The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-04-09

"why don't You ask how we get these2" On
our expressing our surprise 10 see such quanti-
] ties Of those things and hint that we would
/ be pleased TO he enlightened she told us that
there was a "bind ford 4" on the Oeeoquan
River called the Widow sally Daviss Ford, aud
4 that the Yankees had never guarded 1T. as they
! did not know Of its existence. That the
/ Widow Davis could 20 into Alexandria any
! time she wanted 20 aud buy anything she de-
4 sired, for there was Yankee detective there
named Smoot who youched FOR her. She
7 brought the things 10 her house. and after dark
4 the men Of Kincheioe's company went over and
/ got them. 1t is needless TO say the widow
1 Sally Dayis's Ford was shortly thereafter
/ guarded and a detective was out Of job.
Knowing, as l did. the nocturnal habits OF
such parties rs our friend KiucheloC's gang /
I suggested 10 Lee that we had better be start
I ing. rs there was no telling where we wOnld
| find headquarters, ne they had undoubtedly
/ moved since we bad been at the house, aud 1T
| was fully D. m. Mrs. Sims showed Us bed,
and said we could occupy 10 if we chose. and
/ added, am sure my husband viii be home
somo time during the night and will have some
/ OF his men with him aud you Can get away TO
which / replied, That Is ali true, no doubt,
/ Mrs. SIMS and we are more than obliged 10
4 you, but we are on parole and II we should
ever be captured again we would be hung,
am afraidp Il never thought OF that. ] sup
/ pose you had better "a" she said.
We had very hard work TO mako her accept
! s. for our supper, but she finally did. II must
/ have been p. m. when we got away. Head
quarters had moved and We did not get there
/ until about IL p. m.
The next morning carly we started on our
/ search FOR horses. We soon reached R0hins0n's
! Tavern, where we came up with our skirmish-
line aud kept along with them until we came
/ 10 Mine Ran. There our skirmishers had 10
halls, the rebels were working like beavers
1 NJ throwing up eaTthwoTks. At the point
where we first saw them they already had sub
| stantial works completed, with several guns
pceFng out Of embrasures. large open Held
on the ieii Of the road was occupied by two or
three batteries Of artillery rs fast rs they came
up. On our way 10 this point which was the
residence of a Col. Roc or Rowe We passed
| "JOhnsOn's TaHncry." An iUchOuse, built IN
the way they were usually constructed IA Nir-
Eiuia 10y digging a hole in the ground aud COW
ering 10 with 3 roof. caught my eye and
looked into ID. A large lot Of blankets aud
bcdquIlts AT the bottom looked 10 me as II h
bad been used the night before by some Of tho
COnledeIates as a sleeping place. 4 ladder was
/ in position and / went down 10 investigate
Hastily pulling over some of the tor quilts
felt something stirring underneath them.
Concluding II was some kind OF an animal the
rebels had left 10 play trick on ihe hanks
| With worked very Caut i0usy, aud a last found
an infant but few months old. lt WAS a very
pretty child, but for something grown over the
pupil Of one eye, which projected 30 that the
child could not shut the lids OF that eye.
went on To the house and saw a mulatto girl
ard asked her il she knew there WAS white
child in the icCh0use. She said, " Why, dat =
ny child ! asked where johnson and his
family were, aud she said they had gone TO Col.
RoWes.
Col Rowc's house was taken by Col. Carroll,
Of the 9Th Ohio. as hiz headquarters la talk
ing with Mai. Gen. Carroll some four or five
years ago he told nc that R0wes cellar WAS
hilcG with men, women, and children, both
white aud black who hal fed TO bis place as
the safest place they COaid Gud.
Lee and / stood IN the open field near one Of
our batteries until q became evident 10 me that
the batteries would soon open. Ny desire to
stay there was not al all great, as by crO5sin (
the road an equally good view could be had from
behind some trees / pointed ont the adyan-
tsrcs OF the position to Lee, who did not APP
. pear TO appreciate the difference iu the position
until solid shot from ono Of the rebel guns
tell ia d group Of - or 20 men within few
feet Of where we stood. AS luck would have it
no one was hunt. 1 again mentioned the adj
visibility Of "a change OF base" 10 which lac
assentod. We had just crossed the road when
Gen. Meade rode up. and. looking around upon
the troops, who had crowded up where they
could see he said, in crisp, curt tones What
business get 10 your places, aud those that have
none clear the road" They melted away like
magic. We got good positions 10 observe the
artillery duel that Was evidently about 10 begin.
Presently they opened from both sides, and At
the second or third shot from orc of our guns
wo saw brass gun IN tie rebel works jump
about three feet high. Alter "A few shots both
sides ceased firing, aud We wandered out into
the lGid and went down 10 some Of the out
} buildings Of R3Wc's place. Tho rebel skir-
mishers lrod upon every ono they could see.
} After staying around the oulhOuses awhile
) ] looked into Col ROwe's baTn through the
cracks aud discovered two horses. We then
tore Cd boards enough 10 get in. On looking
: the horses over we found them 10 be two yer )
sorry specimens Of rebel artillery horses, still
ia harness FROM tie day before. We stripped
l of the English harness leaving the head stalls
: on There was beam that tho horses could
Z neither get over or under on the backside o.
! tho barn, so that the only way we could ge
them out was TO take them out OF the door
which opened toward The rebel skirmishl line
} Mounting the horses inside the barn suddenly
: sWuaR one door open, and Ice got out a
i quickly IS lis Old plug could 10 got 20 move
z aud followed him rs fast as fny animal could
o travel. We passed along the south side Of th'
e barn until VIC reached tho back Of II. whgr
c we mediately took shelter The Johnnie
! 1 fired a few shots but did 40 damage either Z,
as OF the horses. We had hardly dismvuntct
0 wien Col. CAROLS QuaTtermssteF came up nm,
. took the horsts from us. ! told him that j
. the horses were good Tor anything he shout,
c not have them. IS IL was VIC would not max
p any fuss about them, for would great De-,
b sooner let hiIl have them than enter into cx
e plantations Is 20 who We were, with a who'll
10 crowd Of soldiers standing around that dit
0 not want TO know anything about US. Til
= Is All there was Of anything resembling ia
2 Blue and Gray account, aud 0as must Lag
J. a very robust imagination TO make the tvs
y agree.
u Tdat night we went back 10 JohnsOn's Tan
10 merry, aud found the Surgeon Of my old req
" meut I'D y. J.) with his assistants, had posses
x sion OF J0hHsgn's house IS a hospital. Lee an
a j were both invited by the boys 10 stay al
y night, which We Gid. Leo sold tho violin
1i which he had stuck 20 for two days, aud whic
- had become a great nuisance 20 him. III
.. next day reported 10 Col. Sharpe where "
j lad been and what we had done since crOssin
re the Rapidan. When / came 10 getting tl
- horses and how we lost them, he said "W
AZ viii have those horses IL you want them
NO." Colonel, said ], they are not worth I'll
making an enemy Of that QuaricrmasteT."
Or JUDsOS KNIGHT, Washington. ID. C.
"a Read Better than a Pension on page 7.
DF
Commander Cushing's hoiher.
IN EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: Under n
Al head Of Personals" in your issue OF March