The National tribune., 1895-09-19
WOES OF A PRISONER.


ing Armstrong; Brigade of Cavalry, witt
artillery support. We drove it across til,
river, receiving the cheers Of Gen. Stonemar
for gallantry.
We had a beautiful silk flag, presented Il
our regiment by the ladies Of Mt Clements
which j had the honor to carry on that occa.
sion, and with no small amount of pride
found myself in front of our line-of-battle,
in an open field with the colors waving III
the air, when one Of the officers hurriedly rode
up to me and ordered pe off the ground with
" that rag" saying that it would be the
means of killing more of our men than it was
worth, as it only afforded a target for the
rebels TO shoot at.
i was much chagrined and my pride hurt
rs i carried it back to our camp-ground,
where i Immediately borrowed a Spencer
rife of one of the men who was sick in camp
and vowed that / would have hand in the
next move whatever il might he, as the boys
had ieered at me when i carried the colors of.
think my bravery consisted mainly of pride.
had not long to wait, for we soon were off
on that memorable Stoneman raid to Macon.
At Clinton, on Sunday, July 81, an engage
ment took place.
in the morning we advanced some distance,
and believing the rebs to be in some force our
boys were ordered to dismount and prepare TO
fight on foot A line-of-battle was formed,
and part of our men, including myself, sent
out on the sl1irmish-line
1t occurred TO me that there might be some
Johnnies there jumped back a few PAGES,
intending TO fire through the fence and stir
them up if there were any there. and then
fall on the ground behind the brush to learn
the result
j brought my gun to my face and Just
started TO pull, when bullet came from be-
hind the fence, and well aimed at my head,
struck the muzzle of my gun, following the
outside of the barrel passing entirely through
my left hand, tearing off the end of ay right
thumb, burning the right side of my face very
sharply, breaking my gun-stock, and knock
ing me down. / jumped to my feet quickly
and fired back into the fence, when half a
dozen voices shouted:
Halt halt you - Yankee"
turned to run and the bullets few over
and around me like hail two passing through
the lapel of my blouse and two more through
the front part of my pants below the knee,
without hitting me at ALL
fell back to the line-of- battle, when our
Colonel asked me where was hit. replied:
" BY thunder. my gun-stock is split in two
j afterwards learned the Colonel was quite
pletSSu WIFI UlN dDSNeT. lay Oh Lne
ground while young Surgeon probed my
wound. j fell asleep and did not awake un-
hl near sunset. looked around me and saw
nothing but Confederate soldiers / went
10 house nearby and found it filed with
wounded Union soldiers, and there met DIR.
Robertson, Surgeon Of our regiment. i asked
him what all this meant. He replied: Stone
man has surrendered. Where have Won been?"
"Out there on the ground, asleep" j replied
Well, be exclaimed, if you could sleep
shere you could sleep in Bedlam for the hard
EST Of the fighting has been there. and that
ground has been taken and retaken bv both
parties" The fact was ] was extremely
bred before j was wounded and add to that
The loss of blood it will explain why / slept
20 well.
j asked the Doctor if there would be any,
thing dishonorable or unbecoming a soldier
to try to escape after being surrendered up
by superior officer. He said he was not
prepared TO answer such question, and /
must decide for myself what it was best for
me to do
well, Doctor, said ], 81 haven't sur
rendered yet, and am going to get out of
this"
I overheard an old colored man telling
about wagon-road over through the woods,
tADO OuI OIt tluC anu tOld MIN he
knew the way and must help me through the
guards and the woods. At first he hesitated
but insisted, telling him he must and if he
did not would make him trouble.
He reluctantly consented. saving his master |
would stripe his back, but after / told him |
that he could get back before daylight. we
started and easily slipped the guards We |
soon got lost in the woods, and fearing |
treachery on the part of my colored friend i |
sent him home and wandered alone until day /
light, when found the road, but it was filled |
with rebel soldiers
Ind in the cornfeld near a house and soon
attracted the attention of another colored |
fnend, who promised to bring me some food |
when ne came back. He then directed me /
30 the house of an old lady, who he said was
very kind. Butwhen in sight Of her house I
was obliged 10 cross an open field and was
discovered by some rebel cayalrymen. A
hall dozen OF them came riding up to me. and
with drawn reYolyers claimed me as their
prisoner. j was taken TO a church which was
used as a hospital for rebel soldiers. Of whom
there was a house full
WAS taken TO Macon and into the hos
pital on the Oglethorpe Fair Grounds. Here
i found LOT OF our bows.
went from the hospital few times to n
nearby, and having small
of change, purchased at different
times refuse meat. such as beef7s tail for
soup, or meat, paying each time 50 cents
for that class OF meat. j suppose we straved
a little too much 10 suit the rebels and they /
placed guards around us
Then j began to plan to escape. and made
q eontdant of citizen formerly of New
YORK by the name Of Carson. who furnished
me with pocket map of Georgia and some
matches Carson visited the fairgrounds
often TO witness drill and dress parade of n
rebel regiment organizing there and / had
learned that 1t was called the 9Th Ga.
Reserves, commanded by Col Cummings.
waited until after roll-call in the evening.
and then slipped past the guard, and while
walking on plank sidewalk heard someone
coming.
began TO swim across stream, but the cur
rent carried me down stream, and narrowly
escaped beng captured by some rebels on q
scow, but by great exertion / reached the
same shore again, got my clothes. and then
after long detour lay down on the bottem of
an old boat in the swail, but the p,osl.etos
would not let me rest. Morning dawned
and j could hear the drum-beat at the camn
and Judged that had only made mile or
90 from where ] started ] Law in fence
corner beside wagon7road all day and
watched the rebels going TO the river to fish.
Toward night started in search of a boat.
and luckily found one.
Carson had told me that our gunboafs
were at Darien, on the Atlantic coast at the