The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1883-03-29

| rider and Mosby's irregulars.
As have said, Fanny knew reb on sight.
| She had had several little adventures of an ex-
| citing character and her experience had taught
| that every time body of graycoats hove in
( sight there was going to be row. You had
only TO whisper Reb!" to her to cause her
shapely ears to incline upward and forward and
her eyes TO sweep both sides of the road, and if
| you were ever placed under circumstances
| where a hasty departure was imperative you
had only TO say "Go," and from quick trot
| TO gallop and from gallop TO a run Fanny
was soon out of rife range. If perchance o
bullet whizzed by it simply accelerated her
! speed. Did she know the spiteful Zip" of a
rifle ball? Just as well as her rider She ought
to have known, for she bore several honorable
scars, and carried at least one rebel bullet in
| her shining flank.
l. But excuse the garruiity of an old soldier
! laid ont to tell little adventure in which
| Fanny bore an honorable and gallant part
The army was lying along Cedar Creek, in the
| vicinity of Middle5own, the terminal point of
that famous ride eanhalmed in verse when gal
Iant little Phil Sheridan was twenty miles
away. and the devil was to pay generally up at
the front. A party of four war correspondents
among whom was the writer, were quartered
at the house of Mr.. Sperry, miller, half
mile west of Middletown, when one night.
about IL o'clock word came that the army had
been ordered to fall back on Winchester Early
was at his old game Of trying to gain our rear
by way of the road leading through the noun
tains at our left. and thence across the Shenan-
doah. Several thousand did cross. only to find
Custer in their front who hurled them back,
capturing four or FIVE hundred prisoners. All
night long the march continued Our party
reached Winchester in advance of the head of
our column, aud we prepared TO make ourselves
comfortable and await developments. Among
us was an estimable young fellow named Ham,
4
the New York Tribune. Hammond's mind was
turned in the direction of the ministry, and he
was at the time a student of theology. / be-
heve he Is 1T present engaged in humping the
dust out of pulpit cushion somewhere in New
York He was poor, and not at all averse to
turning an honest penny. He had q broker in
New York, as many other army men had, and
kept him posted as 10 the movements of Sheri-
dams army, or at least Of such movements as
would tend to affect the price of gold. Well,
here Was the army falling back on Harper's
Ferry. There was no Disgusting the fact. 1t
was retreat, and as such would send the
price of gold up notch or two. There was no
telegraph line from Winchester 10 Harper's
Ferry, and Hammond was exceedingly anxious
20 post his New York broker as to the retro
grade movement. The nearest telegraph Office
was at Harper's Ferry, about thirty miles down
the valley. As hazardous as was theexperiment,
he determined to go TO Harper's Ferry But
there was enc obstacle in the way. His horse
had CALLED his foot under the fetlock with a
picket-rope, and had gone very lame. 1t was
plain to see that he could not make the trip
with such a nag. He appealed to me to loan
blm Fanny. He argued: :" You viii probably
remain here some time, and will have but little
use for horse. ] wiz be back tomorrow or
next day at flrthest. If / get through / can
make some money. Don't refuse me, for Gods
sake" It went against the grain TO part with
1r,.- 4 4
Yes" Before dsing so, however, / pointed
out the perils Of his undertaking. l told him
he was going on a lonely ride of forty miles;
that the road was evidently unguarded by
Union troops, and that the country over which
he proposed to travel was infested with rebel
guerTillas- / further said to him: You know
the bloody work that has been going on in the
Valley for weeks, and that if you are captured
you are dead man. Your connection with
the New York Tribune will be enough TO hang
you so take FOOLS advice and stay where
you are. kemonstranee was useless. He
said be had just, learned that Lieutenant
Meigs, son of MajOr-General NJ. c. Meigs, t.
D. A, had gone out bound for the Ferry, with
an escort of ten or dozen men an hour before
and he thought by rapid riding he might over
take the party. 1t was fortunate for him that
he didn't. / gave him explicit directions as
TO the management of Fanny, and told him if
he got in a hole, SO TO speak, to give her the
rein and let her run. further told him that
if he could dodge the bullets she would take
him out Of harms way, and that / felt sure
there wasn't horse in bushwhacker Mosby's
command that could oyertake her.
Fifteen minutes later Hammond, looking a
trife pale about the gills, gslloped ont of
Winchester over the turnpike leading to Berry
vile. l haven't seen him since
As before stated, he hoped to overtake Lieu
tenant Aeigs' party by dint of hard riding
/ 4 Hoa'+ hnf4l aTel,,o,
that when near Charlestown he was twenty
minutes or half an hour ahead of Lieutenant
Melgs- The latter may have been hating at
Berryylile when Hammond passed through the
western end Of the town ON his way TO the
Ferry. But that's matter of no special mo-
rnent.
HaEmond's ride until he reached G niece of
woods near Ch2Elest0wn was uneventful. He
saw nothing more formidable than women and
children, and was doubtless wrestling mentally
with some abs:ruse theological question, when
at the point named three mounted men, clad i'll
Confederate grey, dashed out OF the woods and
with carbines on cock quietly said: Halt.
or YOU are dead man! !" Under the circuEn-
stances, and they We're somewhat trying, the
young man forgot my Instructions about the
mare But, IS he afterwards wrote me, with
the muZZies of three earbines within ten feet
OF my heart, / wasn't taking any chances'
The mare. rs | can readily understand was
1u1tS as MUCH 1rltSsatGEGd as her rider ct this
unexpected turn in affairs, and spTang forward.
Hammond reined her IN with difficulty.
+" WHATS the matter, gentlemen ~ he inquired
OF the three cut-throatS, who sat In their sad
dies with their guns at a ready. "Come with
us, was the reply.
One of the bHshwhaelSers led the way into
the woods, Hammond following. with the other
two men in the rear.
Here's a go" solilOqaiZed Hammond Z" I
wish had taken good advice and remained in
Winchester. III ever get ont Of this scrape
alive, Ill never 90 back TO the army again
ae was taken perhaps a quarter of mile
back IN the woods. where he was ushered into
the presence Of twenty two OF Mosby' nleu most
OF whom Were sitting in their saddles
Who have we here" aaeried the leader
lieutenant.
81 don't know replied one of Hammond's
captors. de evidently belongs with the
Yanks and / thought ! would bring him up
here"
Who are your" inquired the lieutenant of
Hammond.
My name is Hammond, and ain q CORE
spondent of the New York Tribune"
:" You travel with Sheridan's army, then?"
al CO."
How large is Sheridan's army?"
+" don't know exactly, and if / did could
not honorabiy give you the information" re-
piled Hammond.
81 don't want any of your nonsense" replied
the lieutenant who was evidently as ignorant
as he was brutal. Pass over that watch and
chain"