as beast, Major, said old
Ben, quiBsly "but Do think some Of my adTen-
tarss are ms1s rsBsrkabls g than anything have
ever seen in books"
Traih IS stranger than fiction" I remarked
5miiiug Bat let ne have Ysur story. We
may soon be interrupted, and want to hear y0u
while I car"
just here lodged piece Of shell that was
fyiag too clsso to my head.
A. soon IS / found lhat General Johnston
mssHt 70 fall back from ths Yorktown lines,
said Phelphs u determined to have one more
big scout in The naigh5orhosd I staij with
ihs army until sftsr tas battle Of WILLIAMSBURG
in order 10 have 3 hand IN tha fight and then
] wont 70 GsIf. Magradsr and got ,sermissen
ana al the necessary passes g. carry 0ul ny
plan. then flied nv havsrsack with provis-
ians and started out I heard you call no as I
passed your regiment, bad no time 70 lose, so
1 pretended nos 90 heer you. After 1 left the ar
my [ struck out IN the direction Of tbs JaHas
river Wishing 10 eaEs Williamsburg On my
l-ft, and thus avoid The roads. soon got into
the woods and passed 0H dewn. I did not meet
with any Yankees until I came vithu sighs of
Tetsar's Meek. w hsa I got 20 the edge OF the
woods, near the road leading TO KiBg's mill,
moved down cautiously 70 the sWAlnp and began
70 look sbsUt me. knew if there were any Of
the Blue devils about I would be very apt TO Esd
them here, and in this I was net mistak
The nights aRd works in trent sf me we're full
Of them, and their picketE were 9us as far as
the mill I saw that I could not possibly 20
soy further until dark, fer vsBa certainly be
discovered IN crossing the read, ss very quiet
~ climbed q tTee sGa amused myself durisg
the day with watching ths Yanks Fhsy wars
very cautious, and ssesasd TO be afraid tiIat our
Fstreat was a trick, fer thsY did not venture ont
OF the works during the day. As EOon as il
was dark I got dswa from tha tTea and novel
swiftly across the read sad tssk to the w0sds
again wanted to get in the asighbsrhood Of
Lsa's mill befaIe DAY and [ had long sistaucs
70 walk The rest that I mad ggtten While up
the tree was of great service 70 me, and I don
see how I could have gotten along without It
Z found it rather tirssGms waking through the
woods, and I resolved to try the new road
Z which General Magruder had cut from Kug'
mill wharf 70 The Grove" along tAe bank
Of the river The night was clear aad cool
and, fortunately there were no Yankees on
the road They were al on the main roads.
could frequently see the river, now as beautiful
as ever, but on 80 sad. Il was q hard thing
! FOR me to reconcile my mind 70 the abandonment
I of the Peninsula, but had to DO il" I have
great confidence in Gen Johnston, and what
/ ever seems Vecsssary 20 him meets with my ap-
I pr0vsl. After reaching "The Grove" I cui
across the fields, and crossing Skif creek on q
Z log, reached the DeghborhOod Of Lees farm
sb1Gt 3 o'clock. I wanted 70 see what was 90
I ing On here, so I resolved 20 wait until day
I light feeling somewhat tired, ] went into e
c.ump Of bushes close BY, sHd lging down,
soUn fell asleep. I was awakened scma time
sttsr daylight By The sound Of Voiees, and look
jBg out from the bushes, saw q brigade pass
/ iu- not huudrei yards from NC. 1 looked az
my watch aud found thst IT was after O'Clock
| I bad slept longer than / had intended.
