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

, THAT don't matter, so it is not boiling"
| Unslinging canteen from the saddle, passed
! il over to him. apologiZing at the same time for
its being so hot. When he handed it back he
said, q You have saved my life. will have to
| hurry now to catch up; good-by, and he was
! of.
Hatton and ! crossed the road. and after
! going about two miles farther we came to a
cavalry videt in the road After showing
our PASS Hattou asked him what his regiment
! was, and the answer showed he was one of the
Michi gan Cavalry Brigade. l said Where is
Gen. Custer?" He pointed into the woods on
the left of the road. and answered: " In there,
where you see that gronp of horsemen." As
| had known Custer very we'll in 1861, while l was
! at Gen. Kearnys Headquarters, where he tor
/ a time was Acting Assistant Adjutant General,
and at the same time commanding a company
of the "a Cav, of which he was Second Lieu
/ tenant, this was the first time / had had a
! chance To see him since September, 1861, and
/ ayailed myself of il. He did not know me
| until i asked if he remembered Serg't Knight,
at Kearny's Headquarters. There was no non
sense about Custer. / could see he WAS pleased
to see me. After asking number of questions,
! he said: where are You going?" l told him
! to Yorktown, and he replied. 81 should not
care to take such trip" and said he hoped
we would get through all right, wished US
bon voyage" and we parted. | never saw
! him afterward to speak with, and only once at
all, after the fall of Richmond, when his COM
mand had started for Washington.
After leaving Gen. Custer we made good
| time and saw one to interfere with us
until we came TO place called -, which
was the name of an estate. The house stood
! on high hill commanding view of the road
| for some distance both above and below it.
Here we met Pamunkey Indian. We stopped
him to see what we could learn about the
situation of affairs. He told US that someone
J ii, In fol hon m
the hill; also. that there line of couriers
from the White House TO Richmond. In
! answer to a question he said the courers
! belonged to Col. Shingler's command, and
! he believed Col. Shingler was from South Caro-
! lima. He also told rs that he had just come up
/ the road from where it crossed the railroad
l leading from the White House to Richmond,
| and that there was stationed there from Is to
! 20 men; he had not counted them, but was sure
/ that there was at least 10 of them. We babe
! him good day and went on. We could not turn
back from hearsay.
AS we went along, we found that both
had the same impression in regard to the In
dams truthfulness. Neither of us had a doubt
but what he had told the truth far rs he
knew it, About two miles from where we
met the Indian we came upon the cavalry he
had told us of. There was but one man who
was mounted, but counted 10 horses, ncud-
! ing his The remainder of the men were lying
J around under trees endeavorng to keep cool.
As soon as they US halt, they commenced
/ getting up and running to their horses. We
! saw that it would be but short time before
/ they would be after ms, so we turned and
started back on q galop, which we kept up
until we passed the place where we had met
the Indian. AS we were ascending small
hill ] noticed the ground was of such nature
that the tracks of our horses could not be seen
without very close observation. Small pines
! IL. 1. ,,1,
narrow at that point We turned out of the
road and led our horses into the pines about
100 yards and waited In few minutes about
eight or 10 of our Confederate friends came
dashing up the road and went right on past.
/ 1t was very nearly dark when they passed,
and we knew that they would come back soon
as wise as they went. We came back within
few feet of the road and waited. 1t was
nearly o'clock when we heard them return
ing We caught our horses by the nose TO keep
them from whinneying, or, as our Confederate
friends called it, nickeriug. They were not in
as great hurry going back as they had been
in coming, aud were very much chagrined
that they had not succeeded in overtaking us,
and were wondering who and what we were.
1t was finally decided that we were courers,
for one fellow said he had noticed the "big
man" had a bundle in front of him that he
| felt certain was dispatches. He settled the
| matter by saying: You need not say they
1 were deserters, either from the Yankees or our
army. They are couriers, and they have not
gone far. They will be trying to get past us
| tonight, and if we keep good lookout We will
stand chance to see them again" They little
imagined we were then so close that we could
hear every word they were saying.
After they had passed out of hearing we came
out into the road aud held a consultation. Jim
said to me What shall we do now?" After
thinking the situation over for time said:
Jim, you had better take the horses and go
back. You will be able to reach our lines
early IN the morning."
well, what will you do"
"The best thing to do will be for yon to do
as / say; take the horses and return. will go
down to the Pamunkey River and swim over,
| then work my way down to Pamunkeytown
| and get one of the Indians to land me on the
south side Of the York River. and depend On
| finding horse in some stable and confiscating
! him. and then 90 on, provided see nothing OF
/ Smith in the mean time. You know, there is a
| chance of meeting him al the White House.
am sure That / don't know this country well
enough to attempt to flank those fellows down
there at 'TunstalPs' in the dark"
Said jim: What will they think oe me at
/ Headquarters, 10 come back and leave you alone,
when We have not gone mure-in fact less-thau
one-third Of tho way? / hate to do it, old boy"
i argued with him some time, and finally he
| agreed TO go back. / said TO him. 1.-THE Pa
! munkey can't be moro than two or three miles
over there" pointing ia northeast direction.
| - ! can perhaps reach the Indian village by
! daylight, and get to the south side of the York
early in the morning. always provided Badly
Smith don't arrive in time to save going there.
You can tell them at Headquarters that said
| TO you that they could rest easy about the dis
patches being delivered. and you can tell them
where and when yon left me-"
By this time il was about 10 o'clock at night.
| BE wanted me to take the canteeD, which | re-
fused on account Of its weight, although we
had reduced that by some ounces, and parted.
| l plunged into the pines upon the other side
OF the road, and Jim started off on q gallon in
the direction from which we had come
When ] started for The river felt certain ]
would find il about two miles off. 1t was very
slow time made through the pines, which at
that point must have been quite mile through.
When at lazt / came TO clearing ] was not far
from house, so near that the dogs heard
me, and ] was escorted to tho boundary oil
that plantation by ours of every degree, and
they kept upa continual yelping as long Us | was
on the place. They stopped at point supposed
10 be the boundary of what they considered
their baillwick, and the chores was immedi-
ately taken up by another set, who welcomed
me TO the hospitalities OF their place. In this
/ way / was escorted from one place to another
/ and several times was ia danger OF being bitten
1t was only by the exhibition of eternal Wig
iiarce" that / escaped it. The river WAS much
farther of than had anticipated, bend in il
| that ] knew nothing of causing lie much
I H., I al.