The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-10-03

Among the most remarkable adventures
perpetratsd during the present war, is that
related of Charles II. Smith, private of
the 4th Iowa Cavalry, which is as follows :
He started with his regiment on Col.
Winsiow's expedition to Grenada, and was
captured by the rebels at that place Aug.
18th. He remained their prisoner for four
days, walking in that time a distance OF
eighty miles, in state of semi-starvation.
On the evening of the 2lst they halted
about shutdown, and put up for the night
in an old school house, situated ten miles
west of West Point, on the road leading
from West Point to Grenada. The school
mouse had a door on each side, chimeny
in one end and window without frame
or shutter in the other. They barricaded
the window with desk convenient, bar
red the eastern door and stationed a guard
in the other. When it had come sleeping
time the 4ankees-six in all-were allot.
ted that portion next the chimney, while
the Butternuts-twenty in thunderstorm
pied the other end; line was designated
across which no one must pass Charlie
lay down without removing any of his
clothes, Intending to lay awake and watch
for an opportunity to escape, but WEAKNESS
OF body overcame the resolution, and he
Tell asleep. But he awakened between one
and two o'clock and saw the guard sitting
IN the door smoking his pipe and convers-
ing with the corporal of the guard, who was
sitting by the fire outside. Slipping off his
boots and gathering his hat, haversack and
canteen, he crept over the sleeping "chiv
airy" up on to the desk and let himself
quietly down and out al the window, reach
ing terra trina in safety. A splendid horse
was tied to a tree at the end of the house,
six or seven feet from where his doughty
master and several companions were
sleeping. A saddle and bride were found
on the window after considerable feeling
around, which a few moments sufficed to
put them in their place, a moment more to
lead the horse thirty yards and mount him.
Six days sufficed to place him inside the
Yankee lines at Lagrange, Tennessee,
nearly two hundred miles being travelled
in that time. In passing through the Con-
tederacy he avoided all towns and stations
at which troops were quartered though
with all his precaution he several times
came near running into their camps, only
escaping by the greatest good fortune. He
met small squads of shotgun gentlemen
nearly every day. 10 these and to the
citizens, he passed himself off for paroled
prisoner beloring McCullock's COM
mand, ga Mo- and going home to see his
Old Mother for the first time since the war
broke out. Charlie considers the capture
OF the horse capital joke. It's proprietor
belonged to the 18th Miss. reg, and was
home on a furlough, when Winslow COM
=. AZ, ~ save us morse ana nlInSell, ne
followed Chalmers when ne skedaddled |
from Grenada. He was now going to Me-
rldlan to join his regiment, intending to
get some patriotic friend to keep his horse |
sacred from the Yankee touch On the
road he would stop at houses and get
peaches, pears, watermeleons, dinners &c, |
then crow over his less fortunate comrades
who were obliged to foot it. Charlie thinks
that on the morrow, while the cavalry man
dismounted, is trudging through the mud
ana the infantry man mounted, is content
edly winding through the intricacies OF the
swamp, he hears the tones Of knocking
sympathy comforting him for his unfor-
tunate fall. Although Charlie is not nat
ural born Yankee, he has been with them
so long that he is quite able to take hand
at their tricks.