The Opelousas courier., 1888-01-14
"A SICK SISTER,"
An Ex-Confederate Soldiers
Story Of the War.
Disguised as a Woman He
Obtains Valuable Information.

An x-Confederate tells the following
war story in the Detroit Free Press:
While Sheridan's forces were lying in
camp, just previous to Early's move
ment and temporary victory by passing
along the base of M~assinutton Mountain,
at Strassburg, Va, l was sent into the
Federal lines by General Etrly to pick
I'D such information as could be had.
The armies We're so close together that
there was no neutral ground between
them for one TO operate on, and the
task of penetrating the lines seemed to
me the most periIous one | had yet IN
dertaken. After casting around for a
day, an holding interviews with some
residents in the vicinity who had come
into the Confederate lines for safety, l
decided ON a plan.
On the pike leading out of town and
running along the right flank and rear
of the Federal army, or at least q part of
IL. was Il NuiLChCtd wal INV "AAO
could be depended on A part of her
house was then occupied by Federal Of
~ficers, and it was certain to be a depot
for information. From q woman in
Strassburg l borrowed a pretty com
plete outfit of wearing apparel, had my
long hair trimmed as many of the
Southern women wore theirs during the
war, and at dark one night | moved
along the right flank of the Federal
army until two miles below the point |
designed to make. Then l put myself
in female rig, arranged an extra bundle,
and struck the Middletown pike in the
rear OF the Sixth Corps. 1t wasn't five
minutes before l was challenged and an
officer called to investigate, and this is
the story / told:
"My name is Maywortn, my husband
was killed at Bull Run. I live in the
log house on the cross-road coming in
about a mile from here, where you
people burned the big red barns. Ny
sister, Mrs. ARROW, lives in the double
log house just as you raise the hill a
mile and a half ahead. / am sick and
worn out, and am going up to stay with
her until this is over.
Scarcely a question was asked me. l
was challenged twice more, but got off
just as easy. Having come in behind
a portion of the army In blue no one
could we'll suspect me, and as a matter
orfact the women of that neighborhood
were shifting about a good deal,
and there was no military reason
why they should be stopped.
| reached Mrs. Arrows with
out a mistake. I knew that the fronts of
both houses were occupied by officers,
and when / approached it was by the
rear. I had to pass half a dozen order
lies to get into the house, and though
some of them wanted to jest with me,
no one interfered with my movements.
/ found the woman just as she had been
described, intelligent, patriotic and very
observing. She had been doing cooking
and laundry work for some of the
officers, aud had kept her eyes apl ears
open. On two occasions she had been
through the SIX corps, and she knew the
lay of the ground clear down to the base
of Che mountain and the force of cavalry
holding it.
had passed for a female very we'll at
night, but I could not run too many
chances by daylight. / therefore went
to bed to play sick. I was entirely
teardless then, but we put a poultice on
my cheek for neuralgia, tied a cloth
over the greater share of my face, and
as l lay in bed with my woman's right
dress oil the makeup was complete.
Indeed, an army surgeon came in and
prescribed for me, and two vivandiers
! visited me on two different occasions
without the imposition being detected.
/ was in the house eight days and nights,
and between what | heard and what
Mrs. ARROW saw and picked up l re-
ported to Gen. Early on my return t.
his headquarters the number of Federal
cavalry holding the advance position
within $50, the number of field pieces
within three, the exact number of earth
works and length of breastworks, and
the amount Of artillery in the Sixth
Corps lacking three OF four guns.
Noa,eL IA, .Tcn1,