The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-01-12

ABOUT IL O'CLOCK we came III SiSit VI w ho
Cove. We now sat down to rest and one OF
the men said he would go in search of some
thing to eat, if he should be captured In the
attempt. He started down the mountain
toward a house that stood ont in an old held at
least quarter of mile from the woods. we
saw the man go into the house. where he re-
mained for some time At length he came out
and started back toward the woods, at which
juncture saw seven rebel soldiers
RIDE UP AND TAKE HIM PRISONER.
This unfortunate young man has never been
heard of from that day to this He, no donbt,
was Immediately murdered by these inhuman
devils who did not regard torturing and kill
ing their fellow-men any more than II they
had been rattlesnakes
We continued to observe the movements of
the rebels in the valley for a short time and at
length saw q company of least 5O OF them
coming directly toward the place we were
stationed upon the mountain. We at once sus-
pected that the young man who went down
to the house and was captured by them had be-
trayed us, and we therefore hastily fell back
into the mountain gorges and went on our
journey without seeing or hearing any more
from our pursners.
We continued to travel until IL o'clock,
when we stopped, kindled fires, and rested
until morning. Just at early dawn we started
again. We made our way around the head OF
Weir's Cove, and travelled over the toughest
parts of the mountain until o'clock in the
evening, when l again went to a house upon
the side of the mountain to endeaVor to pro-
cure something to eat. But as usual the woman
of the house commenced telling me most
doleful tale about the rebels; how they had
robbed her house and taken nearly all that she
had to eat. | told her we were starving, and
she replied that she could not help it. Seeing
some corn in an outhouse, we at once supplied
ourselves with about two bushels OF 1t, and
started on, eating it raw. During the night we
came to a small river which we travelled down
for some distance, and had to wade through it
some three or four times, which gave our
clothes thorough wetting and caused them
to freeze upon our bodies. At length we arrived
at the Chilhowee Mountain, and it being now
about midnight we stopped in dense pine
thicket, built fires, and rested until daylight.
The men were tired and weak from hunger
that they quickly
FELL DOWN AROUND THE FIRES,
and went to sleep. Hard travelling, cold
weather, and hungry stomachs had been our
incessant companions during the whole of this
long and weary journey.
When daylight came we went on across the
mountain in the direction of Maryville, Tenn,
where we thought the Federal forces were sta
toned, and at which place we arrived early in
the night. When we got there we heard that the
Yankees and the rebels had been fighting near
L
their quarters to some other point which they
thought to be more congenial to them We
found that il would not do for US to go toward
Knoxville from this place, and that we would
have to go on to Lepoirs Station, which is "a
miles below Knoxville.
That night got some tough beef and also
some -four, which we had to cook ourselves
and thought that we were faring well to what
we had been accustomed to for several days
past.
Early the next morning we set out for Le-
nor's Station. We made it a point to ask for
something to eat at every house we passed dur
ing the day, and when night came on some of
the men were pretty well supplied with provis
ions. That night we camped in large thicket,
where we had good fires and rested finely all
night. We started early the next morning on
our last days travel for Lenoir's Station, and
arrived there by dark. We stopped there two
days and nights getting abundance to eat,
which We very much needed in order to recu-
perate our exhausted energies.
Feb. 90 we left Lenor's Station on the train
for Nashville. We had very uncomf mfortable
quarters on the train, for we had to get in the
box-cars, where we could have no fire, and the
weather was very cold. We had no place to
sleep; it was hard to get anything to eat and
even if we could we had place we could
cook it. We therefore experienced upon our
journey to Nashville some of the annoyanees
Win Wnlcn we Hau Decn rdtneT familiar TOT
our own personal welfare during our journey
through the mountains.
We were three DAYS in making the trip to
Nashville. The second day after we started
THE TRAIN RAN OFF THE TRACK,
which came very near killing several Of our
party. The poor fellows had escaped the rebel
bullets, and now, when they thought they
were out of all danger, they came very near
being ushered into eternity by an unexpected
calamity upon the railroad, by which they
were seriously crippled and bruised We at
last got to Nashville, all alive, but / thought
| that some of the men would not long remain
| in that condition, for it seemed as though they
| would become sef-murderers by induging
I! their appetite5 to An unlimited extent. | have
| often heard men say, when they were attempt
| ing 20 go through the lines that they would
much rather perish in the mountains than fall
| into the hands of the rebels; and / thought
that the men who composed this company,
who had raade this ayowal, had uttered moth
! ing but the truth
| When we arrived at Nashville wc met with
| great many Of our acquaintance, neighbors,
ard friends. The 18th Tenn. Cav was sta
toned here, and | now had the pleasure of
meeting my Old company which had made up
| in Carter Comfy when l intended to 20 in the
army myself All of the company were glad to
| see me, as well as being very much surprised,
! for they said that they could not imagine how
| / ever succeeded in conducting my company
| safely when such imminent danger threatened
| US on every side And now came the an x ious
| questions about homo and absent friends from
| some of the soldiers. ] could say that when
| left home their families had not yet been mo-
| Tested by the rebels, while to the great number
| of them had the disagreeable duty of having
to tell them that the rebels had robbed their
families Of almost everything which they had
| to subsst upon and had even taken their bed
clothing and wearing apparel, and had not left
| them the common comforts of life, and in some
! instances not even house to shelter them
and that they were living upon the bounty of
| friends who had bnt very little to share for
| their support. This was sad intelligence for
the soldiers, but it was too true.
! designated the day that | should leave
| Nashville for all the soldiers from the upper
portion of East Tennessee wished to transmit
money and letters by me to their families. told
| all of those whose families lived near together
| TO inclose the money and letters which they
desired to send home all in one packet, and
then direct this to some prominent and trust
| worthy Union man in the neigh borhood where
| their families resided, and by this means the
| packages, thought could be more easily dis.
| tribnted. / remained four days at Nashville,
and after getting all the packages of letters
which the soldiers wished to send by me,
started back upon my long and tiresome jour
ney to the mountains of Carter County.
70 be contiaued.l