The record-union., 1891-08-22


her faithful black man with the message,
! but Ewell's pickets would not let him
| pass, and he came back to his mistress.
| Then, with woman's ready tact, Mrs.
Pendleton decided to send her son, Ma
thaniel, ten years old. to warn General
| Kelley.
She gave the lad small basket and
told him to say to the guards that he was
| going out to pick blackberries. The
! pickets patted him on the head and let
| him through, telling him to look out for
| snakes and Yankees, and not TO forget to
come home. 1t was but half a mile to
! the Federal line, and there little Nat told
the officer in charge that he wanted to see
| General Kelley, but no amount Of quiz
! Zing could draw from him what his
errand was. Finally the officer took the
| boy on his horse and carried him to head
! quarters. The General was alone. When
| the picket officer retired, the bright little
| follow told Kelley that he was going to
| be killed. The General was naturally
surprised at this abrupt and startling in
! formation, and he asked the lad how he
! knew it. The boy replied archly that he
! knew it because his mamma had said so.
| Then, with returning self-possession, he
! remembered more Of his message, and he
/ told the General SententiOuSly that all the
| Yankees were going to be killed. too
| The Generals surprise gave way to
! amusement. He thought he had found q
! funny case in the youngSter. He took
! the prattling child on his knee and cod
| died him after the manner of fond
parent. Presently he asked sportively
when these awful things were going to
| happen. The little fellow quickly
answered that the Yankees were to be
killed the next morning at daybreak.
The lads story was now taking shape,
and the General, being a man Of shrewd-
ness and quick perception, had begun to
divine its possible meaning. The thought
| flashed across his mind, he told me, Can
! there be plot TO destroy me that the
child and his mother know about? Can
| this be 4 warning? Thoroughly aroused
and little alarmed, he now proceeded to
draw more information from the boy
| about the direful event. With q kindly
! and playful manner ne set the youth at
case, and then came the whole story,
! chattered out lnnocently and brightly
and without restraint.
| General Kelley now saw the importance
! of the boys errand, and without a mo-
ment's delay he dispatched squadron of
cavalry under Captain Hart, gallant
and trusted officer, to scout the Black
! Creek country as far up as Bakers Gap,
| This was at in the afternoon. Between
Z and the cavalry came back at storm
| ing gait with a report that Early's troops
IN great force had gone into camp at
| Tomahawk Spring, a short distance above,
at O'Clock.
The warning was thus fully confirmed,
and General Kelley concluded the best
| thing to do was to break camp and get
away as soon as possible. He ordered his
men to gather as many fence rails and
dry limbs as they could and make line
Of fires, which should satisfy the enemy
that he was lying in biVouac, calmly un-
conscious Of his impending fate. At 8 an
order was given to withdraw down Back
Creek to the Potomac, and the retreat was
! executed III perfect military order. The
artillery moved first, the infantry next,
| ana the cavalry guarded the rear. AT
midnight the little army was all at the
river, and the first streak of dawn broke
upon the last man TO wade to the Mary
Land shore.
With the precision Of an action in the
drama large force of Confederate ca
Valry came dashing down the creek, with
a mighty laundering of hoofs and the
wild blare OF many bugIes, just in time
to find its game beyond reach and drawn
up in line of battle on the other shore,
ready to receive early callers. But the
cavalry had no mind to make such call.
! With loud yelIS and a few stray shots it
headed back up the creek on slow trot.
Thus smart Virginia woman foiled
| three great, if not the greatest Confeder-
ate leaders, in one of the best pieces Of
strategy the history Of the war affords.
General Kelley did not forget his little
savior. He had carefully noted his name,
and as the years passed by, after peace
was restored, he watched the youngster's s
growth until he became of suitable age
! for a cadetship. Then General Kelley
went to President Grant and told him OF
his providential escape through the
agency of the boy and his mother. IT
was the first time the story had passed
his lips. Then he said:
II. 7
! asked a favor from the Government, and
| shall never ask another. / want you to
help me pay this debt of gratitude and OF
loyalty. | want this lad appointed as a
cadet at the Military Academy, and !
! want it done to-day, sir"
The President sat and smoked two min
utes at least without speaking, though it
seemed ten. Then he said:
at shall be done to-day, General Kel-
ley. 1t is very appropriate and / will
take pleasure in doing it,
Within two hours the appointment was
! brought to the hotel by one of the execu-
| tive clerks and placed in General Kelley
| hands, TO be delivered to Master Nathan
/ iel PendletOn.
The young man went to the academy,
/ but did not get III. Like most Southern
F! youngsters of quality at his age, he was a
J good Greek and Latin scholar, but was
! deficient in the English elements. He is
now the publisher Of prosperous news
paper at Berkeley Springs, better
station in life than to be an army lieuten-
| ant in time of peace.
General Kelley also told the story of
/ his capture with Crook. In February,
! 1860, when the war was closing and
/ vigilance on the Upper Potomac was re-
/ laXed, an audacious little band of rebel
guerrillas under Captain O'Neal made a
night dash into Cumberland, dragged
] IL oil
and carried them off, all in the twinkle of
an eye. The plan was laid by one of the
/ guerrlllaS, Jim Daley by name a harum-
! scarum fellow, who was brOther-in-law
! Of Crook. General Crook had married
Mary Daley, pretty Irish girl, out of a
rebel family at Oakland, the daughter OF
q taNern-kGcper, and her brother jim
! thought it would be very smart thing to
/ make the capture. But the guerrillas
! took Kelley along, too. They were taken
/ TO Richmond by way of the Shenandoah
! Valley, as prisoners of war. On reaching
| SUaunton, the distinguished prisoners
! were taken to Early's headquarters. The
| great rebel leader received them very
/ Hospitality. He regretted that the for
1 tunes OF war made it necessary for him 10
! regard them as prisoners rather than as
! guests. Then he said to Kelley:
u intended to have had the pleasure
myself of capturing you and your sup
/ ply train at Hedgesville, but you mystic
rlously gave me the slip, and you didn't
leave cracker behind. My army went
/ without breakfast that morning, sir. |
had estimated that it would be fair
mornings work before breakfast to take
I you, and we had depended on your sup
/ plies"
/ General Kelley replied grimly to this
/ pleasantly that there might have been
enough supplies to go around after he
/ "a a hnl hic ~ Of fIr,