The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1895-07-28
BY JAMES R. GILMORE.
c"Edmund Kirke.O

Among the many brave men who
took part in the recent civil war. none,
perhaps, did more service TO the coun-
try or won less glory for themselves
than those who acted as scouts for
our armies. The issue of battles. the
result of campaigns and the possession
of wide districts of country, often de-
pended on the sagacity, or was de-
termined by the information they gath
cred and yet, they were seldom heard
OF in the newspapers and may never
be read CT IN history.
Romantic and thrilling adventures
often attended the operations of the
scouts of both sections; but more diff
Guilty and danger were encountered by
the DaruSanS Of the north than OF the
south. Operating mostly within the
circle of their own acquaintance, the
latter were usually aided and harbored
by the southern people, who, If friend
ly to the COnfederacy, often themselves
acted as spies and conveyed informa-
zion across districts inaccessible to any
but supposed loyal citizens. The perils
of the Unionist scout in a disloyal sec
ton we're far greater. The casual
meeting with some one who knew him.
the slightest act inconsistent with his
assumed character, or the smallest i'll
cCngruity between his speech and that
of the region to which he assumed to
belong. sent many a worthy man to
the gallows. One of the best of Cen
eral Rosecrans' scouts-a native Of
East Kentucky--lost his life because he
would bounce (moun0 his nag,
pack (carry) his gun, eat his bread
dry So Cwithout butteD and 'guzZle
his peck of whisky" in the midst of
Rragg's camp, when no such things
were done there, nor in the mountains
of Alabama, where he professed to be-
long. Acquainted with only narrow
region the poor fellow did not know
that every southern district has its
own dialect. and that the trained ear
of q close observer can detect slight
deviation from its customary phrases.
The scout was often employed, to
convey information from ona command
err to another and on such occasions
very ingenious devices were reSorted
70 in order TO conceal q dispatch in
case of capture OF the messenger by an
enemy. A shoe with a hollow heel. d
/ agment OF corn-pone too stale to
t,,1l1Dt q starving man, a hollow bullet,
a strip of adhesive plaster over a feS-
4aring wound or ball of cotton
wood stuffed into the ear to keep cut
the wind, often hid a message whose
discovery would cost the life of
the bearer, and perhaps, endanger an
half eagle which bore to Burnside's
heiea e1lered army the welcome tidingS
that in thirty hours Sherman would
relieve Knoxville. In a somewhat SIM
liar manner the scout whose name IS
at the head of this paper. bore the
message that brought together the
two wings of the little army which
achieved the first important national
victory OF the civil war, and held Ken
tucky to its mornings in the Union.
How Garfield Won the First Imports
ant National Victory in the War.
Near the close of the first year Of
t1,a war this important undertaking
T-as entrusted 10 q college president
-.,bo had worked his own way to man
hood Born in a log cabin, and begin
virg life a widows son, MS first six
<e,sn wears had been passed between
fsv-r, and a black saltern; but being an
;'1+aiIsrgent energetic lad his friends
formed the usual hopes for him, until
~ annrenticed himself to a. canal
hat when. after the manner Of Jobs
+vis35s they comforted his mother
.srifsa the assurance that her son had
taken the swift train to destruction.
R,,t like Job, she knew in whom she
achieved. and the boy justified her
,eo,,ti,1ence He turned square about:
resolved to secure an education and
hacon,e a man. He then worked his !
r1rav through an eastern college, at % /
5,ecsa,1e president of a western colleg- /
iate institution, at Is a senator dn the /
Ohio lIegiSla lure, and when not yet 30 |
~. was given command OF a regiment 1
which he raised from among his own
-eigFibors and college students. With
ffis regiment and another which had I
been placed under his command, he
on January 10. 1862, gained a brilliant
victory over twice his own numbers.
and gave new hope to the nation. I
which HAD been we'll nigh paralyzed
sNote-1'he facts embodied in the
following paper We're derived directly