The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1893-03-22

of that ignorant scout, L realized the
horrible barbarity of war.
After pause of some minutes, he
resumed the conversation.
"They killed one on our b ,ys, SIR"
"Did they'll How was it?'
"Wa, sir, We see they b'long round
the Big Fork, in Scott county; and
bein's l war down thar, an they
knowed l war runnin' recruits over
the mountains ter Burnside, they telled
me they wanted me ter help 'em git
long with the young cunnel. They'd
ruther a notion ter him-an' he ar
Teller thst haint growed everywhar-
sides all the folks down thar swar by
the old parson."
Well, they ought to, for he's
trump" l remarked, good humoredly,
to set The native more at his ease.
Yo kin bet high on tibet; he haint
nothin' else," he replied, leading for
ward and regarding me with pleasant,
kindly expression. Every un down
my way used ter take his paper; tibet
an the Bible war bout SO good as
'tother. Wall, the boys thort l could
git 'em thrOugh-an' bain's it made no
odds to me 'ohar they jined, so long as
they did jine, greed ter du hit. We
put out ten days, yesterday--twelve on
'em, an me = an struck plumb fer
Nashville. We lay close daytimes,
ease, though every hous'n ar Union, the
kentry is swarmin' with Buckner's men,
an we knowed they'd slide on us Jest
so soon as they could draw a bead. We
got long right smart till we fetched
the Roaring river, nigh onter Livings-
ton. We'd 'quired, an hedn't heerd
Nv any rebs bein' round; so, foolhardy
like, that evenin' we TUX ter the road
fore hit war clar dark. We hedn't
gone more'n mile till we come slap
onter bout eighty secesh cavalry. We
skedaddled fur the timber, powerful
sudden; but they war over the fence
an on US fore we got well under cover.
Bout thirty on 'em slid thar nags an
come at us in the brush. seed 'lwarnt
no use runnin'; so l yelled out:
Stand yer ground, boys, an sell yer
lives jest so high as ye kinr Wall, we
went at hit ter close quarters-hand ter
hand, an fut ter fut-an' ye'd better
b'lieve thar war some tall fghtin' thar
fur bout ten minutes. Our boys fit
like fien's-thet little chunk NV Teller
youth, not more than seventeen, "laid
out three on 'em. I'd done up two
myself, when the cap'n come onter
me-but I've telled ye bout him.; and,
drawing long breath, he put the min.
iature back in his pocket. After a
short pause he continued:
"When they seed the cap'n war done
fur, they fell back a piece-them as
war left on 'em-ter the edge NV the
timber, an hollered fur tuthers ter
come on. Tibet guy US time ter load
up-we'd fit arter the fust fire with
knives-an' we blazed inter 'em. Just
as we done hit, herd some more
cavalry comm up the road, an l war
jest tellin' the boys we'd hev ter make
tracks, when the new fellers sprung
the fence an come plumb at the secesh
on a dead run. Thar warn't only thirty
NV 'em, yit the rebs didn't so much as
make stand, but skedaddled as if old
Rosey himself he'd been arter 'em."-
"And who were the new comers?"
"Some o. Tinky Beaty's men.
They'd heerd the firm nigh two mile
off, an come up, suspicionin' how
things wuz."
"But, are there Union bands there?
/ thought East Tennessee was overrun
with rebel troops"
"Wall, hit ar; but thar's small
chance Nv Union guerllas in Fentress
an Overton county. They hide in the
mountins, an light down on the rebs
now an then, like death on sick par.
son. Thar is places in them deestricks
tibet hundred men kin hold agin ten
thousand. They know 'em all, cease
they wus raised thar, an they know
every bride path through the woods
so it's well nigh impossible ter kotct
'em. / reckon thar's hundred or
'em, all mounted, an bein' as they
haint no tents, nor wagins, nor camp
fixins, they git round mighty spry
Thar scouts is alters on the move, an
wharever there's a showin', they pounct
down on the rebs, cuttin' 'em ter pieces
Thet's how they git powder and pro
visions. They never trouble peaceablt
folk, an haint no sort o. 'spense tel
government; but they does a heap uy
damage ter the secesh."
Well, they did you powerful
good turn"
"They did tibet; but we lost one OF
our boys. He war only sixteen
brother ter that Teller thar" pointing
to young man sitting opposite
"They hung his father, an now
they's killed him." and he drew deel
sigh.
" Why did they hang his father?"
"Wall, ye see, they kinscripted him
he war over age, but they don't mine
thet-an' he desarted, meanin' ter gi
ter the Union lines. They kotchet
him in the woods, an hung him RICH
up ter tree"
"Was only one of;your men hurt?"
Yes, two on 'em wus wounded to-
bad ter come with us. The cavalr,
toted 'em off ter the mountains, an
reckon they'll jine 'em when they git
round. But we left eleven Nv the reb
on the ground"
"Did your men kill 80 many? TIL
cavalry had hand in that, l suppose.
eyes, they killed two-thet's all
They couldn't git at 'em, they run SO
We done the rest"
"You must have fought like tigers
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