Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-07-05

mother and told her what had occurred.
We were almost overpOwered by the
thought of the great danger We were in.
but we concluded TO run the risk.
HOW THE INFORMATION WAS SECURED.
IF it had not been for an accident.
that seems to have been providential. l
should have known nothing to tell Gen.
Sheridan that would have been of value
to him. As it happened, did not know
how valuable the information possess
ed might be. Ny mother and l were
known to be loyal, and the Confederates
had very little to do with us, so we knew
nothing of them or of what was going
on. But Confederate officer, who had
been wounded and was then GONZALES
cent, was boarding with one of our
neighbOrS. As a cOnvalescent he wan
dered about at will, and knew all about
the strength and movements. the dan
gers, and the hopes and the fears of Ear
Tvs forces. 1t chanced that Just two
evenings before | got Gen. Sheridan's
letter, or before had thought of serving
him or the Union cause, this young Con-
federate asked permission to call on ME.
He had often observed me from his
window arranging or gathering my flow
ers, and he was lonely and sought my
company. So it chanced that two eve
nings before I got the note the officer
was at our house. We were strangers,
with nothing in common to talk about,
so the conversation turned upon the war,
and more especially the state of affairs
directly about us. He described the sit
uatiOn from his standpoint many
troops they had and what they must re
" on. | asked questions without any
purpose except to keep up the converSa-
tiOn, and he answered freely. l had no
idea of what Importance all this was, or
that it would ever come of use to me,
| but when | read Gen. Sheridan's letter
it at once occurred to me that | could
tell him what the Confederate had told
me.
"When the colored man returned
gave him an answer to the Generals let
ter, telling the number of troops, the sit
uation, and the fact that some had been
called off for service elsewhere. told
him, in fact, the very things, as l see
now, that he most wanted to know; but
l expressed regret that l could not give
more information, and said | would try
to gather more for him if he would send
the messenger back in day or two.
"The cOlOred man put the letter in his
mouth and left the house quietly. Many
times during the next day, Saturday, and
the quiet Sabbath that followed, l Won
dered what had become of the messen-
ger, and what would result from my
note.
THE TERRIBLE BATTLE.
"When was awakened Monday morn
ing by the booming of cannon my first
thought was whether my note had any
thing to do with it. 1t was terrible
fight, and, in the afternoon, when the
streets were filed with troops, wagons,
cannon, and the poor suffering wounded,
and the buildings were on fire all around
us, my mother asked me, with tears in her
eyes, if l thought my note had anything
to do with the battle? had thought of
that ali day, and | was overwhelmed. l
hid my face in my hands and cried: 20!
no, no! don't believe he got it. 1t was
the most terrible day of all my expert
ence. Houses about us were on fire,
our own fence was burning, and shells
fell so near that my mother and | went
into the cellar for safety. Finally the
rumbling of battle grew fainter and
fainter, until it got so quiet l could not
endure to remain in the cellar in ignO-
rance of the result. From the first floor
could see nothing; nothing from the
second floor, but from the garret win
dowS | saw the old American flag COM |
ing into the town. dropped upon my
knees. l soon learned whether my note |
had to do with the battle. Hearing sa-
bers clacking against the steps, started
to the front door and met two Union |
officers already inside the house. One
introduced himself as Gen. Sheridan.
He told me that it was entirely from the
information 1 had sent him that he
fought the battle, and he thanked me
earnestly, saying he would never forget
my courage and patriotism. l was so
fearful of suspicion that l would hardly
permit him to speak to me. | knew
that should the Southern people dis
cover the part l had in the battle my
life would not be worth much, and l
was afraid to have the General talk
to me. / begged him not to speak of it;
that my life would be in danger when
the Federal troops went away. Gen.
Sheridan replied that the Confederates
would never come again. He wrote his
report at my desk, and called in the
morning to say goodbye before follow.
ing Early to Fishers.
HE rode beautiful black horse that
morning lived on quietly at Win
CHESTER" she continued, ''until 1867, and
no one suspected me. They knew moth
ing of the matter until this watch ar
rived, accompanied by letter from Gen.
Sheridan. Then the Union people gath
cred around me, in astonishment. re-
member an old man who took both my
hands in his and said: "Why, my little
girl, there was not a man in the place
who would have dared do such thing.
As much as liked the Union l would
not have had the courage Most of the
were wild with indignation,
but the war was over and they could do
me no injury. But they showed their
dislike for me in many ways. The boys
used to spit on me on the street.
SHERIDAN'S ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
81 had no conception of the service I
had done until l received this letter:
"HeGdQuGrterS, Department fthe GuH.
Ne,0 Orleans, Janu0ry7, 1867 My Dear
Miss Wright; You are probably not
aware of the service you rendered the {
Union cause by the information you sent ,
me by the colored man few days be- $
fore the battle of the Opequee, on Sep ,
tember 10, 1864. 1t was on this inform ,
alton the battle was fought, and prOba- {
bly, won. The colored man gave the :
note rolled up in tinfoil to the scout,
who awaited him at MillwOod. The
colored man had carried it in his mouth ,
to that point and delivered it to the 6
scout, who brought it to me. |
"By this note l became aware of the t
true condition of affairs inside of the