The National tribune., 1893-01-19

! the rebels knowing as did that large mum
Der of the men would run away, and thereby
become an easy prey for the rebels to capture
1 must confess that in all my travels through
the mountains while was acting msthe capac
I-ity of pilot, / was great admirer of the true
philosophy of the old axiom which says that
peace hath her victories
No less renowned than war"
As soon as it got dark we pressed on tt
-Chucky River, where we had the good luck tx
find a canoe, in which we crossed after good
many trips. When we got across the river We
| had TO travel short distance along public
road before we could get to the point where
designed to ascend the mountain again. The
| night was very dark. and | was very lntently
engaged in looking out for any danger which
might threaten our pathway when observed
| lust ahead of me dim light shining through
the darkness. j at once halted the company
and told the men not to follow until they
should hear me whistle. which they might con-
slider as the signal for them to advance.
WENT FORWARD,
| in order that might acquaint myself with the
/ cause of the light, and after advancing for
some distance | found that it was occasioned
by gap in the dark mountain, through which
! the feeble rays of light were cleaning from the
western horizon. / then whistled for the men
! to advance, when some of the company. unfor-
! tunately, mistaking my whistle for signal of
/ danger, started up the mountain as if they had
seen a thousand armed rebels rise up before
! them. The remaining portion of the company,
/ soon becoming frightened at the precipitate
! flight of those who had already started, fol-
! lowed after their flying companions and away
/ they all went up the mountain like hurri-
cane. This thought, was very unfortunate
occurrence, happening, as it did, just at the
time when i wished the company to proceed
quietly and with as much rapidity as possible.
In their flight they threw away their haver-
sacks, overcoats, hats, and blankets-every-
thing which constituted the least impediment
to them in their rapid progress. At any other
time / could have laughed heartily at this sud-
den and unexpected movement, but at this
uncture / did not feel much in the humor of
enjoying laugh at their expense, for the hour
was fraught with danger.
The whole company of men ran with such
headlong fury that l could plainly hear the
dry branches of the trees and the decayed sap
liugs falling for several minutes after their
passage. i waited some time for the noise to
subside before / called on them to stop in their
wild career, for the report of cannon could
scarcely be heard Immediately after they
started. At length l commenced calling
them TO stop, not caring now for any noise
which | could make, as they had already raised
such a rumpus that it could have been heard
for mile. After a short time they began to
return, and as continued to call for them, they
would answer from all parts of the mountain,
while some one of them would eXclaim: Il
should like to know who was so cowardly as
first to start to run, when there was no danger"
They came back, continuing loudly to at
tribute their discontinue to the cowardce of
one another. felt that one WAS to blame no
more than another, for they had all run away
together, and all of them deserved to be equally
rebuked for becoming so unnecessarily alarmed
and disconnected.
THERE WERE THREE NEGROES IN THE COM
PANY,
and one them. while he was crawling up the
side of the mountain with all possible speed
and energy, ran his head between the legs of
boy who was just ahead of him and raised him
astride of his shoulders, where the boy continu-
ed to sit, holding on to the woody head of the
negro who scrambled on, perfectly needless of
his load. The boy got along finely upon his
black steed, until he ran violently against a
stump when his rider fell to the ground and
came very near breaking his neck. This cir
eumstauce caused the negro to halt a moment,
when he happened to hear me endeavorng
to call the men together and he came back
with them.
After had succeeded in collecting the men,
a general search was instituted for coats, hats,
and hayersacks, but they soon became convinced
that it had been far more easy to discard the
articles while they were running than it was
now to find them, for some of the men never
did find any of the articles which they threw
away. At length / got them all started once
more, and we went up Indian Creek until mid
night when we stopped and rested for the
balance of the night. Just as daylight began
to appear we started and continued to travel
up Indian Creek for 10 miles, when / turned
off toward Shelton Laurel, which knew was
the roughest but much the safest route.
After hard days travel we got to the house
of David Shelton, and went into a dense
tbicket of laurel bushes, where we built fires
and spent the night. Early the next morning
We started, and travelled all day through a
rough and very lonely mountain, having all
the creeks and branches to wade which came
in our way. Just at night we arrived at gap
near the Warm Springs road, where we stopped
10 stay all night. About 10 o'clock the rain
began to fall in torrents, which put out all our
fires and rendered our situation very disagree
able, as some of the men had to creep into old
logs. but the greater portion of them had to
sit or stand up under the trees until morning.
At the approach of morning the storm
ahated, and we again kindled fires to dry our
clothing; and after warming, drying and eat
ing our breakfast, we advanced along the side
Of the mountain, crossing the Warm Spring
road, and making our way on to Meadow
Creek Mountain. Here we were informed that
the Yankees were at Russellvile and that the
rebels had fallen back up the road. VI con-
tinued TO travel in the mountain paths all day,
aud at night crossed over Chucky River at the
big bend near Warrensburg, where we got
AN ABUNDANCE TO EAT.
When daylight made its appearance we
started on again, and on that day we reached
Russellville, where we found the Yankee
troops stationed. We here took the train for
Knoxville.
The 18th Tenn. Cav was then at Nashville,
and as most of the men in the Comuauv
which ! had Just piloted through were re-
cruits for that regiment, they therefore con-
tinued their journey on to that place, while /
remained at Knoxville.
When parted with the men they were all
in the most lively spirits, and some of them
remarked that they could already see the
hand writing on the wall" which plainly in
dicated in letters of fire that the rebels had
been weighed in the balance and found want
ing. The men all seemed to have an abiding
hope that the war was drawing rapidly to
close, and they expressed the belief that the
time was not far distant when, if their lives
should be spared, they could again return to
their families and homes, and rebel domina-
tion should be numbered with the things of
the past. These men had endured great deal
of suffering but hope had never forsaken them
ia their trials and tribulatiOns. and they be.
lieved that their manifold Affections would
yet secure for them a bright and glorious liza
dem of future happiness when the rebel hordes
should be scattered from the land like leaves
before Autumnal winds