Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-07-28

| there and taken everything they had. We
| had stayed near the house all day, and were
! at irst undecided whether to stop, but as
we we're emerging from the bushes, we heard
| a little girl singing, in a clear and distinct
voice, well known Union song. This quick
| II decided our course, but there were so ma
ny women and children about the house that
We did not consider it prudent to reveal our
true characters We were now twelve and
half miles from Ashville. We stopped at
tour different houses that night, on pretence
OF lnquiring the way to Ashville, and told
our Morgan story, before we got bread
enough to satisfy the cravings of hunger
several hundred cavalry had camped near,
ana ia ken everything the citizens had One
man who seemed to be wealthy and had
large plantation, told US that Confederate
money was worth nothing at all, and that he
had laid by little silver when the war COM
menced, with which he was at present en-
abled to buy his grain.
We-passed Ashville about daylight on the
10Th, leaving it little to the left The town
| CLOCK struck four just as we passed it, but we
pressed on about one-and-a-half miles and
lonnd but poor hiding place l cannot do
| better here than make short extract from
my notebook:
| "Most of the troops here seem to have been or
| dered to Richmond, there being only sufficient
| force IN town to guard the public works against
| bushwhackers, who abound in this neighborhoed
| Ihey keep Indians to hunt these men, though they
say even these willy savages dare penetrate far
| INTO the mountains in search of their prey. This
forenoon has been very disagreeable having rain
so as to wet US through and we have not been able
TO get any sleep, and, accordingng to app earances
the al ternoon will not be much better. To be con-
stanty wet and chilled to the bones, with little to
| eat and no sleep, does not put one in very good
| condition for travelling, but if only succeed in
reaching our lines, shall be fully repaid for all
| sufferngs.''
In the evening after we had travelled about
| two miles, We met man on horseback and
hid by the roadside but as he passed we
thought he was negro and hailed him, but
on nearer approach we found he was a re-
bel soldier. We enquired if this was the
road to huntsville, and he replied we could
go this way, though it was not the main road
After little commonplace conversation, he
remarked that he thought he knew who we
| We're, and we asked him whom he supposed.
He was afraid to speak at first, but we pro-
posed an agreement that neither should be-
| tray the other in case we differed, and both
parties pledged ourselves to this in bumper
from his canteen. He then became very free
and told US ne thought we were Yankees. We
| replied that he very good at guessing
and that we wanted all the assistance he
could give US. He expressed himself willing
to assist US and gave us information about
the roads, the Hunters" (hat is those who
hunt conscripts), of whom he had seen some
| that evening, and all about the soldiers sta
toned at huntsville, by whom they were
| commanded, how many companies there were
and the names of their commanders, and
where they were raised. Notwithstanding
the information received from him about the
roads, we lost our way that night and at last
| got entirely bewildered in the mountains, but
we finally struck path which we followed,
! and came to house about two o'clock in the
| morning
Here we passed ourselves off as belonging
to the I'd S. G. reg iment, stating that we had
| been prisoners, were exchanged and ordered
to our command, but that we were determin-
ed to see our families, who had moved to
| their folks above huntsville, and whom we
had not seen for over three years The la
dy of the house grew very enthusiastic over
| this determination and said we did Just right,
but that we must be careful or Capt. Parker,
| who had charge of the " Hunters " in that
section, would get hold of u.s. and then we
| would meet with no mercy. This Parker
she told us, Methodist preacher before
| the war, but now common thief and
! rObber. He had made "raid" into East
Tennessee and came back laden with silk
| dresses and other fine clothing for his wife
and children, which he had " captured" from
the Union people in that section. She told
us about the sufferings of her husband in the
army, and his anxiety to come home, and af-
| firmed that this was " the rich mans war and
the poor mans fight" OF course we depre-
Gated the war We told her that, h wing
been prisoners in the North, we knew some
thing of the resources Of the Yankees and
that it was entirely useless to fight against
them, for they would whip us in the end at
any rate. In this she agreed with us, and
| thought any more fighting the mere useless
slaughtering of men. She told us of many
| acts Of cruelty that had been committed by
the " Hunters and impressment officers in
that section, and invoked special vengeance
upon the people of Ashville for their mean
ness, and wished the Yankees would come
and take possession of the place.
| After receiving directions as to the Burns
| vile road, we went our way with well filled
stomachs, but travelled only couple of miles
before day overlook US, and we had to put
up. When we started again in the evening
we stopped at the first house, and finding on
ly women and children we told the story of
our families whom we were so longing to see,
and who were pining at our absence, and ex-
|
| ing the loved ones at home. We were as
successful as the night before, except that
we got nothing to eat, for they had nothing.
| We were directed to Union man, however.
| to whom we revealed our true characters,
| and were gladly welcomed and entertained.
| and given directions for our Journey. Here
we also made out furlough for each of us.
stating that we belonged to Capt Fortunes
company, and signed by that worthy officer
and approved by Major Roberts, commanding
| the post at huntsville. The furlough was out
that night and we must reach our command
the next night at the very latest for fear of
| being reported as deserters.
| We were now on dangerous ground and
must resort to every stratagem in our power,
in case of necessity. For men whose politics
We did not know, and soldiers, we had our
furloughs with the ladies we had run away
g true blue " were real live Yankees. Nor
gan's command had "played out" after we
| passed Ashville.
On the night Of the 2Sth we again missed
our way and travelled some seven or eight
miles for nothing, but at house where we
! stopped to inquire, we We're fortunate
enough to get loaf of bread, and also, in a
roundabout way, some important information
relative to a man living not hundred miles
from huntsville, and in whose welfare we
were particularly interested at that time, so
we really felt ourselves well paid for our ex-
ira travel. In the morning, as we were hunt
| ing our retreat we came across an onion
patch and took a few with US for our break
fast but dared not take many for fear of dis
covery. At night when we went out again,
however, we cleaned the onion patch out
thoroughly, and set down to supper of plen-
ty of raw onions without salt, and small al
L.. &C Tho az he