The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1865-03-15
Mlistellameuns.
Rebel Account of the Capture of
Gems. Crook and Kelly at Cum
beTIand---Their Arrival in
RfchnrRnd.

Richmond.
From the Richmond Enquirer, February %.
The Yankee Generals Crook and Kelley,
and the Adjutant General of the former,
Thayer Melvin, arrived in Richmond yes
terday morning at two o'clock by the Cen
tral cars. As previously stated, these Off
GERS were captured in Cumberland, Mary
land, on Tuesday last, by Lieut. Mcneil aud
thirty men. From one of the party engag-
ed in this dashing and brilliant enterprise we
learn the following incidents of the capture
The party Crossed the Potomac in front of
the town at late hour OH the night of the
event, and captured the only sentinel to be
seen, induced him to divulgc the counter
sign. The main body of the detachment
was then posted in convenient position,
and the Lieutenant commanding, with sew
eral of the men, bodily rode into the town,
which was garrisoned by over four hundred
Federal troops. The headquarters of Gen.
Crook were at one hotel and those of Gen.
Kelley at another, and their locations being
duly made known by the captured sentinel,
the daring partisaus made their way to those
of the former, arriving just in front of
which the Lieutenant halted and inquired
of the sentinel if the, General was in.
Receiving an affirmative reply, he said he
had important dispatches for him, and dis
mounting, followed by his men, advanced to
the sentinel, gave the countersign, and pass
cd in. Upon entering the hotel, the squad
was received by an old negro woman, who,
it appears, was the "night clerk Of the es-
tablishment; and upon making known their
desire to be conducted to the room of Gen.
Crook. the old domestic looked at them and
remarked: ''well, you all is de strangest SOL
diers declare-you--you- must take
de light 20 selves and 60 fust. I'll piut de
room out to you | won't carry you dar,
nohow." Itdid not make any difference to
our bold cavaliers which method the old wo-
lead, and in moment or two were in front
left them. After several Intellectual raps a
response from within was obtained, and the
visitors were ordered to enter.
is this General Crook?' asked the Lieu
tenant, holding the light so as to give him
full view of the General, as he drowsily
looked at them from his bed.
"Yes; what do you want?' was the reply.
Il" said the Lieutenant, am General
Rosser," and, drawing pistol and present
ing it, added: Il have some very important
business with You, General Crook, and will
give you precisely two minutes to get up
and put on your clothes.
The bewildered general did not know how
to reply and did not dare to resist. He
saw at &lancc that it would be as useless as
dangerous to attempt escape by raising all
alarm, and he did not stop to solve the mys
terry of so unexpected call. He obeyed at
once, and gentle suggestion OF the propriety
of quiet being whispered in his ear, he pas
scd ont with his, escort as mute as a mummy.
On their egress they persuaded the sentinc!
on duty to follow them by inducements sim
liar to those submitted to the general, and,
making their prisoners mount behind them,
rode back to the main body. In the mean
time the second detachment rode up to the
quarters of General Kelly, where similar
scene occurred, and that officer was, in due
time. under guard. But the party was not
content. A>ccrtaining the quarters of the
adjutant- general, they gave him a passing
call, found him in bed with his wife, who
happened, oh, pity him, Benedicts, to be
blushing bride, and as peremtorily, but as
gently as possible under the circumstances,
succeeded in INITIATING him from his bliss
full bridegroom into amiserable poor devil Of
prisoner.
Thus Gaping the climax of the night
sport, the rendezvous was regained, and with
their prisoners riding behind them, the COM
mand recrossed the river, and sped away
through Hampshire. By some means the
affair was discovered soon after they left and
whole regiment pursued them to no pur-
pose for fifty miles. Upon being presented
to General Early at his headquarters in the
valley, the prisoners were received with the
homely, but, no doubt, acceptable greeting:
Take seats, gentlemen, presume you are
tired after your ride, ;" and then added the
hero of brilliant victories and stunning de-
feats, with an intensification of that fine,
tooth-comb popularity of his enunciation:
II expect some enterprising Yankee will
steal off with me in the same way one of
these days" Whether the prisoner relish
ed the joke or not, our informant failed to
dcpose. They were, doubtless, in no humor
for jokes. They are now in the Libby
Prison, where, it is hoped, they will be kept
until our gallant men arrested by them as
''guerrillas' and confined in chains and dun
geons on that pretense, are released.
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