Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1889-08-15

Of them in Captains uniform, said:
"Have no fear, ladies'; we will not
harm YOU Then, turning to Lieut.
enant Howell, the speaker continued:
You surrender"
81 must; i am unarmed."
you are rebelp"
.'l'm not called such our way, but II
the term suits you, all right"
you wear a Lieuten ants stripes, /
sco-they take EN- young down here"
mot too young to fight"
swell, come on, we will have to
take you in charge. and the three
left the yard, the cavalrymen mount
ing and the prisoner following on foot.
In this way they left the old man
sion, turning southwark. Soon the
Captain turned TO his prisoner with
the remark: You will find it hard
work to keep up with us on foot;
hadn't you better get up behind
john" motioning to his attendant.
And get up behind John he did, and in
this way they rode for several hours.
Late in the night Captain Louthan,
for it was Captain j. w. Louthan, of
the Seventeenth Indiana Cavalry, his
attendant and prisoner, reached his
command, about seventy-fve men,
who had been detailed as scouts after
the Columbus fight In tho meantime
the Captain had said to his prisoner
that if he would promise not to at
tempt escape he would be treated
properly and be protected in camp
from any trouble. The promise made,
the young Lieutenant felt easy. When
they joined the command of scouts tho
soldiers around the camp-fires eyed
the prisoner--the only one in camp
inquisitively, and burly Pennsyl-
vanian remarked, the Captain having
turned aside:
What do you want with that little
rebel? Wen just have to kill him to
get rid of him!'
Captain" said the prisoner, next
morning, 'they are talking about kill
ing me; am / to be protectod?"
"Who talked about it?" the officer
asked.
THAT man there" pointing to the
Pennsylvanian who had made the
threat.
"Dang you," said the officer, "don't
you know that this is my prisoner,
and will shoot the man who touches
himp"
10 tho prisoner he said: II have
your promise that you will not try to
escape. i will take you at your word.
We are going from here to Macon, and
may get into several skirmishes on the
march. A horse will be provided for
you, and when we get to fighting you
must keep to the rear"
On the march to Macon the scouts
fell into several warm skirmishes, and
Captain Louthan was always in the
front. .'He was as brave man as ]
ever saw" said Mr.. Howell in speak.
ing Of him. He was hard fighter
and always kept in front of his men,
Whenever we stopped on the march a
houses along the road he was as gen
tie and as kind to the ladies as any
man could be. He would say to then
in assuring them that their fright wa:
unnecessary: Madam, these mer
shall do nothing that your own sol
diers would not do. You will obligt
us with something to eat, and trust
you will not consider it plumber on oul
part 1t is one of the exigencies o
war.
| At this time the Federals held Macor
it was the week that Lee surren
dered-and u thousand Confederate
prisoners were under guard in a large
cotton warehouse in that city. Cap
tain Louthan joined his command il
Macon, and his single prisoner fel
into the warehouse with the othe
prisoners. A day and night h,
stayed there, almost suffocated, poorl.
fed, and scarcely cared for at all. Oh
the second day Captain Louthan, al
officer of the day, saw him through
one of the warehouse windows, nea
which he was standing, and exclaimed
"Why. l forgot about you. Yo'
must get out of that?"
The Captain elbowed his wa,
through the jam of prisoners an
telling him to ''come along" le,
tho prisoner out and carried him h
his tent on the bank of the Ocmulgee
you will stay here" he said. ian,
with the promise that you will re
member that you are my prisoner an,
will report here three times a day a
meals, will relieve you of guard"
On the third day the Captain re
marking that the "trouble was abou
over" asked his prisoner if he woul'
accept parole. II can getit for you
and you can go home and HEAVIER
prosper you.
And thus it was that Lieutenan
Howell finished his war experienc
and returned to Atlanta
And now for the after war part o
the story!
Naturally, Mr.. Howell, no longe
Lieutenant, has often wondered wha
became of the brave Federal Captain
to whose kindness he was so much in
debted.
Four years ago, while on tri
through tho West, he concluded to 6
to the meeting of the Grand Army G
the Republic at Minneapolis, hopinI
to find some trace of him there. Blu
he could near nothing.
| Several weeks ago, in casual CONVEX
sation with Mr.. Ira NJ Swartz. wit
Captain Jacobs in charge of the wor'
on our new army post somethin