The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1867-02-19

III IL nfN
S15O per Aunttmi. 81 = fsf fsce.
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a ilo W I
ul4ae ere leaving eut 1na
h am t nHt en
which ~ bs car1cs q camp mue
I.ataiy. aad t0l ~ ghtm volunteered %
w sth m 80 favnA tti kuenu
"a "a rebel soldier and rniiag 81 the
rebel camp Vi,h rokel cQmgedee We
were pped several times "a ihe way
hy rebel guards when we ha3ia show
oar pacs nllue proving Fericc Is sat
IN. atofs s. oyc4Y instance Ivec I
met s5'diers Who nodded % u4o With,
Ilow are 48u Dea mad the meul
rla far Bassamb w6ra repeated j
gathered enough along ihe way to sat-
n nie that Dewey ana hasrwh wcgo
hotb oEpar scouts attached tc General
Earg boadpgattgr tnd that beth had
leH Woodstock the morning before
with The intention e getting inside tic
Union lines
"1he headquarters are over thcre on
The bin to the left one of my coinpan-
ions said They we're chaneed last
night"
They lcft me, and J rode et'aieht up
through tho camp % the headqurter
tent dismouutrdand eshed the orderly
is admit me I an Duke Dewey 1
i5 cone Of the eoutes he went in
side and spoke to 20 5ho General, end
K uas immediately ushercd into tie
presence of DE Bad 0ld Man, as they
called him. He was sitting by camp
table calculating with q pencil and pa
per Looking up, he fixed his keen cyc
on me and said
"You are one Of The two that ! saw
last night2 Acs2 Then tell me every
thing Chat hos happened 70 YOU, and all
you hayc discovered
Ircpcatcd over the story that | had
pretty well prepared in my mind il
vas. That Bascomb and / had fallen IN
With q federal cavairy patrol, just north
of Strasburg, about dusk; that he was
taken prisoner, ond That ] had saved
myself by a hard ride, the Yankees pur-
snine nae to Fishers Hin, and firing az
ne repeatedly The General seemed
disappointed that / could tell him no
more, and w ished to know if | he'd
talked with the people Of Strasburg. |
sad YES. Well, did they say anything
about Sheridan? Had he gone to
Washington and did they think the
Sixth corps Ia the Valley yet? | told
I HIN that | had discovered nothing
whatever and that the people knew, or
pretended to know nothing about the
Yankee army. He seemed more disap-
pointed BY my reply, and after two or
three mdra questions dismissed me
IIf / had been driven hard, i sUppose
should have invented something, but as
| it vas, ] got off without telling word,
truth IL lies, about oar army You
may better holieyeo felt much more
tcomfoFtaba after ! found myself vat
side the tent.
This was about d week before thc
I19th. I went TO work carefully and
cautiously, learned the names and faces
Of everybody around headquarters,
i found out what was generally expected
Of me, and began 80 observe everything
and remember what / saw aud heard
After thee days, | was satisfied that the
imposition was So perfect that / need
have no fear for myself, and so com
i meuced to ride around among the
camps Il was not long before ] saw
that something unusual was afool
learned that two or three new divisions
/ had Just come mp from Staunton, and I
concluded from the looks Of al the
camps that there were not less than
! twenty thousand men present. One
day Is Union safeguard was brought in,
who had been protecting some proper
/ ty near Strasburg lie was asked the
same questions that / had been, and
declared that Sheridan was absent and
TINT the Sixth corps had left for GraDt'a
army the week before. lie told lust
+ half the truth the Sixth were still With
Sheridan, as I know we'll The mnn
was most likely one q these stupid
Yankees who never pretend to know
much
However, | believe that General Ear
lly had made up bis mind, before, that
1 the Ssxth corps bad left, and that this
mans report confirmed his Lelief
That nicht ! listened in q safe place
outside his tent, and heard him aud bis
Generals arrange the plan oi M attack
on The Union position They talked il
over Just as It happened alterYardi
4 that thc army should cross tho Shenan-
doah, leaving reserve t. bring the
artillery down tho pike, az The right
I time. creep around TIE Marsanutteh
cross the river ia rearo Of 9nf left and
4 attack before daylight ! wanted %
4 auehat the whole plan, at first, 4 secm-
i "A IS absurd ard iapo6 .Lle: bat ne
thag eanliHacd ID Giscnsa les l hegan
4 to tbiul that it 8as one of those iool-
/ hardy exploits which oar people would
noycr suspect. and might perhaps, sue
ceod where 4 Tees risky plan would be
certain 10 fal A aA events, / erea
alarmed, tbs more hoard u it and re-
+ g,s1r.ff =, lg.1re E4p ftA Er-ru EFae 4s