The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1893-01-12
FIGHTING THEM OVER.
What Our Veterans Have TO Say About
Their Old Campaigns
WITH THE SCOUTS.
serg't knights Adventures in the swamps
of the Pamunkey.

~ member how the country looked. or
what roads we took until ap
proacbed the Pamunkey River. In my minds
eve can see the road for about a nile leading
across river bottom. filled with doughboys
as the infantry were called. who had been
halted 10 let Army Headquarters pass They
had beeu marching in column of fonrs, and
had senarated so that two were on the right
and two on the left of ihe road. After Head
Quarters came q motley group oil servants 81!
mounted. which appeared 10 excite the ire OF
The infantry. The day WAS hot, and they had
had a long march that morning. As geherai
thing the scouts were not with headquarters
when on the march only a lot OF SO called
puides most of them negroes, although there
were quite a number of white men ana hoys
Virgiuiaus by birth. The negroes were guides
in some Eases.
After crossing the Pamunfey Headquarters
were established on a farm called Gold Hill.
soon after we had settled down, / mounted my
horse and took a ride westwardiy TO see what
the topography of the country was ike. just
as / came to the first place west OF Gold nm,
Cen Grant and a number Of his stall came out
of a house; as passed them Grant was saying:
al told her that considered our losses ABOUT
equal As we had all the time been the attack:
ing party, we had lost more III killed and
wounded. but we had taken many more prison.
ers than Lee had" Afterward | learned Mrs.
Newton was the name of the lady he was speak
ing OF.
About 10 A. m on the next day, an Orderly
from Gen. NJ. e. Patrick, the Provost Marshal
General of the Army of the Potomac, came
over to our camp, aud said to me; Hen'
Patrick wants to see you" On reporting 10
him. be said: "Mr. Dana wants to see you
Mr. Dana was Assistant Secretary of War. and
had been at Headquarters of the Army from
the opening of the Wilderness campaign.
When L reached Headquarters, / asked for
Mr. Dana Gen. Rawlings pointed to HIM,
and he Dana) said: Il am Mr.. Dana" Ger.
Grant and Col. Rufus ingalls,, Chief Quarter
master of the Army, were also in the tent.
said to him: Gen. Patrick ordered me to re-
port to you." :,
"You are a scout We want to send dis
matches to Yorktown. That is the nearest
point that we can reach telegraph"
Yorktown was about 20 miles away, and the
country between in full possession of the
enemy ] am free to con fcss that there was no
craving on my part for the job. All that L
knew OF the country was what an infantry
man, serving with his regiment, that landed at
West Point at the junction of the Pamunkey
and York Rivers, would naturally learn IN
going from there TO New Kent Courthouse;
from thence to Cumberland Landing from
there to Gainess farm; from Galues's farm to
Machsnicsville. from thence to Fair Oaks aud
Harrison s Landing. by way OF Savage Station,
White Oak Swamp and Malvern Hill. Two
years had elapsed since. L thought over our
guides. and the different scouts; not man OF
them knew thing of the country, and told Dir.
Dana that there was not a horse IN our party
in fit condition to make such a trip. and SAID
NV own horse had sore back-in fact, they all
had Gen. Grant / could see, was listening
to our conversation. When / mentioned the
condition of the horses in our party, he said:
"Ingalls. haven't you got fresh horses IN the
corral p Yes" said lac. Then to me:
"When you get through here. / viii go with
you TO the corral, and show you what have"
That settled It, and could see there was no
way TO get out of il, and ri ght as well put on
o cheerful air as any other. Mr. Dana then
showed me lot of dispatches. and marked
them. saying. This is to be telegraphed, and
this is to be mailed" until he had all but three
marked Then he showed me those, saying as
he did so: If you are caught with these, you
will be hung" i did not believe anything of
the kind and came near telling him that his
telling me that would moi make me one par
ticle more diigent in endeavoring TO get
through without being captured. Ny impress
sion was then, as it is now, that he thought
/ was detailed soldier and that if he could
scare me into thinking ! was in danger of
losing my life by being captured with those
documents, | would try harder to get through
with them than otherwise. He was careful
TO not tell me that Lieutenant with lG men
had been sent with the same dispatches the
night before and had returned with only half
his men the same morning.
He wanted to know how many men ] would
take with me- and said enc. When Col. In
gals saw that he had got through with me.
be jumped from his seat, saying: Come
with me- now, and ! will show you what
horses / have"
On our arrival at the corral ] picked out
the largest and strongest looking horse there.
The Colonel said: That is a rough rider you
have got there" i told him i know it, but
he had iae bottom, / thought and also re-
marked that / was not a lightweight. No."
said be, that is so. lie viii serve you ii you
can can stand the jolting What kind Of 4
man is the one going with you?"
No better living. He viii never leave one
In the lufch. He is good as gold"
That is not what mean,'' said the Colonel,
smilingiy. How large is he? What Will he
weigh?"
"Why, be is a little fellow; won't weigh
ever lis pounds"
g Let me pick him horse" said the Colonel.
In few minutes be selected one that one
could see with half an eye. if be knew any
thing about a horse, would be an easy one to
ride; then telling a negro to deliver the horses
10 any place / directed, he said TO me: " Let
me SET the pass Rawlings gave you" After
looking AZ il for moment he said, "Strange
that soue people never appear TO think. Now,
am going 10 tell you something that may be
of service 10 you, and hope il will. We ex-
pect Badly Smith with the Eighteenth Corps
70 land at The White House soon. My advice
10 you is 20 60 by the way Of the White House
You may find him there. You have three dis
patches for him in your bundle. IL you should
find him show him this"
BE was busy writing on the back Of the pass
and when be handed il 10 me he had written al
order any Quartermsster in the United
States service to furnish Us with steamboat
horses, OF any transportation in their power
and 10 " facilitate these men in the discharge
Of their duty" by any means in their power
and a request to all Captains Of gunboats 10 dC
the same. When j had read il thanked hin
for his th0ugbtfulness and ready appreciation
of the difficulties in the way of the accomplish
ment OF ouT mission, which might be very mucl
easier for Hatton and myself Icy his forethought
Then, his way of doing IL WAS so friendly.
How il became we'll known Uatton and
were going 10 try and reach Yorktown ",
never found out; but in some way IL becami
noised around that we were going and sew
eral people came 10 US asking that we SHOULD
carry letters for them; among Others Col
Coils, 81 that time commanding regimen
OF ZOuayes attached TO Headquarters guard
soon afterWard promoted BrigadieT- General
asked me TO carry letter for him directe'
70 his wife, who had not heard from him il
Some weeks. lie never forgot 1T, and NOR
than quarter Of q century aftcrwafd d
not forget what he at that time considered
great favor.
After getting the horses we hastily swal
lowed not plate Of SOUP" but our dinner