New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-02
AN OLD REBEL UNIFORM.
HOW IT WAS BROUGHT TROUGH TN
LINES

THE ADVENTURES OF A wELEKSowN NEW.
YORK MERCHANT WHO WIS FORCED
INTO THE CONFEDERATE ARMY.
The lobby Of the old st. NIchoasIIotel, in Broad.
way. was filled with curious andjnterested crowd
one night in January. 1862. severt hundred people
had their eyes rvctcd man wb was dressed In
rebel uniform, much the worse or wear Their
glances were not unfriendly. however. and the man
himself, who looked II he had SEQ hard service
his clothes. was being congratulate and welcomed
on all sides. II Kodak cameras Ia. been discovered
then there would surely have been ome enterprslns
amateur In the crowd who would haze taken . snap-
shot Of that picturesque central agun Perhaps
body might have upbraided him 70 his impotence
but It would have been interesting compare the ne
suit OF his shot to-day with the orjnal, Alfred w.
Ladd the weilknown dealer in supries whose orlos
is at No. "A Broadway. and who livesat No. II Radde
Place, Brooklyn.
For Mr. Laid the man In the seed rebel suN was
and those Of his friends who saw him then often
laugh at the figure he cut that day. nj II Henry
S. Wells, contractor for the Brooklyn watsrworks.
who persuaded him to come down nto the Office Of
the hotel and show himself to the eople who were
curions to Of the first YANKEES 70 escape from
the rebel army and make his way forth. The uni
form itself much OF curiosity intaose early days
Of the war, and the story Mr. Lads had 10 ten Of
hardship aud abuse was so interesting 10 thousands
Of people that his friends kept him busy telling II
for years.
CAUGHT IN THE SOUTH.
When the war broke out Mr. Ladd vas in the South
on business in connection with his LdrdDn house, and
also with sawuil interests which he held in partner
ship with his brother Daniel. who WE'D at Jackson.
vile, Fla. Being Northerner, he bound himself 10
be at once marked Moreov~ he was known
to be a relative Hannibal HamIn and that was
enough to brand him as Abolitonst Of the rankest
kind The first overt act Of hostile he experienced.
however, was when q band OF fire aters' came down
the st. Johns Rv,r from Enterprise and adjacent
towns for the purpose OF stirring up animosy against
Northerners living Jacksonville These men per-
suaded man namgi Darby, who had sold ship
load Of naval supplies to Mr. Ladd, TO get the Sheriff
to seize and unload the cargo although Darby had
already received advances on it. Mr.. dadd went to
see Darby and the shaif about the seizure at hotel
kept by Mr.. spaight. He went ynarined. but the
men who were to meet him came to the hotel with
loaded shOtguns swearing that they would shoot tho
Yankee at sight. II Mr.. Slaght had not stood like
q man for Mr.. Ladd the Yankee would never have
seen the North again. He threw himself between Mr..
Ladd and his would-be slayers and said that IL they
shot Ladd they would first have to sloot him, for b"
was friend OF Daniel Ladd and would not allow
to be harmed in lis presence.
DR. Laid got safely back to his hotel, which was
on the site OF the present Everett Ibuse and was
kept by o. l.. Keene, now merchant Jacksonville.
and formerly OF Maine. This hotel wss owned by the
ship-bulldng firm Of Day Brothers, If Damariscotta.
Me- for this all its guests were objects OF
suspicion.
HIDING IN GRAVEYARD
Il was not long before Mr. Ladd hal to hide himself
to avoid arrest for treason The forman OF MS own
sawm hid him in the attic Of his horse for two weeks
but fearing that the hOuse. which is still standing on
Forsy st. jacksonville. would be burned over the
head of his faithful employee, Mr.. Ladd preferred TO
take ali the risk on himself he let 10 one night and
made his way to graveyard just outside OF the city,
where he hid among the ombstOnes Until the first gray
streaks Of morning appeared. Then he made his way
to the river and took steamer for Fenandina, where
his firm was building warehouse and docks
From there he went to Savannah. and soon had occa
sion to visit some mills ninety miles out OF Savannah
lie boarded lumber train to retup, but the engineer
In some way learned that his PASSENGER was North
erner so he put him of the train in che woods aud Mr.
Laid had to walk all the way back.
Ills hotel In Savannah the Gibbons House. and
the feeling Of animosy the part OF the souherners
became so intense toward all the guests Of the house
that the vigilance committee Of the city arrested them
charges OF treason.
FIGHT OR GO TO JAIL
Mr. Laid now found himself In an ugly fix.
long and horrible Imprisonment in Castls Thunder
stared him in the face But the demand for able
bodied men in the Confederate Army was 50 great
that an offer 10 enlist made him as the only alter
native. lie accepted 1t with the determination never
10 fire single shot against the North. and 10 embrace
the first opportunity Of escaping to the Union forces
The seat of by that time was at Manassas
and Centreville and the recruit sent forward
nntfffs
who had been released from the city prison on pledge
of service in the army.
While In Richmond NJ Ladd frequently visited
Libby Prison, where he recognized some Of his old
schoolmates from Maine SHIT in behind the ba. and
any qualms he may have fdt about wearing the rebel
uniform were speedily dsapated by. witnessing the
misery of their state. BY undergoing similar torture
he could not benefit the Month, and long as he did
not fire upon the Union forces he would do them no
HARM Speaking the other cay Of the way in which
families were divided oftentmes over that bloody s
sue Mr.. Ladd SAID
Mrs Abraham Lincon's Youngest brother Samuel
Todd was member Of orr company while we were In
Richmond, and slept in the same tent with me. zap
tain Todd an Older brother lsa ehafEe 81 y, our
stay in Richmond he was sail to have ordefea se,c,
prisoners to be shot for disoteyng rule which ior
babe them to look out OF the prison windows. Iheo
was still another brother OF Mrs Lincoln in the south
crn army making three who we're actively engased ID
the rcDehlou
LEARNING To NURSE AND COOK.
Mr.. Ladd was put to work nursing inc s'cA
and wounded and cooking for them. no light or pleas
ant task and one which gave aim few chances OF eS
cane. Fortunately the brave boys Of the "a new
Jersey Infantry, the night of December a. ioo, ca
ND tho Georgia Hussars. Mr.. Ladds compauy' >" o""i
that all the officers who knew Mr.. Laid we're sent
back to savannah for medical treatment. In their ao
sence Mr. Ladd was sent on videte duty to the Noera
line to watch the movements OF McCleilans troops
There was no one 10 utter word OF warning agans'
sending an Impressed Northener to the 'front.' ana Mr
Ladd Jumped at the chance only afraid that his ac
rity to accept the arduous and dangerous duty sh'
betray him. r.. Ia. r,.se.s
The southern army used cavalry for outer plsse,S,
with him. bought enough whskey to get his sns
gIoriOusly drunk around the campfire one hish, s.s
then saddl.ng his horse he rode away about ocnsss
I'm the morning the fifth day OF January. Apous VA
D. M AT a curve in the road. welcome sight ms,
his eyes that made his heart jump mp INTO M, tn.
and his ewes water. There waved the dear old sss'
and Strlnes which he had FOR twelve month";
lie gave himself up as prisoner to tbe oot s,d Tho
- IN"I