The New Bloomfield, Pa. times. (New Bloomfield, Pa.) 1877-188?, 1881-04-19
JORDAN, THE SCOUT.

IN
"A have taken part in this war-whose
dying embers are now being trodden out
by "poor white man"-none, perhaps,
have done more service to the country,
or won less glory for themselves, than
the "poor whites" who have acted as
scouts for the Union armies. The issue
of battles, the result of campaigns, and
the possession of wide districts of coun-
ry,have often depended on the sagacity,
or been determined by the information
they have gathered; and yet they have
seldom been heard of in the newspapers,
and may never be read of in history.
Romantic, thrilling, and sometimes
laughable adventures have attended the
operations of the scouts of both sections
but more difficulty and danger have un-
boubtedly been encountered by the par
tisans of the North than of the South.
Operating mostly within the circle of
their own acquaintance, the latter have
usually been aided and barbored by the
Southern people, who, generally friendly
to secession, have themselves often acted
as spies, and conveyed dispatches across
districts occupied by our armies, and
inaccessible to any but supposed loyal
citizens.
The service rendered the South by
these volunteer scouts has often been
of the most important character. One
stormy night, early in the war, a young
woman set out from garrisoned town
to visit sick uncle residing short
distance in the country. The sick uncle
mounting his horse at midnight, rode
twenty miles in the rain to Forests
headquarters. The result was, the
important town of Murfreesboro' and
promising major-general fell into the
hands of the confederates and all be-
cause the said major-general permitted
pretty woman to pass his lines on "a
mission of mercy"
AT another time, rebel citizen, pro-
Tossing disgust with secession for having
the weakness to be on "its last legs"
took the oath of allegiance and assumed
the Union uniform. Informing him.
self fully of the disposition of our forces
along the Nashville railroad, he sud-
denly disappeared, to re.appear with
Basil Duke and John Morgan in a
midnight raid on our slumbering out
posts.
Again, a column on the march came
upon a wretched woman, with child
in her arms, seated by the dying embers
of burning homestead-burning, she
said, because her sole and only friend,
her uncle (these ladies seldom have any
nearer kim ''stood up street fur the ken
try" No American soldier ever refused
a Gift" to woman in distress. This
woman was soon lifted into an empty
saddle by the side of staff officer, who,
with many wise winks and knowing
mods, was discussing the intended route
of the expedition with a brother simple.
ton. A little further ON the woman
suddenly remembered that another un-
Gle, who did not stand up quite SO ''stret
fur the kentry," and consequently, had
house still standing up for him, lived
''plump up thet 'ar hill ter the right o.
the high road.' She was set down, the
column moved on, and-Streight' well
planned expedition miscarried. But no
one wasted thought on the forlorn
woman and the sallow baby whose
skinney faces were so long within ear
shot of the wooden headed staff officer.
Means quite as ingenious and quite
as curious were often adopted to conceal
dispatches, when the messenger was in
danger OF capture by an enemy. A
boot with hollow heel, fragment Of
corn pone too stale to tempt starving
man, strip of adhesive plaster over a