The National tribune., 1892-01-07
erd)
THE QUAKER SCOUT.
Serg'; knight Goes for the Fighting Friend About
the Annandale Hap.


EpITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: 7 notice re-
ply by tho Quaker Scout" to my article of
the ssh OF October on Gen. Phil kearny and
have been much amused at tie recital OF the
incidents therein. / did not attempt to de-
scribe Aunandale as tho Quaker Scout re-
membeTed it. hut IS il was IN Aug. 3, 1861.
After showing the General the map that made
while sitting in the thicSet of pines / turned
TO the map that WarrentOn Giiiingham had
made for Gen. Mcdowell aud said, pointing 20
the Little River pike: This road does not ruu
as laid down here but at about this angle"
making an imaginary line, and / saw when
the storm was coming up quite number of
cavalry galiOpiug their horses up the road in
that direction" | aiterward found that il was
the graded bed for projected railroad that /
had mistaken for the Little River pike
The Octagon house mentioned in my article
was owned by a man by the name OF Arms.
father Of Maj. Arms, U. S. Army, retired, Of
Washington. Later on Gen. kcarny. with
small force, went out beyond AuuaHda.u to-
ward Fairfax Courthouse, aud / showed him
the thicket, Octagon house, and projected rail.
road. The Quaker Scout knows nothing
whatever Of my first scouting trip. which was
made with cOmrade Oi Co. H, 2d ". j., to
MunsOn's Hill, sbout the 9th day Of July.
1851. This comrades name was Eyles, and I
have 10 doubt he Il still living in Newark,
Nj
My first trip 10 the ut. Vernon neighborhood
made while our picket-liHe was u short dis
tanee below Alexandria. | stopped at tie
house OF a man named Gibbs and he showed
me about a mile Of straight road below his place
10 the blacksmith shop of n coI0red man named
Tom Ford and said the pickets OF the l4th ~
y. mot the lith Brooklynl stood on the hill
aud let n squad OF the cavalry Of HamptOn's
Legion come mp and take q number Of prison.
ers without firing shot.
On this trip became acquainted with Chalk
ley Gilliugham and his daughter Hannah
Soon after my return Gen. Kearny sent for mo
10 como to his room one morning and intro
duced me 10 elderly Quaker named Thomas
Wright, who wanted me to go down 10 bis
house, see his daughter. now SIrs. Walton. ard
tell her 20 90 down 20 the village Of Accotink
aud make arrangements with q young Quaker
named Hilman TrOth 20 meet me by rock on
a side hill covered with trees and bushes. near
Wrights house. She made the arrangement
fqr our drst meeting 10 take place at 10 o'clock
at night. / was at the rendezvous on time and
waited nearly two hours, when / saw some
thing white coming through the bushes toward
me. IL proved 10 be Miss Wright, who came 70
tell me that the rebels had taken TrOth pris-
OneT that day and carried him 10 Manassas. He
came home the following Spring. He is now
dead, and never saw him. -Four years ago
went on Sunday 10 the little Quaker Church on
litc t4i near house. " lLll man lLiel
Williamson. Young Gilliugham recognized the
team aud driver and came out when William
son told him who was. and he went back into
the church and told the congregation who was
outside. They Immediately adjourned and
came outside. and met many Of them whom
had known during the war.
The young Gillingham spoken Of was Lewis,
whom the Quaker Scout tells about blowing
horn 20 call the " Home Guards together lie
told me that day that it was his father, Chalk
ley Gillingham, who blowed a eonch she'll, and
that he was cited before the church for COM
mittiug an act Of war. What the result was I
don't remember Your artist who illustrated
" The Quaker Scout" should have depicted
venerable old Friend" one OF the most vcueT-
able and benignaut men 1 ever met blowing
she'll instead OF q tin horn blown by q young
man. This IS not intended as a criticism on the
artist. The Quaker Scout was no such looking
man as he is dcpicted-had none Of that bay
window, or broad -brmmed hat.
Right here let me say, / never saw the
Quaker Scouts house, nor the hills of the
Waite House Neck, and never made any such
report. | have read my article Of Oct. 5 care
fully over and stand by every word Of 10 as
true. ] could have said much more about the
General than / did one thing in particular
which will mention here. benjamin Sanford
Of co. IT, "a y. j.. and myself have lain on the
ground night after night beyond Bailey's Cross
roads with our ears TO the ground listening for
the sound OF marching troops. Ii they had
come they would have found Kearny always
reldy. Rearny did not move into Bishop
Johns house until nearly, if not quite, Dee
/. 1861, aud went home soon afterward on ac-
count Of having a sick child, and had an order
issued the night before he left for me to relieve
SeTg't LamPsOn, who was in charge of the
ProvOst-Guard, and my connection with the
map ceased.
Three years ago | called upon my old Colo
mel, SamI Buck. In the course of our couver-
sation | learned from him that while was on
furlough in the early part of 1862 Gen Kearny