The Portland daily press., 1877-08-04
lFor the Press.l
The Big Gopher.
A True Story of a Maine Soldier.
(CoRcluded.)

Win ORDERS 10 be placed under lire OF the
Union guns and to be very closely watched
but in spite of that, we were treated very
kindly, and had nothing TO complain Of; we
lived well, slept in comfortable house and
had the liberty of the streets within certain
limits, and though the shells from our gum
boats were falling all around us and one even
set IRE to the house next ours we were I'M
injured. Here we were on parole, so Of
course made no effort to escape during the
six weeks stayed in Charleston.
"From there we were taken to Columbia,
and on the way Captain G. escaped from the
cars; never heard whether he reached our
forces or not or whether he was recaptured.
At Columbia we very soon formed plan of
running the guard. Others had tried it, and
some had succeeded. though some had been
brought back. >
ION one side Of the camp there was!a
brook. where used to wash my dishes-I
say dishes out of courtesy to the little two
quart pail in which boiled my corn meal
and one day while was engaged in my ar
duous dish washing took advantage of my
STOPPING position to speak with the guard.
Finding him ready to aid our escape, I took
every opportunity to communicate with him
and the amount of bathing and dish-washing
had to do when he was Oh guard was quite
surprising.
'On certain days we were sent out to cut
wood and draw it into the camp. and when
ever passed this sentinel my load unluckily
dropped or trailed on the ground SO that 1
was obliged to stoop, and could then exchange
few words and so, that little by
little found that he belonged to
the Union League 1.-THE League extended
throughout the South then, for the men
were getting tired of the war; and that the
others of the guard, who belonged to the
same League would very gladly help US if We
would nay them"
"Where did you get your money ?" asked
Uncle Benjamin.
"One of my companions had watch, a
silver watch which was perhaps worth seven
dollars ten years ago, and we sold it for two
hundred and fifty dollars in Confederate
scrip.
"The next time the friendly rebel was on
guard went out near where he was sta
toned and walked slowly up and down, as
down as cl ssas possible to the dead.line,
and appa lsn.ly ABSORBED in meditation.
AS passed the guard he occasionally kicked
little stone from his path or STOPPING, threw
one aside with his hand until finally some
thing struck the ground directly at my feet.
picked it up and found it was bullet
wrapped around with paper on which was
written, You can escape at ten O'Clock, TAX
tonight. shall be on guard and will give
you good start; then I shall
fire.. AT ten o'clock, taking advan-
tage Of the confusion made by re-
lieving guard, with three others crawled
out beyond the line. Somehow our plan
must have been known, for looking back,
saw long line of dark figures wriggling along
the ground, as many as fifteen or twenty,b but
they were all recaptured except us four.
'Wei had gone only few reds when our es
cape was discovered, and whole line of
muskets discharged at us, but we got on to
our feet then, and ran as fast as we could for
the woods and by the time search was made
for us, We had put a long distance between
Us and the camp. But now there began the
trying part of our undertaking. The mere
escape was not SO difficult as the journey af-
forwards. There lay hundreds of miles be
tween Us and the Union army in Tennessee,
and we were ignorant Of the country which
was wild and filed with rebels, many of them
mounted patrolmen whose duty it was to Sc
that no one stirred abroad after nine O'Clock
at night.
Snow really, three or four hundred miles
was something of stroll under these circum-
stances, for our ignorance of the country in
creased the distance. As we had no good
map, we were obliged to follow the river
courses and so were sometimes led far out of
our direct course, and often lost great deal
of time in searching for fords because when
we swan across we had no means of drying
our clothes, not daring to make fires lest we
should be discovered.
Before we left Columbia we had great diff
nculty in getting any map, for we were afraid
to buy one of the pedlars who came into
the camp, but at length we got one into our
possession little while and traced ON
piece of oiled paper, the rivers and towns
which lay between us and Knoxville. OF
course we could conceal this very easily, and
it was the only guide we had on our Journey
We had no compass, but the stars guided US
very well on clear nights and on
stormy ones I had another way
of telling the north secret that
learned when was boy, in our woods
home. Can you guess how it WASP"
"By the moss on the trees" interrupted
Uncle Benjamin.
"You're right" the Colonel answered,
"but put nine out of ten men in the midst o.
thick wood. and they couldn't find their
way out, although it is SO simple"
eve were obliged to travel the whole dis
lance by night, and lie concealed by day. We
arranged every thing Systematically, march
ing some distance apart-further apart on
light nights than on dark ones-never speak.
ing above a whisper, taking our turns on
guard during the day, and never relaxing
our vigilance one moment. We had quite
complete system signal whistles, and each
man had his separate duty assigned him. I
was scout-and leader, indeed; W. brought
water; g. located us for the day, and C made
the fires, when we dared to have any, and
did the cooking, when we had anything to
cook. II our movements had not been SO
well organized we should surely have been
discovered, and as it was, we came very near
1t several times"
"Were you not chased by dogs once?"
asked Frank.
"Several times, but only once by dogs
trained to track men. That was near the
Saluda river, shortly after our escape. 1t was
very early in the morning, and hardly light,
when we were discovered by man who sent
his dogs after us. We knew by the damp
ness of the air that the river was near, and
fortunately struck 1t before the dogs came up
with us, and of course they lost the scent
During all that journey one day seemed So
like another that it is difficult to recall what
happened in order or connectedly. OF course
we suffered great deal from hunger by day