The San Francisco call., 1898-06-05

IT WAS the first sergeant in Company ; sIl: Seventh Pennsylvania, in the :. ;shrrng of 1863. I was one of the ~ N: ;thousands of soldiers under Grant T; aEd sherman fighting our way ':northWard toward Nicksburg. There were sEffmishes and engagements every : few. days. at that time. General Penn ihertep was at Vicksburg, Mss.-fifty .. mikes: east of Vicksburg- with a force Gf%QYer; 20 0Q0, and was being daily re- ehf4rCeIl.s Grant and his army entered Grand Gulf. May 3, 1863. General Sher- man vas ordered with 12000 men to Tlake*a: demonstration against Haine's Bluff. to compel the Confederates to de- tach troops there from Pemberton's force.
 .. General Grant planned to face the two Confederate armies in detail and defeat them before they could unite against him. He wished to know lot of facts about the Confederate fortifi- cations in the gaps of the Red Rock Ridge, and the size of Johnston's re- endorsements. Spies were necessary, and at this time I was called upon to do spy. service.
 .. I had done little spy work in the Port Gibson campaign. but this job in JChnston's camp, Colonel Raymond told..me, was about the most dangerous that. any spy could undertake. The two great armies were almost ready to fight each other any day, and all the camps were unusually watchful of un- known civilians. Colonel Raymond said he wanted twenty young men who had nerve, and who would go into the enemy's lines, ready to die, if necessary, without whimpering or divulging of se- crets. He also informed me that sev- eraI Confederate spies had been recentS ly hanged. at Corinth, and that the enemy. would surely retaliate on Fed eral spies.
 I was given two hours to think the proposition over. 1 was left in a room and mot allowed to speak to any of my. comrades.
 I confess, I almost perspired blood as. sat there alone that lovely May morning, and thought over the horrible risk I was going to take. But agreed to go.
 Colonel Raymond told me that Gen eral Grant wished to talk with the men who were to go as spies. The colonel Jed us about half a mile away to a dilapidated house where Grant made his temporary headquarters.
  and drawings and came to speak with us in the yard. He explained that we had been chosen because of our repu- tatton for coolness, nerve and daring. He. told us that if any of us had any hesitancy or doubt of our courage in engaging in the spy work in region and at a time when we would be sum marily hanged if caught, that one should decline the service then and there.
 That afternoon each of us was in- structed in the particular information he was to get, and the respective part he was to play as a civilian in the enemy's camp.
 Q I was given the task of observing some typographical facts and seeing what artillery General Johnston's army had I was instructed to be a deaf mute. The surgeon on General Grier- sons staff had been the head of a deaf and dumb school at Cleveland, and he tpent several hours in drilling me as lummys
 l was to go over to Jackson with a satchel full of shoe backing, shaving Ioap, paper collars and notions, appar- ently earning my livelihood by selling ny wares to Confederate soldiers A pencil and slate were my mode of com nunication.
 I started out from the Grand Gulf ate on the night of May 5. l knew hat I would be suspected of being spy and that the least indication that ny hearing was at all good would for eft my life
 ] was within the enemys lines by looc the neXi day. ata under cow