Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1898-01-20

w mEcn 1Or Tn
| doughty pc da
gogue, and he raised q company and
offered his services to the Confederate
| Government and soon rose to the rank
OF colonel of the regiment
| Ills command was stationed in North
Georgia in 1868, to assist in stopping
TIE advance of the sleralS, but he
! was detailed to take command Of the
post at Jackson Miss. and was there
during the summer Of that memorable
year, when hard fighting was going on
around Eicksburg, and the Confederate
and Union forces were struggling for
supremacy in Mississippi.
"One morning bright and early" said
he, while indulging in some reminis-
cences the other day. "a planter from
down near Hazlehurst, Miss, called at
headquarters and asked to see me pri-
vately. Taking him into my private
! office, he disclosed the fact that there
was Union general who had been
severely wounded around Vicksburg
stopping in his neighborhood at the
home of Union sympathizer, and he
offered to pilot me to the house ii |
! wished to effect his capture.
1T was too good an opportunity to
be missed, and taking posse Of six
men | proceeded to the little town of
Hazlehurst, which was the last Con-
federate outpost on the New Orleans,
Jackson and Great Northern Railroad
that remained in possession Of the
Confederate forces.
1--WE arrived at Hazlehurst late at
| night and with the planter to guide us
started on the march over roads so
abominable that we could hardly pick
our way in the darkness. There was
no conveyance of any kind to be pro-
cured and we had to foot it through
the fields and woods for seven miles be-
| fore we reached our destination.
1.-THE planter pointed out the house to
us and remained in the background
himself, so that he might not incur the
| cnmity of his UniOniSt neighbOrS, and
we quietly surrounded the house and
| knocked for admittancc. 1t was not
until after he was convinced escape
was impossible that the Unionist agreed
to surrender his guest, and the latter
came out into the struggling light OF
the early dawn with his arm in a
sling.
81 asked him his name and rank and
he Informed me that he was Neal Dow,
| holding the rank of brigadier general
in the Union army. l told him that he
must consider himself q prisoner OF
| war. and we started on the return
tourney to Hazlehurst. My prisoner
proved to be an elderly man of com
| handing presence and possessed OF
more than the average intelligence,
and our acquaintance progressed rap
idly.
"When we arrived at Jackson | con-
signed him to the most comfortable
room in the building which | had ap-
| propriated as military prison. 1t had
been the former office of the Flag or
the Union. red-hot Unionist newspa-
Per. whose publisher decamped when
the ConfederateS took possession Oh
the town, and the name of the neWspa-
ner still appeared on the front Of the
two-story wooden building in flaming
letters.
s.The only entrance to the second
story was By an outside stairway, so
tbat one sentinel could easily prevent
the escape of prisoners confined above
ona in that part Of the building placed
ms distinguished prisoner. l visited
hin, every day and carried him such
newspapers as fell into my hands, ana
wa discussed the merits of the two
sides of the question quite freely
"We soon became the best of friends,
ord it was with genuine regret that
.+.rted With him to Richmond, where
no was to be consigned: to Castle Thun-
der as a prisoner Of war. l was accom-
nanied by Coon Mitchell, 4 pudgy lit
flo music teacher, who had wandered
into the ranks of the Confederate army
olono with all the rest Of that strangely
assorted assemblage of warriors.
lone night in August we started, ana
when we reached Montgomery, Ala,
we went to the old National Hotel
whore secured Il room. | had not been
there long before | noticed tnat mop
was collecting in front OF the motel,
md pretty soon the proprietor or the
hotel appeared and with trembling hps
,rnad me that / had better take
measures to protect my prisoner. as
The mob was gathering wit. the avoW
OIL intention of taking him out ana
hanging him to a lamp-post.
.Jt seemed that number OF Pensa-
co,ans. mostly Spaniards, had refugeed
- montgomery, and as General Dow
bod been in command at Pensacola
| during its occupation by the Union
forces. they were greatly incensed
aa;nst him and accused him of robbinS
them of their personal property, some
Of them even claiming that ne hah
stolen their silver spoons. Or course,
r mt no credence in the charges. Dut