The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-07-17

1OO FULL FOh EA1LANAllON.
To get home was passion that made the
heart bleed, and other wounds and smarts
were for the time horrors to be borne but
not avoided. The journey was resumed in
spite of the storm.
When the fugitives drew near the Union
lines the danger of capture increased, for a
Gordon of mountain rangers patrolied the
region to head off any fortunate ones who
got thus far on the journey homeward.
The mountains were simply barren wastes,
the few cabins had to be Stunned, and the
only food to be had was wild game, which
the rifles of the ''lyers out" brought down.
In the uplands the poor fellows were
bounded by rangers" and in the valleys
mounted Confederates dashed about on all
sides.
At length the party reached the vicinity
of Bulls gap, a railway pass through the
mountains, and guarded by Union troops
as an outpost of Knoxville The chief scout
announced that the gap was fifteen miles
from the foot of the hill, whence it was first
sighted, and that once reached the refugees
would be safe. The news stimulated the
men anew, and they started down the
mountain with their eyes riveted on the
gap for fear, as Drake says, it would take
wings and flee. Alasl alasl The unexpected
happens in war if nowhere else
The gap didn't exactly take wings and
fee, but the ubiquitous Gen. Breckenridge,
with an army at his back, fell like thun-
derbolt upon the Union garrison at the
pass, defeated and routed the entire force
and hurled them backward at mounted
double quick pace toward Knoxville; and
prestol the gap was closed in the very faces
of the yearning eyed, broken bodied pill
grims. Think of it; at the end of those
terrible weeks of endurance and suffering
to find hostile army springing across the
path at a bound, and its scouts and patrols
beating every byway and bush in the re-
gion for the luckless strays of the fleeing
enemy.
A young woman of the mountains volun-
teered to scout toward IRE gap and bring
news to the refugee camp. She simply
learned that Breckenridge was sweeping
the country of Union troops aud marching
upon Knoxville
At the same time it was discovered that
band of Confederate partisans were on
the trail of the fugitives, and to escape this
new danger they found comparative shelter
In ravine Two of the men who escaped
from the car with Drake, Capts. Todd and
Grant, ventured out to obtain rations.
which were sadly needed, as they were all
living on dry corn. During the night
mounted men attacked bivouac and the
refugees scattered, every man for him
self Drake struck out wildly, having
no guide but the firing of the assailauts,
and determined to get as far as possible
from that. He ran and stumbled until he
was compelled TO halt and pull a stub from
his heel, and then for moment sense of
his awful situation overpowered him with
despair.
Yesterday so near the realization Of his
wearisome hopes and then suddenly cast
adrlft, alone in a strange region, with enc
mics all about him and starvation staring
him in the face. In this plight some of the
party found him, and with the fresh vital
ity of these spirited mountainous to en-
courage and sustain him he set out again
for the Union picket lines, up the Holstor
river. AT The end OF week they fell in
with cavalry patrol and were once more
under the protection of the stars and
stripes GEORGE l.. kILMKR