Daily Kennebec journal., 1894-01-11
SIRlcILY IN uNpRESS.
corporal RadolpIi's Appearance Before
General Mcclellan With a Message.

General Mcclellan With a Message.
William K Rudolph, engineer at the
Spring Garden waterworks, was corpor-
81 in the Eighth Pennsylvania cavalry
and is past commander of Post 50. He
was Colonel Keenan, s orderly in the IA
nous charge at Charlottesville and fell
desperately wounded by the same yolley
that killed his colonel Essentially mod
est. Rudolphis recollection of an interview
with Mcclellan was told III the p,ainest
way. without decoration of any kind, yet
he is probably the only living soldier who
ever appeared before his commanding gen.
eral without any clothing whatever and
bearing an official dispatch in his mouth.
The night of the battle of Malvern Hill,
June /, 1862. was Il very dark and rainy
one. The command to which Rudolph be-
lonced went into camp near White Oak
swamp. Late in the night he was aroused
from sleep and ordered to report at once
to Captain Keenan,.
"Corporal, " said he, 81 am of on inn
portant duty, and | want you and Privates
Marks. Jobson and Cox to go with me.
Leave yonr horses and arms, except your
pistols, in charge of the orderly sergeant. :"
In q few minutes all were ready for the
start Captain KeenGn told the men that
they were about to/take great chances.
and there was considerable doubt whether
they would return alive. He had Il dis
patch for General Mcclellan which must
be delivered us soon as possible on board
the gunboat Galena, lying in the James
river Just below Turkey bend. He said;
''IVe have the advantage of knowing the
country and just where the gunboat lies,
but since we picketed there this morning
the Confederate lines have closed in, and
we must 20 through them in order to de-
liver the Dispatch" Then, after urging
the utmost caution, he led the way into
the woods.
After tramping about * miles they
came upon the pickets, but so quietly that
their presence was not discovered. Max
ing Il circuit, they passed around the pick
cts as well as the reserve, who were seen
standing about q fire. Reaching the brink
OF the river, they found themselves direct
" opposite the gunboat, whose lights were
discernibie about 200 yards away. rs it
was too far to call, and there were no
means Of signaling, Rudolph volunteered
to swim cut to the vessel. lie stripped OIL
his clothing. took the dispatch IN his teeth
and wadad ont about 30 yards before the
water hecame deep enough to swim. Be
fore he swan 10 yards he was challenged
and alnlcst Immediately fired upon. lie
held up the dispatch and shouted, "a
frcndn' The picket boat OF She Galena
came at once alongside, and lie was pulled
in. He showed the dispatch, and the boat
men rowcd over to the gunboat, where he
delivered the dispatch to General McClel-
Ian il person.
81 told him, D." said Rudolph, "vherc our
captain was and how he had got down to
the river He thanked me warmly and
told me to give his compliments to the
captain, and then inquired il We could get
back the same way we came and take on
answer TO the dispatch. replied thought
we could. He then went away to write
the answer, ard while he was gone one OF
the officers gave me Il dram to take oil the
night chill. in less than five minutes the
general returned TO the deck and gave me
q dispatch and a note for the captain, say
ing, BE as careful as y0u possibly cam
for wouldn't have that dispatch fail into
the hands Of the enemy for all the world. ,
''I was roweG TO within 90 yards Of the
shore and soon found my companions
Tho captain almost hugged me when we
met and he found ont that everything was
all right We returned by the same route
to our camp, which we reached within
three hours from the time we left it.
Here the captain mounted his horse and
galloped away to deliver the dispatGh-to
whom | never knew. .''-Philadelphi Rec
ord