Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1867-04-04
TOWANDA, BRADFORD COUNTY, PA, APRIL 4, 1867.

me to halt, and | discovered half a
dozen rebel cavalry under shed.
rode toward them, but was stopped
again.
Halt Who are you 2"
Dewey" l answered, thinking it
likely that an advanced party like
this would know the name.
Yes-that's him !" two or three
cried out, and ! joined them under
the shed They all seemed to recog-
nize me as Drake Dewey, and gath
cred around, inquiring eagerly for
Bascomb | told them that he had
fallen into the hands of the Yankees,
and | had had a narrow escape and
showed them ball-hole through the
skirt of the jacket, which l had made
before leaving camp. Then | told
them / had important news, which
must be carried to camp immediate
| ly, and two of them volunteered to
go with me So found myself known
as rebel soldier, and riding to the
rebel camp with rebel comrades. We
were stopped several times on the
way by rebel guards, when we had
to show our passes, mine proving per-
fectly satisfactory in every instance.
Twice | met soldiers who nodded to
me with, "How are you Drake ?" and
the inquiries for Bascomb were re-
peated gathered enough along the
way to satisfy me that Dewy and
Bascomb were both expert scouts at
tached to General Early's head
quarters, and that both had left
Woodstock the morning before, with
the intention of getting inside the
Union lines.
"The headquarters are over there
on The hill to the left" one OF my
companions said. "Tney were chang
ed last night
They left me, and | rode straight
up through the camp to the headquar-
ters tent, dismounted, and asked the
orderly to admit me. I" am Drake
Dewey" ] said, zone of the scouts"
He went inside and spoke to the
General, and | was Immediately ush-
cred into the presence of the Bad
Old Man." as they called him. He
was sitting by camp table, calcu-
lating with pencil and paper, Look
ing up, he fixed his keen eye on me
and said -
"You are one of the two that |
saw last night? Yes Then tell
me everything that has happened to
you, and all you have discovered"
| | repeated over the story that l
had pretty well prepared in my mind.
1t was that Bascomb and | had fall
en- in with federal cavalry patrol,
ljust north of Strasburg, about dusk /;
that he was taken prisoner, and that
| had saved myself by hard ride,
the Yankees pursuing me to Fishers
Hill, and firing at me repeatedly.
The General seemed disappointed
that | could tell him no more, and
wished to know if had talked with
the people of Starsburg said yes.
Well, did they say anything about
Sheridan Had he gone to Wash
ington ?-and did they think the
Sixth corps was in the Valley yet !?
| told him that had discovered moth
ing whatever, and that the people
knew, or pretended to know, nothing
about the Yankee army. He seemed
more disappointed by my reply, and
after two or three more questions,
dismissed me. If | had been driven
hard, | suppose | should have in
ven'ed something ; but as it was, |
got off without telling word, truth
or lies, about our army. You may
better believe | felt much more COM
Portable after found myself outside
| tue tent
This was about week before the
18th. | went to work carefully and
cautiously, learned the names and
faces of everybody around head
quarters, found out what was gener-
ally expected of me, and began to
observe everything and remember
what saw and heard After three
days, was satisfied that the impo-
sition was 50 perfect that | need
have no fear for myself, and so COM
menced to ride around among the
camps. 1t was not long before |
saw that something unusual was
afoot learned that two or three
new divisions had just come up from
Staunton, and concluded from the
| looks of all the camps that there
were not less than twenty thousand
men present One day Union safe
guard was brought in, who had been
protecting some property near Stras-
burg He was asked the same ques-
tion that had been, and declared
that Sheridan was absent. and that
the Sixth corps had left for Grants
army the week before He told Just
half the truth !; the Sixth were still
with Sheridan, as | knew well. The
man was most likely one of those
stupid younkers who never pretend
to know much.
However, | believe that General
Early had made up his mind before,
that the Sixth corps had left, and
that this mans report confirmed his
belief. That ! listened in safe
place outside his tent, and heard him
and his Generals arranging the plan
of an.attack on the Union position.
They talked it over just as it happen
ed afterward that the army should
cross the Shenandoah, leaving a res
erve to bring the artillery down the
pike, at the right time, creep around
the Marsanutten, cross the river in
rear of our left, and attack before
daylight. | wanted to laugh at the
whole plan at first, it seemed so ab-