Louisiana capitolian. (Baton Rouge, La.) 1879-1881, 1881-05-05
A REMARKARLE SOLDIER.

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A REMARKARLE SOLDIER.
One of the most remarkable private
soldiers on either side in the late war was
a young man named Tom Kelley, a pri-
| vate in the Second Michigan infantry.
The remarkable man began with his sim
gular build. He had arms full hand
longer than any living. He hadno more
backbone than snake, and could almost
tie himself in knot. He could tell tell
the date on silver quarter held up
twenty feet away, and he could hear
every word of q conversation in q COM
mon tone Of voice across an ordinary
street. He could run half mile as fast
as any horse could gallop, and there was
a standing offer Of $40 to any man who
Gould hold him down. On a bet of box
of sardines he once passed six sentinels
within an hour. On another occasion he
entered the Co]oneps tent, tent, and
brougt away that officers boots.
When Tom'sremarkable qualifications
were discovered, he was detailed as q
scout and spy-was transferred from one
division to another. In the capacity of
spy he entered Richmond three times.
He entered vicksburg and preached a
sermon to the Confederates q week be-
fore the surrender. He was in New Or
leans five days before that city was TAKEN
He was man who firmly believed that
he could not be killed by an enemy,
and he governed his movements accord
ingly.
While under the orders of Gen. Hooker,
Kelley proved on several occasions that
he could see further with the naked eye
/ than any officer could with q fieldglass.
If he could get place Of concealment
within fifty feet Of a picket, he could
catch the conntersign. He visited
Lookout Mountain, intending to spike as
many OF the Confederate guns as posi-
BILE. His disguise was that of a farmer
who had been driven from home by the
Union forces. The enemyssomehow got
suspicious of him, and he was placed in
the guard house for the night. There was
a sentinel at the door, and others near
by standing guard over guns and stores,
but it was all the same to Kelley. With
an old tin plate for use as shovel and
scop he burrowed out at the back end Of
the building and walked up to two
pieces and spiked them before any
alarm was raised. When the sentinels
began firing at him, he ran out of camp,
but before he was clear of it he had been
fired on fifty times.
Kelley was once captured when asleep
by Missouri guerillas. When he opened
his eyes he was surrounded by five or
six men on foot and others in the saddle.
1t was under tree in all open field, and
he had been tracked by dog. As he
rose mp at their command, he resorted to
his wonderful skill as q gymnast. BY
lodging and twisting and jumping, he
got out of the crowd, pulled o man off
his saddle, and would have escaped had
not the dog fastened to his leg. He vas
then put under guard in loghouse with
only one room. Two sentinels sat Mt the
door with revolvers in their hands, and
kept watch Of his every movement. AZ
ter an hour or two Kelley approached as
if to offer them tobacco, and jumped
clear over their heads like % deer. He
had half a mile Of open field to cross,
| and he crossed it under the fire of q score
of muskets and revolvers without being
| hit.
Dnring his three years and half in
the service, Kelley captured fifty-two
COnfederates and turned them over as
prisoners. He himself was captured and
escaped five times. As spy he entered
more than thirty Confederate camps and
| forts. He was fired upon at least one
Thousand times, and yet was never
wounded. He had said that he would
die by the hand of an enemy, and his
prophecy came true. In the last year of
the war, while bringing captured Con-
federate scout into camp both were kill.
ed within forty rods of the Union lines
by bolt of lightning.
A doubling mother placed some nitro
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