watched the Yankees until they got by, and as
] saw how spisndidlY they were equipped,
could not help wishing thag cur poor fellows
/ were SIS well provided for. As the same
I time I felt proud Of our army, 0r is was
/ glorious 20 think that oar poor, ragged
1srsi0ltsd boys had never yet failed 90 whip
/ those sp.aadidiy equipped eswasds. When
/ the brigade haa gone by in the direction Of VIII
/ liams1Urg, I crept down % tho edge of the
Wo1d= and looked over the farm Il Was alR0st
su,irely clear of Yankees. A guaEd, stationed
at Lees house, was all that could discover; the
placa 5esms8 lust as natural as ever, except thai
! 10 was much stilsr. I hurried across The farm
/ and soon got into the woods on the Other side si
/ &C. I then hsrried on toward Lees mill. IL q
/ short time I hsd rcached the rifs pits in the
/ woods IN the rear Of the works and doJging
cautiously from tree 20 tree, ia few minutes
/ reached an spsn space from which I could see
/ the batteries on the hill above the dam. From
| the ground the view was very imperfect, bu'
/ after climbing tree I hsd an excellent opp1r
4 lgaity Of seaing what was passing below. A
I small force had beea Left in possession of the
works, and these seemed TO be busy in searching
/ for something. In short Hne heard loud
/ report and saw ths Yankees scatter as If fright
| ened OF by something. I knew ct once that
one Of the numerous tOrpedoes which We had
/ buried along the lines had exploded and semi
same Yankee 70 his long home. I was very
I busy in watching the men il the rsdoU5t, Wher
I I was startled by soma one below me crying cut
Il say yon man up the tree, coma down anC
: give yourself up, or III shoot you
looked dswn, and there below ma saw
/ stout 7 snkes with bis gHn aimed at me. wa,
now fairly discovered, and in dangerous 5itua
| lion. I hardly knew what TO DO. I never theugh
I so quickly ia my life. A d0ssR different plsnl
/ PASSED through ny mind ia the space Of a see
! oud Al last l hit upon one.
Come down. eontiRasd the fellow, II dom
I want 10 shoot you, I want to see you hung.
/ saw you get Up there, and nov I've fairly treed
/ you"
"If you'll lower that gun and premise not "a
!. shU0t, I'll come dowE,n I replied.
Very we'll" he exclaimed, lowering bis gun
/ '.Ed rather take you prisoner 5han sheet yen
I clinbed 0Rt upon q branch iuss over tia
I fellows head, and let Ryself down uatil I had
reached the lowest limb. This was some dis
tsncs from the ground, aud paused on it fer
a moment and glanced a. the fellow below me
l Was exactly over him. Hs wss watching
me- WITH a satisfied air, and Ho doubt thinking
/ how s1sily he had taken me. In another in.
stsut threw myself with Ell nay force from the
limo, and falling heavily, brought the fellow "a
the earth with ns. He was partially stunned
/ By the TALL, and before be could rise sprang "a
my test and seizng my gun whirlsd it round my
I head, and bringing it d6Wa en- the fellows skull
killed bim 81 dead as q herring BE novsT
kicked or cried, but died instantly [ then
started of up the lines towards Yorktown. I
had not gotten very far before my foot began 70
I pain ms very m1ch, aRd in a sbort time -0uld
scsTcslY walk. Every innate I found Il more
difficult 10 get along, and finally hsd TO stop
altogether. I had sprained- my ankle IN my
[ leap from tho tree, and was now utterly unable
I 70 walk. You may imsgine ny feelings. Hero
1 I was in the Yankee lines, without the mower
Of walking, without q conveyancs of any kind
and with hut three days provisions il o. hav-
ersaek. Oae 0f,two evils seemed inevitable,
/ that I aust either starvs or Bs captured.
managed to crsFl into some bushes, ard lay
there thinking Of what wss to DO. Ny scout
was at an end, and my chief object now was to
| get out Of the enemy's country Being unable
I 10 walk, resolved TO try what crawling could
DO. AS soon IS I thought it prudent I left the
bushes and commenced crawling in the diree-
ton Of Williamsburg I found it 3 very slow
and tedious business, sHd made very little bead
way, but still when I stopped for the night [
had crossed Skid creek, aud was very sesr tbo
Grove" That night l was tired and sore
enough, and nay hands were blistered and
swollen from crawling over the hard ground
I I had 3 friend living q short distance above the
ag-ovs - and fell that ff scaI5 roarh bia