The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1878-04-25
MISS TENNIE.'

CONVERSATIONS AROUND A CONFEDERATE
CAMPFIRE MELoDRAMATIC PREsER-
WALTON OF A PRISONER FROM EXECU-
TION.
Colonel George W. symonds, OF Tennessee, in
Detroit Free Press
NV command was composed of men whose
lives had been realistic romances, replete
with startling adventures, hair-breadth es-
capes incidental and anecdotal enough to
furnish groundwork for thousand melo-'
dramas. They were mostly mountalneers
from Georgia, Alabama Tennessee, and the
Carolinas hardy, fearless, daredevil,
rollicking lot Of fellows, who were never at
home unlesss engaged either in frolic or
fight. We were Independent of the stern
army discipline which destroys soldiers
individuality and makes him the tool and
puppet of an officer in epaulets. We knew
no commander superior to our own free
wills, no allegiance except to the ''bonnie
blue flag,'' and the cause of Southern rights,
yet so admirable was the esprit du corps OF
this command that they worked as one man,
and individually and collectively performed
deeds of heroism which deserve mention in
the written history of the great civil con-
fict.
I shall not pretend in this reminiscence to
give anything like detailed account of our
four years. campaign, nor shall l seek to
connect incidents chronologically. only
desire to relate in plain, unvarnished Ian
guage some of the stories told me by brave
boys while sitting around our camp-fires,
and such incidents and adventures OF note
as were personally known to me. AS kept
no regular diary of events. some of these
"reminiscences may show triling inaccura-
cies, but in the main they will be found cor
rect. When repeat over my experiences
and adventures during that trying period,
sometimes doubt the truth Of my own
thou ahts, in such wildly romantic channels
do they run. but by roning them to express
only dry facts, l hope in this relation OF our
adventures to at least merit the readers be-
lief in my veracity.
One Of the bravest men ever met was
Stanford jenkins, a ..six-foot Tennessean,
bony, angular. homely and strong as lion,
who joined us in the spring OF '63. He new
er quai!ed in the face Of danger, and was SO
undemonstrative and quiet in his demeanor
that the boys dubbed him Miss Tennie, -
which subriquet chung to him to the close OF
the war. jenkins had been with us about
two weeks when we crossed the mountains
into North Carolina and began straghten-
ing matters up in the vicinity OF Shelton
Laviel. This entire section of country was
overrun with bands of robbers, who, by way
of excuslng their armed violence, made a
pretence of styling themselves ''loyal men, -
and in the troubleus times of war BUSH
whacked peaceable citizens, robbing and de-
spelling their homes, committing outrages
and numbering in cold blood. With the ar
rival Of my command those marauders, who
despised law and justice, retreated to the
Dividing my command into small squads, l
commenced vigorous assault upon their
strongholds, and being Joined by Thomas
Cherokee Indian Legion, under command OF
Major B. G. Mcdonnell, we soon caused
their disintegration and flight. In retalia-
ton for the outrages committed out of the
pale Of all law, we put several Of the more
prominent ringleaders to death, either by
hanging or shooting. The rest were paroled
and released from custody.
Famous among these mountain outlaws
were two brothers named AGREE, John and
Samuel. Our efforts to capture them had
been unsuccessful, and, emboldened by the
failure of our well-laid schemes, they COM
mitted depredations in our very teeth and
boldly laughed us to scorn. They seemed
to be apprised beforehand of all our move
ments, and MAI after man of my command
fell before their deadly aim. A scouting
party would start for the mountains only to
be beaten back by the hidden foe. leaving
half their number on the field dead. Mat
tiers were getting desperate, and several Of
my honest scouts took it upon themselves
to visit the country of these men.
One night we were encamped in Sc
cluled gorge at the foot Of Roam Mountain
A large fire was burning in the centre o.
: the encampment, around which clustered