Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1865-10-28
Scouts.

Scouts.
The service rendered the South by yolun-
teer scouts has. often been of the most in,por.
tant character. One stormy night early in
the war, young woman set out from garri-
'soned town to visit sick uncle residing. q
short distance in the country. Thesick uncle,
mounting his horse at midnight, rode twenty
miles in the rain, to Forests headquarters.
The result was, the Important town of Mur-
frecsboro, and promising maior-general, fell
into the hands Of the Confederates; and all
because the said major general permitted a
pretty woman to pass his lines on +" mission
of mercy" ~.
At another time rebe citizen, protesting
disgust with secession for having the weak
lfcss to be on it's last legs" took the oath Of
allegiance and assumed the Union uniform.
Informing himself fully of the disposition of
our forces along the Nashville railroad, he
suddenly disappeared to reappear with Basil
Duke aud John Morgan in aH1ridnight raid
on the suinbering outposts.y;
Again, column on the march came unon
a wrctched woman with child in her arms,
seated by the dying cmbers Of burning home,
stead burning, she said, because her sole
and only friend, her uncle, (thcse ladies sell
dom have any nearer kim "stood up street for
the kentry" No American soldier ever re-.
fused a 'lift to a woman in distress. This
woman was soon lifted into an empty saddle
by the side Of a staff officer, who, with MANY
wise winks and knowing mods, was discussing
the intended,SSoute of the expedition with a
brother simpBton A little further on the
woman suddenly remembered that another
uncle, who did not stand up quite so 'stret
tor the kentry,' and consequently had a,house
still standing up for him, lived splumb up
thet ar hill ter the right O the high road
She was set down, the column moved on,
and-Streight's wcll-planned expedition mis-
carried. But no one wasted tl!cugkt en- the
1orlorn woman and the sallow baby whose
skinny faces were SO long within earshot of
the wooden-headcd staff officer
Means quite as ingenious and quite as Gu
rous were often adopted to conceal DISPATCHES.
when the messenger was in danger of capture
by an enemy. A boot, with hollow heel a
fragment of corn pone, too stale to te,npt n
starving man; strip of adhesive plaster over
fostering wound, or ball of cotton wool
stuffed into the ear to keep out the west wind,
often hld message whose discovery would
ma have cost life, and perhaps endangcra an army.
The writer himself has seen the hollow half
eagle which bore to Burnsides' belcaeuered
force the WELCOME tidings that in thirty hours
Sherman would deliver Knoxville, q
The perils WHICH even the native scout
encountered can only be estimated by those
familiar with the vigilance that surrounds an
army. The casual meeting with an acouain.
tance, the slightest act inconsistent with his
assumed character, or the smallest incongruity
between his speech and that of the district to
which ne protested to belong, has sent many
a good nan to the gallows. One of the best
Of Rosecrans' scouts---a native of East Ken
tucky-lost his life because lie would ebounce'
(mount) his nag, pack (darry) his gun eat
his bread dry So (without butter,) and
zguzzael hsspeck o whiskey,' in the midst Of
Bfagg,s camp, when nosuch things were done
there nor in the mountains ofaAlabama.
whence he professcd to come. Acquainted
only with narrow region, tho poor fellow
did not not know that every Southern district has
iFs own dialect Atlantic Monthly