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

| country for Lee and myself When we had
got about a mile south OF the river we turned
/ into a wood road leading westward, and soon
came 10 the plantation of a widow Willis.
/ The residence and barns, with the negro quar-
i tiers, were nearly in the center Of the open
! ground, which descended both from the east
and west sides toward the buildings, When
! we were about half way from the woods 10
/ Mrs. Niiis's house a horseman came out OF the
/ woods 0H The west az a gallon, and we halted
and hold our pistols in hand ready for use,
! Alter he had passed the house we conld see he
4 had on a blue uniform, and as he come towards
/ rs we could see he wore the shOUlderstTaps of
4 a Aajor. when he came mp be eyed US sharply,
4 MS we were both iu civilian suits. lie said:
/ Who are you, men?' To which j replied:
" Ne belong 20 Gen. Meade's hcadquar. eIs.'
1 VOL, said he, you can't get through those
! woods for there are too many rebs in there, rs
] j have Just tried 10 go through To the road
/ from .lacols's Ford and came near being cap
/ tured." lie then spurred on and disappeared
/ IN The timber We mad just left lie had not
/ been out Of sight long when some six or eight
\ bursUmen came ia sight from the same place
the Major had come from. When they had
got about haif way from the woods 10 Mrs
/ Nlliss house they stopped. ] said. They are
! JOhuuies" No." said Lee, they arc your
own men," Then pointing out one he said,
That is Cline and that Is EcC0ra.' Cline was
orr Chief Scout al that time, aud McCord was
l from bHUeiA IL isl ONO An AliNl' Nto
/ some resemblance 20 both of the men named,
hu, the others and the horses did not look
night. We were too far apart TO make sure Of
| anything. Presently they turned aud rode
I back into The woods on their side OF the plan
| tali0n, and separated, half going TO the right
| ana half To tho left. They turned too soon 10
| succeed in their little game, which was 10 20
around the llnce and como around IN our rear
and capture us We then turned back and
went TO the GcmaEs plank road, going along
/ with our troops, who were marching along
I ID. mile or SO south Of where we joined tho
troops we camC 20 large house that had been
deserted by the family who lived there, whose
ntme found was Bead. M lcal had bucn
! Bn-tmlst before the war. This j found out
from documents that had been scattered on the
/ 8opr No doubt hundreds Of our men had
ran sackcd the place before VIC got there AS
| papers Of all kinds were scattered around
/ through :he rooms among which Lee began
/ d ligCuf'y searching. After time inquired
Whist he Was looking tor. Cotton bonds"
/ SAID hc asked suppose Won should hud GuN,
what good would they Dc 10 youg oh" said
be, They will bo paid" ] turned IN and
looked iuT cotton bonds also, hut found none,
after spending an h0uc or two. j discovered
"A shirt that looked as though 10 would III, aud
said 10 Lee, have not worn a boiled SHIRT
for SO long am going 90 pui this one on" which
I proceeded 90 do. Lee found a violin aud sat
he could with one string gone. We then
started ahead, be carrying the violin and
wearing the boiled shirt" We casei our
coHs,icnCcs by thinking that if we had not
taken them others would. After going mile
or 50 we struck into the woods TO our right,
where there was neither road nor path, aud
started En- the direction Of ROBlns3ns Tavern.
ii was slow, tedious walking, and the day WAS
hot, even il IL was November. After we had
gone about three miles we began 10 hear hr!ug
Do What we thought must be Ia the vicinity
Of Boaipsou's Tavern. The farther VIC went
the harder it became uuill IL sounded like
regular battle After we had gone probably
three or four miles we came TO a place in the
wood. that was comparatively free from under
brush aud proposed 10 Lee 10 sit down aud
rest awhile 10 which he asseuted. large
tree formed good place 10 lean against. We
had sat there but few minutes when mount
ed Johnny came IN sight about 100 yards 10
cur right He was evidently on road o. some
kind which brought him within about co yards
of ms ] whispered 20 Lee, There Is one
horse fur Us any way" aud cooked my pistol
so that it should not click, by holding the tag
rur. aud was Just going 10 order hitl " halt
when be stopped ~ his own accord anu dis
mounted. Surprise kept as quiet. Throwing
has bride over his arm, be walked about eight
or 10 steTs and stopped. lie had stopped IN
/ trout 8f ten or UoZCn other JOhnHlcs who
were si,iiu0 on = lOg. bow we had reached
our scat without being seen 10y them ] can't
sav ] Immediately turned sideways and got
ny hands 10 the ground and Travelled on
hands aud knees i0r pine thickct few feet
I in our rear: lee 40 the same time initiating
my example. when we got a few feet into the
taickct We ran upon aa old s0w with q largo
liter Of pigs, all sound asleep. As soon as We
reached them they woke not only Themselves
but an the echoes near. j had never realized
unit t<cn how much noise could be made by
q litter Of pigs and their mother. We came
! upOn them lu shape that, IA all probability,
. tile mother had never seen men in before, aud
she WIS correspond ugiv scared. She made a
noise that could have been heard over quarter
Of q rHile. Being aware Of tho fact that tie
! Johuuips were fond of fresh pork, expected
r them 70 come end investigate IS soon as We
lad crawlcd through tie thicllet we concluded
y 10 90 lack 10 The Germania plank road, which
! we reached about 3 o'clock ?. IN. We then
e kept tie road along which our troops were stall
: pressing until we came % where 10 crosses TIE
. Old turnpike leading from Fredericksburg "a
! / Orange Courthouse. Army headquarters were
} 1 on lhe hi.l 30 the right Of the junction where
. Gems. Grant and Meade were located tho nezi
e May during The Wilderness fighting.
We were both hungry aud tired aud went Il
= / the large brick house on the hIll, southwest
i. from the junction. A yellow was stii. ly,
Y ing from IL, that hal been placed there tU,
o previous May, when 10 had been uscd rs 2 hos
10 pl,al al the time u the battle II Chauc' llors
q vile. a few Of our soldiers were there on tht
d same Crraud a. ourselves trying 10 got some
+. thing % cat We soon found there was "a,
r. chance 10 get anything While we were express
% iHg our disappointment gentleman, also II
s. citizeas dress, said, pointing % the Old vii
/. drfnrss Tavern, Gentlemen, you can &c
e corn bread and bacon over there. j have jus
II come FROM there" Upon my asking who h
D. was, be said lac was a correspondent Of tie Ac}
g York Times. Then ] asked ii they had mill
Il Or butter No, nothing but corn bread ant
bacon, and they viii charge you dollar 70
&, that" When we got within about 30 yards q
"a the house. We met two women, VINO aske
"a where they should 20 10 get a safeguard
"A Pointing 10 Gen PatTick's Gag on the hil,
% told them 10 20 there, and added that we wcr
re Just on our way 20 tie house 20 see II VIC cUu.
he pct some supper. go right on aud take q sea
p ou the porch, and We will be back presently,
m they said.
re- Presently they returned, unlocked the dor
- aud invited as IN. One Of them went out I
O. prepare our supper, while the other one wei
q ont on the porch Do listen 10 the firing, Ait5
NJ they had loft the room, ] got up and rs
" passed Lee said 20 him, +" am going out 0
~ the porch, aud j am going 10 stay until Oh.
~ woman CONES in, A. soon AS she does you &c
ID her Chat wr are Con lcduratea" when IIc1chC
IL the porch sbe hogan trying 10 find out what
thought ~ the fight then going on, She used n
r. words your army aud our army" 10 While
%, I / made hardly any TrgUOr Sc but acted mood