The National tribune., 1892-12-22
CHAPTER XIX.

I turned my face homeward on the 10th Of
June 1863. When j got on top of Cumberland
| Mountain looked down into Powells Valley
and could see the rebel soldiers passing along
in squads After watching their movements
for some time l went down to the foot of the
mountain, where l stopped to rest and to eat
| my supper. As soon as it got dark pushed on
Wishing to shun the valley as much as pos.
sible, L slipped along through some cleared
fields to an immense thicket of pawpaw bushes
| some of which had grown to be small saplings
! There was old fence running through the
thicket, and little blind path ran along the
| fence. / was walking in this path, and had
gone about 400 yards, and was almost out oi
the thicket when / heard horses coming to.
ward me- 1t was so dark that / could see
| nothing, so / turned and went back in the
| path some distance as fast as / could run, then
| turned out into the thieket and lay down
behind an old log. l could plainly hear the
horses approaching, and when they arrived
| opposite to where / was concealed, their riders
! turned off the path and came straight to the
| log behind which / was hid. i lay perfectly
| STILL and heard the riders dismount and begin
to hitch their horses to the sapings. ] thought
| my time had come sure enough but remained
| perfectly still, meditating what was best to be
F! done in
THE PRESENT EMERGENCY.
| / thought that there would be no chance to
effect my escape if l should run out of the
| thcket, for there was nothing but cleared
| land all around. / at last concluded that the
best plan was to He still. One of the men
came up to the log behind which / was lying
and, reaching over it, bent down bush and
| tied his horse to it. The horse, getting fright
| ened, jumped back and came near breaking
| his halter. The man now came up to the log
| to see what was the matter, and, finding that
! l would be discovered. / rose up which fright.
mad fha bad1y y ba baA fr;o pad
me; for he Immediately turned and ran away
as fast as he could 90. / called to him, when
| he stopped and spoke to me, and found them
to be negroes. They told ME that they were
hiding their masters horses, to keep the rebel
soldiers from getting them. ! asked them how
many soldiers were in the valley. They told
me there were some six or seven hundred.
/ now bid them goodnight aud passed on.
| Immediately got on TO a high point, where
/ could see the rebel campfires all over the
valley, and began to think that / would have
to turn back. ] studied for some time whether
10 20 back not, and concluded TO run the
risk of being captured rather than turn back.
! selected the darkest route / could find and
started forward into the valley. At one time
i passed SO near 70 one OF the rebel encamp-
ments that l could them eating and hear
them talking. One of the rebels was playing
away on the fiddle, while others were engaged
in shaking the light fantastic toe" The
night was dark and cloudy, and their fires gave
brilliant light; the houses in the valley were
all lighted up, and
THE DOGS WERE BARKING AWAY
in desperate manner. The rebels were sing
ing and yelling all around. but none of them
seemed TO be aware that there was a looker-on
in Venice
But did not lose much time In watching
their movements, because / was too anxious to
get out of their company, for which l enter
tanned such profound sbherrence. l passed
on through the valley unnoticed, with the
exception of the rebels horses which would see
me as PASSED near where they were hitched,
and some of them would raise their heads and
give loud snort.
! had TO 70 ar rapid rate in order TO reach
Powel's Mountain by daylight, and / did not
quite make the reach, fer before I got out of
the valley it was quite light, and parcel Of
rebel soldiers having seen NE they started after
me. yelling Halt! Haiti! haitI!." did not
obey the order, but started on up the mountain
as asst as could go. They commenced shooting
at ne, and from the manner their bullets
whistled around rae / Was well convinced that
they meant to do me serious .ujnry. They were
foot soldiers and / think were armed with
Colts army pistols. got out Of their
reach. Reaching high point on the mountain,
looked back TO see Whist had become Of these
fellows who had desired TO make my aeqaaint-
ance so unceremoniously, and observed them
slowly returning 10 the valley.
pursued my way, and soon came TO the road
leading TO the boatyaFd. The night was very
dark when / reached the Flats, and when got
10 the road L struck match to see If there had
been much travelling on il. 1t had been badly
cut up by horses and wagons, and / therefore
began 10 look ont for the rebels again, as the
country was very good for them 10 forage in
When / got near 10 Reedy Creek / saw a good
many lights burning. which convinced me that
the rebels were encamped near the Flats. After
advancing little farther perceived that their
encampment was in old field Of about 10
acres which would have to cross I thought
if l could only get through that field / could
then
EASILY DODGE THEM IL THE BRUSH,
as there was dense forest just beyond the
field. / resolved to try il. The light from
their campfres was very brilliant, rendering
every object Ia the encampnent visible which
was favorable 10 me. for i was thereby enabled
to watch all of their movements without their
being able to see me. had recruiting papers
for the Federal army in Dy pocket, besides a
number of letters which the men / had re-
Gently conducted to Kentucky had sent back 10
their friends, and also about 500 in Confeder-
ate and State money. Taking all these things
/ wrapped them up carefully in my handker-
chief, and placed them in the bosom Of my
hunting shirt Ia loose garment | always wore
in the mountains). and then tied it tightly
around my body, thinking ii should be capt
ured could get hold Of them conveniently to
throw away. Taking off my shoes, and, fear
ing might be seen walking, / got down upon
my hands and knees and crawled along for
some distance.
When / got near the thickest part of the
rebel encampment thought wonId have to
gel up and run, but passed on undiscovered
until i came TO the fence which was near the
woods, where ! found horses tied to it as thick
as they could stand.
As went up to climb the fence passed be-
tween two OF the horses. They began to snort
and paw the earth with their feet / stopped
until they became quiet, aud then jumped over
the fence and ran across the road. | now
stopped in the woods to see if the rebels were
pursuing me, as had made some noise when
crossed the fence. / saw four of them come
10 the fence and examine their horses, but find
ing them all right they went back To their fres
started on and travelled until thought was
out OF danger, when stopped to put on nv
shoes. / felt for my bundle of papers and
| found that / had lost il out OF nay bosom while
CRAWLING THROUGH THE REBEL ENcAMp-
MEST,
as was too bnsily engaged at that time watch
ing the rebels TO know when the bundle fell
from my person. knew that / had the
| bundle when ] get down to crawl and was
quite sure that bad not dropped it after cross.
/ ing the fence. | never heard n single word
about my recruiting papers any of the letters
aiterward. Is the rebels ever found them |
| suppose they were ashamed to make it known,