Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1866-12-14

back to strOngly-intrenched position.
Our headquarters were pitched close
to the line of battle. Aroused from
deep sleep by the heavy musketry- -fir-
ing which had reOpened with the
dawn Of day, l stepped out from my fly
tent, plunged my head in a bucket OF
water, ard as my face emerged from
Z the refreshing bath IL met a queer
looking figure which was dressed, OF
rather, not dressed, but partially GOV
cred with what extreme courtesy or
extreme poverty might call clothes
An old pair of boots which use and III
use had deprived of heels and rent
into shreds a pair of trOWseFs, short
and close fitting, since they were orig
inally made for a bog of some ten
years of age; coatless and hatless :
his face close shaved; his head hair
less-a sorry-looking figure altogether,
who might have been taken for a
rebel prisoner if he were not at liberty
in the camp of the general command
ing
How are you Major ?"
Looking earnestly at the man. whose
person was entirely unknown to me, at
least in that shape, I replied You
have the advantage of me, sir; who
are you any how
I'm Duncan.
Duncan? With all my heart I'm
glad to see you. But when. how.
where-that is, when did you come in
how did you get through the lines, and
where have you been this week past p
And thus this brave man told his
own story from the point where We
left him on the the road just out of
Eayettville
We'll. Major, I've had tough time
Of it. The rebs ehuckled a good deal
when they caught me. They said 7
shouldn't get away this time, sure, and
so they handcuHed me TO another man.
Hot, ugly work It was, marching in
the sun. bareheaded, along those roads.
For the first few days We had strong
guard, and although / had found out
that / could slip my hand through the
iron ring, which must have been made
fer negro, yet / thought it a risky
business to make a run -fsE-it. But
a chance came when we were passing
through that thick growth Of bushes
in the swamp back here a piece. about
a days march, [ reckon. F."
Il remember the place, said [.
We'll, when my guards turned their
heads [ slipped the iron and made a
clean jump for the bushes. Crack.
crack, crack. Three shots before I
had gone ten feet. All of them came
near enough. but all missed me. Ten
feet more and I was up to my arm pits
in the softest of soft mud. Turning
my head, I had the exquisite pleasure
ofgazing into the muzzle of a gun bar
rel. Nov you needn't shoot, old fell
low, said I If I can get out I'll come
along quiet enough"
''I suppose it was the perfectly mat
ter of-fact way of stating the situation
that induced the reb to raise his piece
again. That was a bold push O.
yourn, said johnny.
Yes; but you'd do as much to get
free, would you
Y-a-s-cum along I"
so I went along, a miserable and
muddy object, till we reached a little
place near Raleigh, where we we're
turned over TO a strong detachment of
the milish good fellows enough,
but they couldn't keep me prisoner ;
and so / told the boys when we we're
locked up in close room in we'll
guarded house.
1T was cold that day, and we clam
ored a great deal. swearing that they
meant to freeze US. So they brought
us in some wood.
They had examined all the doors
when we were first brought in. and
stationed guards at the lonly possible
places of cape-that is all the places
they saw; but / noticed a closet in the
room You know all these Southern
houses are built upon posts, or piers,
several feet above the ground. When
the wood was brought in the boys made
a good deal of noise breaking up the
wood, while / was tearing up the floor
in the closet.
An opening was soon made. Agree
ing upon the route we we're to take
outside, one BY one we slipped eau
tiously through the floor, and, at a
given signal, rushed out. One of the
guards caught me by the leg as | crept
out from under the house He was
frightened, as he had a right to be,
and dropped his gun, which he ought
not to have done I seized the gun
here it is-jumped over the fence and
put for the woods at my very best gait.
A dozen shots or so were fired at one
or the other, or all of us; but | think
all have escaped.
"Of course [ travelled for this army,
which [ knew ought to be somewhere
in this region. An ordinary runaway,
or one new to the business, would have
pushed away from the rebel front
but I've been in the same scrape be-
fore now, and have learned the ropes.
I met lots of rebel stragglers trying to
get away from the fight / came
through the lines last night without
much risk, but somewhat disguised"
so [ should think, said l wonder
ing if he considered himself some
what" disguised, how would he look
when he was completely Disguised.
Jolly that isn't it nOw?" eontin-
ued Duncan ''Since I left Fayetteville
those cursed thieves have stolen the
clothes off my back three times-as Of
ten as / could beg or buy new suit.
But here / am safe and sound, aud
they viii have a hard fight before they
! catch me again.
Duncan subsequently captured fort
/ which covered the crossing of COx'S
/ bridge over the Neuse. He did good
! service at the battle of Bentousville
| Where he now IS or'what he is doing,
/ do not know. / am very sure there
are few men who have run the gauDt-
let of greater dangers, have showr
! truer patriotism, more exalted hero
| ism, or who have accomplished more
active individual service in the army
than Duncan, who, when [ last saw
him, still wore the shoulder-straps o
\ a captain Harper Weekly.
Importance of Advertising.
1 The following from the Pittsburg
Gazette, a sketch Of a business houst
/ =. - - - - L. .ll..-a-.A 40 IN