The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1895-07-23


west and isolate east Tennessee from the
Confederacy and was carried out under the
orders of the United States government.
Among the volunteers at Union was
young man who had served in Mexico with
Scott and considered IL duty to stand by
the old flag. He was q leader in the mid
night foray and hence readily marked by
the few Confederate guards, all Tennessee
ans, stationed there. These guards were
surprised and captured, but permitted to
go Tree after the bridge was n ruin on
their solemn oath never to reveal the names
OF the bridge burners" Bridge burning
soon became capital offense in the eyes of
the sOutherners, as was shown in the case
OF the Andrews raiders. After the destruc-
ton of the bridge at Union and attempts,
more or less successful, upon others in the
vicinity, the Confederates sent n force of
troops under the notorious Colonel Led
better to hunt down and punish the
Unionists engaged in the work. In self de-
Tense the Unionists organized and brought
out their flintlocks, pistols and swords of
Monterey or Bunker Hill. 1t was to be
war to the bitter end, bloody, fratricidal
civil war.
Tho young Mexican veteran, being a
mountainecr, ut once alert, hardy and in
telligent, was selected to form a company
OF mounted scouts for service in front of
pose of better equipment for this special
duty, he was absent from camp when Led
better's soldiers dispersed the half organ
lied and poorly armed recruits who had
reported for duty. The chief of scouts al
most rode into the enemy's hands, but re-
ceiving warning in time concealed his
horse and began scouting on his own hook.
Shortly body OF men appeared some dis
lance off in the road, and the scout recog-
-. e
among them. Going forward confidently,
suppOsing all were his friends, he found
that he WAS at the mercy of deadly en-
emies. The party was Confederate, march
ing back to camp with prisoners picked up
along the mountains. The new captive
was sternly asked his name, and several of
the band cried out in malicious Joy, "Cap,
that's Dan Ellis, from Carter county, and
Il bridge burner, too, one of the wust on
EN-" At the mention "bridge burner
several OF the Tennessee gang in the party
yelled, 'Shoot him, shoot him. He was
the first of the men in the midnight fray
to fall into the enemy's hands, the other
prisoners being simply recruits ut the
Union camp. The officer in charge quickly
called out a sergeant from the ranks and
told him to keep Ellis under strict watch,
adding for the prisoners benefit: You
shall not live two minutes. will kill you
right here. y The captain was really only
waiting to go through the formality of
having his witnesses sworn and led the
way TO n loghouse in the clearing near by.
All stopped in front of the house, and
Ellis whose limbs were free, remarked to
the guard that he wished drink of water
and moved toward the porch, needless Of
the challenge to halt. The front door was
open, and also n back door opposite. Max
ing a break, Ellis dashed through and
cleared fence before any OF the guards
could shoot without endangering the lives
OF the people inside. Beyond the fence was
a dense cedar thickct, ard into that the
nimble mountainecr plunged. Some of
the soldiers were mounted and immediate
ly circled the house in pursuit, while the
infantry held back. But the fence and a
swamp between it and the cedars delayed
the horsemen some minutes Meanwhile
the troops became mixed and dare not fire
on the fugitive lest they hit their own
men. Some OF the foremost snapped their
caps, but the weapons hung fire. Bending
under the low pointed branches, Ellis
gained on his pursuers and reached the
mountains.
The bridge burning adventure and its
consequences started Ellis on the career for
which be became noted-that of n Union
guide and mountain scout. After his escape
he roamed the hills until he fell in with
others "outlawed' like himself by the
Confederates, who had the upper hand in
the region and maintained il moro than
Two years. The bridge burners were sin
gled out for vengeance, and several met
death for the part taken in defense of their
principles Anxiously the Union sym
pathizers in the mountains looked for gov