Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1897-04-29

dangerous for me to proceed. went
on, and soon met an old German. who
said mime Got. man. VOC be killed;
they have killed two men Just now
proceeded ON my way. dismounsed and
tied my horse behind some high bushes
on the river shore. Taking my telescop-
ic glass, made thorough examination
of the gunboats and fiotilla, and made
my calculation as to the number Of
troops and other particulars. walked
along behind the bushes. and soon fell
in within Captain Linthicum, on Gener-
al Hunton's staff, and his courier. AZ
ter talking awhile wiki the captain. 1
again put my glass through the bushes.
and looked directly in the mouth of q
32-pound cannon ON the bow Of large
gunboaf, with an officer behind IL about
10 fire. I remarked to the captain that
we had better ret out Of range. The
captain then looked, though hurriediy.
and answered: Yes, let ms get up the
hill" but before doing so spied man
at the top of the mast waving his hand
to the officer on deck. Putting up my
Sharp's rife. I was about to pick him OF
when the captain caught hold of my
gun, and said For Gods sake, don't
Shoot" so up the hill we went. Cap
tain Linthicum, in the meantime, started
his courier to Chapin's Bluff, and start
ed soon after for Richmond, IL being
then about Pm
After going about eight miles, came
in contact with our pickets, q new levy
of men who had never before been in
the service. II was starlight, and they
would hail me to give the countersign
before I saw them. I was tired, as well
as my horse, and would frequently walk
my horse up to them. They would cock
their guns, and say, Didn't tell you to
halt ~ Iwould answer them by saying,
"rm no Yankee; don't shoot r Before
getting to Chapin's Bluff saw man
on horseback just ahead ofme. Ihailed
him and asked who he was. He replied,
"Who are your" So after few min
utes, / asked him If he was not from
Curle's Neck. He said he was. L told
him to advance, and found him to be the
courier who left just ahead of me. We
took each other for Yankees, and had
oar pistols out.
/ arrived in Richmond early in the
morning, and made my report &c Gene
raj Robert Ransom, who was then CON-
mandant of Richmond.
Exciting Day. in Richmond.
The city was in state of great excite
ment. The cannon was necessarily
booming, General Stuart sending in
couriers, telling us to make show OF
fight; that he was pressing the enemy,
and had taken several hundred prisoners
on their rear guard. Colonel Charles
Phelps, now Judge Phelps, was one OF
the prisoners. In the meantime, Gene
raj Sheridan charged General Stuart's
small force with a full brigade, taking
some artillery and recapturing most OF
the prisoners. One of the men in this
charge, who had been endorsed, was re,
turning on foot, and passing General
Stuart and several of his men and off,
GERS, turned around and fired his pistol,
infiicting upon that general his mortal
wound.
This was on the 10th day of May, 1884
BY direction of Colonel Norris, imme-
diately sent secret cipher despatch to
General Bradley T. Johnson, who was
then, / think, at Hanover Junction, re-
questing him to inform Mrs. Stuart OF
the generals wound, and requesting her
to hasten on to Richmond. There be.
ing no signal officer at General Johnson's
command, the despatch could not be de.
ciphered, and hence Mrs. Stuart did not
arrive until several hours after the gen
erals DEATH. General Johnson soon az
ter sent young man, whose name was
Waters, to our corps to be instructed in
the secret cipher.
The excitement in Richmond increased
women packing their trunks, children
crying on the streets, asking If the Yam
KEGS had come in yet, expecting the en-.
envy to charge through the streets every
minute.
Besuregard's Sharp Despatch.
For five days and nights I was closely
engaged sending, receiving and deci-
phering secret cipher dispatches, with
out taking off my clothes. We were
continually booming away around our
Notifications at Sheridan's force, and
Butler had advanced toward Druries
Bluff. The Secretary of War was send
ing Beauregard dispatches constantly to
hurry on with his troops, as an hour
might decide the fate of the CITY, FL
nally Beauregard answered him as fol-
lows: II have left sick leave To
come to the defence of the city of the
Confedracy. / am not only willing to
sacrifice my health, bat my life for the
cause in which we are engaged; but I'M
til get my troops thoroughly organized
in q condition TO march across this Pc
ninsula, in the face of vastly superior
foe, shall not do it. If this determine
ton does not suit the Honorable Secre-
tary of War, my commission is at his
disposal. want no more of your des-
patches"
deciphered this despatch, and imme-