Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-02-29
BY WILLIAM PITTENGER,
\ MEMBER on THE EXPEDITION.
Copyrighted, 1887, by War Publishing Co., N. Y,
nnd published by Arrangement with them

MEMBER on THE EXPEDITION.
tcopyrighted, 1887, by War Publishing c.. n. Y.
and published by arrangement with them.]
CHAPTER Y.
A LOCOMOTIVE LEFT BEHIND.
At length we reached the Etowah river
and safely passed over the great bridge
at that point. No stop was made, though
the first serious cause for anxiety was
here visible. Hitherto everything had
worked exactly as we had calculated, and
our confidence in our leader and in final
success was correspondingly increased;
but on side track which connected with
q little branch road that ran up the
river about five miles to the Etowah iron
works and rolling mills, there stood a
locomotive! It was but short distance
from US, and the smoke from the funnel
showed too plainly that it was ready for
work, thus constituting an element of the
most dangerous character which had not
been embraced in our calculations. It
was named the Yonah-a private ell
CINE used by the owners of the works for
their own purposes. Thoroughly as An
drews had explored the road, he had no
knowledge of its existence until the mo-
ment when he saw it standing on the side
track not dozen yards away, and looking
as if it was ready to enter upon race
with our General on equal terms. It
was still thirteen miles to Kingston, and
the enemy, if there was any direct pur-
suit, would be able to get an engine there
much sooner than we had supposed posi-
BILE. Several men were gathered about it,
but not enough to make an assault seem
very formidable to our party. At the
first sight, Knight said to Andrews, "We
had better destroy that and the big
bridge" but Andrews refused with the
remark, ''It won't make any difference"
Nearly all critics of the expedition who
knew Of the presence of this locomotive
for long time I did not, as was shut
up in the box car-are disposed to think
that here Andrews made most unac-
countable mistake. But this is far from
certain.
1t must be remembered that the burn
ing of this bridge formed no part Of An
drews' original plan, and could have ac-
compGshed nothing more toward the
furthering of Mitchel's plans than the
burning Of the Oostenaula bridge. The
local freight train was now due, and if it
came in sight while we were engaged in
destroying the Yonah, or the bridge,
and getting the alarm, as would be almost
inevitable under the circumstances,
should get away from us and run back to
Kingston, or should run on US and cause
q wreck, our situation would be far worse
than with this engine left behind US. But
even il we could be assured that the local
would lot come, but remain for us at
Kingston, still the attack here would
alarm the enemy, and we would be fol-
lowed from this point as readily as from
Big Shanty, but eighteen miles further up
the road. 1t would be but little more
than an hours gallop to Kingston, where
a train for pursuit would surely be found.
The capture at Big Shanty assured us of
a longer start under any circumstances
than seemed possible if we stopped to
strike blow here.
Leaving the engine and bridge behind,
we glided Oh through Gainesville, town
of considerable size, where there were
many disappointed passengers on the
platform, and continued without incident
until we reached Cass station. The town
cf Cassville is some distance from tho
railroad, but the station was important
for us as the regular place for taking on
wood and water. Here we stopped and
began to wood up. William Russell, the
tender, was naturally curious about the
appearance Of such small train running
on the time Of the morning mail, with nc
passengers and none Of the regular hands.
Here Andrews told q most adroit and
carefully planned story, with enough Of
foundation to make it probable. He
claimed to have been sent by Gen. Beau
regard, who was in desperate straits for
ammunition, to impress O train, have II
loaded with powder md run it through
at lightning speed. Had he been pressed
more closely, he could have produced
passes proving himself worthy of belief.
But it was not necessary to 60 so far.
The very appearance of Andrews, tall,
commanding and perfectly self possessed,
speaking like one who had long been ac-
customed to authority, was so much like
the ideal southern officer that Russel's
credence was won at once. He knew very
well that after such battle as Pittsburg
Landing it was natural that powder
should be scarce, and if it did not come at
once, what more natural than to send for
it? Seeing the impression that he had
made, Andrews, who, of course, did not
work at throwing on wood, but left that
to his companions, asked If he could not
be supplied with schedule of the road,
as it might be useful. Russell, in his
patriotic fervor, took down and handed
out his own schedule, saying that he
would ''send his shirt to Beauregard" if
the latter wanted it,! When asked after
ward if he did not suspect man who
made such an unreasonable demand he
answered: "No; would as soon have
suspected Jefferson Davis himself as one
who talked with the assurance that An
drews did,"
We were now within seven miles Of
Kingston, resuppned with wood and
water, without having met the slightest
hindrance and with full schedule of the
road. But at Kingston we had more rea-
son to apprehend danger than anywhere
else along the route. A branch road from
Rome connected there with the main
track, and the morning train from that
town would be awaiting our arrival.
This, with the local freight which we
hoped to meet and the complicated
arrangement Of the switches, would con-
stitute no small obstacle to our onward
progress. The real difficulties surpassed
expectations. Andrews had made HIM
self familiar with the minutest working
of the road at this point, as also at Dali
ton and Chattanooga, and we would soon
be able to see how he would overcome the
hindrances in his way.
We reached Kingston little ahead Of
time. A glance showed us that the local
freight had not yet arrived. Without the
slightest hesitation Andrews ran a few
hundred yards past the station, and Or
dered the switch tender to arrange the
switch so as to throw us on the side track;
then we backed out on it, stopping on the
west side of the station, and almost di-
rectly alongside of the Rome passenger
train, then lying on its own track, which
joined the main line still further north
This train was expecting the coming of
Fuller's mail, and of course the arrival
of our partial train in the place of the one
they were expecting was matter OF the
greatest interest to them. The engineer
stepped over to our locomotive and said,
with an oath:
"How is this? What's up? Here's their
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