The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1898-05-02

| a. SSpul, anu utlGIIlllHeu THAI NY tiAiS
as a prisoner should not be altogether
lost. So set my mind to work solving
the problem where Burnside's corps
was going. I never heard the subject
discussed on board, and spoke of it to
none of my companions. The captain
| of the steamer, with whom / had be-
come we'll acquainted, promised conf
dentially to find out for me on shore
what wanted to know.
One day we were told that we would
| run up the river that night to meet the
commissioners of exchange; at the
same time the transports were seen
passing out of Hampton Roads. About
shutdown the captain came on board
and said we We're about to leave and go
up James river. He took me aside and
told me that Burnside's troops We're
going up the Potomac This settled the
question; in my mind it was clear that
Mcclellan was in a state of eclipse and
Pope's star was in the ascendant NO
body seemed to understand the signifi-
canoe of the sailing of the transports,
and I never heard it mentioned.
kept mum. 1t was a lovely moonlight
night as we steamed up the river, l sat
on the deck and gazed at the stars.
knew the momenouS news | was car
rying. On either side were the old Vir-
ginia plantations, famous ever since
the days of the cavaliers; they were
mostly abandoned by their owners.
who had gone to fight the battle of
their country. The next morning the
steamer reached neutral ground the
point of exchange. The commissioners
We're waiting for us. l was one OF
the first to jump ashore.
Thinking it would take some time to
go through the ceremony of exchange,
/ had given me patent leather haver-
sack Just before leaving Fortress
Monroe I walked to the Confederate
commissioner, Judge Ould, whispered
in his ear that had important infor-
nation for General Lee and asked him
to let me go. He said all right and |
left. While in the old Capitol had got
a SIS greenback and some one sent my
greenback ashore and invested it in
lemons the blockade kept them out of
the South.
Under blazing sun in August, and
over a dusty road, now started to
walk twelve miles to General Lees
headquarters. Having been more than
a year In the cavalry, l had done very
little walking. After trudging along
a good many miles I became weary and
footsore, and, at last, sank down by
the roadside, exhausted But l chung
to my haversack and lemons. How
long I lay there I can't remember; but
cavalryman came along; ! spoke to
him; told him my condition, and that
had news I wanted to carry to Cen
eral Lee His headquarters We're still
several miles away The soldier be-
longed to Hampton's Legion, that was
camped nearby. He dismounted, gem
erously put me on his horse, and, on
foot, led the way to his camp. There
he got a horse and rode with me to
General Lees headquarters.
l was a stranger there, and shabbily
dressed A staff officer stood on the
porch. I walked up and told him that
/ had important information for Gen
eraI Lee, and asked to see him. With
a naughty air he said that General Lee
was busy and that I could not see him.
replied that had not come to ask a
favor of him, but to tell General Lee
something he ought to know. This
made no impression on him, and |
turned away. Another staff officer
overheard what I had said, told me to
wait minute walked into the house,
and soon called me in. I went into a
room. where I at first felt awed by the
presence of the commanding general.
He was alone, sitting at table look
ing over map. / thought he WAS the
grandest looking man I ever saw. But
with his dignity there was mingled a
Kindness in his tone that soon quoted
my nerves and set me at rest
/ then related to him what | had
seen and what had heard at Hampton
Roads I was too modest to express
my opinion as to the significance of the
Burnside armada going up the Poto-
mac until he asked me. He evidently
agreed with my opinion that hostilities
would now be transferred to another
theater.
He asked me a few questions about
the way / was captured. We were
alone during the interview. After we
had talked some time / remarked that
as he did not know me he did not, of
: course, know what credit to attach to
my statement. ] then told him my
name, and that / was one of those
whom he had mentioned in his general
.. order announcing Stuarts' ride around
Mcclellan. "Oh, yes" he said, II re-
member" He now called to a staff Of
ficer to have courier ready to take a
dispatch to General Jackson. He was
afraid to trust the wire; it had been
: tempered with few days before by a
raiding party of the enemy. His head
quarters were connected with Jackson s
| by a line of relay couriers. I now
rose to leave as I knew he wanted to
write to Jackson to strike Pope before
. Burnside Joined him. l opened my
haversack took out a dozen lemons
: and laid them on the table. "Oh," he
said, you had better give them tc
those in the hospitals" / insisted or
his keeping them, as knew the pleas
ure it would be to him to give them
to the sick. The news I brought was
l the cause of the battle of Cedar Noun
! tain.
: We parted, and ] never expected to
| speak to him again. The distance he
tween us was then so great that in mis-
r presence I felt like a man looking at a
: fixed star through telescope. 1t was
more than year before we met again;
: he was in his tent on the Rapidan;
| had been made a major and had beer
severely wounded a few weeks before
and was recovering and on the way
| oh RI