St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-11-22

HOW A BAND OF GUERRILLAS TRIED TO
KIDNAP THE GENEARL WHILE BE
sIEGING vICKsBURG.
Every one knows more or less of the
famous western highwaymen, the
Jameses and the YOungers. Before the
war they were conspicuously engaged
in the Kansas border difficulties, and
were members of the notorious GUAM
trell troop of guerrillas. At the break
ing out of the war the "Quantrell COM
mand" were not recognized as belong
ing to either army, but looked upon as
free lances of the worst sort, for they
fought for plumber alone. The St.
Louis Evening Post is responsible for
the story that Gov. Allen of Louisiana
employed for scouting purposes several
of the Quantrell men under the COM
mand of Joe Lee, and among these were
the Jameses and YOungers. That
journal, in what it calls Gan Unwritten
Leaf" gives the following story of one
of the adventures of that famous band /:
There could be much said of the daring
exploits of Joe Lee and his band of
freebOoters, but one adventure deserves
especial mention, since it is not known
how near it came to affecting the desti-
ny of the nation. 1t appears that after
Vicksburg had been invested and the
South threatened at other points, Gov.
Allen of Louisiana, conceived the des-
perate idea of capturing the person of
Geu. Grant. He believed that Grant
was the evil geuius of the confederacy,
and that if he could be killed or taken
prisoner the siege of Vicksburg could
be raised and the federal army driven
back. He sent for Joe Lee and impart-
ed to him his thoughts, and asked him
if he could devise plan. 1t was read
lily taken to by Lee, who Immediately
proposed to execute the daring enter
prise. At that time-that is in the
spring of 1864-Grant and his army
were encamped in Milligan's Bend, near
Young's Point, on the Mississippi, some
eighteen miles above Vicksburg. Gen.
Grants headquarters were in the dwell
ling house that belonged to a magnifi-
cent plantation, much of which can be
seen from the deck of a passing steam
Ell. Joe Lee proposed to go to that
house and bring away the body of Gen.
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 jar
rett. 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; had suffered all manner
OF hardships; did not care much wheth-
er they lived or died; were the quick
est and best shots in the world, and
rode the tieetest horses in the land. 1t
was 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 morasses,
so that the natural advantages for the
execution of the plot were good. The
plan was for Joe Lee and his five trusty
followers to dress in full federal uni
form, ride on horseback to Miligan's
Bend, go direct to the house where
Grant was stopping, rush in and secure
his person, put him on a spare horse
and then escape to the swamps, which
were near by. On one Saskatchewan
ing late the party set out from Dick
sons house, near Delhi, and rode tow
ard the Mississippi. There was not a
soul on earth besides themselves and
Gov. Allen that knew of their desperate
mission. 1t was something over 25
miles they had togo, and the night was
a dark one, but long before day they
were at the edge of the woods that Dor
dered on the plantation on which Grant
was CHARTERED. There was no enemy
to attack from the west side, and there
II,
guards. The pickets were passed be-
fore the sun was up, and while the
general was yet asleep the guerillas rode
boldly up through the open field tow
ards the house. There they were-six
men, seven hOrses-the empty saddle
for the commander of the hundred
thousand men who were camped about
in every direction. They approached
within almost stones throw of the
house when they met a negro. They
were discovered. 1t was an old man
form whom these very men had run away
from Delhi not ten days before. He
knew them all and Immediately gave
the alarm. In a moment there was a
great tumult, and the six guerrillas had
nothing to do but save their lives. They
broke through the field and in the
twlnkllng OF an eye were back in the
woods, but not until hundred shots
had been fired after them. Before the
sun went down they were safe at their
favorite rendezvous. Thus was frus-
trated one of the most daring plots of
the war. 1t is not probable that Gen.
Grant took any particular notice of the
affair, and it is not at all probable that
he has ever realized the valuable SER
vice of the old colored man. What in
depreciation the officers of the army put
upon the presence of the strange and
hostile men at such time and place is
not known, but if there were any doubts
as to their mission this bit of history
may serve to remove them.