The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-05-11
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Oar Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns
HOW SCOUTS WORKED.
Serg'; Knight Tells How They Went About
Getting Information.

mnHfG.ilnn
ters and the rebel Capital-Richmond,
and az having a man named Powers sent TO me
who had served Oh the guaboat Commodore
Morris and who had worked for John Van
Low i'm Richmond, but vino had escaped from
tbat city When asked Powers how he got
ont of Richmond past the Confederate pckets,
ne said he did not know how he passed them,
rs he had rot seen any, but that man by the
name OF Myers had helped him out Of Rich
rnond. and ihat he also brought man and his
wife aat along with him. who were coming
into ille Union lines. To this said:
Powers. Myers must have had pass for
von also Que Cor the man and his Wife He
surely could not have passed the pickets with
oct documents of some kind"
"Ai can say is from the time we left Rich
moua until he left me on path in the woods,
telling uc 10 follow it, and il would take ME
10 the river. where cofid wait on shore until
daylight. when | would see a Yankee gunhoat
which world send bUat on shore upon being
hailed aud take me of, ! followed his direc-'
tons and here ! am"
After becoming satisfied that he was telling
the truth and learning that Myers was
Northern man, originally from New Jersey;
thst ne had been in prison for his Unionism
for two years at Salisbury. \. C., until recently;
that he WIS now employed in the Quarter
masters DEPARTMENT under Maj. Wood, who
was stationed in Richmond, and that Myers
had a rowing commission to travel anywhere
where lie theught he could find material of
war. such IS clothing, Blankets arms mules or
hoTsrs that had been abandoned by the Yam
KEGS IN possession of any citizens in the State
of Nir-iua. in which case Myers was EN-.
powered 10 seize such material and turn it over
70 his SUPERIOR Mai. Wood, it seemed to me
that Myers w8s very desirable man to inter
view. Upon questioning Powers further he
said he thought Myers intended to bring the
man and his wife. who had heen left two or
three miles further mp the country than where
Powers had been released, down to the same
place in the woods where ne himself had been
turned loose the night before He also said
Myers had told him that he owned a planta
tion somewhere IN the vicinity OF the place
where he had been left.
After learning all this, ! was very sure that
Mr.. Myers WAS more than a desirable acquaint-
anee to make. and Immediately proposed to
Powers that he should go along with another
man and myself to endeavor to meet Myers
when lac hFonuht the man aud his wife down
that night. Very much TO my surprise Powers
positively refused To set his foot on the north
side O! the James River that night or any
other night for any purpose whatever. lie
was safely out OF rebeldom, and did not pro-
pose TO put himself in any position where by
any possibility they could get him in their
power again. Money was no temptation to
him: $50 did not tempt him TO go TO HexalPs
and show two OF Us the road he came through
the woods.
Finding that no inducement / could offer
had any effect on him. | began to question him
about rocks trees. streams of water or any
thing hc might have noticed as he came along.
He had seen no rocks 10 peculiar shaped
trees ard only one small stream of water,
which rs he stepped across, he had noticed a
large oak tree n his right hand close to the
road and lac had also noticed that wagons had
az some time PASSED over il. but not for several
months lie thought. The road was also larger
tiian any other he after striking the river
ruad before reaching Hexail's gate. He felt
pretty certain that it was about four miles
from the river where Myers left him. With
this scaut inf0I nation. Arson b. Carney, now
Of Bradford County. Pa, aud myself started
about dark sud were landed the wharf at
Hexails about $50 p. m. HexalPs was eight
miles above City Point. We soon found tie
river road and as We iourneyea inland began
passing paths that Po9ers had mentioned.
After time we came 20 one larger than any
we had before seen. and after a slight search
discovered that wagons had formerly been in
Use Ou IL.
when about a mile from the river we came
70 a small branch crossing the road, and on the
left OF the road as we were going stood a large
oak. We knew we were right now. and went
ahead. After leaving the branch we discovered
we we're on ascending ground. We presently
came 20 level ground, and the road we were on
made = turn to the left. We both thought we
were fouT miles from the river and that we
were inst about where Myers would leave the
man and bis wife. We hid ia the bushes and
waited.
Carney and not two weeks before had hid
while waiting for a negro off southwest OF
Petersburg. aud two Of the most villaiHOus-
booking bite men came out in the moonlight
-. 81
always insisted that we must travel around
through the country in such way that the
rebels should not suspect us Of being around at
night. We could neither kill nor take prison
eTs hen on night expeditions
We remained hidden in the bushes until il be-
came very mGnotonous. Looking east through
the tIec-t0ps became convinced we were close
10 a clearing, and proposed 10 Carney that we
should go 10 il. After going about 80 yards we
came 10 q field. There appeared to be road on
tho other side OF it. We crossed the fell and
found there was small house on the other side
Of tie road with number Of outbuiidu
lane led from the road Close TO the gate was
picket on horseback. We went up the road
inside the fence until we located another pick
et. then returned toward the first one until we
were about halfway between them; then
sueaked arross the road into field on the east
side. Keeping at quite distance from the
TOaG. We proceeded parallel with AZ unit. we
catEe 10 another running at Tighi-augle with
tie lrst. 4 short distance from US was a log
house on the second road.
told Carney that / was going to knock at
tie door aad see II we could not learn some
thing We went 10 the house aud raped at
the daor. s womaB's voice inquired who
Is gbefeg
a rsirid"
8 hal SO you 8ant?"
10 speak 70 you"
u iia are you2"
"t4st Phillips, Of the 9Th y. C. Cav. Open
yong iioor. ] wish 20 ask you a few questions"
Aiiar sam. fine she said u cant open my
door ilis iiEao Of night Go around 10 the back
Of the house. and J viii open window"
We Wett around as she ordered. and pres.
entity sEfBii window was pushed Sideways and
sic apgeafod - Who did You say you was?'
80 Capt. Phillips. Of the 9th \. {. Cav.
and this IS SeIg't Robinson. DO you know q
man named Myers?"
" Do yau mean old Alec Myersg"
Really ! can't say what his first name is,
but the man mean used TO 1--we in this neigh
borhood, snd has plantation yet somew here
ia this vicinity
Oh. that is old Alec Now. Captain,
want to tell you something Old Alec did not
know THAI that good for-Bothing, sinking
cousin Il mine was going to the Yankees /
Nonid jake 20 make q shroud TO lay him out
in"
We eer;sinly were learning something al
Though woo her cousin was We as yet had no
ink 81. Ne also learned from her that she
expected Myers to bring her barrel Of -four
frOal Richmond that night and that her name
WAS Slater Her husband, she said was an
H.H