Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1878-11-26
Scheme to Capture General Grant.


During recent speech at Tammany
Hall, S. S. Cox, who was re- elected to
Congress. said -
There could be much said of the dar-
ing exploits of Joe Lee and his band of
free-booters, but one adventure deserves
especial mention, since 1t is not known
how near it came to affecting the desti-
ny or the nation. It appears that after
Vicksburg had been invested, and the
South threatened at other points, Gov
ernor Allen, Of Louisiana, conceiv we'd
the desperate idea of capturing the per
son of General Grant. He believed that
Grant was the evil genius of the Con-
federacy, and that if he could be killed
or taken prisoner the siege of Vicks-
burg could be raised and the Federal
army be driven back. He sent for, Joe
Lee and impaired to him his thoughts,
and asked him if he could devise plan
1t was readily taken to by Lee, who i'm.
mediately proposed to execute the OAR
ing enterprise. AT that time--that is.
in the spring of 1864-Grant and his ar
my were encamped at Milligan's Bend,
near Young's Point, OH the mississippi
some eighteen miles above Vicksburg.-
General Grants headquarters were in
the dwelling house that belonged to u
magnificent plantation, much Of which
can be seen from the deck of passing
steamer. Joe proposed to go to that
house and bring away the body Of Cen
eral Grant, dead or alive. He chose
five of his most trusty men. They were
the two James brothers; two Of the
Younger brothers and John Jarrett
These with himself made six. There
never were six better men for such an
expedition. They were young, strong.
and as brave as the bravest. They had
already seen all there is in war. They
had been tried in the most trying places.
bad suffered all manner of hardships !;
did not care much whether they lived
or died; were the quickest and best
shots in the world, and rode the fieeiest
horses in the land. TWAS just before the
Federal army set out on that surprising
march down the West side of the river.
The country was all full of marshes.
bayous and mofasses, and so that the
natural advantages for the execution
OF tbs plot We're good. The plal,
was for Joe Lee and his five trusty
| followers to dress upin full Federal uni
form, ride on horseback to Miliigan &
Bend. go direct to the house where Gen
eral Grant was stopping, rush in and Sc
cure his person, put him on spare horse
aud then escape to the swamps, which
were near by. On one Saturday even
ing late the party set out from Dickson's
house, near Delhi, and rode toward the
Mississippi. There was not soul on
earth besides themselves and Governor
Allen that knew of their desperate mis-
sion. 1t was something over twenty
miles they had to go and the night was
a dark one, but long before day they
were at the edge of the woods that Dor
Gered on the plantation on which Grant
was quartered. There was no enemy
to attack from the West side, and there
was no particular precaution about
guards. The pickets were passed before
sun up, and, while the General was vet
asleep, the guerillas rode boldly UT
through the open field toward the
house
There they were, six men, and seven
horses--the empty saddle for the com.
mander Of the hundred thousand men
who were canlped about in every Girec-
ton. They approached within almost
a stones throw of the house, when they
meta negro. They We're discovered. Ii
was an old man whom these very men
had run away from Delhi not ten DAYS
before. He knew them all and imme
diateiy gave the alarm. In moment
there was great tunult and the. que
riiias had nothing to Go bat save itheil
lives. They broke through the field
and in the twinkling of an eye were
back in the woods, but not until hun
bred shots had been fired after them
Before the sun went down they wer,
safe at their favorite rendezvous. Thus
was frustrated one of the most darins
plots of the war.