Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1869-01-01
Gen. esrct.snan'. narrow
Escape. ~


A correspondent Of the Augusta
Ga.,) Ocnsfttutionaiist tells the fol-
low ing story:
One moraing, how II matters not,
four Of my company, myself among
the numIer, found ourselves among
the wilde of South Carolina, without
aus knowledge of tho country, scpa-
rated from our command and having
an idea that Sherman's advanced
guard was close TO US, but in what di
rectlon we could not tell, as We We're
utterly a. u ioss. Hunger Is n guest
that uses very little ceremony iu irls
visits, and the little fellow was
Knocking ut our breast very rGdciy,
anu clanlorously asserting his pres
ence. He was not to be- put 10 silence
aud 80 for peace sake we determined
10 grant Ills request. AS II to try IL.
no sooner had we begun to search,
for food than we came to n by.patli
which brancbcd of to the right of
the road we were travelling. 1t look.
ed promising, aud looking down a
leAfy vista, we uisccrncd about 800
wards Oft, uGn,istakabie signs of n
farm house, and as q thing OF course,
u land flowing with milk und honey.
So deter cimined TO stand the hazard
of the DIE we filed oif down the
road to bicakfaSt. We found small
farm house INHABITED by widow,
whose two sons had been killed In
Virginia, and who with four or tive
faithful slaves, still managed to keep
her little farm In good order. Wei.
coming us, for ''the sake of the gray"
as she said, we were soon seated ON
the grass plat, enjoying good
though homely meal, and under the
Influence oy her excellent but,ermil!,
corn bread, and fried chicken, were
rapidly becoming reinvigorted.
Suddenly confusion of voices
sounded near us, aud l caught tile
rleam of sabers and bright uniforms
cavalrymen In dark blue thundered
down toward US. Evidently they
had not seen us. A word and touch
aud all four OF Us WAS In the adjofn-
iGg thicket, awaiting their approach.
They galloped up, and ordering
break fast, sal down upon bench to
await Ii. 1 felt q touch on my
aud looking up saw n pale
face near my own with eyes turned
In constrained manner toward al
officer on the bench. "R-------," the
lips whispered almost inaudibiy,
now Is the time 10 end the war.
Yonder sits General Sherman"
WAS 40 utterly taken back by surprise
ta,at ] did not nt first comprehend
him, but gradually as gazed on the
officer pointed out to suc, j began to
uudeystnna That taIe SOsitil's greutest
and most powerful, enemy, sihe one
who was rapidly wiping her out of
existence rs nation, who held her
fate, as IL were, In the hollow Of his
hand, who had done her more evil
In pLe month than all his predeces-
sors had accomplished la % iaaBy
years, was sitting there serene and
within reach OF my car
bine. / mt once commenced cautious
ly TO unloosing IL. The fate of the
perhaps hung on that
moment when ut this length OF
time I think upoL the awful inter
ests that were mt stake, my brain
reels aud grow faint. The General
arose uncnn scious of his peril, and
walked with rapid military trend
into tl,e house, followed by his staff,
and very soon we could see them
through the open window engaged
la ca ing breakfast. i was complete
ly batlied, aud had no opportunity,
nor had any OF us to renew our at.
tempts, as "a body Of cavalry soon ar
rived. before whom we thought IL
prudent to retire, and accordingly
made sudden retreat.