The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1891-09-12


Cherry Run, seven miles above, eros
the river, and harress the enemy
right flank. This order came nea
losing the whole of Kelley's force t.
Lee, for Ewell's corps, after crossing
had gone ten or twelve miles up be
fore striking back into the country
and Kelley's crossing at Cherry Run
placed him not on the enemy's RICH
wing, but between two of the retreat
ing columns.
Kelley marched up Black creel
seven miles in the night of July Is
16, and went into camp in a gap o
North Mountain, with headquarterl
in the pretty little village of Hedges
vile. Lees troops were struck witt
terror when they found out that thu
Yankees were in force at Hedgesville
They thought it was Meade's army
in hot pursuit which had thus caught
them saddle-bagged across North
Mountain. But there was Joy in the
rebel camp when the report came
that it was only Kelley's little army
instead of Meade's host of 100000
and plan was Immediately made to
capture it. A council of war was
held on the night of the 10th at the
residence of Charles James Faulkner
minister to France under Buchanan,
which was temporarily Lees head
quarters. The Faulkner homestead
is known as Boydvile and is near
Martinsburg.
twas arranged that General Jubal
Early should take large force and
move swiftly through Bakers Gap,
about eighteen miles above Hedges
vile, and thence down Back creek to
within reach of Kelley's rear, to be
ready to attack at daylight on the
18th, while General Ewell was to en-
gage Kelley simultaneously in front.
The plan was well laid and Kelley
told me it would have been pretty
certain to result in his destruction
had he not beensaved by an almost
miraculous circumstance.
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 as a compound
er of mint julips, to wait on the dis
tinguished officers. While serving
julips, cigars, and other concomitants
of southern hospitality the darkey
kept his ears open, and he picked up
enough to know 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 maintaining her union sen
timents. On hearing of the plot to
crush 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 "a woman's
ready tact, Mrs. Pendleton decided
to send her son Nathanial, 10 years
old, to warn General Kelley.
She gave the lad a small basket
and told him to say to the guards
that he was going out to pick black
berries. The pickets patted him on
the head and let him through, telling
him to look out for snakes and Yam
KEGS, and not to forget to come home.
1t was but half mile to the Federal
line, and there little Nat told the Of
ficer 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 car
ried him to headquarters. The Gen
eral was alone. When the picket Of
ficer retired, the bright little fellow
told Kelley he was going to be killed.
The General was naturally surprised
at this abrupt and startling informa
tion, and he asked the lad how be
knew it. The boy replied archly
that be knew it because his mamma
had said so. Then, with returning
self.possession, he remembered more
OF his message, and he told the Gen
eral sententiously that all the Yam
KEGS were going to be killed, too!
The Generals surprise gave way
to amusement. He thought he bad
found a funny case in the youngster.
He took the prattling child on his
knee and coddled him after the man
ner of a 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 day
The lads story was now taking
shape, and the General, being man
of shrewdness and quick perception,
had begun to divineits possible mean
ing. 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 a
warningY Thoroughly aroused and
a little alarmed, he. proceeded to
draw more information from the boy
about the direful event. With kind
ly and playful manner he set the
youth at ease, and then came the
whole story, chartered out innocent
ly and brightly and without restraint.
Gen. Kelley now saw the impor-
lance of the boys errand, and with
out moments delay he dispatched
a squadron of cavalry under Capt.
Hart, a gallant and trusted officer, to
scout the Back creek country as far
up as Bakers Gap. This was at 3
in the afternoon, Between 7 and 8
the cavalry came back at storming
gait with a report that Early's troops
in great force had gone into camp at
Tomahawk Springs, short distance
above at 6 O'clock.
The warning was thus fully con-
firmed and Gen. Kelley concluded the
best thing to do was to break camp
and get away as soon as possible.
He ordered his men to gs ther 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
an order was given to withdraw
down Back creek to the Potomac, and
the retreat was executed in perfect
military order. The artillery moved