Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-09

was only Kelley's little army instead Of
Meade's host of 100, 900, and plan was i'm
mediately projected to capture it. A coun-
Gil of war was held on the night of the 10th
at the residence of Charles James Faulk-
ner, Minister of France under Buchanan,
which was temporarily General Lees head
quarters. Mr.. Faulkner's home is known
as Boydville, and is near Martinsburg It
was arranged that General Jubal Early
should take large force and move swiftly
through Bakers Gap, about Is miles above
Hedgesville, and thence down Back creek
to within striking distance of Kelley's
rear, to be ready to attack at daylight on
the 18th, while General Ewell was to en-
gage Kelley in front The plan was well
laid and General Kelley told me it would
have been pretty certain to result in his de-
struction had he not been saved by an al
most miraculous circumstance.
WORK OF A MINT JULEP ARTIST.
The council of war was attended by
negro man servant belonging to DR.. E. Boyd
Pendleton, who had been loaned to the
Faulkner household, on account of his
talent in the building of mint juleps, to
wait on the distinguished officers. While
serving juleps, cigars and other concomitants
of Southern hospitality, the darkey kept
his ears open. and he picked up enough to
see what was going on. When the council
was over he went home and told his mistress,
Mrs. DR.. Pendleton, what he had heard.
This lady was strongly loyal, and at great
personal sacrifice she had held out alone and
fearlessly against all her people in maintain
ing her Union sentiments. On hearing of
the plot to destroy Kelley she resolved to
apprise him of his peril, and she sent 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 de-
cided to send her son Nathaniel, 10 years
old, to General Kelley's headquarters with
the warning.
She gave the lad a 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 watch out for snakes and
Yankees and not to forget to come home. 1t
was but half 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 quizzing could draw from him
what his errand was. Finally the officer
took the boy on his horse and carried him
to headquarters. The General was alone.
When the officer retired the bright little
fellow told Kelley he was going to be
killed. The General was naturally sur
prised at this startling information, and he
asked the lad how he knew it. The boy re-
piled 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 senten-
tiously that all the Yankees with him were
going to be killed, too.
TOOK IT AS A JOKE AT FIRST.
The Generals surprise had given away to
o,,uoonapt He fhnuoht ha had foun1
funny case in the youngster. He took the
prattling child on his knee and coddled him
after the manner of fond parent. Pre-
sently he asked sportiyely when these awful
things were going to happen. The little
fellow promptly answered that the Yankees
were all to be killed the next morning at
daybreak. The lads story was now taking
shape, and the General, being man of
quick perception, had begun to divine its
possible meaning. The thought flashed
across his mind, he told me: Can there be a
plot to destroy me that this child and his
mother know about? Can this be
warning? Thoroughly aroused and little
alarmed he now proceeded to draw more in
formation from the boy about the direful
event.
General Kelley saw the Importance of the
warning and without moments delay he
dispatched q squadron of cavalry under
Captain Hart, a gallant and trusted officer,
to scout the Back Creek country as far up
as Bakers Gap. This was at 3 in the after
noon. Between and the cavalry came
back at a storming gait with report that
Early's troops in great force had gone into
camp at Tomahawk Springs, a short distance
above, at o'clock. The warning was thus
fully confirmed, and General Kelley con-
cluded the best thing to do was to get out
of there as soon as possible. he ordered
his men to gather as many fence rails and
campfires which should satisfy the enemy
that he was lying in bivouac, calmly uncon-
scious of his impending fate. At an order
was given to withdraw down Back Creek to
the Potomac, and the retreat was executed
in perfect military order. The artillery
moved first, the infantry next, and the
cavalry guarded the rear. At midnig hit the
little army was all at the river, and the first
streak of dawn broke upon the last man to
wade to the Maryland shore.
READY FOR EARLY CALLERS.
With as neat precision as an action in the
drama, large force of Confederate cavalry
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
pay such call. With loud yells and few
stray shots, it headed back up the creek in
q slow trot.
General Kelley did not forget his little
savior. He had carefully noted his name
and his fathers name, and as the years
passed by, after peace was restored, he
watched the youngsters growth until he be-
came of suitable age for cadetship. Then
General Kelley went to President Grant
and told him of his providential escape
through the agency of the boy and his
mother 1t was the first time the story had
passed his lips Then he said: Now, Mr..
President, have never asked favor from
the Government, and I shall never ask an
other. want you to help me pay this debt |
of gratitude and of loyalty. l want this |
lad appointed as cadet at the military |
academy, and I want it done to-day, sir"
The old General told me the President |
sat and smoked two minutes at least with |
out speaking though it seemed ten. Finally |
he said; "It shall be done to-day, General
Kelley. 1t is very appropriate, and will
take pleasure in doing 1t.
THE BOY Is AN EDITOR NOW.
The young man went to the academy, but |
did not get in. Like most Southern young
sters of quality at his age, he was good !
Greek and Latin scholar, but was deficient
in the English elements. He is now the
publisher of prosperous newspaper at |
Springs,a q much better situation in |
life than to be an army lieutenant in time
Dx.A