The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1876-03-30
Written for the News.
Experience of an Anderson
Vile Prisoner In Dixie.
OUR TRIP TO pLsAsAxr VALLEY.
II o. III.

| - .rerrrls
OUR TRIP TO PLEAsAHT VALLEY.
While we are getting under head
way 1 will give the names Of my com
rades who we're SO unlucky as to
start on eonpnlsoryyoyage through
Dixie: Henry Fry, George Lnndis
James Moore, John Fawkes, William
Marooney, William Painter, William
Spittles, Company d, Cavalry; JAS
Baker and John Hnmgulder, Com
pony C, First Regiment III. NJ. In.
fantry, and your humble servant.
After we got fairly out on the road,
DIR. Colman called .sne 20 ride up to
the 'front.', as he wanted to ride with
me. He said he believed there wes
more 'tgab" in me than any Of the
rest of the boys. l rode up along
side of him, and he opened up a
conversation in regard to the war.
He asked me if I thought the South
corld ever conquer the North, and /
told him I believed that they never
conld; that the North was able to
carry on the war for twenty years.
He said he was afraid I was right.
He received his education in Phila-
dolphin, and his views corresponded
with mine in regard 10 the resources
OF the North. We finally wearied of
talking about the war, and he asked
me to sing song. 1 remarked that
it was rather unpleasant to sing
while riding barebacked and bare
healed, whereupon he told me if l
would sing him song he would
give me the hat he wore, on our
arrival at camp. The promised gift
was a two-story, broad brimmed
white hat, and when his horse trotted
the brim happed mp and down as if
it was propelling power necessary
to his locomotion. I'll swap a
Yankee song for that tile," thought
|. and then asked him what l should
sing. "Give me Yankee song," he
said. I'm afraid I'll make you mad. ;"
81 don't care what you sing" So l
give him one of our Union war
songs, Of which the following is the
chorus:
:. III. JEFF. ho, JEFF,
How do you like the tusslc7
We whipped you once, we whipped ron twice;
Guod morning, Bull Run Russ-lll"
The Doctor didn't seem to under
stand whether the joke was on Jeff
Davis or Mr.. Russell.
About the time the SOM was com
pleted we discovered a thick dust
rising in onr rear. The guards
halted, and looked and listened.
The Doctor role up on high point,
took one long, frightene, look,
whirled his horse around, and came
rushing back, yelling, Forward,
march. The Yanks are after usl"
Away we went, at rapid pace, up
and down hill, for three or four miles.
The Doctor rode by my side, and |
took sly glanees at the coveted hat,
the tapping brim OF which seemed
to augment his progress. We out
ran the dust, end lost our chance to
be recaptured by our friends, as we
took different route. During this
helter- skelter retreat / learned that
riding a horse barebaeked four mics
was no. very pleasant experience,
but I Jared better than my poor
horse. He wss stiffcned badly, and
the blood was oozing out of the
wound. I would hnve preferred
taking whipping 10 riding him,
We finally pulled mp to rest and re
fresh ourselves and get drink o.
water. We stopped opposite farm
aouse, in part Of the State where
the people hail never reen Yankee.
They had heard all manner OF stories
about them, but knew nothing OF the
people north Of Mason Il Dixon's
line-didnt know whether they we're
black or white, long or short. So,
when one Of the guards went to the
house and informed the ladies that
they had some tame Yankees at the
gate, they laid down their work and
came rushing out to see us. We
were sitting on our horses, and they
passed down the front Of the line,
looking at each man as they passed,
and back by the rear to the head of
the column, and then one of them
said, 81 don't see any Yanks." One
of the guards, pointing at me, re
marked, That's a fank, with his
cape around his head" / removed
my cape, and she took look at me,
then up and down the line, and back
again to me, finally saying, II don't
see bis hornsl" Then arose the first
laugh I had heard the boys in iulye
in since We were captured.
About 6 o'clock in the evening we
arrived at Pleasant Valley, very much
fatigu"d. We dismounted, piled up
a lot of leaves. and lsid down Co rest.
1 took occasion to remind the Doctor
IF his Dromise in regard 70 tho bnt