, 1864-10-27
THE ROMANCE OF THE MI !.
SUU&k1 KAkDs
bold Capture OF Rebel Picket Guard
-fF1ce's Army scared by
Thirty men.


Especial Correspondence Of the No. Denocratl
=. JxKTEAsoH CITY. Oct. q, 1864.
/ The following tower true tsle'' might
bare been told a week ago, but have been
waiting to tell 1t truly, knowing that 1t par
takes greatlY Of the marvellous. OF the cor.
1ectness Ct every particular hAve salts aed
m5seit perfectly. The hero, Capt. Raocoke,
was Major In the Home Guards at the COM
meucement OF the war, and afterwards Ma
jor In the E. u. ~, from which position be
was removed by GOV. Gamble, through the
ibfiuepce Of Col Flesh, commanding the reg
:Iment, for being Radical BE il, besides
being q worthy AID most reliable citizen, a
man Of great decision OF character. courage
and selfIeliance, and be possesses, in pecu-
Danton; "-Audace, audace, toulonrs au-
dace !".
On the 7th instant, Capt. r. J. Babcoke,
being In command Of militia company, or
ganized under Order 1o7, was returning
men, mounted. having been sent to the for
mer place With dispatches from Gen. Brown
to Gen. Mcneil. Abont twelve miles
from Jefferson City he came upon rebel
plcket-grard Of thirteen men, including
Captain and Lieutenant, at q farm house,
part OF the party being inside the house.
Thinking bold course the better one under
the clrcnmstascea, be rode up to the sentinel
in the road with the greafest coolness, and
when the sentinel halted him, he said. in 8
commanding tone, "Halt, yourselfp' and
assumed such an authoritative air, that the
rebels supposed him to be QUE OF the officers
1t must be remembered that Price's rebels
Are sometimes clothed By whole companies
In Federal uniform. The rebels, thus thro IN
of their guard, permitted Captain Babcoke
us the house was surrounded, Capt. Babcoke
told the whole party Of rebels to surrander,
In such tones Is told them they were sold.
He had men that be could rely upon, and be
ordered them to shoot down any rebel that
attempted to move or use his gun, The reb.
els ontside. Of the house dropped theis guns,
and those inside, seeing the house aurroan-
ded- surrendered at dlacretion. The horses
Of the rebels were hitched at some distance
In the woods; these the Captain sent for,
and mounting bis prisoner@tWo officers and
eleven men-sta1 ted for Jefferson City.
THIS capture WAS within one mile Of Price's 8
main column, and Captain Blbcoke SOON
thing''-the point was to s'keep it.'' But
the mind that conceived the capture Of the
reoel outpost Was fertile In expedients. He
| placed his prisoners tn the front, and started
to go around the rebel army, which lay be-
| the Usage several times, and made number
| OF narrow escapes from running directly in
| to the rebel ltaes. He was tangled ID the
bends Of the Usage, like Mr. Raymond In the
"elboWs of the Mlncio," at the battle OF
3olferlno. But he knew the country, and
succeeded In ef1ectually dodging the whole
| rebel army.
On the ne1t day after the capture Of his
| prisoners, While riding down hill he saw a
| rebel company deEce ndLng hill opposite,
aud coming towards him, be conceived that
| his Bafet1 lay In boldneas, aud with his thirty
| men ard thirteen prisoners, he charged On
! the rebel company with q yell, and draVe
| them back. Each prisoner had two or more
men especially to LOOK after him as well as
| after the eLemy In front, and the captured
rebs, instead OF being an tncum 5erance, were
| an advantage, as they helped to swell the
| numb Of Captain Babcoke's force, aud
| make It apr ear more formidable. No sooner
! bad he got the rebs in fopt Of him on the
| sseda6dle than he made sudden detour by
| by-path, and got into tho brush. It was
| afterwards aace1tained that the skedadlera
reported to Price that the Federals Were ad-
yaDctpg In force in their rear, and he had hts
s5%y t5e?y drawn mp y line Of battls to meet
l. The rebels were hunting for Captain Bah
coke for ak da3e, knoning be could not have
| reached the Federal forces at Jefferson City
The brave men Of bis company had q ted1ou:
time camping out nights, and Between guard
] ing their prisoners and keeping watch oul
| for the eneIny, they had little time for sleep.
| Six days and s1x nights were thus passed,
| when Captain Babcoke and hts faithful band
| eafe1y arrived In Jefferson City, and delivered
| to General Brown their thirteen prisoners,
| who are now safely confined here.