Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1869-08-27

For the Delaware Gazette.
SKETCHES FROM THE JOURNAL

i OF A FITZPATRICK SCOUT.
! Previous to the taking Of Louisville
: Georgia, by Sherman. General Kilp2f
rick IeGviBg Sherman and his infantrl
Tar In his rear boldly crossed tn
Shoals of the Ogeechee 20. miles abovl
Louisville and after two days of hare
marching and still harder fighting cap
tured WayuesbnrO and began the des
iruction of the R. r. between Auguat'
and Savannah.
The move was doubtless n bold one
and the situation of the commaud wa.
perilous from the fact that the enemy
were concentrating their entire streng
bnth at Augusta above and Millsn be.
10 ", with view II possible of check.
mating Sherman.
The rebel General Wheeler was in XII.
patriok's immedia late front with a large
body OF rebel cavalry and if reinforced
20 any extent either from Mtllen o.
Augusta, he would be able to cope with
kllpatEtck in an encounter nr force him
o relinquish bis hold on Augusta, nd
tall back on SheFman'g infantry which
was Bu Imposed to be ct LouisviliR at the
time Waynesboro was occupied. Kill
patrick at encs saw his position and
xnew it to be q dangerous oRe and be-
i {an TO f0Ftify or rather strengthen his
position by barricRdIng and throwing
/ up light sarthworks suppOninR that he
lcOuld hold his position until Sh0rman's e
/ tufAuErY COuAQ come up
We were ordered to report at once al
/ KilpHtrick'S Headquarters. We were
/ 'lshered into private room and soon
/ the General made his appearance and
l sremed to be omeWhat excited
In as few words as possible we Werf
instructed to proceed to Loursvilie, iu-
sorm Sherman OF bis siEustiOn and ask
that aid be sent him as soon IS possible.
We asked that the request be reduced
10 writing. The General refused on the
ground, az he alleged, that there might
oe possibility that ( would bs eapEur-
ID and in that event the enemy Would
become apprised OF his situation.
Invent back to my own quarters.
with some very strange fOFebOdinRs
yassing through my mind. I had long
/ served as a scout but for the first time.
/ visions Of Incarceration, and starvation
n some rebel dungeon flashed wildly
tbFough my mind. We had aIwaYs
+coutPd in rebel uniform and we now
resolved TO don no other although we
knew if we were caught inside the
k'eDel lines and were detected death
| would inevitably be our fate. The uu-
/ dertakIng was rendered still more dan
| EeTous from the fact that to reach Sher-
nan we had TO pass over a scope
country hitherto untraversed by OuI
army and over which rebel refugees
and squads Of rebel cavalry were con-
.tHntly p aNEing or rather fleeing before
he redOubtable battallionB Of she Uni
ON army.
It WRG late in the evening whom we
breceived our orders. supper WIS hastily
prepared and eaten, my horse had been
ed and saddled, pistol carefully re-
loaded, and having selected three trnsty
couts nom the command, At eight o.
clock we lPaped into our saddles and
Started on our not long, but dangerous
ide: On we dashed in the direction o
the line OF SheFmRD'R infantry BY the
next morning and if possible secure
the aid desired. f
ALI went merry as a marriage bell
snntil about two O'Clock the next morn
'ng, when refining mp at a bHrnyard W.
iismOunted and handing the reins Of
my hOrEe's bFidle to one OF my men
walked in with view Of examining
9Om0 hOrRes that appeared tn be loose
IN the yard. Judge of our surprise
when We found ourselves right in the
midst of a detachment of Rebel cavAi-
". Fortunately the mist of them
were Hsleep. However, finding that We
we're discovered by one or two, we sa-
luted them with hRlIoo aud at the
~anle time inquired if they were
WheeleF's cayslry, We were answer
al ia The affirmative. The rebels in
turn asking to what canmRpd we be-
lOnGed We answered .Whepler's, At
FEe same time monnted and moved
silently away whietling an air Of per.
lect cQntentment.. Under any other
circumstances We would have Rlorisd
Ia this opportunity TO attack them but
not being familiar with the couutrV we
were In, Gnd being surrou nded hy the
anemy, az we supposed, and not wish
ing tn be eDcumbs4red with pFisoriers
we moved on, hoping shortly to he
within haiIinR distance OF friends.
Morning found us within eight miles
Il Lnuisyille and at the same time
brought ms within full view of body
pf hOrAemen Immediately in our mont /
They we're ali mounted and prepared to
move IN some direction, but hesita'in0
which course to puFAue, we supposed
hat they were party df rebel bush l
WhackeFs who were there f0F the pllr-
'ONa Of haEPassinR General Sherman,
picketa, and that We would capture
them and take them into camp. As we
approached thay viewed US rather zsuR-
OioiOuslY, aud had they opened IRE 40
on as doubtless it would have been 70
Jur advantage to have rot out of the |
way asafaFt as good hoFge-feBh- could
have carried sHas However we rode
boldly up.fOstham and 10 an instant
suaiched our Distnls from our hoIatert
and demanded n surrender. They very
generously complied with the Yrequesf |
md only asked that they ba allowed
be poor privilege OF sending their |
Nriends 3 ft51K fiC8ss 70 inform them SSf 1
4
ing completed, we moved on with our
prisoners. eight in all, PxneotinE evRr' /
moment to be halted by Sherman's ad- |
vance.
IN this we were doomed to the sad.
lest disappointment. Every few mo-
nents we would meet sometimes one |
sometimes two aud even three rebel /
-nldiers in squad moving South. /
These we Woud csnture a. we did the /
arsG by allowing them TO approach rs. |
when suddenly, aud u tbeif ufla0aG as |
tpnishmepts We draw our pistols anr /
politely inform them that they were /
priEnuera Of war.
When we bad approached within two
miles Of Louisville we had captured |
swenty prisoners, all told, and but fouI 1
Of US to guard them, and that too righi /
in the enemy's lines.
It was evident that Sherman had not |
vet Occupied louisville. we halted /
and. having ascertained from one o. /
he prisoners that Wheeler still held
louisville with one brigade Of cavalry
We resolved not to demand q formal /
surrender of the place but to change |
Ogeechee above Louisville. We de-
,ided 70 aband0n eur prisoners, as ouI 4
situation was growing more and more |
perilous, and IL now appeared that the /
matter had been reduced to a question l
If life or death If gEFeagot caught. We
LUX AOuN VI sAAG BGEk AAQI6co OuE pEA5-
0neFs had and bidding them good. bye. /
dashed into the forest, marehing in . /
northerly direction, hopeing to make
he shoals of the Ogeechee crossing, i
Is Fitzpatrick had done two days be- /
fore. - afooa
soon, however, we ran right into the
faces Of another body of rebel cavalry, |
who at once suspected as and gave |
shase. 1t was q ride for life, the rebels !
keeping up a random fire all the time.
Occasionally we would wheel in our |
saddles and give them q few Shots
Chis only irritated them, and they |
yelled the louder, fired the more, and |
rode the harder. My horse proved to /
be an inferior one. The rebels gaining |
rapidly, there was no alternative Ieft |
1ut to abandon my horse and take to |
the woods. At one bound 1 cleared my /
saddle, and lit some eight or ten feet !
in the brush now considered my |
chances for life as good almost as /
oheirs,F However, one took possession |
Of horse, and the balance pursued nay |
Al 4.