Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1881-06-16

would be ascertained in few hours. My
horse remained saddled and my pistols in the
holsters, and l lay down fully dressed, to rest.
! Nothing occurred to rouse me until just De-
fore dawn, when my coachman, free color
ed man, who faithfully chung to our fortunes,
came and told me that there was firing over
the branch just behind our encampment. |
stepped out of my wifes tent and saw some
horsemen who I Immediately recognized as
cavalry, deploying around the encampment.
1 turned back and told my wife these were
not the expected msrauders, but regular
troopers. She implored me to leave her at
once. l hesitated from unwillingness to do 80,
and lost few precious moments before yield.
ing to her Importantly. My horse and arms
were near the road on which expected to
leave, and down which the cavalry approach
ed j.; it was therefore impracticable to reach
them. I was compelled to start in the oppo.
site direction. As it was quite dark in the
tent, picked up what was supposed to be
my "raglan,". waterproof, light overccat,
without sleeves; it was subsequently found
to be my wife's, so very like my own as to
be mistaken for it; as started, my wife
thoughtfully threw over my head and shcul-
ders a shawl. I had gone perhaps fifteen or
twenty yards when q trooper galloped up
and ordered me to halt and surrender, to
which gave defiant answer, and dropping
the shawl and raglan from my shoulders, ad-
vanced toward him. He levelled his carbine
at me, but expected if he fred he would
miss me, and my intention was in that event
to put my hand under his foot, tumble him
off on the other side, spring into his saddle
and attempt to escape. My wife, who had
been watching, when she saw the soldier aim
bis carbine at me, ran forward and threw her
arms around me. Success depended on in
Simultaneous action, and, recognizing that the
opportunity had been lost, | turned back,
and the morning being damp and chilly,
passed on to a fire beyond the tent. Our
pursuers had taken different roads. and ap.
preached our camp from opposite directions
they encountered each other and commenced
firing, both supposing they had met our
armed escort, and some casualties resulted
from their conflict with an imaginary body of
Confederate troops. During the confusion,
while attention was concentrated upon myself,
except by those who were engaged in pillsge,
Oue VI uy aiues, SOl y. 1ayloE w oou, VIII
Lieut.. Barnwell, walked off unobserved His
daring exploits on the sea had made him
on the part of the Federal Government an
object of special hostility, and rendered it
quite proper that he should avail himself of
every possible means of escape. COL Pritch.
ard went over to their battlefield, and did
not see him for long time, surely more than
an hour after my capture He subsequently
claimed credit, in conversation with ME,
for the forbearance shown by his men in not
shooting me when refused to surrender
Wilson and others have uttered many
falsehoods in regard to my capture, which
have been exposed in publications by persons
there present-by Secretary Reagan, by the
members of my personal staff, and by the
colored coachman, Jim Jones, which must
have been convincing to all who were not
given over to believe lie. For this reason
1 will postpone to some other time and more
appropriate place any further notice Of the
story and its variations, all the spawn of
malignity that shames the civilization of the
age. We we're, when prisoners, subjected to
petty pillage. a.a.